QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



57 



at a point where the growth is moderately soft, and 

 trimming away the lower leaves, then insert it in the 

 sand or soil to the depth of about %-inch, assuming that 

 the cutting is two or three inches in length, and press 

 the soil firmly all around; water to keep from wilting, 

 but not so much as to make the sand very wet, as this 

 might induce rot. Sprinkle the leaves several times 

 daily. To invert a glass tumbler or dish over the cut- 

 ting, tilting it up a little daily on one side for admitting 

 air, will be helpful in preventing undue evaporation. 



2665. Manure-water for House Plants. — No one 

 other article in this line fully comes up to animal manure 

 as the base of a liquid fertilizer for plants. A neat way 

 to make it is to fill a barrel with manure closely packed 

 down. Bore a hole in one side of the barrel near the 

 bottom, and then pour on water and catch it as it leaks 

 through the hole. It will be a dark color, and too strong 

 for use unless diluted with clear water till it looks like 

 tea. Gross feeders like cinerarias, fuchsias, chrysan- 

 themums, may receive of this liquid about twice a week 

 while they are making rapid growth ; other plants, like 

 roses, heliotropes, lantanas, geraniums, etc., not oftener 

 than once a week. In no instance apply liquid manure 

 to a plant when it is not in an active condition as regards 

 growth. In the absence of stable manure use guano, 

 hen-manure or bone meal, at the rate of a large table- 

 spoonful to a gallon of warm water. Ammonia is often 

 recommended for house plants ; but either of the above is 

 to be preferred, for the plain reason that these are true 

 plant food, as ammonia is not. But ammonia may 

 sometimes be used with benefit, at the rate of one-fourth 

 ounce of ammonia to one gallon of water. 



2667. Manure for Annuals.— Nothing is better for 

 annuals than good stable manure. A good way to apply 

 it is to cover the bed with a coat in the fall, and then 

 turn the soil over roughly with the spade. Let the clods 

 of earth be exposed to the elements during winter. 



2662. Commercial Flower-growing. — Our advice to 

 one who has had no experience in flower-growing, but 

 who desires to engage in it as a business, must be of a 

 general character. First procure some good books on 

 the subject, such as Henderson's Practical Floriculture 

 ($1.50), Long's Home Florist ($1.25), etc., sold by 

 The Rural Publishing Company, and study them thor- 

 oughly. Start only a small greenhouse to begin with — say 

 12 by 30, or 20 by 30 or 40 feet, and start your experiment, 

 doing your very best with the knowledge you pick up by 

 reading. Should you be lucky enough to get a good 

 man for the work, one who knows something about plant 

 culture, at a moderate price (there are such, but not 

 always easy to find), it is likely you might begin the sale 

 of some flowers or plants in the course of four or six 

 months from starting. Whether in the long run you 

 could make a success of the venture, depends very 

 much upon your natural adaptability to the business, 

 and your market. We know of women who, from a 

 beginning as moderate as yours would be, have step by 

 step, as they gained knowledge and confidence, worked 

 up into quite a nice trade. One thing you must make 

 up your mind to — success in commercial flower-growing 

 is only attained by great painstaking, and constant, in- 

 telligent work. 



2664. Best Hedg-e Plant. — As a hedge plant along 

 the street line of a fruit plantation, we think there is 

 nothing better than the honey locust, as this is both 

 ornamental and effective in turning oft" intruders. It is 

 hardier than that other great deciduous hedge plant, 

 the osage orange. It is of vigorous growth and thrives 

 without nursing or coaxing. It can readily be kept to 

 any form, as no plant better bears shearing. The plants 

 are sufficiently thorny to be impenetrable when set in 

 hedge line. A usual distance apart to set the plants is 

 nine or ten inches. Sometimes they are set in a double 

 row, alternating the plants. One-year-old plants can be 

 bought for $5.00 or less per thousand, while those two 

 years old are not held above a dollar or so per thousand 

 higher. 



2676. Root-lice on Apple Trees. — Our experience 

 with root-lice on trees is limited, but from what we 

 know in dealing with the pest, and the nature of potash 

 salts, we are sure that liberal applications of kainite, or 

 muriate of potash, at the rate of aboutten pounds of the 

 former or about four pounds of the latter to a tree sev- 

 eral years old, scattered around the trees as far as the 

 roots extend, would be one of the very first remedies 

 we should try. We believe these potash salts have more 

 virtue as insect-killers, for insects in the ground as well 

 as on plantsabove ground, than is generally recognized, — 

 G. R. 



2675. Hyposulphite of Soda for Rose Mildew. — 

 Hyposulphite of soda has been used with some effect for 

 apple scab, and will undoubtedly be of some service as 

 a remedy for rose mildew. A solution if made stronger 

 than in the proportion of one pound to twelve or fifteen 

 gallons of water, is liable to injure the foliage of apple 

 trees, and we would make it even weaker for roses. 

 But why use this remedy, when we have a better one in 

 sulphur fumes ? Prof. Maynard gives the following as 

 primary causes of the disease attacks, viz.: Exposure to 

 drafts of extremely cold air when the plants are growing 

 rapidly ; hig'i temperature running the same day and 

 night; wateringjustbefore night; toolittlewater; extreme 

 dryness; poor drainage ; deficiency in plant food. The 

 first thing to do is to prevent mildew by avoiding these 

 causes ; but if mildew does appear, it can be checked by 

 keeping a kettle or basin containing some sulphur 

 (brimstone), heated to nearly the boiling point, in the 

 room for three or four hours, twice or three times a week. 

 One of the small kerosene stoves and an iron kettle may 

 be used to advantage for this purpose. Enough sulphur 

 should be evaporated to fill the room with the vapor, so 

 that it will be visible, and give something of the odor of 

 sulphur. But guard against the sulphur taking fire ; for 

 burningsulphuris quickly destructivetoallplant growth, 

 and much damage might result in a plant-house from a 

 little carelessness in arrangement or manipulation dur- 

 ing the production of sulphur fumes. 



2677. Peaches on Plums.— Peaches may be top- 

 grafted on any variety of plums, and the grafts made to 

 grow. The usual and better way, however, is to set 

 buds into the young wood. Whether much is to be 

 gained by having peach branches on plum bodies is an- 

 other question. Some varieties of the plum will prove 

 better for this purpose than others. — G. R. 



