Fall" Work^with the" Flowers 



WHEN October comes to tint all 

 growing things, it almost seems 

 as if nature wished to remind 

 man that we can still enjoy a vast 

 amount of bloom indoors during the win- 

 ter months if we would only pay a little 

 attention to the needs of our plants. 



Plants intended for winter blooming 

 indoors, which have been summered out 

 in the garden or on a shady corner of 

 the verandah, will now be indoors. Give 

 them all the air possible on fine days, 

 for the change from outdoors is a try- 

 ing one, no matter how vigorous the 

 plants may be. With proper attention 

 and atmosphere they should thrive, but 

 how few do at all well. Perhaps you 

 have tried to grow them and had your 

 disappointments, despite your best 

 efforts and attention. Perhaps you put 

 the blame on the furnace, presuming 

 that the gas killed them, as surely it 

 would, but it was not really the gas, 

 but lack of humidity in the atmosphere 

 of the rooms, which was the cause of 

 your failure. 



The active root hairs of a plant are 

 almost aquatic and must always be in 

 contact with an adequate supply of 

 water. 



The stem and leaves are aerial, but 

 their behavior and form are largely de- 

 termined by the water in the air; that 

 is, the humidity. The water supply is 

 used by the root hairs, while the water 

 loss is the result of evaporation by the 

 leaves. The humidity of the air exerts 

 a direct control upon the amount of 

 water evaporated by the leaves, and it 

 is evident that the evaporation will be 

 greater when the air is dry. If this 

 evaporation or water loss is greater 

 than the supply, curling, drooping, and 

 wilting of the leaves ensues. 



Even when you wa- 

 ter your plants faith- 

 fully, the excessively 

 dry atmosphere of the 

 house is apt to over- 

 work them, by draw- 

 ing up moisture 

 through the stem and 

 leaves, for dry heated 

 air will take up what 

 moisture it requires 

 from every possible 

 source. When you 

 consider that the hum- 

 idity outdoors on a 

 summer day is about 

 seventy per cent, you 

 will appreciate what 

 an unnaturally dry at- 

 mosphere obtains in 

 our homes in winter, 

 where if any water at 

 all is evaporated it 

 will be at the most 

 but a few quarts, 

 with a resultant hu- 



Henry Gibson, Staatsburg 



midity of about eighteen to twenty per 

 cent. 



By all means evaporate water freely, 

 both for your own good as well as for 

 that of your plants, by keeping a pot 

 or kettle of water steaming on the heater 

 or by pans on the radiators. Another 

 way to accomplish the same result is to 

 elevate your pots on empty thread reels 

 and All the saucers with water. Ele- 

 vated in this way, the air is able to pass 

 through the hole in the bottom of the 

 pot, which would not be the case if the 

 pot were stood in the saucer when it 

 was filled with water. 



PROTECTING THE OUTDOOR PLANTS 



If we would have the best from the 

 outdoor garden next season we must 

 give it some attention in the way of 

 mulching the various beds and borders 

 to help the plants withstand the rigors 

 of winter. While it is not advisable to 

 give any protection to the beds and bor- 

 ders until severe frosts are expected, 

 yet it is advisable to get the mulching 

 material ready. Strawy manure and 

 leaves, held in place with pine boughs, 

 make excellent material for this pur- 

 pose. 



As soon as the early frosts have cut 

 down the plants, clean them off, and 

 get out all the weeds. These latter 

 pests are sure to drop some seeds that 

 will give you trouble next spring. When 

 cleaning off the old stalks of the plants, 

 sever them four or five inches above 

 the ground. This allows them to ripen 

 better and prepare for the winter's rest. 

 Carry away the old rubbish that you 

 clean off and burn it. Don't use it for 

 protection during the winter, for it is 

 sure to contain larvae and cocoons of 

 insects, which would hatch out in the 

 warm days of next spring and give you 



lots of trouble, to say nothing of thi 

 damage to the plants. 



TREATMENT OF BULBS 



Gladioli, Dahlias, Cannas, Caladium, 

 and other tuberous subjects should be 

 lifted and placed in a sunny place for a 

 few days, when they should be stored in 

 a frost-proof shed or cellar until the 

 spring. When storing these roots and 

 bulbs, artificial heat must be avoided 

 or they will be spoiled. A temperature 

 of from thirty-eight to forty-five degrees 

 is the most suitable for these subjects 

 during the winter. 



Roses will require protection during 

 the winter. If they have made long 

 growths that are likely to whip with the 

 wind, cut them back about one-third of 

 their length. Protection may be afford- 

 ed (if the l>ed is a round one) by run- 

 ning a length of wire netting round it 

 and filling the centre with dried leaves, 

 on which may be put some pine boughs 

 or other brush to prevent them blowing 

 about. Another method applicable to 

 more isolated plants is to tie straw se- 

 curely round them and earth them up 

 around the base. Crimson ramblers and 

 other roses growing on walls should be 

 taken down and buried with soil to the 

 depth of a foot or more. 



Short Hints on Planting 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Gnelph, Ont. 



Do not begrudge labor in digging a 

 hole for planting any tree or plant. Dig 

 it deep and wide enough so that the roots 

 can be spread out nicely over a surface 

 of fine soil. Loosen the soil a spade's 

 depth below where the roots are to be 

 placed. The terminal points of all roots 

 should point downward or in a hori- 

 zontal direction, not upwards. Set the 

 tree or plant a little deeper in its new 



The Gladioli Grounds of Mr. A. Gilcbritt, Weit ToroDlo, Wbcre Hi* Cfasmpicn Glaulioli ar« Gi'awo 



242 



