February, 1914 



THK (lARDEN AND FIFXD. 



88r) 



Reminders for February. 



Sow pansy and stock seed. 



Pot on variefi^ated leaf begonias. 



Strike dahpne and azalea cut- 

 tings. 



Layer any carnations that are 

 available. 



I-ift any daffodils that remain in 

 the ground. 



Prick out seedlinsf gloxinias, pe- 

 tunias, and cyclamen. 



Root cuttines of the verbenas 

 that you wish to keep. 



Take out all the old sweet peas, 

 and get the eround ready for sow- 

 ing another batch of seed. 



Ranunculas seed can be sown 

 now. So can anemone. Bither 

 should be sown in rich ground in 

 beds, where the young bulbs cat)-' 

 be let remain for flowering durin^^ 

 next August. 



Crimson King, Queen Alexai^clra 

 and Beauty of Nice are thre^ of 

 the best stock. Victoria is a« ex- 

 cellent white. / 



j 



Sow new delphinium seed in 

 boxes. Buv spp^'l'no- r-lonts/ and 

 not them up for planting/ out 

 later. 



Heliotrope cut+iif-^ ta 

 the young top.s strike readily if 

 placed under glass. 



Continue planting bouvardias, 

 and cut back all the plants which 

 have flowered, so as to bring on 

 another good crop of blossom. 



Try striking- thin young shoots 

 from any young dahlias. Select 



:es that are not hollow, cut 

 )w a joint, let the two lowest 

 ,'es remain, and insert the cut. 

 in moist sand under glass, 

 up when rooted, to make 

 >s in readiness for next season. 



Bordeaux mixture is used against 

 any of the carnation fungus 

 troubles. 



Keep the flower buds regularly 

 picked from all geranium cuttings, 

 as they weaken the plants if al- 

 lowed to mature. 



The yellow colouring in violet 

 leaves is caused by what is known 

 as Mosaic disease. The trouble 

 does not affect the flowering. 



With all of the very fine seeds 

 it is advisable to sow thinly so as 

 to give the seedlings a igood chance 

 of feeling their feet. Crowding 

 restricts growth. 



Salvias are propagated profes- 

 sionally by removing the old plants 

 into a glass-house in the early 

 winter for the purpose of growing 

 the soft-wooded shoots, which are 

 .taken and rooted in sand. In this 

 .'way a big stock can be raised at 

 I very little expense. 



Some people complain about the 

 premature wilting of their flowers. 

 Much of the trovible comes from 

 cutting flowers after a hot day 

 instead of doing the gathering 

 early in the morning, when the 

 blooms are cri.sp and fresh. In 

 summer time it is well to immerse 

 or .stand everything in water for 

 some hours before packinof or us- 

 ing. Anythinsr with a brittle stem 

 should be broken instead of being 

 cut. The break expose^ more of 

 the surface, and allows the flower 

 to absorb water quicker than if a 

 simple cross cut is made. 



Rhodes grass is a great " stand- 

 by." Get it once going and no 

 drought will kill it. A little seed 

 should be sown purposely for use 

 as a decorative grass, as the heads 

 go well with roses or other flow- 

 ers. 



A dry lawn that has to jbe soak- 

 ed would be better treated to a 

 flooding from the end of the hose, 

 and not sprinkled. Tie the end 

 up in an old bag, and turn the 

 tap on full power. Move the bag 

 from place to place as reciuired. 

 Tying the end up prevents the 

 force of water wearing the surface 

 into holes and it saves water. 



A mulch of manure gives lately 

 planted seedlings a great help for- 

 ward. It acts as a cooler tO' the 

 surface and provides liquid food 

 every time a watering is done. 



Someone asks if sweet pea seed 

 sa%'ed from tbeir own plants would 

 be worth holding. Yes. You .stand 

 a chance of getting some nice vari- 

 eties for ordinary garden work. 

 For the best of show stock you 

 must depend on seed saved by ex- 

 pert hands. 



When spreading new manure on 

 the surface of a bed for a inulch 

 keep it away from' the stems of 

 the plants imtil the heat has gone 

 out of the material. Even after 

 that don't stack the manure too 

 deep. Anything above three inches 

 is likely to heat. 



Procure a package of ranunculus 

 seed and sow it a Ion? a border or 

 in a bed of nice rich, friable soil. 

 Ask for the asiaticus. variety. This 

 is a poppy-like bloom, with a 

 very wide range of colour, and a 

 ha)lj(it of flowerinfifi that leaves littlel 

 to be desired. Sow the seed light- 

 ly, and cover it with some sand 

 short manure. Bring the young 

 plants on by constant attention. 

 Don't let them lag behind. The 

 better the growth in the early 

 stage the greater display of flow- 

 ers later on. Sowing seed now 

 will give you blooms in August 

 next. The seedlings transplant 

 very readily. You put them back 

 a bit through the shift. We have 

 moved plants of various sizes with- 

 out any great injury. 



Where a big cluster of rose-buds 

 are being carried on one stem, 

 pinch out the centre one so as to 



