The Florida agriculturist., 1905-12-06

mems, which are more squat in shape.
Those who like the bush form best
can make their Rubber Plants branch
at any desired height by cutting off
the end of the stem. The part cut
away may be rooted in heat in damp
sand. The best time to cut them is
IN the late winter, just before the
time for spring growth. Branches
will soon be sent out after the top of
the main stem has been cut away.
Moles.-A lady piquantly relates her
trials with an army of mOles that she
cannot ''catch, kill. or drive away"
although she has tried everything she
has ever heard Of 1t is a bad case
when mole traps will not catch, or
corn soaked in FOwler's solution of
arsenic and dropped along their run
ways will not finish them. In this
case 1 can only refer her to other said
tO-be cures that other people have
tried and have faith in. A dozen
witnesses testify that the seed of
Ricinus Castor Beam, dropped here
and there i'm their tunnels will make
them leave A Connecticut lady says
a sure remedy is to drop handfuls of
salt here and there i'm their runways.
Others put ball potash or concentrated
lye in their runs but that is cruel, for
it burns wherever it touches. Some
use sawdust soaked i'm tar, or with a
stick punch holes here and there
along their tunnels and drop in each
hole a small quantity of kerosene
(cOal OiD. These two last substances
will kill choice plants if used close to
their roots, so use caution. An in
geniOus soul, rightly cOnceiving that
the mole is highly sensitive to smells,
made number of stiff pastbOard tubes
and put in the center of each a stink
ing mOth-ball. Buried in the runways
there was a dearth of mOles directly.
l heartily approve of the mole's judg-
ment in leaving mOth-ball-scented
premises. l have felt like it myself
Soil For Variegated Shrubs-DO not
manure the ground for golden or varie-
gated leaved shrubs. The color is
not as clear where fertilizers are used.
Very rich ground means a quick, lush
growth. Green is the normal color
of leaf vegetation. Any departure
from this rule is an abnormal one.
Whatever imparts vigOr to plant
tends to make it throw Off its acquired
markings and revert to its original
stage. Abundant plant food supplies
more chlOrOphyl or green colOring
matter to the sap also.
Eucharis.-This is beautiful flower
worth taking a little pains to grow
1t is more often seen in greenhouse
than in a window, as it is easier in
the former to secure warm, moist,
even temperature. Shortly after New
Year Eucharis grow very fast Keep
them warm and moist until through
Towering when they can be kept ten
to fifteen degrees cooler and watered
less freely. This gives them the
needed semi-rest to enable them to
get ready for bloom again. In summer
they need plenty of water again.
When fall comes keep them pretty dry
for the next three months, supplying
only enough water to keep them from
losing their leaves. Pot them i'm lOam
and sand, with a small quantity of
old crumbled manure and leaf loan.
A Plague of Ants.-A correspondent
has suffered for years from annual
raids of ants that literally swarm
over everything and everywhere. last
year." says this lady, ''they killed
ever so many plants, from Pansies to
trees All of our outdoor flowers were
almost ruined by them. l have tried
mOlasses and Paris green, but they
only increase in numbers. They are