Evening star., 1934-11-13
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

buy hardy materials which will last
the years through without Winter
covering.
Such Is an ideal, but most Of us
will violate it, from time to time and
from year to year, in order to enjoy
the beauty of those things which are
not as cold-resistant as we would like
to have them.
The so-called hardy chrysanthe-
NUNS, for instance, belong in this
group. No matter how tough they
may be, as far as the members of
this class 60, many of them will need
some covering to take them through
severe Winter. Many of us found
this out in 1884.
So there will be no reason for per-
mitting 1885 to catch us mapping
with uncovered chrysanthemums. A
good covering of leaves, preferably
some other than oak, will suffice, if
held down by enough loose earth to
keep them from blowing away.
Good well-rotted manure is excel
lent, and the gardener need not feel
that all the nutriment thereof Is
wasted If put on around Thanks
giving. Surely there will be some
left by next Summer, when the plants
really start to grow. What If some
Of the fertiliZing elements do 60 be-
low the ends of the roots? 1t may
be supposed that even this is benefi-
cial to the plants, If for no other rea-
son than because it induces the roots
to push downward, where, If they
cannot find food at least they may
get a better water supply. And none
will be SO pessimistic as to believe
that all nutriment is utterly lost;
surely some of it remains in the soil,
even if most Of it teaches away.
The imagination Of the gardener
often leads him astray, in that it
builds up possibilities which after all
may be nothing more than beliefs, not
founded on proved facts. The course
Of nitrogen. phosphorus and potash
through the earth particles may be
turned by an active mind into
tortuous proceeding amounting almost
to a horticultural nightmare. Even
the scientists do not know exactly
what happens when given batch of
fertilizer is placed in or on the earth.
Something occurs. but just what, and
especially how much, is unknown, and
even the most scientific of persons,
he least of all, would hazard a guess
This he leaves to the imaginative
gardener. who forever is working up
mental hazards for his plants.
Gardening becomes easier, and
pleaSanter, and more successful, when
the home gardener willingly turns over
the main care of his plants to the
great Nature which made them and
cares for them. This turning can
come about only when the imagina-
tion ceases poking its long nose into
what goes on in the earth. That Is
the earths secret. 1t has been its
secret since the beginning of time,
and probably will continue to be
forever more.
Nothing said herein should be con-
strued as advising against proper
Winter care All we have tried to
do is point out that hardy plants and
shrubs have really surprising ability
at taking care Of themselves.
The rest will have to be protected
against the possibility Of a rigorous
Winter. This may be done by an
extra heavy layer Of peat moss, if the
latter can be kept from blowing away
in dry spell. One way of doing this
is to spread q half inch of earth
over the peat. Leaves may be piled
around such plants, and held down
similarly, or by branches of trees,
but even these do not look so well.
Roses planted this Fall-and Au-
tumn is an approved time-should be
well mounded with earth, which is
not to be removed until next April,
at the earliest. and not then unless
| the weather bids fair to remain warm