Gardening for Amateurs 



of caustic soda in 1 gallon of water, and 

 boil until the liquid becomes clear. Pour 

 the solution into bottles, cork them tightly, 

 and label " Poison." When weed-killer is 

 required, pour a small cupful of this liquid 

 into a gallon of water, and spray over the 

 path. 



Proprietary weedicides are comparatively 



cheap, and the amateur who requires but a 

 small quantity cannot do better than buy 

 a cheap tin of the preparation. Remember 

 always to lay a board alongside any plants 

 and edgings to keep the spray off them, 

 for the weed-killer has no power of dis- 

 crimination in its drastic work of killing 

 all vegetable life. 



Measuring the Greenhouse. When 

 preparing for fumigation the amateur has, 

 first of all, to determine the size of his 

 greenhouse. Measure the length of the 

 sloping roof, and so determine the middle 

 point of it. Take the height of this point 

 above the floor, measure the length and 

 breadth, and the product of these three 

 measurements gives the capacity of the 

 house ; measure in feet. In fumigation do 

 not allow for the pots which occupy some of 

 the space. Get the volume by multiplying 

 the height, length, and breadth as above, 

 and fumigate for that space. 



Chrysanthemums against a Wall. 

 The amateur is often unable to afford glass 

 accommodation for his Chrysanthemums 

 when the winter weather comes early, with 

 the result that he misses many of the fine 

 blooms which are the delight of those who 

 have a conservatory or greenhouse. If the 

 usual methods of protection cannot be 

 practised, lift '. the plants and transplant 

 them along the base of the sunniest wall 

 in the garden, arranging them with care, 

 tall ones behind, short ones in front. When 

 the heavy rains of October and the cold, 

 sharp winds of winter come along, sufficient 

 protection can easily be given by placing a 

 few boards against the wall in front of them 

 or by fixing a piece of wood in such a way 

 that bags or mats may be suspended in front 

 to protect the flowers. The protective cover- 

 ings should always be made use of at night, 

 and on a wet, cold day they need scarcely 

 be removed unless to give a little aeration. 

 The time of transplanting ought to be deter- 

 mined by the climatic conditions, and with 

 reasonable care the flowers can be kept 

 right into December if the weather is not 

 too severe. 

 2 



Tar as an Antiseptic. Fungoid spores 

 often find entrance into the tissues of shrubs 

 and trees through some wound or bruise 

 caused by the winter storms or by bad prun- 

 ing. A good preventive is Stockholm, Arch- 

 angel or wood tar, and 1 Ib. of it kept in a 

 jelly jar will serve many a useful purpose. 

 Whenever a wound is noticed paint a little 

 tar over it and leave it there ; it does no 

 harm and acts as an antiseptic dressing ; 

 for Roses and fruit trees so subject to canker 

 diseases it is almost indispensable. Coal tar 

 is not so good, but better than nothing. A 

 very light painting of wood tar over the lower 

 parts of the trunks of fruit trees and shrubs 

 will prevent rabbits from disfiguring them 

 during frosty spells in winter ; do not use 

 an excess, and the tar will never be noticed. 



Preservatives for Wood Supports. 

 Wherever wood supports of any kind have to 

 be kept in the soil for a time it will repay the 

 gardener to use some preservative so as to 

 check the process of decay which speedily 

 ruins the wood. Some good preservatives 

 are now advertised by various firms, but the 

 gardener who only needs small quantities 

 will find a gallon of gas tar highly useful. 

 Heat the tar carefully over a small fire in 

 the open or by placing the can on a brick 

 which has been in the fire for some hours, 

 then paint the wood thinly to at least 6 

 inches above the ground level. Shake a 

 little rough sand over the tar to bind it better, 

 then leave the sticks aside to dry. Creosote 

 may be used, but three or four coats are 

 necessary ; some gardeners get a quantity of 

 the liquid and allow the wooden props to 

 stand in it for three or four days. By 

 spring-time the injurious elements in the tar 

 or creosote will have soaked into the wood 

 and they will do no harm to the plants. 



