34 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



geraniums, calla lilies and so on, well 

 moistened at the roots. Syringe or 

 sprinkle the foUage two or three times 

 a week with lukewarm water. It is 

 well to place some weak tobacco water 

 once a week in the solution the plants 

 are syringed with. 



Watch for sudden frosts. The hot 

 sun of some winter days often lures the 

 amateur into a feeling of false security 

 and induces him to neglect taking 

 proper precautions against extreme cold 

 weather at night. Should your plants 

 become frozen, place them at once in a 

 comer of the room where the temper- 

 ature is a few degrees above freezing. 

 Cover them carefully, and keep them in 

 the dark for 24 hours, or until the frost 

 is out of them. If not frozen too 

 severely, they may be saved in this way. 

 Avoid bringing plants that have been 

 frozen into a high temperature. Keep 

 them away from bright sunUght for a 

 week or two after they have been frozen. 

 They will also require less water for a 

 time until root action and growth have 

 commenced. 



It soon will be time to start fuchsias 

 into growth that have been resting 

 during the winter. Bring the plants 

 to the Ught and prune back the tips 

 of last year's growth so as to make a 

 shapely plant. Give the plants more 

 water than they had whilst resting, and 

 place them in a warm position. As soon 

 as the small leaves begin to appear, shake 

 the plants out fairly well from the soil 

 they are in. Repot into the same sized 

 pots, using soil composed of two parts 

 of rich Ught loam, and one part each of 

 sand and leaf soil, mixed well together. 

 Give the plants plenty of drainage. 

 Water well when potted and not again 

 until the soil shows signs of dryness. 

 Syringe the top of the plants daily. 

 This will help them to break into growth 

 strongly. It also keeps down the red 

 spider, which is the worst insect pest 

 that the fuchsia has. 



Plants breathe through their leaves, 

 and consequently require fresh air every 

 day. Keep the leaves free from dust. 

 Wipe them off with a wet sponge once 

 a week. Open a window or door on 

 warm, sunny days, but see that direct 

 drafts do not strike the plants. 



SEBDS FOR FEBRUARY SOWING 



Seeds of verbenas, lobelias, cocks- 

 combs, double petunias and the Vernon 

 begonia may be sown in pots or boxes 

 in the window towards the end of the 

 month, so as to secure large plants for 

 window boxes or hanging baskets 

 Sowings for bedding-out may be made 

 about the first of March. Seeds of 

 schizanthus and mignonette may be 

 sown for pot culture. 



Would you not like to have sweet 

 peas next spring earlier than you had last 

 season? Why not sow a few seeds 

 now in pots or boxes for planting out- 



side when the time comes? Put six 

 seeds in each six-inch pot. By the time 

 you usually sow seeds outside, you will 

 have strong plants three or four inches 

 high. When safe to plant outside, 



make a trench two or three inches deep, 

 and in it place the plants ten inches apart. 

 When planting, knock the ball of earth 

 out of the pot carefully, and do not 

 disturb the roots. 



Pandan\is Sanderi 



Fred. J. Goode, Toronto 



THE plant shown in the accompany- 

 ing illustration is one of the most 

 recent introductions into the al- 

 ready large family of Pandanus. It is a 

 splendid addition to the Ust of plants 

 both for table and other decorations 

 where bright and showy foUage is essen- 

 tial. In habit it resembles Pandanus 

 Veiichii, with the difference of color in 

 variegation. In Pandanus Sanderi the 

 markings are rich golden yellow. In 

 some instances, the centre of the plant 

 will be yellow, which makes it verv 



Pandanus Sanderi 



effective. As a large specimen plant it is 

 probably the best Pandanus grown. 

 Unlike P. Vietchii, no starving is neces- 

 sary to ensure a good variegation. It 

 is a good grower. If kept in a warm 

 and protected part of the greenhouse 

 with ordinary treatment, good results 

 can be expected. 



With one or two plants to start, a 

 stock of this very desirable plant can 

 be worked up. The offshoots that grow 

 from the stem of the plant furnish us 

 with the best means of reproduction. 

 These should be cut off close to the 

 stem with a sharp knife. The off- 

 shoots should then be potted in two and 

 a half or three-inch pots, using as a 

 compost equal parts of peat loam and 

 sand. After potting, plunge in sand in 

 propagating frame with bottom heat 

 about 70 degrees. In a few weeks they 

 will have rooted sufficiently to be re- 

 potted in three or four-inch pots, after 

 which, a shady bench will be the most 

 suitable place to grow them till thorough- 

 ly established, when they can be'given 



as much sun as possible. A much heav- 

 ier compost is better for repotting than 

 the one recommended for striking the 

 cuttings — two parts good loam, one part 

 leafsoil and a little sharp sand. 



These operations can be carried on 

 at any time during the year. Over- 

 potting should be avoided, as it has 

 a tendency to coarseness of growth and 

 absence of coloring. The large plant 

 in the illustration is in a 10-inch pot. 



Fruit Gro^ring on City Lots 



Amateur fruit growers in cities should 

 look to quaUty rather than to quan 

 tity. The best tasting fruit is not always 

 the most marketable. A strawberry- of 

 the finest eating qualities cannot be 

 shipped long distances. At home, 

 one can select the varieties that stand 

 for quality, not those that are grown for 

 their ability to keep or to ship. 



Even small lots can be used for grow- 

 ing some kinds of fruit. Along the walls 

 fruit trees can be trained and grown so 

 that they will take up but little room. 

 For small areas intensive methods of 

 culture and care must be employed. 

 One method of pruning trees for small 

 lots is the fan system. By this method, 

 the trees are kept low and the branches 

 are trained to grow in opposite directions, 

 all others at right angles to be cut off. 

 This system admits of more trees on a 

 given area and at the same time allows 

 inter-cropping one way between the 

 trees. It also tends to produce better 

 quality and color in the fruit, as the sun 

 has a better chance to do its work. 

 Peaches also can be grown successfully 

 in tubs of 15 inches in diameter. These 

 tubs can be removed to the cellar in late 

 fall where they will be safe during the 

 winter. In cold districts, grapes and 

 other tender fruits may be grown under 

 glass-covered sheds. Glass sheds cost 

 very little and can be used for a variety 

 of tender fruits. City amateurs can 

 afford these things for the pleasure there 

 is in it, to say nothing of the benefit 

 derived from having fresh fruits grown 

 at home. 



When building a conservatory, do 

 not allow a carpenter to construct it 

 without consulting an experienced 

 florist. 



Cut off all flowers from house plants 

 as soon as they begin to fade. 



