Part 12
The sucking Insects include all the kinds of plant lice, the squash bug and all the scale Insects. These are dispatched by some material which kills by external application, especially material which has kerosene or petroleum in it. The common material heretofore used for this purpose is kerosene and soap emulsion; but it is now believed that the emulsion of kerosene and water is fully as efficient, and since machines have been perfected for automatically mixing it, it is a much more practicable remedy. See _Kerosene Emulsion_.
In the fighting of all Insects, success depends upon taking them in time. If something is known of the life history of the Insect, very much will be gained, for the operator may be on hand as soon as the Insect is expected to appear.
_Insects on House Plants._--The most troublesome or common Insects with which the amateur is likely to meet in the window-garden or conservatory are the red spider, mite, mealy bug, aphis, and scale.
The red spider is a very minute Insect with a reddish body. Its presence may be suspected whenever plants are growing in a warm and dry place. Usually it first appears on the under side of leaves, but it multiplies rapidly, and will soon not be so choice of position. It sucks the juices of the leaves, and they soon indicate the injury by a dull appearance, and also, in many cases, by small whitish or paler areas on the upper surfaces. The mite is of similar habits and size, but is of a pale color, with black on its back. It appears under the same conditions as the red spider. These pests are small, but are very serious if allowed to multiply unchecked. They should be looked after as soon as their presence is detected.
The remedy is to arrange for keeping the air about the plants more moist, and giving drenchings of the foliage with clear or soapy water. The latter is most effective. The soap used may be simply the common washing soap, or that sold at drug stores known as whale-oil soap. In fighting them, care must be used not to keep the soil soaked with water, or it will check the plants in vigor and only add to the strength of the enemy. Even florists sometimes get into just such a predicament. Flagging and extreme variations in dryness and humidity of the air, checking the vigor of plants, favor the appearance and presence of the red spider quite as much as extreme and continued dryness of the air.
The aphids or plant lice are readily discernable when they appear on plants, as they are sure to do under nearly all conditions. They are small, have elongated, succulent bodies, move about slowly and awkwardly, on rather long, hairlike legs, and are most commonly of a pale green color, though often brown or reddish, and sometimes of other shades. Fumigation of the plants in a closed box with burning tobacco stems will kill them. Latterly florists evaporate a liquid extract of tobacco (which is sold by dealers in florists' supplies) by dropping a hot iron into a pan of it. A tea made by soaking tobacco stems in water for a few hours, and applied with a syringe, is effective, and a safe remedy in inexperienced hands. A tablespoonful of tobacco sheep-dip, or extract of tobacco, to a couple of gallons of water, also makes an effective syringing or dipping solution. As mentioned above, we should use care, especially in the winter time, when the soil often dries out slowly, to avoid soaking it when already wet or sufficiently moist.
Mealy bug has a small, flat, tortoise-shaped body, from about one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch long. The Insects collect in masses in the axils of the leaves. They are covered with a white mealy or cottony substance, and are readily recognized, although persons unfamiliar with their appearance have sometimes mistaken them for bits of down or cotton lodged upon the foliage or in the axils of the leaves. The young are small, and likely to escape observation unless one looks closely. They are flat, of a creamy or pinkish tint, and lie close to the surface of the leaves, especially on the under surface. Coleus and bouvardias are among the plants upon which mealy bugs are most often found. Owing to the oily nature of their covering, it is difficult to wet their bodies with any ordinary liquid that may be applied for the purpose of destroying them. Fir-tree oil is one of the most effective remedies for them. This liquid is rather expensive, but for a small collection a gallon can will last for a long time. It is also effective against other Insects. For mealy bugs, two tablespoonfuls of the oil to one pint of water will make an effective dipping or spraying solution. Soft or rain-water should be used, and tin, wooden, or earthenware vessels. Galvanized iron vessels are to be avoided. Apply forcibly with a syringe or atomizer, preferably in the evening. If effective, the mealy bug will turn buff-color. For other Insects, except for the scale, mentioned below, the solution will not need to be more than half or a fourth so strong. Where there are only a few mealy bugs, the plant may be gone over with a soft brush and the Insects crushed.
Scales are most commonly of a brown or whitish color, flat or tortoise-shaped, and easily seen. They adhere closely by the under surface of their bodies to the stems, branches, and foliage of woody plants. The mature Insect is stationary, and its body at length becomes a shell containing hundreds of eggs. These hatch, and the young emerge from the shell, crawl about and settle, to develop into the familiar form. A strong solution of fir-tree oil, like that used for mealy bugs, is a good remedy. A strong solution of whale-oil soap, made by adding an ounce or more of the soap to three gallons of water, even more if necessary, is also useful in combating them. After dipping or syringing the plants they may be allowed to stand over night, when they should be rinsed off with clear water. Applications may need repeating every three or four days until the Insects are gotten rid of. It is difficult, for a time, to tell when they are dead. If killed, the bodies will fall off easily, and in the case of the soft-shelled species shrivel up somewhat after a time. Kerosene and water emulsion (see _Kerosene_) will kill them.
INSECTICIDE. A substance which will kill insects. Insecticides are of two general classes--those that kill by contact (see _Kerosene_), and those that poison the insect (see _Paris Green_ and _Hellebore_).
IRIS. Many handsome perennials, of which the Blue Flag is familiar to every old-fashioned garden. Most Irises thrive best in a rather moist soil, and some of them may be colonized in the water in margins of ponds. Gardeners usually divide them into two sections--the tuberous-rooted or rhizomatous, and the bulbous. A third division--the fibrous-rooted--is sometimes made. The common and most serviceable species belong to the tuberous-rooted section. Here belongs the beautiful and varied Japanese Iris, _Iris laevigata_ (or _I. Kaempferi_), which is among the most deserving of all hardy perennials. Most of these Irises need no special care. They are propagated by division of the rootstocks. Plant the pieces 1 foot apart if a mass effect is desired. When the plants begin to fail, dig them up, divide the roots, discard the old parts and grow a new stock, as before. _I. Susiana_, of this section, is one of the oddest of Irises, but it is not quite hardy in the North. Of the bulbous section, most species are not hardy in the North. The bulbs should be taken up and replanted every two or three years. The Persian and Spanish Irises belong here. The bulbs give rise to but a single stem.
KALE. A low-growing, spreading plant belonging to the cabbage family and extensively used for winter and spring greens. The same culture as given to late cabbage is suitable. At the approach of severe freezing weather a slight protection is given in the North. The leaves remain green through the winter and may be gathered from under the snow at a time when material for greens is scarce. Some of the Kales are very ornamental because of their blue and purple curled foliage. The Scotch Curled is the most popular variety. Kales are extensively grown at Norfolk, Va., and southward, and shipped north in winter. Let the plants stand 18 to 30 inches apart. Young cabbage plants are sometimes used as Kale. See _Collards_. Borecole is a kind of Kale. Sea Kale is a wholly different vegetable (which see).
KEROSENE is fatal to insects. It is likely to injure plants if applied full strength, although if applied in full sunlight (so that evaporation takes place rapidly) it may do no harm. It is safest to apply it in dilution. Of late, there are pumps which mix or emulsify Kerosene and water in definite proportions, and this mixture (in the proportion of 1/5 or 1/4 Kerosene) is fatal to insects and usually harmless to plants. The standard Kerosene emulsion is with soap, but the perfection of mechanical devices for emulsifying it with water is probably destined to supplant the soap emulsion.
_Kerosene Emulsion._--Hard soap, 1/2 pound; boiling soft water, 1 gallon; Kerosene, 2 gallons. Dissolve the soap in the water, add the Kerosene, and churn with a pump for 5 to 10 minutes. Dilute 10 to 25 times before applying. Use strong emulsion, diluted four times in winter, for all scale insects. For insects which suck, as plant-lice, mealy bugs, red spider, thrips, bark-lice or scale. Cabbage-worms, currant-worms, and all insects which have soft bodies can also be successfully treated.
KOHLRABI. This vegetable looks like a leafy turnip growing above ground. If used when small (2 to 3 inches in diam.), and not allowed to become hard and tough, it is of superior quality. It should be more generally grown. The culture is very simple. A succession of sowings should be made from early spring until the middle of summer, in drills 18 inches to 2 feet apart, thinning the young plants to 6 or 8 inches in the rows. It matures as quickly as turnips. One ounce of seed to 100 feet of drill.
LANTANA is a popular greenhouse pot-plant, and is occasionally seen in window-gardens, being grown for the profusion of its orange-red, heliotrope-shaped flowers. In the South, and sometimes in the North, it is planted out for the summer. It is very easy to grow, and also to propagate by means of cuttings. Although the flowers of the common species are ill-scented, the profusion of bloom makes it desirable.
LARKSPUR. DELPHINIUM. The Larkspurs are among the very best hardy plants, being free-flowering and having a good habit. They should be in every mixed border, particularly the perennial kinds. The tall flower-spikes, showing above the cut foliage, give the plant a striking effect. The flowers are in shades of blue in most varieties. The plants are propagated by division of root or from seed. The latter method will give good results, although the resulting plants are not likely to be the same variety as the seed plant.
As winter approaches, a covering of coarse litter should be thrown over the crowns of the perennial kinds. The plants will come into bloom in late June and continue for a long season. Plants should be set 3 to 5 feet apart if in rows, but they are seen to better advantage when mixed with other border plants. Height of plants from 3 to 5 feet.
The annual Larkspur may be grown from seed sown in heat and transplanted to the ground in May; or seed may be sown where the plants are wanted and the seedlings thinned to 1 foot. These seedlings will bloom in June, and continue through the summer. Plants grow from 8 to 18 inches high.
LATHYRUS. See _Pea, Everlasting_; also, _Sweet Pea_.
LAWNS. In order to have a good Lawn, two things are essential: first, a pleasing surface or contour; second, a dense, firm sod.
Inasmuch as the Lawn is, or should be, a permanent thing, it is necessary that the greatest care be exercised to grade the land and to thoroughly prepare it before any seeds are sown. About a new building the filling should be allowed to settle, so that the finished surface will slope gradually away from the foundations and the steps. If the land is very hard clay, or if the place is rather low, it is always well to lay tile under-drains at frequent intervals. Everything should be done to cause the land to be deep and loose, so that the grass roots will run far into the soil and not be pressed for lack of moisture in a dry time. If the land has not had applications of manure in recent years, it is well to plow in, or to spade in, a liberal quantity of well-rotted litter from the barnyard. Work this into the soil as deeply as possible. If the hardpan is rather high, it is well to subsoil the area or to trench it (that is, to spade it up two or three spades deep). If the land is apparently not fertile in plant-food, it is well to add a dressing of some commercial fertilizer to the surface when the grass seed is sown. This will start the grass quickly and allow it to get a foothold before the severe weather of midsummer comes.
The kind of grass seed to sow will depend upon the region and also upon the personal tastes of the owner. The one standard Lawn grass is June grass or blue grass (_Poa pratensis_). The seeds of this grass are sold in the hulls, and therefore the bushel weighs only fourteen pounds. Not less than two and one-half to three bushels should be sown to the acre. In the southern states, June grass will not hold, and Bermuda grass is used, being sown about as thick as recommended for the June grass. There are various prepared Lawn grass mixtures which are excellent, but the June grass alone will give a very excellent Lawn in a short time. Whether one shall sow white clover in his Lawn depends mostly upon his personal taste. If he likes the white clover, it is well to put in a quart or two of seed to the acre, sowing it separately from the June grass in order to get an even distribution. Some persons like to see the white clover in certain parts of the Lawn. It thrives very well where the land is rather moist. In parts of the East, Rhode Island bent grass is used for lawns.
The grass seed should be sown in the cool of the year. It may be sown in September and thereby become established before winter; or it may be sown very early in the spring. In newly made Lawns, it is a good plan to grade the area thoroughly in the fall, allowing it to settle in the winter; and then, if the surface remains even, to sow the grass seed on one of the latest snows in spring. By sowing it on the snow, one can see that it is distributed evenly; and when the snow melts, the seed is carried into the land and does not need covering. It is well to sow three or four quarts per acre of timothy seed, for the timothy germinates very quickly, and makes a green area the first season, but is killed out as soon as the June grass gains a foothold. Timothy will not stand the continued cutting, whereas the June grass will. The timothy, therefore, serves as a temporary covering to the land, indicating where the borders are, and thereby outlining the area for the Lawn mower to cut. The timothy seed should be sown separately from the June grass in order to insure even distribution. On hard lands it is well to sow two or three quarts per acre of crimson clover seed. The long roots of this plant tend to improve the physical condition of the soil; and when they decay, they leave nitrogen in the soil for the grass to use. Since crimson clover is an annual plant, it will not do any permanent mischief in the Lawn.
The first season the weeds will probably come up thickly, especially if the land is rich. These weeds should not be pulled, for whenever one is pulled out of the ground, many grass plants are rooted up and the surface is made uneven. The only way in which to keep down weeds is to mow them frequently with a Lawn mower. They will not appear in any great numbers the second year, unless there should be some perennial weeds, like dandelion or dock; and these may be pulled out the first fall or the following spring.
It is rare that one secures a perfectly good and uniform sod from one sowing of seed; especially is this true if the soil varies in different parts of the area. If the surface contour is satisfactory, it is unwise to dig up the areas on which the seed has not caught. It is best to rake them over with a steel rake in fall or spring, sowing on a little commercial fertilizer rather rich in nitrogen, and sow more seed. Nearly every Lawn will need patching in this way from year to year. If the Lawn is attended to in fall and spring by sowing grass seed, the weeds will rarely do serious mischief. When weeds are troublesome on the Lawn, it means that there is not sufficient grass, and every effort should be made to get more grass. Therefore, when the perennial weeds are pulled out, sow more grass seed.
When narrow-leaved plantain bothers, it is an indication that the land is too poor and dry for grass. In such cases, the land usually lacks humus or vegetable matter; and in various severe incursions of the plantain, it may be necessary to spade up the weedy areas and to work rotted manure into the soil. Usually, however, the plantain can be killed out by enriching the soil and sowing more grass seed. The common practice of sprinkling Lawns is nearly always pernicious, since the water is not supplied in sufficient amount to wet down very far, and the grass tends to make surface roots. When the watering is omitted the plants suffer. The more a Lawn is sprinkled, the more the grass depends upon the sprinkling. If it is necessary to water the Lawn, the water should be allowed to run directly from the hose until the surface area is completely soaked. It is best to do this at nightfall. When the water is applied by means of a sprinkler, a large part of it evaporates and does no good to the ground. The fundamental treatment of the Lawn is to have the land so deep and porous that the grass roots strike deep into the soil and do not need the surface water. A Lawn which is well made will need watering only in unusually dry times.
Mow the Lawn frequently when it is growing rapidly,--in spring and early summer. In the fall mow less frequently, and let it go into the winter with a long coat of grass. If the Lawn is mown as often as is needed, it will not be necessary to rake off the trimmings. In fall, top-dress the Lawn with commercial fertilizer at the rate of 500 pounds to the acre. If the Lawn has not been raked clean of all the trimmings and decayed refuse which covers the surface of the ground, it is not necessary to dress it with stable manure; for manure is unsightly, unsavory, and often brings in weeds. Many persons make the mistake of raking the Lawn clean in late fall.
Closely associated with the making of the Lawn is the general arrangement of the planting. It is the common fault to scatter the planting. Much better effects are secured by massing or grouping the planting. See _Borders_ and _Flower Beds_. Particularly along the boundaries and about the foundations of buildings, the shrubbery and other plants may be massed to excellent effect. In large places there should be more or less mass planting along the walks and drives. In the curves and retreats of these plantings one will find many pleasant corners; and here the children may have their play-houses and their pets. A little brook winding across a corner or along one side of a Lawn may make a pleasant picture if it is allowed to take on a half-wild character.
LAYERS are parts (usually stems) of plants laid down on the earth while still attached to the parent, with the expectation that they will take root and can then be separated as independent plants. All vine-like plants can be propagated readily by means of Layers; so can most soft-wooded plants, as willows, maples, currants, etc. It is usual to put down the branches in the fall. In a year they should be ready to be severed from the parent. They may also be made in spring, before growth starts. See that the layered part rests in moist earth. Usually roots arise more freely if the shoot is cracked or notched at the buried point. The Layer may be held down by a forked stick ("pegged down"), or by a stone or clod. See that the shoot does not throw up suckers behind the layered part.
LEEK. This belongs to the onion family, and is used mostly as flavoring for soups. Well grown Leeks have a very agreeable and not very strong onion flavor. Leek is of the easiest culture, and is usually grown as a second crop, to follow beets, early peas, and other early stuff. The seed should be sown in a seed-bed in April or early May and the seedlings planted out in the garden in July, in rows 2 feet apart, the plants being 6 inches apart in the rows. The plants should be set deep if the neck or lower part of the leaves is to be used in a blanched condition. The soil may be drawn towards the plants in hoeing, to further the blanching. Being very hardy, the plants may be dug in late fall, and stored in the same manner as celery, in trenches or in a cool root-cellar. One ounce of seed to 100 feet of drill.
LETTUCE is probably the most extensively grown salad vegetable. It is now in demand, and is procurable, every month in the year. The winter and early spring crops are grown in forcing-houses and coldframes, but a supply from the garden may be had from April to November, by the use of a cheap frame in which to grow the first and last crops, relying on a succession of sowings for the intermediate supply. Seed for the first crop may be sown in a coldframe in March, growing the crop thick and having many plants which are small and tender; or, by thinning out to the distance of 3 inches and allowing the plants to make a larger growth, the plants pulled up may be set in the open ground for the next crop. Sowings should be made in the garden from April to October, at short intervals. A moist location should be selected for the July and August sowings. The early and late sowings should be of some loose-growing variety, as they are in edible condition sooner than the cabbage or heading varieties.
The cabbage varieties are far superior to the loose-growing kinds for salads. To be grown to perfection, they should have very rich soil, frequent cultivation and an occasional stimulant, such as liquid manure or nitrate of soda. The Cos Lettuce is an upright-growing type much esteemed in Europe, but less grown here. The leaves of the full grown plants are tied together, thus blanching the center, making it a desirable salad or garnishing variety. It thrives best in summer. One ounce of seed will grow 3,000 plants or sow 100 feet of drill. In the garden, plants may stand 6 inches apart in the rows, and the rows may be as close together as the system of tillage will allow.