June, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



'D.> 



I 



Chrysanthemums 



Wm. Hunt, O.A 



CHRYSANTHEMUM plants, whe- 

 ther plunged in the ground in pots 

 or planted out in the open garden, 

 require plenty of water at the roots, as 

 well as spraying to prevent insect pests. 

 The tips of the young growth from time 

 of starting of each shoot should be pinch- 

 ed off when the growth is about eight 

 inches in length. This "pinching off" 

 or shortening should be discontinued 

 early in July and the plants allowed to 

 grow after that. The last repotting 

 should not be later than the second week 

 in July. Early in September, or jjerhaps 

 late in August, the plants planted out 

 should be dug when the ground is wet, 

 and potted into large pots into rich soil. 

 Give them some shade for a few days or 

 a week. Keep the soil well moist at the 

 roots and spray the tops every day with 

 clear water. Those in pots should be 

 lifted and treated in the same way, 

 except that they would not require to be 

 potted. 



Keep the plants out of doors as late 

 as possible under partial protection, the 

 early white frosts will not injure them 

 if slightly protected at night. Take 

 them into the window toward the middle 

 of September so that they will not be 

 exposed to more than two or three de- 

 grees of frost. By protecting them on 

 cold nights, they may sometimes be kept 

 out of doors until quite late in the fall. 

 This is better than taking them indoors 

 too early. 



and Their Culture 



C, Guelph, Ont. 



The buds of the large flowering varie- 

 ties may be thinned when they are about 

 the size of peas if large flowers are 

 wanted. Thin out the smallest and 

 weakest buds here and there on each 

 branch or shoot. I do not advise dis- 

 budding to only one bud to a stem, for 

 amateurs. If this is done, leave the 

 largest and best buds near the top of 

 each stem or branch, what is known as 

 the crown bud. Pompons or single, 

 small flowering varieties are best not 

 disbudded at all. The Pompons make 

 splendid pot plants for the window. 



One of the best remedies for almost 

 all of the insect pests that attack chry- 

 santhemums is to fumigate the plants 

 with tobacco or hydrocyanic acid gas. 

 It is not possible for amateurs to fumi- 

 gate plants with these unless with spe- 

 cial conveniences. The next best rem- 

 edy is to spray the plants with strong 

 tobacco solutions or with kerosene emul- 

 sion. The last-named should not be 

 quite as strong as is used for fruit trees. 

 One of the best solutions I have found 

 is to make a kerosene solution by boil- 

 ing in two quarts of soft water, two 

 ounces of finely sliced common soap until 

 dissolved. Take it away from the fire, 

 and at once, while the soap solution is 

 quite hot, stir in half a pint of coal oil, 

 stirring it well for ten minutes, then add 

 three gallons of cold water and mix thor- 

 oughly with the soap mixture. Instead 

 of using water as last mentioned, the 



same quantity of water in which about 

 one half pound of tobacco leaf stems, re- 

 fuse from the cigar factory, or dried 

 tobacco leaves, or even a large plug of 

 smoking tobacco had been boiled, will 

 make the solution more effective. 



Apply the solution when cold in a fine 

 spray to the tips of the shoots for the 

 plant bug, and to the other parts infest- 

 ed with the insects, more especially to 

 the under side of the leaves for red 

 spider. Kept in a cool place the solution 

 will keep good for several weeks. Dust- 

 ing the terminal points of growth with 

 dry Pyrethrum Powder, dry, soft coal 

 soot, or tobacco dust when the foliage 

 is damp (not wet) after the kerosene 

 emulsion has been applied, is an addi- 

 tional remedy for the attacks of the 

 Tarnished Plant Bug. 



The Tarnished Plant Bug is a small 

 insect barely half an inch in length, of 

 a bronzy brown color. It punctures the 

 extreme point of growth, causing 

 "blind" or non-flowering growths. It 

 is very quick in its movements, especi- 

 ally in the heat of the day. It does not 

 seem to work very much in the shade, 

 and can be caught with the hand very- 

 early in the morning. Shading the 

 plants during July and August would be 

 beneficial. Spraying every day early in 

 the morning with clear or soapy water 

 through the hot weather is a good pre- 

 ventative for the attacks of all insect 

 pests. Sulpho-Tobacco Soap, to be had 

 at seed stores, is a good insecticide. 



Summer Care of Palms 



B. Tillett, Hamilton, Ont. 



After the apple blooms fall, place 

 palms outside in a sheltered position, 

 where they can be given plenty of water. 

 At this time, if they are not repotted, 

 bone meal should be worked into the 

 surface of the soil and a liquid manure 

 of bone meal given once a month or so 

 during the growing season. 



Both during winter and summer, 

 shower the leaves frequently with as 

 forceful a stream as possible, to prevent 

 scale and mealy bugs getting a start. 

 Keep the leaves and stems clean by wip- 

 ing off every once in a while with a 

 soft cloth and soapy water, syringing 

 with clean water afterwards. 



A Fir»t Prize Porch in a St. Thomas Competition: That of J. A. M'Cance 



Close to the house on the south side 

 is not a good position for a climbing 

 rose. The heat is too intense and con- 

 centrated in the summer to get good 

 roses. Insect pests are also induced in 

 this position by the heat. An east or 

 west aspect is the best for climbing 

 roses. The north side, if not too close 

 to the building, would do fairly well. 

 In any case, the roses should not be 

 trained too close to the house. A few 

 inches of space to allow for spraying and 

 circulation of air is best. 



