August, 1908 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



165 



the entrance of worms. Prevent too 

 rapid drying-out by covering with hay 

 ?r straw. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Continue cultivating the soil in the 

 Vegetable garden. Add water frequently 

 nd stir the surface soil as soon after- 

 wards as it can be worked. 



String beans, early maturing peas, 

 lat early turnips, radishes and other 

 |uick-growing vegetables may yet be 

 3wn. 



Spinach may be sown in fall for early 

 |fpring use. Sow the seed before the 

 liddle of September. On the approach 

 »f winter, protect the plants with a cov- 

 ering of straw. Victoria and Flanders 

 ire the best varieties. If sown in August 

 will come in useful to pick during late 

 all, when almost all other green vege- 

 ables, except cabbage, are gone, 

 i- Plant some beets for autumn greens. 

 The young leaves will be relished. If 

 3wn now, the roots will be large 

 nough for table use. 

 The early crop of celery will be near- 

 iig maturity. Blanch the stalks with 

 Sarth or boards. 



Have you ever grown corn salad? It 

 is much appreciated in March and .'Vpril. 

 Sow the seed about the first of Septem- 

 ber, in drills half an inch deep and six 

 inches apart, in rich soil. Sow thinly. 

 Protect the plants with cle„-n straw when 

 aid weather comes. The plants are cut 

 3r salads. The seed may be sown also 

 early spring. The plants are ready 

 3r use in six or eight weeks. 

 Another little known garden plant is 

 fiervil. It is a rich herb, cultivated and 

 ^sed like parsley. Sow the seed in early, 

 all or in spring. If sown in fall, the 

 eeds will remain dormant until spring. 

 Lit will sprout more uniformly than those 

 pall sown. 



Sow seeds of lettuce for u.se at 

 Thanksgiving. Start them outdoors, 

 and later tran.splant to a cold frame. 



AMONG THE FRUITS 



^^ II you have some fruit trees that are 

 ^^fct bearing the ^■arieties of fruits that 

 ^K>u want, bud them with the desired 

 ^Bnds. A number of different varieties 

 ^Hay be grown on one tree, 

 ^y For best flavor in tree fruits, allow 

 •hem to remain on the trees until thor- 

 oughly ripened. The pear is about the 

 ■'Uly fruit that improves when picked be- 

 !ore maturity. 



To cau.se the raspberry canes to throw 



Hit a number of branches, pinch them 



lack ^o about three and a half feet from 



the ground. This is the only summer 



pruning that the bramble fruits should 



receive. 



Have you read our premium olUr? 

 Send us the subscription of a friend, and 

 secure one "Boy's Delight" apple tree 

 for fall planting. 



Rhododendron Veitchii 



J. Walsh, Montreal 



The accompanying cut represents a 

 specimen plant of Rhododendron 

 I'eitchii. It is one of the finest cool 

 greenhouse plants in cultivation, al- 



Rhododendron Veitchii 



thouh rather a slow grower. It is a 

 hybrid raised by Veitch &■ Son, of Lon- 

 don, England. The plant illustrated is 

 about eighteen years old. 



The cultivation of this plant is not 

 difficult. The following compost suits : 

 Equal parts of peat and leaf mould, with 

 sand, and a little fresh potting soil. The 

 best summer treatment is' to plunge out- 

 side in coal ashes, in a partly shaded 

 place, such as suits azaleas. Care must 

 be taken to have the plant in the house 

 before any danger of frost comes. It is 

 very sensitive to cold or light frost. 



If treated in this way the plant will 

 give good satisfaction during the winter 

 months. The perfume of its beautiful 

 white flowers will scent the whole green- 

 house. 



Summer Care of Lawns 



.'\n important factor in the success- 

 ful treatment of lawns is watering. Con- 

 stant moisture is essential in the main- 

 tenance of a velvety turf condition. If 

 the lawn is properly made, there need 

 be no failure if the owner is situated 

 where there is a good water supplv. 

 The water may be applied at any time, 

 but it is better to do it at night or early 

 morning. 



When watering a lawn, give it a good 

 soaking. Shift the hose about so that 

 all parts will be reached. Unless wat- 

 ering can be done thoroughly and regu- 

 larly, it is better not to do it at all. 



Mow the lawn frequently as it increas- 

 es the body of the sward. A lawn 



should be cut about once a week, with 

 longer intervals during the hottest part 

 of the summer. If the grass is cut oft- 

 en, the clippings may be left on the lawn 

 as they soon will shrivel up and disap- 

 pear. 



In order that trees and shrubs will 

 not suffer by growing sod, circles should 

 be kept around them without grass and 

 the surface soil within same should be 

 kept loose with the hoe. These circles 

 make it possible, also, to keep the grass 

 cut by means of the mower instead of 

 having to use hand shears as is the case 

 when the grass grows close up to the 

 trunks. 



If you want a first-class top-dressing 

 for the lawn this fall, begin the prepara- 

 tion of same about the last of August. 

 Secure equal parts of good, clean soil, 

 and well-rotted stable manure. Turn oc- 

 casionally until October and then spread 

 on the lawn. 



Spiraea Van Houttei 



One of the most beautiful of our early- 

 blooming shrubs is Spircca Van Houttei. 

 Its free-flowering habit gives much plea- 

 sure in June. While it responds to in- 

 dividual cultivation, it can be u.sed in 

 any place and in any soil. Its hardiness 

 makes it particularly valuable. The 

 flowers are pure white and are borne pro- 

 fusely in small, compact clusters on pen- 

 dulous branches. Even when out of 

 bloom, its drooping habit and its foliage 

 make it attractive. Whether grown as 

 a hedge, as an individual specimen on 

 the lawn or massed in clumps, it is 

 equally effective. 



The beautiful hedge illustrated is to 

 be found on the grounds of Mr. Richard 

 Devlin of Ottawa. This hedge is com- 

 posed of fifty plants set out in 1893. 

 The second year after planting, they 

 blossomed nicely. It has been trimmed 

 at no regular time. In 1906, the owner 



A Spiraea Van Houttei Hedge 



cut the whole hedge do\tn to two feet in 

 height and now it has solid trunks to 

 grow on and is exceedingly attractive. 



Articles on amateur gardening will be 

 welcomed for publication by The Cana- 

 dian HORTICt-'LTlRIST. 



