138 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



June, 191 1 



soil is moist, not when it is very dry or 

 very wet. This will stimulate the growth 

 and give the foliage a bright green, 

 glossy appearance, one of the main at- 

 tractions in these plants. It is scarcely 

 possible to make this solution too strong 

 for these plants, if the plants have ex- 

 hausted the soil they are in, and have 

 good root development. Discontinue the 

 use of the fertilizer about the end of July 

 to allow the growth to harden before 

 winter. The plants should be watered 

 liberally during the summer and sprayed 

 frequently with "water. 



Herbaceous Borders 



Arlhor E. Thatcher, ArneU ArboretDii Btslon 



In making a herbaceous border, if it 

 is to be permanent, it should first of all 

 be seen that the drainage is good, as 

 few except semi-aquatics will succeed 

 under water-logged conditions. The 

 border should be not less than six feet 

 in width, but much finer effects can be 

 produced if from eight to ten feet can 

 be allowed. 



A good background is always desir- 

 able, and two excellent subjects for the 

 purposes are climbing roses or a row of 

 sweet peas, but, of course, what to use 

 must be decided by the situation of the 

 border. Trench the soil in the fall to a 

 depth of two and a half to three feet, 

 incorporating plenty of decayed manure 

 or other enriching material, and leave 

 I he surface in a rough condition till 

 spring, so that the climatic effects may 

 sweeten the soil and render it in good 

 condition for working. 



Early in spring is the best time to 

 plant if the frost is out of the ground 

 sufficiently, and it is advisable, if one is 

 not well acquainted with the subjects, to 

 make a plan of the border beforehand, 

 showing whare each variety is to be 

 planted. Harmony of color is of great 

 importance and can only be obtained by 

 making a plan or having a good know- 

 ledge of the plants, and of equal impor- 

 tance is the arrangement. 



Tall-growing plants must, of course, 

 find positions at the back of the border, 

 but the mistake is not infrequently made 

 of carefully graduating the heights so 

 that the tallest are at the back and the 

 lowest at the front, just as one would 

 arrange geraniums on a greenhouse 

 bench. In this way plants lose their in- 

 dividuality, for much of the charm of 

 the border depends on seeing each sepa- 

 rately. The most effective arrangement 

 is obtained by planting some varieties in 

 groups and others as single specimens. 

 By having plants of medium height near 

 the front of the border, much greater 

 depth results and the general effect is 

 altogether more pleasing. 



Early flowering varieties should not 

 be too near the edge of the border, un- 

 less they retain good foliage till the fall, 

 and others which flower at a later sea- 



son should be in front of them, so that 

 no bare places are apparent. By a 

 judicious selection a succession of blos- 

 soms may be had from spring till late 

 in the fall, but to obtain such a desir- 

 able condition it is necessary to be well 

 informed about the large number at our 

 disposal and then they can be ordered 

 from the catalogues. 



r^i^^ 



The Crimson Rambler Rose 



Dr. Kalbfleisch, President of the El- 

 mira Horticultural Society, gives the 

 following information regarding the 

 cultivation of the rose shown in the ac- 

 companying illustration. "This rose was 

 planted in 1906. The hole was dug 

 large in order to go through the layer 

 of clay which had been thrown out of 

 the cellar some years previously. Good 

 garden soil was then filled in around the 

 plant, and it was mulch- 

 ed with strawy manure 

 and sprinkled well with 

 wood ashes. 



"On washdays the 

 whble plant is given a 

 supply of soapsuds, this 

 together with a liberal 

 use of cold water from 

 the waterworks hose 

 keeps the green aphis in 

 check. The rose bush is 

 taken down each fall 

 when the snow comes 

 and covered with about 

 four inches of coarse 

 manure. In the spring 

 I cut the last season's 

 wood back two feet, as I 

 find that I get better 

 bloom when the rose is 

 severely pruned than if 

 left to itself. 



"I consider the Crimson Rambler as 

 easy to grow as any vegetable ; any good 

 soil will do. Apply plenty of cold water 

 in dry weather, cover with a mulch in 

 winter, and prune severely in the spring. 

 The above is all th'at is necessary to 

 secure a good showing of flowers in 

 July and August." 



The Velvety Lawn 



In order to have a nice even lawn, 

 the most important thing is to prepare, 

 the soil thoroughly. Plow deep and 

 cultivate thoroughly, then plow, roll 

 and harrow again after having let the i 

 ground lay for a week or ten days. 



If the space is too small to plow, 

 work just as thoroughly with hand im- 

 plements. If rough, the land should be 

 fevelled with a .scraper and float drawn 

 with a team or else with a shovel and 

 hand rake. 



The ground should be covered with 

 a coat of well rotted manure and well 

 worked in. Before sowing, go over the 

 surface with a rake and pull off all 

 stones or lumps of dirt that cannot be 

 broken . Rake and roll until the ground 

 is perfectly firm. The easiest method 



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Crimson Rambl 

 dent 



Grass for a Shady Lawn 



A mixture of seed which is very satis- 

 factory for a shady lawn can be made 

 by using Kentucky bluegrass two parts. 

 Woodland meadow grass two parts, 

 various leafed fescue one part and crest- 

 ed dog tail grass one part. This mix- 

 ture makes about the best all around 

 grass for shady places that can be ob- 

 tained, and one \yhich will remain green 

 throughout a muoh longer portion of 

 the year than either the Woodland Mea- 

 dow or Kentucky blue grass. 



Trim the evergreen hedge just before it 

 starts in the spring. Never prune back 

 of the growing twigs. A hedge should 

 be clipped regularly each year. 



er Rose and Residence of Dr. Kalbfleisch, Presi- 

 of the Elmira Horticultural Society. 



of seeding is to buy the best mixed lawn 

 grass seed from a reliable seedsman. 

 Kentucky bluegrass alone will make a 

 good lawn. A good mixture is Red Top 

 Kentucky Blue Festuca Ovina and a 

 little White Clover. If the lawn is 

 shady use more Red Top. Sow broad- 

 cast on some very calm day. Earl\ 

 morning is generally the best time. Sow 

 it thick enough so that you can see it 

 scattered thickly on the ground, forty 

 pounds to an acre is none too much, but 

 the above guide will do for all practical 

 purposes. Rake the seed in as early as 

 possible. Many obtain the best results 

 by sowing a little barley with the grass 

 seed, but most people get best results 

 from sowing alone. 



Do not cut very low the first year. 



A lawn will respond readily to heavy 

 fertilization. It is a good plan when mak- 

 ing the lawn to apply five parts bone 

 meal, five parts acid phosphate, three 

 parts muriate of potash and two parts 

 tankage at the rate of five pounds per 

 square rod and work well into the 

 ground at intervals of three or four 



