GARDENING. 



April /. 



The following sorts are exceptionally 

 good; Louise Closson, Coratesse Louise 

 d'Erdody, Magnifica, Queen of Hanover, 

 President Carnot, Enfant de Nancy, La 

 Perle de Paris, Mme. Treyve and Fire 

 King. 



Of the upright growing or discolor-Rex 

 section, which make fine specimens, the 

 following are rehable varieties: Bertha 

 McGregor, Beauty of Richmond, Annie 

 Domer, Perle Huriifeldt and Clementina. 

 The flowering begonias we root in 

 March, pot on as required and plant out 

 in June in a partially shady position in 

 the garden. For a few weeks afterplant- 

 ing out we place twigs between them to 

 give them a little shade for a short time 

 and till they get inured to the sunshine. 

 About midsummer we pull these twigs 

 out and lift and pot the plants the first of 

 September. We don't shade these in 

 winter, except a few, such as Olbia and 

 metallica. 



The following are well known and 

 proved varieties; Manicata and its var- 

 iegated form, Gilsoni, Dr. Nachtigal, Paul 

 Bruant, Nitida alba and President Car- 

 not, all free flowering sorts; Sanderson!, 

 multiflora and winiata, coral flowered, 

 and all good for hanging baskets or for 

 pots or vases, or for bedding out in shady 

 places. Rubra is a well known sort with 

 scarlet rose colored flowers, and is a fine 

 plant for the window or conservatory in 

 winter. Glaucopbylla scandens we grow 

 in suspended pots; it continues in bloom 

 from the middle of February till the end 

 of April. As soon as it has finished 

 blooming we take cuttings and when 

 they are rooted pot them into 2-inch pots, 

 and when they fill these with roots repot 

 them, placing three plants into a 6-inch 

 pot. We grow them entirely indoors in a 

 shaded greenhouse, and in the fall suspend 

 them from the rafters. When we bring in 

 our begonias in the fall we fumigate them 

 twice a week for two or three weeks to 

 keep down thrips. The soil should be 

 three parts fibrous loam, one part rotted 

 manure and a good sprinkling of sand. 



It is now time to start the tuberous 

 rooted begonias. Choose small young 

 tubers and avoid old hollow crowned 

 ones. This section requires a stronger 

 soil than the other. They bed out nicely 

 in a partially shaded sitution, and make 

 nice effects for the decorationof the green- 

 house during summer and fall. 

 Baronald, N. J. Wm. Fitzwilliam. 



OREENflOUSE QUESTIONS. 



J. B. M. writes: "I have a greenhouse 

 38 feet long by 16 feet wide, equal span, 

 heated by hot water, and running north 

 and south. One half of it I use for roses, 

 and the other half for miscellaneous 

 ])lants, with a propagating part 8x16 

 feet. 



1. "Can 1 propaaate carnations and 

 roses on the bench without having it 

 eased up underneath for bottom heat?" 



Ans. Yes, perfectly well; they will take 

 a few days longer to root. Be particular 

 about having the slats in the bottom of 

 the bench far enough apart to admit of 

 ready drainage, and shade from sunshine. 



2. "Do I need tepid water for watering 



rel or tank of water under the bench 

 the greenhouse, and use the water from 

 this. 



3. "What part of the shoot makes the 

 best cutting— the tip end or the hard part 

 at the base?" 



Ans. We like the middle part of the 

 shoots of roses; the tip is too soft, and 

 while the lower part may have harder 



A LITTLE GREENHOUSE. 



wood it will strike pretty well and make 

 nice plants. 



4. "Why do some of my roses burn? 

 The leaves will curl up and burn to almost 

 a crisp." 



Ans. Some local cultural causes that 

 we do not know of. In fumigating did 

 you burn them? 



5. "When should I plant out my young 

 roses on the benches for next winter's 

 flowers?" 



Ans. The end of May or in June. 



6. "I potted canna roots yesterday; is 

 it too soon? 



Ans. Oh no! keep them cool and some- 

 what dry, and let them come along 

 stocky. 



7. "Mealy bugs on plants, best 

 remedy?" 



Ans. Brush ofl' the roughest of them, 

 then prepare a bath of a solution of 

 lemon oil, and dip the plants in that 

 according to instructions accompanying 

 the insecticide. 



8. "Why do heliotrope leaves blacken 

 in summer?" 



Ans. On account of a microscopic par- 

 asitic insect commonly called rust. On out- 

 door plants it is incurable. Root out and 

 throw the plants away, and get fresh, 

 clean stock. Some varieties, as Roi des 

 Noirs, are particularly subject to this 

 pest. 



9. "Best temperature to force roses? 

 Ans. A night one of 56° in winter, 



with ten to fifteen degrees higher in sum- 

 mer; as the spring advances, a propoi-- 

 tionate increase. 



10. "Temperaturefortheotherplants? ' 

 Ans. That for roses will do for most 



anything, but palms, crotons, anthuri- 

 ums and the like may prefer 5° to 10° 

 more; and azaleas, primroses, cinerarias, 

 carnations, etc., 5° to 10° less. 



11. "Is it necessary to syringe all 

 greenhouse plants before fumigating the 

 house so as to better preserve the foliage 

 of the plants?" 



Ans. It is generally conceded that 

 wetted leaves are not so susceptible to 

 injury from tobacco smoke as are dry 

 ones, and that the wetting doesn't save 

 the aphides or thrips from the deadly 

 fumes; that being so, syringing is of par- 

 tial help; but don't get the ideainto your 

 head that syringing is a complete safe- 

 guard agamst injury from tobacco smoke, 

 as it isn't at all. In fumigating never let 

 the smoke get hotter than 120°, and no 

 harm will ensue. Some plants, as helio- 

 tropes and cinerarias, are very suscepti- 

 ble to injury from tobacco smoke or vapor; 

 the onlj' protection for them is cold 

 smoke, and not too much of it. 



12. "About syringing. In my green- 

 house are begonias, cmerarias, primroses. 



palms, abutilons, Zanzibar balsams, ferns, 

 etc.; how often should they be syringed, 

 and will syringing hurt any of them?" 



.4ns. Don't syringe any plants that 

 are in bloom so as to wet the flowers is a 

 good rule to go bv, especially in the case 

 of azaleas, cinerarias, primroses, genistas, 

 carnations, begonias, geraniums and the 

 like; even in the cases of callas and roses, 

 while syringing does their foliage good, it 

 doesn't benefit the blossoms. Palms, 

 anthuriums, rubber plant, marantas and 

 the like may be syringed twice a day 

 with benefit— oncein themoming orearly 

 in the forenoon and again early in the 

 afternoon. Most ferns are benefited by 

 occasional syringing providing the sur- 

 face moisture dries up quick, but they 

 should never be wetted on top when they 

 are still damp, or at this time of yearlate 

 in the afternoon. Maidenhair and pow- 

 dery ferns are not benefited by overhead 

 wettings except in the case of very young 

 plants. 



MY LITTLE OREEPtflOUSE. 



The little lean-to greenhouse of which I 

 send a photograph (taken last September) 

 is the outgrowth of a desire to have a 

 place for plants that would be more suit- 

 able than the dwelhng house windows, 

 which were always filled in winter. I 

 would advise every one who has a love 

 for flowers, and the convenience to build a 

 little greenhouse, to do so, but don't 

 forget that while there is a great deal of 

 pleasure in cultivating plants there is too 

 plenty of work connected with it. 



This little greenhouse is on the south 

 side of ray dwelling, is 18 feet long, 10 

 feet wide, 6 feet high at the cave and 10 

 feet at the back. Strong cedar posts 

 were set into the ground 3 feet deep and 

 upon these, inside and out, 1-inch matched 

 boards were nailed, forming an air space; 

 on the outside of this was put heavy 

 building paper and outside of this again 

 1-inch grooved siding as you see in the 

 picture. The manner of building the 

 frame is also shown. It is all 2x4 scant- 

 ling except the two plates, the lower one 

 of which on boarding being 2x8, the 

 upper one, at the eave, 2x6. 



The sashes on ends were made separate 

 and then fitted in; these and the sash 

 bars on roof were fastened in their places 

 with screws. The bars in the end sash 

 are %xl% inches, the bars on roof are 

 H4x2 inches. The woodwork was given 

 three coats of paint before the glass was 

 put in. The glass used was 16x24 inches 

 double thick, and butted, and bedded in 

 white lead putty. 



The roof in summer is shaded by an 

 awning of thin muslin to which are 



