196 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



September, 1909 



withstand any disease or fungus better 

 than old beds which have been neglected. 



For wire worms at roots, dress the bed 

 with salt and place pieces of carrots and 

 potatoes below ground to attract them. 



The asparagus beetle injures the tender 

 shoots and make them useless for mar- 

 ket. These insects may be held in check 

 by poultry turned into the beds, or cut 

 down all volunteer growth in early spring 

 so that the beetles will lay their eggs on 

 new shoots which are cut every few days 

 before the eggs are hatched. Another, 

 remedy for the larvae is air-slaked lime, 

 dusted on the plants in, the early morn- 

 ing while the dew is on, which will de- 

 stroy all grubs with which it comes in 

 contact. 



After the cutting season is over, burn 

 the tops off the bed as it is the surest way 

 to burn all weed seeds, insects and eggs 

 which may have been deposited during 

 growth. 



The Potato Harvest 



L. H. Newman, Sec. , Canadian Seed Growers' Association 



The best time to dig potatoes' is as 

 soon as the tops have died, except in 

 cases where disease has gained headway. 

 Where such is the case it is considered 

 advisable to leave the potatoes in the 

 ground in order to give them an oppor- 

 tunity to show any infection before stor- 

 ing. A potato digger should be available 

 where any considerable area of this crop 

 is to be harvested. Several of these 

 machines are now on the market and may 

 be purchased at a comparatively low price. 

 One of the best machines is that known as 

 the "Ellard" digger, made by W. J. El- 

 lard, Ottawa, and costing $70.00. 



STOKING 



If stored, potatoes should be placed in 

 a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. They 

 should be brought from the field in a 

 clean, dry condition, with all "rotten" 

 or "scabby" potatoes removed. Mr. 

 Macoun of the Central Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa, recommends that a speci- 

 al bin be constructed in such a way as to 

 facilitate the greatest circulation of air 

 throughout the pile. This may be done 

 by nailing slats a little apart on upright 

 pieces about six inches from the walls. 

 The floor of the bin should also be rais,ed 

 and constructed of narrow boards with 

 one inch space between them. 



MAKKETINa 



As a rule it is more profitable to 

 market potatoes as soon as harvested 

 than to hold them. Circumstances and 

 prices alone can determine the best 

 course to follow in connection with this 

 matter. Where a community develops a 

 name as a large producer of high class 

 potatoes of one type or variety buyers are 

 soon attracted to it and offer remunera-- 

 tive prices. Very often, however, the 

 growers are able to dispose of their pro- 

 duct themselves to best advantage. The 



demand for high class seed every spring 

 opens up an outlet for large quantities 

 of potatoes to be used for seed purposes. 

 l"his is a trade which requires special 

 development yet is one which presents 

 splendid opportunities for the right men. 



Growing Ginseng from Seed 



Wm. Gilgore, Peterboro, Ont. 



Ginseng is propagated by seed and 

 these do not germinate for eighteen 

 months after they are ripe. Seeds plant- 

 ed in the autumn of 1908 do not germin- 

 ate until the spring of 1910. If they are 

 allowed to become dry they lose their 

 vitality. In the early years of ginseng 

 growing, it was the custom to plant the 



others will be eaten by insects and 

 grubs. By the use of intelligent methods, 

 we can aid nature whenever possible to 

 prevent this waste. I am convinced that 

 we can obtain a greater number of plants 

 from the same quantity of seed by stor- 

 ing them. 



I procure a quantity of sharp sand, 

 which I run through a fine screen to re- 

 move any gravel that it may contain. I 

 sow the seeds in flower pots. After 

 separating the seeds from the pulp, I 

 put an inch of sand in the bottom of the 

 pot, and on this spread a layer of seed, 

 then a half inch of sand, then a layer of 

 seed and so on until the pot is full. When 

 the pots are all filled, put them in a box 

 with holes in the bottom for draining. Set 



An Excellent Arrangement for Displaying a Collection of Vegetables 



At Canadian exhibitions it is seldom tlmt one sees a collection of vegetables well arranged. The various 

 kinds and varieties usually are shown in a haphazard, inartistic manner. The illustration shows the Gold 

 Medal exhibit at a Horticultural show that was held in London, England, in July, by The Garden. The arrange- 

 ment, or a modification of it, could be adopted with advantage in this country. 



seeds in the ground as soon as they were 

 ripe and some successful growers follow 

 the custom yet ; they say that it is the 

 natural plan. In its wild state, probably 

 not five per cent, of the seeds ever make 

 a plant. 



Nature produces an abundance of seed. 

 If the seeds are planted immediately 

 after becoming ripe, they must stay a long 

 time in the ground before sprouting. To 

 retain the moisture and keep the ground 

 cool, we must put on a heavy mulch of 

 leaves. This mulch makes a fine harbor 

 for field mice and moles. In the mean- 

 time a large percentage may rot from 

 wetting and drying out, others will lose 

 their vitality by becoming too dry, and 



this box in a hole dug in a well-drained 

 spot in the garden. The top of the box 

 should be six inches below the surface. 

 Fill up with sand on top. Above this lay 

 boards and cover all with eight inches of 

 earth. The following September, run the 

 contents of the pots through a fine 

 screen. The seed comes out as fresh 

 and bright as when first put in. Then 

 plant them, and next summer the result 

 will be a fine crop of seedlings. 



For ordinary purposes, asparagus 

 roots should be planted about six inches 

 deep. The deeper they are planted the 

 later they will appear above ground in 

 spring. 



