January, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
55 
Callas and Amaryllis. 
James Livingstone, Milwaukee. 
What are the best methods used 
ing growing calla lilies and am- 
arylis? 1 have two eallas that 
will be in bloom in a week or two 
but I want to know how to take 
care of the plant after the bloom- 
ing period. 
In regard to the Amarylis 1 
bought one last spring which did 
not bloom, so in the latter part of 
this summer I placed the pot in 
the cellar to rest the bulb. I ex- 
pect to bring the bulb into the 
light sometime in January. Do 
you think this would make it 
bloom? 
Do you know of any magazine 
that is entirely devoted to the 
culture of flowers, both indoors 
and out? 
The ordinary method of grow- 
ing callas is to start the bulbs in 
August, in good, rich soil. Water 
them carefully at first and when 
they begin to grow vigorously 
keep them in full sunshine, give 
them plenty of water, and feed 
them quite frequently with some 
good liquid fertilizer. Keep them 
growing till May or early June 
and then dry them off gradually, 
till the foliage has all dried off. 
Turn the pot on its side in a dry 
place and let it stay there till Aug- 
ust. Shake the bulb out and re- 
pot in fresh soil, and grow on as 
already advised. 
The culture of amaryllis is com- 
paratively easy. If dry bulbs are 
bought from a seed store they 
should be potted in pots according 
to the size of the bulb. Usually a 
five inch pot is. big enough for the 
ordinary run of dry bulbs. Use 
good, rich, loamy soil, and water 
sparingly at first, that is, water 
enough to wet the soil completely 
throiigh and then don’t water 
again till the soil has become fair- 
ly dry. When the plant begins to 
grow vigorously it will need to be 
watered oftener, but don’t let the 
soil get soggy. If the plant does 
not flower the first year, don’t be 
discouraged; very few of the or- 
dinary dry bulbs that are bought 
in seed stores flower the first year, 
and it is better for them not to, 
as it would be flowering at the ex- 
pense of the bulb before it had 
made sufficient roots to support 
bulb and flower spike. Keep the 
plant growing till the latter part 
of September and then begin 
gradually to withhold the water, 
till the foliage dries completely 
off. Then place the pot on its side 
in a dry place in a temperature of 
45 or 50 degrees. Let it stay there 
till the plant begins of its own ac- 
cord to show signs of growth 
which may be any time from Janu- 
ary on through February or 
March. If the bulb is going to 
flower usually the tip of the flower 
bud is the first to show. The 
plant should then be placed in a 
sunny window and watered 
thoroughly, so that the soil is 
completely wet through. Do not 
repot till you are sure it is going 
to flower, and then only when the 
pot has become too small for the 
plant. If the foliage begins to 
grow vigorously before the flower 
bud shows, as a rule there will be 
no flowers that season, although 
once in a while a bulb may flower 
at any time through the summer. 
If it does not flower grow it along 
in the way advised and if the bulb 
is strong enough it may flower 
next season. 
The Garden Magazine, Double- 
day, Page & Co., New York 
Monthly, $2.00. The Flower 
Grower, Madison Cooper, Calcium, 
New York, Monthly, $1.00. 
Rabbits and Mice. 
Owners of fruit trees should 
watch carefully from now until 
snow disappears for injury by 
rabbits and mice. This applies 
particularly to the home or farm 
orchard for weeds and grass are 
more apt to be plentiful in the 
small orchard than in the large 
one. 
We have had much to say about 
rabbits in the past and while there 
is no reason for retracting any of 
it, there is no doubt that thous- 
ands of apple trees are killed in 
Wisconsin each year by mice. 
Large trees, six to ten inches 
in diameter, are often girdled by 
mice, while the rabbit is more apt 
to attack the smaller trees. 
Complete protection against 
both pests is afforded by wine 
screen cut in strips, folded around 
the trunk and fastened with wire. 
Less expensive is heavy building 
paper. Tarred paper, if set close 
to the ground, will repel mice as 
well as rabbits. Washes of any 
and every kind are of doubtful 
value. 
It takes six or seven years to 
produce marketable ginseng. It 
is not a get-rich-quick crop. In 
fact, very few people have the 
right location and the patience 
needed to grow a crop from seed 
to marketable plants. 
OSHKOSH FARM and 
GARDEN SEED 
—assured clean, hardy, fertile 
by the drastic provisions of 
Wisconsin’s Seed Laws. Aro 
Best l or Yon Because Grown 
In Wisconsin. 
Always Better Than 99% Pure 
IS Send a Postal Today for our lartre illustrated Field and » 
™ Garden Seed Catalog . “ 
= OSHKOSH SEED COMPANY | 
~ Dept. D. Oshkosh, Wis. ^ 
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