34 



GARDENING. 



Oct. 15, 



Nympbsea albida Marliacea. 

 Nywpbaea cbromatella Marliacea. 

 Nympbsea odorata. 

 Nywpbiea odorata rosea. 

 Nympbiea odorata gigaiitea. 

 Nympbsea odorata sulphurea. 

 Nympbsea pygmwa. 

 Nympbsea tuberosa. 

 Nelumbium luteum. 

 Nelumbium speciosum. 

 Nelumbium speciosum msciiin. 

 Water ranunculus. 



The soil to grow lilies in is a soniewhct 

 difficult subject for an amateur to inform 

 any person on intelligently, because 

 among professional florists there seems 

 to be a great diversity of opinions, for in- 

 stance, the writer had a friend who was 

 one of the principal gardeners in Kiw 

 Gardens, England; his advice was use no 

 manure, but if any, "old asthe hills." One 

 of our specialists in his catalogue says 

 use at least one-half well rotted manure, 

 and the third says thereisone great point 

 in the successful raising of water lilies, 

 and that is to use at least one-half fresh 

 cow manure. In regard to this last ad- 

 vice, the writer has seen many collections 

 of water lilies, but none that grew so 

 luxuriantly as this. In a few words, the 

 srm and substance of the matter is this, 

 that water lilies will stand a great deal 

 of abuse and still do well, because each 

 one seems to be growing his lilies in his 

 own method. 



I have done very well by using one-half 

 good rich strong earth, one-half rotted 

 cow manure and about one pound bone 

 meal to the wheelbarrowful, this seems 

 to grow anj' aquatic except the lotus. 

 This j'car I have failed with my lotus, so 

 shall not pretend to give advice as to its 

 culture, but I am satisfied my trouble 

 was bj' adding too much clay in my mixt- 

 ure, which I did as directed. All the ten- 

 der varieties I have given the list of are 

 profuse bloomers except N. Zanzibarensis 

 (the true purple). It blooms well but not 

 as freely as N. Zanzibarensis azurea. 



Of the hardy kinds nothing blooms 

 moi-e freely than A' cbromatella Mar- 

 liacea, in fact all the varieties I have 

 named bloom freely except A', odorata. 

 the common white lily; whether my roots 

 are not what they ought to be or whatis 

 the matter I can not say, anyhow they 

 are very shy bloomers and not worth 

 room ill the pond. 



My boxes for holding the soil the lilies 

 are planted in are principally one foot 

 deep and two feet square, which i.s I be- 

 lieve a good size, but I put one N. dentata 

 and one AT. Devonieiisis in a box one foot 

 deep and four feet square and I got larger 

 and more blooms. 



In the winter time I siin])lv leave the 

 boxes with tlie hardy r.)Ols in in llR-|)(in(l 

 and cover the pcmd overwith boards and 

 straw on the top of Ihem and then cover 

 the whole thing with pine boughs, which 

 avoids the unsightly appearance the 

 straw would make. 



The tender varieties are treated differ- 

 ently when fall comes, take the tubers 

 (they look like a hickory nut) that are 

 found clinging to the roots of A^ Ucroii- 

 iensis, N. dentata and A'. Zanzibarensis 

 and put them in sand and keep them not 

 under G0° in water; then start the ph.nls 

 in the greenhouse about February or 

 March. The other tender varieties I 

 raise from seed. One or two dozen gold 

 fish and some common sim fish in the 

 pond will keep down green scum and 

 mosquitoes. K. M. 



Beaver I"all», Pa. 



how to keep Nympbsea odorata over 

 winter, but forgets to tell us whether it 

 has been grown in a tub or planted out in 

 a pond. If in a tub, pour the water off 

 and take the tub with thecontents undis- 

 turbed into a cool cellar. The lily is per- 

 fectlj' hardy under water providing ice 

 doesn't form deep enough to reach the 

 crowns. 



Trees and 5hrubs. 



MflGNOLIfl UMBRELLA. 



I mail you to-day a seed vessel of the 

 Magnolia umbrella that grows here in the 

 coves of the mountains. [We received it 

 in good condition. These cone-like fruits 

 when ripe, and their coral berry-like seeds 

 handing from them by extensile threads 

 are very beautiful and interesting, and a 

 feature of the magnolias better known in 

 the South thanintheNorth.— Ed.] I have 

 a beautiful tree of it in my yard, that was 

 transplanted by me some 15 years ago 

 fiom the woods. It changes appearance 

 imder cultivation very much. The leaves 

 are no longer so very large, but large 

 enough, the same applies to the blossoms. 

 But I have ver^' many more leaves and 

 blossoms on my tree than you see on 

 them in their wild state, these from being 

 crowded and shaded the leaves are at the 

 ends of a few branches, immense leaves 

 surrounding one very large blossom; now 

 on my tree, which branches freely close to 

 the ground there are a great many 

 branches and all are leafy and most of 

 them with a blossom. The "cucumber" 

 or fruit is very pretty when it first opens, 

 its seeds look like coral and each one is 

 suspended b}- a finethread, E. 0. N. 



Tracv Citv, Tenn. 



TREES AND SflRUBS. 



Except in rather mild localities and 

 sheltered parts it may be well to stop 

 planting evergreens as pines, firs, spruces, 

 arbor vitaes, rhododendrons and the like 

 now till next spring. But as regards 

 transplanting arbor vitjes, yews, box, or 

 other heavy rooting evergreens from one 

 part of the garden to another, it may be 

 done yet with perfect success providing it 

 is done carefulh' and thej' are well shel- 

 tered from winds. But go ahead planting 

 diciduous trees and shrubs. And remem- 

 ber that the keynote of success is cut 

 them hard in at planting time and plant 

 firmly. 



Go over your young trees and see to it 

 that those that need it are securelv staked, 

 and that there is a piece of old rubber 

 hose, burlap, or other soft material be- 

 tween the string and the tree to keep the 

 tie from cutting in to the bark. Examine 

 all old ties and if you find any that are 

 too tight cut thtm, and replace with a 

 fresh string. .\iid be very particular 

 about your labels on young trees; the 

 labels are generally fastened with wire 

 which cuts into the wood very easily 

 causing much damage. 



of lightened ear. h. Only one germinated. 

 By August 1 it had grown 16 inches, but 

 has grown none since, and that seems to 

 me early in the season to stop growth. 

 Shall I keep it in the cold frame over 

 winter?" 



Yes, winter it in the frame and plant it 

 out in the spring. If the other seeds are 

 not rotten they may germinate next 

 spring. Had you sowed the seeds in a 

 box and plunged this to its brim in a cold 

 frame, keeping them ordinarily moist, and 

 mulching them to prevent the ground 

 drying out too fast, and in winter cover 

 the frame to exclude hard frost, most of 

 them, probably would have germinated 

 in spring. 



tiARDy SPIRAEAS IN MINNESOTA. 



(;. p. J., Red Wing, asks: "What other 

 spirjeas would thrive under the samecon- 

 ditions as the Van Houttei, bearing as 

 that does Minnesota's winter's cold and 

 summer's dryness?" 



Besides S. Van Houttei, S. sorbifolia, S. 

 callosa, S. crataegitolia, S. Douglasi, S. 

 opulifolia aurea, S. ohovata, S. Billardii 

 and S. bypericifolia will all do well at Red 

 Wing. Samuel B. Gree.n'. 



Experiment .Station, University 01 

 Minnesota. 



Kekim: 



XaNTIIOCERAS SORItlFOl.IA I-KO.M SKl;[i 

 (This is the beautiful hardv little tree 

 illuslr.-ileij ni Cakiiiimn., Mav 15, 1894). 

 J.J.I... M,lllM,H,k, X. \.,wnt"cs: "Of the 

 dozen -iccls v.Mi kindly s< nt me last year, 

 six WLic planLcci at once in the gVecn- 

 house, and they all rotted. I planted the 

 other six in a box of dry sand, burying it 

 below frost line, and took them up in 

 April and found them healthv. Then I 

 planted them in a frame with some Inches 



.V.MPEi.oi'sis Veitchii, Pi.ne Borers, 

 Wistaria, etc.— In answer to Mrs. A.M. 

 D , Cincinnati: The spray of vine sent is 

 not Ampelopsis Veitcbii at all. 



Send us specimens of the pine tree borer 

 and its work that we may submit it for 

 accurate investigation. Many insects 

 prey upon pine trees, the larvae of the 

 timber-borer, Monobammus confusor be- 

 ing one of the worst. 



Yes, both wistaria and woodbine will 

 grow well and bloom abundantly on the 

 north side of your house; in fact wood- 

 bine enjoys a slight shade. 



The Flower Garden. 



T«E FLOWER GARDEN. 



It is now the 9th of October, but we 

 have had no frost at Dosoris yet. The 

 grass on the lawns is verj' thick and green 

 the trees are holding their leaves prettj' 

 well, and the garden is gay with many 

 flowers. In a sheltered nook the moun- 

 tain fleece is a snowbank of fragrance, 

 Maximilian's sunflower, a most beautiful 

 perennial species, is in its prime, and a 

 July sowing of the miniature (cucumeri- 

 tolius) sunflower is giving us man3' flow- 

 ers. The tall lilac colored Aster Tartari- 

 vus is in fine form, and Pitcher's salvia is 

 as blue as a delphinium. A second crop 

 of snap dragons is quite full, Chinese 

 liinks, single and double have lots of 

 bloom, and so have perennial gaillardias. 

 The Japanese toad lily (Tricyrtis) is full 

 of its dotted purplish flowers, and there 

 is agoodlyarray of second crop larkspur, 

 nidbeckias, and some other things, and 

 Siebold's sedum is beginning to open its 

 droo])ing heads. 



Of annuals there is considerable glory 

 yet: Zinnias, marigolds, gaillardias, late 

 sown coreopsis, petunias, celosias, ver- 

 benas, balsams, nasturtiums, and some 

 others are gay enough. Scarlet salvia is 

 making a brilliant display, and cosmos 

 is beginning to open. Sweet alyssum and 

 mignonette will last with us even after 

 the frost comes. Single and double dah- 



