THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Editioii. 



I LETTERS to EDITOR j 

 Growing California Poppies 



Editor, Canadian Horticulturist: 



Someone asks in your valuable paper how 

 to grow California poppies. Thsse have 

 done veiy well for me. Let the seed ripen 

 thoroughly before piclcing. Prepare a shal- 

 low box with good garden soil, press it 

 down with the hand and have the soil 

 damp. Scatter the seed (for it is very fine) 

 sparingly. Sift a little fine soil over the 

 seed. 



In order to avoid hardening the ground 

 when watering place a piece of tissue paper 

 over the box and water through it. The 

 seeds will not come up if the soil is hard. 



When the young seedlings have grown the 

 fourth leaf, transplant in a shallov/ box, pre- 

 ferably an old wash basin which contains 

 good garden soil. Water gently so as not 

 to injure the young seedlings with the 

 weight of the water. 



About the middla of May transplant to a 

 border, lifting the young plants out with a 

 teaspoon. This is where the shallow 'lm» 

 is of advantage, as you can press your 

 spoon down to the bottom. Your plant thus 

 stands a better chance of living, for they do 

 not like to be moved. Take as much earth 

 as possible of each plant and without dis- 

 turbing the roots. 



Once started, California poppies are quite 

 hardy. In the winter they should be covered 

 with some litter. Plant in the shade of a 

 tall plant or about 15 feet apart in the 

 border. They have a striking appearance 

 and this balances up the Ijorder. Place 

 white near them so they will be modified. 

 —Mrs. A. S. Flood, Smith's Falls, Ont. 



Gardening in Gape Breton 



Editor, Canadian Horticulturist: 



I have never yet seen in The Cana- 

 dian Horticulturist anything, either in 

 picture or writings, from this little island 

 of Cape Breton, which forms the southern 

 point of the great Gulf of St. Lawrence and 

 the northern point of the province of Nova 

 Scotia. 



We have a pretty late spring, owing to 

 the drift Ice from the north, but when once 

 the growing season sets in, in the month of 

 May, vegetables certainly drive ahead. 



Potato planting generally takes place on 

 or about the 24th of May, but we cannot set 

 our cabbage, cauliflower or tomatoes with 

 any degree of certainty before June 10th. 



I must certainly compliment you with 

 regard to The Canadian Horticulturist, for 

 It is a neat, interesting, and instructive 

 magazine. Interesting I know it must be 

 to the up-to-date gardener and very Instruc- 

 tive for the amateur like myself. 



I have had great success with cabbage 

 this season in my garden, due solely to the 

 advice I received through your paper. I 

 have been troubled previously with club- 

 root on my cabbage, and scab on potatoes, 

 but this season I dipped my seed in corro- 

 sive sublimate 1 oz. to 7V^ gallons of water 

 for two hours, then I added another two and 

 a half gallons of water to the solution and 

 used it on my cabbage plants for club-root. 

 The result was, my potatoes were free to 

 a large extent from scab, and I had very 

 little club-root among my cabbage. I 

 watered my young cabbage plants with this 

 solution four days after planting,, and gave 

 them two more doses at intervals of ton 

 days apart. I believe if I had followed up, 



aa per Instructions, with a fourth watering 

 with this solution I should have eliminated 

 this disease altogether. I had cabbage that 

 went over 15 pounds, and lots that went 11 

 and 12 pounds in weight. 



I take great pride in my garden, and sup- 

 ply ourselves with vegetables all the year 

 round. We have a piece of land 150 ft. by 

 70 ft., which is like a small park during the 

 summer months. The forward half is given 

 over to the house and lawn, trees and flower 

 beds, while the other half I devote to vege- 

 t;ible growing. 



You seem to use mostly pictures of gar- 

 dens around Toronto, Hamilton, and towns 

 in that vicinity, but I suppose it Is because 

 your readers are failing to supply you with 

 pictures of their gardens elsewTiere in this 

 great Dominion. However, I always admire 

 your pictures, and must say there are some 

 lovely gardens around Toronto and Ham- 

 ilton. — John Taylor, Sydney Mines, Cape 

 Breton. 



Receptacles at Exhibitions 



Editor, Canadian Horticulturist: 



I note the letter in your last issue on the 

 subject of receptacles at exhibitions. As I 

 happen to be the only recent contributor to 

 mention the matter In your columns, it is 

 natural to conclude that I am the un- 

 conscious offender. With your permission I 

 will develop the subject, of exhibitions in a 

 future Issue when I may have something 

 further to say about receptacles. 



My one reason for writing now is to 

 definitely disclaim any intention to dis- 

 courage small societies, an intention quite 

 unnecessarily, implied in the communication 

 signed by Mrs. Potts. Those who happen to 

 know me and the work I am trying to do. 

 will not need this disclaimer. A number of 

 readers, however, are not burdened with 

 my acquaintance, and it is for these particu- 

 larly that I make the statement. — W. E. 

 Groves, Hamilton, Ont. 



HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETIES 



Hamilton 



THE December meeting of the Hamilton 

 Horticultural Society was held re- 

 cently, J. A. Webber, President, being 

 in the chair. A poor attendance greeted the 

 speaker. Miss Mary Yates, the President of 

 the Ontario Horticultural Association for 

 this year. Her subject was "The progres- 

 sive policies of the Ontario Horticultural 

 Association." With a vision and an outlook 

 that was refreshing as W3ll as new. Miss 

 Y^ates in an exhaustive address freely criti- 

 cized some of the work and methods of the 

 organization over which she presides and 

 suggested for consideration many new lines. 

 She sounded a necessary note of warning 

 against what she called the spoon-feeding 

 of Horticultural Societies by the Depart- 

 ment and asked for a higher and altogether 

 more worthy outlook. In this connection 

 she suggested the appointment of an associa- 

 tion finance committee to laKe in hand the 

 raising of necessary funds for various de- 

 velopments being considered. Miss Yates 

 gave a glowing account of the joint exhibit 

 at the Canadian National Exhibition, prais- 

 ing very much the self-sacrificing work of 

 those who gave their time to the effort. The 

 exhibit was visited by Lady Byng who con- 

 gratulated the association on its success in 

 staging the fine display. 

 Lack of registration facilities as well as 



opportunities for testing new plants were 

 spoken of and also the lack of efficient 

 judges for our shows. Miss Yates evidently 

 was unaware of the work being done in 

 each of these directions by the Canadian 

 Florists' & Gardeners' Association or she 

 would probably have been a little less 

 critical. 



A suggestion to arrange for a real Provin- 

 cial Show in different cities of Ontario was 

 warmly advised, the speaker estimating that 

 some finances were already in sight and 

 left no doubt in the minds of the audience 

 as to the possibility of raising the neces- 

 sary funds. 



The address was practical as well as 

 visionary and the Ontario Horticultural 

 Association might well be congratulated 

 upon having at its head a lady whose out- 

 look is wide and who obviously feels that 

 the organization has boundless opportunity 

 for extending and developing its work. A 

 cordial vote of thanks was given Miss Yates 

 on the motion of the chairman. 



St. Thomas 



AN executive meeting was held on De- 

 cember 6, at which it was decided to 

 snnd a formal invitation to the Ameri- 

 can Gladiolus Society to hold its 13th show 

 and to the newly-formed Ontario Gladiolus 

 Society to hold its first annual exhibition 

 in this city In August, 1922. 



Plans for an energetic membership drive 

 were made, to be conducted along lines 

 adopted in the organzation of tho Chamber 

 of Commerce which proved so successful. 

 Dr. Bennett urged the necessity of a strong 

 organization. With an enthusiastic drive, 

 he felt confident that the present member- 

 ship, which is about 3,000, can be Increased 

 about 50 per cent. 



A committee of committees was appoint- 

 ed at the suggestion of Trustse Conley, who 

 declared that the society had been leaving 

 too much work for Dr. Bennett and the 

 working secretary. The organization has 

 developed to a point where a management 

 committee is absolutely necessary In order 

 that all departments may receive proper 

 attention. The committee will receive sug- 

 gestions from the members and act on them 

 either by the formation of other working 

 committees or individually, thus relieving 

 the president of many duties. 



An encouraging report was submitted on 

 the financial standing of the society. 



Some time ago the society took up the 

 matter of the further extension of the 

 Michigan Central Railway Park System, be- 

 ing beautified and controlled by the society. 

 The support of the C. P. E., who have run- 

 ning rights, was also sought. Landscape- 

 gardener Winegar, of Montreal, and Claims 

 Agent Price have investigated the proposed 

 plan and were both much surprised. They 

 will report favorably on the proposed plan. 



The best grafting wax I have used is made 

 as follows: Melt together 16 ounces of 

 common resin (pow^dered) eight ounces of 

 metholated spirits and 1% ounces of olive 

 oil. Apply with a small brush. In a few 

 days it will set hard on the grafted part. 

 The melted wax keeps in a liquid state for 

 several days and can always be remelted. 

 It is cheap and good. — The Gardeners' 

 Chronicle. 



l^wn trees of the poplar species are not 

 satisfactory for extensive planting, fores- 

 ters state. Their extensive root system 

 may lead to the filling of sewers, tile 

 drains, cisterns 'and cellars with fibrous 

 roots. : 



