Evening star., 1951-02-11
This Week.
in the
Garden

| OQIQG
Flower seeds which may be
started indoors at this season of
the year include: Ageratum,
gloxinia penstemon, lobelia, scarlet
sage. snapdragon. verbena and the
bedding plant Vinca rosea. Sew
the seed in spaghnum moss.
vermiculite or soil that has been
treated with formaldehyde dust
to prevent the "dampening off -
disease. Six-inch bulb pans
(shallow pots) are excellent for
starting seeds indoors.
A dormant strength spray may
be applied to the dormant decid-
uous trees and shrubs whenever
temperatures are above freezing
and likely to remain so for "a
hours. The dormant spray should
be q regular program for the home
gardener II he would keep his
shrubbery and trees free from
scale insects and destroy the
disease spores which winter over
on the wood. Lime-sulphur is
the most commonly used dormant
spray material although a miscible
oil may also be used.
It is desirable to defer pruning
Of roses and other semi-hardy
woody plants until early in
March. There is always the
chance that a late freeze will kill
the ends Of the branches and
necessitate the removal of more
wood than is desirable. Crepe
myrtle and butterfly bushes are
two commonly planted shrubs that
fall in this class.
Gardeners often wonder If it Is
safe to apply fertilizer and seed
to the lawn at this season and If
there should be a week or more
interval between the applications.
Grass seed should be planted now
50 that 1t will germinate and
begin to grow as soon as the
weather moderates. Fertilizer ap-
piled to frozen ground is apt to
wash away. It is best to wait until
the first of March before spread
ing the fertilizer. However, both
the grass seed and the fertilizer
could be applied. should it be de-
sirable to do so, at the same time
without danger Of injury to the
grass seed because it takes several
days for the grass seed to sprout.
The recent freeze may have
damaged plants but it will be
some weeks before this can be
determined with accuracy. II
the sap had started to rise be-
cause of the warm weather of
two weeks ago, damage could be
severe. It is the sudden changes
that do the damage. In severe
cases the limbs will crack open.
Vegetable growers who have not
tried out the new sweetcorns-
Iochief and Seneca Chief are
overlooking good bet. They are
far superior to the older varieties,
are excellent for canning and
freezing. However, stocks of seed
are not large and early ordering
is recommended.
The Connecticut Agricultural
Experiment Station, in trial to
determine effective ways of con-
trolling the elm bark beetle, found
that DDT stopped the beetle
rather effectively. The impor-
tance of this to tree lovers is that
by spraying our elms with DDT
to control the bark beetle we
stop the spread of the dreaded
Dutch Elm disease. One applica-
ton in the spring was given in the
trial.
At this season many house
plants are suffering from an over
dose Of dust. Either wipe the
leaves clean with a moist cloth or
give them a refreshing shower.
Time for another inspection of
dahlia. Gamma and other tubers
stored in peat moss or other pro-
tective covering. If they appear
soft from shriveling slightly
moisten the covering material.
Spring is not far away and the
tools should be made ready for
spring work. Send any that are
broken or in need Of sharpening
to the shop now while there is
time to have them put into good
working order before they are
needed.
The hybrid cucumber, Surecrop.
is recommended by Beltsville be-
cause of its resistance to the
destructive disease, mosaic, which
normally destroys cucumber vines
just as they reach bearing age.
A disease-free cucumber vine
should be productive for several
weeks If the fruits are picked as
they reach useful size. However,
few gardeners in this area are
fortunate enough to keep them
free from disease. It is for this
reason that this new hybrid is
SO welcome.
Cutting roses for use in the
house Is one of the greatest de-
lights Of garden. All-America
Rose Selections advises: Cut stems
about quarter Inch above a leaf:
leave at least two well-developed
leaf clusters between the cut and
the point where the branch Joins
the main cane.
Sappho, the Greek poetess, be-
slowed the title Queen of Flow
ers" upon the rose in her writings
about 500 B. c. It's goth Century
dncnex Lax{~ >.> ~Y~.In.J ~,