The Canadian Horttcultiirist. 



255 



FLOWERS 



Support for Climbers Essential. 



A distinctive fact in plant 

 growtli not gencrall}- thou<;ht of, 

 is the waste of vital force in all vines 

 unable to clasp surrounding objects 

 by tendrils or by their young shoots. 

 By actual experiment, the yield of 

 flowers and fruits on uncared-for 

 vines has been decreased sufficiently 

 to prove that the little time needed 

 to tend these plants at the proper 

 season is a paying investment. Vege- 

 table gardeners have long been aware 

 of this in cultivating Lima Beans, 

 although many of them may not know 

 how very important it is to assist 

 the tender tips to clasp the support. 

 And the same rule governs growth 

 and development of peas, especially 

 the taller kinds. If no support is 

 furnished them the inconvenience of 

 gathering the crop is a small matter 

 in comparison with the loss sustained 

 by the plant in its efforts to climb as 

 nature intended. The same law ap- 

 plies to plants cultivated for the 

 flowers. Annuals, such as Cobcea, 

 Baclyana, Cypress-vine, etc., will 

 produce finer and more blossoms if 

 supplied with adequate support than 

 if permitted to struggle along unas- 

 sisted. Perennial wood-climbers are 

 no exception. If we remove the sup- 

 port from Wistarias, Tecomas, Cel- 

 astrus, etc., their nature undergoes a 

 change, and the inclination to climb 

 is apparently lostj but if at any time 

 some foreign body is placed near by, 

 the old tendenc}- returns, and the 

 young shoots eagerly clasp it and at 

 once begin their normal upward 

 growth. Gardeners have taken ad- 

 vantage of this peculiarity, and, by 

 close pruning as well as dispensing 

 with any support, have metamor- 

 phosed the climber into a pretty tree- 

 like shrub. The solution of this ap- 

 parent mystery is not difficult. The 



change of habit is due to loss of vital 

 force occasioned by the plant's 

 struggle for its natural condition. 

 This same principle may be exem- 

 plified in the grape, which, although 

 producing a crop when pruned sev- 

 erely and tied to a single stake, does 

 not yield so abundantly as when 

 growing freely over an adequate 

 trellis. — Josiali Hoopcs, in N. Y. 

 Weekly Tribune. 



Management of House Plants. 



Oni-: of the chief re(juisites in man- 

 agement of house plants is plenty of 

 sunshine, next an atmosphere neither 

 too dry, nor too close, and a uniform 

 temperature, lower during the night 

 than during the day. 



Watering. — Rain water is better 

 than spring, or well water. Hard 

 water may be greatly improved by 

 adding a drop or two of ammonia, or 

 a little soda, a small nugget about 

 the size of a pea to every gallon of 

 water used. Morning is the best 

 time to give water, and evening next. 

 Never water house plants when the 

 sun is shining brightly upon them. 

 The supply of water must be regu- 

 lated according to the demands of 

 the plants. The condition of plant 

 and soil is the best guide. Never 

 give water when the soil is moist to 

 the touch. Nearly all plants require 

 more water when in bloom than at 

 any other time, more in a warm tem- 

 perature than in a cold, and more 

 when m a state of active growth than 

 when at rest. Plants in open rooms 

 usually require water once a day and 

 some demand it twice. 



Syringing. — Cleanliness is essen- 

 tial. The leaves of plants should be 

 kept free from dust, hence frequent 

 washings are absolutely essential, 

 although when watering, never wet 



