March, 1906 
hard if you would have notable plants to which 
you can point with pride. 
Second in interest from a blossoming stand- 
point, but far exceeding it in the beauty of their 
foliage, come the caladiums. For sub-tropical 
bedding and general decorative work they are 
unsurpassed. ‘Their culture is similar to that 
given the canna, except that they are far more 
susceptible to frost, and should be started 
singly in pots of sand or soil for best results. 
They keep over winter rather better than do 
the cannas, and if wintered in a warm, dry 
place and sprinkled occasionally with water 
will usually show a long green center shoot 
when lifted in March or April. “Those bulbs 
which show no live center shoot, only sub- 
ordinate side shoots, are of not much value for 
the present season, but may be planted and 
will give good bulbs for another season’s 
growth. 
In potting the caladiums all the old growth 
of last season’s bulb should be removed with a 
sharp knife and the bulb set near the surface 
of the soil, barely covered. “The use of the pot 
makes possible the transferring of the bulbs to 
the ground without disturbing the roots and 
checking the growth, an important item if one 
wants immense leaves, that shall measure from 
four to five feet in length, early in the season. 
Very fair results may be reached by planting 
the bulbs in baskets or pans of sand, but the 
disturbance in transplanting will cause quite a 
check in growth. “They may even be planted 
directly in the open ground when the soil and 
nights are warm, but will not make the early 
and rapid growth that pot planted bulbs will 
give. 
Dahlias are another ever increasingly pop- 
ular summer bulb or tuber. Usually they win- 
ter very well in any cellar that will keep po- 
tatoes successfully. “hey should be lifted in 
March or April and all dead roots removed 
and the toes or tubers separated. A portion 
of the stem of the old plants must accompany 
each tuber, and this piece of stem must show 
at least one live eye. No matter how sound 
and plump the tubers are, if this eye is missing 
it will not grow. ‘The discarded tubers need 
not be thrown away, however, if there are 
more than one live shoot to the tubers that 
have commenced growth, for as one shoot is 
all that is required for a thrifty, large flowered 
plant, these extra shoots may be removed and 
used to graft the eyeless tubers. Simply re- 
move the slip, cut the end to a wedge shape, 
cut a corresponding wedge shaped piece from 
the top of the tuber, insert the shoot, place it 
in the soil and draw the earth up closely around 
it, covering the graft. In a few days the two 
will have joined forces and the combination 
will result in as fine a plant as the tubers 
sprouted in the usual way. 
Like the canna and the caladiums, the 
dahlias require a great amount of food and 
water, and the amount of fertilizer applied 
to the square yard may be much increased, and 
even doubled, and this may be supplemented 
during the summer by liquid manure, slops 
from the house and kitchen and anything that 
has food value. Each plant will require at 
least a pailful of water daily, and in dry 
weather the hose may be allowed to run in 
the beds all night with no danger of overdoing 
the matter. 
To secure fine, exhibition sized flowers of 
the dahlia all but the terminal buds of each 
shoot should be removed, and the whole 
strength of the plants be directed to the pro- 
duction of large, rather than many plants. 
The dahlia is much affected by the dahlia 
or cosmos borer, which enters the stalk of the 
plant just above the surface of the ground and 
works its way up the stem, causing the death 
of the plant. The remedy is found in the 
ounce of prevention,” which consists in ap- 
AMERTCAN HOMES 
AND GARDENS 
“ * * * How sour sweet music is an b 
When time is broke, and no proportion kept ! ZA — A, 
% * # # * “ELT 
And here have I the daintiness of ear, £: - ia ae 
* Ke Ke * * ” o “ Ys ‘ , 
Tovcheck.time * Be go y 4 i 4 j 
— SHAKESPEARE q 4 oa 
Ke ETER being bored by some one’s monotonous, regular 
R), thumping, have you ever experienced the pleasure ot hear- 
y ing some one else sit down and play with exquisite shading, 
phrasing and accenting ? 
If your ear is sensitive, if you want music, want to play 
yourself, though your hands are untrained, 
JUST ONE at WILL 
PIANO H SATISFY 
PLAYER YOU 
because it has the Phrasing Lever (mastering time) has the Melody Buttons (giving expression) and has 
the Pneumatic (controlling power and human touch). 
The Angelus, under your complete control, will play your piano, any piano, will play any composition 
as you want it played. 
And, one word more—The Angelus will do literally and exactly what we say. 
Our beautiful souvenir art calendar showing the musical instruments of different periods, from the lyre of the Egyptians to 
the grand piano of to-day, reproduced with absolute faithfulness to detail, in dainty water color facsimile on heavy art 
paper (10 x 12% inches), ribbon tied, will be mailed for twenty-five cents (stamps or coin) and mention of this publication. 
PURCHASED BY ROYALTY AND THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSICIANS SEND FOR BOOKLET 
TAE WIECOX. & WHITE: CO. 
MERIDEN, CONN., U. S. A. 
Prove it yourself. 
Established 1876 
“LANE’S BALL BEARING” 
is the 
Best 
House Door 
ee / if in 
al 
a,‘ 
Other Styles for 
Less Money 
SOLD BY HARDWARE TRADE 
Send for Catalog 
434-466 Prospect Street 
Lane Brothers Company 4 poucuKrrrsiE. NY. 
