For September, 1921 



705 



The Greenhouse, Month to Month 



W. R. FOWKES 



SEPTEMBER is a very exacting inimth. Frost is 

 expected and half hardy plants must have their pots 

 cleansed and brought indoors before the end of the 

 month. 



Chinese and Indian azaleas are the suitable varieties 

 for early work and if they are desired for Christmas, an 

 early habit must be induced by bringing them into the 

 conservatory soon. See that they are cool and that water 

 is kept away from their foliage, or a new growth may be 

 started that will arrest your good intentions. Do not 

 feed them at this period. 



The fruit trees in pots must be overhauled. Prune 

 and repot, but be careful not to overpot, merely taking 

 out and transferring to pots of the same size. Reduce 

 the ball of earth sufficiently to accomplish it. Use three 

 parts rough loam, one part old mortar rubble, a six-inch 

 pot of bone meal to a himdred pounds of the soil, and 

 a four-inch pot of Scotch soot. Pot with soil in a fairlv 

 dry condition, taking time to do it well. Ram very firm- 

 ly with a hard, wooden rammer, leaving enough space for 

 subsequent waterings. Soil should be cut and stacked for 

 next year's work. Old heaps should be scattered in low 

 parts of the garden. The best turf is none too good to 

 grow plants in. Place a layer of barn manure with three 

 layers of turf and a stack should also be left without anv 

 manure. 



Chrysanthemums have reached an important stage in 

 their brief period of existence. Confine all watering to 

 the forenoon and still use Grape Dust over the foliage to 

 ward off fungus diseases. Sprinkle lime imder the bench. 

 Fumigate once weekly. We need a complete food for 

 the 'mums now, and I have used Charles H. Totty's plant 

 food with great satisfaction. You do not need any other. 



One pound of it dissolved in fifty gallons of water and 

 used every five days is ideal. The brief period from re- 

 taining the buds until blooming time demands a lot of 

 food of the proper kind, for the soil has lost its good 

 properties now, and only acts in a mechanical way as a 

 reservoir for the reception of liquids for the plant's ex- 

 istence. 



Complaints are made of field grown carnation plants 

 being hard and woody, and inclined to be lazy, as it were. 

 in making new growths. The fault was with the excep- 

 tionallv hard time thev had outdoors, so we must tr\- to 

 assist Nature. She will do her jiart noljlv. l)ut likes a 

 little assistance. 



Nitrogen must be given but as we cannot .give it to the 

 roots at this time, wc must use the hypodermic method. 

 Dissolve one ounce of suljihate of ammonia in one gallon 

 of water, and sjjrav overhead once a week until the ])lanl> 

 behave better and then discontinue. It will also clean uCi 

 an\- red spider that might affect them outdoors. It will 

 assist the voung weeds to grow for a time among the 

 carnations. \\'ceds are plants growing in the wrong 

 place, but when they have a mission to perform to help 

 aerate the soil, they can be left alone for a given period. 



Any palms that need repotting should be attended to. 

 The .soil they want is loam and sand. Potted very firnih- 

 they make roots slowly during the Winter and will be 

 more stately and strong next Summer if potted now and 

 grown cool. 



DracJenas and crotons should be kept (|nift and not 



excited with too much heat. Give them a fairly light 

 position and no food until next Spring, or vou will get 

 an unbalanced plant. 



It is the better method in orchid culture to have roller 

 blinds which can be raised in dull weather, but many 

 houses containing orchids have simply a coat of paint or 

 lime wash. Some of it must be taken off the glass over 

 the cattleyas, however, to ripen the growths that will pro- 

 duce blooms, as they are looking for more light. 



Calanthes should be kept a little warmer than the 

 cattleyas and receive a good watering once a week of 

 chicken manure, which should not be too strong. Oncid- 

 iitm bicallosiini and Dendrobiiini Phalccnopsis and Caffleya 

 labiata like a little extra warmth from now on, not for- 

 getting the Plialiciiopsis. Reduce the watering, and a 

 very little spraying is needed. It depends on your treat- 

 ment now whether or not they are going to bloom or re- 

 main poor looking ornaments, as the\- appear to manv 

 people who do not understand them. 



Bulbs for succession should be started cool and can be 

 forced at leisure. Do not forget the spiraeas. They were 

 scarce last year but thev are one of our choicest Winter 

 bloomers for decorative purposes. When they are re- 

 ceived, pot into any kind of soil and do not give them 

 water freely until they have attained a growth of ten 

 inches or more. (Jver-watering has destroyed scores of 

 these beautiful annual |)Ianls that are ntherwise of com- 

 paratively easy culture. 



I saw a fine example of sweet pea culture last Winter 

 at Wdliam Vert's. They were in boxes eighteen inches 

 deep and attained the enormous height of eighteen feet — 

 trul\- marvelous. ^Ir. Vert ascribes his success to sowing 

 the seed thinly. Now is the time to sow and while we 

 cannot grow them all to perfection, if we do not crowd 

 we shall bu\- less seed and reap more pleasure. Sow 

 three seeds in a three-inch pot and they will be in good 

 condition to take the place of the first vacant 'mum bench. 



It may be necessary to start fires for some i>lants, but 

 an unusually hot October is predicted, of which we must 

 take line notice and govern ourselves accordingly. 



You find \ourscIf refreshed by the presence of cheerful 

 people. Whv not make earnest effort to confer that plea- 

 sure on others? — L. M. Child. 



A PRAYER 

 Nettie Orcena Wolfley 



IJiar I-athcr. tend the .sjarden of my thoughts. 



Thy dearest care. 

 .\ncl uproot every weed and flower Thou hast 



Not planted there. 

 Give me, to keep my paths and borders straight, 



Thy Golden Rule. 

 To fashion them like his who left for men 



Xo sharper tool. 

 Teach me to know at si.ght. in any guise. 



One noxious weed. 

 The "root of bitterness" which, spring up. 



Bears evil seed. 

 Warm with the sunshine of Thy love the soil 



.\round each tree 

 That, looking from the earth up toward Thy li.u'ht. 

 Bears fruit to Thee. 



— Christian ScicniC Sciitiiu-I. 



