Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-05-13
The Home Gardener
Practical and Seasonal Hints for the Amateur for
Beautifying Surroundings Of the Home.
BY J. W. WELLINGTON.

down a hole punched into the nest
will usually destroy small nests in
the lawn. This substance, an evil
smelling. oily liquid. Is not dangerous
in the open but 1t is imf1ammable n
the presence of an open flame. To
obtain maximum kill, the opening in
the nest should be closed after in
sertion of the liquid. Carbon disul-
phide may be secured from many
local drug stores at fairly moderate
cost.
The second method Of control in
wolves the use of sweetened and
poisoned strip. In this case the
peculiar habit Of the ant In bring
ing home food to the nest plays a
strong part in success. BY so bring
ing home the poisoned food the ants
destroy the young and the colony.
The use Of poisons presents a hazard
where children and pet animals are
present and requires care. Among
various poisons that may be added to
sugar sirup are tartaric acid, thai
lium sulphate and sodium arsenite.
A very little of the sirup Is re-
quired to destroy large colonies of
ants.
Termites, or weed eating ants, are
not so easily killed but must be shut
off from wooden porches and steps by
concrete or other norwood fOunda-
tons The United States Department
of Agriculture has a phamphlet on
termite control that should prove in
valuable to troubled homeowners.
Strawberries.
CUpREME among home garden
= fruits, the strawberry merits con-
sideration because Of the high
yields possible from relatively small
areas and also because Of the small
investment in plants required for
start. In this area strawberry Gull
ture is one-year proposition, plants
set one Spring fruiting the next. Be-
yond this point weeds usually assume
too much of a menace to make
second season advisable.
At the present time, there is in
progress in this locality an outstand-
ing development in varieties. The
United States Department of Agri-
culture has developed several new va
rieties unusually well adapted to near
by conditions. Redheart, Dorset,
Fairfax and Blakemore are included
in this list and deserve a trial in
the suburban garden. These plants
are now offered for sale by nursery
men. The old varieties, Premier, Big
Joe and Candy. still warrant consid-
Grafton AS rule, everbearing straw
berries are III adapted locally because
of the long, often rather dry Sum-
mers. With some types of artificial
watering there might well be a place
for everbearers. Strawberry plants
set out in Spring usually form album
dant young runner plants from which
to provide the matted rows SO popu-
lar In Northern strawberry culture.
Fertilizer Placement
MOT always are fertilizers helpful
IN in the garden nor is it safe to
work on the assumption that
if little material gives good results
a whole lot will be that much more
worthwhile. Undoubtedly many
locally cherished plant has been in
jured by fertilizer either used too
freely or wrongly placed. Fertilizer
in contact with seeds or roots will
usually cause much injury, especially
If little rain occurs to wash it into
solution. Hence the usual recommen-
dation to broadcast commercial fer
tilizer and work it into the soil be-
fore planting. Placing fertilizer in
the hill with seed is safe only when
mixed with the soil prior to plant
ing.
Many gardeners have learned by
experience that it is safer and more
effective to divide applications Of
concentrated fertilizer. AS the plants
emerge from the soil and are grow
ing nicely q second and even third
small application may be placed along
the row and hoed in lightly. This
system, known as side dressing, is
practiced largely in European coun-
tries where maximum production is
needed because of limited area. The
need of supplemental feeding may be
,,c,,all1, i,,doad hv the deye1onroent