242 



THE CANADIAN HORTIC U LTUEIST 



November, 1909 



many ways, and which appears to be 

 fairly hardy. The Virginiana juniper or 

 red cedar is a beautiful plant, but of 

 doubtful hardiness, though a native of 

 Minnesota. Possibly plants obtained 

 from the extreme northern limit of its 

 growth in Minnesota might show better 

 results than the nursery stock we have 

 so far been able to procure. The latter 

 have not been altogether hardy in our 

 grounds, but a few specimens seem to 

 be increasing in hardiness as the years 

 go by. We must not overlook our na- . 

 tive arbor vitae, or white cedar as it is 

 commonly called, in making up a list of 

 promising evergreens. 



Our only hardy native pine for prairie 

 planting is the Jack pine, which is easily 

 handled. The white and red pines, al- 

 though natives a little east of us, have 

 not succeeded in prairie planting, but 

 in well protected locations in eastern 

 Manitoba they would be worth trying. 



Of the berry-bearing plants we may 

 ment a few. Our native viburnum, 

 commonly known as the high bush cran- 

 berry, is a handsome shrub in foliage, 

 flower and fruit, and the bright colored 

 berries hang thrugh the winter without 

 impairment. The celastrus vine is an- 

 other native plant whose bright scarlet 

 fruit ren'ders it attractive in winter. The 

 rugosa rose, so beautiful in leaf with 

 its rich, glossy green foliage, is scarce- 

 ly less attractive in autumn when the 

 frost has colored its leaves, and still in 

 winter it is ornamental in fruit, with its 

 scarlet rose apples of enormous size. 

 The barberries are not always entirely 

 hardy here, but they are sufficiently 

 hardy to be safely planted in most loca- 

 tions. When they fruit their bright 

 colored berries will hang all winter. 



Of the trees and shrubs with bright 

 colored bark or branches, the willows 

 afford quite a variety alone. It is worth 

 noting that the bark of many of these 

 plants is much brighter in winter than in 

 summer, as if nature had specially in- 

 tended them for winter effect. 



The red cornus or dogwood, the bark 

 of which is a dull red in summer, takes 

 on a more brilliant color in winter. The 

 same is true of the willows. In the lat- 

 ter trees we have the bright yellow of 

 the golden, the greenish bark of the 

 laurel, the brownish red of the acutifolia, 

 and the red of the Britzensis. If these 

 willows are cut down to the ground once 

 in two or three years, they will grow up . 

 rapidly from the root, and make dense 

 shrub-like growth which are very hand- 

 some in winter, with an effective mixture 

 of the different varieties. 



A native tree which is effective in win- 

 ter is the native or canoe birch (Betula 

 papyrifera). This tree is particularly ef- 

 fective when planted among evergreens, 

 its white bark and slender branches con- 

 trasting finely with the dark green and 

 massive form of the evergreens. 



The Care of Lawns 



J. T. Rote, Brantford, Ont. 



As I stated in one of my articles on 

 the treatment of bulbs and flowers in a 

 previous issue of The Canadian Hor- 

 TicuLURiST, I am an advocate of heavy 

 feeding on barn-yard manure, especially 

 cow manure. Early in the season or 

 spring when the last snow has disappear- 

 ed, I spread over my lawn, manure to 

 the depth of two inches and every few 

 days, take a rake and turn it over until 

 I find the grass getting a little white. I 

 then remove the manure to my flower 

 bed and dig it in. I start quite early with 

 the lawn mower and do not confine my- 

 self to certain days for cutting. As soon 

 as I see that the grass looks a little long 

 or ragged, I start the lawn mower. It 

 improves the appearance and also makes 

 the grass grow thicker. I have a grass 

 catcher attached to my rhower. If the 

 cut grass is left on the lawn, it gives it a 

 brown appearance. Some one may say 

 that this is a mistake. Not when you 

 have made the ground good and rich. I 

 give the lawn a top-dressing of earth 

 mixed with wood ashes, lime and bone 

 meal every two or three years. 



Apply plenty of water. Never let your 

 lawn get brown. If you do, it will take 

 time to bring it back to the green state. 

 One day when I was cutting my grass, 

 my neighbor said, "You do that too 

 often," but I failed to see his logic by 

 the appearance of the lawn. I might say 

 that I keep the grass trimmed closely 



until the cold weather comes, so that in 

 the spring I have no old, long grass to 

 bother me. 



I apply another heavy coating of man- 

 ure to the beds about the middle of May. 

 In a week or two from that date or ac- 

 cording to the season, I plant out ger- 

 aniums, canna and border plants. When 

 they get to a fair size, I spread manure 

 around them which acts as a mulch. 

 Every time I water the plants, they get 

 a little to eat as well as drink. My flow- 

 ers and lawn have been the admiration 

 of persons -from all parts of the city. Re- 

 cently I planted my bulbs for spring 

 flowering. 



Easter Lilies Bloomed Twice 



Editor, The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist : — I would like to ask the numerous 

 readers of The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist if they have ever had the Bermuda 

 or Easter lily to bloom twice within 

 six months which this year was my ex- 

 perience. The last week in last April, I 

 was given six Easter lilies in pots just 

 done blooming. 



I cut the stalks down to within two 

 inches of the bulbs and planted the 

 bulbs ten inches deep in rich soil on the 

 north side of a cedar hedge. Five of 

 them grew well and came into bloom 

 within five months of planting in the 

 garden. The nights being cold, I had 

 to develop the blooms in tepid water in 

 the house. — Walter Warner, Wood- 

 stock, Ont. 



A First Prize Wianer in the Brantford Horticnltnral Society's Lawn and Garden Competition 



In the work that the horticultural societies of Ontario are doing, lawn and garden com- 

 petitions play an important part. Not only do they incite friendly rivnlry among the mem 

 bers, but also thsy encourage the impr vement of the homes of noimembers. Manv of 

 the towns and cities of Ontario are rapfdly increasing in beauty through these competitions. 

 The illustration shows the residence of Mr. J. T. Eose, Brantford, who tells in the accom- 

 panying article how he brought about the results shown. 



