114 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



dry afterwards. Caladiums like equal parts 

 of sand, leaf soil and loam, and plenty of 

 drainage in the pot. Tuberous begonias 

 succeed very well in ordinary potting soil, 

 enriched sandy loam. 



Cuttings of allamandas can be taken now 

 with every prospect of their striking root 

 easily. 



There is still time for cuttings of coleus 

 and similar plants for bedding purposes. 



Chrysanthemum cuttings started now 

 will often do better than if taken earlier, 

 especially if grown steadily on all summer. 

 If the plants are to be grown on benches in 

 the greenhouse all the summer — which seems 

 to be the popular and most successful me- 

 thod of growing them now — the cuttings 

 can be taken as late as May and will give good 

 flowering results. In fact bench grown 

 plants seems to be the only method of grow- 

 ing them, to successfully avoid the destruc- 

 tive fungous disease (Puccinia Hieracii) 

 commonly called "rust," that has played 

 such havoc of recent years amongst these 

 popular autumn flowers. Spraying the 

 young plants with a solution of sulphide of 

 potassium, made by mixing one-half ounce 

 of sulphide with a gallon of water, seems 

 the best remedy at present known for check- 

 ing this destructive disease. Picking off" 

 and burning the leaves on the first appear- 

 ance of the minute rusty-brown spots on 

 them, will also help to check its ravages. 

 The introduction of new seedling varieties, 

 the use of preventives, and careful culture 

 may perhaps be successful in eradicating 

 what promises to banish chrysanthemums 

 from our greenhouses as pot plants, unless 

 some remedy can be found that is more ef- 

 fectual than any known to plant-growers at 

 present. 



Carnations and violets suffered very badly 

 a few years since from a similar disease; al- 

 though not quite eradicated it is not as de- 

 structive as it was. 



The manv new and reallv erand varieties 



ofcarnations recently introduced have brought 

 these ever-popular flowers into even greater 

 prominence than at any time before in their 

 history. The immense and sweetly per- 

 fumed flowers of these new varieties cannot 

 help but make them acceptable to all flower- 

 lovers. Any of the following standard and 

 well tested varieties would be suitable for 

 the amateur grower, viz. : Mrs. Lawson 

 and Mrs. J. Dean, pink ; Flora Hill or 

 White Cloud, white ; Gen. Maceo, crim- 

 son ; Gold Nugget, yellow ; and Mrs. 

 Bradt, red and white striped. 



Cuttings of carnations should be potted 

 into 2^/2 inch pots as soon as rooted. 



Sow a packet of primula obconica grandi- 

 flora seed, and grow the plants on in the 

 house all the summer ; they are easy to 

 grow, and one of the most remunerative 

 of all the primula family. 



Seeds of annuals required for early flow- 

 ering should be sown now. Cosmos seeds 

 are best sown early to ensure getting full 

 returns from them before frost sets in. 



Ventilators at the top of greenhouse or 

 conservatory should be opened as often as 

 the weather will permit, so as not to allow 

 the temperature to get too high. A tem- 

 perature of 75° to 8o° in the day time, and 

 50" to 60° at night, is suitable for a mixed 

 collection of plants. A higher temperature 

 than this is not only injurious to many plants 

 but it induces a rapid increase of insect 

 pests. 



A slight shading may be necessary for 

 palms, ferns, etc., on hot sunny days, to 

 prevent scalding. 



Keep the floors well dampened, syringe 

 and water the plants early in the day. 



If you have room in the greenhouse, sow 

 some mustard seed, pressed slightly into 

 the top of some soil in a shallow box. 

 Water the seed and not cover it with earth, 

 it will give you a nice salad early in the 

 season. 



