iSgs. 



GARDENING 



215 



jiaratively small pot, and the ofTscts into 

 another pot. We follow the same line in 

 the case of callas in winter and tuberoses 

 in summer. Our aim should be to get big 

 single eyed tubers, rest them well, and 

 grow them well in under rather than 

 over sized pots. 



1. Cut oft' the old flower heads bu ; 

 don't shorten in the branehes, else it 

 would start the eyes. (~,ivc them lots of 

 waUr .-dl through the summer and fall, 

 and if praclRalile a little shade too. 

 .Mthough they stand a good deal of frost 

 without apparent hurt, frost doesn't do 

 the buds any good, so we get the plants 

 under eover before hard frost eomes. But 

 even in winter the plants mustn't get dry. 



Plants in bloom consist mostly of 

 golden genista, Easter lilies and azaleas, 

 and are used near the .'dtar. American 

 Beauty leads among the roses. Orchids 

 arc ofcoursealw.iys accept. able, and so too 

 are dwarf orange plants and bougain- 

 villea. VVm. Imtzwumam. 



Orange, N.J. 



PROFflOflTlNO FROM CUTTINGS. 



How shall I root cuttings such as 

 jjctunias, lantanas, carnations, azaleas 

 and begonias? 1 have no success what- 

 ever. 1 give them a soil one-third sand 

 and reasonable portion of well lotted 

 manure, some leaf mold, kcei) them in 

 shade, dampen them when seems to re- 

 (piire it. Every one of them seem to rot 

 olTat top of soil, no, some rot at below 

 soil, bottom of cutting. Would it be well 

 for me to start them under glass and .set 

 themimuicdiatclv in sun? 7,. B. 



Tower Hill, 111". 



Raise ordinary petunias from seed and 

 the double ones from cuttings also, 

 lantanas from cuttings of the young 

 wood; greenhouse carnations from cut- 

 tings, outdoor ones by division; azaleas 

 from cuttings of the half ripe wood, but 

 don't bother with them, they are too 

 much trouble, tuberous and Vernon 

 begonias from seed. Rex begonias trom 

 cuttings of the leaves, and shrubby habited 

 sorts as odorata. rubra, etc., Irom cut- 

 tings. In striking cuttings don't use any- 

 thing except clean, sharp, hut not gritty, 

 sand. Don't use either loam or leaf 

 mould, and emphatically no manure, till 

 after the cuttings are rooted II you 

 don't need many plant the cuttings into 

 pots firmly filled with moist sand, firm- 

 ing the cuttings in well, water them, then 

 set them in the greenhouse or window, 

 where thev shall be shaded from sunshine 

 and especially be free from draughts. They 

 may need dewing over head once or twice 

 a day to keep them fresh. .\ draught will 

 wilt them quick, so will sunshine, so long 

 as a cutting can be kept fresh and plump 

 there is good hope of its rooting, but a 

 wilted one has a j oor chance. 



FLrtNTS FOR EflSTER. 



For church decoration palms arc indis- 

 pensable. Areca lutescens, Phoenix dacty- 

 litera. P. tenuis. P. rupicola, Seaforthia 

 elegans and Kentia Belmoreana are 

 among the best of the feather-leaved ones, 

 and Livistona Chinensis of the fan palms 

 for the decoration of churches, halls or 

 large buildings. Some of the florists rent 

 out their palms to hotels by the month, 

 and see to the watering and caring for 

 them. 



For festooning English ivy, where it 

 can be had, is most effective trained 

 spirallv around the pillars; but Southern 

 smilax" (Smilax laurifolia) is brought 

 from the South for this purpose by our 

 florists. For delicate grace and beauty 

 of foliage, and for using with flowering 

 plants, there is nothing superior to As- 

 paragusphimosus. 



By way of contrast to recurving folia e 

 thebold,'upright, variegated New Zealand 

 flax is useful. The dwarf tree-fern (Ciho- 

 tium re^a/c) placed on high pedestals is 

 quite efieetive; so are other tree ferns. 



They may be set out of doors in summer, 

 cither planted out, plunged or stood out 

 in pots, in slightly shaded places, and 

 then should l)e watered Ireely, but early 

 enough in the afternoon to let the leavts 

 get dry before night. 



W. 



.M; 



ingli 



ing" and youransvverstocorrespondents. 

 1 am in a bit of trouble and come to you 

 to help me out. When I pick ferns 

 (maidenhair especially), c.-dla leaves, or 

 heliotrope from my greenhouses, although 

 the ends of the stems are placed in water 

 they will wilt in two hours and dry up 

 completely in twenty-four hours. How 

 can I prevent this?" 



Cirow them in a moderately cool house, 

 say 50° to 55° at night. In cutting fern 

 fronds never cut any except ripe or black- 

 seeded ones, for immature ones will wilt 

 come or go what may. Just as soon as 

 the fern and calla leaves are cut, bunch 

 them and immerse them bodily in a tank 

 or tub of water, letting them stay there 

 for several hours, or over night, and therv 

 take them out, cut the ends of the stems 

 off" a little bit more, and place the leaves 

 in vessels of water in a cool cupboard 

 till, required for use or ship|)ing. Im- 

 mediately we gather heliotrope and even 

 before picking it clean and bunching it, 

 we immerse it overhead in water to pre- 

 vent it from wilting, then bunch it and 

 set the bunches in wide mouthed vessels, 

 so that the stems may set deep in the 

 water, and place in a cool cupboard till 

 required for use. Marguerites are just as 

 as bad. 



fliyiflRYLLlS-flSFflRflOUS. 



F. N. B., Indiana, writes: 1. I bought 

 a large dormant bulb of Amaryllis Bella- 

 donna in December; it has sent up a 

 quantity of thrifty foliage, which has a 

 somewhat spiral way of growing, but no 

 buds. How shall it be made to bloom? 



2. What is Asparagus Broussoneti? 



1. It is practically a hardy species, 

 throwing up its leaves in spring, dying 

 down in summer, and in late summer pro- 

 ducing its showy blossoms from leafless 

 plants. You started your plant too soon. 

 Keep it growing now, however, giving it 

 plenty wafer but keep it somewhat cool. 

 Later on after it dies down plant it out 

 in a warm sheltered spot by the side of 

 vour house, and let it stay there perma- 

 nently, mulching it in winter. After rest- 

 ing a while in summer it will probably 

 bloom all right. 



2. Asparagus Broussoneti is a hardy, 

 peren dal, herbaceous vine that is pretty 

 as a leaf\' vine, but still prettier when full 

 of red berries s tamongthe green. Easily 

 raised from seed. 



Tri:atmk.nt oi- Rkx Hkgoni.xs.— In 

 answer to H. P. A., Hammond, Ind.: 

 They love genial warmth. a moist atmos- 

 phere, moderate moisture at the root, to 

 be kept somewhat dry overhead, and 

 shaded from bright sunshine in summer. 

 Use moderate sized pots, thoroughly well 

 drained, and a soil consisting of friable 

 loam with a little rotteil manure in it, 

 and some leaf soil and sharp sand. In 

 winter give less water than in summer, 

 and a temperature of 55' to <;5°. or ordi- 

 nary' greenhouse orsitting-room warmth. 



Cri.mm oKN.\TiM.— H.L. R ,Bondsville, 

 Mass., writes: "My bulb has been win- 

 terefl under a greenhouse stage, and now 

 the foliage has .-dl died down. Treatment 

 to m.ikcit bloom"'" 11" tlu-l.ulbis|)lump 

 luul hc,-,Uhy.-n,d fn 1.1 i.i the s,.il,sct the 



only enough to'UcqrUu-' bulb plump! 

 About the third week in May plant it out 

 in the g.-irden in an open but sheltered 

 spot in good ground. It should bloom in 

 summer. Next Septcndjer lift it, pot it 

 into a comparatively small pot, andkec|) 

 it growing and green till the leaves begin 

 to fade, then dry it off and treat as before. 

 Or, the bulb may be lifted in fall, leaves 

 and roots shortened, and kept drj' in a 

 warm cellar. 



Gloxinia leavks cwrling in at the 

 EDGE.— In answer to L., Conn. Theleaves 

 received. They are clean and bey(md 

 ending look healthy. A few yellowthrips 

 were found on underside, but not enough 

 to cause the trouble, which is probably 

 at the root, and beyond control this sea- 

 son. Next year wash the roots clean, 

 scraping out any decaying parts befon- 

 repotting them, and use fresh, sweet soil 

 without manure. In the meantime get 

 some fresh tobacco stems and spread 

 them thickly on the tench under the 

 plants; the pungent exhalations from 

 them will destroy the thrips. Remove 

 the tobacco next day for neatness' sake. 



Treatment OF Cvci,AMEN in Summer. 

 —In answer to H. A. J., Springfield, Ohio: 

 Take a flat box (like a seed flat) and fill 

 it with sifted coal ashes, into this plunge 

 the cyclamen pots to keep the roots cool, 

 moist and equable, and place it on the 

 bench in a cool part of the greenhouse, 

 shading it from sunshine. Better still, if 

 you have a cold frame, set it facing north 

 "or east, put a layer of coal ashes in it, 

 plunging the pots in this Ventilate it 

 freely, and keep it shaded from bright 

 sunshine. Keep the young plants grow- 

 ing all summer. 



Roses. 



DINSMORE ROSES WON'T OFEN. 



G. C. T., Kamloo])s, British Columbia, 

 writes: I have ,i Dinsmore rose which 

 bore a quantity of buds last summer, 

 which only partly opened, and never ad- 

 vanced beyond that stage. They were 

 quite hard and the petals so tightly 

 bound as to prevent their expansion. 

 Cause and remedy? 



The failure of the buds to expand prop- 

 erlv was probablv the result of too cold a 

 climate, the buds being chilled at night. 

 It is a verv full petallcd flower and like 

 all of its class more susceptible to being 

 chilled than the semi double sorts. We 

 often notice the same conditions in late 

 blooming hvbrid remontants after the 

 cold nights' begin in the fall, and it is 

 always much more iironouneed in the 

 very double varieties. Pail Pierson. 



Scarboi^ough, .\' V. 



When you write to any of the advertis- 

 ers in this paper please say that you saw 

 the advertisement in Gardening. 



