December, 192o
THE L \~OS\\ 0,\J \ '\
Garden Talks.
By Eisa More. F.R.H.S .. Principal of the College of Gardening
Glynde, Sussex.
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f
DECE:\lBER.
111 S ha~ b«m \Hitten of b) rn.,n, .ts th,. mo.,t
< h·• tl<'s;- month of thl ''M in the garden-truh:
f.or somt ~ht)>, m •y he .,(,, I h(' vcgctahiP and frUit
< rop~ h.1w brn, th•• trf't.,
nn· bar<',
thf' h-..t lf'a\"h• h 1w· hilt
J"k
• r t " 1 U -' tl 11'1/ ,1,111( 1
out 1 •p g.tunl .,ktlf ton~ agam't th<· w 11 1 1 \ -..kv
But to tlw n·~l g.ml• n1 r, th( born l<.;v r uf '\ tur <:
to whtm the m1 H111ng of 1 H h -..!( p iu ( , 01) ~ v.• nd 1 r
world "' tnd .. n H·.tl• d, th•
1 ·n bt.: n<> drt>arin 1 • .,,
~10 monotO~}; t·very }l'tr, f-1/Pry -...•,tSO\Jt , 111 <1
marvl'} .tt.
J), C('nlbf'r < .111 llt•W•r })P drl':tf\' in lllf'
well-mruwg<·d ganh n Tht 11· Cllll 1:>4· no dn 1 rin•-:.-:.
wlwn a rarn.blc round thi· g.1rdr•n n w~d so 111 , 111 ,
pl~·~b:'\ ~l and tnl~n·<.t ng <;JJ._ht~: for in-..tan1 1, .1 ( lum 1>
~f St('ar ~n tht· primnN .,, th•·
, .. int(·r j:1sminc, thP winter honey-.uckl(', anJ th+> P"r-
fumc·d .tlbpicc (Chimon.uHhcs fr<~gran,)
1 h~ re
is <.hc<'rfulncss, too, in th,. lwrrie-. of th(' ' ' ' rgr• rh
Plca<.un· i-; denvrd f rom th(' sight of neatly dug
bord<•rs, W('ll--:.takf'd tr('('-., .. curely-plant~td roe; -.,
fruit a nd c,hrubc;, smooth, trim l.l\\ n ... , nPatlv-
tr.lined tref's on pt'rgota..,, w llls, and vtnt ri('.... .\ ll
this is po'*lible witho u t glc!-..-..
But tn thf' grc 1'11-
hou .,;~ th
Primul.b,
l H ltmcn,
arum lilic·'· ~t.ll' dncrarias , h~athc;,
g-<· n i 'tas. geraniums, f rc<'SI.h, camelL.t-,, poin ...... t •
ti.•s, <·arly narc i ~-; uc;, Roman hyacinths, migtl01H'1te,
forg~t-m<"-11( ts, and, abov~ al\, th(' p<'~lllt anoth<'r thought. a thought that m.lkcs
Df'ct·mber so dear to th h. 'lrt of thP gardE-ner,
for it wa-; in thb la-;t month of th<' yNr th ·1t th('
Crc•ator- th<' Word-the \\ ord waq madf' Fli';;h
and dwelt among"t uc; , for wtthout H im w.1s not
an) thing m ad<.> that was ma~k . Not in the -;prtng-
tinl(' nor in tht> rOS<'-tinw dul He choo ... <· to conw,
wh<•n all the gloriou-.. ma..;.,; of bloom and rwrfum<'
lie h a d made \vould bP out and bur-:.tmg to wcl-
com<' H im but when all ~ .lture SN'm t·tl dNid ~tnLI
drr.tr, the ' joys of summer almo ... t for&'otten, not a
leaf on the trN'S, thE' fi~>ld.; ('OV<.'rLd wt.th snow. no
fl owrr-; to bring Him jo\, no birds to "'ng t<> Iltm •
\\'hat a des<>lat<' tinw of \t·ar to rom<' into .ll t~ own,
and \Ct how 'i\tnbohcal: and how tru<' 1t b _t~~t
1n th<' dr<'ar Dec<'mlx'r of -..o many human h\cd
whc n ~ven•thing around ~"'11'" d· ad, and hope-.f· nlln
•
b b · d among-;t the ,\ en
ideals hnw fallen t o <' urw •
·hind
leaves c;uddE-nl v the light ... tr<'ams fort~ocd·~~"
of
1 1
the ( l~ud-., and out of tht:' d 1rkncss g
d h •
great joy are born withi~ the !onely heart, ran
Opt
spri ngs eternal once agatn ac; lt dnms n{'a ·
r 0
the Fe.\'it nf th~ f>Ur<' t Blo-.. l)lll that 1'\ r hI
blc <>m 'd on <'•" t h '
.\ n inn• <.<.·nt \\hit ...., tr of lh nt'n ~ nd., du vn tu
a lluman Btrth
\\ th 1 frag-r.mc"' of odoor, n l• ,tJ,ll m tokl'n il(
mr- ''Urf'lc-..s worth .
...,,, ... , l·lo\\f'r of th ~lollwr ;\1 .rutumn, to Lt"•'l all
the pl•nt;ng dont• fir.,t . . rncl ·" yuick\~ •" po .. ,ihlf',
r.;o that th(' trll'-.. will c·ttl(· down qllllfoJtahh in
th• ir tww qu •rt• .,, tnd wuh th • h.-Ill of th,. " snn
~oil .111d ~unn · r)o~y.., tht·\ \', ill ulf• r lttl\1' from th•
t>lwlk, ;llld wtll I)( n•.uh • I() ... t.snd the (old .m•\ \\' t
wlwn it doe·... cmn~'.
llw prunin~ nf • limbin~
ro:-.es, < l(;. , a\th()u~h imtx r lcllll, c.tn I}! ldt 1111til
th•• "' ather 1 hangP-.. 1t1tl pl.10tin~ l)('("l tnf"S imp~~
-.iblt>, as tv tntfllj) .thout on W!·t .;oil j..,. tlw \' ry
\\Ol""t thing po ..... ib!P, an<.J ,hou)d ~ ::1\0il\t-:d ell ,,\1
c o ... h. l'lwn, with re K trd to \Our -..tnr{•d vc gf'tabl••-.,
arc \ott ;;urf" till-\' an
dt right t
R nwmh~'t.
o1w tl"<'aying tu\)l'r or root will m an d··,tnH lion
cJf th" who\~ lot if nnt ••rn•1,ed prompt\ . '"> ovtt
your r.;tolk of Vl'!;d tblt., a d r•·mO\P m "howit,.._
~1g1H of doc.ty
Pot.tt~.., 10 -;.wk.. .m· ''"'l)f't ialh
li.tblf' t• .,.'\lflf'r
I t ·, ditTtr tit to dd("<:t a bad tul
unl"s" it lie!> nf'll r the ouhid·· of thf" sa< k, \\hen nOll' it-. pr•'"''n~, and the offendC'r
can th~'n bf' ea"-ih· r~mo\'Pd. But potatot" tt d. 1 ht onh prop••r w.1~ of (''\.l'llllinin~ ·•
,ack of potaloe-- i.; b\ turning tlw whol•• to~ <}ut,
:\lld g--oin~ over t-ach tan·full~ lwforf' r• 1111 ntn~ •t
to the s:t.('k-tal li tblf" tn h IP\Y"n
1£ , 00 have a gn:~•·nhou~· or < o\\'' rv.t on whcrt•
vru h.t\<' ro-..('<; or oth« r dimh<'t;;, .tntl '~ ·1 h.l\ not
~lln,adv thinnt-d thf'ir surp\u-; amO\tnt <'f growth> rlo
\\tthout dcla}. Thc-,e gtowth' ... hould bt• thtnnro
0
out to , 1 {ew strong-. \Wll-pl.\<:1·d shoot.::: ut th<' ....
tin'<' 1 t 1 s a good p\.ln to unfo-.tc n the hoots ftom
th