October, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTUEIST 



245 



mental when young. After fifteen or 

 twenty years it loses its compact ap- 

 pearance and is much less ornamental. 

 There is a very beautiful golden-leaved 

 variety of this called R. plumosa aurea. 

 These sometimes have their tips injured 

 in winter, which makes them brown in 

 places until new growth starts. 



The little heath-like Retinospora eri- 

 coides reaches a height of about 



two feet. It is a very pretty dwarf 

 conifer, with fine, soft, delicate green 

 foliage, which becomes of an attractive 

 purplish tinge in winter. In exposed 

 places the leaves of this little shrub are 

 sometimes injured by winter or scalded 

 in spots. Retinospora Squarrosa would 

 be one of the best if it did not scald 

 badly, rendering it unsightly at Ottawa, 

 except where partially shaded. 



Helpful Pointers on Gardening 



tario last season by mice girdling them 

 during the winter. In almost every case 

 these trees grew in weeds or grass, 

 which gave ready refuge for mice. 



Cut out all dead trees before the 

 leaves fall this autumn. These dead 

 parts may contain the larvae of insects 

 which will lay the foundation for much 

 more injury next season. 



Save all the autumn leaves. Make a 

 compact heap of them. It will be worth 

 many dollars to you next year. 



Carefully clean seeds which are to be 

 used next year, such as melons, canta- 

 loupes, pumpkins, highbush cranberries, 

 sandehorn, and apples. These seeds 

 may be sown in sandy soil this fall or 

 put between layers of sand and kept un- 

 til next spring. It is better to keep seed 

 of this sort over winter in sand to pre- 

 vent their drying out or becoming too 

 wet if the ground is heavy, as where 

 seed is planted in the fall in clay soil, 

 the soil will be apt to pack over the 

 seed, making it difficult for the seed- 

 lings to break through in the spring. 



Celery may be kept pretty well into 

 the winter by digging the plants so as 

 to leave as large a root surface as pos- 

 sible. Remove a few of the scraggly 

 outer leaves and set closely in a cool 

 cellar or in boxes. An ordinary dry 

 goods box from 14 to 18 inches wide 

 and three to four feet long makes a good 

 package for storing celery. Put a little 

 dirt in the bottom of the box, then set 

 the plants in a row close together, just 

 covering the roots with soil. Place ano- 

 ther row next to the one first set, as 

 close to this as the soil will permit, in 

 every case setting the plants about the 

 same depth as they grew in the field. 

 Celery stored in this way should not be 

 bleached in the field. If the plants be- 

 come dry and wilt slightly, they should 

 be watered, care being used not to wet 

 the foliage of the plant any more than 

 is absolutely necessary as this is apt to 

 cause decay. Store the boxes at a tem- 

 perature as near freezing as is safe, usu- 

 ally about 35 degrees. If stored at a 

 higher temperature, the celery will grow 

 and is apt to decay. 



Rhubarb for winter use may be dug 

 just before the ground freezes hard in 

 the fall. Leave the plants on top of the 

 ground, slightly covered with hay, or 

 something to prevent their drying out, 

 and allow them to freeze for several 

 weeks. About Christmas time the roots 

 may be taken into the cellar, or other 

 dark, modeirately warm location, and 

 buried in just enough soil to cover the 

 roots. Water and allow the plant to 

 grow. 



If rhubarb is grown in the dark, the 

 stalk is tender and very little leaf sur- 

 face is formed. Plants thus forced are 

 of little value for setting out. 



Take up a few plants of parsley and 

 place in pots or boxes in some basement 

 or kitchen window. Parsley will grow 

 with very little light and furnish an 

 abundance of green material which is 

 appreciated in the window. 



ORCHARD NOTES 



Grape vines should be trimmed as soon 

 as the leaves fall and made ready to 

 cover with soil. 



Field mice not only eat almost every 

 kind of root and bulb, but also destroy 

 fruit trees. Do not mulch your borders 

 and beds until after the ground has 

 frozen, and they have found winter 

 quarters. It is a good plan to put some 

 poisoned bait about the beds before 

 covering in case any of them venture in. 

 With a good sharp hoe or spade remove 

 all grass at least one foot from the trunk 

 of apple, plum, or other trees, that are 

 apt to be girdled by mice. It is a good 

 plan to protect small trees with wire 

 netting or by throwing a few shovelfuls 

 of clean dirt around the trunk of the 

 tree. Then after the first snow, trim 

 around the tree so that there will be no 

 place for mice to find a resting place. 

 Tl-nusands of trees we-e killed in On- 



Timdy Suggestions 



J. McPherion Rou, Taronte, Ont. 



This time of the year is the season 

 for many a gardener to augment his 

 stock of grapes, currants, and goose- 

 berries by making cuttings of young 

 wood and planting them. To be suc- 

 cessful in raising grape vines, select 

 well ripened shoots of this season's 

 growth, making the cuttings from eight 

 to ten inches long — cutting at an eye 

 or bud for both top and bottom of the 

 cutting. Insert the cuttings in good, 

 prepared soil till the top of the bud is 

 just out of the ground. Level the soil 

 and tramp it firmly. 



Mulch the ground well with rotted 

 manure. Over the tops of cuttings in 

 the row place sawdust to the depth of 

 three to four inches, or even sand will 

 answer. This has the effect of keeping 

 the top bud dormant and the soil warms 

 up in the spring and starts the growth in 

 the bottom of the cutting. The top buds 

 may be exposed about the middle of 

 May or June first, when your cuttings 

 will put forth shoots and make good, 

 strong vines for fall. 



A Fern Bed in the Garden of 



Bleedine: Heart, umbrella 



Mr. J. W. Harper, Hamilton, Ont. 



ferns, and Iris may be seen. 



