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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



March, 1913 



unscrupulous fertilizer salesman or else 

 has "attempted" to do his own mixing! 

 Speaking as a Nova Scotian and one who 

 credits himself with at least an average 

 practical and scientific knowledge of all 

 kinds of commercial fertilizers, I would 

 strongly advise all Ontario farmers, and 

 in fact all those desirous of increasing 

 their yields, to lose no time in taking 

 advantage of the benefits to be derived 

 from the use of these materials, and 

 would impress upon the reader the neces- 

 sity of doing his own thinking and not 

 letting a man who is prejudiced against 

 the use of fertilizers influencing him. 

 Let us hear from someone else ! 



Making Geraniums Bloom 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Guelph, Out. 



For two yeara past my young geranium plants, 

 in fact they are large plants, refu-se to bloom. 

 I have tried all I know to make them do so.— 

 H. L. 



The main reason for healthy geran- 

 ium plants not flowering are that they 

 are being grown in unsuitable soil, or 

 have insufficient light and sun, or a too 

 dry or gas-laden atmosphere, or an ex- 

 hausted soil. Soil that is composed 

 very largely of humus or leaf mould will 

 often cause this trouble. This leaf mould 

 or black soil from underneath trees of 

 itself is not suitable for geraniums, or 

 indeed for but very few pot plants. It 

 induces a too rank, soft growth that 

 does not produce flowers. 



The best soil for geraniums — in pots 

 especially — is a soil composed of three 

 parts of well-rotted, fibry-rooted, tough 

 sod about four inches thick, cut from 

 loamy soil where the grass is short, en- 

 riched with one part of well-rotted barn- 

 yard 'hnanure or cow manure. These 

 materials should be piled up out of doors 



six or eight months until they are de- 

 com]K)sed and ready for u.se. 



If the soil where the sod was taken 

 from is of a very light, loamy nature, 

 no sand for lightening or tempering the 

 soil will be necessary. One part of fine 

 sand mixed with ten or twelve parts of 

 the loam mixture will be an advantage 

 if the sod was taken from a clay loam 

 soil. This comp)ost if propverly prepared 

 will suit almost any pot plant, especi- 

 ally geraniums. Loamy garden soil, or 

 loamy subsoil from underneath sod, mix- 

 ed with the proportion of sand and fer- 

 tilizer given will make a fairly good 

 substitute soil for pot plants. 



Saucers of water placed around and 

 under the plants will improve conditions 

 when they are due to a too dry or gas- 

 laden atmosphere. Saucers or pans of 

 water on the radiators, or a steaming 

 kettle on the stove will be a great help. 

 The dry atmosphere of most dwelling- 

 houses is often the main cause of trou- 

 bles with house plants of all kinds. For 

 a plant that has become too full of roots 

 and the soil exhausted, repotting the 

 plant into a larger-sized pot, or an ap- 

 plication of some liquid fertilizer, are 

 the best remedies to apply. If the plant 

 has become tall and unsightly looking, 

 it is best to treat it as described farther 

 on in this article. 



RENOVATING OLD PLANTO 



Large plants will probably have to 

 undergo a process of renovation before 

 they will flower successfully. This is 

 done by cutting the plants back severely 

 to a part of the stem where the wood is 

 moderately hard and woody, and by re- 

 moving nearly or quite all the remain- 

 ing foliage. Keep the soil barely moist 

 until the young growth starts, which 

 will usually be in four or five weeks 

 from cutting back. Then take the plant 

 out of the pot, remove the whole of the 

 old soil without injuring the roots. Cut 

 off nearly half the length of the roots, 

 and pot the plant into a very sandy soil 

 in a one or two size smaller pot. Use 

 half sand and half potting soil with 

 some broken pieces of flower pot for 

 drainage. This is called "potting 

 back," and is done, to get a new root 

 system started. 



When the plant has developed young 

 shoots with five or six large leaves on, 

 and the root system is well started, re- 

 pot the plant into a two size larger pot 

 in good potting soil, as described in the 

 first part of this article. Place nearly an 

 inch of broken flower pot or similar ma- 

 terial in the bottom of this larger pot 

 for drainage. Do not disturb the roots 

 of the plant in the operation, qnly to 

 remove the old drainage. Pack the soil 

 fairly firm when repotting the plant. 

 Water the plant well once and set in a 

 not too sunny window for a time, tem- 

 perature 'about sixty-five degrees. Do 



not give it too much water until well 

 started into growth, keeping the soil 

 moist but not too wet after the first 

 watering. Later on more water can be 

 given . 



When the soil in this large pot has 

 become exhausted, and the pot fairly 

 filled with roots, give it some liquid fer- 

 tilizer once every week or two. "Bon- 

 ora," sold at seed stores, is a good fer- 

 tilizer for pot plants. Old geraniums in 

 pots that have become tall and unsight- 

 ly looking can be renovated at any sea- 

 son of the year by the method described 

 when proper conditions can be given 

 them. For spring and summer flower- 

 ing the plants may be cut back from 

 now on. For winter flowering it is best 

 to cut them back in July or August out 

 of doors, taking them into the window- 

 early in September before frost. 



The Fuchsia 



H. Gibson, Fergnt, Ont. 



One of the best summer flowering 

 plants is the fuchsia. A well-grown 

 specimen is a sight worth going a long 

 way to see. 



Easy to cultivate and of extremely 

 rapid growth, it is a plant that is well 

 suited for windows or for the decoration 

 of the verandah in the summer. They 

 do extremely well exposed to the free 

 air in the latter position, but care should 

 be taken to protect them from strong 

 winds, as the branches are brittle and 

 easily broken. An eastern aspect is the 

 one to be preferred ; the sunshine of the 

 early part of the day suits it much better 

 than that of midday. Placed in a west- 

 ern position the leaves will curl as if 

 scorched under the influence of the af- 

 ternoon sun. 



The month of March is the best time 

 to start the fuchsia into growth. Bring 

 them from the cellar or other frost-proof 

 place in which they have been stored 

 for the winter, put them in the light, 

 and give water in small quantities, in- 

 creasing the supply as the plants show 

 signs of growth. As soon as it can be 

 ascertained where the new branches are 

 going to be, cut away at least half of 

 the old top. Repot as soon as a sturdy 

 growth is assured, using a soil comjxjst 

 of loam, leafmould, and a liberal addi- 

 tion of sand. 



As the pots become filled with roots, 

 they should be mov'ed on to a larger size 

 so that the plants are not checked in any 

 way. A large specimen will require a 

 ten-inch pot. Young plants should be 

 potted on, as they fill the pots with roots. 

 Older plants will not require moving on 

 as often. 



A plant which keeps up its reputation 

 as an annual fit to stand any kind of 

 weather is the corn flower (Cyanus 

 Minor.) 



