THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
189 
have all kinds of plants that are suitable for window- 
box culture for either sunny or shaded positions and a 
careful selection should be made of these to get the 
best possible results. 
VEGETABLE GARDEN. 
Potatoes should be got into the ground at the earliest 
possible opportunity now. Do not omit to treat the 
seed with formaldehyde for scab. One pint of formal- 
dehyde to 30 gallons of water is the regulation 
strength for controlling this disease. The seed is 
dumped into a barrel and allowed to remain for not 
more than two hours ; a longer period would harm the 
potatoes. Another disease that appears on potatoes in 
some sections of the country in the form of blotches or 
small eruptions on the skin is Rhizocotonia. Should 
you have reason to believe that this is prevalent treat 
the seed with a solution of Corrosive sublimate 4 ozs. 
to 30 gallons of water. This is also effective against 
scab. While these remedies are effective in the treat- 
ment of seed potatoes it is not to be supposed that your 
crop will be clean and free from disease if the land is 
infested with it. Treating the seed is not proof against 
infection from this source. 
Several sowing of peas and beans and other veg- 
etables may be made this month to keep up a succes- 
sion. No hard and fast rule can be laid down in this 
connection as each and every place must plant accord- 
ing to its needs. Late cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel- 
sprouts, and kale may be sown this month too, water- 
melons, musk-melons, and cucumbers can be sown 
outside, if you have no early started plants to set out. 
Even if you have we find that it is a good practice to 
plant a few seeds in the hills where it is intended to 
plant the early started ones. This ensures a crop for 
if the early plants are caught by a late frost the seed- 
lings take their place. Onions wanted for making 
salads may be had by making sowings every two or 
three weeks. Pumpkins and squash may be sown now. 
The young plants are often destroyed by insects when 
they are very small. A strip of tin placed round the 
plants with some fine netting over the top will guard 
against this. The tin should be set well into the 
ground to prevent the cut-worm getting in his fine 
work. 
THE ORCHARD. 
The orchard is the scene of many activities at this 
time of the year. A sharp lookout should be kept for 
all kinds of caterpillars. Destroy every nest of tent 
caterpillars that can be found about the place. Burn 
them out, then spray the trees with poison, to make 
a good job of them that are left. About the middle 
of the month the blossoms will be mostly fallen off, 
then is the time to get busy with the sprays for apple- 
scab and codling moth. Fortunately the sprays for 
these pests can be combined, and applied together thus 
saving considerable time and expense. Lime-sulphur 
solution 1-40 of water, and three pounds of arsenate of 
lead to each fifty gallons of the solution. 
If apple aphis is present nicotine may be added to 
control them. Pears may have similar treatment to 
apples. Plums need to be sprayed for cuculio when 
the husks or calcyes have fallen, with arensate of lead 
3 pounds to 50 gallons of water. Leaf-spot on European 
varieties amy be treated with Bordeaux 5-5-50 added 
as a carrier for the arsenate of lead. Cherries may 
be likewise sprayed for cucuilo. Peaches should only 
have two pounds of arsenate of lead applied after the 
husks have fallen for cucuilo, to each fifty gallons of 
water. Self-boiled lime sulphur may be used as a 
carrier for the poison to control, brown-rot and scab. 
Second application should be made two or three weeks 
later than the first. 
This spraying should be done very thoroughly, es- 
pecially in the case of the apples driving the material 
well into the innermost recesses of the calyx cups so 
that when the codling moth enters he is greeted with a 
dose of poison. 
THE GREENHOUSES. 
It is readily understood by those in charge of green- 
houses that water may be used more liberally now that 
the sun is fairly warm, yet with the hustle, and urge 
to get ahead with the work of clearing out the old 
crops to make room for the new there is every likeli- 
hood of too much being given, and many plants will 
suffer as a result. 
It will not harm a large majority of pot-plants one 
bit to let them get so dry that the pots will ring when 
rapped. Indeed it is positively beneficial to some plants 
save it maybe to some of the more rapidly growing 
herbaceous ones, to occasionally let them feel the want 
of water when they are making new shoots, because 
then they need considerable amounts of mineral salts 
from the soil for the building of new organic tissue. 
SWEET PEAS. 
In contrast to the foregoing paragraph, an abun- 
dance of water, free syringing, and ample ventilation 
are essentials where a later indoor crop of these flow- 
ers are wanted. Red-spider is the arch enemy, and 
must be kept off at all costs, and a good force of 
water through the hose is the best means of controlling 
him. It sometimes happens that the weather condi- 
tions make a light shade on the glass necessary, in 
order to somewhat lower the temperature, and pre- 
vent scorching of the blooms. If the ground between 
the rows is covered with manure it will help very 
materially to keep the roots cool, also to retain mois- 
ture. Spray or fumigate every ten days or so to keep 
the plants clean of fly. 
DWARF SINGLE-STEMMED CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN TOTS. 
The last week in May to the first week in June is 
the best time to put cuttings into the sand to get 
dwarf- single-stemmed plants for house decoration. 
They are no doubt somewhat harder to root at this 
time, but with care they can be handled successfully. 
Use only fresh clean sand, press the cuttings in firmly, 
and keep shaded and they will soon root. When they 
have roots from half-inch to one inch long they should 
be potted into small pots. Give them good soil from 
the start, and never let them suffer for want of pot- 
ting on. Give a rich compost for the last shift, and 
grow on in a house where they can have plenty of 
light and ventilation. 
AMARYLLIS. 
Now that the hybrids are through flowering they 
may be accommodated in a cold frame where they 
should be encouraged to complete their growth. 
Plunge them up the rims in the soil. Water carefully, 
at all times until the roots become more active, when 
they will be benefited by a dose of liquid manure once 
a week, and later it may be increased to twice each 
week. Give the plants a good syringing once a day, 
it helps the bulbs to regain their strength. A little 
time and care spent on these plants at this time will 
be repaid by better blooms another season, and you 
will not have to blame the bulbs for poor flowers. 
