168 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



July, 1907 



of summer decoration is the verandah 

 box. They do not cost much. Any 

 amateur can make, or have made cheap- 

 ly, a box of the desired length with 

 plenty of depth and width. Place 

 them on the verandah and plant with 

 nasturtiums and single petunias. .'Vdd 

 a few geraniums and two or three Ger- 

 man ivys. The plants need plenty of 

 water when they are growing vigorously. 

 For shaded verandahs, use begonias 

 and coleus. 



Two or three prunings of privet hedge 

 make the best hedges. The first should 

 be given when the new growth is six to 

 eight inches in length, in June; the 

 second, when shoots are again of same 

 length, and the last just before growth 

 finally ceases. 



THE KITCHEN GARDEN 



Keep down the weeds in the vegetable 

 garden. A loose earth mulching on top 

 of the soil around all growing crops is a 

 necessity in hot weather. It prevents 

 evaporation of moisture from the soil. 

 It is best to water all newly-planted 

 plants as soon as the work is done. It 

 settles the earth around the roots and 

 gives them a fair start. If you have a 

 constant water supply available, con- 

 tinue the watering. It is better to give 

 plenty of water every few days than a 

 little each day. The best time for 

 amateurs to apply the water is at night. 



Plenty of manure water for young 

 celery plants will amply repay for the 

 trouble in maintaining a supplv con- 

 stantly on hand. It is hard to over- 

 feed or over-water celery plants. Celery 

 should be planted early in July if wanted 

 for fall use, although fairly good celery 

 sometimes can be had by planting as 

 late as the first week in August. In the 

 amateur garden it is advisable during 

 the hot days of July and .August to 

 place a twelve-inch board over the 

 celery plants for a few hours in the mid- 

 dle of the dav. 



There is time yet to put in a row or 

 two of dwarf beans and some corn for 

 late use. Sow the early varieties of 

 corn, such as Early Cory and Country 

 Gentleman, as these mature quickly. 

 The best kind of beans to plant now are 

 Early Six Weeks and Early Valentine. 



Late cabbage and cauliflower should 

 be planted at once, if not already at- 

 tended to. If you have a vacant spot 

 in the garden, utihze it by setting out 

 these plants. 



Potatoes should be sprayed once or 

 twice during the season, when in full 

 growth, with Bordeaux mixture and 

 Paris green. This will not only keep 

 down the beetles or "potato bugs," but 

 also will destroy the fungi that produce 

 rot and blight. For this purpose, tise 

 the ingredients in the following propor- 

 tions: Lime, four pounds; blue vitriol, 

 four pounds; and water, forty gallons. 

 When this mixture is prepared, add to 

 it eight ounces of Paris green. Apply 



when the vines are dry. Should ynu 

 not care to make the Bordeaux mixture, 

 use Paris green alone. 



If really good leeks are wanted, they 

 must be planted in a trench so that the 

 earth may be drav/n around them con- 

 veniently for the purpose of blanching. 

 Leeks grown in this way are considered 

 by many to be far superior to onions 

 when boiled. 



The best kinds of lettuce for hot 

 weather are the black seeded varieties. 

 Shade the lettuce with an inexpensive 

 home-made screen. 



Sow some early variety of peas in a 

 cool, partially shaded spot for Septem- 

 ber use. Sow on July 1 and 15. 



Cucumbers for pickles may be sown 

 this month. Sow Eclipse beet for fall 

 use; it should mature in 50 days. 



Do you know the pleasure of having 

 winter radishes? Sow the Half-long 

 Black vSpanish winter radish once be 

 fore July 15. The roots become seven 



Cattleya Maxima 



to ten inches long and, after being 

 stored in a dry cellar, require two or 

 three months to mature. The flesh is 

 white, mild and crisp. 



AMONG THE FRUITS 



The highest quality in raspberries and 

 blackberries is secured by not picking the 

 fruit too early. Growers who produce 

 these fruits for market are compelled 

 to pick them rather early to insure their 

 safe arrival. The amateur gardener 

 can afford to allow the fruits to remain 

 on the canes until well matured. Black- 

 berries particularly are delicious when 

 left on the bush until they are thorough- 

 ly ripened. 



During the first season in the new 

 patch of brambles the essential thing to 

 do is to provide moisture and to promote 

 a vigorous growth. This is best done by 

 means of tillage. Bushes planted around 

 the borders of a garden may be mulched 

 with straw or strawy manure often with 

 excellent results, but, whenever prac- 

 ticable, tillage is generally advisable. 

 Cultivate shallow for all brambles are 

 shallow rooted ; deep cultivation in- 

 creases suckering. It is best to stop 



tillage after the first of August to ripen 

 the canes. 



When the blackberry and black rasp- 

 berry shoots are about eighteen inches 

 high, pinch off the tips so as to branch 

 them. These bear more fruit than long, 

 unbranched canes; are easier to handle 

 and winter-kill less. 



In the home garden, strawberries 

 may be fruited twice or three times, but 

 on rich soil, with extra good care, the first 

 crop may be very heavy. In that case, 

 it is generally best to plow down the 

 patch as soon as fruited. A new lot of 

 plants should now be coming on to take 

 the place of the old bed. If your new 

 strawberry plants are still blooming, 

 remove the blossoms at once so as to 

 allow the plant energy to go towards the 

 production of runners and new plants 

 instead of fruit. 



Cattleya Maxima 



Fred. J. Goode, Toronto 



The subject of the accomp)anying 

 illustration is an excellent example of 

 the free-flowering type of orchidaceous 

 plants. Although introduced years ago, 

 it does not seem to have attracted the 

 attention of commercial and private 

 growers to whom it should appeal 

 through its extraordinary free-flowering 

 qualities, and easy culture. 



The bulbs of this variety often exceed 

 eighteen inches in length, slightly fur- 

 rowed and club-shaped, surmounted by 

 one and sometimes two oblong sub- 

 marginate leaves. These bulbs often 

 produce spikes of from five to eight 

 flowers. The sepals and petals are blush- 

 rose. . The lip is variegated with dark 

 crimson veins. 



Individual flowers often measure 

 five inches across and last in perfection 

 from two to three weeks. The flowers 

 are thrown well above the plant on good 

 long stems, the stem of each flower being 

 long enough from the main stem to give 

 the plant a most graceful appearance 

 and make it a valuable plant for 

 exhibition and cut flower purposes. 



This variety of Cattleya succeeds 

 better in a Httle higher temperature than 

 most Cattleyas, but, in all other respects, 

 the treatment should be the same. 

 Overhead-syringing twice daily is far 

 more beneficial than too much root 

 watering. These plants often throw 

 two strong growths from the same lead in 

 one season. 



The pink-flowered dogwood is a gem 

 among small trees. It is one of the 

 most beautiful shrubs of spiing. 



The Chrysanthemum Flowered Sun- 

 flower deserves a prominent place in 

 the garden. The magnificent flowers ' 

 are six to eight inches in diameter, 

 densely double and show no centre. — 

 N. S. Dunlop, Floral Dept. C.P.R. 



