•THE FLORA I H/QRLD 



9 



OLD ROSE BUSHES. 



It is not necessary to reset the hedge 

 of hardy roses if properly planted at 

 first. I think commercial fertilizers 

 less liable to breed insects than barn- 

 yard manures. Work lightly into the 

 top of the soil in the fall and fill in and 

 around the bushes with dead leaves. 

 Do not remove the leaves in the 

 spring, but, when leaf buds begin to 

 swell, cut away all the dead and small 

 weak canes of last year. Go over it 

 again, removing most of the scraggy 

 three-year-old canes and more of the 

 weak ones. Once more go over it, cut- 

 ting off the tops of the remaining 

 canes. Leave them about two feet 

 long at the outside, increasing to five 

 or six at the back. A rope tied around 

 them to a stake at the back before the 

 leaves start will soon be hidden, and 

 will be needed when blooms appear. 



I have followed this plan on roses 

 set out ten years ago, and every year 

 the roses seem larger and richer. The 

 secret lies in severe pruning. My 

 neighbors think I must be crazy when 

 I prune my bushes, and that I am 

 "lucky with roses" when they bloom. 



Iowa. Eva I. Griffith. 



FOUR FLORAL BEAUTIES. 



Asparagus sprengeri, Bostonian fern, 

 asparagus tennissimus and arancaria 

 excelsa, form a beautiful quartette that 

 has just been awarded the first prem- 

 ium at our third annual fair. These 

 plants combine in a remarkable degree 

 the two requisites of easy culture and 

 floral beauty. The chief danger lies in 

 the decaying of roots by watering too 

 copiously when in growth, or by not 

 withholding water when in a state of 

 rest, which is from January to March. 

 Understanding the philosophy of how 

 to water, success is assured. Asparagus 

 sprengeri, when a mere featherless 

 sprig, was received through the mail 

 in midwinter and planted in a four- 



inch pot filled with well mixed leaf 

 mould, sand and rotted manure, the 

 latter put in the bottom over charcoal 

 for drainage. Keep in the summer 

 on a cool shady gallery, and in the 

 winter in a frost-proof room, but al- 

 ways in fresh air and good light. 



There is no plant which makes a 

 grander show and yields so large a re- 

 turn of beauty with so little trouble as 

 the Boston fern. Light, air and clean- 

 liness are three primary rules to fol- 

 low. Being a strong, rapid grower, 

 frequent feeding with fresh loam con- 

 duces to its vigor. Be careful not to 

 crowd this plant, a free circulation of 

 air is essential. With the same meth- 

 od advised, the asparagus tennissimus 

 will reach the summit of a five-foot 

 trellis symmetrical in shape, healthy 

 in color and gemmed with a profusion 

 of lace-like foliage. The arancaria ex- 

 celsa will do well for an amateur florist 

 under good treatment. It is a mois- 

 ture-loving plant, though it resents 

 stagnant water. Use sand liberally to 

 make the soil porous to allow the wa- 

 ter to percolate freely. 



Louisiana. Mrs. W. N. White. 



BEGONIAS EASILY GROWN. 



Begonias are beautiful and easily 

 grown plants. Take cuttings and 

 place them in water until well rooted, 

 then put in small pots, providing good 

 drainage, using a soil composed of leaf 

 mold, sand and a little loam. Water 

 only when the soil looks very dry. In 

 winter give them a rather warm place, 

 but not in strong sun. Shower them 

 once a week, also fertilize them once 

 or twice a month. In June cut them 

 back half, keep rather dry and in 

 the shade until September. Then 

 repot, using pots a size larger. 



The best varieties I have grown are 

 first, Manicata Aurea, beautiful green, 

 leaves with cream spots, grows very 

 fast. I have a young plant of this va- 



