1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARlVrER. 



613 



Oleanders, lemons, oranges, pittosporum, 

 and all such plants can be safely wintered in 

 the Cellar. Carry down the large tubs about 

 the first of November ; water them once a 

 month with warm water, and they will keep in 

 fine order. Care must be taken to place them 

 where they will not be sprinkled with the fine 

 coal dust from the sifting of ashes. This 

 would choke out all their life. 



Scarlet salvias can be lifted from the ground 

 after their stalks have been cut down, and 

 their I'oots buried in sand, like dahlias. In 

 the spring they can be divided into several 

 plants. Salvia patens (blue Mexican sage) 

 can be treated like a dahlia, — its roots having 

 similar eyes, which will start out afresh in the 

 spring. 



Scarlet geraniums, — indeed all the horse- 

 shoe or zonale varieties, — can be wintered in 

 cool, frost-proof, dry cellars, by pulling them 

 up by the roots, shaking off all the soil, and 

 cutting off all the buds and blossoms. Then 

 tie them head downwards, to the beams of the 

 cellar. In April they will look dried up, 

 wilted ; but when transplanted they will soon 

 recover and grow luxuriantly. 



The English have tried wintering gerani- 

 mns, heliotropes, roses, &c., by burying them 

 in a trench under ground, below the reach of 

 the frost. Roses are frequently, in the United 

 States, kept safely in this way ; but the more 

 succulent plants have not been extensively 

 tried, if at all. But our readers can make the 

 attempt, and if they succeed, inform the New 

 England Farmer of their experiment. The 

 trench nmst be dry, where no water can re- 

 main at a depth of two feet below the level, 

 and it must be below the touch of the frost. 

 The plants are laid in by the roots, in a row ; 

 then covered with straw, placed so as to carry 

 off the water, — boards placed over the straw 

 would be a good preventive to dampness, — 

 then shovel in the earth to a depth according 

 to the needs of the climate, and finish off with 

 a ridge or roof, shaped so as to carry off all 

 water. With a little care exercised in pre- 

 paring the trench, there is no reason why most 

 of our half-hardy herbaceous, bedding-out 

 plants cannot be safely preserved for another 

 summer. 



Dahlias and gladioli must be removed to 

 winter quarters before the ground freezes 

 hard. The former flowers are in their glory 

 now, and their beauteous blossoms will orna- 

 ment the gardens much longer if when the first 

 frost threatens they are protected at night 

 with old sheets or blankets, — a water proof 

 cloak will, if thrown over it at night, save a 

 fine plant, and make it a joy for several weeks 

 to come. 



When the hard freeze must come, gather 

 the flowers and keep them in vases. By 

 changing the water daily, they will keep fresh 

 for a week or more. The stalks should be 

 cut down after the leaves are seared and the 

 ground is freezing nightly. The soil is then 



shaken from the tubers and they should be 

 laid in the sun for two or three days to dry 

 off, being protected from the cold, by a blan- 

 ket at night. This prevents any tendency to 

 mould during the winter. When thoroughly 

 dry, pack them in boxes or barrels, in sand 

 that has been also dried in the sun ; set them 

 in a cool, dry cellar, where the rats will not 

 touch them. 



Gladioli should be allowed to remain in the 

 ground as late as possible, as the richness of 

 their blossoms another year depends upon the 

 maturity the bulbs gain before being removed 

 to winter quarters. But when the chilh' north 

 wind stiffens your fingers, then pull up the 

 stems, cutting them off about two inches from 

 the bulbs, shake off the soil, let them dry in 

 the sun for several hours, but by night store 

 them away in paper bags or boxes, in a dry 

 ])lace. They can remain in a warm closet 

 without injury to these flowers. 



All our plants are ready for window garden- 

 ing. I counted this morning 105 pots, (iuite a 

 formidable array to fill five small windows ! 

 Fater-familias gazes at them with ill-disguised 

 dismay, and asks in lugubrious tones, "are all 

 those tilings coming into the house ? Surely, 

 there are not windows enough to hold them !" 

 But we shall find a place for every one of 

 them, and rejoice over each plant. We have 

 treated them to the best compost we could 

 procure ; have potted them with great care, 

 pressing the soil tightly about Iheir tender 

 rootlets. 



Fuchsias are now in full bloom, and the ten 

 plants tliat we possess are marvels of beauty 

 and elegance. As soon as they cease bloom- 

 ing, with the exception of the winter blooming 

 varieties, Speciosa and Serratifolia, the pots 

 will all go down cellar and remain on a swing 

 shelf, out of the reach of rats and all vermin. 

 We determined on this course last year, when 

 the red spiders ivould twine their invisible 

 webs around all their branches and we could 

 only dislodge them by constantly sifting '^Fer- 

 tilizer^'' over their leaves. They did not blos- 

 som, did not add anything to the beauty of 

 our "Window Garden," but were great addi- 

 tions in April, May and June, on to the au- 

 tumn. 



By all means, fair friends, procure some 

 variegated-leaved plants for your windows. 

 The Coleus requires stove heat — green-house 

 culture — to thrive well ; but the Achyrantkus 

 will grow anywhere, if it does not freeze. 

 There are three or four varieties, and all desira- 

 ble. Their bright-hued leaves do duty for 

 flowers, and when the wintry sun shines in 

 through their rich crimson, magenta and ma- 

 roon-colored leaves, the effect is gorgeous ! 



Hanging baskets should not be forgotten ; 

 every one of us must have at least one, and 

 Dutch flowering bulbs must add their delicious 

 fragrance and many brilliant hues to every 

 plant stand and window garden. In another 



