The Sunday Oregonian., March 21, 1920, SECTION FIVE, Page 8, Image 80

TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, MARCH 21, 1920 ;
f : EXPERT GIVES ITS
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PORTLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL GARDENS
RECEIVE 10,000 PACKAGES OF SEEDS
Youngsters Fall in With Spades and Rakes and Prepare to Align Companies f Radishes and Carrots and
Pumpkins and Other Things With Idea of Passing Them in Review Before Judges Next Fall.
ASTER IS IDEAL
Best Methods Explained to
; TRaise Vegetable Supply.
INSECTS WORST ENEMY
Cultivator Strongly Advised to Keep
j . Hoe Constantly in Vse After
. 1 . Seed Is rianted.
"- ' . ' IMrections for the preparation,
planting and cultivation of the vege-
table garden bo as to secure the
. ' . greatest quantity of vegetables and
- , "for providing continuous risening,
. ; later varieties following the early.
'are contained in a paper on home
: . - gardening Just completed by Ralph R.
'.- r-Koulledge of the Koutledge Seed A
' - '..Floral company.
. Mr. Routledge stresses the advlsabll--'1fy
of carefully planning the garden.
" i.art Icularly if the amount of land
available is small, careful prepara
. . tion of the soil and planting, and
'. nlenty of cultivation during the grow-
- ,.ing season. Portions of the article,
- selected as being particularly adapted
o-the needs of the Portland home
A gardener, are given below as follows:
' Intelligence Spells success.
'. In one sentence we may spell suc
"'.'ee3 for the gardener: Prepare soil,
-:Ee manure, buy good seed, cultivate
!b crop, control insects and diseases
" ".'intelligently.
Many gardeners have no range of
f .'choice in the location of their garden,
'but if it can be so situated as to get
'. the maximum sunshine and in a well-
' ' ' '.'drained spot, disappointments will be
fewer. Clean your land or weeds an
. . rubbish. Such material will be great'
..ly -in the way when spading, sowing
. . teed or hoeing.
,. - Where space is limited one Is apt
to make mistakes unless he ha
. '-' planned out the most economical way
' i. of .arrangement. Usually, one canno
. - afford to grow most of the vegetables
.wh'ch require a good deal of room,
"such as corn, potatoes and pumpkins
.',.' .or-of similar kinds where the yield
is comparatively light and tne plan
- .fruits but once.
' .' Such things as beans, early peas.
.'...' -radishes and lettuce probably give tn
- '' best returns on a limited space. Then
- - it is possible by doing a little schem
.- " ,ing to grow three and four crops on
ttui same land during one season.
Even with a limited space, if given
".. high culture, one can grow an enor
., . ."inous amount of food if he will devote
"'" .time to planning so that all of the
.. .ground may be producing something
, throughout the entire season.
. ' - - -All soil should be made loose and
-friable: in that condition it is mois-
'.. ture holding, gives a greater chance
for a well-balanced root system and
provides for the proper aeration of
V - .the roots, besides making some of the
.. plant food, available.
. It is difficult to spade anything but
' -the smaller gardens, but there is lit
tie doubt but that thorough spading
'" is jnore efficient than plowing. The
. sandier soils will allow spading much
earlier than the heavy or clay soils.
.. . Soil which adheres together in
' ..-heavy lump is too wet for working.
; Allow such soil to dry a HJtle more,
. .4 . because if too wet the clods will often
- remain unbroken throughout the
- . whole summer, baking harder and
harder as they become dry.
Hoe Should Be I'ned Freely.
".. from the very moment lhat the
eed is sown or the plants are set. in
' . . .the field the hoe must be ready for
use. Keep the soil thoroughly pul
' "veTized, never allowing it to bake.
j ".'One of the great benefits to the gar
; ' 'den which comes from frequent
'shallow hoeinCR is that this ODeration
". 'surrounds the plants with a dustlike
covering of sou which keeps the
. moisture from evaporating.
' . ' A'early every person has seen how
. a lamp wick sucks oil up from the
. olrtank. The oil is lilted by a sclen
tlfic principle known as "capillary at
.traction." The moisture in soil is
' .lifted the same way. When soil is
packed bard it acts as a wick and the
' moisture evaporates when it reaches
. the surface. The dust cover, or dust
i." "mulch," as it is called, stops this
.- ' -wick action and holds the water in
' -the soil.
" During dry 6pells, however. It is
-necessary to water the garden arti
' .. ficially for best results. Do not make
'"'jthe common mistake of watering the
' . garden every day on the theory that
. . if -a. little water is good for plants a
1 lot is better. Wait until the plants
..show that they need water. You can
, safely water the garden at any time
."" during the day when it is most con--:
-'venient, but as a rule the benefit is
greater immediately .after the sun is
. ." cit the plants.
Seeds of most plants have to be
. . sown more thickly than the plants
soeuld be allowed to grow. This is
. -because not all seeds have the germ
;of life within Jhem, and it Is desir
' ' able to plant a surplus so as to insure
'.' "a sufficient number of plants. But
. . when these plants, often coming up
' . thickly together, are big enough to
' .-' handle, they ehould be thinned out
- sererely. It may seem heartless to
v '. destroy many good plants, but those
j ireTnaining will give a greater crop of
'.-a better quality.
.i; Thin enough eo that the roots of
-each plant have plenty of room to
. spread out and seek the plant food In.
". thp soil. By having the monopoly
'.of all the food within its little area
'."."the plant will grow vigorously. This
' 'explains why it hj important to keep
"- Jont all weeds which attempt to share
. ,tWs plant food with the valuable
vegetables. In thinning out allow
i r .these distances apart: Carrots, 2
--inehec; celery, 6 inches; endive, 8
,' inches; kale, 12 to 15 inches; kohlrabi,
6 inches; lettuce, 6 inches; onions, 2
' ' -inches; parsley, 4 inches; parsnip, 3
" ". inches; peas. S inches; radish, 2
'. inches; salsify, 2 inches; spinach, 3
' . inches; turnip, 3 inches,
"J Diligence Kradlratea Pests.
. The pests of the garden are numer
.oirs and the home gardener must ever
.-be diligent. Much can be accom-
pHshed in the control of insects and
idiseases that Infest garden crops by
" caTeful. sanitary management. Sev
"r'."ral of the garden insects find pro-".-itectlon
during the winter under
bffards and any loose material that
VVmay remain in the garden. Dead
; i 'vines or leaves of plants are frequent
'.'ry covered with spores of diseases
- that affect those crops during the
j growing season, and these should be
-f ., burned, as they possess very little
.'-'fertilizing value. Weeda often har
', -".ibor the same insects and diseases as
destructive to the vegetables. A
great amount of labor can be saved
t. br burning the weeds in the spring
The wise gardener follows the old
' aphorism: "An ounce of prevention is
better than a pound of cure."
;--H .
?' z Pure-Bred Cattle Bought.
JTAJTCOUVER, B. C Ranchers in
;the interior have purchased a great
v ideal of new breeding stock recently.
, .One of the most important importa
'; tions was the introduction into the
;V. Ottfi trailer by a syndicate of ranch
. ,rs of a carload of pure-bred Polled
" " Aijua cattle at XiOO cf bead. -
I
IS"' " U i "'s? ' j--vv
pis. I m&st mrsMh -
it,--:?.-.-. : : -. -..'.x&'r"-
I seeds btems like a tremendous fi 1
IB I
I
Ml -S -w k - -'I
SUMMER
FLOWER
Portland Florist Gives Rules
for Making Garden.
BLOOMS RIVAL "'MUMS"
BT LUCILE F. SAUNDERS.
ES thousand packages of garden
seeds seems like a tremendous
quantity of green things grow
ing. doe.su t it?
This big order represents the con
tents of sacks sent by the department
of agriculture through Congressman
McArthur to every grammar school in
the city of Portland. It Is the nucleus
of many a back-yard garden plot this
coming summer.
Already the robins are profiting
from the old adage concerning the
proper time to get the early worm,
for many a grammar-school young
ster has been puttering about with
shovel and hoe and marking off with
strings just where the radishes are to
be planted and where the pumpkin
vines will have the moBt room. If
father won t consent to have some of
his J6-a-day landscape gardening torn
up to accommodate the corn patch,
you may be sure Jimmie is figuring
on borrowing a portion of the vacant
lot next door.
Each year it has been the custom
to distribute seeds among the chil
dren, especially since the formation or
industrial clubs. Tne om practice of
digging up a half block near the
school building and planting it in a
general garden, with sections for each
grade, hay proven a failure and it is
probable that there will not be more
than six of these this season. Only
the Aetna and Fulton Park schools
have gone ahead with theirs thus far
and had them plowed and fertilized.
The chief objection to the school gar
den has been that it is neglected in
the summer and by fall has become a
veritable wilderness unless perchance
a stray cow or goat has gone out of
bounds and cleaned up the eighth
grade cabbages or masticated all the
primary's peas.
Home Garden Popular.
The better method has been found
to be the home garden. Wherever
five children express a desire to com
pete in the industrial club projects an
organization is formed, the youngsters
receive registration blanks and sug
gestion leaflets, all the seeds they
wish and are told to go to it. The
best exhibits are 6ent to state and
county fairs and for this reason the
voune agriculturalist must careiuiiy
Dlan to have at least five varieties 01
vegetables properly ripenea anu wan
ine to be plucked by the end of Sep
tember. Smaller cnuaren generally
have best luck with radishes, lettuce,
onions and other early-ripening prod
ucts and on this account seldom have
fair entries.
Last year 800 boys and girls signed
ut in the spring with the garden
clubs, 437 actually started and 369
carried their projects through and
made their final reports. Because so
many drop out, City Club Leader T. D.
Kirkpatrlck is carefully weeding out
the membership applications and
hopes to have possibly 500 begin the
work and carry it tnrougn in iau.
Clubs will probably have from 30 to
60 members. Arleta, Creston, Clinton
Kelly. Fulton Park. Holladay. Joseph
Kellogg. Lents, Ockley Green, Rich
mond, Rose City Park and Sunnyside
already have organized and ten more
buildings are preparing to do this.
Smaller groups have proven the most
successful and many children likely
to be quitters are being discouraged
early in the season.
Bulletin! Aid Youngster.'
As soon as a club is organized and
leaders are appointed Mr. Kirkpatrlck
sends out garden bulletins. A series
of four is sent out during the year,
the first ones having planting advice.
These are already being eagerly pe
rused and James Jr. is setting out his
onions and his potatoes and anticipat
es an early harvest.
Efforts are made to have a club
meeting once each month for the pur
pose of assisting the amateur farmers
and talking over Johnny's mammoth
corn or the cutworms in Bob's cauli
flower. A new feature this year will
be exhibition of a. Beries of educa
tional lantern slides. Where night
meetings are being held community
clubs are co-operating with the chll-
ren and getting the benefit of the
illustrated lecture.
It must be said that the children
often are not prompted by purely pa
triotic impulses to till the soil. Full
ing weeds would lose tome of its at
tractions were it not, in some cases.
for the mercenary gains. The 20 acres
of land planted by the children of
Portland last year in vegetables cost
them $2303.52, bnt at the end of the
season there was a profit of $4198.69.
Besides this, those who were so for
tunate as to win prizes received them
in 'cash.
Trust Toting America to foster in
genuity. Take the example of the
youthful personage who belonged to
a garden club and found the moles
tunneling around his tract every time
he went over it with a spade. Since
the mole family seemed to fancy the
spot as a playground the young man
decided, lo encourage the burrowing
Top FuKon Park pupils are always numbered among the early birds. Cen
ter This la Pan! Hard of Kern school and his topnotch vegetable patch
latit season. On the light are Jamea and Charles Laird of Highland, who
had the moat showy plot. lower . Millard Jones of Falling spaded up all
his mother's back yard and won a prise as a result.
creatures and, taking a wooden box,
constructed from it an attractive trap.
Each time a mole was tempted Inside
he skinned it and added the bit of
fur to a growing stack of tiny pelts.
At the end of the season he sold them
for $14. In the meantime the garden
sprouted serenely and the hills of
freshly-turned earth grew to be less
common. The numerous family un
derground finally gave up its last
ghost.
Portland's garden-club records have
ranked well with those of more agri
cultural communities. For instance.
14-year-old Elizabeth Watson of Sun
nyside school last year carried off
two weeks' course at Oregon Agri
cultural college. Elizabeth, who lives
at 141 East Thirty-second street.
planted onions, radishes, peas, corn,
beets, beans, cucumbers, kale, lettuce,
potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and aspar
agus in a plot 81 by 86 feet. From
these she made a net profit of $63.
Her total expenses for the season
were $15.25
Theodore Jorg, a 15-year-old lad,
took first place at the county fair and
second prize at the state fair. At the
end of the season he was $184.38 to
the good, having earned this on
tract containing 180 square rods.
Charles and Jamea Laird of 1091 Mai
first prize for garden exhibits at the I lory street put in a profitable season
state fair and received as a reward a which netted them $108.
SMALL GARDEN MAY PRODUCE
FOOD IN GREAT ABUNDANCE
Careful Planning for Succession and "Companion Crops" Shown by
Results to Be Well Worth WhUe.
EVERT amateur gardener of Port
land who is willing to spend a
little more time and effort than he
has usually spent on his vegetable
garden can plan for a succession of
crops which will provide the family
table with fresh vegetables contin
uously from spring until late fall, and
from a given piece of ground obtain
a great amount of produce.
Careful planning of the garden to
provide for succession of crops will
make this possible. Late vegetables I beans.
Companion crops, those which may
be planted together in the same space
of ground, must be chosen with care,
as some plants crowd out others or
affect the flavor of particular va
rieties planted with them. A list of
companion crops may be given as
follows:
Lettuce or radishes between rows
of early cabbage.
Parsnips, carrots or radishes sown
thinly with rows of onions.
Lettuce between tomato plants.
Rows of radishes between string
may be planted after the earlier crops
have been harvested, or between .the
rows of the earlier crops and thus
the growing- season be utilized to the
limit. Such succession of crops is
particularly to be desired when the
Plot of ground available is small, as
is generally the case with the city
gardener, and careful planning is
necessary.
Another method of increasing pro
duction of the garden plot is by plant
ing certain vegetables in the same
bed. Care must be exercised in this,
however, and not all vegetables thrive
together as "companion crops."
General directions for successive
plantings and also for planting of
companion crops in the vegetable gar
den may be given as follows:
Turnips may be sown on any land
made vacant by an earlier crop.
Celery may follow early peas, beans,
radishes, lettuce, onions, spinach or
the like.
Beans and turnips may be sown
between rows of early sweet corn.
Early potatoes may be followed by
sweet corn, celery, beans, beets, car
rots or spinach.
Tomatoes, peppers, beans or sweet
corn may follow onion sets.
Turnips, string beans or winter
radishes may follow such crops as
early peas, beets or potatoes.
Lettuce may be planted practically
throughout the growing season.
Several successive crops may be
had from the same bed throughout
the season, as follows:
Lettuce, followed by summer rad
ishes, these followed by beans, and
then spinach.
Leaf lettuoe may be foHowed by
string beans, fall turnips.
Spinach may be followed by early
sweet corn, string beans or early
cabbaga, then fall radisb.es or lettuce, 1
Squash and early sweet corn.
Onion sets between early cabbage
plants.
Pole beans with early corn.
Early potatoes between rows of
melons.
Crop Succession Important.
Careful planning of the garden,
with arrangements for succession of
crops, means a much greater produc
tion per area of back yard than most
people suppose. By laying out your
ground according to plans and har
vesting and replanting as the season
progresses three and sometimes as
many as four crops of different vege
tables can be made to spring from
the same strip of ground during one
season.
. Seed Can Go In Now.
Portland amateur gardeners who
have not jret even taken any steps
toward preparing their vegetable or
flower gardens should have no fear
that the season will now be too far
advanced before they can get their
seeds into the ground. Portland seed
men say that it is no loss of time to
wait until spring weather is settled,
as many plants if started early would
not do well in case of a spell of cold,
damp weather. j
Brazil to Aid Investigation. j
RIO DJ5 JANEIRO. The Brazilian
government is endeavoring to facili
tate the coming of Immigration from
Europe to Brazil. It has directed
that government-owned vessels in
European service shall bring on their J
return voyages such imigrants as ,
have been vouched for by Brazilian !
consuls. Immigration has recently
been checked because of high rates
for third-class passage from Europe.
Annual Flower Garden Can Be
Made a Continual Mass of
Bloom, Says Grower.
" BT G. S. CREGO
of the Portland Seed Company.
While the planning and planting of
the vegetable garden is probably and
properly given first place in the
thought of the city and suburban
householder and gardener, some time
and attention may profitably be given
to the more ornamental department
of the home garden.
The early part of the growing sea
son is usually well supplied with
bloom from Holland bulbs and pan
sies, followed by a wealth of roses,
Portland's most famous product, but
unless some preparation is made in
advance there is likely to be a time
in July and August, between the pass
ing of the roses and the arrival of the
dahlias, when ' there is a distinct
shortage of bloom.
To tide over this peribd no better
plant can be found than the astor,
which will thrive In any soil and in
any position except dense shade, and
which, for the space occupied, will
probably produce more flowers for
cutting than any other single product
of the garden. The early sorts, such
as Queen of the Market and Lavender
Gem, begin flowering in July, fol
lowed by the mid-season varieties.
usually at their best during August.
Then come the late-blooming sorts,
which carry the supply through Sep
tember and usually well into Octo
ber. Probably the least troublesome
method of securing a supply of plants
is to buy them from the seed house.,
a plan which usually limits the plant
ing to a dozen or two, where they
should be planted by the hundred if a
creditable showing is to be made.
Procure a few packets of seeds, se
lecting varieties covering the season
as fully as possible, prepare a few
shallow boxes two to three inches
deep, fill them nearly full of well
sifted garden soil and the foundation
is laid for a supply for yourself with
a probable surplus for the neighbors.
The soil for the seed boxes need
not be rich, but it should be fine and
soft. Press on the surface with a
piece of board, then scatter the seed
thinly on the surface and cover with
a quarter-inch of the same sifted soil.
Water well and cover the box with a
piece of glass to prevent too rapid
evaporation. The seedlings should
appear in about four days and as soon
as they are well through the surface
remove the glass and place the box
where the plants will have air and
full daylight. Leaving the box cov
ered with glass even for a day after
the plants are up is very likely to
cause them to grow "leggy," a condi
tion difficult to remedy.
Rich Mass ef Hosts Desired.
When the seedlings are about one-
half inch high the second leaves
should appear and as soon as these
are well formed the first transplant
ing should be made, setting the little
plants out about an inch apart in
flats prepared in the same manner as
thoRe used to receive the seed. The
seedlings should remain In this box
only a short time, usually until the
surface is practically hidden by the
new leaves, when they should be
transferred, to a prepared bed in the
open garden, where they should be
set about four inches apart each way.
We are still growing the plants In
common garden soil, without the
addition of fertilizers, the object be
ing to encourage the formation of a
great mass of roots. If the seedlings
are grown in a rich soil, with an
abundance of nourishment within easy
reacn, mere win De a rank growth
of foliage, with a correspondingly
small supply of roots. If the first
two transplanting have been well
managed the mass of roots of an as
ter plant ready for its permanent lo
cation should be larger than the top.
condition necessary to the produc
tion of the largest possible crop of
flowers.
When the plants have again at
tained a size in which they touch
each other in the bed, tliey are ready
for the last transplanting, that into
the border where they are to remain.
From this point the main essentials
to insure a crop of fine asters are
rich soil, frequent cultivation, no
check to their growth and ample room
in which to develop. If wanted for I
cutting with long stems they should
be set not closer than 12 Inches apart
each way, although 15 Inches would
be better. If wanted for a mass ef
fect they may be set as close as eight
to nine inches each way.
Blooms Will Rival "Mama."
While asters do not require a great
quantity of water, the soil should
never be allowed to dry out to the
wilting point. A thorough watering
once or twice a week, with thorough
cultivation within a few hours after
watering, should keep them growing
In
C "C1 1H T O The Kind That You Can't Ktep
in the Ground "They Grow"
J. J. BUTZER
Portland, Oregon
fj I ' 188-190 Front Street
J. J. BUTZER
.188-190 Front St.
Portland, Or.
and water, will frequently produce
blooms five to seven Inches In diam-J this injury
eter and of a quality equalling the
best of the early "mums."
When cutting asters for use in the
house the blooms should be taken
just before they have reached full
maturity, while there are still a few
petals in the center of the flower yet
to unfold. Place immediately in
water, preferably fairly deep, and al
low them to stand over night in the
basement or some cool room. They
may then be arranged wherever
needed and by a dally change of
water and -an occasional clipping of
the end of the stems they will keep
in good condition for ten days to two
weeks.
The aster plant has but few ene
mies in this climate, the most destruc
tive being the green tarnish bug
which stings the base of the bud,
causlner the blossoms to be more or
less deformde. A dusting of tobacco
dust occasionally during the time the
buds are forming will usually prevent
Hard Work la Prci Miration.
Those who plan the cultivation of
a vacant lot which has hitherto never
been used for garden purposes are
advised that the most Important fac
tor in the development of a successful
garden the first season Is elbow
grease. The ground must be thor
oughly broken up and cultivated. Fer
tilization Is also generally necemiary
and the gardener must keep a con-
against weeds, graiv, etc., whlrh will
want to spring up from the room and
seeds which remain from years paM.
Alaska Han Poultry Crntrr.
FAIRBANKS. Alaska. Hot Spring,
on the lower Tunana river, bids fair
to become the poultry center of
Alaska, according to claims of resi
dents of that district Poultry raising
Is attracting much attention In the
camp. It Is reported, a number of the
settlers having fins flock of Khods
stant eye out during the pennon Island Rods and other varletlea.
good health. When the buds be
gin to show a light application of ni
trate of soda should be made, at the
rate of about 100 pounds per acre.
whfch will result in longer stems and
larger blooms. The application may
be repeated In two to three weeks, in
each case followed by a thorough
watering.
If exhibition blooms are desired the
plants may be disbudded In the same
manner that florists disbud their
chrysanthemums to produce the im
mense blooms so common in the 'mar
ket, leaving but three to five buds to
each plant. This treatment, with a
slight additional amount of fertilizer
Takes the Place of i
a Horse m
Plows, Harrows, ChI- ff
tivates Operates m
Cream Sepa-
rator, Pump, B
, Washing B
Machinc,
Stop Losing Chicks
I i ,i)M is ii i jiimii.il ii i 1 1
-JtI V : -l. --JL. r , .. t 1
The Beeman
Garden Tractor
Will do anything that a
4-horsepower stationary
gasoline engine will do.
Handy on a farm as well
as on a garden tract.
Call or Write for Full Information
and Catalogue
WENTWORTH & IRWIN
Southeast Corner Second and
Taylor, Portland, Or.
The Origins!
TTE
. Starting Feed
Prevents the big losses due to weakness and disease and frfves
your chicks the quick, snappy getaway that produces early broiler and
layers. It is made of pure, sweet grain combined by a special process with
concentrated, sanitary Buttermilk,
The Buttermilk puts the edge to their appetite and introduces
a beneficent bacteria that fightw gnfl dsstrpva di&case-propagating bacteria.
f-'VLZ-G-' ve t " trial
SOLD BY
Poultry Supplies of All Kinds Free Catalogue
145-47 Second Street, Portland, Oregon
"Wood-Lark" iffiSi
Gopher Poison
When "WOOD-LARK" Sings All
Rodents Die!
They Cannot Eat "Wood-Lark" and
Live, but They Will Eat It
Just the Same!
No farmer can afford to be without a box of
"Wood-Lark." A sprinkling on the rafter
plates in attic and barn (where the poultry
can't reach it), will effectually rid the
premises oi ail aestructive ronents. w ny
suffer the inroads of squirrels, diggers,
chipmunks, etc, when a box of Wood-Lark
and ten minutes' time will stop your loss
and inconvenience?
If Tour Dealer Rust Any Write Us
i
Clarke-Woodward Drug Co.
' WOOD-LARK BUG, PORTLA VD( OR.
I
We Want Your Garden
to be the most beautiful ever this
season and are growing the best
flowers for this purpose.
Avail yourself of our superior serv
ice and plant and be sure to place
your order in time so that we can
plan for your needs. Phone E. 5370
The Swiss Floral Co.
412 East Seventh Street North
Originators of Portland's Wonderful Petunias
Admired all over the U. S. A.
, ,
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