January, 1909 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



II 



I 



one pound ; water, one gallon. Boil the 

 mixture until you get a clean brown 

 color which usually takes about an hour 

 and a half. For onions, asparagus, 

 cabbage and salsify, add forty gallons 



of Bordeaux to mixture, and for other 

 plants eighty gallons of Bordeaux to 

 the mixture. 



Insects with sucking mouth parts, 

 such as aphids and leaf hoppers are 



killed by contact poisons. One of the 

 simplest and most effective remedies 

 consists of a mixture of soap and water. 

 Shave soap in thin pieces in water and 

 boil to dissolve. 



QUESTION AND ANSWER DEPARTMENT 



A Peculiar Effect 



I am sending an apple that is peculiarly 

 marked. About one-sixth ot its skin is 

 totally different in color to the normal and 

 the marking is well defined fiom base to 

 apex. How do you account for it? — R. IX, 

 Middlesex Co., Ont. 



The apple shows the effect of what 

 is known as "superfoetation," or the 

 immediate effect of pollination. It is 

 rather unusual to see apples marked in 

 this way, but they are found occasional- 

 ly. It is supposed to be caused by the 

 influence of the male parent being made 

 evident during the season of pollination, 

 when as a rule the influence is not suf- 

 ficiently marked to be seen until ' the 

 seedlings fruit. 



Dracaena Indivisa 



Give proper winter treatment of Draccena 

 indivisa that was used in a hanging pot 

 last summer and fall.— S. R., Huron Co., 

 Ont. 



The proper treatment for Draccena in- 

 divisa would be to put it into good soil — 

 one part sand, one part leaf soil, six 

 or eight parts of a rich loamy soil — 

 and plenty of drainage. Keep the 

 plant in a temperature of sixty to sev- 

 enty degrees, and in not too sunny a 

 position in the window. Sponge or 

 sprinkle the leaves with clear water 

 about once a week. 



Echcverias 



1. What varieties of Echeveria are the 

 most suitable for carpet bedding? 2. What 

 is the proper time to sow seed of Echeveria 

 for bedding purposes in June, 1909? — P. M., 

 Wentworth Co., Ont. 



1. The varieties of Echeveria (Coty- 

 ledon) best suited for carpet bedding 

 are E. metallica, E. secunda, E. atro- 

 purpurea and E. secunda var. glauca. 

 These are tender plants and must be 

 kept in a rather cool temperature in win- 

 ter, forty-five to fifty degrees. The 

 house leeks (Senipervivum spp.), similar 

 plants to the Echeverias, many varie- 

 ties of which are quite hardy, are also 

 suitable for carpet bedding, but are not 

 quite so showy in appearance. 



2. To secure good large effective 

 plants of Echeveria from seed for bed- 

 ding out in igog, the seed should have 

 been sown during the pa.st summer. By 

 sowing in January or February, small 

 plants can be obtained, but the time is 



too short to secure large plants. These 

 plants are usually propagated from the 

 terminal growth or from the young 

 growth on the old stems, or from the 

 leaves. They are seldom grown from 

 seed. The Echeverias named like a 

 rather sandy soil and should be kept 

 moderately dry, not over watered, es- 

 pecially in winter. — Wm. Hunt, Ontario 

 .Agricultural College. 



Propagating Alternanthera 



How are alternantheras propagated, and 

 when is the best time.' — B. T., Lanark Co., 

 Ont. 



Alternantheras are propagated from 

 cuttings or divisions of roots. Cuttings 

 can be stuck in sand in March or April 

 in a hotbed or greenhouse, temperature 

 seventy to eighty degrees, or old plants 

 can be cut back and the roots divided 

 into small sections at the same time as 

 cuttings, potted in small pots in sandy 

 soil and grown in a hotbed. When 

 quite small they should be shaded from 

 very hot sun. 



Maidenhair Ferns 



How can maidenhair ferns best be propa- 

 agated?— C. A., Haldimand Co., Ont. 



Maidenhair ferns can be propagated 

 from spores or by dividing the roots. 

 Florists usually propagate from spores 

 or seed. But without the aid of a 

 greenhouse, it would Tdc better to divide 

 the roots. Ferns like a light soil, plen- 

 ty of drainage and partial shade at all 

 times. — Wm. Hunt, Ontario Agricul- 

 tural College. 



Wintering Geraniums 



Would you tell me the best way to save 

 old geraniums after taken up. Some say to 

 hang them up and others say to put in 

 earth.— O. L. B., Lincoln Co., Ont. 



The surest method of wintering old 

 geranium plants is to cut the tops back 

 well and pot the plants in sand or sandy 

 soil, or if you have many of them, the 

 roots could be put rather thickly in a 

 shallow box about four inches deep 

 with small holes through the bottom 

 for drainage. The pots or boxes could 

 then be stood in the window or placed 

 in a basement or a cellar at a tempera- 

 ture of forty-five or fifty degrees, and 

 the sand or sandy soil kept moderately 

 moist.- They could be potted later into 



better soil if started in the window. If 

 kept in the cellar they should be brought 

 up in March or April and when started 

 pot into small pots. Hanging the 

 plants up in the cellar is a very uncer- 

 tain method of saving them. — Wm. 

 Hunt, Ontario Agricultural College. 



Dutchman's Pipe 



Would Aristolochia si-pho thrive and 

 flourish planted along a porch on the north 

 side of a residence? — C. A., Haldimand Co., 

 Ont. 



The Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia 

 sipho) would compare as well on the 

 north side of a building as in any other 

 aspect, providing soil and other condi- 

 tions are favorable. This plant is quite 

 hardy in the neighborhood of Hamilton. 

 I have sometimes found it advisable in 

 very exposed positions to take it down 

 from the trellis and lay it close to the 

 ground during winter. — Wm. Hunt, 

 Ontario Agricultural College. 



Treatment of Cannas 



After the first slight frost I lifted my 

 cannas and planted them under a bench in 

 my greenhouse and cut ofi the frosted leaves. 

 In a short time, a fungus, similar to the 

 damping-off fungus, grew on the cut 

 surfaces. I sprinkled sulphur over these 

 growths and it stopped them, but I am 

 at a loss as to hc^w to keep them through 

 the winter. Will it be all right to lift them 

 and store them when dried in a frost-proof 

 cellar??— C. R. R., Peel Co., Ont. 



The canna roots should have been 

 dried in a room free from frost before 

 putting them under the greenhouse 

 bench. They should not have been 

 planted at all. Dig the plants up and 

 place them in shallow boxes and dry 

 the roots as stated. Keep them in a 

 temperature from forty-five to fifty de- 

 grees, not lower than forty degrees at 

 least. A lower temperature is danger- 

 ous. If kept in a dry place, a little sand 

 may be sprinkled over the roots. 



Two or three questions and communi- 

 cations, unsigned, have been received 

 recently by The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist. Always give name and address. 



The Canadian Horticulturist would 

 like to hear from peach growers who 

 have been trying new varieties. Tell 

 what they have done and their probable 

 value for planting. 



