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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



August, 191 1 



The Summer Care of House Plants 



E. F. Collins, Toronto, Ont. 



THE care of such plants as are usu- 

 ally found in the home, is some- 

 times a source of much worry to 

 the amateur gardener or housewife, es- 

 pecially when the said housewife wishes 

 to go away for one or two weeks-end 

 excursions. It is then either a choice of 

 letting the plants die or getting a neigh- 

 bor to take care of them. 



Many plants will keep moist long 

 enough to go even a week without atten- 

 tion if treated in the ri^t way. In the 

 case of the ficus or rubber plant, aspid- 

 istras or ferns, dig a hole in some shady 

 spot in the back garden, plunge the pot 

 into the ground a little below the sur- 

 face, pack the soil lightly around, and 

 then thoroughly saturate the plants and 

 surrounding soil with water. Should the 

 water drain away too readily, place three 

 or four inches of decayed leaves or moss 

 over the top, and around the plant, close 

 to: the stem, and you will find that it will 

 not need watering for a wee'< or more. 

 All palms can be treated in the same 

 way. In fact, they will be greatly bene- 

 fited by the outside treatment. 



EB-POTTING 



If any of the plants mentioned are pot- 

 bound or full of roots, repot them into 

 pots two sizes larger. That is, if they 

 are in a four inch pot, place them in a 

 six inch pot, or from a six inch into an 

 eight inch, and so on. In this way there 

 is no danger of over-potting. When re- 

 potting, be sure to use plenty of drain- 

 age in your pots. Place one piece cf 

 crock over the hole, then about one-half 

 inch depth of small broken pieces or clean 

 cinder, and then a thin layer of moss or 

 rough pieces of leaf soil. Then your 

 pot is ready for the plants. Be sure to 

 pot fairly firmly by ramming down the 

 soil with a piece of stick so as to leave no 

 vacant space between the ball of soil. 



All the begonias usually found in the 

 house can be treated in this way except 

 that in potting use more decayed leaves 

 and do not make the soil quite so firm 

 as for palms or rubber plants. 



Many plants on balconies and veran- 

 dahs suffer from lack of moisture by the 

 pots being exposed to the drying winds. 

 This can be avoided by placing the pots 

 into larger pots, vases, jardinieres or rus- 

 tic stands, and packing the space between 

 with spagrum moss, and then keeping 

 it thoroughly saturated with water. 



GIVE SOME FEETILIZEE 



Plants require some stimulant during 

 the summer, when they should be grow- 

 ing. If they are not re-potted during the 

 season they ought to have some fertilizer 

 twice a week, such as a top dressing of 

 sheep or cow manure, and then frequent 

 watering. Clay fertilizer dusted on the 



surface and then watered is most bene- 

 ficial. The amateur gardener should al- 

 ways remember that during the hot dry 

 weather the tax on the strength of 

 plants is like it is on the human system. 

 Evaporation is so rapid through the 

 lungs of plant life that unless plenty of 

 moisture and food can constantly be sup- 

 plied through the roots, plants become 

 stunted, they show a poor color and 

 growth and eventually die. 



How to Destroy Them 



The common little red ant, which 

 makes tiny hills on cur walks and in the 

 grass, can be destroyed by pouring a 

 little gasoline in each hole. Half a tea- 

 cupful to a teacupful will suffice for from 

 three to six holes. Do not be afraid to 

 use plenty of gasoline, in order to reach 



the queen or queens which lay the eggs. 

 This liquid, however, will kill grass or 

 plants where it comes in direct contact 

 with them. 



The large mounds out of doors, each 

 of which is occupied by hundreds of ai. 

 can be easily treated with bisulphide 

 carbon Make eight or ten holes with ■■■ 

 cane or croquet stick, about eight inches 

 deep, in each mound. Into each hole 

 pour a good tablespoonful of bisulphide 

 of carbon, closing each hole with earth, 

 and then throw a couple of wet burlap 

 sacks over the hill, leaving them over 

 night. One might have to do this twice, 

 or until the queens are killed. 



While ants, when seen climbing up 

 apple trees, or shrubbery and plants, 

 generally do not directly injure the plants, 

 since they are for the most part after the 

 lice, which give up to them in response to 

 their caresses, some honey dew, of which 

 ants are very fond, nevertheless the black 

 ant sometimes girdles and kills shrubs 

 like the lilac and snowball. When ants 



MifBolia SoaUngtua in BI*om at St Catkariact 



This beautiful tree stands in the grounds of Mr. E. A. Lancaster, M.P., St. Catharines. Some 



idea of its size may be obtained by comparing it with the photograph of Mr. Lancaster. 



Jr., who stands beeide it and who is six feet tall. This Magnolia wae planted by Mr. G. W. 



Hodcette, Vice President of the Horticultural Society, who formerly owned the property. 



