March, 1915 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



69 



keeping them clear of weeds, well bank- 

 ed lup with earth, and well watered ; 

 about once a week I watered them thor- 

 oughly with a very weak liquid manure. 

 In this way I kept them giving me a 

 marketable quantity of bloom averaging 

 about eight thousand to nine thousand 

 sprays every week for six weeks. These, 

 at twenty-five cents a hundred, brought 

 me a nice little weekly income of twenty 

 dollars, which amounted in the six weeks 

 to one hundred and twenty dollars. I 

 cannot say exactly how much of this 

 could be called "net" profit, because the 

 work of the hired man for four days that 

 would otherwise have cost me about one 



dollar fifty cents a day, or six dollars 

 for the four days, really cost me no- 

 thing. The fertilizers, too, I appropri- 

 ated from the farm supply, but would 

 estimate them at about five dollars, cer- 

 tainly not more. The pea-bush cost two 

 dollars fifty cents and the ninie ounces of 

 seed, some of it tjeing of rare varieties, 

 came to five dollars, making in all a 

 total outlay of eighteen dollars fifty 

 cents or less, so that something over one 

 hundred "dollars was clear gain — not to 

 mention the "outdoor exercise," which 

 did wonders for my overstrained nerves, 

 and the vast amount of enjoyment I got 

 out of mv summer's work. 



Growing Watercress 



John Gall, Inglcwood, Ont. 



ANYONE who has a constant supply, which may be filled 

 however small, of running water 

 may grow watercress. A space larg- 

 er or smaller, according to area at com- 

 mand, should be excavated so that under 

 ordinary conditions the bottom may 

 be covered with from two to three inches 

 of water; but it is advisable to permit of 

 cleaning the beds from time to time, to 

 have some means of temporarily divert- 

 ing or cutting off the water supply. The 

 soil should consist of a very sandy loam 

 or of fine gravel. Propagation is usually 

 accomplished by division of the old roots 

 or by sowing of seed. The best times 

 for planting are in spring and the early 

 fall. Plant the rows in the flow of the 

 stream, not across it. Seed may be 

 sown in pans of light soil in a green- 

 house or frame, keeping it moist, and 

 pricking the plants out into the beds 

 when large enough to handle. Water- 

 cress may also be grown in any constant- 

 ly-moist and shady spot in the garden, 

 and in winter it may be obtained from 

 pans or boxes kept in the greenhouse, 

 giving plenty of water at all times. 



The illustration shows a somewhat 

 novel method of growing this popular 

 subject. It will be seen that three large 

 but shallow tubs — about a foot in depth 

 — are fixed, step-fashion, one above the 

 other. At the top of the series is a tank, 



with water either 

 from rain, or by means of the pump, 

 should there be a well in the garden. 

 From this tank just a trickle of water 

 is permitted to run by rpeans of a tap 

 and "bend," as shown, while the over- 

 flow from the first tub fills the second, 

 and that from the second the third. Of 

 course, the tubs are filled about half-full, 

 or rather more, with soil of a suitable 

 character, marly gravel in the bottom, 

 and two or three inches of rather fine, 

 sandy loam on the top. The depth of 

 water is about two inches, or rather 

 more, and a small piece of bent iron tub- 

 ing conducts the overflow from each tub 

 into the next, while the exhaust water 

 is utilized to supply the celery and other 

 vegetable crops, so that nothing is wast- 

 ed. An arrangement of this character 

 might be fixed up in any convenient spot 

 in the garden, its utility where water- 

 cress is in any great demand being too 

 obvious to need comment. 



^ 



The Dictamnus Fraxindla 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Goelpb, Ont. 



The excellent illustration of Dictamus 

 fraxinella, published in the February 

 issue of The Canadian Horticulturist, 

 has led to a request for further informa- 

 tion in regard to this excellent class of 

 plants. There are two types cultivated. 



* ff — 'Ti , T 'V 



A Simple Mathod of Growing Watercrats — (Seo} Accompanying Article) 



the Dictamnius fraxinelle alba and the 

 Dictarnnus fraxinelle purpurea or purple- 

 flowered Dictamnus. Both are similar in 

 habit of growth, the only difference be- 

 ing the Color of the flower. I do not 

 consider the purple variety as useful or 

 decorative as the white. As a rule the 

 Dictamnus grows very readily from seed. 

 The seeds are a glossy black color and 

 almost as large as a radish seed. There 

 is so little call for seeds of perennial 

 owing to their propagating so readily 

 from divisions of the roots, that it is 

 difficult to get new seed oftentimes un- 

 less from plants that others have grow- 

 ing or from your own plants. In fact, 

 I consider the Dictamnus one of the easi- 

 est kind of plants to grow from seed. 



Seeds of perennials are best sown out 

 of doors either in the open ground or in 

 a shallow, flat box outside in June. When 

 large enough they can be transplanted to 

 the border in suitable weather any time 

 before the middle of September or the 

 following spring. 



The Asparagus Beetle 



A. GlbiOD, Entomological Division, Ottawa^ 



Groweo^ of asparagus in tais vicinitv have had 

 much trouble with a sort of bug that injures the 

 young- shoots and foliage of asparagus. It almost 

 wholly destroys the usefulness of the crop. 

 What is it? How shall we combat it?— W. F., 

 Owen Sound, Ont. 



"The insect is, I think, the Common 

 Asparagus Beetle or the r2-spotted As- 

 paragus Beetle, or possibly both of the 

 insects may have been present. The 

 dark, olive-colored grubs of the Common 

 Asparagus Beetle feed upon young as- 

 paragus shoots, and also attack the foli- 

 age. The yellowish grubs of the 12- 

 spotted species feed, as well, upon the 

 tender shoots and new foliage, and later 

 feed chiefly inside of the berries, when 

 these are of sufficient size. Both of the 

 asparagus beetles pass the winter in the 

 mature state and frequent asparagus 

 plantations early in the season for the 

 purpose of laying their eggs and also, 

 of course, feeding. A simple remedy, if 

 poultry are available, is to allow the 

 chickens or ducks to run about in the 

 beds in spring when the beetles are pre- 

 sent. If this is done, large numbers of 

 the insects vvill be devoured. 



Probably the most effective remedy is 

 the dusting of the plants every three or 

 four days with fresh air-slaked lime. This 

 adheres to the slimy bodies of the grubs 

 and kills all with which it comes into 

 contact. If you would forward speci- 

 mens of the insects to the Entomological 

 Division, Central Experimental Farm, 

 Ottawa, as soon as they are noticed next 

 spring, we will advise you definitely as 

 to the species responsible for the injury. 



Heavy clay soil is said to be the best 

 for sweet peas, but in Toronto we have 

 had fair success on clay loam and even 

 on sandy soil. — Thomas D. Dockray, 

 Toronto, Ont. 



