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General Garden Advice (Roots to ramify and send their)

the roots to ramify and send their rootlets over a wider The moisture supply is conserved, the soil being loose and open becomes better aërated, and allows the warm air to penetrate deeper. It can be readily understood that a hard dry crust, if allowed to remain, will be impervious to the penetration of both air and water and that any moisture supply already in the soil will soon be lost through evaporation. Through this contribution of air, warmth and moisture, which permeates those soils that are cultivated with regularity, the activities of the various friendly bacteria are increased and through their agency the elements of fertility in the soil are turned into available forms for plant assimilation.

STAKING As the season advances and growth becomes more active those plants having a slender, drooping, habit of growth require staking. This must be done early in the season before the plants become hopelessly bent as a result of being beaten down in violent storms making it difficult and usually impossible to restore their natural grace. Wooden stakes painted green, wire supports, or brushwood are suitable for this purpose. Tie the shoots to the support loosely, using either green twine or raffia and doing the work as inconspicuously [169] as possible so that the plant will not appear any stiffer than is necessary for its proper support. For smaller specimens brushwood often answers the purpose and has the advantage of being less noticeable than stakes; it is often possible to place it so that the foliage gradually conceals it as growth advances. WATERING Watering during dry spells will be required for most plants, always taking care to soak the beds thoroughly each time, it being more beneficial to water less frequently and give water enough for it to soak through the soil deeply enough to reach the roots below the immediate surface. Superficial watering tends to attract roots to the surface, thereby inducing shallow root systems that will be less able to withstand drought and more liable to winter kill. Another very harmful practice is to water the garden regularly early in the season and then fail to do so during dry spells later on in the summer. The watering induces a succulent growth which is more likely to be injured later if it is suddenly cut off from the water supply it has become accustomed to. It is scarcely necessary to add that the best time for watering is in the cool of the evening or in the early morning before the sun becomes too hot.

If the beds are raked as soon as the soil is dry enough [170] Courtesy of J. Horace McFarland Company