292 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



Collection of Freesias in pots. The florwers are very sweetly perfumed. 



window now. The leaves should be 

 sprayed or sponged every week or ten 

 days with water and the soil they are 

 growing in kept moist. If they do not 

 grow or flower satisfactorily give them 

 some liquid fertilizer every week or so. 

 One of the best fertilizers for pot plants 

 indoors in winter is Bonora. It is odor- 

 less and very effective as a fertilizer. 

 It can ibe purchased at seed stores. 

 Sterlingworth plant tablets and other 

 fertilizers to be had at seed stores may 

 be used for pot plants in winter. By 

 dissolving half an ooince of nitrate of 

 soda in a gallon of water, a good ferti- 

 lizer can be had for pot plants. Give 



about a teacupful of the solution to 



each large plant about every two weeks. 



Winter Flowering Cactus. 



The cactus known as Inch or Lobster 

 Cactus (Epiphyllum truneatum), is a 

 good flowering plant, as is also the 

 Christmas flowering cactus (phyllocac- 

 tus ackermani). These plants like a 

 warm place in winter. A dry atmos- 

 phere does not injure them as it does 

 many plants. Cactus plants must not 

 be kept too wet at the roots in winter. 



All pot plants that have a well grown 

 root system are benefitted by being 

 given a liquid fertilizer when the roots 

 become crowded in the pots and the soil 

 exhausted. 



A moist atmosphere is one of the 

 most imiwrtant factors in growing 

 plants successfully indoors in winter. 

 Too many people put the plants near 

 steam or hot water or hot air radiators. 

 It is a mistake to do so. Tlie super- 

 heated, dry atmosphere near radiators 

 is not good for plants, inducing as it 

 often does attacks of insect pests and 

 premature decay and discoloration of 

 foliage. This is more especially true of 

 palms, ferns, rubber plants and similar 

 foliage plants. Put saucers or pans of 

 water on the radiators or underneath 

 the plants, if possible, or keep a little 

 water in the saucers in which the pots 

 are standing. A steaming kettle or pot 

 of water on a stove in small houses is 

 also a great help to growing plants. 

 Sponging the leaves of all glossy leaved 

 plants such as palms, rubber plants, 

 etc., every week or so with clear water 

 is beneficial. A moist atmosphere and 

 a temperature of 50° at night and 60° 

 to 65° in the day time is warm enough 

 for all window and house plants. 



With the addition of a few primulas, 

 Chinese Primula and Primula mala- 

 coides, and a geranium or two, to the 

 plants mentioned, a bright and attrac- 

 tive window can be had all winter. The 

 preparation for a bright window should 

 be made in the late summer and early 

 fall months, to have the best success 

 possible. Plants must be grown, they 

 cannot be manufactured on short 

 notice. 



Fighting the Pests of House Plants* 



' ' To her window-garden my lady went, 

 Forlorn and lonely and sorely spent ; 

 Out from her garden my lady came, 

 Calm and gentle, with heart aflame. 

 Lessons of trust her flowers taught, 

 Patience to toil with hope and cheer. 

 Life has by love been dearly bought. 

 Heaven is watching, why yield to 

 fear?" 



THE commonest of all pests of house 

 plants is the aphis, green fly, or 

 plant louse; then comes the 

 minute black spider, which troubles the 

 rose and the calla ; the small red spider, 

 the scale louse, small white worms in 

 the earth, the mealy bug and the white 



fly- 



The white worm is found in soil 

 which, through being kept too wet, has 

 become stagnant — sometimes where too 

 much leaf mould has been used, or 

 where dead leaves and other trash has 

 accumulated on the top of the soil. A 

 teaspoonful of soot (from hard wood) 



• A paper read at the Manitoba Horticultural 

 Convention, Feb. 17, 1916. 



Miss Barbara Stratton, Stonewall, Man. 



in earth enough for a five inch pot will 

 make these insects feel unwelcome, 

 while at the same time it will increase 

 the depi;h of 

 color in pink 

 and crimson 

 flowers. Soot 

 tea is valuable 

 as a fertilizer, 

 and those who 

 use it say that 

 no worms ever 

 bother their 

 plants. One 

 point needs to 

 be noited here, 

 namely, t 'h a t 

 soot varies 

 much in 

 strength, and 

 an overdose in- 

 jures plants. 



Another rem- 

 edy for these 

 pest is lime 

 wsubeT. Take a 

 lump of unslak- 



ed lime about the size of your 

 closed fist. Drop this lump of unslaked 

 lime into an ordinary-sized bucket of 



Nothing brightens the home like a windorw of plants. Primulas, Callas, 

 Begonias and winter flowering bulbs are here shown. — Photo by W. Hunt. 



