Evening star., 1934-04-22

| easy to grow and worth growing. A
row Of two dozen plants along the
edge of the garden can yield a liberal
supply of vegetables for several weeks
in early Spring while annual vege-
tables are developing. Asparagus may
be grown either from seed or from
plants obtained from the nursery.
Usually the gardener buys plants,
largely because of the saving of a
year in developing the bed. However.
asparagus is easily grown from seed.
as is attested by the numerous seed
lings which arise in established rows
Some evidence shows that light
cutting the second Spring is not
harmful but 1t is well to wait until
the third season in the permanent
rows before cutting. This long delay
in arriving at production probably
discourages many would-be growers,
but is compensated by the long period
of years in which the bed will reward
its owner.
The bugbear of asparagus growing
is a slug which all Summer long at
tacks the plants and eats off the
foliage. 1t Is. however, readily con-
trolled by busting with mixture of
hydrated lime and arsenate OF lead,
in, parts nine to one.
IS e.f Grape Varieties.
TOR over SO years the Concord has
+ been the leading grape in North
eastern United States, not be-
cause of its quality, which. although
good, is surpassed by certain less well
known grapes. but because of its
productivity and vigorous growth
Probably if the home gardener has
space for only one vine, it should still
be Concord. The leading green or
white grape is the Niagara, and in
red grapes the Delaware holds high
place. The three kinds constitute a
very desirable trir Among newer
kinds worthy of trial are Brilliant and
Caco, both reds. For years sporadic
attempts have been made to encour-
age the growth of California types of
grapes in the Northeastern States. but
Winters such as just experienced
prove too severe for these kinds. Con-
cord and its group are probably large
ly OF native American stock with
small share Of European or California
ancestry in their makeup.
Apparently the hope Of Eastern
American grape growing lies in va
rieties which combine native vigor
and European quality. AS time
passes and breeders keep active, there
is certain to emerge better grapes
than Concord, Niagara and Delaware.
but at present the home gardener can
make no mistake to plant these
kinds.
Pruning, spraying and fertilizing
contribute much to the success of
grape growing. 1t is not logical to
expect high-grad grapes without at
least fair attention to culture.
Lawn Care.
FARMERS BULLETIN 1877, Plant
L ing and Care Of Lawns, states
that newly sown lawns should
be cut when the grass reaches two to
three inches in height, not only on
the basis of appearance, but also be-
cause sod-forming grasses are bene-
nted by such cutting. At the same
tAiilC Sci IdIIl "ctuS are CNeCkeQ. Close
cutting is, however. undesirable. The
most noxious weeds in the lawn are
said to be crabgrass, dandelions,
plantain and chickweed, and of these
crabgrasS is conceded the worst. a
conclusion with which practically 100
per cent of the local home gardeners
would concur. The three others can
be eliminated from small areas bv
wedding. but many times crabgrass is
so abundant that it becomes virtually
Impossible to weed it from the lawn.
Mr.. Enlow, one of the authors of
the bulletin, in speaking before the
Takoma Horticultural Club a year ago.
suggested that cutting bluegrass at
three inches had greatly aided in his
own lawn in checing crabgrass. He
believed that crabgrass, essentially a
sun-loving species, was controlled bv
the shade of the bluegrass. Most
lawn mowers will not cut grass at
three inches, but there is a possibility
that new-type mowers will be de-
signed to meet the requirement. In