116 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition 



TheCanadianHorticulturist 



Published by The Horticultural 

 Publlihing Company, Limited. 



The Canadian Horticulturist Is published 

 the flrflt of each month in two editions, as 

 follows: 



FLORAL EDITION. 



Devoted to the Interests of amateur horti- 

 culture — landscape gardening, floriculture, Irult 

 and vegetable gardening — and to the work and 

 progress of Horticultural Societies. 



Subscription Rates. — 60 cents a year; H.OO 

 for two years. 



FRUIT EDITION. 



Devoted entirely to the interests of commer- 

 cial fruit and vegetable growers — official organ 

 of Ontario Fruit Growers' Association and of 

 Niagara Peninsula Fruit Growers' Association. 



Subscription Rates. — Jl.OO a year; JZ.OO for 

 three years. 



POSTAGE— FOREIGN AND TORONTO. 



For foreign subscriptions to either edition, 

 add 50 cents a year extra for postage. For 

 subscriptions to the United States and In the 

 City of Toronto add 25 cents a year. 



Advertising rates, circulation statements and 

 «ample copies free on request. 



Communications should be addressed 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST, 

 Peterboro, Ontario. 



HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETIES 



London 



OLD Father Time has brought the 

 spring around to us again with its April 

 showers and May flowers. What a 

 grand place this old world is after all. Ana 

 there is nothing like getting down to the 

 garden and turning up a few fishworms for 

 good exercise and an appetite thrown in for 

 good measure. Now I want to talk about 

 the L.H.S. Those letters stand for Liondon 

 Horticultural Society, and hereafter, when 

 your many readers see these letters, they'll 

 know that they stand for the largest horti- 

 cultural society in Canada. We even have 

 St. Thomas, the suburb of Lpndon, beaten 

 for the first time in history and we intend 

 to keep on doing it. Congratulations, eh. 

 Dr. Bennett? He's a pretty good head, and 

 he'll be glad to hear this bit of news. 



The memberships are coming in fine — 

 more new ones than old ones. By the time 

 this Issue is out our spring premiums will 

 have been distributed. These will be well 

 worth looking after, six Peace and six Flora 

 .gladioli. These are two excellent varieties, 

 the first a Canadian production by H. H. 

 Groff, Slmcoe, Ontario, and the second a 

 good Holland production. 



The fall premium has not yet been de- 

 cided upon, but will be shortly when the 

 premium committee gets time to meet 

 again. Members can still pay their 1922 

 dues and get this spring's premium at 

 Morgan's or Dominion Seed Co. 



Do not forget the American Paeony 

 Show to be held in our Armories next 

 month. It's going to be the best ever. Just 

 think of it, the American Paeony Society 

 going to hold its show in London, Canada, 

 in June. This is the first time it has ever 

 been held in Canada, and the first time in a 

 city of less than 500,000 people. '"Nuft 

 said."— E. Wyatt, Sec'y. 



N.B. — The L.H.S. not only gives its mem- 

 ibers spring and fall premiums, but this nice 

 monthly magazine. Figure it out, and see 

 if It's not worth while joining the L.H.S. — 

 E. W. 



Hamilton 



The Hamilton Society has just issued its 

 spring flower show prize list. This will 

 be held in the armories on June 21-22. 

 The usual Show will also be held in the 

 autumn. At this two unusual competitions 

 will be listed, one for "garden photographs" 

 the other for a "leaf collection." In the 

 first, three classes have been provided: 1, 

 before and after views; 2, three garden 

 views, (all different); 3, a single plant or 

 group of one variety of flowers. 



For the leaf collection Dr. D. G. Storms. 

 President, is giving three prizes of $15, $10 

 and $5. to the pupils of the public, private 

 and separate schools of the city for the best 

 mounted collection of leaves of our native 

 and cultivated trees. 



Belleville 



The Belleville Horticultural Society was 

 recently reorganized, elected officers and 

 prepared plans for the coming year. It was 

 found, however, that it did not quite conform 

 to the Horticultural Act. Accordingly an- 

 other meeting has been held since, at which 

 the necessary changes were made. The 

 society is planning this year under the 

 leadership of President T. Blackburn, to 

 make its work mainly» educational and the 

 acquirement of funds. The membership is 

 now over five hundred. 



Welland 



The Welland Horticultural Society, which 

 has been practically dead for three years, 

 was re-organlzed on April 13, with the en- 

 thusiastic support of many prominent 

 citizens and flower lovers. The plans 

 which were put forward, have In view not 

 only the beautification of the 'homes of the 

 members, but of the town as a whole. B. 

 Coleman was elected president. 



Fertility in Garden Soils 



Manure is scarce in and around cities. 

 Commercial fertilizers must be depended 

 upon primarily for adding fertility to garden 

 soils. It pays to use the best grade of com- 

 mercial fertilizer. When the home gardener 

 buys fertilizers he pays for nitrogen, phos- 

 phoric acid, and potash, and if he can se- 

 cure the required amount of these elements 

 in a small quantity of material, so much the 

 better, as he will avoid the handling of a 

 greater weight upon which freight and 



other ccsts have been paid. A fertilizer con- 

 taining from 4 to 6 per cent, nitrogen, 8 to 

 10 per cent, of available phosphoric acid, 

 and 3 or 4 per cent, potash, is generally sat- 

 isfactory for use on home gardens. 



One pound to 30 feet of row is equivalent 

 to 500 pounds to the acre. One pound to 

 15 feet of row is equivalent to an applica- 

 tion of 1,000 pounds to the acre, and an ap- 

 plication of 1 pound to 8 feet of row is prac- 

 tically equivalent to 2,000 pounds of ferti- 

 lizer to the acre. 



Care must also be taken, in the applica- 

 tion of fertilizers, as there is constant 

 danger of burning the roots of the plants, 

 especially where the fertilizers are applied 

 directly In a row. The best results are gen- 

 erally secured where the fertilizers are ap- 

 plied and raked in a few days bdfore sowing 

 th^ seeds or setting the plants. In this way 

 they become more or less mixed with the 

 soil and there will be little danger of doing 

 the plants an Injury. 



Test Held Over Seed 



Some time soon, bring out the left-over 

 seeds and those saved from last year's gard- 

 en, spread them on a table, examine them 

 closely, and see how many are worth plant- 

 ing in the garden this year. As a rule, it 

 does not pay to plant old seeds, and unless 

 those left over from last year are in flrhc- 

 clasa condition, they had better be dis- 

 carded. Even though they look all right, 

 nothing but a germination test will d-^ter- 

 mine their value. The test may be made in 

 two or three ways, the easiest being by 

 means of a small box of sand In the window 

 or in a warm place in the house. From 50 

 to 100 seeds of each sample to be tested 

 should be counted out and carefully planted 

 in the moist sand. After the sprouts have 

 appeared another count can be made to de- 

 termine the percentage that have germi- 

 nated. If Ie.ss than 65 or 70 per cent, have 

 grown, the seed, by all means, should be 

 discarded. 



It is unwise to attempt to grrow such 

 vegetables as corn, squash, pumpkins, 

 melons or similar plants in a small garden, 

 they take up too much room. 



To grow asparagus successfully, the 

 ground should be deeply spaded, and well- 

 fertilized until the soil becomes rich and 

 fine. The young plants should be placed 

 four inches below the surface and 18 inches 

 apart. The stalks should not be cut the 

 first season 



Membership ticket used by the London Horticultural Society. 

 These tickets are made up in books. The stub at the left hand side Is retained by the can- 

 vasser, the second portion sent to the secretary with the fee, and the main portion left with 



the new member. 



