Evening star., 1936-05-18
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

stimulus to any one who seeks by the
aid OF its pages to become better &C
quainted with our songsters."
The point is that the book begins
with
"The crow!"
This has not been particularly good
Spring for tulips.
Many large bulbs put in the ground
last Fall delivered only second rate
blooms this month, and these on far
shorter stalks than they should have
done.
Let us blame it on the curious season,
following hard Winter, and not on the
dealer
There Is no telling in advance just
what such an up-and down time will do.
First, one day it is cold, the very next
hot. There seems to be no settling down
to what used to be regarded as normal
weather. The temperature changes, in
particular, are rapid, and are accom-
panied by unusual drought for this time
of year.
The result has been that the poor
plants, in many instances, do not know
whether they are coming or going. This
10 u uC VI PCOiliCo. oOAlC OJCNlhlClio 1ldHC
grown exceptionally we'll, others are be-
hind their usual growth. Iris, too, has
been variable. 1t may be that the plants
are perplexed, in their way, by the un-
usual Spring, and some respond one way
some another, so that in the end the
balance will be held true. Some climbing
roses of the greatest resistance have been
killed out, whereas others, in more ex-
posed situations, are alive to every tip,
and bid fair to give the greatest display
in years.
Lack Of April rains, with continued
drynesS in May. makes for unusual
gardening conditions.
If the old saw were altogether true,
that April showers make May flowers"
gardeners hereabouts would be at loss,
because the April rains were almost nom
existent and not enough water has
fallen since to give the plants, espe-
cially the grass, the moisture they should
have. 1t must be remembered that two
transforms do not make up for many
intervening dry days, especially when
high temperatures are included in the
garden bill-of-fare.
Hence the necessity, this season, Of un-
limbering the garden hose to take care
of those dry spots which will show in
even the best lawns. The idea of gen.
eral sprinkling of lawns went out long
ago. 1t is both nuisance and unneces-
sary. The better idea is to devote the
sprinkling period to those patches in
every lawn which really need water
when dry weather shows up. These arise
through a variety of causes. Too rapid
drainage is one. Underlying stone is
another. Then again there is no telling
just which varieties of grasses one has
at any given point in any lawn. Every
seed mixture contains several grasses,
some designed to take care of the plot in
dry weather, others in excessively wet
times. The intention of the seedmen is
good, but sometimes the mixture is un-
even, and the varieties do not get dis
tributed properly, so that in dry weather
there will be patch which cannot resist
as well as the rest of the lawn. 1t is
this patch which needs the water, and
which should receive it. Not only will
there be a saving in water. but in labor,
too, if the sprinkling is confined to such
bad spots as they show up. This method
has the added advantage of not pam
pering lawn. We believe it thoroughly
possible for an otherwise good lawn to
get into its head that all it has to do
to secure more water is to cry aloud
for it, by going brown, or yellow. If the
lawn is given in to, in this respect, it
demands more and more water. whereas
if it is not pampered,' but only given such
water as it actually needs. the rest of it
will take care of itself because it has to.