FLOEAL NOTES FOE JULY 



WM. HUNT, 



O, A. C, GUF.I.PH. 



STIRRING THE SURFACE SoiL. — The 

 hotter and drier the weather is, 

 the more need there is of surface 

 stirring and tilling the soil around grow- 

 ing plants, in beds or borders. By 

 hoeing or stirring the surface soil to about 

 an inch in depth, a loose earth mulch is 

 formed that is as necessary and beneficial to 

 plant life as overhead watering. In fact, 

 deluging the soil around plants, as is often 

 done by watering them from the nozzle of a 

 hose, is oftentimes almost as harmful 

 as it is beneficial, unless the soil is 

 kept well stirred. Deep tillage is seldom 

 necessary, and is sometimes hurtful, as - it 

 disturbs the roots of the plants. Light til- 

 lage and frequent is best in summer time, 

 and is best done when the soil is fairly dry. 

 Never hoe or tramp about on the beds or 

 borders when the soil is wet and sticky. 

 Leave the surface rather rough and lumpy, 

 and do not rake it fine. 



Dahlias. — These beautiful late summer 

 and autumn flowering plants like a moist at- 

 mosphere to grow in. Syringe or sprinkle 



the foliage every evening in hot weather, if 

 possible. If quality rather than quantity of 

 bloom is wanted, there should be only two 

 or three of the strongest shoots left to grow. 

 All the small weakly shoots should be cut 

 out: If exhibition blooms are wanted only 

 three or four blooms should be allowed to 

 grow on a stem, the small lateral buds should 

 be picked off. Cow manure diluted with 

 water in the proportion of twelve pails of 

 water to one of cow manure well mixed to- 

 gether and allowed to settle before using, 

 makes a splendid fertilizer for dahlias, roses, 

 hardy hydrangeas, or almost any garden 

 plant that requires a stimulant to assist its 

 growth. Once a week will usually be suffi- 

 ciently frequent to apply this fertilizer. 

 Orange, India rubber plants and palms will 

 also be much benefitted by an application or 

 two of this fertilizer during the summer, 

 more especially if they have not been recent- 

 ly repotted. 



Calla Lilies. — Calla or Arum lilies 

 should be started into growth about the end 

 of July for early winter flowering. If it 5s 



