886 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



plant. I notice it in the catalogues of all 

 V the seedsmen with whom I have an}^ deal- 

 ing. If yon fail to get it at yonr local 

 florist's write to the florists who advertise 

 in the magazines for a free catalogue of 

 their business^ and you will be very sure 

 to find it therein. 



Wintering Begonias. — (Mrs. Parks.) 

 The cellar is not a good place in which 

 to winter begonias. I would advise cutting 

 back such plants as you do not care to get 

 flowers from, and keeping them quite dry 

 until the time when you think they ought 

 to be started into growth in spring. Give 

 them a place rather back from the light. 

 When you begin to give more water they 

 will be likely to grow. 



Asparagus Not Growing. — The varieties 

 of x\sparagus plumosus, plumosus nana, 

 and tenuissimus require at least three 

 months' rest each season. When they re- 

 fuse to groWj and some of their fronds 

 turn yellow, withhold water, and let them 

 stand still until they get ready to begin 

 work again. Then give some fresh soil, 

 and, after growth is well under wa}^, apply 

 a reliable fertilizer. 



Spots on PaZm.— (Mrs. S.) The 

 '^specks" which you eomplain of, in clus- 

 ters on the lower side of your palm's 

 leaves, may be scale. If they are remov- 

 able, that is what they are. If they are 

 spots which aifect the texture of the leaf 

 they result from the attack of some insect, 

 or possibly from disease of a bacterial 

 nature. In this case the remedy is cop- 

 perdine. 



Protection Against Bahhits. — (Mrs. M. 

 H. L.) Why not drive posts at the corners 

 of your beds and enclose them with wire 

 netting? The coarse-meshed kind is not 

 very expensive, and at a little distance it 

 would not be noticed. I know of no other 

 way of keeping the rabbits away from 

 your plants. 



Evergreens. — (J. E. H.) Set this class 

 of plants in May and June. As a general 



thing they do best in a rather loamy soil. 

 If they turn brown after planting the 

 probabilities are that the branches so af- 

 fected are dead or dying, and should be 

 cut away. Arbor vitse makes a very good 

 hedge. It should be set closel}^, and at 

 least two rows of plants used. 



Scale. — (Montana Eeader.) Get a 

 package of Fir-tree oil soap and make a 

 suds of it, as advised on the package. 

 Wash the infested plant all over in the 

 infusion, rubbing it with enough force 

 to remove the scale, after you have given 

 it one thorough washing. Repeat this 

 operation about twice a month, as a means 

 of prevention, after you have got the plant 

 perfectly clean. 



• Begonia Cuttings.— (S. V. S.) Take 

 half -ripened wood. Insert it in clear sand. 

 Keep the sand warm and moist at all 

 times, but not soaking wet, as this may 

 bring on decay before roots start. Some 

 begonias can be divided at the roots. Take 

 a sharp-bladed knife and cut them apart 

 carefully. This is a surer method than 

 increasing stock from cuttings, for the 

 amateur. 



Planning a Flower' harden. — A corre- 

 spondent asks me to suggest a plan for 

 ^'laying out" his flower garden, 60x120 

 feet. How could I do so without knowing 

 more about the place? I ought to under- 

 stand all about its location, nearness to 

 the house or street, and a good many other 

 matters before I could suggest anything 

 intelligently. 



Trouble with a Pit.— (Mis. H. A. P.) 

 The fact that red spider developed in your 

 pit goes to show that it was too dry, and 

 the additional fact that mildew has made 

 its appearance goes to prove that it is too 

 cold. Aim to keep the temperature at 

 from forty-five to fifty degrees at night, 

 and perhaps fifteen degrees higher during 

 the day. 



Strawherries. — (S. R. J.) This fruit 

 does besrt on a rather heavy soil in which 



