266 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIS2. 



Ants on Peonies 



DR. J AS. I'lJCTCIIlvR, OTTAWA. ONT. 



My peonies last year were almost covered 

 with ants and the plants in many cases were 

 destroyed. I used everything I heard of but 

 found no remedy. A friend told me that it 

 was aphids and not ants which cause the 

 trouble and that the ants ate the aphids. My 

 roses too were attacked by some insect. The 

 leaves curled up. I washed the roses once a 

 day by spraying: with cold water, and applied 

 " slug shot," but it did no good. Is there a 

 remedy ? — (Mrs. Ezra Briggs, Walkerton, Ont. 



Ants frc(|ucntly cluster on the buds of 

 peonies. Inn 1 have never observed any 

 liarni from their visits. They seem merely 

 to eat the gummy secretion on the buds. I 

 have never noticed aphids on peonies. B'or 

 aphis on roses I think the easiest effectual 

 remedy is to spray them with whale-oil soap, 

 usino^ one pound of soap in six gallons of 

 warm water. Kerosene emulsion is made 

 by dissolving one half pound of hard soap 

 in one gallon of rain water by boiling. Then 

 add two gallons of kerosene while still hot 

 and churn briskly for five minutes. This 

 should be diluted with nine times its mea- 

 sure of water when treating rose bushes at- 

 tacked by plant lice. 



With the 'Mums in July 



GEO. HOLLIS, BRACONDALE, ONT. 



THE early varieties of chrysanthemums 

 planted in May must receive careful 

 attention this month. The bench should 

 be kept free from weeds and the surface of 

 the soil loose to a depth of at least half an 

 inch. If the soil is allowed to bake some 

 parts of the bench will be too dry while 

 others are too wet. Every endeavor should 

 be made to get a vigorous and firm growth, 

 for without that the flowers will not be 

 good. 



About" the middle of July the addition of 

 some manure water would be beneficial, but 

 to some people the odor is objectionable. 

 Arnott's horticultural manure has not this 

 objectionable smell and gives first-class re- 

 sults. 



The late varieties should be planted with- 

 out delay. Jioth early and late kinds must 

 be sprayed thoroughly and often, getting 

 the water well under the foliage. If this is 

 done the troublesome thrip will be prevented 

 from working destruction. More plants 

 are ruined by thrips than by any other in- 

 sect. Thorough s])raying with tobacco 

 water on,';e a week will keep the plants free 

 from insect pests. If dwarf pot plants are 

 wanted the cuttings should be rooted this 

 month. Five or six plants can be put in a 

 five-inch ])ot and with care they will make 

 very nice plants. The strongest shoots of 

 early varieties should be nipped back once 

 niore during julv. 



Chrysanthemums 



<4 \ ^ 7 HEX preparing the benches for 

 V V chrysanthemums," says Mr. H. 

 Neal, of Ingersoll, " I put two or three 

 inches of well-rotted cow manure in the bot- 

 tom and tlien about three inches of good soil 

 on top of this. When the plants grow up 

 and begin to show buds I pulverize a lot of 

 cow manure and s])read it all over the sur- 

 face about an inch deep. 



" This is better than using the licpiid 

 manure, because every time the plants are 

 watered some food is made available to 

 them. I aim to keep the plants growing 

 steadily and never allow them to lop over. 

 I prefer strings to stakes. ^^ly best pay- 

 ing varieties are Queen (white) and Col. 

 Smi'th (pink) for mid-season, and Mrs. 

 Germey Jones (cream) and Merry Christ- 

 mas (white) for late season." 



Some plants, as begonias, fuchsias, lilies, 

 Chinese primroses and coleus, may be grown 

 in an eastern window, in fact do better 

 there than in too strong sunshine. Then 

 there is the graceful palm and feathery fern 

 for the room lighted by the northern 

 window. — (Mrs. W. J. McLenahan, Ap- 

 pleby, Ont. 



