Little Chores For June

Liquid manure is an excellent fertilizer. Use it every two weeks on roses, pansies, dahlias, asters, mignonette, snapdragons, etc. A knife will be found better for cutting the gladioli than scissors. Cut the flowers when only one or two blossoms are open, and be sure to leave about three or four leaves intact at the bottom so that the bulb may receive nourishment to store up for next year after the flower is gone. In cutting flowers, always take long stems even if a few buds are sacrificed in so doing. This will supply the necessary pruning for the plant. Pansies must be picked in this way or the plants will grow too rank and sprawlv in hot weather.

What do you do with the salt and melted ice from the ice cream freezer? Dump this on the driveway to discourage the growth of weeds and grass. Another suggested way to accomplish this result is to sprinkle with a solution of five pounds of blue vitriol to five gallons of water. The foliage of Spiraea thurbergii makes a lovely greenery for the cut flower bouquet. Aphids are now sucking the juices from the buds of roses and asters. When the dew is still on the buds in the morning, dust them with powdered tobacco that will stick to the moisture and effectually rid them of their burden.

Stop cutting the asparagus by the middle of June and let the plants go to seed. They must now have a chance to store up nourishment for next year's crop. New shrubs and trees must be watered during every drought. The first and second seasons after transplanting are the most dangerous. If you once begin to water the rest of the garden, you should keep it up regularly throughout all of the dry spell. Artificial watering causes the plant to depend upon moisture close to the surface. Shallow roots are thus developed and resistance to drought conditions is lowered.

A mixture of a pint of turpentine and one of liquid paraffin is excellent for polishing the furniture as well as the floor. Wash the surface first with tepid water and ivory soap, and then apply the polish. Lock the barn before the horse is stolen. In other words, do not wait for a severe storm to remind you to tie up the dahlias, hollyhocks, delphiniums and other tall plants. Even a heavy wind plays havoc with the tall spires. Shrubs that are through blooming should be pruned as desired, and all superfluous and dead wood removed. Do not prune the rhododendrons and laurel, but you may remove the dead blossoms to aid for the new growth.