132 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[May, 



"Ohioensis"), they are all good in some places. The 

 dogwood is too common, some say ; still I have a 

 good one. There is a white pine and Norway 

 spruce some thirty feet high in the background, 

 that help show it off and make it much admired, 

 when in full bloom ; this, too, when the woods are 

 full of them. Indeed, one might make a dogwood 

 worth ten dollars by pulling it sideways with cords 

 and by weighting the limbs with stones, to make it 

 weeping. 



GRAFTING ROSES. 



BY ALPHONSE KARR, ST. RAPHAEL'S, FRANCE. 



From Toulon to Genoa, and in the greatest part 

 of Italy, roses are grafted on Indica-major, a very 

 vigorous rose, but which would be very much ex- 

 posed to frost at Lyons, Paris, etc. 



You generally graft roses on the brier (Rosa 

 canina), but neither the brier nor Indica-major 

 are perpetual bloomers, and both, more particu- 

 larly the brier, have a time of rest. 



Must it not sometimes happen that a perpetual 

 variety, grafted on the brier, tells him : "Well, my 

 dear nurse, if we were to bloom a little ;" and that 

 the brier replies: " My darling, you are foolish; it is 

 not the season ; I still want rest ; fee pleased to re- 

 main quiet, and let me sleep ?" 



Chance has made me graft some perpetual roses 

 on some Bengales (common China) and I have 

 obtained excellent results. The Bengale, which 

 never freezes here, and is constantly in vegetation, 

 and a really perpetual bloomer, is it not in similar 

 climates more adapted to supply the wants of other 

 perpetual roses, preferable to others which require 

 rest part of the year ? And, according to this 

 idea, would it not be advantageous to graft per- 

 petual blooming sorts on other equally constant 

 bloomers ? 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Fine Pansies. — We have not seen, but learn 

 from a friend, that the pansies raised by Mr. Kip- 

 ple, of Harrisburg, Pa., were this season "some- 

 thing well worth looking at." We like to hear of 

 these successes. 



Lime Water for Insects. — In some parts of 

 Europe lime water is used to destroy worms when 

 troublesome to lawns. The clear liquid is used, 

 and the creatures come to the surface and die by 

 the hundreds when there. It is possible that those 

 who complain about the larvae of the May bug 

 which are often troublesome about young roses. 



carnations, and other plants in the open air, might 

 find lime water a good remedy. It has been used 

 to destroy scale on lemon, orange and oleander 

 trees, with success. 



Roses by Seed. — The object in raising roses 

 from seed is to obtain new varieties. Although 

 somewhat uncertain as to the result, it is, neverthe- 

 less, a very pleasant and interesting occupation. 

 There has long been an idea prevalent that good 

 varieties of roses cannot be raised from seed in 

 England, and that we must go to warmer climates 

 for anything of sterling merit. This, however, is 

 not entirely so, as some excellent varieties recently 

 raised in this country will testify. The tender 

 varieties, however, seldom if ever mature seed in 

 our climate, but even the ripening of seed can be 

 accomplished artificially ; and, with the assistance 

 of glass and hot water, we may reckon our advan- 

 tages equal those in the south of France or Italy. 

 The seed pods should become thoroughly ripe 

 upon the tree before they are gathered. When 

 taken off, place each sort separately into small 

 pots, mixing with them fine sand. They may be 

 stored away in this manner until February, care 

 being taken to keep them out of the way of mice, 

 which will very soon destroy the lot if the oppor- 

 tunity is given them. 



Early in February take them out and break up 

 the pods, and rub the whole until the seeds are all 

 separated ; they may then be sown in shallow 

 pans, pots, or boxes, using light soil with a liberal 

 admixture of sand, and cover with the same to the 

 depth of one inch. Place them in a frame having 

 a northern aspect, or otherwise in a shady or shel- 

 tered spot, where a uniform temperature and moist- 

 ure can be maintained. About April or May 

 many of the seedlings will begin to make their 

 appearance, but this will depend upon the quality 

 of the seed; if it was well ripened when gathered, 

 a large portion will vegetate the first season, but 

 in most instances the greater portion will not 

 vegetate until the following spring. — Garden. 



Clematises as Isolated Specimens. — Clemat- 

 ises as specimens on the lawn are very beautiful 

 when well trained and attended to. At Holme 

 Lacy, Hereford, such specimens may be seen, and 

 during the months of August and September they 

 are pillars of bloom and are much admired. They 

 are planted out in well-prepared round beds, and 

 trained to an upright round trellis about 7 to 8 feet 

 high ; they are about 2 feet 6 inches in diameter at 

 bottom, and taper to the top. As the young 

 growths appear they are tied down for about two 



