Work for the Month of August 



Conducted by Henry Gibson, New York. 



TJIE FL(J\\ EK (lARDEX. 



Cleanliness is the order of the da}' in this depart- 

 ment. Continue to remove spent flowers, as the plants 

 will soon cease to bloom if seed pods are allowed to 

 develop. Dahlias, hollyhocks and other tall-growing 

 subjects must be secured to supports or they will fall 

 a prey to strong winds. 



Roses of the rambler, or climbing tj'pes, are now 

 making strong basal growths which will provide next 

 year's show of blooms. These should be tied in when- 

 ever opportunity offers. The rapid growth of these 

 plants indicates the activity of the roots, which should 

 be kept regularly supplied with water. Old-estab- 

 lished plants will be benefited by liberal applications of 

 liquid manure. 



SEEDLING PL.VNTS. 



Numerous kinds of perennials and other seedlings 

 will be ready to transfer to nursery beds this month. 

 By planting them while they are quite small the dan- 

 ger of having long-stemmed, leggy plants is avoided. 

 If they are left in the seed bed until they become drawn 

 it will be necessary to plant them deeply in the nur- 

 ser}- beds. This in itself is not a difficult matter, as 

 they can be readily dibbled in, but when they have to 

 be replanted to their permanent quarters a consider- 

 able amount of labor is involved with leggy plants. 



THE VEGET.MU.E G.VRDEX. 



Rhubarb should never be allowed to flower unless 

 seed is wanted. As soon as the flower stalks a]3pear 

 they should be cut off close to the grovmd. Whenever 

 there is room, late crops of beans, beets, turnips, 

 radish, lettuce, etc., may be sown. Keep the tomatoes 

 tied up and disbudded. Endive also requires tying up 

 for bleaching. Continue to earth up early celery as it 

 recjuires it. Onions should be harvested this month. 

 A sowing of Grand Rapids lettuce for growing in 

 frames or under glass can be made now. Late celery 

 may still be planted. Care should be taken to keep the 

 ground between the growing crops well cultivated. 

 Man}- weeds mature this month and in doing so pro- 

 duce countless thousands of weed seeds, 'which are 

 bound to catise trouble another season. 



THE I~KUIT G.VRDEN. 



Strawberries may be set out this month. Set the 

 plants firmly in the soil, and keep all the runners 

 pinched oft'. The ground will need to be deeply dug 

 or ploughed, after having had a liberal application of 

 well-decayed manure applied. Two feet between the 

 rows is not too much. Don't overlook a few plants 

 for forcing. 



Go over the vines to ascertain if the grapes are de- 

 veloping evenly. If there are signs of too many 

 bunches being left to mature, don't hesitate to thin 

 them out. Those left will be of much better cpality. 



The old canes of the raspberries and blackberries 

 should be cut away and the young ones thinned out, 

 taking care to leave the most vigorous canes. These 

 may 1)e headed back to about four feet in height, thus 

 inducing them to produce laterals that will also bear 

 fruit next season. 



THE GKEEXHorSES. (THE ROSES.) 



The object of the rose grower at this time of the 

 year should be to have the plants growing strong and 

 iiealthv and so lay a good foundation for the winter. 



August is a most trying month for roses ; the hot, sul- 

 try days, combined with cold nights, are very condu- 

 cive to an attack of mildew or black spot. Don"t hesi- 

 tate to even up the difference l:)etween dav and night 

 temperature Avith a little heat in the hot water pipes 

 if necessary. 



C.\RX.\TI0XS. 



The planting of field grown stock should be pushed 

 ahead with all possible speed. Give the houses a little 

 shade for a few days until the plants show signs of 

 renewed root acton. .V light coating of lime doesn't 

 take long to apply, and it makes the actual planting 

 a much more congenial task for the men who are doing 

 it than would be the case working in an unshaded 

 house. 



Spraying two or three times a day, as conditions 

 seem to warrant, will greatly assist the plants to re- 

 cover themselves. If early blooms are wanted the 

 leading shoots should not be pinched back. 



CHRVSAXTHEMUIIS. 



There is no end to the work among the Mums dur- 

 ing the next few weeks. The plants are growing 

 rapidly and must have adequate supports and be care- 

 full}- tied up if straight stems are w'anted. Disbudding" 

 takes up a good deal of time, and must be faithfully 

 attended to in order to get the best results. After the 

 middle of the month the buds of many of the mid- 

 season varieties can be taken. It takes from six to 

 eight weeks for a bloom to come to maturity after 

 the bud is taken, a fact that should not be overlooked 

 when the operation is performed. 



Once the buds are formed, mi:)derate a|>plications 

 of fertilizers, or weak liquid manure, will be benefi- 

 cial. Feeding chrysanthemums before the buds have 

 formed is a much mooted question among growers, 

 but as space forbids discussing this matter at length 

 now, we will leave it over until next nmnth. 



AJI.VRVLLIS. 



These subjects are now making vigorous growth 

 and if plunged in frames, much less work will be ex- 

 ])erienced in keeping them watered. The sashes 

 should be raised, both top and bottom, all the time. 

 Suflicient shade should be provided to prevent burning 

 of the foliage. 



Syringing frequently greatly accelerates the growth 

 and also keeps the plants free from mealy bug and 

 red spider. Liquid manure once a week now, and 

 twice later on will assist greatly in making good 

 strong bulbs by Fall. 



lALI.AS. 



Callas that have had a rest during the |)ast five or 

 six weeks should now be started into growth. Such 

 as show signs of a sturdy crown growth are good for 

 another season. Shake them out and place into suit- 

 able sized pots. Three parts good loam and one of 

 cow manure makes a very good compost for callas. 

 Good drainage is essential. After potting they may 

 be stood in a cold frame for the next month or so. 



MISCELL.\XEOUS PLAXTS. 



Continue to pot poinsettias as they require it : also 

 cyclamen, cineraria and primulas. 



Seeds of cvclamen, cineraria, calceolaria, schiz- 

 anthers, mignonette, sweet peas should be sown now. 



