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
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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. ..::.
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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
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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
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