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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1927-04-28, Page 6FOUNDATION PLANTINGS SHRUBS HIDE THE UGI.Y CORNERS 13Y ADOLPH KAMIS. Any landscape architect will tell us that the way to plant home grounds is to keep the lawn es open as possible and to confine our plant- *sgs to the house foundation, the corners, fences, boundaries and the like. The most important of these and the one that ;should receive the most attention in planning the plc, ture is the foundation planting. It is the most important because it has to do with the setting of the home proper, There are two main reasons for a foundation planting. We niay wish to accent some features about the home, and we niay wish to conceal or subdue others. The entrance to the hone is naturally the place where the greatest ,activity is going on, and hence it would be advisableto accent this particular feature so as to bring it out from among the rest of the things. We may do this by planting a specimen tree or shrub on each side of the entrance—something that is .different from the rest of the plant- ing. It niay be a shrub with differ- ent -colored foliage or blossoms. Or it may be a group of shrubs which, though of the same variety as the The plants to use for the founda- tion will depend largely upon the likes and dislikes of the individual. The height of the, window -sills gen- erally ,governe the kind of shrubs to use. Do not use shrubs that grow beyond your windows or that are out of proportion to the architectural features of the house. Place your shrubs about 18 inches or two feet away from the foundation. This will give thein same chance to develop all. around. As the plants grow more bushy it will be noticed that they tend to lean away from the house,. due to the excessive growth of branches on one side. To avoid this, tilt the plants toward the house slightly when planting. By placing all the taller -growing shrubs next to the house and the smaller -growing varieties alternately in front of these, a gradual incline will be created that will merge into the wall proper. The steins of the taller -growing speci- mens will be concealed• by the smaller shrubs and will "face down" the planting. By this arrangement all the shrubs will be in plain view. Be careful to consider the natural growth of the specimens. If a par - SHRUBS FOR FOUNDATION PLANTING. Height, Nance Feet Color of Bloom Japanese barberry 3-4..Yellow; red fruit Weigelia Eva Rathke 4-5..Red Hydrangea P.G 5-8.. White ..... , Aug. -Sept. Hydrangea, Hills of Snow.. 5-6.. White June -July Tartarian honeysuckle s6-8. . Pink; red fruit May -June Mock orange $ . White June Cut -leaved elder ... 5 9... White May -June Spirea Anthony Waterer . . . 2-3. . Crimson June -Sept. Spires Arguta 3-4.. White ti May -June Spirea Bumalda 2-3..Pink July -Aug. Spirea Billardi 4-5.. Pink .July -Aug. Spirea Van Houttei......5-6..White.. May -June Snowberry 3-4.. Pink; white fruit .June -July Lilac . 6-8..Purple or white Tamarisk 8-10. Pink Snowball 6-8.. White Month of Bloom June June May -June ry• July May -June rest of the planting, will create an accent by their mass effect. The doorway may also be brought out by using larger plants for framing it so as to make it appear a little bit different from the rest. Vines trail- ing over the porch make a splendid accent, which can be used success- fully in many cases. There are some things about the hone, however, that are not so at- tractive and which either must be concealed or partially subdued. The foundation proper is generally not very beautiful and it will be best if this is hidden from view. Small por- tions showing here and there from among the foliage are enough to sug- gest that a foundation exists. This arrangement will make the house appear as if it had grown up from among the ,shrubs; in other words, the house will be tied to the land- scape. Sonie things which must not be concealed altogether are the base- ment windows, water faucets and the coal chute. Plants must not be set directly in front of the windows, as this would interfere with anything that niay want to be taken in and out of the basement. Occasional branches drooping over the openings are not objectionable. Outside water faucets for the attachment of the hose may be concealed, but they should be easily accessible. ticular shrub has a natural spread of three feet when nature, plant it about that far from its neighbor. While it is useless to put in more stock than necessity calls for, yet it is unwise to snake the planting too scanty. By zig-zagging the plants in various ways a more interesting design wil be produced and a better mass effect will be the result. Needless to say, good soil should be used throutrhout planting -meas—a rich, black, sandy loam with enough humus and fertility in it to insure good growth. Well -rotted stable ma- nure can be mix d ' e m to insure the latter. If the . soil is naturally poor around the foundation, it must •be taken out entirely to a depth of some 18 inches or two feet and refilled with good soil. This is absolutely essen- tial for good plant growth. You cannot plant a shrub ingravel, cin- ders or hard clay and expect it to perform. It simply can't be done. Finally, when you have finished off the planting, mark off your bed into a pleasing informal design. Keep the soil stirred and f am weeds throughout the growing season. The graceful curves around the beds will not make the plants thrive better, but will give the planting the appear- ance of neatness which oftentimes goes a long way. Chosen Varieties of Vege.. tables. Experienced growers of garden crops have learned that there are great differences in varieties of vege- tables as well as corn, melons, pump- kins, peas, tomatoes and other crops that are grown either for home use or for the market. The names of varieties as published in seed rata- logues have not always been a safe guide to the grower. An analysis of Canadian seed catalogues made by the Seed Branch of the. Department of Agriculture, and the Canadian Seed Growers' Association, revealed no less than 2,245 variety names ad- vertized from year to yeiir. Many of these were found on test to be dupli- cates of the sante variety, and in other cases they were so inferior as to be unworthy of a place in the gar- den. For the guidance of the grow- ers of these crops the best varieties, as proven by tests of various kinds, have been selected out and reduced to 266 in number. The selected list has been published as a supplement to the regulations under the Seeds Act, issued se Acts, Orders and Regulation No. 11 of the Departent of Agriculture at Ottawa. The list is arranged alphabetically, commencing with the artichoke, of which two varieties are named, fol- lowed by asparagus, with three varie- ties, covering in all forty-four kinds of garden crops. The varieties given are •arranged accroding to. earliness of maturity, and those of outstanding merit are indicated by the letter "X". This supplement, just off the press, is being distributed by the Publica- tions Branch, Department of Agri- culture, Ottavwa. To the extent that it is followed will gardeners, reap satisfaction in realizing that theyearo growing the best available sorts of the diif4rent crops. Teol:.s are half the garden. Are lass cultivators, forks and hoes in I Y r If not, buys new ones, i Cleaning Dairy Utensils. A plentiful supply of boiling water or steam is a necessity for the clean- ing and sterilizing of pails and other utensils if a bacteriologically clean milk is to be obtained. Detailed in- structions for cleansing . dairy uten- sils is contained in a new pamphlet on Producing Clean Milk issued by the Dominion Department of Agricul- ture. The utensils should be rinsed in cold or luke-warm water immedi- ately after .using, and then they should be washed well in waren water to which soda or, a dairy cleansing powder has been added. After wash- ing, the utensils should be rinsed in clean hot water to remove traces of the cleaning solution. But even this is not altogether suf- ficient. Utensils that appear to be perfectly clean may contain many thousands of germs. Where steam treatment is available the sterilizing is best` done by placing the utensils in a closed container and blowing steam into it for 15 minutes. In- verting the cans or pails over a steam jet for a couple of minutes is also a good method, When live steam is not available the utensils should be immersed, in. scalding `water for at least two minutes `•- Clean utjisils, hbwever, are "only one item in the ' production of clean milk. Equal care' must be taken at every , stage from the time the milk leaves the cow until it is consumed or used in manufacture. What the necessary precautions are is told in the new pamphlet, which may be ob- tained from the Publications Branch, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa. If a drop in temperature threatens your early ternatoee that are set out, and you have no frost protectors, turn some quart fruit -jars .or flower- pets over the plants. If you have many plants, you may run out of jars and pots. Be prepared next time --- have some frost protectors, Cheap ,incl ciniekly put on. Nurse Crops for Alfalfa. • There is considerable advantege,ht using a nurse -crop when seeding down alfalfa. It greatly reduces the initial cost of production, and, ex- cep$ where the land is comparatively clean, helps to prevent the weeds from retarding. the .development of the young alfalfa plants, The stubble of the nurse -crop tends to hold the snow and thus reduce the possibility of winter lcillin+g. Tests were made, during the last three years with wheat, oats, barley , and flax as nurse crops, at the. Bran- don, Manitoba, Experimental Farni, In all three years, flax, on account of its shallow root -system and the small amount of shade it caused, proved the least detrimental to the young alfalfa plants, Wheat, on the average, was better than oats or bar ley, as it stands up better and its smaller leaf development allows more sunlight to reach the alfalfa. In the experiments the alfalfa was seeded at the rate of 10 pounds per acre, while the nurse crops, with the exception of the flax, was sown at a slightly smaller rate than when nor- mally ormally used. In seeding, the alfalfa seed was mixed with the grain in the grain -box. The owner of a vibrating -type bat- tery -charger had trouble ' keeping his battery fully charged because his charger did, not seem to charge at as high a rate as it should. In trying to locate the trouble he noticed that the connecting wires from his charger to the battery were ' excep- tionally long, and got very liot when the charging was going on, He concluded, therefore, that there was too much resistance In the wires, so he made thein as short as possible, and used heavier wire that had less resistance. This had the desired ef- fect, for it increased the charging rate and there was no further trouble.—G. S. TIIE ONTARIO GARLIEN CONSERVING ¥eisatiRE. In the cities where every gardens has a hose and an endless supply of water i at his Comiiiazld the conserve tion of moisture#is not so important but in the 'village and on the farm one cannot afford to waste (water hence gardening becomes •a real job. As a matter of fact where there is a hose, watering is often abused. Some- times the hose is turned on both morning and evening, while daily watering is the rule rather than th exception. A. sprinkling every. even- ing does more harm than, good. One or two real soakings every week is w i"at the garden needs. Where there is no hose, .however, one 'must save every drop of rain.. To do this get out the hoe or the cultivator after every shower and loosen up the soil. This not only keeps down.the .weeds but ` it prevents the sun drawing up. the moisture through the soil. When Ashmead Bartlett I the plants get so big that close, shal- War correspondent of the London low ` cultivation is impossible mulch press at Joffr�e's headquarters in the + around earefully with old straw, Great War, in the Japanese war with leaves or other refuse.. Above all Russia, with the French in Morocco , things avoid high pilling up of plants and now in China, or raised beds. These will dry out in a hurry' or they become toze;a'>< and r + tasteless. This means early sowing) getting the first crop in just es soon/ as the sail is ready and fetrili - � with nitrate of soda, one scant table. spoonful u rwa , t thesquare yardad osq .and ered down. Even where the garden ' is well manured, three or four AP plications of nitrate early in the sea. son will, be found a wonderful helyi to get trowth started. , .ANNUALS IN PERENNIAL BED. o One cannot go ahead nod have Q� "7 perennial bed in full bloom in one season, or in the- second either, for that matter, unless a fel annual are allowed inside the boundaryi Moreover, without the addition cheap annuals, the establishment of perennial bed in a hurry is quite eel expensive matter. The best way cal to make haste slowly, Plant only) those perennials that you knew an df like, in clumps . with the taller sorts' toward the rear, then as you gradue ally get' acquainted with other peren- mals In your neighbors' gardens orl elsewhere add to your collection.. Study carefully the place where these must go, taking into account the color of the flower,' height of, plant and the blooming season. The whole bed }nest blend together both in height and color. In, the meantime, before all the space is taken up, fill" in with annuals, such es zinnias, mars! igolds, California poppies, petuniass,f cosmos and other pleasing flowers' that have attractive foliage as well' as bloom. ee- If you live where fence posts don't grow, you ought to talk your neigh- bors into buying posts in carload table, such as beans, peas, cern and lots. Your dealer will make you a tomatoes, which raise the edible part nice price on a carload. Each one on a separate stem, speed is the es - could haul right from the car and sential thing in getting tenderness. save the dealer the cost of unload- Spinach, radish,' beets, carrots and ing. Another way out—make cement .a host of others must be produced posts during slack sesaon. Do the in a few days. GET VEGETABLES IN EARLY With the exception of those - vege- work in the barn, or in a sheltered location, if there is danger of freez- ing. I would much rather take a new and progressive ideal to the street corner than to the House of Lords.— Viscount Astor. STUDY THE SPRAY CALENDAR SUGGESTIONS FOR 1927 SPRAYING By L. CAESAR, Provincial Entomologist 1. Do not spray at all unless you! the liquid; a mere mist or a light are going to try to do it well. IV spray will not kill the insects. Use will not pay. lime sulphur 1 to 7 of water, pre - 2. You cannot make a success of frably just as the buds are burst - apple growing without good spraying. ing, or a 3 per cent. lubricating oil 3. You cannot spray well without emulsive slightly earlier when buds a good outfit which will give you are nearly ready to burst. plenty of pressure. So overhaul the 10. For scab and codling moth old spray machine at once, or if it is cover every leaf. Scab attacks the not satisfactory buy a new one with leaves, too, and is often washed from them to the fruit. It will require from 6 to 10 gallons for each tree twenty-five years old or upwards, not just 2 or 3 gallons. 11. Be sure the spray reaches right through the trees. To insure this go in, if necessary, underneath the tree and 'spray the part beyond the trunk - first, then step back to the outside and spray the remaining part. Do this from both sides. Remember that it is the centre or shaded part of the tree where scab naturally is worst, and poor sprayers nearly always miss this side, though they often cover the sunny or outer side all right. 12. A tower, even with a spray gun, is a great help. Often it will suffice tg, standon the tank. A saw- horse type of support along the centre of the tank is .a safeguard plenty of power. 4. Get a spray calendar from your Agricultural Representative, or from Mr. P. W. Hodgetts, Director of Fruit Branch, Toronto, or Professor L. Caesar, O.A.C., Guelph. Tack it up in the spray shed where it will al- ways be available. 5. Use only thespray materials re- commended in the spray calendar. 6. Do not spray when it happens to„ be convenient, but spray at' the tunes the spray calendar says. •The time of spraying is of vast import- ance and the times given in the spray calendar are based on years of study. 7. Omit none of the first three regular sprays, some years the first is the most important, some the sec- ond and some the third. Each spray helps to make the next more effec- tive and each must be given to insure clean fruit. 8. McIntosh and Snow trees should always receive a fourth application. Read what the spray calendar recom- mends under "Special Sprays and Remarks," and be guided by it. 9. You will not control San Jose scale on large trees; twenty-five years. old or more, unless you first prune thein heavily and scrape the loose bark off with a hoe. Then see that every particle of the bark is wet with against falling off. 13. Do not use large openings in the discs of either nozzles or spray guns unless you have 225 pounds pressure or more. They are waste ful, make it difficult to maintain high pressure and give too coarse a spray. 14. In many cases better work will be done with a rod and two angle disc nozzles than with a gun. In any case use some system in spraying, so that you will make sure everything is being covered in a methodical way. How to Make Cottage Cheese. Cottage cheese is one of the kinds which can be made satisfactorily in small quantities. The process of making it is very simple and is fully 'described in a pamphlet of tlie' Do- Inilnion DeEEpartmeent of. Agriculture entitled "Why and How to Use Cheese." It is made from soured skim -milk. The soured milk is put in a pan and set over hot water until it separates into curds and whey. It is then strained through a double oheese cloth over a dish and the curd put in a bowl, well -mixed, seasoned with salt and pepper, and a little cream or butter added. After chill- ing it is ready to serve. Stale soured milk should not be used, and the milk should not be allowed to heat above lukewarm temperature, otherwise the curd a,iIl be tough. The whey which drains from the curd niay be used as a beverage if sweetened with sugar and flavored with lemon juice. It should be strain- ed and chilled before serving. ,Partial Sununer-Fallowing. For the eradication of weeds a partial summer -fallow is sometimes useful. The land is handled as a suns mer -fallow up to the time it is neces- vary to sow some late seeded crop such as buckwheat. The process is ' fully described in a bulletin of the 1 Dominion Department of Agricul- tune on Crap Rotations and Soil Man- agement in Eastern Canada;'in a sec- tion on methods of controlling weeds. It is stated there that buckwheat is a fairly good crop with which to smother out some weeds and, since it is not seeded in some districts until about Juno 21, time is available to give the land very thorough cultiva- tion before seeding. Another good crop to use is rape, which also may I be seeded late. When this systtin of partial summer -fallow with a smoth-' er crop is used it is advisable to plow the land in the preceding fall, culti- i vete thoroughly during the spring and again plow and cultivate before seeding. TORONTO WOMAN WINS $10,006 ATLANTIC ,MONTHLY NOVEL PRIZE Above is the a,uthoress. of "labia." the sea. Anti one mins noi • " .. ,, � . play r5 to write t of forget her ambition in her own wog and the winner oaf tbe Atl'anti�e Month- Aberdeen terrier, "Runty, who is a fine Canadian play and have a good 1y'�s $10,000 'prize novel competition. shown above, Miss die le Roche is al asparagus bed," "Jona is her fourth Mica Mazo de la Roche. Her le ., „ It i, . i �spiia great lover of horses and birds as well, novel, and her chief satisfaction at its ion bas been the rural iiile end linea as drags and. her favorite hobby is gar.; i stoners is that it ,eeiablen li•er with liner soave of Ontario, the great' lakes and dealn,g on her Clarkson estate. Her mind ,at ,ease to start her fifth novel: 1 BASKETBALL LS LOTS 1. OF FUN . II Basket ball is probably the rooster popular indoor sport of the 'girl. Ie,' is played by her in the colleges, in the high schools, in clubs—wherever, groups of girls athletically inclined may gather. As a game it has all the fascina- tion of hard and interesting compe- tition. As an exercise it has :been endorsed, when properly regulated,' by many physicians and directors of physical education. Although devised as an indoor sport, it may be played in the open air when weather perr- mite. - The object of the players is to pass the ball from one •to <another, until it is tossed into one of the bas-' kets which bang one at each end of the court. A successful attempt at • the basket is called a goal and may count either one or two points, de-! pending upon the condition under, which it is made. The team scoring; the greatest number of points, of course, is the winner. The rules are too numerous to 'dei scribe in detail, but, . in a general way, they resemble those of the fa - miller professional er school gania' played by men and boys. The essen-' tial differences are that the girls' rules do more to eliminate 'rough- ness, Bold the players within certain• marked divisions of the field—to guard against over-exertion — ands shorten the periods of play. A marked effect of the girls' rules is to emphasize team play rather than individual starring, thus encour-. aging that, spirit of co-operation' which is the essence of all true sportsmanship. As played to -day,' the game encourages more girls to enter, with the result that almost every college and high school has its teams that participate in regular inter -school or interclass games. In that it 'has fulfilled the purpose for which basket ball was invented some thirty-five years ago—to develop a form of indoor exercise which should combine muscular effort with -the fun• of a game, and yet be available to all: Any group of girls who want to 1e play the game can enjoy it together, even if they do not seek outside con- ests. If no teacher is available, a' ook of rules and directions will quickly explain the underhand, over- land and therm "passes"; the fine pints of. "guarding" and "blocking an opponent; the skilful "dodging" and "pivoting"; the isnt;4:cacies of, ignals and team play. Girls find hemselves becoming adept, in a win-! ter sport which is both fascinating nd healthful, and which can be layed in the open when spring calls hem out-of-doors.—jean Merrill. The High Cost of Smashing. t b p s t a p t Why do boys break windows any= way? Because of the fun of it, the smash of breaking glass that foie, lows a geed shot or a careless swipe.; Why, then, don't boysbreak windows, all the time? . Why do. they .get over it? And .the answer to that is right here: because beye learn.' that glass costs money, and what money means, and how much work it takes to earn' a dollar, and what property rights are, and why civilized people have agreed to respect the other fellow's things. Grown-ups don't go around smashing windows. Neither do boys,' after they've developed' to a point, when they've "learned better." It's merely a matter of how fair along they are in their social development.) Let's do our bit for apple pie, Time toothsome dish supreme That hits the very spot ---oh m.yl And helps keep up the steam. There's, lots of pie tri prospect nocv,• And Mother feels at ease To ltonw our tummies can be filled, 'Cause father ski'�1.yea the tree& SOT