The Canadian Horticulturist. 373 



a condition to crumble away from the plants as soon as you stir them. When 

 you are ready to put them in the cellar, cut away the old tops to within six 

 inches of the root, and let them lie until the stalk shrivels up and seems per- 

 fectly dry. I think that most causes of failure to winter the dahlia well, arise 

 from stalks not well dried out. The moisture in the stalk is communicated to 

 the tuber, and decay sets in. I find it an easy matter to winter dahlia tubers 

 in any cellar where potatoes keep well. They can be put in boxes of dry sand, 

 or simply stored in open kegs with nothing about them. I also find that they 

 do best if the whole bunch of tubers is put away as dug. If broken apart in 

 autumn, the percentage of loss will be double that which arises from storing 

 them in a bunch. If your cellar is a damp one, it may be well to hang the roots 

 along the ceiling, where the air is dryest. 



Gladioli can be wrapped in paper, and kept in any frost-proof room more 

 satisfactorily than in the cellar, unless it is a very dry one. In one of even 

 moderate dampness, there is a tendency to mold. Such plants as the agapan- 

 thus and valotta can be stored in the cellar with perfect safety, and they are 

 better off there than in the window, for there they will be likely to make a pre- 

 mature growth because of too much warmth, but in the cellar they will stand 

 still, and when the time comes for blooming, in June, July, or August, they will 

 be all the stronger because of their enforced rest. But I would not advise put- 

 ting the amarylis in the cellar, for this bulb likes a good deal of warmth, and 

 there is a possibility that it may want to grow, which it cannot satisfactorily do 

 in such conditions, and whenever this plant starts to grow it should be encour- 

 aged to do so. 



Before putting plants taken up from the garden in the cellar, cut them back 

 at least one-half. In order to secure a plentiful crop of flowers next season, it 

 will be necessary to have a new growth of branches, therefore nothing is gained 

 by trying to save the old ones. When they are brought up next spring, you will 

 doubtless find that many of the branches left on them are dead, or partially so, 

 and another cutting back will have to be made. As soon as the new branches 

 start, it will be an easy matter to trim the plants into symmetrical form. Ole- 

 anders and hydrangeas that are wintered in the cellar should be kept very dry. 

 You will be surprised to see how well they come through with the soil almost in 

 the condition of dust. This is not to be wondered at, however, when you think 

 that the plants are in such a condition that there is no demand for water. They 

 are taking a winter sleep, the same as the shrubs in your garden out of doors, 

 and there the soil is in such condition that whatever moisture there happens to 

 be in it is not in shape to be made use of by the roots running through it. As 

 a rule, there is less danger from too little moisture than too much. — New Eng- 

 land Homestead. 



A Large Yield.^One Flemish Beauty tree, 20 years planted, yielded this 

 year twenty-five baskets of first-class fruit. The baskets held a peck and a half 

 each. The tree is owned by Mr. H. W. Anderson, Grimsby. 



