286 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



OUR READERS' PERPLEXITIES 



Mildew on Roses. — Several correspon- 

 dents complain of mildew on Crimson 

 Rambler and other roses. I think the 

 trouble with the Rambler comes from ;i 

 low condition of vital force, caused by 

 the forcing of plants in order to obtain a 

 great amount of stock in the shortest pos- 

 sible space of time. The plants have been 

 crowded ahead until a weakened condition 

 is the result. I would suggest toning up 

 si:ch plants by good feeding, and allowing 

 only a moderate amount of new growth to 

 mature. Cut out all weak wood. Apply 

 old cow manure liberally in spring. Do 

 not let the plants exhaust themselves by 

 flowering. 



Boohs on Nursery Work. — If the cor- 

 respondent who contemplates growing 

 nursery stock will send to the publishers 

 of this, magazine a list of standard books 

 on this line of work will be sent, from 

 which those that seem best adapted to the 

 writer's particular need can be selected. 

 As the nursery business is somewhat "out 

 of my line," I do not feel competent to say 

 whose books are best. All of them on the 

 list referred to are good. 



Pruning Grapes. — These vines should 

 receive attention at the growing period. 

 Watcli the growth of them, and when a 

 branch has grown to be as long as you de- 

 sire to have it, nip off the end of it. 

 Don't let all the branches that start grow 

 all summer, thus using up a good deal of 

 the vitality of the plant. By deferring 

 pruning until the growing season is over, 

 a large share of the strength of the vine is 

 wasted. 



Trouble with Ca.Ua. — "My calla grows, 

 but its leaves turn yellow, and are short 

 lived, and it does not bloom. What's the 

 matter with the plant?"— Mrs. S. T. J. 



I don't know. You do not tell me what 

 soil it grows in, nor what kind of care 

 you give it. Knowing these things, I 

 might form some kind of an opinion as 

 to the cause of failure. As a general 

 thing, the browning of the tips or edges 



of the leaves indicates defective drainage. 



Ferns. — "Are the seed-bearing fronds of 

 all ferns short lived ? Those on my plants 

 turn yellow as soon as they ripen seed, 

 and have to be cut off, thus spoiling the 

 looks of the plants."— ]\Irs. F. B. W. 



Yes — all spore-fronds are comparatively 

 short lived, because they have completed 

 their work when seed is matured. Keep 

 watch of your plant, and as soon as vou 

 can distinguish the seed-bearing fronds 

 remove them. 



Pruning Plants. — Prune roses \a 

 spring. Hybrid perpetuals should be cut 

 back somewhat after each flowering 

 period. The same is true of the ever- 

 bloomers, like the teas. Bourbons, and 

 A^oisettes. Trim grapevines in spring. 

 Shorten the growth of the season about 

 midsummer. Woodbine — by which I pre- 

 sume Ampelopsis or Virginia creeper is 

 meant — should be pruned in spring. 



Flowers for Perfumery. — "Can you tell 

 me how to go to work to distill the per- 

 fume of flowers in such a manner as to 

 make it salable ?"— B. E. C. 



I cannot give the information asked 

 in this department. Write to dealers in 

 perfumes. Perhaps they can furnish you 

 with literature on this subject. If thev 

 cannot do so, they may be able to tell von 

 where you can find it. 



Stocl' for Grafting Cactus. — "What is 

 used as stock on which to orraft cactus?" 

 — 0. S. 



A 'plant called pereskia. I do not know 

 where it can be obtained. Possibly ^Ir. A. 

 Blanc, the cactus grower, of Philadelphia, 

 can tell you where you can find it. 



Worm on Oleander. — "'A worm eats into 

 the bark of mv oleander. Then the leov^^s 

 turn black. 'What shall I do?"— Mrs. 

 R. L. 



Scrub the plant all over, thus making 

 sure that no worui is left on it. After that 

 spray with kerosene emulsion once a week. 



Verbenas and Roses. — A correspondent 

 asks if allowing verbenas to grow about 



