Lawn and Garden Hints for July 



DURING the hot days of July, the 

 garden will require large quanti- 

 ties of water. Many amateurs 

 make the mistake of merely sprinkling 

 be surface of the soil. Unless the 



Cut-leaved Weeping Birch 

 On lawn of Hon. J. R. Stratton, Peterboro, Ont. 



ground is thoroughly soaked, watering 

 will not be of much use. If watering is 

 done at night or in the early morning, 

 too much can scarcely be given. It is 

 always best to do this work in the even- 

 ing. Next morning the surface soil 

 should be stirred with a rake. Watering 

 and constant cultivation must not be ne- 

 glected in hot weather if good crops or 

 plants are desired. 



Celery requires plenty of water and 

 fertilizing. Apply some liquid manure or 

 commercial fertilizer. Celery may be 

 be planted this month for late fall use. 



Sow some dwarf beans and some corn 

 for late use. Sow varieties that mature 

 quickly. Late cabbage and cauliflower 

 may be planted. 



As fast as vegetable crops mature, put 

 in others. Among the seeds that may be 

 sown now are radishes, lettuce, early 

 peas, early beets, cucumbers for pickles, 

 carrots, cress and parsley. 



If you have not yet sprayed your po- 

 tatoes do so at once. Paris green and 

 water, or Paris green and flour, will con- 

 trol the potato beetle. Bordeaux mixture 

 is necessary for the prevention of leaf 

 blights. 



i Towards the end of the month sow 

 winter radishes. They will be appreciat- 

 ed during, the winter. 



Do not allow the greenhouses to \\c 



idle all summer. Grow peppers, egg 

 plants, cucumbers, and other crops in 

 them. Whatever the outside weather 

 conditions, these crops, at least, will be 

 assured. 



AMONG THE FRUITS 



Keep the strawberry patch well culti- 

 vated. Do not allow the plants to suffer 

 for water. 



Keep the soil stirred around the small 

 fruit bushes. Do not cultivate the rasp- 

 berries and blackberries too deeply, as 

 they are shallow-rooted. 



To get best quality and size in tree 

 fruits, thin them this month on the limbs. 

 Remove injured and deformed specimens 

 and then the smallest that are left. Do 

 not allow any of the remaining fruits to 

 touch each other. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN 



Stake and tie all plants in the flower 

 garden that require support. Tie with 

 soft twine and use neat stakes. 



Remove the flowers as soon as with- 

 ered from plants that are blooming. 

 Pinch back dahlias, cosmos and the cen- 

 tral buds of branching asters. Many 

 kinds of annuals may still be sown. Use 

 nasturtiums and portulaca for sunny loca- 

 tions. The latter makes a brilliant edg- 

 ing plant for dry and hot situations. 



Keep the pansy bed well watered. Pick 

 the flowers frequently, so that no seed 

 will form and to insure a constant sup- 

 ply of bloom throughout the season. 



To keep cut flowers fresh, cut the ends 

 of the stems with a sharp knife every 

 morning, and give fresh water. Do not 

 place the flowers in direct sunshine. 



The flower garden should be kept as 

 clean and free of weeds as the vegetable 

 garden. Flowers will respond to good 

 attention. Neatness in edging the beds, 

 and in cultivating adds much to the gen- 

 eral effect. 



Dahlia Grafting 



Translated from the French by Max Moineau, Toronto 



IN a little work on the dahlia, written 

 and published by Messrs. Riviore and 



Son of Lyons, France, I find the fol- 

 lowing article on dahlia grafting, which 

 may be of interest to many Canadian 

 growers : 



"Grafting the dahlia is not sufficient- 

 ly practiced, and we do not hesitate to 

 recommend it. However difficult pot cul- 

 ture may seem, it is, nevertheless, the 

 most practical. Grafting the dahlia gives 

 a dwarfed plant, with a bloom superior 

 to that of ordinary culture. Pot culture 

 will be highly appreciated, when one takes 

 into consideration its important services. 

 For decorating the terraces and avenues, 

 the beautifying of apartments, churches, 

 and so forth, small plants make a greater 

 effect than full grown dahlias. If this 

 method is not employed to advantage, it 

 is through lack of knowledge of the prac- 

 tice of grafting, and the belief that a 

 good culture in pots is almost impossible. 

 In view of exhibitions, this culture should 

 be particularly appreciated. It is im- 

 portant also to add that the culture in 

 pots of grafted plants permits them to be 

 taken into the greenhouse in autumn, and 

 thus prolong their superb bloom, which 

 in the open would be killed by the first 

 frost. One understands, without further 

 urging, how important this advantage is, 

 since the grafted dahlia in pots never 

 becomes too large. The only precaution 

 necessary to maintain the plants for a 

 longer period is to air the place, well, 

 whenever the temperature is above freez- 

 ing. The manner of procedure is as fol- 

 lows : 



"Good tubers should be sprouted 

 early, but instead of cutting for slips, 



151 



cut the young sprout for the graft. The 

 tubers used for this purpose must be 

 preserved from the growth of the prev- 

 ious year, and should not grow large 

 enough to develop eyes. These are cut 

 across horizontally, as in object A, in 

 the diagram, in order to prevent the pos- 

 sibility of stem growth, and after^vards, 

 on one side of this section, a V-shaped 



Gritting 



incision is made, to which the graft is 

 to be perfectly adapted. Then take one 

 of the young sprouts mentioned above 

 and shape the base into the form^ of a 

 wedge, or the blade of a knife, as in ob- 



