170 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



Grass Among Roses. — '^We have bought 

 a place on which there is an old garden. 

 Grass has been allowed to grow among the 

 roses. How can I o-et rid of it?" — Miss 

 S. E. K. 



Only by digging it out by the roots. 

 After this has been done keep it from 

 growing again by the frequent use of 

 the hoe. You cannot grow good roses 

 unless 3^ou keep the soil about them free 

 from weeds and grass. Go over each plant 

 this fall and cut away all weak branches. 

 If the growth is thick, thin the plants well. 

 Work some good fertilizer into the soil 

 early in spring. Old, rotten cow manure 

 is better than anything else for roses. You 

 can hardly use too much of it. Eoses are 

 great eaters. 



Home-Made Fertilizers. — "I always 

 save all the grass clippings from the lawn, 

 and pile them up. By the next spring 

 they are thoroughly rotted, and can be 

 mixed with soil in the flower beds. Is this 

 a good plan?"— F. B. C. 



Yes, a very good one. If those who do 

 not have a stable would save all clippings, 

 leaves, and refuse of this kind, each sea- 

 son, heaping it up in some out-of-the-way 

 corner, and pouring soapsuds from wash- 



ing-day over it from time to time, anc 

 giving it a frequent stirring, they wouh 

 soon have enough really good fertilizer 

 to keep their beds in excellent condition. 



Mandrakes as Fruit Plants. — "Why not 

 advise the cultivation of the mandrake 

 for its fruit? I think it could be made 

 to yield profitable crops." — ^Mrs. M. J. T. 



I do not think mandrake growing could 

 be made profitable, because the mandrake 

 is not a plant that takes readily to culti- 

 vation. Attempt to domesticate it, and 

 it soon dies out. It has a somewhat pleas- 

 ing fragrance, but the flavor of its fruit 

 is unpleasant to most persons. The prin- 

 cipal merit of the plant is its wax-like 

 flowers. These are as beautiful, in a small 

 way, as the magnolia of the South. 



21 ealy Bug. — "A sort of white substance 

 forms on the leaves of my coleus, and some 

 other plants of similar habit. It looks 

 like bits of cotton, but seems to have life 

 in it. What is it, and what will rid the 

 plantsof it?"— MissL. E. 



I think your plants are infested with the 

 mealy bug. It is frequently found on the 

 coleus, and often on oleanders, and most 

 other greenhouse or window plants are 



WATER LILIES AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR SEASON 



