Delegates and Others in Attendance at Convention of Ontario Horticultural Association 



For names of persons numbered see page 305. 



WKat -Amateurs Can Do tKis MontK 



THE custom of having a Christmas 

 tree is so universally observed 

 that Christmas would not be 

 Christmas without it. Various kinds 

 of conifers are used, such as white 

 cedar, juniper, spruce, balsam and 

 hemlock. Of our native evergreens, 

 the spruce and balsam make the best 

 Christmas trees, as their branches are 

 regular and formal. These may be 

 secured in the woods or bought from 

 florists. Let every home have a Christ- 

 mas tree. 



No scheme of Christmas decoration 

 is complete without the use of one or 

 more kinds of red berries. Of these, 

 the holly is the most important. The 

 English holly is more attractive than 

 the American species, but it is not used 

 so largely. The holly used in this 

 country conies mostly from the south- 

 em states. The winterberry, a closely 

 allied species, is found in our swamps 

 and low grounds. Sprays of the com- 

 mon barberry also may be used for 

 Christmas decorations. 



If you want to select Christmas pres- 

 ents that will be appreciated not only 

 on account of their immediate beauty 

 and worth, but also for their lasting 

 qualities, why not select growing plants? 

 Some persons give cut flowers for 

 Christmas presents, but growing plants 



are much more satisfactory. If these 

 are decided upon, make your selection 

 early. Do not wait until the best 

 plants are gone. When buying, do 

 not purchase plants that have every 

 flower expanded. A few open flowers 

 is sufficient, the remaining buds will 

 expand in due time, and the interest 

 will be prolonged. There are many 

 plants suitable for presents, such as 

 Gloire de Lorraine begonias, Jerusalem 

 cherry, cyclamen, genistas, bulbs in 

 variety, primulas, azaleas, poinsettias, 

 Baby Rambler roses, and many others. 

 If you are sending plants to friends, 

 and do not have them packed by a 

 florist, be careful in performing the 

 work. Plants like Jerusalem cherry 

 and azaleas should have the branches 

 drawn in towards the centre and secured 

 by a string placed around the outside 

 of the plant. Wrap them by first 

 covering the top of the plant with 

 tissue paper, which may be held in 

 place by a string. Then roll the plant 

 in a single or double sheet of cotton 

 batting. Outside of this comes the 

 wrapi)ing paper. The quantity and 

 thickness of wrapping paper will de- 

 pend upon the distance that the plant 

 is being sent. Probably it is the 

 safest to first wrap in three or four 

 thicknesses of newspaper and clean 



299 



manilla paper on the outside. Include 

 the pots in the wrapping. 



Books on horticulture make accept- 

 able gifts. Every amateur gardener 

 is interested in reading books on gar- 

 dening. For a list of good ones, write 

 for the book catalogue that is issued 

 by The C.'vnadi.^n Horticulturist. 



When sending Christmas presents, 

 in most cases, the appearance of the 

 gift will be enhanced by the use of 

 galax leaves. Put a leaf in every 

 Christmas package. You can get many 

 of them from your florist for a few- 

 cents. 



Christmas gifts wrapped in white 

 paper, tied with a narrow silk ribbon 

 or fancy cord, with a small sprig of 

 holly placed in the ends or loops of 

 the bow, and the whole wrapf)ed in 

 heavy paper for transportation, is a 

 common and effective means of prep- 

 aration. 



Fruits are indispensable factors in 

 dressing a Christmas tree, filling stock- 

 ings or decorating the dining table. It 

 has long been the custom to use im- 

 ported fruits such as oranges and Mal- 

 aga grapes for these purposes. While 

 these fruits are excellent, there are 

 many native grown fruits that may 

 be selected. Among them, the choicer 

 varieties of pears, such as Anjou ; 



