Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-19

The weather has been unusually
favorable for fall garden work. The
soil is easily worked and with the
cool mornings and evenings most
garden work is going along in great
shape. Bulb planting is nearly COM
pleted, although tulips and some
lilies are yet to go into the ground.
The hilling-up Of soil around the
perennials and shrubs as well as
removing dead grass and weeds
around the shrubs and trees must
wait, in most cases, for a killing
frost.
1t will soon be time to sow the
seeds of hardy ANIMALS, such as
larkspur, California peoples, etc.
Get the seed now and as soon as the
weather turns cool scatter it where
it is to grow. Such seeds give much
better results when sown in the
fall than from spring paintings.
Aphis (plant lice), which normally
are not troublesome at this season
of the year, are to be seen in many
gardens on roses and other plants.
Keep after them with sprays. The
more you do now the less you
will have to contend with next
spring.
Along with other garden work,
the cool. moist weather has brought
the usual crop Of chickweed to our
lawns and flower beds. Have YOU
tried busting it with ammonium
sulphate? The sulphate works better
than pulling because it gets the big
plants as we'll as the small ones.
When selecting plants for potting
up for indoors use, do not take the
largest and strongest ones. They
often do not withstand the trans
planting as we'll as the smaller ones,
which, becoming established quickly,
give better results.
It is not too late to SOW grass
seed. although mid-September is
considered the most desirable sea-
son. Seed sown in well-prepared
bed now will terminate rapidly and
make a strong growth before we
normally expect the ground to be
frozen.
Ground limestone in several ways is
preferable to hydrated lime for gar
den use, although slower in action
1t may be applied in large quantities
without injury to the plants. Sec
ondlv. it does not liberate nitrogen
so rapidly and hence there is less
loss of that important plant food.
And thirdly, a sufficient quantity to
last several years may be incorpo-
rated during the preparation of beds
without risk. since it is slowly avail
able and does not leak away as
quickly as does hydrated lime.
Lily bulbs must be unpacked as
soon as they are received and then
immediately planted. If they are
allowed to dry in the air they will
lose much of their vitality. Some lily
bulbs reach us very late In the WIN
ter For these have the beds already
prepared To keep the ground from
freezing cover with leaves or straw
until the bulbs arrive and are
planted.
It is well to remove and burn the
foliage of peonies if there is the
slightest suspicion that bud diseases
are present. The disease spores win
ter over on the foliage and by re-
moving and burning it they are de-
stroyed. 1t is well to burn del
phinium, hollyhock and phloX
foliage for the same reason. If put
in the compost pile this foliage
should be we'll covered with by.
drafted lime to destroy the diseases
Weather prophets are predicting
an early fall for one reason or an
other. Regardless as to their ability
to forecast accurately, we might as
well be on the safe side by doing as
many of the fall garden jobs early
as we can. This means filling in
the low spots or draining them to
protect dormant plants, preparing
the cold frame while it may still be
done comfortably, preparing the soil
for later planting and the thousand
and one other Jobs. This may seem
bit pessimistic advice, but have
often found that cold weather ar
rived before planting was completed
or the weeds and trash had beer
spaded under.
1t is not too early to be planning
that fall shrub order. Look at the
snaces where thew are to 90 before