THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Chinese Primula 



This plant now in bloom, was grown from seed sown 

 last Juno. 



A comer of my greenhouse, as it looked 

 a few days ago, is shown in the illustra- 

 tion. It may be called a symphony in 

 white. The white is supplied from a 

 liberal stock of Roman hyacinths, paper 

 white narcissus and white Chinese prim- 

 ulas, the latter grown from seed sown 

 last June. In a small packet of seed I 

 had about sixty lovely plants of fine 

 colors. One of these plants is shown. 

 I have always had great faith in the 

 begonia for the amateur's greenhouse. 

 There is such a great variety, and 

 nearly all of them easily grown, and the 

 plants themselves are so free from in- 

 sect or other pests that they are most 

 desirable, for they are decorative, 

 whether in bloom or not. One of the 

 most handsome is Begonia velvetina. 

 In the picture of the Bouganvillea the 

 plant in the background against the 

 back wall is Begonia rubra, which in 

 three years from planting covered a 

 portion of the wall 18 feet by 14 feet, or 

 an area of 252 square feet, and was in 

 bloom continuously for years, until it 

 suffered as above described, but it is 

 now again in bloom and will soon cover 

 its old space. To the right of the 

 Bouganvillea and growing in the same 

 bed is another Begonia — President Car- 

 not. It was twelve feet high and laden 

 with its immense clusters of bloom when 

 the photo was taken. At the present 

 time I have Begonia incarnata, Paul 

 Bruant, Alba and Metalica in bloom, 

 besides some others whose names are 

 unknown to me. Cypripedium insignis 

 is the only orchid I have in bloom now. 



I noticed what surprised me last 

 winter, when the gas was playing havoc 

 with my plants, when the hardiest ger- 

 aniums lost all their leaves, that my 

 ferns, including the most delicate adian- 

 tums and others, never looked better. 

 The illustration shows a specimen of 

 Nephrolepis Piersonii about 18 months 

 old, from a sucker that seemed to 

 thrive upon the gas. Photo 10 shows 

 a specimen of Pteris tremula which 



is one of several that I found grow- 

 ing in a damp corner of the centre 

 bed in the greenhouse. When I lifted 

 it it had two fronds about an inch long 

 and now, less than two years after, I 

 have some fine specimens of this elegant 

 fern from self-sown spores. This is one 

 of the many interesting accidents that 

 we came across in our little greenhouse 

 experience. 



A Fern that Throve in'Gas 



This Nephrolepsis Piersonii fern, 18 months old, was 

 grown from a spur and did well in a greenhouse, where 

 many other plants were killed by an escape of gas. 



I will say but little more at this time, 

 as I have no intention to speak of 

 greenhouse construction or heating, or 

 of the mode of cultivating certain plants ; 

 all I would add is that I get the best soil 

 I can get, and I often wish that some of 

 the commercial men would take in hand to 

 supply us amateur florists at a reasonable 

 figure with the potting soil we need for 

 general purposes. By so doing they would 

 increase the sale of many of their plants. 



I am particular about the pots I use — 

 I wash them inside and out every time 

 they are used, and, as far as I can, keep 

 the atmosphere around my plants not 

 only with the proper heat, but also the 

 requisite moisture and air. With these 

 the plants must grow and thrive for it is 

 the law of their nature. 



I would close these rambling notes by 

 saying that the main feature of my 

 greenhouse is the large bed in the centre 

 15 ft. by 14 ft. and the 3-ft. border 

 along the back wall enabling me to have 

 a wonderful development of such plants 

 as fuchsias, abiitilons and begonias and 

 others planted therein. 



It is Nor^vay Spruce 



J. W. Smith, Winona, Ont. 



In the November issue of The Horticultur- 

 ist we noticed the picture of a hedge on the lavpn 

 of Mr. J. W. Smith, of Winona. What kind of 

 hedge is it? Ho«r long has it taken to grow 

 and how old were the trees when put out?— (R. 

 W. O., Collingwood, Ont.) 



The hedge is Norway Spruce. When 

 planted the trees were 30 to 36 inches 

 high and about four or five years old. 

 This is the best height for planting, 

 although they may be used when higher. 

 When planting them 30 to 36 inches it 

 takes seven or eight years for them to 

 grow seven to nine feet high, providing 

 it is sandy soil. They grow in most any 

 kind of soil. 



When they reach the desired height 

 the tops may be cut off by drawing a 

 straight line. The sides may, also, be 

 trimmed to suit. This should be done 

 after the hedge has ceased growing for 



Pteris Tremula 



the season, usually about August. About 

 the same time it may be thinned, cutting 

 the wood back within an inch of what 

 it was the previous year, so that each 

 year a new wood is left, on which buds 

 form. This hedge was planted about 

 four feet apart and is now 25 years old. 

 It becomes thicker and thicker each year. 



Plants should have a rest, and that is 

 accomplished by withholding water, 

 lowering the temperature in which they 

 grow and not giving them any stim- 

 ulant."— (E. F. Collins, Toronto). 



Plant flowers, even if it is not necessary 

 to do so in your vicinity, or if flowers 

 are a trouble and do not bring money. 

 They will bring refinement and pleasure. 

 — (N. S. Dunlop, Montreal, Que.) 



The flower lover who has never reared 

 her own plants and in turn been re- 

 warded by the dainty blossoms they 

 have borne, has missed a great deal of 

 joy and pleasure. — (Mrs. W. J. McLena- 

 han, Appleby). 



