Evening star., 1935-08-24

flowers should be cut In the early
morning while the foliage Is fresh and
well supplied with moisture. Most
varieties should be cut before the
blooms are fully expanded, but the
dahiia Is excepted and should be
taken when fully open. To proiong
the life Of species with hollow stems,
the end Of the stem, while submerged
In water, should be slit to force out
the air and replace it with moisture.
Zinnias are said to benefit particu-
larly from this treatment. Holiyhock
blooms will last much longer II the
base Of the stems are dipped In Q l
per cent solution Of nitric acid In
water.
For cutting, the author suggests
using O sharp knife and making .
long, diagonal cut, thus increasing
the surface In contact with the water.
Flowers such as poinsettia, with milky
Juice, should be put into water In
which has been dissolved little COM
mon salt. This Is said TO prevent the
hardening Of the sap. which plugs the
vessels and prevents the intake OF
water.
Garden Notes.
CRAB grass Is o persistent weed.
that Is, 1t keeps sending up fiow-
ering stalks almost a. regularly as
they are cut OF with the mower. Let
the home owner be absent for week
or two and he will find nice crop OF
seed heads awaiting his return. This
weed has certain admirable qualities;
IL thrives amid heat and partial
drought and. were It perennial. 1t
might very well be esteemed As lawn
grass. Eradication Is almost impos-
sible but crab grass can be checked
by timely cutting and by fertilizing
the lawn In April and early September
when blue grass Ia making Its maxi
mum growth.
DR.. George M. Darrow. in charge Of
small fruit Investigations In the De-
partment Of Agriculture, believes that
many strawberry beds are ruined by
forming too many plants and suggests
that the runners be spaced and limited
so that there is only about one plant
per square foot. This permits each
plant to get sufficient light and
moisture to grow vigorously and ma
ture o large crop Of good sized berries.
Years ago. DR.. L. H. Bailey pointed
out that the several limbs Of tree
are actually competitors for light and
that above Q certain number are actu-
ally harmful to one another. His
thought Is carried out in DR.. Darrow's
present-day thinking about the straw
berry. No one Is In q better position
that the home gardener to carry
through . program OF strawberry
plant placement and limitation, yet
there are commercial berry growers
who consider the practice sufficiently
worth while to apply it to their fields.
What o tremendous power Is ex-
erted on the soil by waterl In Spring
the garden is often virtually mud,
now it Ia almost rs hard as the
roadway unless 1t has been watered.
Water is o mighty factor in the sue
cess Of gardening and ct times one
cannot help but envy the Californians,
who have their lawns and gardens
under irrigation. Weeds. by the way.
use great quantities of water, and
in many cases are better able to
take it from the soil than better kinds
of plants. The need Of eradicating
weeds at all times is evident, but in
dry weather 1t Is doubly important.
Although it is not evident to the
naked eye. many plants. such as
fruit trees and Towering shrubs, are
now forming flower buds for next
year. Nature is preparing one year
in advance and the home owner can
assist by seeing that insects and dis
eases do not destroy the leaves.
The Madonna lily will shortly be
sending UP Its Autumn rosette OF
leaves. which persist through the
Winter. This Is the best time for
setting new Madonna lily bulbs or
moving old ones. There 10, however,
a long period in which this lily may
be planted. One home gardener, who
did not plant until early November
last year, had a nice crop Of blooms
this year.
The mallows, now In bloom, are
relatives Of the hollyhock and rose Of
Sharon. AL this group seem to revel
In Summer suns and all have snowy
flowers Of white, pink and red.