QUESTION AND ANSWER DEPARTMENT 



Predicting Frost 



. I have been told that frosts can be pre- 

 f dieted by the use of an instrument called 

 ) the psychrometer. Is this so, and how is 

 )^iX done?— E. A. F., Sudbury Co.,N. B. 



An instrument known as the sling 

 : psychrometer or the wet- and dry-bulb 

 1 thermometer is used for this purpose. As 

 Irthe name indicates, there are two ther- 

 imomelers, one of which has a dry bulb, 

 %and the other is kept wet. A compari- 

 tson of the two readings is made and, 

 vith the aid of a tabulated table, the dew 

 point is determined. The difference in 

 Ithe readings of the two thermometers 

 Ivf'iU show the decrease of cold produced 

 Iby evaporation. Evaporation will be 

 fmore rapid in dry air, and hence the eold 

 caused by evaporation will be greater. 

 By thus determining the dew point, we 

 fmay predict the approach of frost. -When 

 fcthe dew point is low, frost may be ex- 

 pected. The tabulated table that is nec- 

 essary is too long for publication. It can 

 found, with further information on 

 Wiis subject, in "The Horticulturist's 

 ^ule Book," by Bailey,' which will be 

 Supplied through this office on receipt of 

 Ihe price, seventy-five cents, or in The 

 Canadian- Horticulturist for 1905, 

 page 333. 



How to use Pyrethrum 



Can insect powder, or pyrethrum, be used 

 in liquid form?— H. H. T., St. John's Co., 

 <,)ue. 



Pyrethrum may be diluted in warm 

 water (one ounce to a gallon) when the 

 dry powder is not desirable or practi- 

 cable. It is usually applied in the dry 

 form, for small in.sects and larva; diluted 

 with nour two or three times it.s own 

 l)ulk, for plant lice, particularly in green- 

 houses ; or sprinkled upon hot coals, for 

 Jumigation. 



Rhus Cotinus— Yucca 



Kindly Ki.c some information about A'/ius 

 Htnus atrofurpurea,— class of shrub 

 Jisrnt, hardiness, and color of frin«-e' 

 |ell something about Yucca elef;aiUisshiio. 

 the flower double? Does the flower 

 >nd erect or droop? Is the leal broad and 

 jrord-hke with appenda>fes like hair 

 popinx from the leaves? Have I the 

 Iffht name for this particular yucca? Is it 

 ardy, or should it be covered in winter.?— 

 » t. v., Lincoln Co., Ont. 

 Rhus Cotinus iilropurpurea is a very 

 ark purple variety of the shrub usually 

 <n()wn as purple fringe or smoke tree. 

 1 his \ ariety mtuh resembles the common 

 purple fringe, except that the feathery 

 l>lii'"<s .-ire much darker in color. It 



varies in height from ten to twelve feet, 

 depending upon the character of the soil 

 and age of the shrub, and .should be per- 

 fectly hardy at Grimsby. 



There are eight or nine species of 

 yucca, but none of them bear the name, 

 "Eleganti^simo." From your descrip- 

 tion of it, I think you must mean Yucca 

 filanientos'a, one of the most commonly 

 grown in this country. This bears single 

 white flowers which droop. The leaves 

 are .sword-shaped, and about on inch 

 in width, with numerous filaments or 

 thread-like appendages from the margin 

 of the leaves. This species is usually 

 quite hardy in certain parts of the pro- 

 vince and stands the winter about Grims- 

 by without protection. — Prof. . H. L. 

 Hutt, O. A. C, Guelph. 



Moles— Damping off Fungus 



V\hat do ground moles feed up(m ? Give 

 cause and remedies for the disease that 

 causes youn^ plants to wilt and die.— C. L 

 K., Essex Co., Ont. 



Moles are said to feed upon the roots 

 of grass, trees and garden crops, but it 

 is probable ^ that much, if not 

 all, of the injury that is at- 

 tributed to them is really due to 

 mice. Moles are almost exclusively in- 

 sectivorous in feeding habits and burrow 

 through tbe ground in pursuit of in.sects. 

 While beneficial on account of these hab- 

 its they may cause considerable damage 

 when they burrow extensively in lawns, 

 or about the roots of some garden plants. 

 They may be exterminated by capturing 

 them in their burrows in the evening 

 with a shovel and spade, by the use of 

 traps, or by carbon bisulphide injected 

 into their burrows. Carbon bisulphide 

 may be poured into the holes and the 

 holes immediately closed, or it may be 

 injected into the soil by means of a 

 syringe. 



It is presumed that the disease referred 

 lo is what is known .as the damping-off 

 fungus {I'ythtum de binvdimin.) It is a 

 disease' of seedlings which is character- 

 ized by the falling over and dying of the 

 plantlets, due to the destruction of the 

 tissue of the stem just above the ground. 

 The disea.se occurs most frequently 

 where the ground is very wet and the 

 light dull. The fungus may be held 

 in check by locating the seed beds where 

 the drainage is good, and where a fair 

 amount of sunshine and ventilation may 

 be allowed. See that the .seedlings are 

 not crowded. Where the seed beds are 

 not so located, and the disease appears, 

 it is (lillicult to treat. Hot .sand sifted 



over the plants will check it, but there 

 i.s no complete remedy. As .soon as the 

 disease appears, give more air, and prick 

 out the plants. 



Planting Asparagus 



I sowed some asparajfus seed last spring-. 

 Can the young- plants be transplanted this 

 fall, and how should it be done '— C R 

 Antigronish Co., N. S. '' 



It should make but little difference 

 whether asparagus is planted in spring or 

 fall, provided the roots are in proper con- 

 dition and have been allowed to com- 

 plete their sea.son's growth. If planted 

 in fall, it should be done late in Septem- 

 ber or the first of October. As the plants 

 will be less than one year old, it 

 probably would be advisable to plant 

 them closer than usual in the rows so as 

 to insure the chances of a better and 

 surer stand. The customary di.stance is 

 three or four feet apart. Set the plants 

 four or five inches deep. If the crowns 

 are much less than four inches below the 

 .surface they may be injured if the ground 

 is harrowed or hoed before the plants 

 sprout in spring. 



Poison Ivy 



I have a i)atch of poison ivy, about 20 

 feet square, in a wood lot. How can I g-et 

 nd of it.?— B. C, York Co., Ont. 



About the only way to get rid of poi.son 

 ivy in a woodlot is to grub, or dig it 

 out, protecting the hands with leather 

 n-iits or gloves. In a patch that is only 

 twenty feet square, it should not be a 

 difficult job. You might try spraying 

 with sulphate of iron— two pounds to 

 one gallon of water, or even one pound 

 to a gallon, might an.swer. 



Harvesting Cauliflower 



J. N. Watts, Portsmouth, Ont. 



When the young flowers begin lo show 

 them.selves they must be covered up by 

 using the outside leaves or by tying un- 

 til they have attained the size for mar- 

 ket. 



Should the crop not be all sold before 

 the weather becomes too cold to make 

 any more cauliflower, they may be pulled 

 and stood on a cellar or roothou.se floor, 

 until as late as January, when good 

 money can be realized for them. 



Never handle tomatoes when they are 

 wet with rain or dew. 



Do not let the boys kill the toads. They 

 kill thousands of in.sects during the sum- 



isn 



