August, 1914. 



THE CANADIAN HOETIC ULT URIST 



197 



ALL gardens are now in full swing, 

 and should be attended to every 

 day. An hour or two each morn- 

 ing before breakfast is by far the best 

 time to do the work as one is fresh then 

 and can ido much more than in ftjie 

 evening, which time should be left for 

 watering. 



FIGHT THE APHLDE.S. 



This is the time to get after the 

 aphides, that little green inlsect that 

 comes on the roses and sweet peas. I 

 give here what Mrs. Ely in her book en- 

 titled "A Women's Hardy Garden" rec- 

 ommends as the best to use : 



"Put one cake of laundry soap shaved 

 fine into one gallon of water. When dis- 

 solved add two gallons of kerosene oil. 

 'J'his makes the emulsion. For spraying 

 one quart of the above emulsion in four- 

 teen gallons of water." 



Be sure that this is thoroughly mixed 

 before using. If you have not got a 

 sprayer use an ordinary whisk and whisk 

 upwards under the leaves and" around the 

 stalks of the plants. 



Now take a look at your Rudbeckia 

 (Golden Glow) and see if a red insect 

 has got on them. We will call them 

 red aphides, as I do not know their pro- 

 per name. They appear on the stems of 

 the plant just under the blossom. Kero- 

 sene emulsion will also kill these pests. 



I have also used a preparation which I 

 have found effective against the green, 

 red and blue aphides. It is a mixture jf 

 tobacco. Take an ordinary pail and fill 

 lightly with tobacco stems. Do not 

 press them down. Pour into the pail as 

 much cold water as it will hold. l^t 

 this stand for a good two hours. It will 

 then be ready for use. Spray the same 

 as with any other emulsion. The only 

 trouble with the tobacco water is that it 

 is not good after two days as it .seems 

 then to lose its strength, and will have 

 to be made up fresh, while the kerosene 

 emulsion is gcxxl for any length of time. 

 The aphides should be attacked as soon 

 as they appear. If you have not got 

 any emulsion on hand have it ready next 

 year and spray before signs of these 

 pests come. Preventon is better than 

 cure. 



Use three pounds of blue vitriol in 

 coarse crystals, and three pounds of un- 

 slaked lime. Slake the lime in two and 

 a half gallons of water. Pour two and 

 a half gallons of water over the blue vit- 

 riol in another receptacle, and let both 

 stand over night. In the morning^ stir 

 the blue vitriol until all is thoroughly dis- 

 solved. Then let two persons pour sim- 

 ultaneously the lime water and the blue 

 vitriol into the same receptacle, and add 

 twenty gallons of water. 



Garden Enemies 



R. S. Rose, Peterborough, Out. 



Before using always give it a good 

 stirring. This mixture will last during 

 the summer without losing strength and 

 should always be on hand. It is also 

 good for any kind of blight that may ap- 

 pear. 



Hollyhocks, monkshood, roses and 

 phlox all have a tendency to rust or mil- 

 dew, and if sprayed at the end of .'\pril 

 and again during May with this mix- 

 ture it should prevent such blight at- 

 tacking the plants. Phlox should be 

 sprayed during June and July or when 

 you notice the leaves turning black or 

 brown. 



Mildew is now likely to attack your 

 rose bushes during July. Look out for 

 white spots coming on the leaves, and if 

 you cannot get Bordeaux mixture anoth- 

 er good remedy is Flower of Sulphur. 

 Pick off the affected leaves and cover 

 the rest with the sulphur after watering, 

 or when there is a heavy dew. Do this 

 for a day or two. I have also heard 

 of soot being used. This was highly 

 recommended to me by an extensive rose 

 grower, and is said to work splendidly. 

 Cover the bushes well with the soot and 

 let it rest on them for four or five days, 

 then wash off . The mildew will disap- 

 pear and the leaves turn a deep rich 

 healthy green. 



I would also suggest that you take 

 a stroll around your neighbor's garden. 

 He or she may have some plant that 

 you want and you may have just what 

 they want in exchange. Exchange of 

 plants or ideas are one of the delights 



of gardening. You will always find a 

 gardener who takes a pride in his place 

 willing to show you his garden and to 

 talk about it. Also take a run around 

 the greenhouses and keep in touch with 

 the florists. You will find them cour- 

 teous and willing to give you any infor- 

 mation in their power regarding any 

 trouble that you may have with your 

 garden. One's work in a garden is 

 never done during the months from 

 April till the fiost drives us from the 

 garden to the house for shelter. It is a 

 pleasure ground from start to finish and 

 those who love their garden and what it 

 brings forth, will find it a restful labor 

 before or after the day's work in office 

 or factory. 



What is the cure, if once they take a 

 good hold of your plants? There is 

 none. You may keep them in check, 

 but you cannot altogether get rid of 

 them, but, as I said before, there is 

 something better than a cure ; there is 

 prevention. The aphis finds no food 

 when the plant is in perfect health. It 

 will not taste the sap that is pure and 

 untainted. It is a leech which sucks bad 

 blood only. Now you know what you 

 are up against, so get busy and fight 

 them if you can to a finish. 



There are other enemies besides insects 

 that attack our plants, namely, rust, or 

 mildew. You can tell when this is at- 

 tacking the plants as the leaves will turn 

 black, brown or white and fall off. In 

 cases where this appears use Bordeaux 

 mixture, spray as with kerosene. This 

 mixture can be bought from any of the 

 nurseryman or can be made up at home 

 after purchasing the ingredients. 



An Amateur'* Greenhouse, that of Mr. R. B. Whyte, Ottawa 



8impl«< greenhouses, euoh a.s this, can b« erected at but slight expense by any amateur flower 

 grower. The returns cannot l)e estimated in dollars and cents. In Una small house Jllr. 

 Whyte has tried many kinds of plants. His chief show plants are the bulbs, and never from 

 early winter till laU- spring is his house without a beautiful display of these most sa-tia- 

 factory flowero. Fressias, narcissi, tulipe, hyacinth*, form the staple crops, while orocuaes, 

 grown in flat i>ans, a!»o make very effective shows. A full description of this greenhouse vaa 

 published in the last August Issue of The Oa-nadiaJi Horuoulturlst. 



