THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



651 



IN WONDERLAND: THE UNSEEN ARTISTS. 



We are influenced by the company we keep. Asso- 

 ciation with the pure and beautiful will have its im- 

 press upon us. When we think of it, there has been 

 large provision for our spiritual as well as material 

 wants, writes C. S. Harrison, of York, Neb., in Horti- 

 culture. 



Beauty is for immortals, .\nimals cannot appre- 

 ciate it. Along in the fifties I used to drive over the 

 vast flower-sprinkled prairies of Minnesota. The 

 fragrance was so profuse you seemed wading in it. In 

 the far-off horizons the emerald of the earth blended 

 with the sapphire of the heavens. I sat entranced, 

 drinking in the scene. But my horse never could take 

 any interest in it. Along with the world of matter 

 there is a world of soul. And the soul has tastes as 

 well as the palate. Sometimes I sit down among my 

 flowers and think of them as the most skilled artists on 

 earth, with a refinement of taste, a delicacy of touch no 

 human brain or hand can imitate. In a group there 

 will be an iris, a peony, a columbine and an oriental 

 poppy. How courteous each one is to the rights of 

 the other. Under the earth are unseen influences 

 which bafile all human ken. These tiny roots down in 

 their dark prison are doing what no human artist can do 

 with wide open eyes in the full light of day. Each busy 

 worker knows just what he is about. The peony never 

 steals the tints that belong to the columbine. Flowers of 

 the same variety never rob each other. How can those 

 unseen artists pick out and send one color for the outer 

 petals and another for the inner ones? Two varieties of 

 the same family grow side by side. Each may have a 

 dozen shadings and tintings. Never is there a mistake 

 made. No red is sent up when the color should be blue. 

 Each flower must have just what belongs to it — such ex- 

 actness baffles all human effort. 



See that superb iris, the finest of the whole great 

 Germanica family? The standards are immense petals 

 of velvet and ivory, with that marvelous glistening 

 reflex like that of the richest silk. How could those 

 artists down in the dark manufacture that elusive 

 sheen which flashes in the sunlight? Then those 

 charming petals must be veined and traced with the 

 most delicate tintings, while they are edged with 

 deeper purple. Never is a mistake made in the blend- 

 ing of those harmonious colors. 



^he giant macrantha is the largest of all, with petals 

 three inches across. Never a blunder made in the 

 moulding and fashioning of those great blossoms — 

 veining and tinting them with a beauty surpassing the 

 rainbow. And there is Fairy, tall and princely, with 

 the delicate fragrance of the peach blossom. Who 

 manufactured that dainty little vial of odors and then 

 uncorked it to pour the aroma out upon the air? Mark 

 that tracery, interwoven with the pure whiteness of 

 the flower. 



There is no blind chance in all this. In this garden 

 of delight I am at work with God. .^11 these things 

 are the e.xpression of His love. "How precious are thy 

 thoughts unto me, oh God." All these forms of 

 beaut} — these miracles of the highest art, are the 

 translations of His thoughts to me. So much for the 

 present. But just over in the unknown are new forms 

 of loveliness which are yet to greet me — new creations. 

 I take a dull piece of earth and plant it to bulbs, roots 

 and seeds, and He and T created this section of Para- 



dise let down to earth for our delectation. It is all a 

 promise and a prophecy of the '"glory to be revealed." 



I am over fourscore, living on the margin of the two 

 worlds, and instead of growing old I seem on the bor- 

 ders of eternal youth. So I am proclaiming the 

 evangel of beauty far and wide. It is the Gospel of 

 Hope. There is an uplift and inspiration in it. It 

 will make people less sordid and greed\-. It will lead 

 the young into paths of pleasantness and peace. 



GROWING BULBS. 



Generally speaking, bulbs are easy prey for the be- 

 ginner. All are easy forcers but Amaryllis requires 

 very skilful handling. Bulbs give little trouble, and 

 as the}- occupy bench space for such a very short 

 period, they add tremendously to the output of green- 

 house. They will produce fair results under condi- 

 tions so adverse that other plants would fail. Don't go 

 around shopping to see how cheaply you can buy 

 bulbs. Get the best. The flowers are already in the 

 bulbs when you buy them ; all you do is to develop the 

 flowers. If the flower is not there, or if disease and 

 poor cultivation have weakened it, the most skilled 

 cultivator cannot produce good flowers. Flats are 

 used in all cases where the flowers are to be cut, but 

 for decorative work the bulbs may be planted in pots 

 or pans. After planting bury the bulbs out of doors 

 to develop roots ; when thoroughly rooted they can be 

 brought in to force. .A heavy mulch over the trench 

 where they are buried makes it easier to .get out the 

 bulbs when wanted. When first brought in they are 

 placed under the benches, which causes them to "draw- 

 up" as the gardeners call it. In reaching for the light 

 they develop stems, and long stems are valuable to 

 flowers. But don't overdo, or the stem will get weak. 

 No definite rule can be given as to when bulbs should 

 be brought to the light. Bulbs recjuire more water 

 when in growth than any other class of plants, except- 

 ing aquatics. Use plenty of liquid food when the 

 flowering shoots first appear. The only exceptions to 

 these general conditions are noted below, writes a con- 

 tributor to Garden Magacine. 



Callas are usually potted or benched in August or 

 September and kept growing, feeding freely when 

 flowering starts. Lilies and freesias are usually 

 placed in a storage pit or out of doors and covered 

 with a couple of inches of ashes. When growth starts 

 they are brought into the cool house and later shifted 

 to the warm compartment. Spireas are usually re- 

 ceived in late fall. Pot up at once and place out of 

 doors in some sheltered place to rest. After resting 

 for five or si.x weeks they can be brought in and forced. 

 Lily-of-the-valley can be forced at any time ; cold stor- 

 age pips the most satisfactory; plant them close to- 

 gether in good clean, sharp sand and place them in 

 warmth at once. Water several times a day and spray 

 at the same time. Keep dark until there is a good 

 length of stem ; then bring them out to the light to 

 color. 



.Amaryllis require a long season of rest during which 

 time they must be kept quite dry. When wanted they 

 siiould be repotted, or a good heavy mulch of rich soil 

 placed in the old pot, and brought into heat. The art 

 of growing good .Xniar^liis is not in the actual forcing 

 but in the proper ripening of the bulb preparing it for 

 its ne-xt forcing. This is done by gradually reducing 

 the water and temperature until the resting period, at 

 which time the bulli should be firm and root action at a 

 standstill. 



