April, 1922 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



91 



QUESTION BOX 



W. E. Groves 



Chinese Lily After Flowering. 



Can a Chinese lily be kept for a second 

 year after flowering?— M. E. C, Dunnville, 

 Ont. 



To avoid disappointment it is always 

 best to throw out the old bulbs and 

 start with fresh stock. 



Cultivating Smilax. , 



How shall 1 cultivate smilax?— M. E. C, 

 Dunnville, Ont. 



This is usually' grown in rich soil by 

 the greenhouse men, the small plants 

 previously raised from seed being 

 planted a few inches ap£Crt and strings 

 provided for support. Young plants 

 give the best results and it may be that 

 the plants covered by the question are 

 getting old and had better be discarde'^.. 

 Smilax is easily raised from seed and 

 if the plants are potted on as required 

 in good soil and sticks or some other 

 support provided, there should be no 

 difficulty in securing good strings. 



Hyacinths. 



My hyacinths come up with five or six 

 small spikes of flowers instead of one largo 

 one? Do I put them into too large pots? — 

 F. A. P., Port Rowan, Ont. 



There are a few varieties of hya- 

 cinths that frequently throw up more 

 than one ilower, and these are usually 

 know to the bulb dealers. When pur- 

 chasing it is sometimes possible to de- 

 tect these by the bulb formation. It is 

 not likely that over-potting or any cul- 

 tural treatment is the cause, and the 

 best thing to do is to take note of the 

 varieties acting in this way and be 

 Of -"fill to try some other kinds. 



Making Dahlias Bloom. 



Dahlias planted last spring grew five to 

 six feet high, but only a few plants 

 bloomed. Why?— H. P. R., Owen Sound, Ont. 

 Sound, Ont. 



It is hardly possible to deal fully 

 with dahlia culture within the limits 

 of a reply such as this. The causes 

 of failure have to be found either in 

 soil, position or general treatment. The 

 fact that the plants grew five feet high 

 proves that the soil is good. Might it 

 not have been manured much too 

 heavily? This is possible even though 

 the plants revel in a good soil. The 

 enquirer's own statement that the 

 roots, planted in a sunny position, 

 bloomed well suggests another pos- 

 sible reason for failure. Were the 

 plants that did not bloom in the shade? 

 The best results are usually obtained 

 by planting in the open . Whilst 

 watering is necessary, it is easily pos- 

 sible to give too much. It is unwise 

 to keep the plants in a constant state 

 of moisture. It never hurts a plant to 

 get dry; the damage is only done 

 when we allow it to stay dry, and 

 there is a great temptation when water 

 is easily obtainable to turn on the hose 

 every day, with no useful results. 

 Another possible cause of failure may 

 be insect pests. Earwigs are very fond 

 of dahlias, and where they are preva- 

 lent will keep every bud eaten off 

 unless caught. Some simple system of 

 trapping usually succeeds. 



Growing English Violets. 



Kindly srive some information regarding 

 growing English violets, as to .soil and gen- 

 eral treatment. Will they winter in the 

 open In Western Ontario and will they blos- 

 som here? Can the seed be successfully 

 germinated by amateur? What variety 

 gives best results? — M. F. A., Glanworth, 

 Ont. 



The English violet should not be dif- 



^^ilt to grow, if a fairly sheltered and 



^^vtially shaded position is provided. 



■(rood loam with the addition of a little 

 bone-meal, if available, is the soil to 



.-use. Seed may be germinated, but pro- 

 pagation by division or by runners i.s 

 80 much quicker in results that either 

 of these is the better method to follow, 

 tluless the plants are in a naturally 

 protected spot some winter pretection 

 should be given. P'or outdoor growing 

 it is best to stick to the old type Viola 

 odorata, rather than the better varie- 

 ties. 'Wliile such kinds as Princess of 

 Wales are much finer, they lack the 

 hardiness of the older kinds and unless 

 own indors are not satisfactory. 



scale would possibly injure the plant. 

 A simple wash is made of ^soap and 

 water, about two ounces to a gallon of 

 water and used at a slightly warm 

 temperature. A frequent spraying with* 

 this solution followed by washing with 

 clear water should help considerably. 

 A little later, new leaves will begin to 

 show and if the spraying i»kept up as a 

 preventive, there should not be much 

 further trouble. In spring give a little 

 fertilizer to secure a strong healthy 

 growth. 



Rubber Plant Losing Leaves. 



"My rubber plant is losing its leaves 

 one by one. They become dark spotted 

 and fall off. What is the cause and remedy?" 

 — R. A. H., London, Ont. 



The plant may have become too wet, 

 or have been kept in a dark part of 

 the house. Gas might be responsible, or 

 cold would also produce the condition 

 described. The enquirer will know if 

 either of the last two reasons apply. 

 If not, it is more than likely that too 

 much water and bad drainage causes 

 the damage. If the plant stands in a 

 jardiniere it is necessary to guard 

 against allowing water to remain in 

 the receptacle. This not only sours 

 the soil, but affects the general aera- 

 tion necessary to plant life. See that 

 drainage in the pot is good, and water 

 carefully during the dull days. Give 

 all the light possible, and lieep the 

 plant away from draughts. 



■ 



Ivy with Scale. 



Could you tell me what is wrong with the 

 sample of ivy I enclose? — L. B., Owen 

 Sound, Ont. 



The leaves have been apparently in- 

 fested with scale. The plants are likely 

 in pots or tubs and should be cleaned 

 as well as it is possible. The scales have 

 to be loosened and washed off. Any in- 

 secticide strong enough to kill the 



Starting Formosa Lily Bulbs. 



When and how shall I start Formosa 

 lily bulbs, and care for them after they 

 have started growth?— J. D., Niagara Falls. 

 Ont. 



Lilium bulbs should be potted much 

 the same way as followed for hya- 

 cinths. The soil would be improved 

 if a little leaf-mould were added. Pot 

 the bulbs so that they are just level 

 with the soil, and it is wise to keep 

 the soil at least an inch below the top 

 of the pot. Liliums root out freely 

 on the top of the bulb, and by follow- 

 ing this method a little top dressing 

 can be given, which is a great help. 

 There is no need to keep these bulbs 

 in the dark, as in the case of hyacinths. 

 They should be kept cool until the 

 pots' are fairly full of roots, after 

 which a warm room or window can be 

 provided. The only pests to look out 

 for are aphis, which can be easily 

 cleared with a weak solution of soap 

 and water. 



Madonna Lily. 



When the foliage of the Madonna Lily 

 has died in the fall, what treatment is 

 needed to get the foliage growing in Sep- 

 tember? Should the bulbs be lifted, cured 

 and planted again in August? — C. L. T., 

 Dutton, Ont. 



Just why new foliage is needed in 

 September is not quite clear, but the 

 less these lilies are disturbed the better. 

 They usually form two sets of leaves a 

 year, the first for the support of flower 

 stems and the latter for the manufac- 

 ture of new bulbs. The best success is 

 usually secured by leaving the bulbs in 

 the ground and not disturbing them 

 until they get over-crowded or are ex- 

 hausted. If new foliage is made in the 

 late summer, it is well to try and avoid 

 smothering when mulching for the 

 winter. A small branch thrown over 

 before the mulch will prevent this. It 

 is almost impossible to buy these bulbs 

 in the fall quite dormant, and if not to 

 be planted until spring, it is possible to 

 keep them fresh in a box of soil in a 

 cool cellar for early spring planting, 

 even saving the green foliage through 

 the winter. 



Prizetaker onions should be started 

 in the greenhouse or hotbed, if large 

 onions are wanted. 



