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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1929)
The OREGON STATESMAN. Salem. Oregon, Sunday Morning, May 19, 1929 Fertilizers and Their Use important in Garden Culture PAGE TWELVE E Dahlias Widely Popular But They Need as Much At tentio nas Possible It Is Interesting to note that the dahlia is a native of America. It was first found growing in the gardens of the Aztecs in ancient Mexico. Francisco Hernandez dis covered them which he reported tn Phllin II of Spain and upon which he wrote a great deal. A Swedish botanist receives the dis tinction of having thi3 species named after him. This was An dreas Dahl. Today the popularity of the dahlia has become universal and there is scarcely a garden in this country that does not raise it. Any soil is suitable for the growing of dahlias providing there i3 not a very large quantity of acid in the soil. A loose sweet soil is the deal soil for this plant. Loosening the Boil with a Quantity of humus in the fall will condition it for the tubers in the spring. Dahlias do not require a great deal of fertil izer. Spring fertilizing should con sist of a small amount of commer cial fertilizer consisting of a bal anced mixture. This should be placed around the plant not too close to the stalk and hoed in and and watered. Set Out After Frost The tubers may be set in the beds as soon as all danger of frost is past in the spring. The tuber3 are sorted out and all decayed and shriveled ones thrown out. Only these which contain on e or two eyes should be planted. A deep hole large enough to accommo date the tuber is dug, care being used to loosen ths soil for a space around to allow the root to ex pand. As soon as the tuber is planted a strong stake should be placed beside it to which the growing plant may be tied. Many times the grower has waited until the stalk has grown to a number of inches before stak ing. Sometimes hefinds that a few of his thrifty plants have wilted down. The cause for this wilting was found to be in puncturing the tuber with the stake. To prevent this unfortunate circumstanc3. place the stakes at the time of planting, beforje the holes have been filled. It is a good plan to cover the tubers but slightly at the time of planting, gradually filling in a3 the stalk grows. Much AVater Needed Sometimes dahlia buds blight during an exceptionally hot sum mer. This is caused from a lack of moisture or from attacks of ln setc. Dahlias must have a great dal of water during the blooming season, and it is well to start the plants late enough so they will not bloom during the very hot weath cr. Thl3 plant must 'not be culti vated deeply during the blooming searon. Too deep cultivation may cause a lack of many large blooms. This lack of blooms may bo the result of too much shade or too heavy fertilizing. Many people practice disbud dine In an effort to raise mam- mouth blooms. This method is used when growing dahlias for dlsnlav at flower shows. Disbud ding is accomplished by pinching off all the buds on a stalk except one lares one.' This send3 all the strength of the plant into the one flower. Care of Bulbs Needed Many tubers are lost each year In carrying them over through the winter. Tubers should always be removed from the bed. After dig ging and thoroughly cleaning, they should be drier somewhat be fore storing. The best and latest 1 1 nm 1.a tnKcr i j tsv place them In a box packed with peat moss. They should b3 stored in a cool place, preferably in a cel lar where there is no heat. Cover to prevent freezing in severe win ters, j There are seven different class- es of dahlias. The cactus which is double and fluted; the decorative, a double and rather flat; the ball shaped, double, used as show tpyes; peony-flowered, semi-double with an open center; duplex type is also semi-double with cen ter almost exposed; single type are open centered; tho collarette is a single, open center type. Give a Thought to the Properties Shrubs are used next to the house walls to obtain transition i . . , . i ween jwrpcnuicuiar nouse tines and the horizontal ground line. Curves are more pleasing than right angles in this instance. If you want a garden, try to lay it out where you will see it best from tho part of tho hoase where you spend the most time. Make the paths and feautres of interest such as seats, statues, sundials, etc., 'line up" with the doors or windows that pierce the shell of your house. The result will be that your private living room will extend to the boundary of your property instead of the house walls. If you pay "so muhc" per fcquare foot for floor space in your house and then buy furniture to make It livable, why neglect the ground outside, which cost yoo also "so much" per square foot. Just because it's ground and gets muddy sometimes? You owe ev erything that you have In this orld to the soil. Better get ac Qttalnted with this producing po ,er at "first hand, Remember, the early bird fares best. It is spring planting time. Tou should plan before you plant ana to order to have everything ready for the planting season be- " Kin On the Clan haw rt .. to achieve a landscape improve- IIS HOI Outdoor Living Room May Be Made in Every Yard if Advantages Are All Used mud Sr !i 'i W 1 - y ts) 1 vj'iini THIS IIOMK ()VXL!i HAD r lf " - , yfr- ' - ft& ni nnr - 1&J 11 iVh: ',' Mi! I jG. ;: ji.ii i.r,niiV-,ntg-...liMi. U ' I g$y M ip -m i: ! IHT KK TOOli. V0M:EI:FIL ADVANTAGE OF THEM An outdoor living room in every back yard Is the Ideal of tho City lic-nutiful contest. It is rosy to ho from the above illustrations how suih a living room can be created even on a small city lot. Leave an open space uud then plant in masses around the borders. A variety of shrubs, a tree or two, some flowers and ono has another room added to his home during the summer months. These outdoor living rooms are assets to any home, especially in the crowded cities. And they're so easy to build, these rooms with their carpets of ereen grass and their ceilings of blue sky, win, flowering shrubs and trees for the) mural decorations! Needs of Soil for Gardens Discussed; Various Plants Have Special Requirements Glads" Make Fine Appearance When Planted Alone or in Mass; Plan For Steady Bloom . By FRED BLAKE In discussing garden soils, let us consider tho various elements necessary for plnnt growth. For a perfect growth of a plant, all ele ments must be furnished in some manner. Since all except nitrogen, phophorus, and potassium (pot ash) all readily available from ei ther the air or water, these three must be studied with the view of supplying in their necessary quan tities. Very often, salesmen of various garden fertilizers will" announce that a certain soil is deficient in some one of these elements and will prescribe a remedy. Just be cause their certain fertilizer sweetens or sours tho soil is ab solutely no reasonwhy that fer tilizer should be applied. The real reason for applying any fertilizer is because of the needs of the definite type of plant in that soil. Therefore a knowledge of what each type of plant needs is neces sary to prevent loss of time and dollars. Ume Often Applied Some people like to apply lime upon the lawn promiscuously. Why they do it is either because their neighbor does it or because some lime salesman says the soil is acid. Nearly all of our soils in this lo cality contain considerable acid. And so the lawn owner allows lime to be placed upon his lawn. Some grasses require a sweet soil and lime may be used to sweeten in that case, but it must be fol lowed with a fertilizer which will really fertilize. Lime will not make a lawn thrifty. Its sole purpose is to- sweeten soils, loosen clay soils, and cement loose soils. When lime is placed upon a creeping bent lawn. 4he whole purpose is de stroyed. Creeping bent must have an acid soil and by applying lime the Boil has been changed to a wseet soil. Know what your plant needs la regards to sweet or sour soils. Other plants which require a sour soil are the rhododendron, azalea, huckleberry, and some oth ers of less Importance. Soils may be changed from a sweet to a sour soil or vice versa. Changing from sour to sweet has been mentioned, by the application of lime. Chang, lng from sweet to sour comes through the process of applying add fertilizers such as sulphate of ammonia or eorcrop. Peat moss paded Into the soil is fast coming Into popularity. This not only sours the soil, but loosens It great ly. A small amount of manure should be spread on ton of such a bed to supply the soil with friend ly bacteria. - Soils Need Fertilisers Soils ' are fertilised for plants that require sweet soils and for those that require sour soils. Also it must be learned what plants re quire, nitrogen, phosphorus, ana potash and when the right time L1M1TI1 OPPORTUNITIES why so many use sulphate of am monia on grasses which require acid. But lawns also require phos phorus and potash to strengthen the root system only in lesser quantities. Therefore a complete fertilizer is recommended for lawns, one which contains all ele ments for the growth of the lawn. Morcrop is a good complete fer tilizer and brings good results. On the other hand one should not use nitrogen when blomos and a strong root system are desired. Just before the blooming season a somewhat more specializing should take place. Acid phosphate is quick acting and should be used in the spring while phosphorus may be applied in the form of bone meal In the fall when a longer time is allowed. A safe rule for the beginner Is to use a com plete fertilizer In small quantities but quite occasionally. This should be used only In the spring of the year and must not be applied after the month of August as the fer tilizer will be wasted after that date. All manures should be spad ed in In the fall and allowed to rot during the winter, while one should resort to commercial fertil izers during .the growing season. Leaf Mold Xeeded There are several materials which the home gardener should use which are sometimes omitted. Leaf mold is a very important ma terial to mix with the soil. Why should a person rake his leaves In the fall and burn them when he may Just as easily pile them in a convenient place where they will rot? When these leaves are soaked thoroughly a number of times, they will rot and form a valuable material for mixing with soils. Maple leaves produce a sweet fer. tilizer and oak leaves a sour. Both kinds of leaves should not be mixed together. Leaf mold from maple leaves may be placed upon beds fo flowers or used in a small manner in porch boxes to loosen the soil. Leaf mold is rich in food value and contains but few weeds. This makes it very desirable as a top dressing for flower beds. It also serves as a splendid mulch and leaves a neat and tidy appear ance to the beds. J Sayings and A Salem Institution Organised in lilt Place your savings with us Let us finance your home on weekly or monthly payments r t Proper Use of "Covers" to Jake Away Barren Spots in Most Yards The barren, unsightly spot In the garden or along the edge of the property is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. With the ever-increasing popularity of cov ers the home owner Is beautifying his grounds In a very pleasing waj. Ground covers are many. They may be chosen from the ranks of the evergreen or from the annual plant. They thrive in num erous situations, in the shade or in the direct sunlight. The purpose of ground covers is to do away with unsightly places in the garden. Steep slopes which have become an eyesore can be transformed into a bank of liv ing beauty. Barren spots under dense shade need no longer be ug ly. Even the steep terrace which has been the trial of the lawn mower can be transformed to the satisfaction of the gardener. Often ground covers are used as a part of the planting around the pool and as a part of the rockery. They spread gracefully over the rocks or trail downward towards the water's edge. SoU Workup Important The preparation of the soil for theEe ground covers is of impor tance. The soil must be loose. Peat moss is considered the best material for loosening soils and this with an application of manure spaded deeply into the soil will sufficiently prepare it for the plants. Note should be taken of the plants to be set. When the plants have shallow roots, the peat moss and manure should be spaded shallow. Of three rapid covering plants, the best is without a doubt the Japanese spurge. This is an ever green and grows to an even height. It is perfectly hardy and grows in almost any condition. The flower i3 not prominent. It spreads rapidly when a number of small plants are set close to gether. This is said to be the only plant that will thrive under pine trees. The second of the evergreen covers is the common ivy. There are many different varieties, the fastest growing being the English. When planted in a deep soil, they will rapidly cover a slope. The tendency is to grow downward, so planting must be made from the top. This plant will thrive equally well upon the sunny slope and the shaded bank. All young covers grow more quickly when small plants are used. Because of its unever growth, ivy must be pruned back each season. The common myrtle or vonca makes a fast evergreen trailer where large banks are to be treat ed. It grows in either sun or shade and is attractive for its blue Mowers. It covers the ground quickly as every stem starts new roots wherever it touches the soil. " These three plants are complete evergreens. There is a much larg er class which Is partly evergreen and which is becoming more popu lar with the garden lovers. The common speedwell, a part ever green with grayish leaves and light-blue flowers. There are a number of plants in the speedwell (veronica) family which are suit ed to the various places in a gar den. The rock speedwell might be used in place of sod as it pro duces a dense mat about two in ches tall. The nepeta is a com mon plant of half-evergreen ten dencies with blue flowers and sage green folllage. There are others which grow either in the shade or in the sunshine. The creeping phlos Is rapidly becoming one of the most popular rock plants and ground covers. It produces a spreading mat of fo liage which has in the springtime a profusion of bluish flowers which attain a height of three or four Inches. Stonecrvp or sedum could be recommended for a turf life mass. Besides being a solid mass of green it has a small yel low flower. For a complete list of good ground covers, one should study the catalog of a reliable plant dealer and acquaint himself with the plants that are best suit ed to his locality. Watch for These Shrubs During April Do you realize that there are several plants that will be in bloom this month? The Forsythia, or Golden Bell, is the most nota ble of these. Ever noticed that cheerful shrub covered with glow ing golden flowers, even before the leaves are out? Do you re member that it blooms in April? And do you know that it will grow in shady places, like the north side of a house. Just about as well as in the 6unlight? In fact, it seems to flower best In shaded plaees. Then there is the less showy ' yellow-flowered Cornns Mas, or Cornelian cherry; it the first of the dogwoods to bloom and that llflle starry magnolia, which, of course, can't be grown everywhere it can't stand the climate In some localities. The elm and the red maple and pussy wil low and soft maple and alders all flower in April. If they can be seen in your neighborhood, find out where they are and look for the flowers. Loan Association DWNEBS W L BEAM 0 What City Beautiful Plans Can Do to Transform Homes t-niTTi mr - i ii p-wr-rTf n '"'tit i 'i f1-rmMn rfiTaf mill imwilimt:i"ftij A BACK YARD BEFORE IMPROVEMENT .v. v.v .'..v. ..::. UvJ' vjU ..I IXHJKS LIKE A DIFFERENT PLACE NOW What a wonderful transformation results in the appearance of the back yard once a City Beautiful contest has boon held in a commun ity, is shown most forcibly in the above illustrations. Disorderly, with rubbish and sbacks, in the first picture, proper planting along funda mentally sound lines made this back lot a beautiful and attractive part of the home. Unsightly objects were screened from view and the carpenter added a few artistic touches to harmonize with the im proved grounds. Transformations like this one take place everywhere City Beautiful contests arc held. Shrubs and perennials wree the base of the Improvement in this case. Current Suggestions on Care of Yard A good fertilizing of your lawn just before It begins to show signs of becoming weak is a good prac tice. Lawns always fall off con siderably when the hot days of summer approach. A light sprink ling of Morcrop, a complete fertil izer, spread evenly and well water ed will keep the lawn, in good con dition all summer. Don't let the lawn dry up this season. Begin watering as soon as it begins to show the first brown condition. TulipSt especially the early kinds are ready to dig. All tu lips which have finished bloom ing should be promptly remov ed to make a tidy appearance of the beds. Very often the gardner wishes to set out an- . nual plants or gladiolus bulbs In the same bed which con tained the tulips. It becomes necessary to dig the tulips as soon as possible to accommo date tho new plants. When bulbs are dug before they have become thoroughly matured, they must be placed in a box and packed with a small quan tity of damp soil and .stored away where they will ary out slowly. The tops must be left on the bulbs to enable them to ma ture correctly. Beds used for a second crop mnst be fertilized. Annual plants do well when supplied with a generous amonut of sheep guano soaked into the soil around the plants. Ants which are found on the buds of peonies are not serious. There is a sticky substance that appears on the buds upon which the ants feed. A strong pressure of water will wash the substance off and cause the ants to leave. HOW TO CHECK APHIS - Aphis on roses if left un checked will cause havoc In a short time. Bush and climbing roses should be sprayed about very two weeks to destroy aph is. Use the commercial prepara tion of Black Leaf 40. When the small green worm appears, spray with arsenate of lead at intervals. Mildew must be pre vented right now. Obtain a dus ter and dust the roses which are susceptible to mildew with pure sulphur. This application should be made every few weeks. House plants which have ceased to bloom Inside may be planted out of doors as part of the peren Brighten up your yard with Flowers Inspect our large Selection of Bedding Plants and Porch Box Flowers HUSKY HIGH GRADE CHICKS GET OUR NEW PRICES ''Something New Every Day" Baby Turkeys in quantities ' Will Brine? Big Profits This Fall Salem's nial border or fern bed. They very often make a good showing outside. Weeds and grass which liave a persistent habit of growing in the brick walk or driveway may bo effectively destroyed. Dissolve about one pound of rock salt in a bucket of clean water. Mix thoroughly until dissolved, then pour carefully over tho area where the grass is growing. Bo careful not to let any of tho solution come in con tact with the lawn or flower beds, as it will destroy every thing in its path. NOV'EIi WAY TO PL.AXT A novel way of planting large seeds as well as a convenient way is discovered by a garden enthus iast. Take a small piece of gaspipe about three feet long. When the trench has been made, the pipe is placed at the proper location and a seed dropped. This i3 re peated at the propar distances and the row Is planted without stooping, and the seeds are as evenly placed as could be done with a drill. Peonies that fail to bloom may be caused by too deep plaffting. When planting peo nies the buds should be just be low the surface of the bed. Take your lawn mower to a re liable machine grinder and notice what a finer job you can do with the old machine. Have you ever built a section of lawn and found that where you did not use the roller in places around trees and close to objects that the seed was slower to come through? Try packing the soil in these places with your foot. The result will be that there will be an even germination over the en tire space seeded. Landscape Gardening BLAKE & CO. llaintainence Specialists Phone 1324-M Let us give you an estimate Petland "I Want To Know - - - e 9fr This is a feature which The Statesman introduces into its garden page this week. (A question box will be main tained by the Garden Depart ment and all questions pertaining to gardening will be answered weekly in this column when ad dressed to the Editor of the GAR DEN PAGE.) 1. My peony beds are full of ants. How 6hould I get rid of them? K. M. S. There is a sticky .secretion on the luds of peonies which the ants like. They will cause no .trouble but if water under pressure is ap plied to the buds, the sticky sub stance will be washed off and the ants will disappear. - 2. The leaves of some of my flowering shrubs have begun to curl up after coming out in leaf. What's the matter with them? R. M. Aphis are undoubtedly attack ing them. Spray the leaves with a strong solution of Black Leaf 40, a nicotine spray which may be ob tained with directions at any seed dealer's. 8. Should daffodils be taken up every year? M. R. Daffodils are never removed un less they become too thick and It becomes necessary to divide them. The tops of daffodils must not be cut off until they have completely died down. This aliows the bulb to mature correctly which causes finer blooms next year. 4. My perennials have all grown to tops this year. This is especial ly true of the columbine. WhM's the reason and how can I remedy it? Mrs. J. G. Too much cloudy weather or too much nitrogen in the soil could he the cause. Purchase a small quan tity of acid phosphate and sprinkle around the plants. This will strengthen the blooms. WHERE DO rLAXTS GET THOSE FUXXY NAMES? . Plant nomenclature seems to be something of a handicap to pop ular interest in gardening. The use of Latin names in plant clas sification has kept tho knowledge of trees, shrubs, vinra and flowers within a closed book in the eyes of the average citizen. It is inter esting to note that while zoolog ists use the Latia nomanclature. most animals, birds, etc., are known by "common" names in ev ery language. So are most drus. insects and minerals. In the plant world, only those plants of im portant commercial or economic value are known by "common" names. The original reason for the use of Latin in scientific classifica tion is simple the system cf cflib 'Yes, we will make you a liberal allow ance for your old, out-of-date radio in exchange for the new' r Electric RADIO This is your opportunity to own the alt-electric set you wiah for without taking ar dead loss on your old-set. W nit In Your Own Home Only by hewing the PhDeo Electric Radio cm yon ttalue it marvelous tone, wonderful selectivity and 9mm t Hmmm n -j-i: . ' w w mm wutcx uic roucQ to your ne' tah 8t to roUT Uht ocket (you don't even crmi; ana let you test it thoroughly for yourself 1 fret trim!. Your word de, cides. If not deliahted. well take ft back. Remember, the trial is ree Easy Terms If satisfied, only a small Pynient down and the Philco ,n yours. Balance in easy monthly payments. Enjoy the Philco AO W pay out of .income 1 PfcOf) Hp kf Reproduce entire musical ranee, high notes and low notes, with bread, life-like tooe. In colors. (C.aiM9 IPtoaime or IMIaM (Eiapoiia 'Dont taSL to find Oct aS about tbia Gbcral .me. 'free offer t once. Come in or phone-well tfadly iSTllmlStSi tm you foQ rJetjul, wjthoot obliration. W Betric Radio; AND do thi. NOW, U-n i - oetafl. of your' for cm fie booklet showing an Philco models ia full color terms of or apedal fier. lfail j Coupon NOW I W classification was Invented and applied by scholars who knew no other language. The present sys tem for plants was conceived by Linnaeus. It has endured because nobody has produced a better one in any other language. "Common" names of plants in the English language are derived from an amazing jumble of descriptive phrases, as well as from various uses to which portions of plants are put; and some of them are mere translations or corruptions from other languages, and some of them are "just names." On the other hand, the Llnna ean classification Is based consis tently on definite botanical char acteristics, clearly discernible when translated literally from the Latin. To be sure, common names are coming into use more and more, due to popular demand. But because of the innumerable varieties of plants produced by hybridization, the systematic nam ing of a la Linnaeus is far more accurate and simple than Eng lish words offer. It happens that In the plant world a new plant resulting from cross breeding can be reproduced repeatedly without variation by methods other than seed produc tion, i. e., by taking cuttings ("slips") from roots, stems or leaves. This cannot be done in the animal world. Hence, in the plant world, It being feasible to preserve any new variety, each one is given a name of Latin clar ity according to whatever distlnc-. tive botanical characteristics it mas possess. The present scientific classification eliminates confu sion, which cannot be said of the English naming. Therefore, we feel it best to retain the nomen clature of Linnaeus for all tech nical purposes though adopting stance where there is no danger of confusion. GLEAN PLANT BED NEED Having a clean bed for plants goes a long way in insuring heal thy plants. Diseases of vegetable and flowering plants aro apt to grow more acute year because of the growing plants arede m'i the growing number of gardens. Prevention must be practiced by everyone in the form of keeping the beds clean if disease la to be controlled. Clean up all trast and remove all stalks as soon as they have outlived their usefullness as have outlived their usefulness as and dicase. Back yard enclosures are de sirable and sometimes necessary. Fences of various types are used to enclose the back garden and to rerve as a boundary or dividing point. The ordinary garden fence built, of lumber and painted is quite satisfactory. A little more artistic is the rock dividing wall either put up with dirt or mortar. The dirt wall will accommodate the planting of rock plants which i3 desirable for additional beauti fying. Hedges are often employ ed both o? the clipped and the na tural types. For complete con cealment, the thick hedge of green is unsurpassed. eve. h;., no iuU i roPmg. On, u ar. . ynt. rmZ?" to i"nwTv.r"c" to ' .Soft. Exnisito ftiraltnrtl console cabinets la Louia XVI style. Matched walnut panels; very highest gradu workmanship. Phone 1708 f Trada-Ia.OGf. 1 a rajaxsiU -1 t SSm BBS SWS SsuVA JannaV slllflU Tcler&cns 656