118 



'1" H E CANADIAN H () K 1' I C U L T U U 1 S T 



lime. The first may be prepared by 

 purchasing tablets of a definite amount 

 at a drug store. These tablets can be 

 kept in a small bottle and a pint or a 

 quart bottle tilled with water and one 

 of the tablets added. Uf)on concluding 

 work the bottle should be emptied to 

 avoid the danger of poisoning children 

 and unsuspecting persons. Carbolic acid 

 solutions may be prepared by simply 

 adding a teaspoonful or more to a bottle 

 of water and shaking it up. The satur- 

 ated solution that contains about five 

 per cent, of carbolic acid is the proper 

 strength to use. A solution of chloride 

 of lime will answer about the same pur- 

 fKDse and is made by adding about 20 

 parts of water to one part of commercial 

 chloride of lime, shaking it up and pour- 

 ing off the clear liquid. This is only for 

 use when fresh. Any of these solutions 

 can be carried by the operator, and a 

 strip of cloth a yard or so in length 



should be fastened to the clothing, leav- 

 ing one end free. When cutting into 

 active blight the end of the cloth may 

 be kept saturated with the disinfectant 

 and the knife sterilized by wiping before 

 using it on sound wood." 



WHAT PROF. EDWARDS SAYS 



I'rof. S. P. Edwards, Guelph: I'ire 

 blight or twig bhght is a bacterial dis 

 ease affecting not only pear trees, but 

 also the apple, quince, crab, mountain 

 ash, service berry, and several species 

 of hawthorn. It is easily recognized at 

 first sight by the brown and subsequent 

 blackened condition of the young leaf 

 tufts and flower clusters, and the black- 

 ened, shrivelled bark of the young twigs, 

 as though a fire had passed over them. 

 The disease passes rapidly to the larger 

 branches and limbs and finally to the 

 trunk, sometimes affecting the whole 

 tree within ten days. The spread of the 



disease is more rapid in warm, mois» 

 weather, and on frees subjected to higli 

 cultivation and heavy pruning that tend 

 toward the growth of tender succulent 

 shoots which are easily infected by the 

 germ which causes the disease. 



The only treatment is the judicious 

 and continuous use of the saw and tht 

 pruning knife. Ail affected twigs and 

 branches shoidd be cut out, the cut to 

 be made at least 10 inches below the 

 discolored portion, and these diseased 

 prunings should be burned. It is essen- 

 tial not only to watch the pears for ap- 

 ])earance of the disease, but the apple, 

 quince, and related sf>ecies as well, as 

 the bacteria may be carried from tree to 

 tree by bees and other insects. Con- 

 stant care and watchfulness are essential, 

 and the fruit grower whose trees are af- 

 lected should lose no time and spare no 

 pains in instituting vigorous measures 

 for the eradication of the disease. 



Hardy Wild Flow^ers for tKe Garden 



WE are now at the time of the year 

 when flower lovers gravitate to the 

 woods, to visit the haunts of the 

 hepatica, the blood-root, the spring 

 beauty, the trillium, and others. How 

 delightful is this annual pilgrimage to 

 look on these early "earth-born blos- 

 soms," in the midst of their native 

 surroundings, and see the annual mir- 

 acle of awakening plant life! With 

 what loving tenderness and admiration 

 we gaze on them when found! How 

 carefully we pick a few of these earliest 

 of the wonderful train which will 



A. yVIexander, Hamilton, Ont. 



stretch through the coming months, 

 so that those at home may also see 

 and admire! The desire to have these 

 beauties around our homes is therefore 

 natural, and in the case of many of 

 them, it is quite feasible and will yield 

 genuine delight for years. 



The right time to transfer these wild 

 lings from their native woods to the 

 garden is not when they are in bloom, 

 but when their year's growth is perfected, 

 which, in the case of those named in 

 this article, will be near the end of July. 

 Of course, care will be taken bv all in- 



Hr. Alexander's Specimens of Hepatica triloba 



telligeni Iomi^ ui wild lloucis, inji in 

 be reckless in digging up so many as 

 to practically exterminate them in an) 

 one locality, where they have been 

 known and looked for, bvold and young, 

 for generations. 



Nevertheless, all who have room in 

 their gardens should, by all means, tr> 

 a few of these harbingers of spring and 

 early summer, for in our homes there is 

 always one or more not able to go to 

 the woods to see them. 



Most of these beauties delight in a 

 soil with plenty of rotted leaves or 

 humus in it, and nearly all of them ike 

 a partial shade. 



The accompanying illustrations arc 

 from photographs of plants growing in 

 my garden last spring and summer. 



HEP.VTICA triloba 



The first of these that I would recom- 

 mend is the well-known, hepatica, He- 

 patica triloba, or the Anemone Hepatica 

 of some botanists. This, I consider, 

 is the earliest flower, after the skunk 

 cabbage, to turn its face heavenward. 

 This plant is found in the woods of Can- 

 ada throughout a very wide area. 

 .A.mong dead leaves and undergrowth, 

 of the past year, it forms dense patches 

 with its own rusty lookiiig leaves which 

 have remained over the winter, I sup- 

 pose as a protection to the young and 

 bold 'flower buds. The new leaves are 

 not formed imtil later; in fact, not until 

 the flowers are all gone. Hence 

 the wisdom of not moving the plant 

 until this leaf growth is completed. 

 Its flowers are faintly fragrant and are 

 blue, pink, white or purple in color. 

 ^Although, necessarily, the hepaticas 

 must lose some of their charm when 

 taken awaj' from their woodland retreat 



