348 



GARDENING, 



Aug. /, 



Our tea roses are planted out in beds, 

 so are bouvardia, smilax and asparagus, 

 and we are going to plant out a lot of 

 carnations too this month. Of all of these 

 too we shall grow a lot in pots. Our 

 hvbrid roses are in pots out of doors; hav- 

 ing matured their wood we are encourag- 

 ing them to ripen it. 



As frost comes here too earlj' to admit 

 of cosmos blooming out of doors, as it did 

 with us at Dosoris, we have hundreds of 

 plants of it in pots out in the frame yard; 

 they are now in 6 and 7-inch pots and 

 kept pinched back to within a foot or 

 eighteen inches of the ground. We shall 

 vet pot on into 8 and 9-inch pots, using 

 very rich soil, and pottinghard, place the 

 plants wile apart, waterfrfely, and pinch 

 back unsparingly for four to six weeks 

 ye . Marguerite daisies are also in 6-inch 

 pots, pinched hard back, and like the 

 cosmos in beds in ti e frame ground We 

 also have there poinsettias. Jerusalem 

 cherries (Solamiw capsicastrurn), libo- 

 nias, yellow linum, mahernias, shrubby 

 veronicas salvias, celosias and other soft 

 wooded plants useful for conservatory 

 work in winter. 



We had our azaleas plunged out of 

 doors, but on account of the continuous 

 rains the holes keep full of wat r so we 

 lifted the pots out of them and set th. m 

 on the level. This necessitates more Irc- 

 quent and careful watering, but better do 

 this than h ve the roots of the azaleas 

 rotted off with lying in continuous soak. 

 Genistas are plunged outside, but as they 

 are more on a ridge than on the level, 

 there is less danger of continuous root 

 soaking in their case. We cut them back 

 now and again but we don't shear them 

 as one would a hedge plant. Callas are 

 at rest; we shall pot them this month and 

 place them outside, not giving them any 

 water except rain. In this way they root 

 well and come on very stocky. Freesias 

 for earliest work are being potted now 

 and too a batch of Harrisii lilies. This 

 month we shall also pot some Roman 

 hyacinths and paper white narcissus for 

 early flowers, we can have them in bloom 

 in November. 



The spirsas, weigelias and other shrubs 

 we intend for forcing and are now in 

 nursery rows have hadtheirroots pruned 

 in once before this summer, and we shall 

 cut them in again this week, this is to 

 render their lifting easy and their bloom- 

 ing sure, by having a big mass of fibrous 

 roots all close to tne stem. 



UNDER TflE BENCHES. 



I have a greenhouse divided into a rose 

 house and carnation house in which I 

 raise flowers for cutting for my own use 

 in the winter. The houses are heated by 

 hot water pipes under the benches. I 

 want to raise as much as possible of 

 what is suitable for cutting, and write to 

 ask how I can utilize the room under the 

 benches beside the walks to the best ad- 

 vantage. What will grow there that is 

 suitable for my purpose? Subscriiser. 



That depends on how the pipes are ar- 

 ranged, their nearness to the walk and 

 other circumstances. Close to the pipes 

 you cannot raise anything. If away 

 from the pipes you could grow a row of 

 English ivy in pots for basket, vase or 

 othertrimraing,or youcould start potted 

 bulbs there. If not too warm you could 

 kccpdahlia and canna roots there; oryou 

 might store erythrinas, datur.is, and 

 plants of that nature over winter there. 

 Under the centre bench you might grow 

 mushrooms. In fact such space niny be 

 used for lots f little odds and ends in this 

 way, but at best it is only a niakcsliilt. 



GERANIUMS AND BBGONIflS fllLlNO. 



H. E. L., Conn., writes: "Kindly tell 

 me what is killing a bed of geraniums. 

 One of them, also a sick begonia, I send 

 to you by to-day's mail. As you will see, 

 something is eating the geraniums, and 

 the stalk is hollow from the root up. 

 What is doing the mischief, and how pre- 

 vent? Two years since I lost several 

 choice begonias, the veins in the leaves 

 first turning black, then the stem and the 

 stalk from the top downward until it 

 died." .4ns. The whole length of the 

 stems of the geraniums is perforated by a 

 borer, but it had escaped before the shoots 

 reached us, more than likely before you 

 plucked them. Probably the worst of 

 the trouble is over and' there is no cer- 

 tainty that the pest may appear next 

 year. First we must catch the borer and 

 get it identified, until then we cannot tell 

 what it is, or, very well, how to combat 

 it. The begonia shoots are badly afiected 

 with begonia rust, a parasitic microscopic 

 insect; badly diseased plants are not 

 worth bothering with; repeated wash- 

 ings with tobacco water. aUo fumigating 

 with tobacco have been found by the Kew 

 authorities to be the best remedy for be- 

 gonia rust. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



C3 ITflE VEOETflBLE GARDEN. 



The heavy and continuous rainlal! of 

 the present summer has been excellent for 

 young crops, and for getting seed to ger- 

 minate, and we never before had such tine 

 weather for newly set out plants; there 

 has been no excuse fo ■ blanks in ourcrops 

 this summer. 



Asparagus —Keep the cultivator at 

 work and handpuU all big weeds. Lots 

 of ragweed, pigweed and the like come up 

 in the rows with the "grass" and cannot 

 be got at with the cultivator; these 

 should be pulled out or chopped off low 

 by a sickle. 



Globe Artichokes.— Use every head as 

 soon as it is big enough to cut; this is far 

 better for the plants than leaving them 

 to blossom; and as soon as the heads are 

 all cut, cut the old flower stem back close 

 to the ground. We use a good many arti- 

 choke leaves in floral decorations as a 

 backing for lilies, tritomas, gladiolus, 

 etc., and they look well. 



Jerusalem Artichokes have met and 

 closed up in the rows so that no weeds 

 can grow among them; at the same time 

 be careful not to let them overcrowd one 

 another, for the more crowded they are 

 the poorer are their tubers. 



Beans. — Continue to sow snap beans. 

 All sown before the middle of August 

 should mature a crop as far north as New 

 York, and near the sea coast a sowing 



may be made ten days later with compar- 

 ative safety. The dwarf Lima beans get 

 so thick matted in the rows that we 

 should be careful to see that the land is 

 well drained on the surface, else the pods 

 are apt to must and spoil. If any of the 

 vines belonging to the pole beans fall 

 down or run astray tie them in to their 

 proper supports. The closer 3'ou keep 

 pole beans picked the longer and better 

 they will bear. 



Beets —We have had very good beets 

 from sowing made about the first of 

 August, but it is much better and safer to 

 sow the main crop for winter in July. If 

 they are at all late thin them well in the 

 rows and keep the ground about them 

 well stirred. 



Carrots should be treated much the 

 same as beets. 



Cabbage.— It hasall been planted some 

 time and growing rapidly, in fact so much 

 so on account of the moist weather that 

 we fear its heads may burst a good deal 

 before winter. Where there is this dan- 

 ger, with a digging fork pry them up 

 without pulling up so as to break their 

 roots a little, and at once tread them down 

 again. The sametreatment may be given 

 to cauliflower. But don't do it to Brus- 

 sels sprouts, for they don't burst no mat- 

 ter how early they may be planted. 

 Curled kale may ye"t planted if there is 

 any land to spare, for no matter if it is 

 only half grown it is just as good to eat, 

 when winter comes, as old stocks. 



Celery.— From the moment celery ger- 

 minates till it is stored past for the win- 

 ter it should be kept in oneunb okenrush 

 of growth; this makes it tender, and if it 

 hasn't been sown too early there is no 

 danger of its running to seed. We never 

 before had such a summerforgrowingcel- 

 ery. If you have not planted out enough 

 of it plant it yet. As it isn't always con- 

 venient to have ground enough ready to 

 set out the full crop of celery at once, 

 rather than let it spoil plant it out in 

 rows 4 or 6 inches apart in rows a foot 

 asunder, and later on whenever conve- 

 nience permits Hft it and plant it out per- 

 manently. Be careful in this wet weather 

 not to make the trenches too deep, 3 to 4 

 inches. 

 Corn is fine. Too late to .sow any more. 

 Cucumbers. — Keep them well picked. 

 Dust them freely with tobacco powder. 

 Sow some in a frame and cover with 

 sashes for late use; if injured in August 

 they do little good later. 



Endive.— Transplant the main crop as 

 you would lettuce, but a little farther 

 apart. 



Lettuce.— Sow in the row and thin out 



the plants to 5 or 6 inches asunder. 



Transplant the thinnings wherever there 



is an empty piece of ground. 



Okra. — Keep it well picked. 



Onions.— Keep gi-een, as soon as they 



lop over to ripen let them dry off, then 



[continued page 350.] 



STRAWBERRY iVicivinley. 



Now ottered for the first time. Large, crimson; quality very good. Vigorous, healthy 

 and a great yielder. We can confidently recommend it for garden and market culture; 

 flowers perfect. 



Pot-Grown Plants Ready Aug. 1st. 



Price, $1.00 per Dozen; $5.00 per Hundred. Descriptive Circular on request. 



ELLWANGER & BARRY, 



Mount Hope Nurseries, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



