256 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral Edition. 



Bulbs for Fall Planting 



Mies A. H. Austin, Toronto, Ont. 



Mikado asters grown by Mr. Arch Bidwell, a 

 director of the Barrie Horticultural Society. 



woodland walk, and Myosatis Sylvatica 

 is, we think, the best for this purpose. 

 All vegetable matter from the flower 

 and vegetable garden should be stack- 

 ed for future use. The substitution of 

 automobiles for horse traffic is likely 

 to lead to a scarcity of animal man- 

 ures, and although commercial fertil- 

 izers may largely be substituted, yet 

 they do not provide the humus neces- 

 sary for the successful cultivation of 

 plant life. Decayed vegetable matter 

 is a splendid fertilizer, and if its true 

 value was more generally understood 

 among amateur gardeners very little 

 of it would find its way into the rub- 

 bish heap. All kinds of spent plants, 

 fallen leaves, and even the lawn mow- 

 ings may be utilized. They should be 

 stacked deeply in an out of the way 

 place, and turned and re-stacked sev- 

 eral times to hasten decomposition. A 

 light sprinkling of superphosphate of 

 lime may be given at intervals while 

 the work of re-stacking is in progress. 

 After several turnings, the heap may 

 be covered with soil, and when 

 thorough decomposition has taken 

 place it will be found equal to the best 

 animal manure. In town gardens, 

 where animal manure is specially dif- 

 ;ficult to obtain, special efforts to pre- 

 serve all this kind of refuse should be 

 made. Old potting soil, floor sweep- 

 ings, and fine ashes may be used. On 

 heavy soils ashes are particularly 

 valuable. 



The situation of a strawberry bed 

 should be open and airy ; they will not 

 tolerate shade.— W. A. Dier, Ottawa, 

 Ont. 



IT was my good fortune last summer 

 to visit the land of bulbs, Holland, 

 Early in the sixteenth century 

 Dutch travellers returning from east- 

 ern P^urope brought back tulips. 

 Plower-lovers enthused over the beauty 

 of form and color of these new 

 novelties and exhibited them at hom& 

 and abroad. So rapidly did the popu- 

 larity of these, then unique, flowers 

 increase that soon people began to 

 i?row them for exporting. 



It was very interesting to see the 

 large warehouses in Holland where 

 they are stored, but more interesting 

 to see acres and acres of land around 

 Haarlem (now the leading city of this 

 trade) devoted to the cultivation of 

 the many spring bulbs. Fancy the 

 riot of color, every hue one could 

 think of, as far as the eye could see, 

 jniles of color! The soil and climate 

 of this fascinating country seem 

 peculiarly suitable to bulb culture, 

 with the result that Holland is classed 

 as the largest bulb producing country 

 in the world. I was anxious to pur- 

 chase some special varieties while 

 there, but alas, my individual order 

 was too small. 



Planting Suggestions. 



For massing together I would ad- 

 vise the common varieties. Planted in 

 a bed six feet or more in diameter and 

 divided into four equal sections, 

 crimsons and yellows make a brilliant 

 splash of color early in the spring. 



The May-flowering varieties, Dar- 

 wins, (which have become popular only 

 in the last twenty-five years) Cottage 

 and Parrot do not look well massed 

 together. In groups of twelve or 

 fourteen in the herbaceous border, 

 they have a charming effect. They 

 can be left in the ground several 

 seasons, but care must be taken not to 

 cut them down too soon. I have had 

 some beautiful specimens on stems 

 from sixteen to eighteen inches high, in 

 tints ranging from a deep purple lo 

 the daintiest shell-like pinks. When 

 making a selection, choose the named 

 varieties, as it adds interest in any line 

 of gardening, especially tulips. 



For grotesque and bizarre effects the 

 Parrot tulip takes the lead. The 

 edges of the petals are deeply cut and 

 often striped. "When closed the flower 

 truly resembles a parrot's beak, hence 

 the name. My experience has been, 

 they are not such good cutters as the 

 Darwins; the stems seem too slender 

 to support the flower. 



I decided on my return to Canada in 

 the fall to try my luck with daffodils 

 in the open. To me they are the hap- 

 piest of all spring flowers. They 

 stand up like little soldiers on tall 



green stems, their trumpet-like centres 

 being protected by an outside guard of 

 six petals. One is always tempted to 

 smell them, but alas, their glory is 

 only in their color and formation. 

 This was my initial experience but I 

 decided 'twas better to have tried and 

 lost than never to have tried at all. so 

 I prepared the bed. Half the joy of 

 gardening in town is to do the work 

 one's self, provided you have "a east- 

 iron back with a hinge to it," so I 

 started. 



The bed, which was ten feet by five 

 feet, had a southern exposure. I used 

 the single varieties, planting five 

 inches deep and four inches apart, I 

 tried to get them a uniform depth as I 

 wanted the whole battalion on review 

 at the same time. I topped off with 

 plenty of leaves and garden truck, on 

 top of which I placed some boards. 1 

 was taking no chances. 



Imagine my delight when early in 

 the spring I uncovered the bed f.nd 

 found my golden friends up and call- 

 ing to be uncovered to feel Old Sol's 

 warm rays. This bed attracted more 

 comment than any I had ever had, so 

 I felt well repaid. 



Crocuses and Snowdrops should not 

 be planted in any fixed order. Stand 

 near where you wish them planted, 

 throw them carelessly about, planting 

 them where they fall. The result will 

 be much more artistic. Needless to 

 say, the best time to plant is after a 

 heavy rain, when the turf is soft. 



For early winter flowering H3'a- 

 cinths, Narcissus and similar flowers 

 plant early in November in shallow 

 fern pans or single pots. Use good loam 

 and see the drainage is good. Place 

 in a cool, dark room and water only 

 occasionally, so as not to allow the 

 earth to dry out. After signs of life 

 have appeared move to a warm room 

 with plenty of sunlight. With very 

 little expenditure in money or time one 

 may have the house gay at Christmas 

 time with home-grown flowers. 



A National Flower 



What flower would you like to see 

 recognized as the national floral emblem 

 of Canada? This is a subject on which 

 opinions will differ but concerning 

 which a public discussion may prove 

 helpful. Readers of the Canadian 

 Horticulturist are invited to express 

 their views. 



The late E. T. Cook, of Toronto, presi- 

 dent of the Ontario Rose Society, true 

 lover as he was of the rose, preferred a 

 wild flower as his selection. Writing 

 on this point he said: "Our national 

 flower must be a ■wild one — native of 



