36 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



February, 191 5 



Some of the rose beds which are a feature of 

 Mr. Taylor has bought or planted others 

 or more hardy ones, until after natural 

 growth the shrubs and plants are crowd- 

 ing one another, notwithstanding the 

 fact that friends are made happy each 



Mr. Taylor's g-ardi'ii. 



year with baskets of surplus growth. 

 Business interests occupy much of Mr. 

 Taylor's attention, but his garden is ever 

 a source of deep satisfaction and recrea- 

 tion. 



Feed the House Plant 



John Gall, Inglewood, Ont. 



IF you desire a good house plant, you 

 must feed it. In the first place, a soil 

 should be used that will return its 

 feeding properties for some time, and for 

 this purpose bone meal should be used 

 when potting. This dissolves into plant 

 food gradually, and therefore produces a 

 supply for a considerable length of time. 

 Always use the finest bone procurable, 

 and the action will be quicker. 



Many plants require a loose, open soil, 

 which soon becomes depleted owing to 

 the water easily draining through, car- 

 rying with it the food necessary for the 

 continuance of growth and life to the 

 plant, and in this case other methods 

 must be employed. 



Occasionally a little household 

 monia in soft water can be used 

 stimulant, but great care must be taken 



am- 

 as a 



not to apply it too strong, and only to 

 growing plants in good condition. 



There are many kinds of plant foods 

 on the market, full directions as to their 

 use are generally supplied on the pack- 

 ages. Never give a plant liquid manure 

 or stimulant when the soil is dry. Never 

 use hard water if possible; rain water 

 is best, and if none on hand use tepid 

 water, not hot. 



An excellent plan for feeding plants is 

 to soak them in a tub of water, with 

 some liquid manure mixed with it. This 

 gives a little more trouble, but it thor- 

 oughly impregnates* the soil with plant 

 food. Put enough liquid made from old 

 cow manure into a tub of soft water to 

 make it the color of tea. Plunge the 

 pots into this to just below the rim, and 

 allow them to soak for about an hour ; 



then lift oul and allow to drain for a 

 short time before putting into their re- 

 spective places. They will not require 

 water for a day or two, or even more, 

 according to the temperature of the room. 

 Strong plants can take up much more 

 food, and take it oftener than the weak- 

 er ones ; therefore, be careful not to 

 overfeed the weaker ones. With these 

 injunctions use judgment, and common- 

 sense, and success should be yours. 



Start Begonias Now 



B. C. Titlct, HamiltoD, Ost. 



Some of the finest begonias can be 

 raised cheaply from seed, and if this is 

 sown in boxes now it will produce flow- 

 ers in September. The Soil should be 

 coarse below, with plenty of drainage 

 unjderneath, and very fine and even on 

 the top. It should be firmly pressed 

 down, well watered, and left for twenty- 

 four hours. The seed is very small and 

 should be sprinkled very thinly on the 

 surface and lightly pressed with the 

 palm of the hand. Do not cover it with 

 soil. Cover the boxes with glass to 

 check evaporation. The boxes should be 

 placed in a glass house where there is 

 some heat. 



The seed takes some little time to ger- 

 minate, but watering should not be ne- 

 cessary until the seedlings appear. The 

 glass should then be raised, otherwise 

 the tiny seedlings are liable to damp off. 

 Plenty of fresh air and light, very care- 

 ful watering, and a fairly high tempera- 

 ture are the chief points in the cultiva- 

 tion of seedling begonias. They may be 

 grown entirely in pots, or about the mid- 

 dle of June planted in the open ground. 



Lilacs could be trimmed so as to as- 

 sume a tree-like shape. I do not con- 

 sider it advisable to do so, as they are 

 very liable to be broken down by snow 

 and ice storms in winter. They look 

 best grown in a balloon-shaped shrub. 

 Wni. Hunt, Guelph, Ont. 



A part of Mr. Taylor's perennial border is here shown edsred out with old- 

 fashioned pinks. In the left foreground is a bed of roses. 



Thie illustration shows a view of another part of the perennial border in 

 which Ml. Taylor takes much delight. 



