96 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1896. 



it ; you cannot get lime-water too strong, for water will only hold a 

 certain quantity in suspension ; it is also death to worms in the soil 

 the first application ; it is good for most pot plants, but be sure you do 

 not give it to any of the ericaceous family ; all these are very suscepti- 

 ble to lime in any form, even in the soil ; the fine hair-like roots are 

 killed directly they come into contact. Most of you have had experi- 

 ences with the Trailing Arbutus and Laurel when trying to transplant 

 them. There is no real difficulty anywhere in this vicinity, but in some 

 sections neither of these loveliest of native plants are found growing 

 wild, nor is it possible to introduce them, and it is all due to the pres- 

 ence of lime in some form or other in the geological formation of the 

 locality; but, apart from Azaleas, Heaths, Rhododendrons, and such 

 like greenhouse plants, there are very few but what are much benefited 

 by applications of lime-water at intervals of say once a month, and 

 Chrysanthemums as much as twice or three times during the season, 

 even if the plants are doing well, and ofteuer if they are doing poorly. 

 Few of you will have the conveniences of benches to grow the 

 plants in indoors as the large growers do, but there is another plan 

 that we have adopted largely of recent years to obtain good decora- 

 tive plants for indoor work, not too tall, with ample foliage, and 

 perhaps one large flower, or if desired a cluster or spray of smaller 

 blooms. For this purpose we take the kinds that are naturally dwarf 

 growers, such as W. H. Liucolu, Ivory, Marie Hoste, John Shrimpton, 

 Major Bonnafon, Maud Dean, and in fact all such as are of dwarf or 

 medium height are selected and cuttings taken about the 1st of June, 

 that is, two or three weeks later than the crop taken off and rooted to 

 plant in benches, and these when rooted are potted on, and when well 

 hardened off and established in the three-inch pots are shifted on into 

 six-inch and potted hard to induce a short-jointed, sturdy well 

 matured growth, not pinched back, and in the flowering lime, you 

 will have exhibition blooms on six-inch pots that you need not be 

 ashamed to show in public; or, better sliil, they can be taken into 

 the dwelling-house and used for decoration and they will last about 

 three weeks in fine condition if placed in a cool place. We grow 

 each year about three hundred in this way, and it saves cutting other 

 bloom, and gives us an opportunity to make a bold display in the 

 dwelling-house for about six weeks, or as long as the season lasts. 

 Let me urge you all to ti'y a few plants in this way next season, if 

 only a dozen or two for trial, you will not regret the experiment, 

 because the flowers last so much longer on the plant than when cut, 

 and the colors can be as easily arranged for effect as when cut from 

 the plants. 



