162 



THE GAKDENEWS MONTHLY 



\^June, 



are mndc of any stnii.u'ht twip^s nlxnit u quarter 

 of nn iiuh or less in diiinieter, and split in two, 

 lengthwise. These will not break when hcnt in 

 the middle, ns unsplit pieces will. There is a 

 little art required even in splitting these twigs 

 properly, so as to got them of equal thickness 

 throughout. The edge of the knife should he 

 watched, and when either half is si)litting thin- 

 ner than the other half, the back of the blade 

 must be pressed against the thin section, which 

 will cause the grain of the wood to run in again 

 toward the pith. And so on, as the splitting 

 progresses, the alternate action of the back and 

 edge of the blade will keep the slit straight 

 through the middle at the pith. 



Herbaceous plants, now so popular, should 

 not be allowed to seed, unless some be desired 

 for propagation. In that case leave enough for 

 your wants. It docs not hurt some kinds, but 

 many are much weakened, and die in the Win- 

 ter, especially some Pentstemons. Cut to the 

 ground as soon as the flowers fade. This is true 

 of other plants not herbaceous. The best rose- 

 growers cut olfthe blo.ssoms as they fade. 



Spring planted trees often show signs of suffer- 

 ing as the season rolls on. A little pruning is 

 often the best remedy. If that is not a full suc- 

 cess, hammer the soil about the roots so as to 

 pulverize, and press firm, and if this does not do, 

 give one good thorough watering. Watering 

 newly planted trees requires much judgment. 

 There is always danger in it. The roots, already 

 weak, are liable to rot. If a tree is not growing, 

 that is in growth, water is of little use to it. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



OLD THINGS BECOME NEW— MAGNOLIAS. 



HY F. R. ELLIOTT. 



I have just receiyed the April number of the 

 leading monthly horticultural magazine of the 

 the United States, if not of the world, but like 

 all of past time, now and then an old thing be- 

 comes new. To-day I read communications 

 from several parties touching the Magnolia 

 acuminata, as a valuable stock on which to en- 

 graft or bud other varieties. I make no claim 

 to knowledge, but thirty years since I propagated 

 Magnolia glauca, tripetala, macrophylla, con- 

 spicua, Soulangea and purpurea by both budding 

 and grafting on acuminata seedlings that I had 



grown from seed. At that time there were many 

 varieties of to-day unknown. The cordata, glauca 

 longifolia, Thompsoniana and acuminata varic- 

 gata were unknown. I do not count the " tripe- 

 tala " as a hardy root stock on which to work. It 

 is a variety that does well, say in the climate of 

 l*liiladclj)hia, but rarely at the north, or above 

 42° of latitude. 



It rejoices me to note that Prof. Jared Potter 

 Kirtland is credited as connected with this sub- 

 ject ; a man who has grown trees from the 

 coming of seeds to a perfection of bloom une- 

 qualled ; and in cherries stands the head light, both 

 in (his country and abroad, as having i)roduced 

 varieties that here stand first; and Thos. Rivers, 

 well known as a fruit man of England, says 

 there is no equal to " Kirtland's" Early Prolific. 

 Prof. Kirtland has grown many Magnolias from 

 seed, and experimented in the art of budding 

 and grafting one upon another. The comments, 

 by Maxwell, when he tells of a tree of glauca in 

 Kirtland's grounds, twenty-one feet high, propa- 

 gated from a seedling of glauca imbedded in the 

 acuminata stock, are true and reliable. 



Josiah Hoopes, whose word is generally relia- 

 ble, says, on p. 100 of the April Monthly, that 

 " the glauca is difficult to work." Has he ever 

 tried side grafting? Magnolia glauca longifolia 

 is just as easily put upon acuminata as any 

 other variety, and to me is one of the most 

 beautiful in form of growth and foliage. 



Not that you do not all know just how to en- 

 graft one Magnolia upon another, let me ask 

 you to try side grafting, making your cutting or 

 graft two weeks before inserting, thus giving 

 the stock a full circulation of sap ; set the graft 

 upon stock or limb that can be easily bent over, 

 just as soon as you note the graft to receive from 

 its association vitality ; then bend the branch or 

 stem backwards until the graft is fully united, 

 when it should be cut away. 



VERBENAS AND ROSES IN IOWA. 



BV MRS. S. E. N., CORNING, IOWA. 



" The Verbena" number of the Monthly must 

 have been welcomed by those who are troubled 

 with the lUst, but in southwestern Iowa our 

 trouble is of a different nature. The Verbe.as 

 commence l)looming early, and are the finest I 

 ever saw while they do bloom, or until about the 

 middle of July, when they grow so very luxu- 

 riantly and take root at every joint; indeed, 



