The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-05-12
FARM AND HOUSE.
Plants and Flowers.
SPRING GARDENING.

Now that the robins and m 'rtins are fly
ing around, proving that coy spring has at
length come, the gardening fever will, in
flower lover ali over the land. However.
don't be in too great hurry to get beds
speded uIs until the ground is dry, for if
you do your beds will be as hard as clods
during theeentire summer.
By far the best policy, when it can be
done, is to have such digging done in the
fall. It saves time in the spring. and the
frost mellows the soil when turned up to it's
action.
Seeds of early vegetables can be planted
as seon as there is dry spot, and the same
rule will apply to such ANIMALS classed in
the seed catalogues as hardy. Half hardy
and tender ANIMALS may be sown in boxes in
the house, and as soon as the seedlings are
up give little air every day, gradually
lengthening their breathing of the fresh air
as they grow stronger.
Make buildings of geranlums, coleus and
all bedding plants, and prepare, even
at this early date, such plants as you would
have bloom in the house next fall and
winter. Geraniums, for instance, rooted
in May, kept in small pots, given poor food
and oil buds kept pinched off until Sep
TENDER, then put into fourinch pots and fed
literally will make splendid winter bloom
only the pots must be plunged, that is sunk
the same way, though these may be taken
from their pots. Bouvardias do we'll bed
ded out in summer and lifted in the fall
for winter blooming. Coleus, better known
as foliage plants, are now extremely popu-
lar, and they can be had at least in an
hundred different varieties and markings.
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mental and bedding plants. There is the
caladium, or elephants ear, beautiful
plant, having wings often four feet long
literally and give abundance of water.
great liking for. I admit that they are
snowy, but must say they do not impress
me favorably. When we come to the state
~ cannas, with their rich and varied foil
age, and realize how easy they are grown,
we are sure all will agree that there is moth
ing better than clump of cannas upon the
lawn. Gladiolus are favorites of mine;
there is such variety IN their markings.
from purest white to deep scarlet. The
choicest of these gladiolus- white-are
very small, the bulbs about the size of
pigeons egg The common sorts produce
extremely large bulbs and are so productive
that person buying dozen and caring
for them properly can dig three to five
times as many at the end of one season as
he planted. These bulbs are perhaps the
most hardy of all the summer boomers, for
several times after 1 have planted them the
grounds has frozen and yet they did well.
Tube roses, on the contrary, are tender.
m l. 4 I. IL u. =
be started in the house. Here is one way:
Plant them in old tomato cans, without
punching any holes for drainage, set them
on the mantle over the kitchen stove, and
keep warm and wet. When we'll started
move to cooler place, and in June set out
in the garden. The old double variety
runs up stem six or seven feet high, and
produces very fragrant flowers. Now there
is dwarf sort called pearl; the bulbs of
this are much smaller but the flowers are
equally as good.
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flower. The summer blooming amarylis,
among which are those called the atamaso
and jacobean lilies, produce flowers of
marvellous coloring, but little or no fra
GRANGE. Johnsenii, on the other hand, is
handsome with its white stripes on red
ground and IS sweet scented.
Summer blooming oxails make the pref
test of edgings for garden. Their leaves
are so pretty marked with zones as they are,
and cut into many divisions. They are
cheap. too, and enormously prolific.
Cyclamen bulbs which have been in
bloom all winter should now be al
lowed to rest. To do this turn the pots on
their sides in some shady place, say the
north side of house, and only give water
once in while. After resting repot: but
give very little water until the leaves are
we'll grown and then let them have air and
water freely. The largest bulbs produce
the most flowers, but throw off no shoots.
Increase is obtained by sowing seeds.
Strange that many of our incest plants,
the apple geranium, centaurea candidissima,
cyclamen, primroses, and others are proba-
gated chiefly and in some instances entirely
from seeds.
Delicious Indian Pudding, Steamed.