AUTUMN AND WINTER NOTES FOR THE AMATEUR. 



as whale-oil soap is injurious if carelessly 

 used. The plants should be rinsed or 

 syringed with clean tepid water after 

 the operation, to remove all traces of the 

 soap. 



For the small green or black fly, thrip 

 or similar pests, the easiest applied and 

 most effective remedy is tobacco water, 

 made by placing a handful of raw 

 tobacco, or tobacco stems in a pail and 

 filling the pail up with boiling water. 

 After being allowed to cool, the liquid 

 can be strained off into bottles or jars, 

 and when required can be diluted with i 

 equal quantities of water. It can be ap- 

 plied with a small brush or rubber sprink- 

 ler and will generally destroy these pests; 

 fumigation by burning tobacco stems 

 that have been dampened or evaporation 

 from tobacco stems are really the most 

 effective remedies, but neither of these 

 methods are so readily adaptable for 

 house plants Mealy bug is not so 

 destructive to plants as the insects 

 before mentioned, but, if not kept under 

 check, gives the planta very dirty appear- 

 ance. Constant syringing and picking 

 out the bugs with a small sharp pointed 

 stick and destroying them is the best 

 method to get rid of these floury dusty 

 looking visitors. 



Information is often asked as to water- 

 ing growing plants in winter. It is not 

 easy to give advice on this matter, to 

 meet the requirement of each and every 

 plant, but a few general remarks on this 

 important subject may perhaps be use- 

 ful. It is best to water your plants 

 early in the day, with water about the 

 same temperature as the room where 

 the plants are growing, giving sufficient 

 water to well moisten all the soil in the 

 pot, and watering only when required 

 which can only be ascertained by close 

 observation. Always water or syringe 

 your plants on fine warm days if pos- 

 sible. 



Should any of your favorites unfortun- 

 ately get touched with frost, the best plan 

 to save them, is to at once remove them 

 from near the window or glass, and 

 place them on the floor of the room and 

 cover closely with sheets or table cloths 

 to effectually exclude light and air with- 

 out allowing the cover to touch them, 

 and raise the temperature of the room 

 gradually. The covering must be kept on 

 for several hours, and the plants gradu- 

 ally introduced to the light and heat, 

 when if not too badly frozen, they will re- 

 vive. I prefer the above plan to the cold 

 water cure sometimes recommended, 

 being far easier than the latter method. 



Hydrangeas, oleanders, clivias, agaves, 

 fuchsias, crinums, agapanthus and 

 similar plants require very little attention 

 in winter, and can be stowed away un- 

 der the greenhouse bench, or in a base- 

 ment or cellar, providing the temperature 

 is a few degrees above freezing, 40 to 

 45 suiting them very well, as they 

 require to be kept in a dormant or semi- 

 dormant state until early in the spring, 

 when they can be brought out into more 

 light and a higher temperature, watered 

 more frequently and grown on for sum- 

 mer flowering. They require very little 

 if any water during the winter months. 

 I have often wondered that the 

 several varieties of the Agapanthus or 

 African lily are not more extensively 

 grown and used on lawns for summer 

 decoration, as they succeed admirably 

 in large pots or tubs, their long, arching, 

 glossy green leaves and large showy 

 umbels of blue or white flowers, borne 

 on stout stems well above the foliage, 

 making them very attractive. Their 

 flowering period extends over several 

 weeks, usually at a time when flowers 

 are scarce, the blue flowering varieties 

 being probably the most showy and re- 

 munerative. A shaded position with 

 plenty of water and perhaps a little weak 



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