76 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



moisture at the roots. The ])laiits will not 

 thrive if allowed to dry out once or twice, 

 but. on the other hand, it does not do to 

 over-water them. v'^^prinkling' the jjlants 

 with the hose once a week will keep them 

 cle:in. If tlie apliis tj^ets on them take to- 

 bacco stems an.d soak them and syrino^e with 

 the li(|Uor. v^hould the chrysanthenumi fly 

 appear catch and kill him or he will soon 

 s])t)il your plants. He is like the ily that 

 spoils the asters, and two or three of them 

 are able to quickly ruin lOO plants. 



When the buds a]>pear taKe all oft but the 

 top (iue. and if you feed with a weak li(|uid 

 manure once or twice a week it will im- 

 prove the flowers. If you can chan^'e the 

 Ii(|uid by using" say C(jw. horse and sheep 



maiun-e. one after the (Jther. so much the 

 better, but stop all feeding as s(K)n as you 

 see the buds showing' color. 



Try Madam Bergman the first year, and 

 if you succeed you can try others the fol- 

 lowing year. You will by then have found 

 out many little things not mentioned here. 

 W hen the weather sets in cold, sav six de- 

 grees (;f frost, secure some dry leaves and 

 cover six inches deep and lay on some brush 

 to keep them in jjlace. In the s])ring un- 

 cover them and they will grow again from 

 the stp.ols around the plants: nice voung 

 ])lants will have rooted. Dig u]) the lot 

 ;in(l take out the young plants. Prepare 

 your ground as before, but this tin'.e put in 

 th.e )(umg plants from your (;wn stock. 



MILDEW ON LETTUCE 



Vl{(jbyrA15LE growers in the viciirty 

 of Toronto, wdio are forcing vege- 

 tables lor the winter niarkets, have been 

 having considerable difficulty with mildew. 

 One of the greatest sv.fiferers has been Mr. 

 J. \\". Johnson., whose greenhouses were 

 \-isited during January by an editorial re- 

 presentative of The Horticulturist. The 

 mildew causes the leaves of such vegetables 

 as lettuce to wilt and gradually kills the 

 plants. 



'■ iJy many the cause of the trouble is 

 thought to be in the soil," remarked Mr. 

 Johnson, " but I have proved that this is not 

 the case. 1 resorted to sterilizing the soil, 

 and at first it apj)eared as if this was an ef- 

 fectual remedy, but it turned out at a later 

 stage not to be. I am now convinced that 

 it is something in the house, as I have been 

 growing lettuce fc^r }ears and never had 

 any mildew till I built my present green- 

 house, ^'ou see I have two greenhouses 

 side by side, in which conditions as 

 to soil, etc., are precisely alike. Mildew 

 has appeared in one and not in the other. 

 One 'has brick walls, the other wood. The 

 former is damper, and to this the niildcw i- 



I)rol)ab]\' (\\\Ki. 1 put in underdrains and 

 opened ventilating holes in the walls without 

 producing any effect. 



One of Mr. J. \V. Johnson's Greenhouses. 



X'entilation has probablv son'iething to 

 do with the matter. It is a curious fact 

 that in one greenliouse. where the ventila- 



