December, 191 1 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



285 



The spring or early summer is the best 

 time to re-pot cactus and succulent 

 plants generally. Sandy soil not too rich 

 in fertilizer with a liberal amount ot 

 drainage material such as broken flower 

 pots and old mortar should be used for 

 drainage. All of this class of plants 

 dislike to be kept soddened with water 

 at the roots. This last named condition 

 often proves fatal to them. 



Forcing Lilacs in Winter 



Mri. W. F. Hardy, Oakwecd, Ont. 



Last winter I tried growing lilacs in 

 the house, as I 'had heard that they 

 could be made to bloom indoors quite 

 easily. As it will soon be the time of 

 year when branches should be brought 

 indoors for this purpose, I thought that 

 readers of The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist would be interested in learning of my 

 success last winter. 



I brought two good-sized branches in- 

 to the house on the last day of Decem- 

 ber. These branches were about five 

 feet long and about one and a half 

 inches thick at the base. I set each of 

 them in a bucket of water and placed 

 one near a window in the hallway and 

 the other some distance back from the 

 window in a warm corner of the same 

 hall, which was near a stovepipe. In 

 about three weeks' time nearly one hun- 

 dred buds were showing, and by the 

 middle of February they began to open 

 into flowers. The one near the window 

 did not come out as fast as the one 

 which was in the warmer situation, but 

 the flowers looked healthier and stronger 



Lilacs Blooming in Winter 



as they came out. The illustration shows 

 a few of the sprays which were cut 

 when tihe bloom was at its best. These 

 were cut just about two months after I 

 brought the branches indoors. They 

 would have doubtless been considerably 

 better but for the fact that some of them 

 were slightly frozen on a very cold night 

 when the fire happened to go out. 



A Pleasing Portion of the Floral Exhibits at the Recent Horticultural Exhibition in Toronto 



My Favorite Flower and How I Grow It* 



A. V. Main, 



In spite of the great increase of flow- 

 ers of recent years, the geranium has 

 kept its ground. It is to-day more pop- 

 ular than ever, and I designate it my 

 "favorite" flower, for my garden with- 

 out it would be incomplete. It justly 

 deserves its place. As a bedding plant 

 for borders, boxes, vases, and flower 

 beds it is practically unbeatable. It is 

 a perpetual bloomer and free of insect 

 pests or disease, easily managed, simple 

 to propagate, greenhouse accommoda- 

 tion is not essential, and it is within the 

 compass of all to grow. I find Septem- 

 ber the most satisfactory month for pro- 

 pagation. 



PROPAGATION 



I would like to emphasize here that 

 we do not propagate enouglh. To keep 

 our plants in a young condition is the 

 secret of massive bloom and healthy 

 foliage. The cuttings or slips should 

 be good, sturdy, ripened growths that 

 have been made through the summer and 

 between three and five inches long, gen- 

 erally possessing three joints. With a 

 keen edged knife trim off the bottom 

 pair of leaves close to the stem, then 

 make a clean cut below tihe joint. Allow 

 the cutting several hours in which to 

 heal over the wound. Prepare some soil 

 put through a quarter-inch sieve, one 

 part leaf soil, one part loam, one part 

 sand, mix together, and fill two-inch 

 pots fairly firm with it, with a layer of 

 sand on the surface. 



The Chinese sacred lily is an easy 

 plant to handle, either in water or soil. It 

 will bloom in six weeks. 



•Rxtra-ct from the essay that wou first prize 

 in tlie competition held during the past summer 

 for prizes offered by Mr. B. B. Whyte, of 

 Ottawa, and Ur. Hermann SimmerB, of Toronto. 



Ottawa, Ont. 



First of all put some rough leaves or 

 fibrous turf in the bottom of the pot. 

 Before inserting the cuttings give the 

 pots a good sprinkling, using a fine rose 

 can. Put one, two and three geraniums 

 in a pot and about an inch and a half 

 deep. Have a small wood label in each 

 pot with the name of the variety, date 

 of insertion, and other useful informa- 

 tion. 



Set the pots rutside in a cool frame 

 on a bed of ashes, and use a glass sash 

 or window over them in case of rain 

 coming too early. Keep them moist and 

 shaded from sunshine, and also let them 

 have air to avoid decay, or the cuttings 

 becoming damp. In four to six weeU's 

 roots will be formed and repotting into 

 two and three inch pots, according to 

 their vigor, will be necessary. Use the 

 soil recommended for propagation. Put 

 the little plants, all nicely labelled, into 

 individual pots in a sunny window and 

 shade for several days till the roots be- 

 come active. 



WINTER TREATMENT 



In winter the best treatment is to give 

 them all possible light, water them about 

 once a week and clean off any bad 

 leaves. Turn the plants occasionally. 

 The temperature should not go below 

 thirty-eight degrees. In March pinch or 

 break off the top of the plant, to induce 

 side growths and then obtain a bushy 

 geranium. Repot into four and five inch 

 pots. Keep the plants well watered, and 

 admit air when possible at mid-day. 



Manure for hot beds should be uni- 

 form in composition and texture. 



