246 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



October, 1907 



tive results. On the other hand, ether- 

 ized plants of Astilbe Japonica (varieties 

 Spiraea astilboides and S. compacta) 

 came into flower from ten to thirty 

 days earlier than plants forced by the 

 ordinary methods. Etherized lilacs 

 flowered from six to ten days sooner 

 than those unetherized. One ether- 

 ized Japanese quince flowered five days 

 before the check plant, while another 

 made a gain of seventeen days over 

 the check plant. Rhododendrons failed 

 entirely to respond to the action of 

 the ether fumes, while etherized aza- 

 leas came into flower several days be- 

 fore the untreated plants. Good re- 

 sults were obtained from the experi- 

 ments with rhubarb, the shoots of the 

 etherized roots being ready to cut 

 fully five days before those of the un- 

 etherized roots. Not only were the 

 shoots of the etherized roots earlier 

 than those of the unetherized, but 

 there were also a great many more of 

 them, the ether apparently causing 

 every bud on the root-stock to produce 

 a shoot. 



The foregoing is just a brief sum- 

 mary of the results obtained from a 

 long series of experiments carried on 

 at Cornell on the use of ether in forcing 

 plants. It should, however, be suffi- 

 cient to bring before the Canadian 

 florist the possibilities of the subject. 



THe Fragrant Freesia 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Guelph 



No winter flowering bulb gives more 

 acceptable results than do the pretty 

 little bulbs of Freesia refracta alba. 

 Plant at once about five or six good 

 sound bulbs in a four or five inch pot 

 in fairly good potting soil, soil that 

 will grow geraniums will suit them. 

 Use a little broken flower pot, coal 

 cinders or gravel for drainage. Put 

 the bulbs at equal distances apart, 

 four around about half an inch from 

 the inside of the pot in a circle, with 

 one or two bulbs near the centre. The 

 top of the bulbs should be about half 

 an inch below the surface of the soil 

 when potted, and the surface of the 

 soil about' half ''an inch below 'the top 

 of the pot when the soil is pressed 

 •down firmly. Give water sufficient to 

 moisten all the soil. 



Place the pot in the window at once ; 

 do not bury them in the cellar as many 

 have done, and had failures. Avoid 

 over-watering the bulbs until growth 

 and root action has well commenced, 

 then more water may be given. Keep 

 them in a sunny place in the window. 

 Stake the plants to support them when 

 the grassy-like growth is four or five 

 inches in height, and wait patiently 

 for several weeks for the flower stalk. 

 Do not throw them out, as often has 

 been done, because they were slow in 



* flowering, thinking that the seedsmen 

 had deceived them and given them 

 grass plants. Wait for the flowers. 

 If the bulbs were good, the flowers will 

 come in due time, and will well repay 

 for care and patience shown. When 

 the bulbs have done flowering, water 

 theni less frequently until the growth 

 has dried up yellow, when no more 

 water should be given them. The pots 

 should now be stood away in a cool, 

 dry room, and the soil kept dry until 

 next September, when the bulbs should 

 be shaken out of the soil and the large 

 ones repotted and treated as before. 



When staking freesias put four or 

 five small stakes about a foot in height 

 around close to the inside of the pot. 

 Around these tie tightly some fine 

 twine or raffia four or five times around 

 the stakes from top to bottom, crossing 

 and re-crossing the twine between the 

 stakes a few times across the pot to 

 help support the tender growth. This 

 is better than staking each stalk singly, 

 besides giving the plants a much neater 

 appearance. Small thin stakes should 

 be used for this purpose. 



tips of Ampelopsis Veitchii, which can 

 be had from the nurseries, from florists 

 or from the walls where they are grown 



MaKing Root Cuttings 



The autumn is a better time to make 

 root cuttings than spring. Many of the 

 the small fruits, such as the dewberry, 

 blackberry and raspberry, are readily 

 increased in this way, as are many trees 

 and shrubs. 



The roots of the plants mentioned and 

 those of any trees or shrubs of about the 

 same habit of growth, should be cut into 

 three-inch lengths, and if not time to 

 set them outdoors, cover them up in a 

 cool cellar, in damp sand, soil or moss, 

 there to remain until the planting out 

 time arrives. By making the cuttings 

 in advance of planting them in nursery- 

 rows there is given time for the forming 

 of a callus, and the developing of buds, 

 hastening the appearance above ground 

 of the growing shoots in spring. When 

 setting out the roots, a shallow trenc-h 

 may be prepared and the roots spread 

 in it. 



Avit\iinn Leaves 



For decorating rooms in the home 

 and public buildings autumn leaves may 

 be used with advantage. Out along 

 the water front and among the swamps 

 you will find the brightest colored leaves, 

 but your florists can supply you with 

 autumn foliage. The cut-leaved oak 

 and the red or sugar maples are the best. 



Many sentimental people consider au- 

 tumn leaves with a tinge of sadness and 

 shudder at their use. Be careful of such. 

 The foliage is distinctly appropriate for 

 any form of decoration. For table 

 decorative work, care should be taken 

 not to use ill-smelling or rough autumn 

 leaves ; instead, use a few well-colored 



Gro-wing' Celery Hasily 



J. W. Rush, Humber Bay, Ont 

 An experiment that I have conducted 

 in growing celery without the use of! 

 barnyard manure, may be of interest 

 to the readers of The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist. I have a piece of danii 

 sandy soil thai inclines to the non 



Some Well-Grown Celery 



and west. About May 20 I plow and 

 harrow it finely, then mark the rows 

 east and west, twelve inches apart 

 I use young plants about two inchei 

 high and well rooted. They are taker 

 directly from the seed boxes and plaUt' 

 ed five inches apart in the row. • Omsj 

 a week they are hoed or raked unti 

 about July 15, when no more hoeiftfj 

 is needed, as the plants cover the ground' 

 On the plot were 5,000 celery plants] 

 I use about 150 pounds of Harris' Feri 

 tili/er applied at three different timesj 

 and no other manure. 



