274 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



vance rapidly, and every encouragement should be 

 given them to make a sturdy growth. On all favor- 

 able occasions ventilation should be given, at the same 

 time avoiding direct cold draughts striking the plants. 

 Examine the benches each day for places that dry out 

 more rapidly than others. Gardenias dislike being kept 

 too dry or too wet ; the hajjpy medium is the thing to 

 aim at if success is to be obtained. A light dusting of 

 bone-meal will give them something to feed on, and a 

 mulch of well-rotted manure will serve the same pur- 

 pose, in addition to preventing ton rapid evaporation 

 from the soil. Mealy bug is very partial tu these 

 plants, but a good syringing every bright day keeps 

 it in check. 



Seeds of Schizanthus, Stocks, jMignonette and 

 other winter flowering subjects should be sown this 

 month. 



Towards the latter part of the month batches nf 

 Freezias, Harrisii Lilies and Paperwhite Narcissus 

 may be planted. 



PROPER CULTURE OF FANCY 

 STRAWBERRIES. 



In growing fancy strawberries the soil is of the most 

 importance ; next is the variety and then the plan of 

 culture. The best soil for strawberries is that which is 

 so filled with humus that it is alway light and mellow. 

 Soils that have been depleted of humus, or so-called 

 rusty soils, filled with ferments, are not well suited to 

 any "crop. Old garden soils that bake down hard 

 should be filled with vegetable matter in the form of 

 strawy manure, cover crops of clover, or other 

 legumes, or perhaps with both. 



For growing large, fancy strawberries the varieties 

 that are adapted to the hifl system of culture are best 

 because they make long taproots, to gather plant food 

 from the lower layers of soil, and large masses of 

 foliage, to afford more surface to absorb food from 

 the atmosphere. The leaves should be quite immune 

 from blight and the plants fairly productive of large, 

 sweet berries sufficiently firm to stand up forty-eight 

 hours if picked when ripe. 



Success depends largely on having a good supply of 

 plants. For fancy berries grow plants in the fruiting 

 bed only for fruit'ing — that is, keep the runners all cut 

 off if plants are grown by the hill system. 



When the plants are set, cultivation should begin 

 at once, before the weeds start to grow or the ground 

 bakes. If the cultivator is run both ways between 

 the plants but little hand hoeing will be necessary. If 

 the weather is dry the cultivation should be frequent 

 to keep a dust mulch round the plants to conserve the 

 moisture. It will have much work always to cultivate 

 before the weeds grow. When the runners begin to 

 grow in June the plants should be gone over once a 

 week and the runners cut off with a sharp hoe. 



When the ground is slightly frozen is the best time 

 to applv mulching material. Heavy mulching is nec- 

 essary for obtaining the best results : it retains mois- 

 ture, holds back the growth of plants in spring, which 

 may prevent injury from a late frost, prevents weed 

 growth and keeps the berries clean. 



When the plants start to grow in the spring rake ofl:' 

 the mulch, where it is too thick, between the rows and 

 remove any weeds. Weeds should be taken out even 

 when the plants are fruiting, if the bed is to be carried 

 over in good condition for another year. After a bed 

 is well established I try to keep it five or six years. 

 This mav be done with the hill system if the plants 

 are alwavs kept free from weeds. — Coimti-y Gciitlciiian. 



THE SUMMER CARE OF OUTDOOR ROSES. 



( Coiitiiiiird from fagc 272.) 

 shoot is called "blind wood." As soon as it is seen that 

 a young shoot has "come blind" it should be cut back 

 so as to leave a stub with' only one strong leaf on it, 

 just as when cutting a rose from a young shoot. If 

 rose bushes are pruned in the summer and the blooms 

 picked according to this method, we will have no tall, 

 thin rose bushes with weak, bloomless branches, but 

 low-growing, well-shaped bushes on whose young 

 shoots many blooms will be produced. 



Other important factors in the summer care of out- 

 door roses and in promoting their continuous bloom- 

 ing are the weekly stirring of the surface of the soil 

 around the roses and in the entire rose bed, and the 

 fertilization of the soil monthly. There will be littlt. 

 necessity for artificial watering of the rose bed, if at 

 least once each week the soil be cultivated so as to 

 leave it soft and fine to a depth of 2 inches. About 

 once a month there should be worked into the soil all 

 over the rose bed or border, and for 2 or 3 feet around 

 specimen bushes on a lawn, a spread of well-decayed 

 cow or sheep manure from 1 to 2 inches thick. Be- 

 tween these applications of manure during the sum- 

 mer a spread of bone meal thick enough to thoroughly 

 whiten the surface of the soil may be worked in the 

 same way as manure. 



If rose bushes are kept well pruned, well fertilized, 

 and the soil in the beds frequently stirred, and they 

 are consequently in a thrifty condition, they are far 

 less liable to the attacks of disease and insects. The 

 prevalent rose diseases are mildew, which causes the 

 foliage to look as if it had been sprinkled with ;i 

 whitish powder, and to look curled and blistered, and 

 black spot, spots of black appearing on the foliage. 

 The remedy for the former is flour of sulphur or 

 "Fungine" applied to the foliage, and for the latter 

 very dangerous disease, spraying with Fungine will be 

 some help. The most common insects are aphis, 

 thrips, several kinds of small worms, and rose bugs. 

 The remedy for the first three is any of the several 

 commercial nicotine preparations such as Aphine, used 

 as a spray, and for the latter picking off with the 

 fingers and destroying has for years been considered 

 the only sure and safe remed3^ since spraying with 

 any mixture strong enough to kill the rose bugs in- 

 variably injured the rose leaves and flower buds. 



The essential factors then in the summer care of 

 all classes of roses are proper pruning of the bushe.s 

 and cutting of the blooms, a weekly stirring of the 

 surface and a monthly fertilization of the soil, prompt 

 administration of remedies for diseases and destruc- 

 tion of insects. 



IMPROVING THE LAWN. 



The improvement of an old lawn is a very much more 

 difficult ])roblem than establishing a new one. In many 

 cases it is impracticable to attempt the improvement of 

 an old lawn that is in bad condition, says the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture. However, if a reasonably good 

 turf obtains, it is possible to better it materially by re- 

 seeding, fertilizing, and watering. In the majority of 

 cases improvement is desired in the spring, since at this 

 season many bare spots are in evidence as the result of , 

 the preceding winter. If the areas to be improved are 

 small, they can be handworked and reseeded with little 

 difficulty. If they are large, it is usually advisable to 

 spade them up, work thoroughly, and seed, as in the case 

 of starting a new lawn. 



In the earh- spring the soil is usually loose as a result 



