32 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



ers, and would T^dllingly eomplj with requests 

 for personal replies if I had more time at my 

 disposal, but to a busy man one day in the week 

 is more than he can spare without neglecting 

 other work that must be done. 



Converting a Veranda Into a Conservatory. — 

 (F. S, A.) This can be easily done. Have 

 the sides and ends all glass to within about two 

 feet of the floor. A good workman can fit the 

 sash so snugly that there will be no crevices to 

 admit cold air. Storm sash can be put on from 

 the outside in 1^,11, thus adding much to the 

 protection of plants from frost. You can run 

 the pipe from furnace as suggested around the 

 enclosure close to the outside wall. The expense 

 will not be much, and the pleasure afforded by 

 such a room for plants can not be estimated 

 in dollars and cents. If there is not a wall 

 under the veranda, either have one made or 

 bank well to prevent cold from striking up 

 through the floor. A glass roof is not abso- 

 lutely necessary, but I would advise some open- 

 ing through the wood roof by which ventilation 

 can be obtained. 



Fuchsia TrouMe.— (Mrs. J. A. E.) Your 

 Fuchsia may drop its leaves because it does not 

 get enough water, or it may be infested with red 

 spider. Turn it out of its pot and examine the 

 soil in which it grows. If not moist all through 

 give more. If you have provided good drainage 

 there is no danger of overwatering. If the soil 

 seems all right, examine the yellowing leaves. 

 If you find little red specks on the underside 

 of them or tiny webs, you may feel sure that 

 the red spider causes the trouble. Eemedy, 

 water sprayed all over the plant. The failure 

 of the plant to bloom may be the result of 

 recent repotting. Generally repotted plants 

 make a considerable growth of branches before 

 flowering much. 



Tiose "SucTcers."— CE.) Sprouts and suckers 

 are very much the same thing. Perhaps, in 

 general parlance, the term sucker is used to 

 denote a sprout appearing near the old plant, 

 while the term sprout is applied to a-shoot from 

 the base, close to the ground. If a Eose is 

 grafted suckers may be thrown up from the 

 root telow the graft, and these seldom bloom. 

 But if not a grafted plant, all suckers ought to 

 produce flowers similar to those of the original 

 plant. I prefer Roses on their own roots be- 

 cause of the tendency of grafted plants to send 

 up non-flowering growth, which disappoints the 

 owner because he does not understand the na- 

 ture of it. 



Asparagus.— (R.) There is no such thing as 

 an As'paragus Fern. We have three varieties 

 of Asparagus in cultivation in greenhouse and 



living-room— A. Sprengeri, a coarse-leaved, 

 trailing variety with thick, tuberous roots; 

 A. plumosus, with spreading branches growing 

 in flat, frond-like shape, with very delicate 

 foliage, and A. tenuissimus, a climbing variety. 

 A. plumosus is probably what is referred to as 

 Asparagus Fern. It is propagated— as are all 

 these varieties— by division of the roots. Cut 

 them apart with a thin-bladed, sharp knife. 



Crimson Eamhler.— (Mrs. J. F. McM.) The 

 "whitish appearance" of your Rose is mildew. 

 The usual remedy is sulphur, dusted all over the 

 plant while it is damp. Mildew is a disease, 

 sometimes caused by lack of vitality, but oftener 

 by exposure to cold winds, drafts and sudden 

 changes of temperature. If the plant stands 

 in an exposed place see that it is provided witk 

 shelter, or remove it to some place where the 

 location is more favorable. Manure the ground 

 heavily with old cow manure, and cut back the 

 diseased branches sharply. 



Hardy Plants.— (Miss M. L. R.) You can 

 set these plants to advantage in fall. But do 

 it as soon as it is possible to procure them from 

 the dealer. The longer you wait the less chance 

 they will have to become established before cold 

 weather sets in. Early set plants ought to 

 bloom comparatively well next spring, but of 

 course they can not be expected to do as well 

 as after they have had a season to become 

 thoroughly established in. Early fall planting 

 is, in many ways, preferable to spring planting. 



Palms. — '(M.) Give soil of garden loam. 

 Have the best of drainage. Pack soil firmly 

 about roots. Water moderately. Keep in shade, 

 and be sure to keep aU insects down. Use 

 fertilizer only when plants are groTsdng. More 

 harm is done to Palms by overwatering than 

 in any other way, I think, but if good drainage 

 is given there is little danger of injury from 

 this cause. In a soggy, sour soil, such as re- 

 sults from lack of drainage, the tips of the 

 leaves will almost always turn yellow. 



Gruhs on Boses.— (Mrs. T>. L. S.) If the grub 

 you complain of as eating your Roses is, as you 

 say, from the larvae of the May beetle, I would 

 advise you next season to begin the use of the 

 Ivory soap infusion referred to elsewhere in this 

 department before the beetle appears. The 

 best time to fight all Rose enemies is before they 

 come. Prevention is better than cure. If the 

 grubs are eating into the plants there is no 

 application that will rout them. They must be 

 searched for and dug out. 



Wintering Young Boses. — (I. W.) I would 

 advise bending the plants down on the ground 

 and fastening them there by boards laid across 



