THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
223 
is generally supposed. In strawberry culture, mulch ap¬ 
plied in the fall protects the roots during winter, and if 
allowed to remain on the bed in the spring, if of sufficient 
depth, it keeps down weeds and prevents the evaporation 
of moisture from the soil during the dry time so common 
between the flowering and the ripening of the straw¬ 
berry. The utility of a mulch is not confined to the 
strawberry among fruits; raspberries and currants are 
much benefited by it; and some of our most distin¬ 
guished horticulturists assert that the finer varieties of 
English gooseberries—a fruit with which very few suc¬ 
ceed in our hot summers—can be successfully grown 
when so treated. Carnations, pansies, roses and other 
half-hardy plan's are greatly benefited in their bloom, 
besides being made to withstand the rigors of our win¬ 
ters, by a proper mulching. 
The material of the mulch is not of the greatest im¬ 
portance, and may be governed in a great measure by 
convenience or locality; those living near salt-water will 
find salt hay, as hay from the marshes is called, the 
most readily procured, and one of the most valuable, the 
salt being a good fertilizer, and the fineness of the 
grass, together with its great weight, renders a light 
mulch entirely sufficient; those who live near pine for¬ 
ests use the fallen leaves, or pine-needles, as they are 
called; in the grain-growing districts straw is abun¬ 
dant, and nothing can be better ; it can be best applied by 
first running it through a cutter. Leaves are nature’s 
own mulch, and answer admirably. To prevent their 
being scattered by the wind, brush should be laid over 
them, or a slight covering of earth will keep them in place. 
One of the best materials to use for summer mulching is 
the green grass mowed from lawns. This, applied to the 
thickness of two or three inches around the roots of all 
kinds of small fruits, will be found not only to greatly 
benefit the crop, particularly in hot weather, but will 
save greatly in labor, by preventing the growth of weeds. 
Amaryllis— A. B. C .—You do not want to let your 
amaryllis rest to the extent you state. That they re¬ 
quire rest is quite certain, but to let the bulbs and roots 
get completely dried up and the soil in which they grow 
become as dust, will greatly injure the blooming quali¬ 
ties of the bulb. Sufficient water should be given them 
during their period of rest to keep the bulbs and roots 
fresh and plump. 
Eucharis Amazonica— Amateur .—Your plants have un¬ 
doubtedly got the disease that has shown itself with this 
bulb for some time past in Europe and to some extent 
in this country. What that disease is it is difficult to 
determine, and it is equally difficult to provide a remedy. 
We should advise turning the bulbs out into the open 
border for a season, then potting in new soil. We had 
hoped this plant would have escaped disease, but our 
hopes, like the bulbs, have suffered a blight. 
Fuchsias —City Garden .—Your difficulties may be 
summed up in a few words. Your situation is alto¬ 
gether too dry and hot for the fuchsia. Had you 
pltmged the pot to the rim, in the most shaded place 
in your border, and given them an abundance of water, 
your plants would have blossomed finely all the summer. 
Now that their leaves have all fallen off, you had better let 
them complete their rest. Give them just water enough 
to keep the soil from getting dusty, and let them remain 
dormant until after the first of January. Then re-pot in 
fresh soil; water liberally when they commence growth; 
give them all the light and air your rooms will afford. 
But the fuchsia is by no means a winter-flowering plant. 
F. speciosa will come into flower in February, and is 
one of the best for house culture. 
Camellia — Helen A. Sabin .—A common cause of fail¬ 
ure with the camellia is a lack of water when it is complet¬ 
ing its season’s growth and forming its flowering buds. 
The ball of earth around the roots gets very hard and 
sheds water instead of absorbing it. It is a good plan—in 
fact, the only safe plan—to set the pot in a tub of water, 
having it completely submerged for. say, twenty-four 
hours. This should be repeated two or three times dur¬ 
ing its period of growth. When at rest but little water is 
required, or should be given. But at all times the foliage 
should be kept perfectly clean, either by syringing or by 
washing the leaves with a sponge. At all times keep a 
careful lookout for the mealy-bug and red spider, both of 
which are deadly enemies of the camellia. The latter can 
easily be kept back by syringing, but the former will re¬ 
quire mechanical means to destroy it. 
Double-Flowering Lilium Candidum— Mary .—If your 
collection includes all but this, you may as well call it 
complete, as this is by no means desirable. At the best, 
it is but a monstrosity, and as such it should be dis¬ 
carded. By all means let us encourage perfect forms in 
flowers, if nowhere else. 
Crotons —Ella M. —No, you cannot grow crotons in 
your conservatory; they must have strong heat, good 
light and plenty of moisture, with the most generous 
treatment, or they will become a nuisance rather than a 
thing of beauty. 
Bulbs in Pots— Subscriber .— Thanks for your com¬ 
plimentary letter. Every kind of bulb grown in a pot 
should be repotted every year, and have a complete 
change of soil. There can be no better rule generally 
than to repot at the time when the bulbs, whatever they 
are, begin naturally to grow. Amaryllis may be potted 
any time after they have had a few weeks’ rest. If potting 
is delayed until winter they should have bottom-heat to 
start them into growth; they may be easily subjected to 
any routine the cultivator may adopt, provided they are 
well ripened and have a short period of rest, being then 
quite dry (not wilted) before being started into growth 
again. Lilies should always be repotted in autumn, and 
kept in a cold frame or other cool, moist place all winter; 
they begin to grow in spring, and, as soon as the weather 
will permit, plunge the pots in ashes or sphagnum, 
where they can be kept from drying out during summer. 
You can succeed in growing lilies in pots when you 
would totally fail with them planted in beds. 
