Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Scrapbook Filing Date, May 10

Scrapbook Filing Date. May 10
Temperatures last week end
were o bit more normal than In
The previous week end when
they scorched plant and human.
Some rain has fallen but soils are
still dry. The grass. in 10 days.
hardly grew enough to cut. The
newly set out plants. trees,
shrubs and roses will need fire.
quent watering to Offset the
lack Of rainfall. It's time to be-
gin spreading mulches wherever
you can. and that depends upon
how much you have. Raise the
cutter bars on the lawn mowers
to cut not less than 2 inches,
better still raise to IA inches.
That's not for looks but to let
the grass blades grow tall enough
to shade the surface Of the
ground.
Cultivate-Then Mulch
Always cultivate the ground,
even If 1t is only q scratching
Of the surface Of the soil before
applying q mulch. This is to
open the soil particles so that
air and moisture will penetrate.
OF course. q good cultivation is
preferred, but it would harm
such shallow rooted plants as
dogwods, asaleas. lockwood, etc.
An lnt0lerant Plant
viburnum earliest Is q tenn
peramental plant although a
very fragrant early spring
bloomer. It win not tolerate
sulphur dusts or sprays, nor will
1t tolerate DOT. Fortunately we
may use fermate, should that
be necessary, and methoxychlor
IN place Of the sulphur and the
DOT.
Leave Bulb Foliage
In cutting the lawn it is a
temptation to cut OF the foliage
OF the early spring Towering
bulbs that extend into the lawn
area. If you want the bulbs
to bloom next spring it is best
to avoid that temptation: the
bulbs are now storing up food
for next years floral parade.
Rose Fertilization
The roses that were fertilized
about the first Of April are
ready for another feeding-that
Is If you have watered the beds
sufficiently to carry the first
feeding down to the plant roots.
Monthly feeding is necessary If
the roses are to continue to
make strong growth
Towering Peach Trees
Prune Towering peach trees
now that they have finished
blooming. This is to keep them
compact and to stimulate new
growth. 1t is the new growth
that carries next springs flower
buds. If the tree is scraggly and
open do not hesitate to prune
1t severely. If this appears too
drastic. try one side this year
and ncte the results.
Pull Those Spent ANIMALS
Pull the larkspur. ragged
robin and other early Towering
hardy ANIMALS before they scat
ter their seed on the ground to
plague the gardener next spring.
Thin Out Shrubs
Prune forsythia and other
early spring Towering shrubs as
soon as their flowers have fallen.
This chore is seldom necessary
on bushes that are 3 years old
or younger, unless it be on one
that is insisting on growing
single-stem-it should be cut
back to a foot or so to force
branching On older bushes
take out from a fourth to a
third of the canes. removing the
Oldest ones at the ground or
as close to it as possible.
Hot Weather Crops
Now that summer Is supposed
to be here-we can still remem-
Der the summer Of l956-we
should plant the hot weather
vegetables and flowers. Some,
such as the dahlias and chrys-
anthemums. might well wait a
while If something must wait.
OF course you will need to soak
the planting burrows or holes
before putting plants in and
watering will be needed until 1t
rains. but to delay will mean
later harvests.
To Improve Flavor
Carrots and beets seem to
have their flavor improved with
the addition Of boron and
magnesium to the soil. Use
tablespoon of Borax and
tablespoons Of EPSON salts to a
sprinkler can Of water to a 100
foot row. Use ! pint of this
solution to each hill of canta-
loupes. The one application
necessary can be made to the
soil or to the foliage. II spray
ing we're necessary 1t could be
added to the spray solution.
AzaIea Pruning
Now that the azaleas are
through blooming for this sea-
son it Is time to do any pruning