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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



July, 1909 



A Pica for Wild Flowers 



M. E. Blacklock, Toronto 



When you go to the woods and fields 

 for wild flowers, do not root up every- 

 thing you see ; only take one or two roots 

 of each variety — just what you can really 

 care for. There are some things, like 

 the lupins, wild asters, ox-eye daisies, 

 golden rod, wild roses, etc., that are so 

 deeply rooted, or such immense seed pro- 

 ducers, that they can scarcely be exter- 

 minated, so gather all of these that )'ou 

 want; but there are other precious things 

 which are becoming extinct through the 

 thoughtless greed of their so-called lov- 

 ers. The trailing arbutus, the fringed 

 gentian and countless other treasures 

 have been so freely gathered and so ruth- 

 lessly uprooted that soon their favorite 

 haunts will know them no more. I am 

 sorry to say that botanists are no better 

 than other people in this respect, though 

 they ought to set the example. 



Now-a-days, when everyone is taking 

 up nature study as a hobby (and a most 

 delightful one it is), one cannot help won- 

 dering when all these people have each 

 secured a specimen of each flower to 

 study, whether there will be any left to 

 propagate the species. 



with kerosene oil, or to give two or three 

 light dressings with nitrate of soda. As 

 millipedes usually move about at night, 

 they can be trapped by leaving slices of 

 mangel, potato, etc., lying about. They 

 can be collected in the morning and de- 

 stroyed. The value of poisoned baits in 

 their case has not yet been clearly shown. 

 Millipedes or myriapods are often mis- 

 called blackworms or wireworms, but the 

 latter are the young of click-beetles and 

 have only three pairs of legs. The milli- 

 pedes have many legs, often several hun- 

 dred. — Prof. W. Lochhead, Macdonald 

 College. 



Slugs and Millipedes 



What is tho best method of coiitrollmg the 

 slugs and millipedes that injure garder 

 l^roducts? — A. P., New Glasgow, N.S. 



Little damage is done by slugs if poul- 

 try are allowed the run of the garden, 

 as they are dainty morsels to the ordin- 

 ary fowl. Frogs, too, are very fond of 

 slugs, and should be protected for their 

 many kind offices to the garden. 



There are, however, many other ways 

 of dealing with slugs. If quicklime, 

 ground tobacco or salt is dusted about 

 the vegetables after dusk when the slugs 

 emerge from their hiding quarters in the 

 day-time, especially in rainy weather, 

 many of them will be killed. The poison- 

 ed bran-mash, so effective against cut- 

 worms, is also a protection from slugs. 

 This is made by mixing thoroughly half 

 a pound of Paris green with fifty pounds 

 of bran, and sweetening the mixture with 

 molasses. Sufficient water should be 

 added to give a firmness to the handfuls 

 of baits distributed about the plants in 

 the rows. Slugs sometimes climb apple 

 trees to eat holes in the fruit, but they 

 can be readily checked by the use of the 

 poisoned bran-mash, or by burlap placed 

 about the trunks. 



Millipedes often do much damage to 

 the roots of plants. They also eat holes 

 in potatoes, strawberries and other 

 plants. In some soils they are extremely 

 abundant, and under such conditions it 

 is almost impossible to grow plants from 

 seed. A good plan is to mix thoroughly 

 with the soil some tobacco dust or gas 

 lime, to give the soil a good soaking 



Sweet Peas Twelve Feet High 



At Victoria. B.C. 



Make Dahlias Grow Quickly 



C. M. Bezzo, Berlin, Ont. 



During the early part of the season, 

 the dahlia needs to be encouraged into 

 a rapid growth. By this I do not mean 

 to force it by too frequent use of the 

 hose or watering pot, which induces a 

 rapid but soft growth, and one that the 

 roots are unable to sustain when the 

 trying season of hot, dry midsummer 

 arrives. In the early stages of its devel- 

 opment, the ground should be worked 

 often and deep, and the top surface thor- 

 oughly pulverized. This not only keeps 

 the ground from drying out by sealing 

 those natural capillary tubes by which 

 moisture is evaporated, but by the pro- 

 cess of capillary attraction draws up 

 moisture from depths far below. Thor- 

 ough cultivation also keeps down weeds 

 which are the robbers of the soil, steal- 

 ing the fertilizer, the rain and the dew. 



Among the many benefits to be derived 

 from deep and frequent cultivation — and 

 this applies to all classes of soil — is to 

 make the plants root deeply. But deep 

 cultivation must not be continued after 



the plants begin to bloom. At this time 

 they change their manner of underground 

 growth throwing out roots nearer the i 

 surface of the soil. From this time on, 

 stir only the surface soil to a depth of 

 one or two inches. Do this after each 

 rain or watering, being careful to pul- 

 verize the surface the next day. 



The question of watering is a de- 

 batable one and presents another of the 

 many opportunities afforded by culti- 

 vation of this plant for f'le exercise of 

 sound judgment. Light, g avelly or very 

 sandy soils may be waten d every even- 

 ing during the bloommg period, as all 

 surplus water drains away. But remem- 

 ber that in the process of draining a per- 

 centage of the fertilizer is carried away 

 also. Heavier soils will very often re- 

 ceive more benefit from a thorough stir- 

 ring of the surface soil which allows the 

 air to penetrate to the roots and enables 

 the plant to draw up moisture from be- 

 low. 



The Frcesia 



The cultivation of this beautiful South 

 African bulb is quite easy. It can be 

 grown successfully in the house. There 

 are three varieties, — Leichtlinii, rejracta 

 and var. alba. The two latter are most 

 usually grown. The edge of the flower 

 being turned back, hence its name of 

 refract a. Alba is the white form of 

 rejracta, with yellow stripes in the tube. 



A compost of good light turfy loam, 

 and a little leaf soil is most suitable. 

 Drain the pots. Place seven to nine first 

 size biilbs in a four-inch pot, putting 

 them two inches below the soil. Give a 

 good watering to settle the soil, and care- 

 ful watering afterwards. A start can be 

 made in August and these under proper 

 care should be in bloom by Christmas, 

 and successions right on until June. 



When the plants are in bloom, they 

 commence to make their new bulbs, or, 

 more properly, corms, on the top of the 

 old one. At this stage, if a plant is ex- 

 amined the corm can easily be seen (this 

 applies to the gladiolus also). It also 

 makes cormels at the side of the old 

 corm. 



When the plant begins to go out of 

 bloom, water once a week with weak cow 

 manure and keep them green and grow- 

 ing as long as they will, until the foliage 

 shows signs of turning yellow, then 

 gradually withhold water, and dry them 

 dust dry by laying them on their side. 

 This is the whole secret of bulb culture, 

 making up the bulb again for next year's 

 flowering. In shaking them out, grade 

 them and pot the bulbs of equal size. The 

 cormels may give a little flower the next 

 year, but grow them on with generous 

 treatment, and your flowering stock will 

 increase. I have always found that 

 freesias, treated in this way, give better 

 results than bought bulbs. — G. B. 



Send photos of Nova Scotia gardens. 



