I50 



Garden and Forest. 



IxMay 23, 188S. 



When the beds are cut on the turf the border should be 

 marked sharply, and a strip of sod cut out clean with a spade. 

 The soil should be then taken off to the depth of 10 or 12 

 inches and laid on tlie outside of the bed. The subsoil should 

 next be covered to the depth of three or four inches with well 

 rotted stable manure, which should be forked in and mixed 

 thoroughly to tlie depth of another foot. The top soil can then 

 be thrown bade, covered with another good coat of manure 

 and carefully forked over. In case the subsoil should be 

 found light or gravellv, it should all be carted away. The bot- 

 tom should then be dug up loosely, and the top soil originally 

 removed should be thrown in and manured as above. The 

 bed should then be filled up with soil from an old pasture, 

 using enough to raise the centre of the bed some three inches 

 above the level of the margin. This should then be manured 

 and forked. This will give a bed of fresh, healthy, active soil, 

 and without this it is impossible to grow the finest Roses. It 

 should be added that thorough drainage is another essential, 

 for Roses will no more tluMve in a water-soaked soil than in an 

 unmanured bed of sand or gravel. This work is to lay the 

 foundation of a bed that is to last for years, and it pays to do it 

 well. Indeed, it is time and money wasted to do it in any 

 other way. All subsequent fertilizing is to be applied to the 

 surface. The bottom must be made once for all. 



What Roses to plant in such a bed, and how to plant them, 

 must be the subject of another article. 

 Summil, N.J. Jo/iii X. May. 



Hard}- Plants for Forcing. 



'T^HE first spring flower in our woods gives unusual pleasure, 

 •'■ liut it is quite as pleasing to see those vernal favorites 

 among our green-house plants. Delicate and unassuming as 

 they are, they will attract more attention than more showy ex- 

 otics. These latter everyone expects to see, but the sight of a 

 wild Columl>ine any time after Clu-istmas always brings an ex- 

 clamation of delight. Many of these hardy plants force readily 

 in a cor)l green-iiouse, and generally remain longer in beauty 

 than when they flower at their normal season. Strong speci- 

 mens should be selected to be potted in not too large pots in 

 September or October, and plunged in a cold-frame with such 

 plants as Violets. From the first of January, by which time 

 they w'iU be well rooted, they may be brought into the green- 

 house, where they will flower within a period of from three to six 

 weeks. After the flowering is over, and the ground open, they 

 should be planted out again, and, if possiljle, new stock used 

 for the next winter, to give them time to get well established be- 

 fore they are again used. It must be remembered that the 

 majority of such plants do not rec[uire higher temperature 

 than 50° by artificial heat, as the sun in reality does more to- 

 wards the forcing than the heat. A liberal supply of fresh air 

 should be maintained to prevent damping off", and to keep 

 away the green-fly, which is apt to infest them in closed 

 houses. 



Do>-pnicuin CaucasiLuiii is well fitted for forcing, and needs 

 but three or four weeks to expand its blooms, which are of 

 deep yellow and over two inches in diameter. This makes an 

 excellent pot plant for decoration, and the long-stemmed 

 flower could be used for cutting. It is a native of the Caucasus. 

 Similar to this is D. Aus/riacum and D. macrophylluni. Care 

 should be taken that the plant is not kept too wef, as it decays 

 easily. 



Trillium grandifloruin, a beautiful native plant, succeeds 

 well when forced, and the flowers last a long time in perfec- 

 tion. It requires about four weeks to bring it into flower. 

 Cultivated roots should be used instead of collected ones, and 

 if well cared for after the flowering season it might be used 

 for two or three successive winters "with good results. This is 

 very useful for cutting and decoration. 



AquiUgia Canadensis, our graceful wild Columbine, forces 

 in three or four weeks, and is useful for decoration, but does not 

 last long enough to be used for cut flowers. 



Campanula persicifolia and its white variety are two good 

 plants to force. They produce long spikes of either blue or 

 white bell-shaped flowers and last long in perfection. It is 

 native of Europe and requires five to six weeks to bring it into 

 flower. 



Geuni coccincum plenum, a Ijeautiful plant which is onlv 

 hardy on high and well drained grounds, makes a fine pot 

 plant, and three to five weeks of green-house culture will in- 

 duce it to push forth long stems^of bright red, senfi-double 

 flowers, that are very striking. 



Iris Germanica in varieties, and many others of the genus, 

 are first rate plants for forcing. Thev take three to five weeks, 

 and are very ornamental with their large and beautifuUv 

 colored flowers. 



Calt/ia palustris \s, Siyery bright and striking plant, on ac- 

 count of its large yellow flowers. This requires two or three 

 weeks of forcing, and being rather common in our marshes it 

 might be easily procured. Phlox amcvna make neat cushions 

 of pink flowers in three or four weeks after it has been taken 

 into the gfreen-house. 



Fii^. 29. — Delphinium viride. 



Viola pcdata and Viola cucullata are \-ery pretty when forced, 

 and require onlv a few good bright days to flower them under 

 the glass. 



Smilacijia stcllata is \-ery useful not alone as a flowering 

 plant but for the sake of the' delicate green foliage, and is very 

 effective in finishing vases or other larger decorations. 



