THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



destruction. Commence at once with the 

 syringing- and dipping process at least two 

 or three times a week. Carnation plants 

 like to be kept moist at the roots, but do 

 not like to be soddened with water all the 

 time. Too much water at the roots often 

 injures them and produces an unhealthy 

 appearance of the growth. By examining 

 the underneath side of the leaves closely, it 

 can soon be ascertained if the spider has 

 commenced its work, or if the plant has 

 been getting too much water at the roots, 

 making it look sickly. 



To propagate Carnations, pull off a few of 

 the young shoots that are produced about 

 half way up the flower stem and stick them 

 in around the pot the plant is grow- 

 ing in. They will often root more readily 

 here than in sand. Remember to pull the 

 short growth off, and not use the knife to it 

 at all. The shoots mentioned for propagat- 

 ing are usually called "pipings," to distin- 

 guish them from ordinary cuttings. In 

 three or four weeks they will have taken 

 root and be ready to pot off into small pots. 



Fuchsias. — Plants of these that have 

 been resting during winter should soon be 

 started into growth. Prune the tips of the 

 young wood of last year's growth back a 

 little, so as to make a nice, shapely plant. 

 Give the plants more water than they have 

 had whilst resting, and place them in a 

 warmer position. As soon as the small 

 leaves begin to appear, shake the plants 

 out fairly well from the soil they are in, re- 

 moving, as a rule, about half of the soil. 

 Repot into the same sized pot into soil com- 

 posed of two parts of rich, light loam and 

 one part each of sand and leaf soil, well 

 mixed together. Give the plants plenty of 

 drainage at the bottom of the pots ; broken 

 pots are best for this purpose. Water the 

 plants well once at the roots, then withhold 

 water until the soil begins to show signs of 

 dryness. Syringe the top growth of the plants 

 daily. This will help the plants to break 



into growth strongly, and also keep down 

 red spider, the latter being the worst insect 

 pest the fuchsia has, as is often seen by the 

 plant dropping its leaves, sometimes before 

 it commences to produce its beautiful droop- 

 ing clusters of flowers. Syringe fuchsias 

 often and thoroughly, wetting every leaf, 

 especially the underneath side. 



Cellar Plants. — Oleanders, Hydrangeas, 

 Lemon-scented Verbenas, etc., that are 

 often wintered successfully in basements 

 and cellars, should be looked over occasion- 

 ally to see if they are in good condition. 

 Possibly some may require a little water, as 

 the soil around these dormant plants must 

 not be allowed to become dust dry. If the 

 plants are already showing signs of growth 

 from having been kept in a too moist or 

 warm place, it is best to bring them at once 

 into partial light and repot them if neces- 

 sary. Plants that have once started into 

 growth and are then put back into a dark 

 place and allowed to dry again at the roots, 

 are injured materially, if not killed, by the 

 latter treatment. Better to introduce them 

 gradually into full light and sunshine in the 

 window and grow them on, than attempt to 

 check them again after they have once 

 started into growth. This second return to 

 a dormant state generally proves fatal to 

 almost all plant growth. 



Early Seed Sowing. — Seeds of Petunias, 

 Verbenas, Alyssum and Lobelia may be 

 sown in pots in the window about the end 

 of the month or early in March, so as to 

 secure large plants for window boxes or 

 hanging baskets. Later sowings may be 

 made for planting in the beds or borders. 

 Golden Feather {Pyrethrum), so useful as 

 an edging plant, should be sown early, as it 

 is very slow growing. 



Giving Air to Plants. i— With the in- 

 creasing heat of the sun, window plants will 

 be benefitted by being given a little fresh 

 air. This must, however be very carefully 

 done, so that the outside air does not strike 



