188 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



FloraJ EditioH 



stored in a dark place free from frost, 

 till a good root s^istem is formed, then 

 taken into the living room to force. 



The most important thing in forcing 

 bulbs is to see that there is a good root 

 system before bringing into the heat. 

 (A) and (B), show two bulbs with not 

 enough roots to force well. To get best 

 results the bulbs should have a good 

 root-system as shown at (D), and (G). 

 After taking inside all that is necessary 

 to get a good supply of flowers is to water 

 when necessary and keep the room free 

 from frost. 



«•»••*••■■ ■■•■ Q 



QUESTION BOX 



W. E. GROVES 



Transplanting Seedlings 



Are seedlings of annuals and perennials better 

 transplanted when rather small? What size 

 should they be and how soon after germinating 

 should they be transplanted? I thought I left 

 some seedlings in flats too long this season as 

 they did not seem to make growth after certain 

 age. — F. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



A general rule for transplanting seed- 

 lings is when they begin to make the 

 third and fourth, or rough leaves. Seeds 

 are often sown much too thickly with the 

 result that if they are not handled 

 promptly they become stunted. Thinner 

 sowing would allow for the plants to re- 

 main a little longer before transplanting, 

 but it is well not to leave the seedlings 

 longer than suggested above. 



Climbing Roses 



Is there any climbing rose not subject to dis- 

 ease. We have Excelsa and Dorothy Perkins, 

 both sujiposed to be mildew proof, but in spite 

 of spraying ours are covered each year. — Mrs 

 R. W. L., Wheatley, Ont. 



There are practically no roses that are 

 positively disease resisting, but Ex- 

 celsa and Paul's Scarlet Climber are more 

 free from mildew than any other. Spray- 

 ing with a soap and sulphur solution or 

 Sulphide of Potassium should go far to 

 keeping mildew away from the bushes. 

 Are they planted right in the line of 

 cutting winds? This will tend to develop 

 mildew as quickly as anything. 



Peonies 



Will peonies not bloom if planted in the 

 Spring?— Mrs. R. W. L., WheaUey. Ont. 



Whilst early fall is theoretically correct 

 for peony planting, the work can be done 

 in the spring with little or no effect on 

 the blooming. It must not be forgotten 

 that the peony divisions sent out by 

 nurserymen do not always bloom the 

 first year, and this applies to both fall 

 and spring planting. 



Propagating Sweet Briar 



How can one propagate sweet briar, to have 

 It growing in my garden. Digging up the roots 

 >s arather difficult undertaking.— E. G., CoUing- 



Sweet Briar should not be difficult to 

 propagate. Save some seed which should 



be sown as soon as ripe. The seeds 

 should be washed out and under these 

 conditions they germinate the first year. 

 Hardwood cuttings in the fall could be 

 tried or cuttings from nearly ripe wood 

 during the summer. These latter should 

 be put under glass and kept close. Root 

 cuttings made of pieces of roots three 

 inches long and planted two inches deep 

 in the spring is still another method. 



Cutting Asparagtis Back 



Should garden asparagus tops be cut back in 

 late summer or fall? When can old roots be 

 moved?— F. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



The correct time to clean off asparagus 

 tops is in the fall when they have got 

 quite brown. The usual method followed 

 is to clean up the bed at this time, giving 

 a dressing of manure for the winter, 

 Roots may be transplanted either in the 

 fall or spring. Care is nesecsary where 

 the roots are old to save as much fibrous 

 root as possible, and to avoid any drying 

 out. 



Primulas 



What causes leaves of Chinese primulas and 

 obconicas to curl and the blossoms to blight. 

 Would turning plants to light cause the curl? 

 — F. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



White fly, a bad primula pest would be 

 sufficient to cause the ciu-1 mentioned. If 

 the plants are clean the only other reasons 

 would be soil condition or starvation. 

 Watch the watering carefully, and give 

 a little fertilizer if the plants are at all 

 potboimd. 



Grevilleas 



Are grevilleas and Cyperus altemifolius diffi- 

 cult to raise from seed? How do they compare 

 with Chinese and obconica primulas? Have been 

 successful with them.— F. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



Neither grevillea or cyperus are difficult 

 to raise from seed. All that is required is 

 a fairly decent soil with a little patience, 

 especially in the case of grevillea which 

 comes up irregularly. Cyperus may easily 

 be increased from leaf cuttings if any old 

 plants are available. If the leaf is taken 

 off with about one inch of stem and in 

 some sand or light soil so that the leaf 

 rests on the soil, roots are readily formed 

 and young plants started from the crown. 



Blackberry Plants 



Please describe how to secure new blackberry 

 plants. — E. G., Collingwood. 



Blackberries are not usually difficult to 

 propagate. Suckers are often produced 

 in great numbers and these may be dug 

 out and transplanted singly. Root cut- 

 tings may be made from pieces of root 

 three inches long. These may be planted 

 in rows three inches deep, and grown in 

 this way fm- one season when they are 

 usually ready for planting in permanent 

 positions. 



room and have no insects. I never spray while 

 sun is on them.— P. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



A good fibrous loam is best with a little 

 leaf soil if loam is heavy. Error in water- 

 ing may account for leaf curl. The 

 plants should not be allowed to get dry, 

 and water should be kept off the leaves. 



Chinese Primula 



What is the best variotv of Chinese primula of 

 a compact growth?— F. B. D., Branchton, Ont. 



Compact primula is entirely a matter 

 of seed selection. The aim of all hybrid- 

 izers is to get plants with the flowers well 

 set above the leaves, and if seed is pur- 

 chased from any reliable seed house, it 

 should produce this kind of plant. The 

 section usually offered as giant-flowered 

 is the best. 



Transplanting Black Currants 



I have some young black currant plants, well 

 rooted from cuttings. Would you advise trans- 

 planting these to their permanent position this 

 fall or next spring?— E. G., Collingwood. 



The best time to plant black currants 

 is in the autumn though if this is not 

 convenient early spring is possible. The 

 only danger of delaying the planting Ues 

 in the fact that growth may have started 

 in the spring before it is possible to do 

 the work. If this occurs, growth the first 

 season is sometimes checked. 



Gladiolus Comas 



Should the outside husks be left on gladiolus 

 corms until time to plant? — F. B. D., Branchton, 

 Ont. 



In cleaning gladioli when in storage, 

 the old flower stem usually comes away 

 easily. There is nothing left then but the 

 old com which should be removed. The 

 loose skin does no harm but might easily 

 be rubbed off if wished. 



Gloxinias 



What soil is best for gloxinias? What causes 

 leaves to curlunder at the edge, and brown spots 

 on leaves? They are in the east window of sun- 



Bowling Green 



"We are planning a bowling green 80 by 90. 

 How much seed would we require? Also what 

 kind of seed? The cold in winter here goes to 

 14° and 16° below zero. What fertilizer should 

 we use? — J. T., Sydney Mines, C.B. 



One to one and one half bushels is a 

 good quantity to use. This may appear 

 more than necessary, but for your pur- 

 pose, a thick growth is the object, and 

 nothing is gained by sparing the seed. 

 In sowing it is wise to go over the area 

 twice for the sake of more even distribu- 

 , tion. To make this doubly sure it is 

 worth while to divide up the space into 

 say 10 lots, dividing up the seed in the 

 same proportion. A good mixtm-e from 

 any reUable seed firm is much the best 

 to use. In ordering, state for what pur- 

 pose the seed is to be used. 



Bone meal is perhaps the best fertihzer. 

 A dressing of this could be harrowed in 

 before sowing. It is safe to use on grass 

 at any time. In the district named, basic 

 slag should be easily procurable. This is 

 a good grass food, but being slow in 

 action, it is best to apply in the fall. If 

 in the following spring a light dressing 

 of nitrate of soda is given good results 

 are secured. 



