170 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



July, 19li. 



It is well worth while preserving grand old 



trees such as this one. The rotted wood having 



been removed, there does not seem to be much 



good wood left. Note accompanying article. 



sliglitly damp with dry, finely-pow- 

 dered flowers of sulpliur, is a good 

 remedy for red spider. Any soap or 

 tobacco solution, or both combined, is 

 a good remedy for these insect pests. 



Boiling soap suds poured on tobacco 

 of any kind, covered up close and al- 

 lowed to steep until cool and applied 

 with a fine spray under pressure, is a 

 good remedy or preventative for almost 

 all summer insect pests. Sulpho-tobacco 

 soap, to be bought at seed and drug 

 stores, is a good remedy for insect pests 

 on any plants. The spikes of blossoms 

 should be kept picked off every second 

 , day at least, to prevent seed forming, 

 and thus prolong the season of flower- 

 ing and secure larger flowers. 



Paeonies. 



Cut the seed heads off paeonies at 

 once after the flowers have dropped 

 their petals. It will help the roots to 

 develop for next season's flowering. 



House Plants. 



All house plants, such as palms, ficus 

 (rubber plants), dracaenas, callas, Eng- 

 lish ivy, fancy pelargoniums, and simi- 

 lar plants, should be stood out of doors 

 in partial shade where they do not ger 

 the heat of the sun during the middle 

 of the day during July and August. 

 Plunging or sinking the pots up to the 

 rim in the soil— or, better still, in coal 

 ashes — helps to keep the plants in bet- 

 ter condition than if stood out on the 

 ground. Whether the pots are stood 



out or plunged as stated, it is always 

 best to have two or three inches of coal 

 ashes under them to prevent eartli 

 worms getting into the puts and thus 

 often choking the drainage 



Many flowering plants, such as iin- 

 patiens (bloom for ever), marguerite 

 daisies, chrysanthemums, and similar 

 soft-wooded plants, may be planted out 

 in the garden during the heat of sum- 

 mer to advantage. 



should be engaged to perform such 

 work, as, if conducted by novices, the 

 trees may be more damaged than bene- 

 fitted by such treatment. 



Saving The Old Trees 



Many old trees that iiave afforded 

 pleasure to their owners and to the 

 public for years, but whicli through rot 

 which may have affected tlieir trunk 

 or branches, liave begun to lose their 

 vigor and beautj', might be saved and 

 their life prolonged indefinitely by the 

 application of right methods of treat- 

 ment. While we do not as yet appre- 

 ciate the worth of our old trees as do 

 the people from older lands, such as 

 England, yet already we have lost so 

 many magnificent specimens that moic 

 interest is now being taken in this 

 subject than ever before. In receiit 

 years, men have commenced to make a 

 business of doctoring and preserving 

 trees. In many cases their services are 

 paid for at remunerative figures by 

 wealthy people who desire to preserve 

 trees surrounding their homes and 

 beautifying their gardens. 



When the tree doctors, as they are 

 sometimes called, commence to treat an. 

 old tree that is badly decayed in the 

 trunk and branches, theii- first act is to 

 prop up the branches so that there will 

 be no danger of their breaking off dur- 

 ing the process of the work of treat- 

 ment. They then proceed to cut and 

 saw and scrape until all the decayed 

 matter in the tree has been removed. 

 Often the trunk and branches have to 

 be opened up and hollowed out in order 

 that the dry rot may be followed to its 

 very extremity, and until the quick of 

 the tree shows clear and white. The 

 tree is then disinfected and washed 

 with ship tar. In cases where it be- 

 comes necessary to give extra support 

 to the heavier branches, iron rods, 

 bolts, and turnbuckles are used in such 

 a way as to secure an even and normal 

 strain on the supporting parts of the 

 tree. 



The holes in the trunk and branches 

 are filled with cement until the original 

 shape of the trunk and branch have 

 been regained. This is often covered 

 with sheet tin, which is let into the 

 quick of the surrounding bark. In 

 time this tin becomes covered with ncAv^ 

 skin and bark, which encroaches on the 

 tin till it closes together. While this 

 treatment does not always prove suc- 

 cessful, it has been attended with ex- 

 cellent results in many cases. Only 

 experts who understand the work 



Balsams in the Garden 



W. G. McNair, Hamilton, Ont. 



THE balsam is a garden annual 

 which is not appreciated in 

 Canada as its merits deserve. I 

 grow the camellia-flowered variety, 

 which is the best strain. Most of the 

 garden balsams are now double oi* 

 semi-double. It is the full double 

 forms that are known as the camellia- 

 flowered varieties. 



When we mention balsams, most peo- 

 ple think of a slender plant about one 

 foot high and perhaps five inches in 

 width, having perhaps a dozen flowers 

 growing on the base of the leaves. 

 That seems to be about the size of the 

 plant grown in the average garden. 

 Where good care is given, si^lendid re- 

 sults follow. I have had plants over 

 two feet six inches high and two feet 

 wide, with a central stock two inches 

 and more thick. .Plants of this size 

 resemble azaleas, especially when a few 

 of the leaves have been removed in 

 order that the blossoms may be seen to 

 better advantage. 



A bed ten feet by twelve feet is 

 suitable for these flowers. It should 

 be dug thoroughly and raked nice and 

 level. The soil in my garden is a sandy 

 loam and fairly rich, so I have never 

 had to use manure on the beds. Where 

 the soil is not rich, a little well-rotted 

 manure dug in thoroughly would do 

 good. 



I mark out the bed in squares by 

 making rows two feet apart each way. 

 At the point where these rows inter- 

 sect, I sow about five seeds. This helps 

 them to break the soil. When they are 

 about tw^o inches high, I thin them out 

 to one plant, leaving only the strongest 

 one at each point. The plant should 

 be kept free from weeds and cultivated 

 each way. I use a garden rake for the 

 purpose, and aim to keep a dust mulch 

 on the soil all summer. 



To obtain the best results, balsams 

 must be well watered and never al- 

 lowed to droop, especially when the 

 flowers start to appear. As the season 

 advances, they will branch out and as- 

 sume the shape of miniature trees and 

 fill in the space between the plants. 

 When in full bloom, the lateral bran- 

 ches can be cut and placed in vases, 

 where they will last for some time. I 

 generally remove a leaf here and there 

 to allow the flowers to show to bettei- 

 advantage. If anyone will try this 

 plan of growing balsams, they will be 

 well repaid for their trouble. They can 

 be grown in borders if plenty of room 

 is left for their development. 



