January, 1914 



Garden Notes. 



— Double Flowers. — 

 Double llowcrs are of three kinds. 

 First, the " full llower," in which 

 the usual number of petals is in- 

 creased bv the transformation of 

 the pistils and stamens into extra 

 petals. Second, the " multipli- 

 cate llower " in which the petals 

 .ir.> increased by the conversion of 

 part of the stamens and the calyx; 

 and, third, the " proliferous ilow- 

 cr," which has other and smaller 

 tlowers j^rowinjr from it, as in that 

 \ arietv of daisy called the " Hen 

 and Chickens. "' When it is desired 

 to produce seed most likelv to give 

 double flowers three conditions are 

 to be observed— I. The plant must 

 have sufiicient moisture, but a 

 trifle less than it delig'hts in. 2. 

 The soil should be prepared by dig- 

 ging in a quantity of decomposing 



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THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



org-anic matter ; and j_. The posi- 

 tion should be one in which the 

 plant can receive anv amount of 

 sunlight. 



— Insects in the Greenhouse. — 



These generally increase abund- 

 nnth- unless means are adopted for 

 their sujjpression. Fortnightly fu- 

 migation will pre\ent insect- 

 breeding and render recourse to 

 anv drastic measures •nuccessarv- 

 Though this will kill immature 

 thrips, red snider and green [ly in 

 all stages, the older insects and 

 the dreaded me^I • bug and scale 

 will not be destroyed thereby, iin- 

 less doses st'rong enout^h tto injure 

 the plants are given. These tough- 

 skinned gentry must be got rid of, 

 therefore, by soonging the plants 

 with warm, soft soapy water or a 

 ■ weak solution of Gishurst Com- 

 pound. As the under-surface of 

 the leaves are the part most fav- 

 oured by the pests, these, should 

 have special attention. After fum- 

 igating it is always advisable to 

 .sive the plants a good svrinp-iu"-, 

 and admit air as soon as possible 

 to reinvieorate the plants after 

 some hours of a somewhat poison- 

 ed atmosphere. 



— Garden Engine. — 



In an old book on gardening a 

 primitive and yet hiehly scientific 

 method was employed for water- 

 ing small seeds. An earthenware 

 pot, with perforated bottom and a 

 very narrow opening was dipped 

 into a cistern or pool ; when full 

 the hole at the top was stopped 

 with the thumb. This prevented 

 the egress of the water until the 

 spot was reached at which it was 

 intended to be used, when, the 

 thumb being withdrawn, the water 

 descended like rain. 



— riant Roses Now ! 



— House Plants and Humidity. — 



Many failures in house plants are 

 due to lack of humidity, says Can- 

 adian Horticulture. The active 

 root hail-s of a plant are really 

 aquatic and must always be in con- 

 tact with an adequate"^ supply of 

 water. The stems and leaves are 

 aerial, but their behavior and form 

 are largely date'rmined by the 

 water in the air, that is humidity. 

 The water supply is used by the 

 root'hairs, while the water loss is 

 the result of evaporation from the 

 surface of the leaves. As humidi- 

 ty exerts direct control on the 

 amount evaporated, the water loss 

 is great when the air is dry. 



A Sydni;v paper some time, ago 

 suggested the unusual idea of 

 the summer [)Ianting of ro.ses, as 

 follows " .\lthoutrh vierv li'iany 

 people have an idea that roses are 

 only plantal)le during the winter 

 months, there are a few of the 

 knowing ones who are not adverse 

 even to i)utting stock out now 

 We would do it ourselves, and 

 neve<r give the work a thought or 

 bother ourselves in the least about 

 nsk or loss ; and the roses would 

 hvis and do well. Indeed, in wea- 

 ther like the present, especially if 

 just a little care is taken over the 

 shading of the plants during the 

 first week after their move, the 

 shift can be made more satisfac- 

 torUv than in the middle of win- 

 ter, when so much rose planting is 

 done. Of course, it is not looked 

 upon as quite the right time to 

 move ro.ses ; but, ri<rht or wrong, 

 there need be no worry or loss if 

 yon will but see that the plants 

 are cut very hard back and the 

 plantinsr is done carefully. And just 

 now, while the flowers" are very 

 beautiful, is the time that most 

 folk are so anxious to purchase 

 new stock. Well, you have our 

 assurance that rose planting is 

 safe. If any of the houses will 

 supply plants, take the opportuni- 

 ty _ and see what can be done." 

 This of course is in a more humid 

 climate than ours, and at an ear- 

 Tier date than the present. Still it 

 is wonderful what plants will sur- 

 ^^ve even in Janua-rv on the Ade- 

 laide plains. 



— Decorating the Dinner Table. — 



No hard-and-fast rules can be 

 laid down as to methods of decor- 

 ating tables. So much depiends 

 upon the likes and dislikes of those 

 whom one has to please, the size 

 of table to be decorated, and the 

 material at command. At the sama 

 time, there are certain points 

 which must always be carefully 

 considered. Glaring contrasts of 

 colour should be avoided. Some 

 colours which look very well bv. 

 davHeht are failures under arti- 

 ficial Ho-ht ; for instance, flowers 

 of a yellow shade look much paler 

 under gas or electric Hg^ht. Bright 

 shades of pink, crimson, or red al- 

 ways look well. Litrht blue or 

 mauve do not bVht up well, but 

 flowers of a purple shade are' very 

 effective. Generally, flowers that 

 harmonise with each other rfve the 

 great satisfaction. Another im- 

 portant point is to use nothing on 

 the table that will prevent the 



