FOR LOVERS OF FLOWERS. 



393 



Commercial Bulb Growing 



JOHN A. CAMPBELL, SIMCOE, ONT. 



HARVESTING gladiolus bulbs begins 

 in September, the young stock be- 

 ing dug first. Different methods are em- 

 ployed, but generally two men with spades 

 dig a row one on each side, and a third man 

 pulls them up, securing as many of the 

 bulblets as possible. The stalks are cut off 

 close to the bulb and the bulbs placed in 

 pots, three or- four inches deep. After be- 

 ing allowed a day or more to dry, they are 

 carried to the cellar and placed on racks. 



After the bulbs are dry the soil where 

 they grew is run through sieves to secure 

 the small cormels left in the ground after 

 digging. During winter the bulbs are 

 cleaned up. The saleable ones are prepared 

 for filling orders and the young stock sorted 

 for planting. The bulbs are ready for mar- 

 ket at two and three years old. A very 

 general mistake made by customers is in 

 judging of the value of a bulb by its size, 

 some even asking for samples to see how 

 large they are. 



It might be pointed out, here, that a 

 gladiolus corm is quite different from the 

 bulbs of the hyacinth. In the latter case 

 the flower spike is already formed in the 

 bulb, and upon being placed in growing con- 

 ditions it soon appears supported very 

 largely by the nourishment stored in the 

 bulb. In the case of the gladiolus the flower 

 spike is not formed for two months after 

 the plant has started to grow, and success 

 depends upon cultural conditions rather 

 than on the size of the bulb. 



Canadian Moonseed. — The specimen plant 

 submitted by Mr. D. McKechnie, of Walkerton, 

 is known as the Canadian Moonseed (Menisper- 

 mum Canadense). It is a graceful hardy 

 climber and can be used with good effect in the 

 home grounds. There are a number of Cana- 

 dian climbers like the Moonseed which would 

 become very popular if cultivated and known 

 better. — (W. T. Macoun, Central Experimental 

 Farm. Ottawa. 



The Mealy Bug on Coleus 



PROF. H. L. HUTT, OXT. AGRI. COLLEGE, 



GUELPH. 



I have a coleus which is covered with a small 

 insect that looks somewhat like aphis. The 

 insect seems to work at the joints, and also on 

 the leaves. The stem becomes colorless above 

 where they work. I washed the leaves in 

 water, then smoked it with tobacco, and 

 sprinkled on insect powder, all of which proved 

 useless. I am enclosing a leaf with a specimen 

 of the insect. Can you advise me how to de- 

 stroy the insect ? — (Agnes E. Smillie. 



The insect on your coleus plant is what is 

 commonly known as the Mealy Bug, a dis- 

 tant relative of the Aphis. It takes its food 

 in the same way, by sucking the juices of 

 the plant. The best means of getting rid 

 of these insects is to remove them by means 

 of a small brush, usually an old tooth 

 brush can be used for this purpose, and it is 

 well to dip the brush in strong soap suds, 

 which helps to destroy the insects when it 

 comes in contact with their soft bodies. 

 Care should be taken, to dislodge them from 

 the axils of the leaves, where they hide 

 themselves beneath a cottony covering filled 

 with wax, which they exude from their 

 bodies. 



Care of a Cedar Heds^e 



W. T. MACOUN, HORTICULTURIST, CENTRAL 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA. 



I have a cedar hedge, the bottom of which is 

 dying out. The growth is all going to the top. 

 Would it be best to put in young cedars to till 

 up the gaps or to take three feet off the hedge? 

 — (James Fleming, Port Hope, Ont. 



I would suggest a severe heading back, 

 but not back as far as the dead wood. This 

 would induce growth on the lower branches. 

 It w^ould also be advisable to fill up the part 

 with cedars, as this is a quick way to make 

 a hedge look well. 



The dying of the bottom of the hedge is 

 usually due to too much shading of the 

 hedge by large trees. If it is possible I 

 would advise giving the hedge more light, 

 providing that shading has been the cause 

 of the trouble. 



