DICTIONARY OF SEASONABLE GARDEN WORK. 



I. PLEASURE-GARDENING. 



Achimenes. — Place them in a dry situation with a 

 temperature of about 50° F. 



Agapayilhus umbcUatus may be stored in a cool, light 

 cellar. Keep it only moist enough to prevent the leaves 

 from shriveling. 



Amm-yllis. — Keep the bulbs quite dry, especially the 

 deciduous kinds. Evergreen sorts should have just 

 water enough to keep their leaves fresh. 



Ardisias. — The showy red berries make this a pretty 

 house-plant. If kept in a temperature of from 40° to 50° 

 and guarded against frost, the berries will stay on the 

 plants from one fruiting season till another. 



Astilbe Japonicas . — Start plants for early bloom. 



Azaleas. — Keep plants at rest only moderately moist. 

 For early bloom, place them in the warmest part of the 

 house ; for late bloom, in the cooler part. 



Beffonias. — If winter bloom is desired, give plenty of 

 air and light. The more rugged, strong-growing kinds 

 seem well fitted to withstand without injury the heat and 

 dust of the ordinary living-room. Give them a light, 

 porous soil. 



Bermuda Easter- Lilies. — Start bulbs at once, if 

 flowers are wanted for church decoration next April. 



Borders. — Clear ofi all dead plants, but do not forget 

 to mark herbaceous perennials with little stakes, so that 

 they can be found easily in the spring when the beds are 

 dug over, otherwise many of the smaller ones may be 

 lost. Transplant flowering shrubs and rooted suckers. 



Bulbs. — Fall bulbs, such as tulips, lilies, etc., may be 

 planted as long as the ground remains unfrozen. Have 

 the soil well and deeply spaded and properly enriched, 

 and plant them in groups or lines, according to taste. 

 Label the varieties. 



Biixtts. — Divide and reset the shrubs before winter, 

 if desirable. Plant them deeply, firming the soil well. 



Cactus. — For watering plants, use quite warm water, 

 pouring it on the soil, not on the leaves. 



Callas are just what you want in the winter house- 

 garden. For best results, supply the earth liberally with 

 fertilizer, in the shape of well-rotted cow-manure. Pro- 

 vide well-drained pots, so that the liberal supplies of hot 

 water given may readily pass off. 



Camellias. — For early flowering, plants should be se- 

 lected that were started into growth, their wood ripened, 

 and their buds well-set, early in the season. Give only 

 a slight rise of temperature, as camellias cannot bear 

 much heat. Plenty of atmospheric moisture must also 

 be given, otherwise the buds are to drop off. 



Cape Jasmines. — Place them in the cellar, and keep 

 them dormant until February or March. Then bring 

 them into light, and start them into growth by the gradual 

 and always moderate application of water. These plants 

 need a light soil in well-drained pots. 



Carnation.^. — Keep them in a cool place for winter 

 blooming. Try the new Marguerites. 



C/ii>2ese Primroses. — Fine specimens may be grown 

 in a shaded place. They will do well in a west or north 

 window. Keep in a cool temperature. 



Chrysanlhemums. — Ventilate them freely in mild 

 weather, but more especially when dry. The main ob- 

 ject should be to keep the plants as cool as possible, and 

 when artificial heat becomes necessary no more should 

 be given than will induce a gentle circulation of air, 

 aided by a small space of top ventilation to expel damp- 

 ness. 



Cuttings. — Pot them as soon as rooted. 



Cyclamens make fine winter bloomers. Give them 

 occasional doses of liquid manure, and keep them in a 

 cool window, having some sun, until the plants are ready 

 to bloom. After that they should not stand in the direct 

 sunlight. 



Dahlias. — Store the cured tubers under the green- 

 house benches, or in some other reasonably dry and frost- 

 proof place. 



Deutzias. — Pot the plants to be forced for early spring 

 bloom. Good flowers may be had about two months 

 after the plants are brought into heat. 



Earth-cvorms are not longed for in the soil of potted 

 plants. They live on nutriment which is needed for the 

 flowers. You can easily kill them by watering the soil 

 with caustic lime-water. 



Eei-?/crics. — Give the plants proper room to grow. 

 Ferneries require only a little care, and are beautiful or- 

 naments for the house. 



Forgct-Me-Nots. — Put some good clumps in six-inch 

 pots, and store them in a coldpit until the holidays, 

 when they may be brought into heat. 



Ereesia refracta alba is a fine bulb for winter bloom. 

 The flowers remain perfect a long time, and are espe- 

 cially good for cutting. Put about five or six bulbs in a 

 five-inch pot, as the bulbs are small. They do not need 

 to be set in the dark to form roots, but may be placed 

 directly in the window. Be careful about watering too 

 much at first, until roots are well started. 



Eunkias like to be planted in a moist soil and rather 

 shaded location. 



General Greenhouse Ma?!ageme>it . — Remove dead 

 leaves, old flower-stalks and diseased or superfluous 

 branches. Guard against over-watering. Be sure that 

 all plants have proper drainage. Keep the glass surface 

 clean and free from whitewash and dust. As a precau- 

 tion against green-fly and other insects, mulch the soil 

 between the plants with moistened tobacco-stems. The 

 standard remedy is burning a half-pound of tobacco- 

 stems to each 500 feet of glass weekly ; but steaming 

 tobacco-stems, or keeping tobacco-tea in little troughs on 

 the heating pipes, are just as effective remedies. Callas, 



