382 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



under cover for the night and set out of 

 doors again in the morning. If the plants 

 are put into the greenhouse or even into 

 frames, they must be given plenty of air and 

 water, especially on warm sunny days. 

 Syringing, or sprinkling the foliage early in 

 the day on hot days, will also benefit them 

 materially. Disbudding will also soon have 

 to be attended to with chrysanthemums. 

 This is done by picking off" with the thumb 

 and finger all the lower buds as soon as they 

 are about the size of small peas, leaving only 

 one or perhaps two of the top or terminal 

 buds at the top of each branch or stem. By 

 taking off these lateral buds, fewer but very 

 much larger flowers are obtained than if all 

 the buds were left to mature. As soon as 

 the buds are formed on the plants liquid 

 manure should be given them about once a 

 week until the flowers are fully developed. 

 Tobacco water or fumigating with tobacco 

 are the most effectual remedies for the at- 

 tacks of black or green fly on chrysanthe- 

 mums. The black fly is oftentimes very per- 

 sistent in its attacks, and close watch will 

 have to be kept to prevent its appearance. 

 As tobacco stems or the raw leaf of tobacco 

 is sometimes difficult to obtain, a good sub- 

 stitute can be found by using a cheap cigar 

 for making tobacco water or for fumigating 

 plants with. By pouring about a quart of 

 boiling water on a cigar after it has been 

 unrolled, sufficient tobacco water can be ob- 

 tained to sprinkle a number of plants with. 

 The solution must be allowed to cool before 

 using. If any of the tobacco water is left 

 over it can be kept a long time in a bottle 

 tightly corked. Start with the tobacco so- 

 lution before the plants are badly infested, 

 as, if the aphis or fly once gets into the flow- 

 ers, they cannot be eradicated without injur- 

 ing the blossoms. 



Roman Hyacinths. — If the beautiful white 

 sweet scented spikes of these early flowering 

 hyacinths are wanted for Christmas time the 

 bulbs should be secured and potted as early 



as it is possible to get them. By planting 

 two or three bulbs in a four or five inch pot 

 early in September and plunging the pot 

 outside in ashes or sand — or even sandy 

 soil — until the bulbs have made good root, 

 which will be in three or four weeks, and 

 then placing the pot in the window or green- 

 house, these useful winter flowering bulbs 

 can be had in flower even before Christmas 

 if required. Plant the bulbs about half an 

 inch under the surface of the soil so that the 

 tops of the bulbs are well covered, water them 

 well once and then plunge or bury the pot 

 in an upright position until the bulbs are 

 well rooted and you will be rewarded by a 

 nice pot of sweet-scented flowers for your 

 trouble. The soil in the pot should never be 

 allowed to get quite dry whilst the plant is 

 growing and when in flower. The pink and 

 blue varieties of the Roman Hyacinths are 

 very pretty, but not as early or as easily 

 grown. By potting a few of these bulbs 

 every two or three weeks until November or 

 even later, a succession of their beautiful 

 blooms may be had until quite late in the 

 spring. These later planted bulbs must, 

 however, be covered with ashes or soil in a 

 cool cellar or shed, or in a box or frame out 

 of doors where they can be covered and pro- 

 tected from severe frosts whilst making roots 

 as before mentioned. 



Cannas. — As soon as the first frosts have 

 touched the foliage of cannas the stalks 

 should be cut off about six or eight inches 

 above the ground. The roots should then 

 be dug up entire with a little earth adhering 

 to them and placed in a dry shed or barn for 

 a week or two where frost cannot reach 

 them. Before severe frosts they should be 

 placed in a fairly dry \varm cellar, or laid 

 under the benches in a greenhouse, where 

 there is very little moisture to drip on them. 

 A temperature of about 40° or 45° suits them 

 very well when dormant in winter. 



Dahlias. — These should be treated much 

 in the same way as recommended for cannas, 



