70 
The Garden Magazine, March, 1920 
In creased Soil 
Fertility 
Early sowings under glass 
will produce perfect plants 
if their soil is nourished and 
built up with 
fJ SODUS O 
ilUMUJ 
“The Essence of Fertility’* 
The seeds will possess unusual vigor and vitality when set out of doors. 
Sodus Humus is a natural silt and leaf mold fertilizer that promotes 
plant growth and productiveness. Absolutely odorless. 
Use it on House Plants, Lawns, Shrubbery ;in Hot Beds and Truck Gardens. 
Packed in i-peck box for Home Use and in 2-bushel sack for Garden Use. 
By the carload for large users like Farms, Greenhouses, Nurseries and 
Golf Links. Prices on request. 
Send for interesting literature. 
SODUS HUMUS COMPANY 
190 MAIN STREET 
BENTON HARBOR, MICH. 
collapsible fobcino frauk SOMETHING NEW UNDER THESUN 
Garden hobbyists every where .. ill be interested in two new devices de* 
signed to increase gardening results and joys 
For Forcing Vegetnblea, ete.. is a The Propagator is the greatest 
rigid frame, so braced that glass little "hothouse” ever invented, 
cannot be blown out. and is water- Heated by lamp. Great for forcing 
tight. Price. . each. seeds and seedling plants. Prices 
, $4-5© complete. 
Write for descriptive circular of these novelties. Ask your nearest hor- 
ticultural dealer for full prices. 
ROBERT F. TOOPE, 27 St- Botolph Street, Boston, Mass. 
Patent applied for 
RARE 
Beautiful Iris 
Splendid Collection of Best Varieties. Gorgeous Colors. 
All Postpaid at Price Named. 
EACH DO Z. 
Mme. Chereou— white, blue fringed 
2£C 
5° 
l.cnoiditN — dark blue 
25c 
2.50 
Knnn Soucl— yellow, petals wine 
20c 
2.00 
Orocou*— yellow, petals light wine 
20c 
2.00 
canary yellow, petals light purple... 
20c 
2.00 
Siberian— blue. 
25c 
2.50 
Florentine — purple. 
. 20c 
2.00 
Celeste — sky blue 
. »>c 
2 50 
Y la vesoens— lemon yellow 
. 20c 
2.00 
Hold Coin — yellow, j>etals purple 
20c 
2.00 
Collection one plant each variety prepaid, $2.00 
W. N. Scarf I & Sons, New Carlisle. Ohio ; 
ORIENTAL 
FLOWERING TREES 
FROM PERSIA, CHINA and JAPAN 
Catalogue 
A. E. WOHLERT 
The Garden Nurseries 
Narberth, Montg. Co. Penna. 
Fighting the Onion Fly 
I N SOME sections it has become almost impos- 
sible to grow onions because of the damage 
caused by the onion fly. This is the same ex- 
perience that gardeners in some parts of England 
have gone through in the past. When the onion 
fly is present in such large numbers as to make 
outside planting impossible, the only way to grow 
this vegetable is to start the plants indoors, or in a 
hotbed. This is not a difficult plan to adopt, 
and when the plants are set out, they are too 
tough to be relished by the maggot, so that most 
of them escape. At the same time, no particular 
advantage is to be found in the starting of seeds 
under glass if they can be sown safely in the open 
ground, unless, indeed, specimens for exhibition 
purposes are desired. It is well to know, there- 
fore, that the pests can be kept in check if they 
are not more numerous than in most sections. It 
has been found that the fly has a special fondness 
for sweets, and that by using a molasses bait it 
can be poisoned without difficulty. 
The plan usually followed is to mix two ounces 
of white arsenic in a quart of hot water, and then 
to add enough molasses to thicken the mixture 
somewhat. The poison is applied by means of a 
stick, with which it is .thrown upon the leaves, 
preferably when the plants are four or five inches 
high. The liquid forms globules where it reaches 
the leaves, and these globules quickly attract the 
flies because of the molasses. In this way the 
pests are fed a fatal dose of arsenic. 
In the opinion of some growers, the free use 
of water is very favorable to the fly. For that 
reason they do not apply any water to the onion 
patch while the flies are in evidence, or about the 
time when they are likely to appear. The ex- 
perience of some growers has been that when they 
have watered their onions, either with the hose 
or by an irrigation system, the fly has been very 
troublesome, while little damage has been done 
when water has been withheld. 
The onion fly is widely distributed; and is about 
one third of an inch long. It lays its eggs on the 
outside of the plant, close to the earth, commonly 
when the plants are small. As soon as the eggs 
hatch the young, white maggots eat directly into 
the heart of the plant. Then the onions begin 
to die, which is often the first sign which the 
gardener has that anything is the matter with his 
crop. If he pulls up the dying plants, he will find 
the maggot, and possibly four or five in the stalk. 
Two and perhaps more broods appear each 
season. 
E. 1 . Farrington, Massachusetts. 
A Few Reminders 
W HEN cauliflowers commence to head, pin 
three or four of the extreme outside leaves 
together with a wooden tooth pick. Do this 
rather loosely — that makes the flower large and 
heavy. Boil the leaves and serve as cabbage. 
They make a good substitute for it and elimin- 
ate all waste. 
Cress makes a nice change for salad. It grows 
freely and if you cut it, leaving the roots in the 
ground, it will renew itself and a very small patch 
will last all summer. 
Use climbing cucumbers as that economizes 
space and they are quite as satisfactory as any 
others and easy to pick. 
The great universal saving in all gardens is not 
to plant more than you can use, but plant often. 
I n thinning out, do not throw the thinnings away 
but transplant them, thus giving another crop 
a little later than the original one. 
Emily Halson Rowland, Connecticut. 
