183 I 
March, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
4jL;e gg\* , 
aB 
m 
3 
\ 1' 
. 
B 
jjCJil If 
■ 
‘ J'. 
: 
V-;U V 
BKfetil 
; 13 J« Jfl P 
m 
3 
JM 
for . . »>.r ", 
sDfcc - \ ■■■■■ 
wblMMi 
A Rambler that would bear a good deal of cutting back 
Uncut it blooms scatteringly and at the expense of the individual blossoms 
active growth from four to six weeks be¬ 
fore Easter, depending on the varieties 
and the forcing conditions. 
Bulbs of various kinds, including, be¬ 
sides those started last month, cyclamen 
and gloxinias, should go into pots now, 
and be kept in active growth until they 
may be put out in the frames. It is not 
too late yet to gain a good deal by starting 
your cannas, dahlias and tuberous be¬ 
gonias, in moss or leaf mold, and potting 
them up as soon as they are well started. 
The dahlias and cannas are not so particu¬ 
lar about the kind of soil in which they are 
potted up, but for the others a very light, 
rich compost, containing plenty of rotted 
manure, fibrous material and a little sand, 
should be used. Cow manure, if thorough¬ 
ly decomposed, is preferable to horse 
manure. Be careful to water only lightly 
until they become established. 
The cuttings taken from plants in Jan¬ 
uary and February will be ready for “pot¬ 
ting off" during this month. A good, 
fibrous loam, with a little sand added if 
it is not friable enough, and enriched with 
bone flour, will answer for these. Don't 
let the plants stay in the rooting box or 
bed too long; the roots shouldn't be over 
half an inch at most, and half that is 
plenty. Put them well down in the pots 
and make them firm by tapping the bottom 
of the pot firmly against the bench before 
pressing the soil about them with the 
thumbs. Keep shaded from the sun and 
syringe daily for a few days after potting. 
The pots should be partly sunk in soil, 
ashes or moss, to keep them from drying 
out too rapidly, as they will invariably do 
on a bare bench bottom. Cuttings that 
may be wanted in some quantity, such as 
carnations for next fall's plants or coleus 
or sweet Alyssum or salvia, for borders or 
masses, may be put in flats instead of pot¬ 
ted up, and will make strong, sturdy plants 
for setting out if thev are properly looked 
after. 
Keep a sharp lookout for insect troubles 
of all kinds. Sprinkle tobacco dust around 
the plants. Plenty of fresh air and regu¬ 
lar watering will go far toward preventing 
any trouble from such sources. The green 
aphis is the pest most likely to cause 
trouble. But even after it puts in an ap¬ 
pearance it may b.e successfully got rid of 
by the use of nicotine in the form of a 
spray or fumigation. The “mealy bug" 
will succumb to alcohol and a small brush. 
Spare the Knife and Spoil the Roses 
The most important of all the jobs in 
the rose garden is the spring pruning. 
And it is one which many people neglect, 
either through ignorance or because they 
just can’t bring themselves to be so hard¬ 
hearted as to do it the way it should be 
done. As a general rule, I would be will¬ 
ing to state that the more a rose is pruned, 
the better! But, like most general rules, 
this one has a number of exceptions, even 
among the “garden’’ roses, to which it is 
meant to apply. The hardy sweetbrier 
hybrids and the hardy climbing roses of 
the Rambler class need very little pruning, 
except to cut out old or broken wood, and 
perhaps shorten back a too-ambitious 
spray or a winter-killed tip here and there. 
The rugosas, which grow rank and throw 
up too many canes, need an occasional 
thinning out, but no pruning in the sense 
1 hese few tools will be found sufficient for early 
Spring operations 
in which it applies to the garden roses, the 
teas, hybrid-teas and hybrid perpetuals. 
Before you begin the job of pruning 
your roses you should settle in your own 
mind what you want them to do for you : 
whether you want extra fine and large 
flowers, at the expense of number, and the 
natural, graceful appearance of the 
bushes; whether you would rather have 
a medium number of flowers of medium 
size, or whether you would prefer to have 
the bushes themselves in bloom as orna¬ 
mental and full of flowers as possible, 
even if the individual flowers weren't quite 
so large. The more severely you prune, 
the larger and fewer flowers you will have. 
For ordinary purposes the second system 
is probablv the most satisfactory. As 
soon as it is safe to remove the winter 
mulch in the spring, and the leaf-buds 
begin to swell, begin with the hybrid per¬ 
petuals, which are the hardiest sorts, and 
cut out all but a few of the strongest canes 
on each plant. These should be cut back 
to only a few buds or eyes on each if large 
flowers are wanted. For general garden 
culture they should be cut back a half to 
two-thirds of their length. The teas and 
hybrid teas and the weaker-growing va¬ 
rieties of the perpetuals should be pruned 
even more closely. The cut should always 
be made above an outside eye, so that the 
new sprout from it will grow outward, 
keeping the bush to an open form. 
Spring Painting Hints 
It is remarkable what a difference a can 
of paint can make in rendering the garden 
presentable, even when applied by an in¬ 
experienced person. For such a one here 
are a few hints: wash all surfaces clean 
before painting; rub down all rough or 
cracked surfaces with both coarse and 
fine sandpaper; have your paint thorough¬ 
ly mixed—this may seem impossible, but 
persistent stirring will accomplish won¬ 
ders. Whenever possible, place the freshly 
painted article out of reach of flying dust. 
And don’t forget to keep your brushes in 
oil when thev are not in use. 
