A House-front Improved in One Year 



THK improvement of the house-front 

 shown in the illustration, was rath- 

 er dithcult to work out. The floor 

 of the veranda was about five feet above 

 the street level. The latticed foundation 

 looked bare and common — not at all in 

 keeping with the quaint little house. The 

 sun shone but little in the spot, and few 

 plants would grow in such deep shade. 



The first step was procuring from the 

 city four loads of earth, not sweepings. 

 This was banked on each side of the 

 steps to a width of about four feet. Then 

 a load of j-ough stones of all sizes and 

 shapes, was procured at a cost of four 

 and one-half dollars. These were laid 

 along the edge of the earth as unevenly 

 as possible ; that is, all the jagged edges 

 and points were placed to show to the 

 best advantage. Inside of the stones a 

 line of Alpine cress, which blooms so 

 profusely in early spring, was planted. 



The next step was a long one — to the 

 woods. The worker returned laden with 



Mrs. A. G. H. White, Toronto 



spoil in shape of red-berried elder, black- 

 berried elder, piirple-tlowering raspber- 

 ry, and wild clematis. These were 



One Year from Planting 



planted along the veranda and cost onK 

 car-fare, and a lot of fun. An addition 

 of a Japanese clematis and a couple 

 of bridal wreath spiraea, was made, and 

 the worker called on nature for the rest. 



When this spring the shrubs were 

 tipped with dainty green, and the white 

 masses of bloom of the cress fell over 

 the rough stones, the worker was more 

 than repaid for the little amount of time, 

 labor, and money expended. All through 

 the summer the cool freshness of the 

 shrubs has been a delight. As the vines 

 grow, the effect will be even prettier. 



The mass of foliage adding weight to 

 the base of the veranda has lowered, in 

 appearance, its height. Being open and 

 close to the street, where mongrel dogs 

 abound, expensive plants would be but 

 a source of grief to the owner. Al- 

 though planted only a year, the plants 

 chosen are producing an admirable ef- 

 fect, and one that will be even more 

 beautiful in after seasons. 



Fall Treatnvent of Bulbs Indoors 



THIiRE are four requisites for the 

 successful culture of all kinds of 

 bulbs in pots, but more particularly 

 for hyacinths: ist. Quality of the bulbs; 

 2nd, soil; 3rd, potting; 4th, treatment. 

 To have good results in pot culture, 

 the quality of the bulbs should be good. 

 Purchase from a reliable dealer. Cheap 

 mixtures or immatured roots will not 

 give satisfactory blooms. The soil 

 should be a rich loam, not stiff. 



If the pots are new they should be 

 well soaked in water before using. Put 

 a small piece of broken pot over the hole 



Thos. Bog, Picion, Ontario 



to prevent the roots growing out. Fill 

 up with soil about three-quarters full. 

 On the top of this put a little sand, then 

 set the bulb, and fill up with soil to the 

 top of the pot. Do not press bulb. The 

 soil must not be too wet when potting, 

 otherwise the bulb may rot before the 

 roots begin to grow. 



STORE FOR ABOUT TEN WEEKS 



After potting, store in a dark, cool 

 place for about ten weeks before bring- 

 ing to the light, say until the flower 

 stalk shows signs of shooting. Examine 

 the pots occasionally during the time 



that they are in the dark. If dry, water 

 slightly.- Great care should be taken in 

 keeping the soil moist, but not too damp. 

 If the pots are brought out too soon, the 

 flower stalk is apt to be short and the 

 blooms low down. After bringing the 

 pots to the light, set them in the sun 

 and water freely. 



The same treatment will answer for 

 narcissi, but they do not require to be so 

 long in the storage. Tulips do not prove 

 very satisfactory for winter blooming 

 unless you have a sunny, cool place for 

 maturing the blossoms. 



Fall Treatment of Bulbs Outdoors 



To be successful with the cultivation 

 of bulbs in bed outside, we must 

 first decide on the location of the 

 bed. It should be facing any point from 

 the south-east to the south-west, so that 

 we will be sure of sunlight to make good, 

 strong, healthy stalks, and also deep, 

 rich color of bloom. In the .second place 

 we must have rich soil. I am a heavy 

 feeder of either horse or cow manure. I 

 prefer the latter, as it is free from weed 

 seeds and will not burn the plants. 



After taking up the bulbs in the spring 

 I cover the ground with all the manure 



J. T. Rose, Brantford, Ontario 



that I can dig in, leaving it to rot for 

 ten days, when I apply another coat of 

 manure, and also dig it in. My ground 

 is then ready for geraniums and other 

 plants to bloom through the summer. 

 .■\fter the fir.st fro.st that kills these, I 

 clear off the ground. I then loosen the 

 earth for the bulbs. As my space is lim- 

 ited to a bed around a bay window, and 

 the side of the house, which faces the 

 south, I put the bulbs in very close. 

 Different kinds are in the same bed, and 

 they do not trouble each other. 



I first put in a row of tulips or hya- 



cinths about six inches from the wall, 

 and about the same distance apart in 

 the rows, and from four to six inches 

 deep in the groimd. In the space be- ■ 

 tween these bulbs, I put crocus, which 

 bloom quite early, and are much ad- 

 mired, before the tulips and hyacinths ^ 

 are in bloom. I do not cover the bed y 

 with manure until the ground has been '- 

 frozen quite hard, for that treatment 

 helps the bulbs. 



Now, I must tell you what I do with 

 the bulbs after they get through bloom- 

 ing. I dig them up very carefully, .so 



188 



