170 



THE CANADIAN H O R l" 1 C U L T U R 1 S T 



July, 1907 



flowers from the vase and put in bowls 

 of water where the stems will be covered 

 nearly to the blossom, and cover with 

 newspapers and set out on the window- 

 sill, unless it should be cold enough to 

 freeze the blossoms, when they are 

 placed inside a cool place. 



W^alKs and Drive-ways 



When planning new grounds, walks 

 and driveways must be taken into con- 

 sideration. On large grounds they should 

 be used to link the more important 

 features of the landscape together, and 

 to serve as entrances. They have an 

 effect on the appearance of the place and, 

 as they are not beautiful in themselves, 

 they should be as few as possible. The 

 general idea should be simplicity and 

 directness. 



On grounds of considerable extent, 



Styrax Japonica 



Roderick Cameron, Niagara Falls, Ont. 



The beautiful shrub or small tree, 

 Siyrax Japonica, blooms in June. It is 

 a native of China and Japan, from where 

 we get, and have got, many beautiful 

 and valuable plants. This is not, by 

 any means, the least valuable, where it 

 proves to be hardy. Styiax Japonica is 

 a handsome shrub of very graceful habit. 

 It is the hardiest of its class; and no 

 doubt it will be a surprise to many to 

 know that this very beautiful plant 

 thrives, perhaps, better in this locality 

 than in Japan. I believe that it will 

 thrive still further north than Niagara 

 Falls — it should get a fair trial anyway. 

 The best authority in the United States 

 says that it is hardy as far north as 

 Massachusetts in sheltered situations. 



The buds, before they open, resemble 

 verv much a white fuchsia bell in form. 



A Beautiful Rose Bed Backed by Vines at Residence of Dr. D. G. Storms, Hamilton, Ont. 



the walks and driveways should be laid 

 out in moderate curves, not winding or 

 twisting, but gracefully curbing from 

 the point of entrance to the house. The 

 points of entrance are better located at 

 the sides. On small city lots, where 

 space is limited, we are restricted al- 

 most to straight lines, but occasional 

 slight curves may be employed with 

 effect. 



Golden-leaved California privet is 

 deemed hard to keep in its golden habit, 

 because of the green shoots it will make. 

 If these green shoots are persistently 

 cut away as soon as they form, there is 

 no trouble in keeping the shrub to its 

 desired character; and it is highly orna- 

 mental. 



They are a beautiful waxy white color 

 when open, except the stamens, which 

 are yellow. The flowers are very fra- 

 grant, of a pleasing spicy nature. I 

 have few plants in the park that call 

 for more praise from me than Styrax 

 Japonica. 



Saving Seed of S^veet Peas 



Edwin Utley, Toronto 



Sweet peas are very sportive. They 

 occasionally will send out a double stem 

 with 8 to 15 flowers upon it, but this 

 appears to be a deformity. Seed saved 

 from such flowers do not repeat and, in 

 fact, generally produce inferior flowers. 



If you desire to save your own seed, 

 do not try to get flowers and seeds from 

 the same vine. Pick out the sturdiest 

 vines to save seed from. Cut the poorer 



flowers, leaving the best, with three oi 

 four flowers to a stem to seed. When 

 ripe pick the pods which will contain * 

 about seven seeds each. Those at each | 

 end of the pod will be smaller than the 

 rest, discard these, and save only the big, 

 fat seeds for next year, and you will | 

 probably get improved plants and | 

 flowers from them. By this method, I 1 

 have been able to get many flowers with ' 

 sturdy stems 16 and 17 inches long. 

 The earliest flowers are the best to save i 

 seeds from, as those which mature in 

 hot weather do not seem to have the 

 same vitality and jtrength. 



If your garden is very shady you 

 cannot grow fine sweet peas. They 

 thrive best with plenty of air and sun- ■ 

 light. Many of the orange and red 

 varieties bum or discolor somewhat 

 easily under a hot sun ; hence, if you 

 want to have pure colors for exhibition, 

 it is a good plan to throw a few yards of 

 cheese cloth over the vines when the 

 sun is striking them strongly. 



Gro-wing SquasH 



A. McMeans, O.A.C., Guelpb, Ont. 



The best varieties of squash for mar- 

 ket purposes are Summer Crookneck, 

 Delicious, Marblehead and Hubbard. 

 Many growers make the mistake of 

 leaving the Crookneck until the shell 

 gets hard ; whereas, if they would cut 

 them just as the shell is beginning to 

 harden, or when they can be indented 

 easily by pressing on them with the 

 thumb, the squash would be far more 

 acceptable to the consumer. At that 

 stage they can be taken and washed, 

 and cut shell and all for cooking. A 

 trial will convince any person that' this 

 practice is superior. 



Marblehead is not grown enough. 

 It has a grayish-white skin with a nearly 

 smooth surface and is somewhat smaller 

 in size than the Hubbard; the flesh is 

 as dry, as thick and as good, and the 

 season of ripening is about the same. 



Delicious is a variety that should be 

 grown when quality is required rather 

 than yield. It is a fall and winter 

 variety, small to medium in size, with 

 thick, dry flesh of excellent quality. 



If the amateur wants a variety of 

 squash to cover as much of the season 

 as possible, he should try Perfect Gem. 

 Another variety of excellent flavor 14 

 Fordhook, but it is too small to grov»| 

 for market. 



A shallow fountain or tank which 

 affords a drinking and bathing place ioi 

 birds throughout the summer will d<j( 

 much to encourage their presence. i 



Remember that a vigorous growth 

 of clover in a lawn is a good thing be* 

 cause it enriches the soil in nitrogefl 

 and humus, rendering it in the very be^ 

 condition for a succeeding crop of grass. 



