iSgs- 



GARDENING. 



69 



NEW CHRYSANTHEMUM OCTOBER QUEEN. 



tliis way we mark with stout pegs driven 

 dccD into the ground the places of tVax- 

 inilla, acanthus, platjcodon, asclepias, 

 callirrhoe, Hyacintbus candicans, gypso- 

 jjhila, and others whose ?rowns or bulbs 

 or tubers are buried out of sight in win- 

 ter. This is a safeguard against digging 

 into them when we fork the be4s over in 

 spring. All varieties of plants as named 

 sorts of phloxes, irises, pceonies, cam- 

 panulas, pyrethrums, and so on are legi- 

 bly and securely labelled, using long 

 stout labels and driving these deep into 

 the ground. Where some of the plants 

 have run into others as perennial sun- 

 flowers, physostigia, and Pearl achillea 

 are apt to do, we pull out the intruders 

 as well as we can. The whole border is 

 then raked off roughly and with the aid 

 of a prong hoe levelled, but we don't dig 

 it now. Digging now buries the host of 

 little seedlings of poppies, larkspur and 

 other plants that are scattered every- 

 where, and of which we may want to 

 save a lot next spring; it would also un- 

 fasten many plants and thus render them 

 easily heaved by frost in winter, necessi- 

 tating replanting them again in spring, 

 besides as many of the perennials will 

 need lifting, dividing and replanting, and 

 this is a poor season of the year to do 

 that in, we prefer postponing the digging 

 of the borders till spring, .\fter levelling 

 the ground, if we have any tuberous 

 irises, tulips, narcissus, scillas, or other 

 hardy bulbs to plant, we do so at once, 

 marking their place with a stout peg or 

 label. The borders are now ready for a 

 coating of winter mulch, but we don't 

 like to apply this till we get a good crust 

 of frost on the ground. We then have a 

 heap of common manure turned over and 

 broken up, and of this we spread a good 

 coating broadcast all over the border, 

 being particular to cover the crowns ol 

 the plants to protect them from strong 

 light and sudden changes of temperature 

 in winter. In this way the border rests 



and cleaned up about them a little to get 

 rid of field mice. Retaining their own 

 tops with the drifting leaves they catch 

 and hold is a perfect winter paradise 

 for these mischievous and destructive 

 mice, but the broken manure does not 

 harbor them and it seems to protect the 

 crowns just as well as their own leaves 

 would. 



While hollyhocks, foxgloves and Can- 

 terbury bells that self sow themselves 

 among the shrubs and bushes live over 

 winter without any apparent injury, 

 those that are growing in open beds and 

 borders should be protected. Do this by 

 mulching about them quite heavily with 

 tree leaves with some tree branches laid 

 or litter strewn over them to keep them 

 fr m blowing away. 



We lift part of our tritomas and heel 

 them into a cold frame in winter, and in 

 earliest spring take them out, divide the 

 clumps and replant in the open garden. 

 A lot is also left undisturbed over winter 

 where the plants grew in summer, with a 

 mulching of tree leaves about them. On 

 well drained land thev keep vcrv well. 



cutting, and the plants soon started into 

 fresh growth and bore a second crop of 

 flowers lasting into November, but of 

 course much poorer than was the summer 



2. Ouite right. We do the same thing 

 every fall. 



;{ We have three self clinging vines, 

 namely evergreen ivy (Hedera Helix and 

 varieties), Awpelopsis Veitchii and the 

 1-uonymus radicans; true, we add the 

 clinging form of the Virginia creeper. Now 

 we don't think one of these would bind 

 itself to the smooth pillars unaided by 

 ligatures or some other help. But if 

 each pillar was encased in a strip of gal- 

 vanized wire netting, painted the same 

 color as the pillars, these and most all 

 other vines not too rank would find a 

 happy home there. 



Chrysanthemums. 



CflRYSflNTflEMUM OCTOBER QUEEN. 



This is a new variety shown this season 

 by Nathan Smith &'Son, Adrian, Mich. 

 It has attracted much attention from 

 pro essional florists, and appe rs a valu- 

 able no veltv. It belongs to the Japanese 

 incurved section, and is a very large, pure 

 white blossom, tinged with cream at the 

 heart. It is a seedling resuliing from a 

 cross between Mrs. Jerome Jones and Ar- 

 mida, and is an early to mid-season 

 bloomer, being shown before the Chicago 

 committee of the .American Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society Nov. 2. The above commit- 

 tee commended it highly, recommending 

 it'for certificate. It has the handsome 

 foliage of Mrs.JeromeJones.and is a veiy 

 robust grower. 



eariv 



spnng. 



We have cut over the Ku;mpfer's irises 



flCfllLUEfl-DESMODIUM-VINBS FOR FILLflRS. 



In cleaning up my flower garden for 

 winter I cut the stems of the (1) Pearl 

 achilleas down most to the ground, as I 

 did the (2) desmodiums; was that right? 



3. Vines to cling to a smooth pillar. 

 — The large pillars to the two story 

 porches of the professor's houses at Wash- 

 ington & Lee University are plastered as 

 smooth as plastering can be made. Will 

 ivy or any of the self clinging vines take 

 hold on it? If so what wouldyou advise, 

 there are a number of them and all would 

 Eot want the same? L. O. C. 



Rockingham Co., Va. 



Ans. 1. You did right. It is strictly 

 a herbaceous perennial and should be cut 

 clean to the ground everj' winter. By the 

 waj-, we cut ours down as soon as its 

 summer flowers were past being worth 



MY FIRST CHRySflNTflEMUMS. 



This is my first year trying to bloom 

 chrysanthemums, and perhaps theex])eri- 

 ence that has been acquired may be of 

 some interest. I have nearly one hundred 

 varieties, purchased from seve al differ- 

 ent speciali-sts; they were planted the first 

 week in May in 4-inch pots, then plunged 

 out of doors, and when the pots were 

 filled with roots we shifted the plants to 

 6 and 8-inch ones, mosth' 6-inch. These 

 pots were plunged as before and well 

 watered, and after they were lull of roots 

 we fertilized weekly (not weakly) with 

 liquid manure. September 1 we placed 

 them in a cold greenhouse, and there they 

 will have to remain, as my warm green- 

 house was destroyed by fire last Novem- 

 ber. The greenhouse that was burned 

 was my first attempt, and only a small 

 one, and I had only a few chrysanthe- 

 mums, bought from a neighbor. My 

 Mrs Parker, Jr., is now in full bloom and 

 stands two feet, 8 inches high, with thir- 

 teen blossoms and buds, several of the for- 

 mer measuring four and one-half inches 

 across Ivory is nearly ready to burst, 

 and stands two feet. E. Dailledouze is in 

 an 8-inch pot and stands exactly six feet 

 high from top of pot. Mrs. E. G. Hill, 

 nearly in full bloom, and a grand plant 

 too, standing five and one-half feet high, 

 with fifteen fine blooms coming; it also is 

 in an 8-inch pot. I also have another of 

 same sort, purchased from another place 

 than the fine one mentioned above, and 

 although each plant was set outthesame 

 week and had the same treatment all 

 through in all respects, yet it is only two 

 feet, 10 inches high, and has not nearly 

 the thrift and strength of the former. 

 This leads me to think that many grow- 



