Oetober. 1913 



THE (JAUUIvN AN J) KIELD. 



wonderful results," writes a pansv 

 lover, and lit? adds, " if you are 

 goinp to keep your pansics in 

 bloom, vou must cut tliem before 

 they 5JO to seed, and there is this 

 about the pansy, the more vou cut 

 I the better vour plants will thrive, 

 1 and anybody that is stinjry with 

 I ilowers will not have tnanv (lowers; 

 so qut them off freely and do not 

 allow them to "jo to seed. As far 

 as trypsum is coneerned, just as 

 soon as vou have a plant started, 

 encourap;^ it. I have never found 

 in cultivating^ a plant any time 

 that is so valuable or critical or 

 useful as so really when it is 

 small. You want to take your 

 babv plants and nurse them, as 

 vou do chickens, then is the time 

 to do it." 



For beetles and leaf-eating in- 

 sects sprav with arsenate of lead. 

 It will not danias'^e the plants. 

 Ants have a very fjjreat objection 

 to one-third solution of arsenic 

 and t>\^-thirds svrup sug^ar. A few 

 drops about the beds will qnicklv 

 make an end of them. Clear lime 

 water will rid the lawn of worms. 

 Cutworms can be killed bv strew- 

 ing the surface with soot and 

 watering it in. 



♦ 



Garden Notes. 



— Thinning the Roses. — 



There is a trite saying, tliat 

 '' No man should hoe his own Tur- 

 nips," and, perhaps, this might 

 applv to thinning Rose shoots. 

 One is terribly afraid of overdoing 

 it ; but, as a rule, more bushes 

 and standards are sprjilt each year 

 bv the want of judicious thinning 

 of the young growth than is gen- 

 erallv supposed. Those young 

 growths in the cent^re of the plant 

 that point inwards should be 

 rubbed off, and where two or more 

 ;shoots start from' one eye, only 

 3ne should be allowed to remain. 



CARNATIONS. 



vANE'S NOVELTIES-STRONC 

 PLANTS NOW READY. 

 INSPECTION INVITED. 



2xit Flowers of all kinds always on 

 hand and cut to Order. 



J.O.LANE, 



TTTRSERYMAN, WALKERVILLE 



Before thinning, be very c. ireful 

 that tho.se shoots which are to be 

 l)re.sci-ved are free from insect 

 IH'Sts, for often a fine growth is 

 checktHl by these little black pests 

 eating away the jvoint. If wc con- 

 line the work of the roots to the 

 development of a few good shoots, 

 the resulting bloom will be far su- 

 perior. Not only is> this so, but 

 we check the ravages of insect 

 pests by depriving them of their 

 hiding places. 



— Gaillardias. — 



For a garden where the i>lants 

 are expected to do a great deal 

 without vterv much attention, 

 there is hardh' anvthing to beat 

 the gaillardias. The s?ed termin- 

 ates well, the seedlings grow 

 quickly, they will put up with 

 poorish soil, are quite reasonable 

 in regard to water, within bmits 

 have a pleasinjr diversity of colour, 

 remain in flower for a long period 

 and the blooms last splendidly 

 when cut. A packet of seed sown 

 at once or a bunch of seedlings 

 set out in a nursery bed and after- 

 wards transplanted a foot apart 

 will make a very bright display 

 later on. 



— Dahlias. — 



If the dahlias are to do their 

 best it will help them to have 

 the bed in which they afe to 

 <rrow prepared a little time before 

 the plants are put in. The dahlia 

 is not very particular as to soil 

 hut it should be at least moder- 

 ately rich. The texture should be 

 nice and opzn, and if it is heavy 

 leaf mould, sandy and old rotten 

 manure will be helpful. The ptant 

 has to make a lot of growth in a 

 few months. Where a n.ihiber of 

 plants are to be grown tosrether it 

 is best to dig- over the whole plot 

 at least eighteen inches d'eep, this 

 will sjive them feeding room. With 

 the bottom' snit dig in a three 

 inch layer of old cow manure if 

 vou have it, if not any animal 

 manure you have. If you use 

 sweeoiup-s from the poultry yard, 

 which does excellently, unless it' 

 has already been well mixed with 

 earth, considerably less will be 

 needed. Add a dusting of bone 

 du.st or super at the same time 

 and dicr to the full depth of the 

 fork, breaking tip the soil tho- 

 ro'ig-hly,' afterwards return the top 

 soil to which you can also add a 

 little old manure and anvthing- 

 which will help to keep it free if 

 it is apt to bake. If you are 

 planting in odd positions about 



the garden take out a hole to the 

 .same dc])th and three feet across 

 and prei)aru in the same wav. The 

 dalilia likes plenty of sun but for 

 preference likes .some protection 

 for unless carefull\- staked they 

 suffer a good deal when " the 

 stormed winds do blow," which it 

 usually does in March and other 

 times. 



— Ferns. — 



Ferns dislike direct sun.shine, 

 hence their peculiar adaptability to 

 indoor growth. Each pot should 

 be slijrhtly turned every day so 

 that the light reaches every side 

 alike, and th-ey must be shielded 

 from draughts of any kind. 



The growth, or otherwise, of 

 Ferns depends almost entirely on 

 the correct amount of watering 

 they receive. Ferns love water, 

 as is apparent from the fact that 

 in their natural state they are al- 

 wavs to be found in or near a 

 stream. They should have water 

 fresh every day, for if once allowed 

 to becomie dry throughout they 

 will never reeain their full lusty 

 health, and it is best to cut them 

 down entirely. Once a week give 

 a bath ; place them in a tub in 

 water about the heat of a summer 

 shower, and then sPray them tho- 

 rouerhly for about five minutes or 

 so, this removes all dust collected 

 on the leaves,- and gives the plant 

 fresh life. A snray of tobacco 

 water is excellent t'o remox'e in- 

 sects from a diseased fern. 



In dividing or repotting a fern, 

 select a pot large enough to give 

 the roots plenty of room, place a 

 few bits of broken crockery at the 

 bottom for drainaa-e, and then fill 

 the pot with g-ood leaf mould,. If 

 a fern has overgrown its pot and 

 it is not wished to use a larger 

 one, simply cut off a ' portion of 

 the roots sufficiently to enable its 

 replacement in the same pot. This 

 summary treatment never seems to 

 hurt them in the least, and the 

 more hardy kinds certainly gain 

 by it. 



Any imperfect fronds should at 

 once be cut off close to the root ; 

 they are only a strain to the 

 plant while detracting from its ap- 

 pearance. 



Some gardeners recommend the 

 placing of thin pieces of raw meat 

 close to the inside of the pot be- 

 tween pot and soil, as a wonderful 

 stimulant to the growth of ferns, 

 when the other conditions of fern 

 growing are observed. 



