THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



143 



and at tlie same time ki in a maxiniuni of lii;lit and air. 

 No hard and fast rnics can be laid down in garden opera- 

 tions, but in pruning- roses it is quite safe to sa\' that the 

 weaker the growth is the harder it should be turned 

 back. Leaving three or four good buds of last season's 

 growth is what is needed on the weaker growths, and 

 the stronger ones can have a fndt or two cut away and 

 then be tied or pegged down. 



PRUNING iiARiiN' ci,i.mi:i-:ks. 



There are a number of hardy climbers that should be 

 pruned at once if the work has not already been attended 

 to. Among these ma\- be mentioned. Wistarias, Clematis 

 paniculata, Iiigonias. Loniceras, Dutchman's pipe, etc. 

 Cut the Clematis paniculata back quite hard for best re- 

 sults. For English Ivy and Euonymus radicans no prun- 

 ing is necessary at this time but any dead shoots on the 

 ivy would be better removed now. The pruning of climb- 

 ing roses is as well deferred as long as ]30ssible. If they 

 are ])runed too early they start into growth at once with 

 a warm si^ell, and if a cold sna]) immediately follows much 

 injury results. 



SWI'.KT PRAS. 



I'ew sul)ject> ha\e received more attention from bcirli- 

 cultural writers than the care of Sweet Peas and how to 

 obtain the best results. .\'o matter how detailed may lie 

 the notes on their culture one important ]Kiint seems to be 

 overlooked when reduced to ])ractice and that is the 

 necessity of working the soil deeply. We mentioned last 

 fall in these notes the necessity of trenching the soil 

 deepl\'. .Sweet Peas cannot withstand the heat of July 

 for any length of tiuie when the soil has only been dug 

 a few inches deep. Give the roots a chance to get down 

 into the cool moist earth and note the difference during 

 the hot weather. The heavier your soil the deeper it 

 should be worked and the finest plants will result. Have 

 the seed sowmi as soon as the ground is in condition to 

 wi>rk. Sweet Peas make their best growtli (hu'ing the 

 cool weather. If you have started seed in ])Ots don't wait 

 too long before you put the plants out. A little touch 

 of frost won't set them back very much. Have the su])- 

 jiorts ready too, whether it be chicken wire, twine, or 

 brush. It is better to have these in place early, so long 

 as there is room fur the cultivation, than to have tn rush 

 them in place when the ]ilants are a foot or- more high. 



PL \\TI.Ni(; la.AIHOLI. 



.Sort over the (iladioli and select the smallest bulbs fur 

 the fir.st planting and keep the larger ones for later use. 



.\ succession of ])lantings can be made from the time 

 the ground is fit to work until the end of June. Have the 

 rows from two to three feet apart and ])lant the bulbs 

 ?i or 4 inches apart in the rows and at le'ast 4 inches 

 dee]). The ground should be deeply worked and a good 

 dressing of old cow manure incorporated with it. When 

 the ])lants show ;ibo\e the ground kee]) the culli\alor 

 busy. 



Till-; x'lCCKi'AnLi-: cxunicx. 



This department calls for a good deal of allention at 

 this time, but in one's an.xiety to get the seeds in as early 

 as possible care should be taken to avoid sowing in wet 

 cold soil. String beans especially should have warm and 

 reasonably dry soil to germinate in. luirly varieties can 

 be started in cold frames with nnub greater chance of 

 success than is the case in the (jpen groimd until the 

 weather becomes settled. 



Potatoes for early use may 1)e pl.niled in a sunny 

 border, where annuals are to go later on. It lakes a little 

 judgment to make these things fit in but it can be done. 

 Potatoes take from 80 to 100 davs to mature in ordinary 



seasons, and should be out of the way, liy bedding out time 

 in the majority of localities. 



Par.snips require a long sea.son of growth, but for 

 ordinary table i)urposes there is plenty of time to get 

 them in. For the exhibition table, however, they should 

 be [)lanted as soon as po.ssible. These call for a little 

 more than ordinary culture if they are to be winners. 

 Thin out to twelve inches apart as soon as the little 

 plants can be handled and give those left every en- 

 couragement in the way of watering when needed, and 

 occasional feeding to help them along. 



SUCCE.SSION CROPS. 



Lettuce, radishes, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, carrots, 

 etc., may be sown for succession. Small batches sown at 

 frequent intervals are always more satisfactory in that 

 they are young and tender than is the case if large sow- 

 ings were made less frequentl}'. 



Musk melons, cucumbers, eggplants and ])ep])ers, 

 should be sown early either in the greenhouse or hotbed, 

 for planting out to provide early crops. 



These plants will undoubtedly be subject to various 

 temperatures, so it will be well to grow them as sturdy 

 as ])ossible. Egg])lants do better in a warm moist 

 atmosphere where the night tem])erature is between 6S 

 and 70 degrees, but for any of the others 60 <legrces 

 should not be e.xceeded. 



THE GREENHoUSh: I'L.NNTS. 



POINSETTIAS. 



.Stock plants that have been stored away on their sides 

 under the benches since last December with little or no 

 care should be brought out and prepared to start into 

 growth. The old soil should be removed from their 

 roots, and then they can be potted. into such sized pots 

 as will conveniently hold them. If put into a rose house, 

 temperature kept fairly moist they will break into growth 

 in a few weeks and provide fine material for propagating 

 from. 



CA\TKKBURY BELLS. 



It is froiu now until way into July that Canterbury bells 

 arc at their l)est. Where it is intended to grow these 

 jilants for forcing, next spring seeds may be sown any 

 time now. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings do 

 not Iiecome crowded at an early stage. Prick off three 

 inches apart, as soon as they can be handletl nicely. In 

 June they can be planted out in the garden where they 

 will remain until late in October. With good culture 

 Ihey will de\elo]) into tine plants with strong crowns for 

 forcing. 



SHAIilNG. 



W ill) the increased sun power it will be necessary to 

 api)l\ shatling [jermanenlly to such plants as violets, palms, 

 ferns, orchids, etc. It is always better to dn it before 

 any of the foliage becomes scorched. Too dense shading 

 is conducive to soft growth and should be avoided. While 

 it is impiirtant that the direct rays of the sun should be 

 excludc'd, \et all the light jiossiblc should be affordetl 

 the |il:ints. 



THE April number of "Garden- 

 ers' Chronicle" will contain 

 articles on Flowers for the 

 Hardy Garden, by Bertrand H. Farr 

 — Growing E-xhibition Dahlias, by 

 P. W. Popp. 



