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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



April, 1910 



Hedges for Quebec 



A. 0. Verranit, Villafc del 'Anluiu 



It is difFicult with us (seventy miles 

 northeast of Quebec) to i<eep a hedge 

 in good form, on account of the heavy 

 snowfalls that we have ; so we must 



with symmetry, removing all dead wood 

 and cutting back the straggling 

 branches to about one-half their length. 

 This severe pruning promoted a dense 

 and luxuriant growth. They are, with- 

 out contest, my finest hedges, especial- 



Berberii Thnabertii Bordering a Flower Bed, and 



At Village des Aul 



choose those that will support best a 

 heavy weight of snow, whose branches 

 will bend rather than break from the 

 pressure of snow in springtime. 



I have experimented with several va- 

 rieties and find that the following 

 hedges suit best our district: Bcrberis 

 Thunbergii, B. vulgaris and B. v. atro- 

 purpurea. They are a most interesting 

 family of shrubs, varying in size from 

 two to six feet high, and rich in vari- 

 ety of leaf, flower, fruit and habit. Their 

 showy orange and yellow flowers in ter- 

 minal drooping racemes in June are suc- 

 ceeded by bright and various colored 

 fruit, which they retain in winter. 



I prefer them planted in a single row, 

 from one to two feet apart (according 

 to variety), and left untrimmed, using 

 pruning knife to assist nature to lop off 

 straggling branches, to remove dead 

 wood in the spring. 



The rough-leaved viburnum {Vibur- 

 num rugosum) makes also a very orna- 

 mental hedge worth seeing at all times 

 of the year. Its large, dark leaves with 

 terminal cymes of white flowers in June, 

 followed with red fruits, render them 

 quite attractive. It retains its foliage 

 very late ; in fact, not before hard frosts 

 have settled will it fall. The plant is a 

 good grower, supporting well the prun- 

 ing, and is quite hardy. 



We have a currant hedge made of red 

 currant bushes that had been planted in 

 nursery row, eighteen inches apart, for 

 commercial purposes, where they re- 

 mained six years. As all plants left to 

 themselves, they had a very poor ap- 

 pearance, I then decided to trim them 



at the right, a Hedge of Purple-leaTed^Barberry 



naies (Que.) Nursery 



ly when the fruit is ripe. [Note. — This 

 currant hedge was illustrated and de- 

 scribed in The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist for March, 1907. — Editor.] 



The New Hybrid Gcrbcras 



Robert Pinkerton, Montreal 



Mr. Irwin Lynch of the Cambridge 

 (England) Botanic Gardens is responsi- 

 ble for the beautiful new race of Ger- 

 beras known as Gerbera jamesoni 

 hybrida, by crossing Gerbera Jamesoni 

 with Gerbera viridijlora. They are eas- 

 ily raised from seed which may be sown 

 at any time, but preferably in spring or 

 early summer. 



Sow the seed in a compost of one- 

 third good garden loam, one-third sharp 

 sand and one-third leaf mould. The seed 

 should be inserted in the soil so that the 

 pointed or tufted end is up, the tuft 

 coming about level with the top of the 

 soil. The seedlings will appear in from 

 eight to fifteen days. 



When large enough to handle, prick 

 off into small pots, and as the plants 

 grow shift into a larger size. A rather 

 narrow deep pot seems to suit them 

 best. 



They seem to like plenty of heat in 

 summer, but must be kept in a cool 

 house in winter, and on the dry side. 

 They usually start blooming in from 

 seven to nine months from seed. In 

 Europe they advocate night-soil as be- 

 ing the most effective fertilizer for estab- 

 lished plants. The individual flowers 

 last for a remarkably long time. I have 

 seen flowers on pot plants which were 

 from five to seven weeks before they be- 



gan to deteriorate, and as long as three 

 weeks in a cut state, but they must not 

 be cut until fully expanded, and the male 

 organs well developed. 



The.se new hybrids have proven very 

 valuable for outdoor use in England, 

 with slight protection, coming through 

 the winter quite unharmed. It is prob- 

 able that where we get sufficient snow in 

 this country we also might make use of 

 them in the open ground. 



Some o{ the best Roses 



By "Aaatev" 

 In reply to the request of "A Lover 

 of the Queen of Flowers" that appeared 

 in a recent issue, the following is a list 

 of hybrid perpetual roses which will 

 please : 



Alfred Colomb Madam Gabriel Luizet 



Baroness RothschildMarchioness of Dufferin 

 Captain Haywood Merveille de Lyon 

 Charles Lefebvre Mrs. John Laing 

 Clio Mrs. R. G. S. Crawford 



Duke of Edinburgh Madame Victor Verdier 

 Dupuy Jamain Marshall P Wilder 



Eclair Paul Neyron 



Fisher Holmes Prince Camille tie Rohan 



Frau Karl Druschki Robert Duncan 

 Margaret Dickson Suzane M. Rodocanachi 

 Mrs. Coeker Ulrich Brunner 



For those who wish to try a few of 

 the hybrid teas, I would suggest : 

 Bessie Brown Kaiserin Augusta Victoria 



Caroline Testout La France 



Killarney Mrs. W. J. Grant 



Growing Transplanted Onions 



A. V. Main, Almonte, Ont. 



The onion ground previously to plant- 

 ing should be forked over and made into 

 a fine mould on the surface, using a 

 rake to make it level. If the soil is light, 

 the roller can go over it. With heavy 

 soil it is unnecessary to firm it. At this 

 preparation, a dressing of wood ashes 

 and some reliable garden fertilizer may 

 be applied. Have it incorporated with 

 the surface soil. 



Plant early, nine inches apart, and al- 

 low fifteen to eighteen inches between 

 the rows for cultivation. I prefer damp 

 weather for this operation, and general- 

 ly use a long board to stand on. One 

 man can single out the onion plants and 

 lay them out to another one planting. 

 Use a small dibble and plant shallow. 



If hot days follow give a spray over- 

 head and within a week the plants will 

 look quite settled for six months' labor. 

 In dry spells, good heavy waterings 

 will be of great benefit. 



I use .occasional dressings of nitrate of 

 soda. The safest method to apply it is 

 to give a dessert-spoonful to three gal- 

 lons of water and run it between the 

 rows. This can be done fortnightly. 

 Peruvian guano is another splendid 

 hustler for growth. Keep the ground 

 well aerated and clean by frequent ap- 

 plications of the hoe. In midsummer a 

 top-dressing of short decomposed ma- 

 nure will retain the usefulness of water 

 and fertilizer. 



