244 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



with Bordeaux mixture, when the blossoms 

 have fallen. Plums often suffer from at- 

 tacks of curculio, shaking- these pests into a 

 sheet spread under the tree, and then de- 

 stroying them, seems an effectual method of 

 disposing of these destructive insects. Grape 

 vines should be gone over and the shoots 

 pinched off about two joints above the small 

 bunches of grapes ; this should be done just 

 before or immediately after the grapes are 

 in bloom. 



Strawberries, and later on, raspberries, 

 will be welcome delicacies at the table. 

 Thin out the fruit of gooseberries and cur- 

 rants if heavily cropped, it will help the fruit 

 left on the bushes, as well as relieve the 

 anxiety of the housewife in supplying the 

 table, when, as a rule, empty preserve jars 

 are more plentiful than full ones. 



Vegetable Garden : Early peas and spin- 

 ach will soon be plentiful. Spinach is not 

 as generally appreciated as it deserves, as it 

 is a most healthful vegetable, easily grown 

 and very productive, it should be sown very 

 early in the season, late sowings are as a 

 rule valueless. 



Asparagus should not be cut after the 

 middle of June, keep down the weeds on 

 the beds, and let it grow until fall ; you will 

 have better asparagus than by cutting it late 

 in the season for table, very late cutting 

 weakens the crowns for next year's supply. 



Plant winter and savoy cabbage about the 

 20th, or as soon after as possible. Cabbage 



worms will soon be troublesome, several 

 remedies for these are recommended. Per- 

 sian insect powder (Pyrethum) mixed with 

 equal quantities of fine air-slacked lime, as 

 recommended in March, 1898, No. of Hor- 

 ticulturist, I have found to be very effective ; 

 the great difficulty is to get the powder fresh 

 and strong. For cut worms get a pointed 

 stick and search just under the surface of 

 the soil, near where it is carrying on its work 

 of destruction, or it can be caught on the 

 plants at night with the aid of a lantern. 

 Plant out leeks as soon as the plants are 

 large enough, treat the same as for celery. 



Plant corn, melon, cucumber, vegetable 

 marrow and squash seeds, the two last 

 named may be planted here and there in the 

 corn hills. 



Plant out tomato plants, the cut worm is 

 very partial to these. 



Sow a few Chinese, rose and the white va- 

 riety of radish for summer use. Radish 

 seed, of early varieties, may be sown with 

 white turnips, the black fly prefers the rad- 

 ish to the turnip ; this method may save 

 your crop of turnips, as well as perhaps 

 give you a few nice radishes for a relish in 

 hot weather. Keep the hoe busy, " a stroke 

 in time will destroy more than nine." Sur- 

 face stirring of the soil in very dry weather 

 helps the crops very materially. 



HORTUS. 



Hamilton. 



TAMARISK AFRICANA. 



^HIS pretty June flowering shrub has 

 a decidedly beautiful and unique 

 appearance on a lawn, being so 

 different in its habit of growth to 

 any of our early flowering shrubs. Its long 

 spikes of delicate pale pink flo>vers so densely 

 produced have earned for it the fairy-like and 



very appropriate title of the " Pink Mist 

 Tree." 



It is quite hardy in most localities in 

 Southern Ontario ; several fine specimens of 

 it can be seen growing on lawns in and 

 around Hamilton, one or two of which have 

 flourished for nearly half a century, without 



