60 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



Canker. One of the commonest diseases of fruit trees, canker is 

 particularly destructive to Apples. It attacks young as well as 

 old trees of certain varieties, and in particular soils. For remedies, 

 see Apple. The following mixture of chemical fertilisers has been 

 found good when spread under the trees in February and pointed in : 

 12 parts superphosphate, 10 parts nitrate of potash, 8 parts sulphate 

 of lime, 4 parts common salt, i part sulphate of iron; use 4 oz. per 

 square yard. 



Canna (can-na (Celtic), a cane. Ord. Scitamineae). The Canna 

 grows in favour more rapidly as a greenhouse than as an outdoor 

 plant. It is perhaps less used now in the garden because " sub- 

 tropical " gardening has given place to the culture of hardy herba- 

 ceous plants. The new dwarf forms have finer flowers than the 

 old race, and make really beautiful plants in /-in. pots. They 

 develop large spikes of brilliant flowers at about 2 ft. high, and the 

 rich colours are well set off by the abundant and handsome foliage, 

 which in some varieties is brown, and in others green. These 

 varieties may, of course, be planted out in beds if desired. They 

 should be started in pots, and planted out 2 ft. apart in deep, rich 

 soil towards the end of May. They enjoy weekly soakings of 

 liquid manure. Young plants started in spring, and put in 6-in. 

 pots in a compost of loam (3 parts), leaf mould (i part), and sand, will 

 bloom well by midsummer, but with more heat the roots can be 

 started earlier and flowered by the end of May. When the plants 

 die away in autumn the root stocks can be stored in a dry, frost- 

 proof place like Dahlias. They may be divided when growth starts 

 if more plants are required. Good varieties 



Africa, scarlet; Charles Naudin, salmon; Elizabeth Hoss, 

 yellow, spotted; Hermann Fischer, vermilion; Italia, orange and 

 yellow; Souvenir de A. Crozy, scarlet, yellow edge ; Van der 

 Schoot, yellow, spotted. 



Canterbury Bell. See Biennials and Campanula. 



Cantua (can-tua, from cantu, a Peruvian name. Ord. Polemonia- 

 ceae). Cantua buxifolia (dependens) is a handsome greenhouse 

 evergreen, growing 4 to 6 ft. high, and bearing rosy flowers in spring. 

 tt thrives in a sandy mixture of peat and loam, and may be propa- 

 gated by cuttings under a bell-glass. 



Cape Gooseberry. See Physalis. 



Cape Jasmine. See Gardenia. 



Caper Spurge. See Euphorbia Lathyris. 



Capparis (cap-paris, from kabar, caper (Arabic). Ord. Cappari- 

 deae).- This genus is not important from the garden point of view, 

 but it has economic value, as the species spinosa yields the com- 

 mercial " capers." It has white flowers, and may be grown in a 

 greenhouse in peat and loam if desired. Propagation is by cuttings 

 of mature wood, inserted in sandy soil under a bell-glass. 



Capsicum. See Kitchen Garden. 



Cardamine, Lady's Smock (cardami-ne, from kardamon, water- 

 cress, on account of the hot flavour. Ord. Cruciferae). The 



