May, 1922. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



115 



be planted in one end of the cold-frame. 

 The plants are set about four or five 

 inches apart in each direction, and an 

 abundance of water is given them. To 

 give the cress its natural condition a 

 little lime should be mixed with the 

 soil while preparing it or a tablespoon- 

 ful of lime should be put in each pail 

 pf water used for sprinkling the cress 

 bed. . 



The secret in producing tender cress 

 for salad is to maintain the plant 

 growth, and keep them cut back so 

 they will not produce seed. Cress is 

 especially recommended for use as a 

 salad where it can be combined with 

 some other salad such as lettuce, ro- 

 mane, or Chinese cabbage. It has a 

 peculiar, pungent flavor which, when 

 eaten alone, is a little objectionable, 

 but is is especially desirable when com- 

 bined with something else. 



Chickory is one of the finest of the 

 winter salads. The roots are grown 

 during the summer, and then dug in 

 the fall and placed in the cellar in 

 boxes of most sand, the roots being 

 placed rather close together in the box 

 with the crowns or tops near the sur- 

 face. A covering of straw is placed 

 over the box, and the soil around the 

 roots kept moderately watered. Fresh, 

 oung leaves will be formed beneath 

 he straw, and as they are grown in 

 comparative darkness, these are white, 

 crisp and tender. 



Before planting rose bushes budded 

 or grafted on the briar or manetti 

 stock, examine the plant carefully. If 

 there are any buds or young growths 

 to be seen below the junction of bud or 

 graft, cut them off close to the stem. 

 If left, they will be a source of annoy- 

 ance, and eventually destroy the rose 

 growth proper. 



O" 



QUESTION BOX 



W. E. Groves 



1 



Bulbs After Flowering. 



How shall one keep narcissis and hya- 

 cinth bulbs after flowering, and will they 

 bloom as well next season'' Are outdoor 

 hyacinths treated in the same way?— B. T, 

 P., Freeman, Ont. 



Both bulbs, after blooming, shoald 

 be allowed to dry off gradually. When 

 the foliage is completely dried, the 

 bulbs may be shaken out, cleaned and 

 stored in any cool, dry place until the 

 following September or October. Not 

 often are the blooms the second season 

 as good as the first, thus it is wise to 

 procure new bulbs for pot culture, 

 using those previously grown in pots 

 for garden planting. Bulbs already in 

 the gfound may be treated in the same 

 way, if they have to be removed to 

 make room for summer plants. They 

 may be left for two or three years be- 

 fore removal. 



Outdoor Window Boxes. 



What is the proper way to make an out- 

 side window box? — E.T.P., Freeman, Ont. 



So much depends on the kind of 

 window that general rules do not al- 

 ways apply. If there is a sill, the 

 length and width would naturally de- 

 termine the size of box. The front 

 could be made to slope outwards, mak- 

 ing the top of the box one or two inches 

 wider than the bottom. The depth 

 should be six to eight inches, this 

 being also a good size for width. A 

 couple of strips should be nailed on the 

 bottom to keep the box up an inch or 

 so from the window sill, and allow the 

 water to drain away. Holes about 

 three-quarters of an inch in diameter 



should be made at least every eight 

 inches along the bottom for drainage 

 purposes. It is presumed that the 

 question applies to the making rather 

 than the planting of a box. 



Transplanting Trees. 



How and when shall I transplant a num- 

 ber of small walnut and butternut trees 

 that have grown up beneath the parent 

 trees? In what is the best location to put 

 them till large enough to plant permanent- 

 ly? — R. A. F., Walkerton, Ont. 



These could be transplanted at any 

 time when the leaves are off. April, 

 early May or October are good months. 

 The transplants could be set quite 

 close together, say, twelve inches 

 apart, in rows in some spare-corner of 

 the garden, and, after a year or two, 

 may be given a little more room, or 

 planted in permanent quarters. 



Pine Bark Aphis 



TREES infested with pine bark 

 aphis may be cleaned by thor- 

 ough and, if necessary, repeated 

 spraying with kerosene emulsion, one 

 part stock solution to seven parts of 

 water or nicotine sulphate, 1 to 600 or 

 even stronger. 



Repeated sprayings with a strong 

 stream of water, when this is avail- 

 able, will assist greatly in removing 

 the cottony masses, and keeping 

 down the infestation. After a thor- 

 ough hosing the insecticide has a bet- 

 ter opportunity of reaching the in- 

 sects and efifecting more thorough 

 control. The stock solution of kero- 

 sene emulsion is made as follows: 



Kerosene (Coal Oil) — 2 gajlons. 



Rainwater — 1 gallon. 



Soap — y2 pound. 



Heat the water, cut the soap into 

 fine shavings and add them to the 

 water, stirring till all is dissolved, 

 then pour this into the kerosene and 

 churn the whole violently with a 

 syringe or force pump for about five 

 minutes or until a thick creamy emul- 

 sion is produced. This makes the 

 stock solution which as it cools 

 thickens into a jelly-like mass. When 

 required for use dilute with ten times 

 its measure of warm water. The 

 stock solution when perfectly made 

 will keep for months if kept from the 

 air. — Division of Botany, C. E. F., 

 Ottawa. 



Onion seeds should be so^vn just as 

 early as it is possible to get the land 

 into condition, as onioTis need a long 

 season of growth to bring them to ma- 

 turity. — W. T. Macoun, Ottawa. 



The MouUns are low shruli.s hranohlnc near the Kioimd, and bear manv large nowcrs In 



shades of red runnlriB to white. 



A deep, heavy, clay loam, well drain- 

 ed, is the ideal soil for cauliflowers. — 

 T. M. Mulligan, Harbord, Ont. 



