Manual of Gardening Part 73

SUGGESTIONS AND REMINDERS.--II. FOR THE SOUTH

JANUARY

_Annuals._--All kinds of hardy annuals and perennials, such as alyssum, snapdragon, foxglove, hollyhock, phlox, poppy, pansy, lobelia, candytuft, sweet pea, Chinese pink, sweet william, larkspur, foliage cinerarias, centaurea, mignonette, and many others of the same cla.s.s may be sown. Most of them should be sown thinly and where they are intended to flower, as they transplant poorly in this lat.i.tude.

_Cannas, caladiums, perennial phloxes, chrysanthemums, and verbenas_ may be taken up, divided, and replanted.

_Roses_ may be planted in quant.i.ties. Let the ground intended for them have a thorough dressing of manure. Occasionally a plant may be taken up and divided. The hybrid varieties may now be layered. This is done as follows: Select a shoot and bend it flat upon the ground; hold it in both hands, having a distance of about 6 in. between them; keep the left hand firm, and with the right give the shoot a sharp twist; now cover it with 4 in. of earth and tie the free end to an upright stake.

_Asparagus beds_ should be liberally manured. New beds should now be made. Set the plants 6 in. deep. Sow seed now.

_Beets and all hardy vegetables_ (carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi, spinach, lettuce, herbs, etc.) may now be sown, planted, or transplanted.

_Cabbage plants_ should be set out on heavily manured ground. Sow seed of Early Summer for a later supply.

_Fruits._--If possible, all planting and transplanting of fruit-trees and grape-vines should be finished this month. Pruning should be completed as soon as possible, and preparation made to protect the blossoms of tender fruits next month. Set out strawberry-plants, and during dry weather run the cultivator through all old beds that are at all weedy. It is a good plan, where practicable, to mulch the beds.

Here, pine-straw can be had plentifully for the purpose. Examine peach trees for borers. Raspberries and blackberries should be pruned now if the work is not already done. Cuttings of Le Conte pears, Marianna plums, grape-vines, and pomegranates should be put in at once if they have heretofore been forgotten. Root-grafting should be progressing rapidly; this is the best time for this important work.

_Onion seeds._--Sow at once, and plant sets as soon as possible.

_Peas._--Sow early and late varieties. The late varieties succeed best if sown at this season.

_Seasonable work._--This is a good month to obtain canes for staking peas, tomatoes, and beans, hauling manure, making repairs, and examining tools, etc. As the fall crop is harvested, the land should be prepared for another crop. Tile-draining is now is order. Prepare frames to cover with canvas for use next month.

_Sweet-potatoes._--A few may be bedded in a frame from which to obtain "draws" for setting out about March 15.

_Tomatoes, egg-plants, and peppers._--Sow now on a slight hotbed. When the plants come up, all the air possible should be given during the day.

They can be raised without heat, but at this season this plan would better be attempted only by the skillful.

FEBRUARY

_Asters, cannas, dahlias, heliotropes, lobelias, petunias, pyrethrums, ricinus, salvias, and verbenas_ are best sown in a coldframe, where they can have some protection from heavy rain.

_Cannas_ should be transplanted now.

_Chrysanthemums_ must be planted in well-manured ground in a position where water can be readily supplied to them.

_Dahlias_ may be taken up and divided as soon as they begin growth.

_Gladiolus and tuberose bulbs_ should be planted now. It is a good plan to extend the planting through March and April.

_Pansies._--Plant them out in the beds where they are to flower.

_Routine work._--Sodding should now proceed rapidly. If sods cannot be obtained, the ground may be planted with Bermuda gra.s.s. Plant small pieces of the gra.s.s a foot apart and water them if the weather is dry, and they will grow rapidly. Hedges should be cleared up and put in good shape. All planting of trees and shrubs should be finished this month.

All pruning of trees must be done early in the month. Young roses cannot be set too early in February. They thrive best when planted in fall.

Roll the drives and repair them when necessary. The lawn will now require constant care, and the mower should be used before the gra.s.s becomes 1-1/2 in. high.

_Bush-beans_ may be planted February 14. On alluvial land it is best to plant them on slight rises as a protection against the rains which sometimes occur toward the end of the month. If frost should threaten just as the beans begin to peep out, cover them an inch deep with the plow or hand cultivator. Sow Early Mohawk first, and at the end of the month sow Early Valentine; a week later sow the wax varieties.

_Cabbage,_--Sow early varieties, such as Early Summer, Early Drumhead, and Early Flat Dutch. Etampes, Extra Early Express, and Winnigstadt sown for small heads in the order named have done very well in southern Louisiana. The earlier sown plants should be transplanted as often as convenient. Should worms cause trouble, dust the plants with a mixture of one part of pyrethrum powder to six of fine dust.

_Carrots, celery, beets, endive, kohlrabi, onion sets, parsley, parsnips, radishes and purple-top turnips_ must now be sown.

_Corn._--Plant Extra Early Adams, Yellow Canada, Stowell Evergreen, and White Flint toward the middle of the month. Sow again a week later, and again after another week. If the first two sowings fail, the last one will give the early crop.

_Cuc.u.mbers._--Sow and protect with small boxes during cold days and nights, or sow in pots or on sods. Protect the seedlings with sashes or canvas, and plant them out late.

_Lettuce._--Sow seeds and transplant the plants on hand. This crop requires a soil well supplied with plant-food.

_Melons._--Plant seeds in the same manner as advised for cuc.u.mbers.

_Okra._--Sow seeds on sods and set out the plants next month.

_Peas._--Sow seeds of a number of varieties.

_Peppers and egg-plants,_ if not sown last month, should be sown now.

Sow them under glazed sashes and keep close. When the plants appear, give some air, and increase it according to the weather. If a large number of plants is required, the sowing may be delayed until next month. Should flea-beetles trouble you, use plenty of bordeaux on egg-plants.

_Potatoes, Irish._--The main crop should be planted as early as possible. Standard varieties are Early Rose, Peerless, and Burbank.

_Strawberries._--Run the cultivator through them at least once every three weeks; if they are to be mulched, collect the necessary material.

Strawberries planted in February seldom yield much of a crop.

_Sweet-potatoes,_ can now be bedded and protected with canvas, or a row or two of whole tubers may be planted for "draws" and vines.

_Tomatoes_ in frames should be given all the air and light possible and plenty of room if protected with canvas, do not allow the plants to crowd.

MARCH

_Beans._--Sow all varieties for a fall crop. As soon as the plants appear, the cultivator must be run through the crop, and kept going as often as necessary.

_Corn._--Continue to plant; and we recommend harrowing the patch as soon as the young corn appears. It is generally planted in hills 3 or 4 ft.

apart, but better results will be obtained-by planting in drills and leaving one stalk every 12 in.

_Cuc.u.mbers._--Sow in hills 4 ft. apart, using a liberal quant.i.ty of seed to each hill. When the plants come up, thin them to about six in the hill. When the plants begin to get rough leaves, pull out one or two more from each hill. Striped cuc.u.mber-beetles are sometimes very numerous, and in order to get a stand of plants it is necessary to go through the patch early every morning and sprinkle all the hills with air-slaked lime.

_Egg-plants._--Toward the end of the month the plants growing in frames may be transplanted to their fruiting quarters. Seed may be sown outside after March 15; sooner if a warm and sheltered spot is selected.

_Lettuce._--Sow in drills, and when the plants are large enough, thin to a foot apart. If transplanted at this season, they often go to seed.

_Okra._--A sowing may be made now, but the main planting would best be deferred until after March 15. Sow in drills 3 ft. apart and thin the plants to 18 in. apart in the drills.

_Peas._--Early varieties may be sown; it is now too late to sow tall-growing kinds.

_Peppers._--Treat as advised for egg-plants.

_Potatoes, Irish._--It is not too late to plant them, but the sooner they are planted the better. The crop planted in February should be harrowed as soon as the shoots begin to come up, and when the rows can be fairly seen, the cultivator must be set to work to keep down weeds and gra.s.s.