THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



Our^ FiiOWBi^ Garden. 



BALSAMS. 



The best way to get these really good, is to sow 

 the seeds in small pots, which should be kept in 

 a temperature of 70°, or so. As soon as the plants 

 are up, they should be placed on a shelf near the 

 glass, to keep them from drawing; the great 

 thing being to get them dwarf and stocky. To 

 bring them to that condition, the plants, at each 

 potting, should be dropped down a little lower in 

 the soil, and then they will root out around the 

 buried stems, which will add to their strength. 

 A good compost for them, is two parts fibrous 

 loam, one of leaf soil, and the other of rotten 

 manure, in which they should 

 be potted somewhat loosely 

 and, as soon as they get well 

 hold of it, have a liberal sup- 

 ply of manure water. If want- 

 ed large, they must have their 

 first flower-ljuds picked off, and 

 be shifted before they get at 

 all pot^bound, until they are in 

 the pots in which they are ex- 

 pected to bloom. T h o place 

 that suits Balsams best to 

 grow in, is a light bouse or 

 pit, where they can be plunged 

 and have bottom heat; but of 

 course, every one cannot give 

 tbem these accommodations. 

 Impatiens Sultani, a new 

 kind of balsam, now for sale 

 by almost every florist In the 

 United States, comes readily 

 from seed, but quicker results 

 can be obtained by growing 

 trom cuttings. It flowers in 

 the greatest profusion, especi- 

 ally if the plants are grown in 

 a light-house, with their heads 

 well up to the glass, which ex- 

 posure consolidates sappy 

 shoots, and enables them to 

 set plenty of blossoms. These 

 are very bright red, and are 

 sent up well above the foliage, 

 which is of a pleasing green, 

 and very pretty-look ing. The 

 seed should be sown in fine, 

 light soil, and placed In beat, 

 where it will germinate freely. 

 This is a plant on which flor- 

 ists can make some money. 

 It has a ready sale, and Is of 

 quick growth. 



Pansies. 

 Some florists declare that no 

 Pansy should be tolerated 

 whose form is not a perfect 

 circle, and whose colors have 

 not their margins as carefully 

 defined as if they were drawn 

 with compasses. Still, hosts 

 of lovers of the Pansy will 

 continue to grow and admire 

 them in all their diversities of 

 form and colors. Pansies have 

 been known from time im- 

 memorial, and at periods, peo- 

 ple were actually recommend- 

 ed to keep them In check for 

 fear of their becoming a nui- 

 sance. It is one of the few 

 flowers that always remains 

 In fashion. In 1840 it became one of the leading 

 competition flowers in England, and the result 

 was that its lines became more stiflT and rigid. 

 Since then florists have divided the show Pansy 

 Into different classes, such as white and yellow 

 grounds, and dark and white or yellow selfs. 

 English societie.s, by keeping the merits of the 

 Pansy before the public, have helped to spread 

 and encourage a taste for this truly useful flower. 

 Varieties discarded by florists on account of 

 their vagaries in form and color, have now be- 

 come the most popular of their race. The show 

 Pansy was introduced from Belgium. These 

 differed from the older varieties by having large, 

 dark-colored blotches on the petals, flamed, or 

 edged with colors quite new to Pansy growers up 

 to that date. They attrsicted the attention of 

 amateurs, and startled old-fashioned florists, 

 who saw no beauty in such oddities. Professional 

 grewers saw that it w;is to their interest to cater 

 to the public demand, and improvements have 

 been going on at such a rate that one is afraid to 

 say that perfection has been attained. 



Culture. While most Pansies will be at home 

 and flower well in almost any garden soil, it is 

 well, if fine specimens are required, to bestow 

 some special attention in the making up of a 

 proper compost in which to plant them. The 

 improvement in th*' size and number of flowers 

 will amply make up for this little extra trouble. 

 A good fine loam, as full of fibre as i)o.sslblc, and 



enriched with one-third of well decomposed cow 

 manure, and nearly one-sixth of sand, will be 

 found best. A position naturally sheltered from 

 winds is to be preferred, and if convenient, not 

 too much e.xpo.sed to the midday sun. Early 

 flowering strong plant* may be put out in Sep- 

 tember, providing some protection be used. A 

 single daily watering will be found quite suffi- 

 cient, providing it be a thorough one. Cuttings 

 strike well in a shady border, under a north wall. 

 Seed may be sown in June in the open air for 

 transplanting in autumn. 



IXIAS AND .SPARAXIS. 



A boxful of these beautiful spring flowers were 

 received from our friends Hallock & Thorpe. 

 The large size, and perfection of the flowers, 

 prove what jjood cultivation can do. W'e seldom 



J:i.y.s/£S. 



meet with Ixlas and Sparaxis in gardens or con- 

 servatories; even the trade does not appre- 

 ciate them. This evidently comes from the want 

 of enterprise. Were they given a new name, and 

 pushed as a novelty, everyone would want them, 

 and pay high prices for them. The large variety 

 of colors, and sweet perfume, and the " long 

 stems," ought to make them florists' flowers. 



Won't you plant some next fall? Make a memo- 

 randum of this now. For those unacquainted 

 with them we would say that every color of the 

 rainbow may be found among them. Some of 

 the Ixias being even a beautiful green. 

 In The Flower Garden. 

 Trailng plants will now need frequent regulat- 

 ing and pegging down evenly over the surface, 

 until the bed is covered, after which they looli 

 best undisturbed. Baskets and vases in which 

 climbing and drooping plants predominate, need 

 great care in starting them properly. Such plants 

 as the trailing Ivy-leaf section of Pelargoniums, 

 in addition to being pegged down, should have a 

 wire run around, just below the edge, to which. 

 all drooping shoots should be securely tied, or 

 the continual chafing by wind will, as a rule, 

 soon either cut them off, or 

 injure them. The above is for 

 those who have plenty of time 

 to spare on flowers. 



Staking Plants. 

 Late rows of sweet peas must 

 be staked, and any Dahlias, 

 Hollyhocks, or Delphinums 

 that are not securely tied, must 

 be attended to without delay. 

 Above all, any plant that needs 

 support should have all stak- 

 ing and tying or training done 

 as early as possible, so as to 

 out-grow all signs of artificial 

 support, long before the bloom- 

 ing season has arrived. The 

 practice of tying Dahlias to one 

 or two single sticks with aU 

 the shoots drawn together in 

 the shape of a broom, should 

 never be followed; it gives 

 them a most unnatural appear- 

 ance and seriously injures 

 them through the non-admis- 

 sion of light and air to the 

 fol'ige. Use as many sticks 

 ;vs necessary to tie the shoots 

 out, and paint the sticks green, 

 so that they will not be ob- 

 served at the first glance. 

 These plants being gross feed- 

 ers, two inches of well-rotted 

 manure should be applied. 

 Gladioli. 

 If hot, dry weather should 

 set in immediately, mulch the 

 beds with old manure, and ap- 

 ply water plentifully when 

 necessary. It is also important 

 to slake these as soon as the 

 spikes are of sufficient height, 

 as the broad leaves are much 

 acted upon by gusts of wind. 

 Tulips. 

 The roots of these raay soon 

 be lifted and stored in a dry 

 place until planting time. Each 

 variety should be labeled and 

 kept by Itself. 



Pinks. 

 Now Is the best time to put 

 in cuttings of these. The small- 

 est gn^wths strike root most 

 freely ; and if the weather is 

 dull and showery at the time 

 when they are taken off, they 

 may be put in a shady posi- 

 tion in the open ground. In 

 shallow boxes they will per- 

 haps strike sooner. They 

 must be .shaded from the sun until roots are 



formed. 



Pansies. 



It is a good plan to put in some cuttings now to 

 form a late autumn bed. If it is intended to have 

 extra good flowers for show, pinch off all the buds 

 that are nearly open, until about two weeks 

 before the date at which the planU are required^ 



Pleaite mriUion THE FARM AND OARDEN. 



WILD FLOWERS s°;chi^:;i:;ne:: 



Fcrni, Aloiiic. Ac. SF.NI^ ['(IR CATALOUUE. 

 EDWARD GILLETTE, SOUTH WICK , MASS. 



FtCKID 



^^^P LARGEST COLLECTION IN 

 A:>IER1('A. Cheap as Good Roset. 



Enclose stamp for catulotriie, whii-h will elvp prartiral 

 in>!ilriirtions how to orow Iheie Queen** of Flowers, 



\°Jf,'^ilJb?d"?r5l'' I A. Brackenridge, 



M(nti<mthisjiap€r\ Govanstown* Battitnore Co.. I>Id, 



14 for SI. «n 

 6 " ..')0 

 .3 " .i^ 

 THOMAS G. HAROLD 



Quality only. 

 >,000 Plant* at 

 naUy low prices. 



KInottoD. Someriel t»., Manlind. 



ROSESS: 



Foliage planto 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS, 



BEDDING PLANTS. 



CATALOGUE .MAILED ON APPI.irATION. 

 DAVID FERCUSSON &. SONS- 



Ridge and Lehigh Avenues. Philadelphia, Pa. 



PLANTS BY MAIL OR EXPRESS 



Send for mv IlluslratPil ralauj;;iic wlil.li roiil^nii^ all 1 

 Ijie iiHW varieties of BEOOING aud DECORATIVE PLANTS. 

 also ROSES, etc. Mailed free on applicaliun. Address 



JNO. DICK, JR., 



53d aud 'Woodland Ave., Philad'a, Pa. 



HARDY PLANTS 



AND 



xj: 



All the best varieties. tosTPtlier with ninny novel! ics. 



will he found in our I>escriptive CataloBHe, at low 



rates Sent free to all a|i|>Ucnnts. ■ »- . 



WOOLSON & CO,, Lock Drawer E, Passaic. N. J. 



