804 



HOi<.TICULTURi: 



May 21. 1910 



WINTER DECORATIVE SHRUBS. 



Abstract of a paper read by George V. 

 Nash at the January meeting of tbe 

 Horticultural Society of New York. 



People are inclined to think that 

 when winter comes all is over in the 

 line of decorative shrubs, but this Is far 

 from true. Each season has its .shrubs 

 — Forsythias and spiraeas in April 

 ■and May — Roses and Rhododendrons 

 in June with others for July and 

 August — and then the gorgeous tints 

 of our autumn foliage. Winter, too, 

 has its charming shrubs, and while 

 not as numerous as for the rest of the 

 year, they are perhaps even more at- 

 tractive, for they come at a time when 

 all is grey and black, and when every 

 little that brings to memory the green- 

 ness and brightness of summer is wel- 

 come. These winter shrubs of course 

 cannot attract by their flowers, but 

 there are other features which make 

 them a delight to the eye, and these 

 must be sought in the color of the 

 bark, the beauty of the evergreen foli- 

 age, or in the brightness of their per- 

 sistent fruit. 



As examples of the first group, in 

 T^hich the color of the bark is the 

 ■atti-active character, Kerria japonica 

 with its bright green twigs was re- 

 ferred to, Cornus alba sibirica and 

 Cornus stolonifera, both with dark red 

 bark, and the yellow-stemmed form of 

 the latter, known as variety flaviramea. 

 This variety is of a bright yellow and 

 seems to carry a bit of the sunshine 

 into the snowbanks. 



The plants with evergreen foliage 

 comprise two groups, those known as 

 conifers and the others as broad-leaved 

 ■evergreens. The dwarf forms of re- 

 tinisporas, cedars, pines, and thujas 

 are admirable subjects for winter dec- 

 oration, being especially attractive 

 when snow-laden. Rhododendrons, 

 mahonias, Leucothoe Catesbaei, and 

 especially Ilex crenata, with its thick 

 dark-green leaves and graceful habit, 

 were cited as examples of desirable 

 broad-leaved evergreens. 



Among the shrubs desirable on ac- 

 count of their persistent fruit were: 

 Aronia arbutifolia, commonly known 

 as Pyrus arbutifolia; Rosa multiflora. 

 with its myriad of red fruits; Ilex 

 opaca, attractive also for its foliage, 

 in addition to its bright red berries; 

 Ilex verticillata, and its Japanese rela- 

 tive, Ilex serrata, both with red fruit; 

 Symphoricarpus vulgaris, the coral- 

 berry, festooned with thousands of 

 ■dark red berries which persist until 

 nearly spring time; and last but not 

 least the Japanese barberry, Berberis 

 Thunbergii, which, if one were restrict- 

 ed to a single shrub, was perhaps best 

 of all — possessing attractive features 

 at all seasons of the year, yellow with 

 its flowers in the early part of the sea- 

 son, clothed in an attractive green 

 during the summer, decorative during 

 the fall with its charming garb of 

 color, and then its chief charm re- 

 served for the winter months, when all 

 is cold and grey, its bright red berries, 

 borne in great profusion and retaining 

 their color and plumpness until late 

 in the spring, adding a glow of warmth 

 "to the bleakness around. 



Hailstones Which Fell at Hillsboro, 111., April 15, 1910. Note the Size as 

 Compared with Hen's Eggs Shown in Picture. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



Chas. 'Sim, landscape gardener and 

 contractor. Rosemont, will start on a 

 trip for Europe shortly. 



A new retail store has been opened 

 at 3160 Frankford avenue by George 

 Quinn, late of Camden, N. J. 



Louis Burk, the orchid enthusiast, 

 accompanied by his wife and daugh- 

 ter, will attend the orchid show In 

 Boston. 



W. E. McKissick and Bros, seem to 

 have almost a monopoly of good blue 

 centaurea the past two weeks, and 

 have had a great run on same. 



W. F. Bassett of Hammonton sent 

 up a lot of Xerophyllum blooms re- 

 cently which excited some favorable 

 comment. The flowers are white but 

 Charles E. Meehan stuck to his name 

 of "Red Hot Poker"— he claimed the 

 poker was at white heat — that was all. 



A. Zirkman, of M. Rice & Co., has 

 just returned from a very successful 

 tour through New York state. Rob- 

 ert Schuck, of the same firm, has 

 just started on a trip. Painters and 

 polishers are busy primping up the 

 Rice store preparatory for the new 

 season's campaign. 



One fine spring morning, years ago, 

 the bard of Wingohocking sang 

 praises to the Irish National Bird 

 (the stork) : 



"When first to my poor roof lie came, 

 How sweetly he was sung to! 

 I called him every dacint name 

 Tbat I could lay m.v tongue to." 



But after a few years the poet had 

 to add a postscript, which ran some- 

 thing like this: 



"But glory be! tliat praise from me 



So pleased the simple crayture. 

 His visits here have come to be 



A sort of second nature. 

 I'm glad to see him now and then, 



But, glory be to Heaven! 

 If here he isn't bacli again 



And this is number seven." 



We commend these lines of Tom 

 Daly's to our good friends the Faulk- 

 ners with whom we all rejoice. 



Visitors last week: The Stork — al- 

 so Chas. H. Netsch, Buffalo, and F. J. 

 Clark, Trenton. 



AN INSECTICIDE FOR THE ORCHID 

 HOUSE. 



C. H. Totty of Madison, N. J., as- 

 serts that scale on Cattleyas and Cal- 

 anthes treated with Aphine were an- 

 nihilated, also that the ants working 

 in the pots of Calanthe were also 

 idllod instantly, showing that florists 

 in ant-infested sections will find this 

 preparation a cheap and safe remedy 

 to use for their removal. 



PEACH LEAF CURL. 



If this disease is on your trees it 

 will soon become evident in the un- 

 folding peach leaves. You should 

 watch the leaves carefully for the next 

 two or three weeks to determine how 

 effective your spraying has been for 

 its control. Remember that the ef- 

 fectiveness of the spray will depend 

 largely upon two factors, first, wheth- 

 er it was applied before the buds be- 

 gin to swell, and second, whether it 

 was thoroughly done. Be slow to lay 

 failure to the mixture used. It has 

 been demonstrated beyond a question 

 that Lime Sulfur, Bordeaux mixture, 

 or Copper Sulphate will effectually 

 control this disea.se It is of course, 

 too late to spray for the disease now, 

 but with a careful examination of 

 your trees, and a study of the disease 

 in the light of your spraying opera- 

 tions of this year, should help you to 

 more satisfactorily handle the proposi- 

 tion next year. Bulletin 276 on Peach 

 Leaf Curl and its Control, is now 

 ready for distribution. This bulletin 

 gives a careful description of the dis- 

 ease and the habits of the fungus 

 which causes it, together with the 

 most modern methods of controlling 

 the malady. You will be interested in 

 comparing the data in this bulletin 

 with the results which you have got- 

 ten on this disease. Full directions are 

 given for the preparation of Lime Sul- 

 fur solutions, Bordeaux mixtures, etc., 

 for the control of the Curl. This bul- 

 letin is free to growers in the State of 

 New York. Drop a card to us at once, 

 asking for a copy of the bulletin. If 

 you do not get it upon first request 

 write again. Your name will go on 

 our list for further bulletins along the 

 line of plant diseases. Address, 

 H. H. WHETZEL, Pathologist, 

 N. Y. State College of Agriculture. 

 Ithaca, N. Y. 



WHEN TO STOP ADVERTISING. 



When buyers forget to forget— when 

 competition ceases to compete; when every 

 actual and prospective customer has been 

 convinced that your product Is the best 

 of its liind and nothing better can be pro- 

 duced, then, and only then, will It be 

 safe to get along without advertising.— 

 Baker's Helper. 



Until that time comes, HORTICUL 

 TURE can take care of your inter- 

 ests. If you want to sell to the best 

 buyers in any branch of horticultural 

 industry HORTICULTURE is unques- 

 tionably in the front rank as an ad- 

 vertising medium. 



