The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-07
KEEPING FLOWERS IN WINTER TOPIC
 OF C0v'TPAPER
Department of Agriculture
 Gives Timely Hints.

Washington D. C., Nov. 7.-Steps to be Taken at this season for placing the flower garden in shape for winter will vary with the kinds of plants grown and the latitude, say specialists yof the U. s. Department of Agricul- ture. In the case of perennials which die down to the ground but which should live through the winter and send up shoots again on the advent of warm weather, the roots should be we'll mulched' with manure 3 or 4 inches deep as soon as the ground freezes. In this group are included such plants as peonies, larkspur, hollyhock, columbines, iris, palty- codones. and perennial poppies.
 Plants such as cannas, dahlias, gladiolas, and Caladiums should have their roots dug up and stored in a cellar where the temperature will not rise above 60 degrees nor fall below 50 dePrees Fahrenheit. The root clump$ of cannas and dahlias should not ba shaken free of soil. These plants with the soil naturally adher- ing to them should be placed on racks or in slat boxes so that air may cir culate among them. It is important that the roots do not become too warm or dry and that no frost shall reach them. The bulbs of gladiolas, Caladiums and tuberoses, on the other hand, should be carefully cleaned of soil and dried in the open air for 8 day or two. They may then be stor- ed in the cellar.
 In all but semitropica1 portions of 1,4 TT,,if tod fofo l. taken indoors for winter. Florists usually make cuttings in the fall to grow new plants in greenhouses for spring use. This practice is, of course, impracticable for the average house. holder. The latter may take up grow ing plants and hold them in a dor mant condition by storing upright in boxes of dry soil in a cellar having {. temperature of from 40 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The plants may be placed close together with only a>little dry soil among the roots. While taking many plants indoors i for the winter, the home gardener in a large section of the country should set out in the fall the pansy plants which are to make up the spring beds | of these flowers. This procedure
 should be followed in the country south of a line from New York city to Springfield, III. The young plants should be covered by coarse manure at the first freezing of the ground be- fore it has an opportunity to thaw.
 l While a number of the shrubs [ commonly grown in the garden will go through the winter without injury
 if let alone, others must be given varying degrees of special attention. Among the shrubs which need no un-
 usual fall and winter care are snow
 ball, spirea, mock orange and li1acs. Hydrangeas, even in the South,
 must have special winter protection
 and in the North must be lifted, set
 in. tubs, and kept in a frost-proof
 cellar. An east and west line through
 Philadelphia is generally accepted as
 marking the boundary north of which
 it is necessary to take hydrangeas in-
 doors. South of this line it is usually
 sufficient to protect the tops of the
 plants with straw or brush while they
 are in their outdoor locations. A
 little manure or straw may be placed
 on this covering to hold it in place.
 The brugmansia, or thorn apple
 should be treated like the hydrangea