July, 1913 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



177 



the most wholesome form of vegetable, 

 and healthful, and while the cabbage 

 and cauliflower are popular, we do not 

 see as many back gardens with a few 

 rows of them as there should be. A few 

 timely hints as to seed, soil and culti- 

 vation may be of interest and helpful 

 to some. 



As the time is past for sowing seeds 

 for early cabbage and cauliflower, get 

 seeds at once for your main or fall crop, 

 taking your choice from the three best 

 varieties which are for cabbage — Hen- 

 derson's Summer, Danish Ballhead, and 

 Glory. The latter is my favorite. Sow 

 the seeds thinly in a warm corner of 

 your garden a half inch deep, in rows 

 four or five inches apart. Leave the 

 seedlings until they show their second 

 pair of leaves, before planting them into 

 the space allotted for them. 



PEEPAMNG THE SOIL 



The preparation of the soil is vital, 

 although, be it understood that cabbages 

 like corn, will grow in almost any kind 

 of soil, but not to the perfection they 

 will on good soil. Clay loam is the 

 most suitable. In the event of your 

 soil being of a clay nature, endeavour 

 to get some sand to incorporate with 

 the clay, or if of a sandy nature try to 

 get a load or two of heavier soil. In 

 .'iny case it is essential that you have 

 some well decayed manure to dig in. 

 Dig the soil the full depth of your fork 

 or spade and turn in as much as three 

 inches of manure if possible, because it 

 improves the texture of the soil, while 

 the fertilizers do not. It also is invalu- 

 able for supplying the necessary humus. 



In the event of your being unable to 

 procure manure, use one pound of ni- 

 trate of soda to every four hundred 

 square feet of soil. Throw this on 



broadcast, raking it in before setting 

 out the plants. Set your plants out 

 about two feet apart each way so as 

 to give them a chance to get lots of air 

 and enable you to use the hoe for culti- 

 vating until you are stopped by the cab- 

 bages touching one another. It is very 

 necessary to continually cultivate,' espe- 

 cially in dry weather. 



INSECT BNiEMTBS 



The greatest drawback to cabbage 

 growing is the many different insects 

 which invariably attack the plant at 

 difl^erent times. The principal ones are 

 three in number, and include the cut- 

 worm, the cabbage maggot, and the 

 green caterpillar. The first two attack 

 the plants in their infancy and both at 

 the roots. The first gnaws the stem 

 right through and the second eats off 

 the fibrous roots, causing the plant to 

 wilt and die. Last of all comes the 

 green caterpillar, and just at a time 

 when the heads are fully formed and 

 you think that you are going to have a 

 good crop. 



One or all of the following remedies, 

 while harmless in themselves, are sure 

 death to the three pests mentioned : 

 A dusting of lime (air slacked) mixed 

 with equal parts of powdered sulphur, 

 put on with an old pepper box about 

 three or four times during the season 

 will do the trick. Scatter it on and 

 around the plant. Another good rem- 

 edy is a half-pound of pyrethrum pow- 

 der mixed with two pounds of common 

 flour, sprinkled on and around in a 

 similar manner. These remedies are 

 equally good for savoys and cauliflower. 

 Should you desire to grow some savoys, 

 Drumhead is the best. 



The cauliflower is the most highly ap- 

 preciated of the whole cabbage family 



owing to its most delicate flavor. There 

 is no reason why you cannot have as 

 good cauliflower as cabbage. The secret, 

 if it be a secret, of a most delicious and 

 tender cauliflower is to keep it growing 

 all the time by constant attention in the 

 way of cultivating and watering in dry 

 weather The cauliflower is the most 

 moisture-loving of the whole family. 



To make it an ideal head, it must 

 be properly blanched or bleached by tie- 

 ing or pegging the leaves up over the 

 top to keep the sun's rays off. You will 

 then have a beautiful snow white curd, 

 even, uniform texture, and the absence 

 of small green leaves sprouting between 

 the sections comprising the head. 



Spraying Potatoes 



M. B. Davis, B. S. A. Bridgetown, N. S. 



Spraying potatoes is an important 

 subject. This operation must be con- 

 ducted in a thorough manner to control 

 the potato bug and the potato blight. 

 The following spray is a good combined 

 fungicide and insecticide : Lime, four 

 pounds ; copper sulphate, six pounds ; 

 water, forty gallons, arsenate of lead, 

 two pounds. 



The foregoing mixture is made the 

 same as the four four forty Bordeaux, 

 and should be applied as soon as the 

 plants attain four or five inches in 

 height. Spraying must be continued as 

 the plants grow and produce new sur- 

 face for the ravages of the bug and the 

 blight. If you spray often and well, 

 nothing need be feared from either of 

 these diseases. 



A Simple Garden Tool 



0. L. Haviland, Boitcn, Ont. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 a berry pruner which I have used with 

 comfort and satisfaction. Upon think- 

 ing it out, I had one made by the black- 

 smith. It suits me better than the rasp- 



berry hook which is generally used, as 

 there is more draw to the blade and il 

 does not pull the cane enough to loosen 

 the roots of the adjoining cane. 



I had the shank turned up so as to let 

 the knife set flat to the earth, thus leav- 

 ing shorter stumps. The blade is six 

 to eight inches long, and is sharp for 

 its whole length. It can be made any 

 length. 



Currant bushes should be dusted with 

 white hellebore or paris green ; or spray- 

 ed with a decoction of hellebore, at the 

 first appearance of currant worms. 

 Thorough cultivation should be prac- 

 ticed at all times. 



