THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



January, 19II 



January Notes for Amateur Flower Growers 



Frank Wise, Peterboro, Ont. 



treatment they have been getting in the 

 greenhouse. Syringe them with tepid 

 water once a day. This i.s better done 

 in the morning as it allows them time to 

 dry off before night. Do not subject 

 them to too great a change in tempera- 



January is the month when both the 

 professional and amateur gardener can 

 take a little time to review their work of 

 the past year and lay plans for another. 

 No matter how successful the gardener is 

 he can always see where he has made 

 mistakes and lay plans to avoid them in 

 the future. Then, also, no gardener, 

 however small, can get along without ex- 

 perimenting to some extent. We can 

 benefit partially by other people's experi- 

 ence, but conditions vary. This is es- 

 pecially noticeable in the different kinds 

 of soil. Fertilizers that will help a crop 

 in one field will act the very opposite 

 in another, producing the same kind of 

 crop. Especially is this the case in the 

 heavy clay soil. Sandy and loamy soils 

 are not so susceptible to an overdose of 

 manure. Being porous, they can cast 

 off any surplus matter contained in it. 



If you are going to make any changes 

 to your home grounds now is the time to 

 make a plan, as it is far easier to work 

 when you have a sketch before you. This 

 is especially true if there are more than 

 one employed in the work. It will then 

 not be necessary to leave such constant 

 instructions with your workmen, which 

 of times are misunderstood or forgotten, 

 as a reference to the plan will ensure 

 against mistakes. 



You can also draw a diagram of your 

 kitchen garden, assigning the position 

 for your separate crops, leaving space for 

 new varieties. This you will find very 

 convenient as then you will not have all 

 your garden planted and find that you 

 have forgotten some particular crop and 

 have to sow it between the rows of some 

 other crop, or sacrifice some of what has 

 been sown. 



Do not forget to take the advice 

 given in last month's issue of The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist, regarding repairing 

 and replacing all tools. 



HOUSE PLANTS 



Your house plants will require atten- 

 tion to keep them from going back. It 

 will be necessary to watch the watering 

 very closely and not to overdo it. Some 

 of the readers of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist will have received plants for Christ- 

 mas presents. Most of these plants come 

 from the florists and will require special 

 care as greenhouse and house conditions 

 are as a rule entirely different. Green- 

 house plants are used to a moist atmos- 

 phere, which gives the foliage a soft ten- 

 der appearance. This is especially so 

 with a great many plants at this time, 

 as the florist has been using a little more 

 heat and moisture to get the plant as near 

 perfection as possible, so as to demand 

 the highest price obtainable. 



A good way to treat such plants is lo 

 give them as nearly as possible the same 



ture, but give them as near 60 or 65 de- 

 grees of heat as possible. Last, but not 

 least, do not water them until the 

 earth will crumble in your fingers, then 

 moisten them thoroughly. Do not allow 

 the water to stand continually in the sau- 

 cer. If these instructions are followed, 

 you will be more likely to keep your plant 

 alive instead of consigning it to the ash- 

 heap in the back yard in a week or two. 



ened twice a week for a few weeks, after 

 which once a week will do. A good plan 

 is to take it to the sink and give it .i 

 shower bath with a small watering can. 

 A frequent sponging with soapy water 

 will be beneficial. 



Do not water until the plant become^ 

 dry. Most palms do not dry out very 

 quickly owing to having been fresh pot- 

 ted or having poor drainage. If when 

 watering the water should remain on tht- 

 top of the pot, the earth has either be- 

 come baked or the drainage clogged. To 

 overcome this, take a pointed stick and 

 loosen the top earth in the pot. Turn up 

 your pot and clean out the hole left for 

 drainage by pushing your stick two or 

 three inches up into the pot. If this 

 should not remedy the trouble it will oe 



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A SiUcr Trophj Fleww anil Vegetable Gardes, at Moi'real We>t, Quebec 



This garden owned by A. P. Horner, of Montreal West, now of Calgary, Alberta, won the first prize 

 in 1909, in a garden competition conducted by the local horticultural society. 



Examine your palms and ferns for 

 scale. A little soapy water applied 

 once a week will prevent the attack of 

 this insect, and will also be beneficial to 

 the health of the plant. 



Most house plants will be benefited by 

 a little fertilizer in some form at this 

 time as it will encourage bloom in flow- 

 ering and growth in foliage plants. Should 

 you not have any of the plant foods ad- 

 vertized, a mixture of one part of nitrate 

 of soda pulverized, three parts bone flour, 

 and six parts Harris' Blood and Bone 

 can be used, giving a tablespoonful to n 

 four-inch pot and stirring it into the top 

 half inch of soil with a pointed stick. 



TEEATMENT OF PALMS 



The house treatment of palms is very 

 simple and takes but little time. If you 

 have received some palms as a gift, you 

 must consider where your plants came 

 from. A palm house is kept at a humid 

 temperature of from 60 to 70 degrees, and 

 the plant receives a syringing every 

 bright day. This need not be done to 

 your palm until it has become accustom- 

 ed to its surroundings. It must be moist- 



as well to turn out the plant and take 

 the old drainage material out (if it has 

 any). Wash it and place it back again. 

 Palms should not be repotted too 

 frequently. They will often remain in 

 one pot and thrive for years if given ;. 

 frequent watering with manure water or 

 a little concentrated plant food. 



Look over your winter bulbs that were 

 potted and placed in your cellar. Some 

 of them may require watering. Bring 

 up any that are making growth and treat 

 them as advised in the last issue of The 

 Canadian Horticulturist. 



Treatment of Narcissus 



What w-iild vou recoTiinend to do with 

 a giant w')ite narcissus bulb that has been 

 grown in ne'/bles and water since last fall 

 and that flowered at Christmas? How long 

 sViould it be kept in water? — R. McL., 

 Stratford. 



Narcissi bulbs which have been grown 

 in pebbles and water as mentioned are 

 of very little use for flowering purposes 

 again', as this method of growing weak- 

 ens the vitality of the bulb. If allowed 



