August, 1910 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
hi 
low enough to ensure it receiving plenty 
of water. A 5-inch pot, for instance, must 
have three-fourths of an inch depression 
as a water basin. Use small pots for small 
Ferns. They will then be forced ahead 
with careful attention, and in the course 
of this should be shifted to larger pots 
from time to time. Water gently at first, 
but thoroughly. Because the top soil of 
potted Ferns is moist is no indication that 
the roots may be. Indeed many Ferns 
suffer or perish from the lack of water 
reaching their roots. 
Destroying Water Rats in Ponds 
W E have read with interest your article 
on Water Gardens in the June House 
& Garden, and perhaps you can help us with 
a problem that confronts us. We have a 
lovely garden pond, but water-rats are de¬ 
stroying the aquatic plants. What shall we 
do? We cannot use poison, as the pond is 
stocked with Goldfish. 
Fortunately water-rats are easier to be 
rid of than stable-rats. While very de¬ 
structive to plants in water gardens they 
do not seem to be harmful otherwise. 
Trapping seems to be the only solution of 
the problem, unless some member of your 
family is a good rifle shot. 
T F you look around your vegetable gar- 
den you will probably find that the 
upright or Cos varieties of Lettuce you 
have planted are running to seed. Learn 
from this experience that the Cabbage 
headed varieties are the ones to depend 
upon for withstanding heat and drought 
and furnishing you with late salad heads. 
Flowers by Mail 
HEN garden flowers are shipped by 
mail, as now so often they are, 
they should be picked very early in the 
morning while the dew is still upon them. 
Then place them in water in a cool, dark 
cellar until night. The flowers will then 
have drawn up a great deal of moisture 
to serve them on their journey, and only 
a little damp Fern. Moss or Grass need to 
be put around their stems to ensure their 
freshness upon their arrival. 
Fertilizing Lupins 
1 NOTICE in a recent number of House 
& Garden a photograph of a border of 
Lupins. I have grown these flowers for some 
years but for the past two years have been 
troubled with the blossoms falling off as 
the stems were touched. There did not seem 
to be any plant disease and I am wondering 
if you can tell me what has been the trouble. 
Your soil probably does not furnish the 
plants with the ingredients they require 
for their nourishment. Try watering them 
several times with a solution of nitrate of 
soda and mulch the roots with a mulch 
of well rotted stable manure. A little lime 
may be necessary to insure a sweet soil. 
The Everlasting or Straw-flower ( Helichrys- 
uni bracteatum ) is coming into favor again 
for its decorative value in flower holders 
Caterpillars on the Euonymus 
T HE Euonymus hedge, which surrounds 
part of our garden enclosure, has been 
attacked by black and white caterpillars. 
What, besides picking them off, will drive 
them away? The hedge does not look as 
healthy as it should. 
Try syringing the hedge with strong 
lime-water. This should rid it of the cat¬ 
erpillars and will do the plants no harm. 
Earth up the roots of the hedge occasion¬ 
ally with well rotted manure to bring the 
plants to better condition. 
If you would get a season’s start on 
Strawberries procure potted plants imme¬ 
diately, instead of waiting until next 
Rosa Rugosa is a rugged shrubbery Rose. It 
is hardy for seaside planting 
spring for setting out smaller plants. If 
you have not already established a little 
Strawberry bed it’s worth thinking about. 
Order bulbs for fall planting now, espe¬ 
cially Madonna Lily ( 'Lilium candidum ), 
Nankeen Lily ( Lilium excelsum), Span¬ 
ish Irises, Bermuda Lilies and Cape 
Bulbs (Freesia, Oxalis, etc.), for the 
greenhouse, and autumn Crocuses, such as 
Crocus autumnale, C. speciosus, C. zona- 
tus and C. sativus. 
Biennials and perennials may be sown 
up to the middle of August in the open 
ground, though sowing them in cold- 
frames instead is recommended, because 
better care can be taken of them in their 
earliest growth in this way. Pansies and 
English Daisies should be started this 
way; also Foxgloves, Canterbury Bells, 
and the Iceland Poppy. 
Drying Bulbs 
W ILL House & Garden kindly give me 
directions for drying the Hyacinth, 
tulip and Daffodil bulbs I wish to take up 
and store, for our garden is to be made over 
this autumn? 
Shake the soil from your bulbs and 
place them in dry, shallow boxes or wood¬ 
en trays. Set aside in some airy place 
where the sun does not reach them. It is 
always better to procure fresh bulbs if 
you would depend on them for garden 
effects. 
Rosa Rugosa 
r I "'FIE showy heps of the Rosa Rugosa 
will be bright from now onwards. 
For a shrubbery this is the ideal Rose, the 
hardiest and freest from insect pests. If 
you do not find it in your gardens and on 
your lawns this year, a sight of this Rose 
on your neighbor’s premises will probably 
convince you that it is worth planning for 
next year. As a plant taking kindly to 
indifferent soils Rosa Rugosa has won an 
especial place for itself in favor. 
Scum on Lily Ponds 
A N article on Water Gardens in House 
& Garden leads me to ask you how I 
can prevent scum from accumulating in my 
little concrete water garden. I do not see 
why it should collect as the water is con¬ 
stantly running into it. 
Spray the surface of the water with a 
solution of sulphate of copper. This de¬ 
stroys the spores of the scum or Blanket- 
weed. The amount of sulphate will de¬ 
pend upon the approximate number of 
gallons of water in the tank. To deter¬ 
mine this multiply length, breadth and 
depth of the pond to find the cubic feet of 
water, and as there are about six and one- 
fourth gallons to the cubic foot you can 
easily determine the contents of the tank. 
Use about two grains of the sulphate to 
every fifty gallons of water in the pond. 
