THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



" While this method of growing straw- 

 berries has been described in the agricultural 

 papers of the country a number of times, Mr. 

 Ohmer is the onlj one that 1 know of to 

 demonstrate the practicability of the method, 

 he growing last season 60 barrels. Mr. Ohmer 

 is very enthusiastic on the subject and claims 

 that one can grow 1,250 bushels of straw- 

 berries per acre and figures it in this way : 

 By placing the barrels four feet from center 

 to center, one acre will hold 2,500 barrels and 

 if each barrel will produce one half bushel of 

 beriies, as Mr. Ohmer's did last season, the 

 acre would yield 1,250 bushels of berries, Mr. 

 Ohmer says you have no weeds to fight and do 

 not have to break your back in picking them, 

 besides they require no mulching to keep the 

 fruit free from sand. All you need is plenty 

 of water and the crop is assured ; he told the 

 Udies of our Horticultural Society at one of 

 its meetings that they could grow strawberries 

 in their parlors by this method." 



We have written Mr. Ritter for fur- 

 ther particulars, but can see nothing 

 difficult about planting in this way. 

 The holes would be first bored, and the 

 plants set as the barrel was being filled 

 with rich soil. There would be three 

 very important points to consider : — ist, 

 the soil — which should be very rich with 

 compost, and especially with nitrates ; 

 2nd, the variety, some such kind- as 

 Clyde or Bubach would probably do 

 well ; and 3rd, there must be a plen- 

 tiful supply of water. In a town garden 

 where a hydrant is convenient and 

 ground limited in extent, this would be 

 a capital way of growing a table supply 

 of strawberries. 



Rose Thrips. 



9§6. Sib, — I was much troubled late last 

 summer with thrip on roses, both hybrids and 

 climbers, and though 1 have used both tobac- 

 co juice and fir tree oil, I could not reduce 

 them to submission. What other remedy had 

 I best apply ? 



R. N. Light, Kingst(»i. 



Reply by Prof: Hutt. 



Thrips, when infesting plants out-of- 

 doors, are by no means easy to contend 

 with. Prof. Fletcher, Ottawa, in one of 

 his reports, says that the remedy " which 



gives the most promise of success is a 

 weak kerosene emulsion, in the propor- 

 tion of one of kerosene to thirty of water, 

 to be applied at the time when the young 

 bugs have hatched. 



Lilium Speciosum. 



9§'7. Sir, — Last spring I received a bulb 

 of L. speciosum roseum from your Association, 

 and buried it in a large pot, in October, put- 

 ting it in a dark cellar for a month or two ; 

 but it never came up. I am much disappointed 

 and would like to know the cause. 



R. H. Light, Kingston. 



Reply by H. L. Hutt, O. A. C, Guelph. 



It is altogether probable that the fail- 

 ure of the lily bulb was due to the bulb 

 itself and not to the treatment given it. 

 Many have experienced just such fail- 

 ures with their lily bulbs this year. The 

 nature of the disease causing the trouble 

 has not yet been definitely determined. 

 One of our students has been working 

 for some time on a similar trouble on 

 other bulbs, and it is hoped that before 

 long something more definite may be 

 ascertained. 



Azalea Indiea. 



Replies to Questions. — g'/2. 



It is doubtful if Azaleas can be grown 

 successfully as house plants, and if Lind- 

 say does succeed, the detail would be a 

 valuable communication to our Journal. 



There should be no difficulty in bloom- 

 ing the plants just purchased, with buds 

 developed by expert treatment. 



On arrival, and before potting, the 

 root-ball should be thoroughly soaked 

 with water. The pot used must be 

 about one inch more in diameter than 

 the ball. The soil may be any well 

 rotted sod loam, and if prepared in the 

 usual way with manure, no harm will 

 be done. The plant should be placed 

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