".01 



DECEMBER NOTES. 



'9 



tender l)urclcr plants, such as Hollyhocks, 

 biennial Campanulas, etc., does not require a 

 close heavy covering of manure. A few piece-; 

 of thick brush wood or pine boughs, with a 

 few leaves placed under or about amongst 

 the brushwood, is a far better and a more 

 natural protection than the heavy covering 

 before mentioned. The best collection ot 

 the Campanula media or biennial campa- 

 nula that I have ever seen was brought 

 through the very severe winter winter of 

 1884-5 with only a covering of brushwood 

 and a sprinkle of leaves, aided doubtless b\ 

 the heavy and continuous covering of snow 

 experienced that winter. In sections where 

 the latter natural covering can be relied on 

 there is no doubt no better plant pro- 

 tector, but in Southern Ontario, where na- 

 ture's covering of snow is fickle and uncer- 

 tain, a light covering such as I have men- 

 tioned is certainly beneticial to tender piaiit 

 life, more especially in late winter and 

 early spring when plant life is first exposed 

 to cutting winds and bright sunshine, two 

 very trying factors to tender plant growth at 

 that season. 



Several other kinds of winter covering 

 can also be made effectual for plant protec- 

 tion. Tea chest matting, or mats made of 

 sedge grass or rushes make good plant pro- 

 tectors. Or an apple or flour barrel with- 

 out a top, turned bottom up over a rose bush 

 or shrub, will afford ample protection as a 

 rule. A light covering of straw or leavt-s 

 placed around the plant, before the barrel is 

 put over it, will materially assist its effective- 

 ness. But barrels are unsightly objects on 

 a lawn, pine boughs and even straw being 

 much less unsightly and equally effective if 

 carefully placed. If a barrel is used a few 

 holes should be bored in the side to admit 

 air. 



In protecting spring flowering bulbs, or 

 tender Japanese lilies where planted, a much 

 heavier covering of manure can be used. In 

 the case of the lilies thev should be covered 



with at least ten or twelve inches of protec- 

 tive material, whether it be leaves, straw or 

 long strawy manure. These beautiful mid- 

 summer flowering lilies can be successfully 

 grown and flowered year after year in light 

 well drained soils, if heavily protected dur- 

 ing winter. 



A covering of three or four inches of the 

 materials mentioned will be ample for hya- 

 cinths or any of the spring flowering bulbs. 

 Tulips, crocus, snowdrops and most of the 

 narcissi really require no protection so far 

 as hardiness is concerned, but I have found 

 that these even come through the winter 

 better with a light protection, more especial- 

 ly if the bulbs were planted late in the au- 

 tumn, or perhaps during early winter. 



Chrysanthemums. — Plants of these, 

 when the flowers have become shabby, 

 should be cut down to within an inch or two 

 of the soil, and the pot stood in a cool win- 

 dow and not given too much water for ^ 

 time, the soil should never become dust dry, 

 but should be kept only fairly moist. When 

 water is given the plant, sufficient should be 

 given to moisten all the soil, and no more 

 given again until the soil shows signs of 

 dryness. Old plants of these popular au- 

 tumn flowers can be kept over if treated a;, 

 f have described. They can be planted in 

 the open ground usually about the end of 

 April or early in May and grown on for 

 next season's flowering. The tops of the 

 growth should be kept pinched off as soon 

 as the growth attains the length of four Oi 

 five inches. This operation will require ac- 

 tention from April until July if good, bushy 

 plants are wanted. Or cuttings of the 

 young growth about four inches in length 

 can be stuck in sand in March, and the cut- 

 tings potted into good soil as soon as rooted. 

 The young plants should be kept pinched 

 back until July as recommended for the old 

 plants. Chrysanths can be grown during 

 during the summer in large pots or planted 

 out in the open ground and taken up 



