174 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



November, 1911 



The scale insect, protected by its hard crust, is a 

 persistent enemy. Spray with kerosene emulsion 



The pot, thus lifted a bit from the bottom 

 of the saucer, gets a certain amount of air 

 otherwise cut off from it. During the 

 week days do not allow the plants to stand 

 in saucers full of water, since, as you see, 

 the water cuts off air. 



To tell when a plant needs watering, 

 try this method : Knock the side of the pot 

 sharply with your knuckles. If the resulting 

 sound is dull you may be sure that the soil 

 has water in it. But if the sound be 

 hollow, then you know that the soil is dry. 



When possible, place the potted plants 

 in a pail of water. The water should not 

 reach, of course, to the top of the pot. 

 Now the water passes through the drain- 

 age hole to the soil. When the top sur- 

 face of the soil is wet, remove the pots 

 from the receptacle. Whatever method of 

 watering you apply let it be a thorough one. 



The fern ball and hanging baskets are 

 hard things to water. This suggestion 

 may help. Take a small can, make a pin 

 hole opening in the bottom, and fill the can 

 with water. Place it in the midst of the 

 foliage in the top of the hanging basket or 

 fern ball. The water slowly and constantly 

 drips out of the hole in the can. If the 

 foliage is dense, the can may be quite 

 hidden from view. 



Plant Pests 



A S the season advances the house plants 

 **• are troubled often by pests, the 

 most common being lice and mealy bugs. 

 Before one knows it the stalks and under 

 surface of the leaves are covered with plant 

 lice. These little lice suck the juices of the 

 plant. Oftentimes it is quite sufficient 

 to give the plant a good washing with a 

 solution of soap and water. Use any good 

 white soap, for this work. A special prep- 

 aration for plant lice (or aphis) is sold in 

 the seed stores — you merely have to mix 

 with water. Another remedy is tobacco 

 water. Cut some tobacco stems, and soak 

 them in hot water. Dilute this liquid until 

 it becomes the color of weak tea; then with 

 a soft rag moistened in the tobacco water, 

 wipe off the lice. You may have to do this 

 more than once. 



Perhaps some day you will see cotton- 

 like masses on the under surface of a 

 plant's leaves. These masses are not 

 cotton but mealy bugs and must be imme- 

 diately removed. Sometimes a spray of 

 clear water will wash them off, but if not, 

 try kerosene emulsion. This is made in the 

 following manner: Shave up one quarter 

 pound of white soap, to which add two 

 quarts of boiling water. Add four quarts 

 of kerosene and shake the solution well. 

 When you need to use this, add eight cup- 

 fuls of water to one cupful of this oily solu- 

 tion. It is now ready to use on the plant 

 lice or mealy bugs, and should be applied 

 with a rag. 



Another common house-plant pest is 

 the scale. Scales appear on the under 



The mealy bug, another house-plant pest, looks like 

 masses of cotton. Spray with kerosene emulsion 



surfaces of plant leaves. Under the 

 hard outer shell or scale is the in- 

 sect. It is well protected by its shell, 

 beneath which it does its harmful work. 

 Take a cupful of kerosene emulsion, add 

 four cupfuls of water, and spray the poor 

 infected plant. 

 As soon as any pest appears, get after 



The coldframe may be a source of supply all winter. 

 Bank the frame with leaves 



it. We must keep our plants healthy. 

 To accomplish this try to keep the tem- 

 perature of the room down, and, to prevent 

 the air from getting too dry, keep a saucer 

 of water standing in the room. Remember 

 that those indoor conditions which are bad 

 for us are harmful also to plants. 



Monthly Suggestions 



A FTER the first light frost cover the 

 ■**■ outdoor bulb beds. An inch of 

 barnyard dressing is sufficient to place 

 over the top surface of the bed. Cover 

 this with a plentiful amount of dried leaves. 



Sacking or heavy wrapping paper may be 

 used for this. A few stones put upon this 

 outer covering hold it in place during the 

 high winds of early winter. 



(2) Chinese lilies should be started for 

 Christmas bloom. Allow about six weeks 

 for good development of blossoms. 



(3) The window boxes, after being 

 filled, may be left out in the school yard 

 until nearly frost time. The plants will 

 do better all winter long for this weather- 

 ing. Fill the box full of plants. This 

 crowded condition of the plants in the win- 

 dow box is really conducive to successful 

 plant growth. Pink geraniums, marguerites 

 and vinca make a good combination for 

 the school box. After all bright red ger- 

 aniums areperhaps the most satisfactory 

 of all for school purposes. 



(4) It is a good plan to have the school 

 garden ploughed up before frost. 



(5) Do not forget the coldframe. If 

 there is no time for the boys to make one 

 in the school shop, make a rude frame of 

 boards. Make this like the sand boxes 

 used in the play grounds. Set this in the 

 ground before frost. Place it so it gets 

 the full benefit of the sun's rays. Spade 

 up the ground for this to a depth of eighteen 

 inches. Dig the soil out and place in this 

 space from eight inches to one foot of 

 manure. Over this spread six inches 

 or so of good top soil. Set the frame. 

 Have the back of the frame higher than the 

 front. If you can have no glass covering 

 for your frame, mulch well the prepared 

 soil within the frame confines. Thus the 

 soil is kept in good condition. 



A Child's Experience with 

 Bulb Planting 



MY bulb is a daffodil. I bought it at 

 school, planted it in a can, buried 

 it out of doors in the earth and covered it 

 with leaves. I kept it there three months. 

 At the end of that time I brought it in 

 and put it in the cellar where it was half 

 light. I watered it every day. In two 

 weeks I brought it in the house and put 

 it on a window sill. Soon my mother 

 called my attention to something that 

 didn't look like a leaf. I watched it 

 every day until one morning I found that 

 it had opened. It was a daffodil! 



William Carnie. 



Good-by to this garden season. All crops are har- 

 vested and tools cleaned 



