Evening star., 1934-07-29

80 Ff+HEE!71
Eve leaflets.
The home owner who finds this
weed on his place may wish 70 eradi-
cate il without handling the plants.
Probably the best way is 70 dust or
spray with a chlorate weed Killer. In
this case. there is no need Of touch
ing the plants. for in q few days the
foliage win have turned brown and,
with light second application to such
leaves as may have escaped. the plants
will be completely killed. One pound
of the chemical. either as q dust or
in one gallon of water. viii xiii 100
square feet OF poison ivy.
The Compost Heat.
4 GREAT deal is said in garden
columns about the need of con-
servstion Of organic matter. and az
the same time the advisa0ility Of
destroying all plant refuse is stressed
as a means OF decreasing plant dis
eases. The old-fashioned compost
heap offers an Intermediary course
that enables one To follow both sug-
gestions. In this heap are piled all
the grass cuttings, old vegetable and
flower plants, leaves in their season
and some soil to make the mass dense
and moist. A few handfuls OF sui
phate OF ammonia, superphoSphate
and hydrated lime. thrown over the
ingredients in the course of pilng,
viii hasten their decomposition and
increase the value of the residual
humus. In this heap. temperatures
sufficient to destroy most plant dis
ease spores will exist for some time
With occasional turning the pile Of
plant stalks and other seemingly in
destruetible refuse will disappear as
such and in a few months become
rich dark humus, valuable in the
garden.
Garden Notes.
A WARNING might we'll be offered
gardeners from placing wooden
fencing or arbors with wooden foun-
dations directly on the soil. They
should have metal or concrete bases.
without this precaution an easy
access is offered to white ants or
termites. These pernicious insects
will quickly destroy any Tntreated
wood that is placed in or on the soil.
Fortunately enough they appear un-
able to destroy living wood, although
they do eat the soft pithy centers of
geraniums and other herbaceous
plants.
What few roses that open in Mid
summer are often not true to color
In fact. they seem to lose color even
before expanding into blossom. Mid
summer is the season Of petunias Tn-
Mas and marigolds, and 1t is almost
season flowers flourish at this time,
In fact, many of the species are rest
ing almost as in Midwinter.
The popularity of golden colored
sweet corns In the more northern
States is little reflected locally, partly
because of their greater susceptibility
than white corns to the destructive
ear worm. This insect may be par
TALLY controlled by dusting the silks
with a mixture of nine parts of
hydrated lime and one part of arsen-
ate of lead dust. Before the corn ear
worm enters the ear, it feeds briefly
on the silk. Each kernel of corn has
an individual strand of silk through
which the pollen grains are conveyed
to the embryo. Injury TO the silks at
an early stage naturally prevents pol
lination and with it the development
of the kernels.
Cu,aa+ oorya has az, i,,tarauffvo hIq
tory. It is product Of North Amer
lea, of the Indians or perhaps of the
races that preceded them. White men
had never seen this wonderful food
plant until America was visited, yet
what tremendous role it now plays
in the national welfare. The name
corn or korn was applied to wheat
in early European times and 1t was
perhaps only natural that it was
transferred to the grain that played
so important part in the success OF
the early colonies. AS far as S known,
corn does not occur wild and Is evi-
IDENTIFY the product of centuries of
unconscious, but nevertheless, success
full plant breeding.
Among the food plants that greeted
the European coIonists were the corn.
potato, tomato, plum, grape, blue
berry, cranberry, squash and arti-
choke. It is little wonder that early
settlers who arrived at harvest sea-
sons described the land as one of
plenty. And, what is more wonder
full, is the present-day importance Of
these early American crop plants.
Blanching of vegetables is peculiar
phase of gardening that is highly i'm
portant in obtaining quality in GER
tain species, such. for example, as
celery, endive, head lettuce, cauli-
flower and head cabbage Practically
all varieties of celery, except golden