ebruary, 19 11 



THE CANABIAN HORTICULTURIST 



33 



suggest that women should hire them- 

 selves as men do, to work for others by 

 the month, but rather to show how eas- 

 ily a women with the ordinary business 

 capacity and the natural gifts necessary 

 for the success of horticulture can enter 

 a good profession, and be entirely her 

 own mistress. In these days when wom- 

 en go to college, and have agricultural 

 colleges open to them, there is nothing 

 whatever to hinder women from compet- 

 ing with the sterner sex, and becoming 

 experts in this profession. 



The highest salary a woman sten- 



ographer or teacher hopes to attain does 

 not exceed $100 a month, and it is not 

 too much to say that a good woman in 

 business for herself as a horticulturist 

 should at the least make $150 to $200 

 per month, as in addition to her regular 

 business she would soon be in great de- 

 mand for designing flower beds, and ad- 

 vising as to the laying out of grounds 

 generally, and for which part of her art- 

 istic work she can demand a fair re- 

 muneration, for brain work certainly de- 

 mands higher wages than mere manual 

 labor. 



Our House Plants in February 



H. E. Gould, Sussex, N, B. 



PLANT life, like the human, during 

 February seems to feel the approach 

 of spring. The lengthening days, 

 the brighter sunshine, all speak of the new 

 growth and life to come ; and a little 

 extra care becomes necessary as regards 

 our plant friends. They require a little 

 more water on the soil and much more 

 on the foliage than during the past few 

 months, and some hardier sorts will 

 (•\en begin to call for pot room. 



The palm during the darker months 

 has about stood still. The tips of the 

 lower leaves have browned a little. Clip 

 these to a point, following the natural 

 outline of the leaves, yet removing as 

 little of the sound leaf as possible. Wash 

 the foliage more frequently, once a week 

 at least, using plenty of Castile soap in 

 the water. (Don't use a cheap soap.) 

 If your palm is in a jardiniere scrub the 

 inside of the dish thoroughly with wash- 

 ing soda. Let it air out well in the sun- 

 shine before replacing the palm. This 

 treatment should be accorded to all your 

 jardinieres and other earthen receptacles 

 holding potted plants, about twice a 

 year, and more especially in February. 

 Look to the drainage of your plants. 

 .See that there are no worms in the soil 

 to cause that stagnant, wet condition so 

 fatal to plant growth. 



Stir the surface of the soil in your 

 palm pot with a sharp stick, using care 

 not to break roots, which are, however, 

 m the case of this plant practically near 

 the bottom of the pot. If you find that 

 there are any signs of roots appearing 

 thro i;. n the drainage the plant had bet- 

 ter be repotted. Use a pot one size lar- 

 ger only. Pack the soil about the old 

 ball of roots with a thin flat stick. Do 

 not disturb the lower portion of the old 

 ball of roots as you are very apt to break 

 the tap root, a .serious injury to a palm. 

 OAEE OF PERNS 



Your ferns, such as the small table 

 sorts, Pteris cristata, Polystichum, or 

 Hollyferns are beginning to look pretty 

 shabby, especially those on the dining 

 table. If they are very dry and forlorn 

 Jooking it is a thankless task to try to 



resuscitate them ; but if there are a few 

 leaves with other new ones showing 

 themselves, wash off some of the old 

 soil in warm water and remove the very 

 bottom roots (in pot-bound plants these 

 are usually dead), and repot in fresh 

 soil in as nearly the original sized pot as 

 possible. Keep in a shady window and 

 water sparingly until new growth ap- 

 pears. Spray the tops as often as you 

 can. • 



Your sword ferns must be watched 

 for insects. The scale and mealy bug 

 multiply rapidly from now on. Any good 

 scalecide, as advertised by seedsmen, is 

 of value ; or an old tooth brush, Castile 

 soap, and some spare time will soon 

 clean a plant. Cut off the runners that 

 appear over the edge of the pot. They 

 only sap the plant and do not add to its 

 ajipearance. Remove all unsightly leaves 

 and shower the plant as often as possible. 



SOFT WOODED PLANTS 



Geraniums, heliotropes, fuchsias and 

 soft wooded house plants should be over- 

 hauled during this month, straggling 



branches pruned back and the plants 

 generally trimmed to a compact shape 

 as a foundation for the spring growth. 

 Unless very much root bound so that 

 watering becomes difficult, it is better to 

 wait until March for repotting with this 

 class of plants, as there is danger in 

 starting them too soon. 



The daffodils should be at their best 

 from now on. These bulbs should be 

 saved if one has a garden. Just leave 

 them in the pots or pans after they have 

 flowered. Gradually withdraw water. 

 When dry put them aside in a cool place 

 until fall, when remove bulbs and plant 

 in the garden. They bloom the follow- 

 ing spring. 



Primroses of the Chinese type are now 

 in the height of their flowering period. 

 Don't allow water on the foliage or in the 

 crown of the plant, but apply water to 

 soil near the edge of the pot. A tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees and good light, 

 no sunshine, adds to the richness and 

 color of both their foliage and bloom. 



THE RUBBER PLANT 



Should you have a large rubber plant 

 which is getting too large for your room 

 or which is becoming one sided, this is 

 a good season to prune it. As this is a 

 plant that loses sap when cut to such an 

 extent as to injure the plant, you must 

 make a few preparations before remov- 

 ing the branches. Have a little melted 

 paraffin wax ready, just hot enough so 

 that you can put your finger into it, and 

 a very sharp knife. Cut off the branch 

 just above and close to an eye or joint 

 of leaf. Apply immediately the wax, 

 smoothing it down over the wood with 

 your fingers, putting it on until the sap 

 flow is stopped. A few days later, if it 

 looks badly, it can be removed with a . 

 knife. After the operation the plant 



Inctrnata Grudeflor* Bc|oai«> •> Giowa br an Amatcnr 



These begouiaa were grown by Mrs. W. D. Swazle, St. Catharines. These beautiful 

 bloom for three to three and a half months every winter. 



plaiiii 



