December 5, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



741 



AFTER ADJOURNMENT. 



Cumberland, Me. — A cow pot into the 

 greenhouse of C. H. Jenkins and nipped the 

 tops from several hundred carnation plants 

 — Press Dispatch. 



We are sorry for Mr. Jenkins, but 

 are compelled to listen while somebody 

 suggests that that cow ought to give 

 good milk for a "pink tea." 



Settle up and insist upon your cus- 

 tomers settling up. Shorter credits 

 and a closer approach to cash transac- 

 tions is what we all most need. Did 

 you ever experience the joy of turning 

 in at night with the knowledge thai 

 you owe no man a cent'.' Delightful 

 sensation, is it not? 



The San Francisco Call, in referring 

 to a recent stereopticon lecture in 

 Berkeley by Luther Burbank, s:;ys that 

 the "wizard horticulturist" now prefers 

 to be known as the "master plant ar- 

 chitect." We don't suppose anybody 

 will have any objection. In its account 

 of this same lecture the Berkeley Gaz- 

 ette, referring to the pictures shown 

 on the screen, tells us that: "Two of 

 the most interesting productions in the 

 flower line were a pink poppy. The 

 pink was made by crossing white 

 Japanese chrysanthemum with an 

 American carnation, which blooms 

 snow white in the morning and turns 

 pink in the* sun by noon. The red 

 poppy, the brightest known, was pro- 

 duced by crossing two species of white 

 poppies." 



That's "goin' some!" 



LEST YOU FORGET. 



Just a word of advice: Whatever 

 department of horticultural work you 

 may be interested in, you'll find offered 

 in our advertising columns about any- 

 thing and everything in the way of 

 supplies or equipment which you may 

 require. Look in the Buyers' Direc- 

 tory lists, and if you can't find what 

 you want please write to us and we 

 will supply the information. If you 

 have anything to sell which is of value 

 to the profession, 



Please Remember 



that an advertisement in HORTICUL- 

 TURE will carry your offer to the 

 best buyers in every section of the 

 country. 



Keep posted on every line of ad- 

 vancement in the business you are 

 following. An intelligent public — 

 growing more intelligent every day in 

 horticultural matters — must be met 

 with superior intelligence, or you 

 must go on the defensive, and that set- 

 tles you. A salesman who cannot an- 

 swer correctly any reasonable ques- 

 tion concerning the goods he is offer- 

 ing is at a disadvantage and is a los- 

 ing proposition for the house employ- 

 ing him. 



AN APPROVAL. 



Your paper is excellent, getting bet- 

 ter all the time. You have a very 

 bright future before you. 



WILLI \M <\ I'.AKRY. 



Rochester, N. Y., Nov., 1908. 



CARE OF STRAWBERRIES IN 

 WINTER. 



HORTICULTURE Pub. Co.: 

 Gentlemen: — I would like to know 

 the best way to care for strawberry 

 plants in the winter. We have cov- 

 ered them lightly with straw, then 

 thickly with corn stalks, but it seems 

 to me these stalks are too heavy. Will 

 you or some reader advise me of the 

 right protection to insure strong 

 plants? I will watch your paper for 

 an answer. Yours truly, 



E. C. 



In answer to your inquiry about the 

 winter protection of strawberry plants 

 I will submit the following: 



If the plants have been grown in 

 hills more care in placing the cover 

 will be necessary than when the plants 

 are grown in matted rows. 



For protection in hills begin before 

 the ground is frozen and place, with 

 your hands, about the plants a light 

 covering of dry leaves, being careful 

 that these do not come over the crown 

 of the plant, for leaves are too close 

 a covering for the entire plant, but 

 are excellent as a ground cover to pre- 

 vent the heaving of the ground in the 

 spring. 



This leaf covering is best done the 

 last week in October. About this time 

 (Nov. 20), when the ground is frozen 

 slightly, shake a light covering of 

 straw over the plants, being sure that 

 the leaves are visible through the 

 straw. The straw can be kept in place 

 with brush or light trash wood; don't 

 put boards over the plants. 



For the protection of plants grown 

 in matted rows only the straw will be 

 necessary, for the large number of 

 plants that cover the ground will serve 

 the same use that the leaves do in the 

 hill protection. Cornstalks alone on 

 plants grown in matted rows are all 

 right if they are not put on too thick, 

 but the tendency in all covering for 

 the strawberry is to get on too much. 

 The idea that you should have in mind 

 is not to keep the frost out of the 

 ground, but rather keep it in the 

 ground after it is once there. 



If there is any chance of water 

 standing on the bed, this must be re- 

 moved before the plants are covered, 

 and the simplest way that I know of 

 is to dig a few holes in the low part 

 of the ground about three feet deep, 

 filling these holes with leaves; the 

 soil at the bottom of these holes will 

 not freeze and will serve to conduct 

 all surface water away just as a sewer 

 drain on the street does. 



The above remarks apply to the pro- 

 tection of I he strawberry in eastern 

 Massachusetts, where we do not have 

 an abundance of snow and where we 

 cannot depend on the snow staying 

 when it does come. If snow can be 

 depended upon to stay the winter 

 through, the lighter the covering the 

 better. But it must be borne in mind 

 that the greatest damage is likely to 

 occur in the early spring when we get 

 cold nights and warm days, when the 

 freezing and thawing of the ground 

 causes it to crack open and expose the 

 roots of the plants to drying winds and 

 sun. WILFRID WHEELER. 



Concord, Mass. 



GROWING ASPARAGUS PLUM- 

 OSUS FOR FRONDS. 



Editor HORTICULTURE:— I have 

 ii'. te vspaiagus plumosus planted in 

 a bench out of 3-in. pots last May; the 

 benches hold about five inches of soil. 

 \\ ould you advise planting in young 

 stock out of ?-icch pots next spring or 

 carrying the old stock on? If so, 

 would you kindly let me know through 

 your valuable columns the treatment 

 of the old stock. If you think young 

 stock would be better, when do you 

 advise sowing seed? I want it for the 

 fronds, not for strings, as I haven't 

 head room enough for strings. 



What is the difference between As- 

 paragus plumosus and Asparagus plu- 

 mosus nanus? A RETAILER. 



Replying to inquiry, signed "A Re- 

 tailer," regarding Asparagus plumosus, 

 I would give as my opinion the follow- 

 ing: 



Asparagus plumosus nanus and As- 

 paragus plumosus, as far as I know, 

 differ very little. Nanus being tacked 

 on to a variety of Asparagus plumosus 

 which is supposed to come more dwarf 

 than the original. 



As to growing this stock for fronds, 

 I should advise replanting from 4-inch 

 pots, if possible, early in the spring, 

 i; grown in benches, while in the solid 

 beds I would net hesitate to leave the 

 old stock in, provided it were healthy 

 and in good condition. Seed can be 

 secured at any time, and if plants are 

 wanted for next spring's planting, they 

 should be established in pots before 

 this. W. R. PIERSON. 



Cromwell, Conn. 



DEFORMED BRIDE ROSES. 

 Editor of HORTICULTURE: 

 Dear Sir,— Would you kindly oblige 

 by informing me through HORTICUL- 

 TURE the cause of the inclosed Bride 

 roses being deformed? The stem and 

 foliage are as good as can be expected. 

 Quite a number of the buds come as 

 you will see the inclosed. 



Respectfully, D. 



The Bride roses submitted for au 

 opinion as to the reason for their com- 

 ing deformed were carefully examined, 

 and although without any information 

 as to how they had been fed, I would 

 say that it looked to me simply a case 

 of over-feeding with a fertilizer having 

 too much nitrogen for a Bride rose. At 

 this season of the year Clay's, or some 

 of the nlood fertilizers on the market, 

 would be likely to have the effect on 

 Bride roses seen in the sample to hand. 

 ALEX. MONTGOMERY. 



The Albany florists report a large 

 Thanksgiving trade chrysanthemums 

 and violets having the largest demand. 



A blue verbena at the Dillon Green- 

 houses, Bloomsburg, Pa., has been 

 eiven the name of Mrs. William Taft. 



DIANTHUS NAPOLEON III- 

 We have had occasion to mention 

 this hardy pink before, but a good 

 thing can never be spoken of too much, 

 and the longer we know this the more 

 we like it. It w'as first brought into 

 prominence in this country by Dreer, 

 and we are told that the demand is 

 constantly increasing. From June un- 

 til frost the plants are covered with 

 a mass of crimson flowers, double, fine- 

 ly formed and delightfully clove- 

 scented. The plants average about 10 

 In. in height, very compact and com- 

 mence to bloom when quite small. 



G. C. W 



