TREATMENT OF PLANTS IN WINTER. 



43' 



fairly tightly in boxes. The tops must be 

 allowed to shrivel. They should never be 

 cut off. If placed in a cool dark corner 

 and kept dry they remain dormant until 

 brought out in the spring. 



Sometimes it is desirable to keep over a 

 few favorite geraniums for the next sum- 

 mer. If placed among the other window 

 plants they look unsightly during the win- 

 ter. The best plan is to put them in pots 

 or boxes just large enough to get the roots 

 in, and give a thorough watering. If put 

 outside in the sun each day and i^llowed to 

 become perfectly dry all the leaves drop, the 

 outer tissue becomes dry and the color 

 changes to brown. Before frosts come 

 during the daytime stop putting them out- 

 side but place them near a window and 

 away from furnace heit. If not given any 

 water they will remain dormant until 

 spring. When growth is wanted they 

 should be watered about once a week at 

 first and placed in a warm room. In a 

 short time new shoots come. Then the 



plants must be cut back severely to get the 

 growth from the bottom. Plants treated 

 in this way are much more suitable for set- 

 ting out than those kept growing all winter, 

 'i he hydrangea is another plant which the 

 amateur often tries to keep growing during 

 the winter when it should be at rest. If thfe 

 plants are outside let them remain there un- 

 til there is lo degrees of frost. In the 

 meantime water them only when they are 

 wilting. By gradually withholding the 

 water you are assisting nature to ripen the 

 wood and causing the leaves to drop. This 

 encourages the development of buds for 

 next season's growth. After the plants are 

 perfectly dry and have lost most of the foli- 

 age, lay them in a box in a dark corner of 

 the cellar and cover with dead leaves. This 

 keeps them from drying out and also pre- 

 vents growth. In this way nature is as- 

 sisted in storing and retaining all the vigor 

 in the plant, and in the spring when the 

 warm weather comes and water is added 

 growth begins and flowers come readily. 



Mealy Bugs on Coleus 



PROF. H. L. HUTT, O. A. C, GUBLPH. 



What is the best treatment for lice on foli- 

 age plsCnts ? They are not the green lice, hut 

 are oblong and flat and of a whitish grey color. 

 I have tried tobacco smoke and soapsuds, but 

 they were not effective.— (A. J. M. Ratho. 



By the term " Foliage Plant " I suppose 

 you refer to the Coleus. This plant usually 

 goes by the name of Foliage Plant on ac- 

 count of its beautifully variegated leaves. 

 The Coleus is frequently infested with small 

 insects of a whitish color, known as Mealy 

 Bugs. If they be examined closely it will 

 be found that the insects themselves are 

 very small, but they secrete waxy scales 

 which give them a mealy appearance, hence 

 the name Mealy Bug. This waxy cover 

 serves the purpose of protection, and makes 

 it difificult to destroy them by smoke or 

 caustic solutions. 



The best means of getting rid of the in- 

 sects is to begin with fresh cuttings and 

 exercise great care that none of the insects 

 get a start on them. They will usually be 

 found hidden in the axils of the leaves, and 

 before they develop the waxy covering they 

 are so small that it requires close observ- 

 ance to detect them. When they are pres- 

 ent on young cuttings, the best way to get 

 rid of them is to brush them out of their 

 hiding places with an old tooth brush or 

 other stiff brush, which should be first dip- 

 ped in strong soapsuds. It is hardly worth 

 while trying to save old plants which have 

 become badly infested. 



Do not crowd blooms for exhibition too 

 closely. Each flower should be seen 

 singly when arranged in the vase. — (Wni. 

 Hunt, O. A. C, Guelph.) 



