194 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



will be the result, so it is better to pick them rather on iIk- 

 green side. A good, cool airy fruit room is necessary to 

 keep fruit well, or for any length of time, and, of course, 

 such fruit must be picked by hand. Careless picking- 

 means poor keeping quality. Peach trees that are atTected 

 with red spider should receive repeated syringings with 

 the hose after the fruit is picked. 



Keep cultivating around the raspberry canes and re- 

 move all unnecessary growth that may push up. JJlack- 

 berries may also be looked after in the same manner. Get 

 all young strawberry plants in their fruiting place before 

 the end of August, if imssible. 



Ix THE Greenhouse 



In the greenhouse we have now arrived at a period 

 when quite often, unless we are watchful, foundation can 

 be easily laid for an attack of fungus diseases. The days 

 are generally hot and C|uite often the nights are cool. A 

 little fire heat is the best safeguard with ])lenty top air 

 so that the air is continuously circulating inside the green- 

 house. Have all syringing done early in the forenoon 

 which gives a chance to the foliage to be dry before night. 



It is now time to get the cutting bench ready for bed- 

 ding jjlants for anc;ther _\ear. Get a supply of good clean, 

 sharp sand. If it is in any way dirty, it may be washed 

 clean in a tub working a hose through it and allowing the 

 dirt to wash over the side of the tub. If this is kejrt up 

 for a few minutes the sand will wash fairly clean. Have 

 the sand just deep enough on the bench to keep the cuttings 

 steady. Geraniums and coleus do not like to be kept too 

 dam]) while they are rooting. Water them well when the\' 

 are jilaced in the sand and give them no more until they 

 become quite dry. There are more geranium cuttings lost 

 by w<-;tering the bench too often than from any other cause. 

 They also are better ke])t quite airy. 



Carnations that were benched early will, when the cool 

 nights come, l)cgin to make top vigorously. Do not re- 

 move any buds after the end of .\ugust — the 20th is about 

 right to have flowers when they begin to get scarce out- 

 doors. Keep the soil on the top of the bench stirred lightly 

 and after watering and syringing, dust the bench lightly 

 with air-slaked lime. NN'atering and syringing should be 

 done at the same time and then the bench should be al- 

 lowed to get <lry. It is advisable to add another wire as 

 the stems lengthen. 



r.y the end of the month buds may be taken on the 

 Chrysanthemums. They mu.st be fumigated (juite often 

 to keejj them ])erfectly free from green or black My, whic'i 

 generally lay their eggs in the leaves that are undeveloped 

 on the point of the shoot. I'ntil the bud .sets, they have 

 to be gotten rid of as the leaves unfold. Feed them lib- 

 erallv but do not r verdo it. .\ leaf will break with a snap 

 when they are getting enough. When syringing is done, 

 do it as early in the day as possible. .Soft coal soot water 

 is good for the foliage and, then, insects do not relish it. 



Tiuddleya .\siatica may now have their final potting. If 

 one has a very cool house, with just enough heat to keep 

 it from freezing, this i)lant can be carried over until very 

 late ii; the Sprin-r. It is excellent for cut flowers, taking 

 the jjlace of Stevia ; therefore have a good batch. 



When Septemlier arrives, herbaceous Calceolarias will 

 begin to grow freely ; give them every advantage, keeping 

 them close up to the glass and only give a slight shade if 

 the snn is hot. The shrubby type of Calceolaria will not 

 have done much during the hot weather but if now given 

 attention will begin to grow frcelv. When an inch or two 

 of soft growrti is made, they will propagate quite easily. 

 I^-irge specimens m;iy be grown from the kept-over plants 

 if i>inched into shajie during the Winter. I'ot calceolarias 

 in a good fibery loam, adding e(|u;il ])arts of flaky leaves, 

 well decayed horse manure aiul sand. Do not pot them 

 too firmlv. 



.\ever .-illow the Linerari;is in heconie pot bound until 

 thev are in their flowering pots. When potting add bone 

 meal to the comi)ost. We grew plants last year in 

 a small cool pit without a bit of heat, and they Howered 

 .•IS late as .May. In fact, we put the last one on a piazza 

 the first week of June. 



It is now time to overhaul Pelargoniums; cut them 

 well back and reduce the ball and repot in smaller pots. 

 Tb.ev delight in a fairh' heavy soil. Grow them very cool 

 and close to the glass. 



.Start the Calla lil_\' bulbs any time now, they enjoy a 

 rich soil. If grown in pots, about four bulbs to a nine- 

 inch pot, is about right. They do better planted out on a 

 bench, if space is available. 



If the llouvardias have been planted outdoors all Sum- 

 mer, it is now time to lift and pot them. Place them in 

 the shade when potted, and spray them lightly imtil they 

 gri]) the soil in the pot. They should be housed in the 

 greenhouse bv the middle of September. .\ rather rich 

 compost with i)lenty of leaves mixed through it is best for 

 them. 



I saw a nice bench of Streptocarpus last .Spring. This 

 is a good time to sow these beautiful hybrids on finely 

 siftetl sphagnum moss, in heat, and grow in a temperature 

 close to sixty degrees. They stand a lower temperature 

 when flowering. Give them a compost similar to Be- 

 gonias. Streptocarpus arc very subject to mealy bug, lint 

 that insect may be kept in check by fumigating with 

 hv(lroc\'anic gas, one-half ounce to the thousand cubic feet. 

 Canteri)ury bells always come in useful as a Spring flower- 

 ing plant in pots. Go over the Spring sown batch and pick 

 out as many of the largest as can be accommodated. 



Late flowering Cosmos are very useful in the Fall. If 

 they have not been grown in i)ots, plants that have been 

 ]ilanted out may be lifted. If they are quite dry at the 

 roots, thev will soon recover from the operation. 



I'ot up successive batches of freezia. The colored ones 

 are best for late work. If kept in light, and cool all Win- 

 ter,' they will flower as late as June. The early potted 

 white variety will flower for Christmas in a rose house 

 temperature. 



Late struck I'oinsettia cuttings ni;ikr nice dwarf plants, 

 ten or a dozen to an eight-inch shallow pan. Have them 

 growing close up to the glass, which tends to keep theni 

 short and sturdy. 



Get the ])lace for the violets ready as they have to be in 

 their Winter quarters by the middle of September. Thev 

 delight in a heavy, rich loam. A friend of mine grows his 

 violets in seven-inch pots in a small pit without any fire 

 heat. He picks flowers all Winter, and in the .Spring there 

 is just a mass of flowers, making them useful for pot 

 plant;;. 



By the end of .\ugust the rose house is lutter if given 

 a little heat circulating in a \r.\ic or two, at the same time 

 leave plenty of air on. They may now have a top-dressing 

 of bone meal. S\'ringc in the early morning, and have as 

 little moisture as possible over night. .\ dusting of air- 

 slaked lime in the evening keeps the air sweet. 



\'ery often around .September 10, we have an early frost 

 so that it is wise to make pre])arations to house all plants 

 that are alTected by light frosts, should a cool night 

 threaten, \zaleas stand (|uite a frost, but their flower buds 

 do not, so that if frost touches any, we are very likely 

 to lose a season's flowers. These pl.ants are now setting 

 their flower buds, and any feeding that would encourage 

 growth, should now be discontinued. Occasional water- 

 ings with soft coal soot water will keep the color on the 

 foliage until they flower. This rdso a]iplies to Acaci.as. 

 Camellias and other h;ird wimhI plants. 



h'xamine the liegonia ])lants ; the stronger and larger 

 |)I,'mts may receive .another shift if larger specimens are 

 (Coiilinuid ill) pdi^r 19(S) 



