Was cleaning out some old papers and came across a newspaper I got last year in a box of stuff from an auction. Oddly it was today's date, such a coincidence. The paper is from London, Ontario date may 21, 1945. There are several war related stories, but I thought this one was fitting for garden web. It reads:

" The sun shines brighter as the days pass and the alert gardener is aware that sprouting rows of beet, carrot, radish, lettuce and other quick-maturing vegetables are a signal for him to sow additional seeds for succession crops. Waiting until the seedlings are a couple of inches tall is simpler than trying to remember the rule of "sow again in three weeks."

Weeds will be pushing up with your seedlings, so get them out of the rows as quickly as possible. The jobs is best done on a bright day when you can easily distinguish weeds from seedlings. Take your hoe and cultivate between rows. Remember to cultivate lightly and not too close to the young seedlings for fear of disturbing the tiny roots.

When setting out husky young tomato, cabbage, pepper and other plants, it is best not to plant more than a half-inch deeper than they stood in the flats or in the pots. Spindly plants should be set two or three inches deeper to encourage a better root system.

When watering recently planted evergreens and other material moved with a ball of earth about the roots - be sure to direct the water into the earth balls rather than into the loose earth surrounding the root system. The best method is to lay the nozzle on the surface at the trunk and allow the water to run out very slowly until the ball of earth is thoroughly soaked.

While presence of small white butterflies fluttering about the garden may be a pretty sight, it is a warning to the gardener. They are looking for a spot to lay eggs that will hatch into ravenous cabbage maggots, or worms , who tunnel into the roots of young plants just after you have set them out.

A calomel solution, on-tenth ounce to one gallon of water, 1/2 cupful on the soil at the base of each plant, soon after setting and 10 days later, and a weather-proof paper disk, three to four inches in diameter, fitted snugly around the stem, and resting on the smoothed soil surface, will prevent destruction of the plants. Use only glass or earthenware container for mixing calomel solution.

Hot caps, miniature hot house, keep pest off the tender plants and also protect from late frosts and cold weather."

There you have it, gardening advice on May 21, 1945