198 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



August, 1913 



sowing'. Sow the seed thinly and press 

 evenly into the fresh soil. Cover with 

 clean sand to the depth of one-quarter 

 inch or less. Water thoroughly, and 

 cover up the frame. 



For five or six days it must be kept 

 dark. As a prevention against the 

 "damping off" fungus, dust powdered 

 sulphur on the sand at the rate of one 

 ounce to a three by six foot sash. No 

 more water will be needed until the 

 plants are above ground ; be sure to takt 

 off the dark covering as soon as they 

 are up. As a means of protection 

 against heavy rains and too hot sun, 

 cover the frames with two thicknesses of 

 black mosquito netting. The plants can 

 be watered through this netting, and in 

 bright hot weather should be given a 

 shower every afternoon. 



TBANSPLANTING 



In about six weeks the plants will be 

 ready for transplanting, which should be 

 done as soon as two complete leaves 

 have been developed . Set in rich, mel- 

 low soil, six or eight inches apart each 

 way. Keep clean, and before severe 

 freezing sets in cover with a few leaves 

 and pine boughs or, if kept in the frames, 

 with cotton cloth, the object not being 

 to keep the plants from freezing, but to 

 prevent alternate thawing and freezing. 



There are two beautiful and easily 

 grown flowers that should be planted 

 now if you would add their beauty to 

 your collection next spring. These are 

 the Madonna Lily and Spanish Iris. The 

 latter should not be confused with either 

 the popular German and Japanese Irises, 

 as it is quite distinct. It may be rather 

 early to procure these yet, but as soon as 

 they are to be obtained they should be 

 planted, for it is important that they 

 start growth this fall, in which respect 

 they differ from most fall planted bulbs. 



IN THE VE'^.ETABLE GARDEN 



In the fruit and vegetable garden, 

 too, there are several things that could 

 be attended to even in the dull and dusty 

 month. There may be a few weeds, 

 which have escaped the numerous hoe- 

 ings and weedings, that still remain un- 

 pulled. Don't leave them for a minute. 

 as they are not only robing the vege- 

 tables of valuable nourishment, but they 

 are producing thousands of seeds which 

 will give you more trouble by and by. 



Purslane, that watery-stemed pest of 

 midsummer, must be cleaned out as soon 

 as it appears, for it will develop seeds 

 long before you are aware of it. One 

 plant in rich soil will grow as big as 

 a bushel basket, and will ripen seeds 

 when only a few inches high. It won't 

 die ; it must be pulled out and carried 

 from the garden before you can be free 

 from it. 



Now is the time to commence earth- 

 ing up the early celery in order to blanch 

 it. Before starting this work, see that 

 the plants have an abundant supply of 



moisture at the roots. Celery is natur- 

 ally a water-loving plant. An occasional 

 dose of clear soot water will be of bene- 

 fit to it. 



To make this, get a fair-sized barrel, 

 fill it with water, and place in it some 

 old soot (not fresh) in a bag. Tie a 

 weight to the bag to make it sink. Let 

 it soak until the water has cleared and 

 then use the clear water for the celery. 

 Before earthing, tie the tops of the cel- 

 ery with raffia to prevent the soil from 

 getting into the crowns of the plants, as 

 this would cause them to decay. 



PREPARING THE STRAWBERRY BED 



In the fruit garden the strawberry 

 patch may be made ready for next year. 

 Get a few dozens of good, strong plants 

 from your nurseryman, set them out in 

 rich soil, and keep all runners pinched 

 off. With mulching and proper care you 

 will have some of the finest berries next 

 summer that you ever saw. 



Grapes, too, should be looked after 

 at this time. If they are not developing 

 evenly, it is because too many bunches 

 have been left on the vines. If this is 

 the case they should be thinned. If only 

 a few bunches are grown and proper 

 spraying has been neglected, results may 

 be made more certain by "bagging" the 

 bunches with manilla bags. 



Then about that cold frame that you 

 have been going to build for so long. 

 Get busy at it now or get some one to 

 build it for you. Just think of the nice, 

 fresh, green vegetables that you could 

 be enjoying away along into the fall, 

 when the cold nights of late September 

 and the frosts of October have ended 

 the outdoor supply. Think, too, of the 

 advantage of getting four or five weeks 

 ahead next spring by having everything 

 in readiness for the preparation of a 

 hot bed. 



An Inexpensive Greenhouse 



Prof. E. M. Streight, B.S.A. 



THE modern greenhouse, artificially 

 heated, is an extremely valuable ad- 

 junct to a market garden. The pro- 

 fits arising from gardening under glass 

 are large when properly managed ; but 

 the initial cost of installing such a plant 

 is considerable ; so considerable that 

 many are deterred from the use of glass 

 even when convinced that it is desirable 

 and profitable. 



To the general grower or market gar- 

 dener whose business is not a large one, 

 we recommend the glass house or un- 

 healed greenhouse. A house of this de- 



scription was built on the Government 

 farm at Truro, N.S., a few years ago. 

 for the purpose of showing the farmer 

 boys that a few feet of glass might be 

 enjoyed by all, and that it was really 

 necessary on every farm. For the pur- 

 pose for which it was built it has worked 

 well . 



The house is twenty feet wide and 

 twenty feet long. The height at ridge 

 is ten feet, with six foot posts on north 

 side, and two feet eight inches on the 

 south side. The rafters on the north 

 slope are six feet long, boarded and 



A Strawberry Patch that Soon After being Photographed wa* Ruined by the White Grub 



This illustration of the strawberry field of J. W. Taylor, of Exeter, Ont., was obtained in Juno. 



1912, during the harvesting of a profitable crop. Four months later the white srub had created 



such de^aetation in it there were scarcely enough plants left to set a new bed. 



