Augusl, 1914. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



»93 



Seasonable Paragraphs for the Gardener 



ON'T stop cultivation in the flower 

 or vegetable garden now. Keep 

 the soil loose and the weeds out. 

 That the garden may look its best, 

 :k the flowers constantly ; pansies, 

 eet peas, poppies, and roses especially. 

 he best time to pick flowers is in the 

 orning and evening when the sun is 

 ot bright and the plants are fresh. 

 Trim the hedge, but do not give a 

 vere pruning. 



It is time to make up lists of tulips 



nd other bulbs that are to be planted in 



uantity this fall. Send to some of the 



rge importers of bulbs for their cata- 



ogues. Tulips, crocus, and daffodils do 



well outside. 



Blight, a fungus disease, is liable to 

 cause trouble this month. For the large 

 garden, spraying with bordeaux is the 

 best remedy. The most common formula 

 is four pounds of lime, four pounds of 

 copper sulphate, and forty gallons of 

 water. Dissolve the bluestone in a fairly 

 large quantity of water, slake the lime 

 separately, mix the two solutions, and 

 dilute to required quantity. 



For the small garden the most con- 

 enient remedy for fungus diseases is to 

 powder the leaves with flowers of sul- 

 phur or a mixture of flowers of sulphur 

 and lime. 



Would you enjoy the novelty of a few 



i^^trawberries during the winter? Putsome 



l^fclants in pots, plunge the pots out of 



^^oors, and bring them into the house 



in the fall. 



The old blackberry and raspberry 

 canes should he cut as soon as fruit- 

 ing is over. At the same time the young 

 growth should be pruned back to a con- 

 venient height, say three and one half to 

 four feet. Next year's crop will be in- 

 creased by judicious pruning. 



August is the insect month. Dusting 

 i^-^he plants with lime is the safest treat- 

 l||^vient for cabbage worm ; poisons are too 

 'dangerous. Arsenate of lead is becom- 

 ing popular as a poison spray ; it sticks 

 10 the foliage well. 

 Cultivation of bush plants should soon 

 ease. If you have a fair-sized patch, it 

 s good practice to sow a cover crop ; 

 ye is suitable. Another plan is to give 

 a mulching of manure. 

 , Strawberries may be planted now if 



IHtohe soil is in good condition and moist. 

 "^^For raising very choice berries, on'e me- 

 thod is to set the plants one foot apart 

 each way and trim off all runners. Every 

 four rows a row may be skipped to leave 

 a path. 



Red raspberries are propagated by 

 suckers which rome up around the old 

 plants. These may bo taken up in the 

 autumn, heeled in during the winter, 



and set out in a permanent bed the next 

 spring. 



Have you ever considered the advan- 

 tages and pleasure that even a simple, 

 cheap greenhouse offers? Read carefully 

 the articles in this special greenhouse 

 number. 



If you have a hotbed, cucumbers can 

 be sown now and they will fruit in early 

 winter. 



The late sown crops should be given 

 every opportunity to grow. Thin pro- 

 perly and cultivate. 



If you intend taking a crop of straw- 

 berries from the old bed next year, cut 

 olf the runners and trim the plants a 

 bit. 



Give the garden every opportunity to 

 do its best by applying nitrate of soda or 

 hen manure. 



Bring carnations indoors to pots, 

 boxes or benches in the greenhouse. 



Rubber plants can be increased now by 

 binding some moss about the stems and 

 keeping them moist. When the roots form 

 cut the stems below the moss and pot 

 the new plants. 



Autumn blooming crocuses, if planted 

 now, will bloom this fall. 



Bulbs of Madonna lily, a beautiful, 

 hardy, white lily, should be planted. 

 They will make a small growth this fall, 

 but no injury from frost will result. 



Black raspberries and dewberries are 

 propagated by layering. The tips of the 

 • canes are bent over to the ground and 

 covered with dirt to a depth of about 

 four inches as soon as the fruiting sea- 

 son is past. 



Celery is a moisture-loving plant. See 

 that it gets plenty of moisture. . 



If you have not a cold frame or a 

 hotbed, now is a good time to build one. 

 Vegetables planted in the cold frame 

 now can be enjoyed in the late fall. 

 Next spring the cold frame can be util- 

 ized as a hotbed. 



Geraniums for winter flowering should 

 now be potted. Plunge the pots in the 

 garden where they may remain till early 

 in September. Keep all bloom buds pick- 

 ed off' in the meantime. When plung- 

 ing the pots out doors, place a flat stone 

 underneath them so earth worms cannot 

 get into them. 



Seed of pansies should be sown early 

 in flats for planting out in cold frames in 

 September to winter over in the green- 

 house or conservatory. These will flow- 

 er early in spring. 



If you have not yet done so, now is 

 a good time to plan the flower arrange- 

 ments for next season. 



To rejuvenate old geraniums that are 

 in pots, cut back where the stems are 

 getting woody. Keep the soil about 

 them moist. When there are signs of 

 growth, remove from the pots, cut the 

 roots back by half, and put in smaller 

 pots. When five or six leaves have de- 

 veloped, repot in large pots. 



It pays to put vegetables and fruits in 

 clean, neat and attractive packages that 

 are to go on to the market. Two small 

 well-graded and well-packed packages 

 often bring double what the same amount 

 will bring in a large package. It does 

 not cost much more to pack in the 

 smaller package. 



Th* Home oF Dr. Geo. Bennett, Preiident St. Thomai Horticulture! Society 



This residenoe secured tliiwl urize for tloral beauliflcation in a oonleet conducted laM, year by 



the Society 



