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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



it is possible to exterminate a flock of sparrows by this 

 method, but it is possible to drive them away. The spar- 

 row is a wise and suspicious bird and when it dawns 

 upon him that his fellows are meetin,e;- with a harsh fate 

 he speedily decides that the vicinity is unhealthy and 

 promptly seeks fresh pastures. 



Although at most seasons of the year sparrows are an 

 unmitigated nuisance there are times when their activi- 

 ties may be considered of use. I have seen them very 

 busy at times eating dandelion seeds, which has prob- 

 ably resulted in diminution of weeding operations on the 

 lawn, and often they may been seen feeding on aphids. 

 It is a great pity that the .sparrow cannot be induced to 

 mend his ways and behave more as we would have him 

 do for he is a cheerful and likable bird provided there 

 are not too many of him. 



'■i' ^ ^ ^ 



The perusal of "Modern Propagation of Tree Fruits'' 

 by Prof. B. S. Brown gives one an idea of the vastness 

 and importance of this industry in America. We learn 

 that from twenty to forty millions of American grown 

 apple seedlings are used annually in this country as 

 stocks to be budded or grafted with named varieties of 

 apples. In addition, immense numbers of seedlings were 

 formerly imported from Europe where labor conditions 

 were such as to ensure cheap production. Presumably 

 Quarantine 37 will prevent the receipt of any more seed- 

 hngs from this source. Another item of interest is the 

 fact that "apple seedlings cannot be grown with profit 

 in small quantities. If a firm uses only 100.000 to 300,- 

 000 in a season, it is economical to buy rather than to 

 grow them." The industry admirably exemplifies Amer- 

 ican methods in quantity production, organization, and 

 the use of machinery wherever ])ossil)le. Machines for 

 wrapping or tying whip grafts after they are made, spe- 

 cial spray outfits, mechanical diggers operated by steam 

 or gasoline engines, and power machines capable of cul- 

 tivating seventy acres a day, are used in the manufac- 

 ture of our fruit trees. 



In spite of the fact that machinery is used to so large 

 an extent, in the actual operation of making the graft 

 dependence rests mainly on a good knife, a keen eye and 

 a skillful hand : for although tools have been invented to 

 facilitate the art of grafting and budding they have not 

 become very popular. 



An interesting point as showing how improvements in 

 one industry may work to the disadvantage of another 

 is brought out in the discussion of seeds for apple stocks. 

 Most of the seeds for this purpose are obtained as a by- 

 product from the pomace from cider mills. With the 

 older type of press the seeds came thnnigh the mills un- 

 crushed but with the improved cylinder grinders the 

 seeds are more or less cracked, and it is estimated that 

 in order to get one bushel of good seed two bushels must 

 be bought. It calls to mind the wail of the pessimistic 

 showman ''what we gains on swings, we loses on the 

 merry-go-rounds.'" 



'i^ 'f^ 't* ^ 



The claims of the evergreen Pachysandra tcrmbialis as 

 a valuable ground cover need no boosting, but it may 

 not be amiss to direct attention to the merits of its cousin 

 the Mountain Spurge, Pachysandra procumhens. as a 

 plant for this purpose. This is a native (which perhaps 

 accounts for its lack of popularity) found in the moun- 

 tains of Kentucky, W'est Virginia and southward. It is 

 dwarf, tufted, not more than a foot high, with leaves of 

 a darker green than P. terminals. Like its Japanese 

 relative it is happy in either sun or .shade, but unfor- 

 tunately is not evergreen. This defect, if such it be. is, 

 however, compensated for by the profusion with which 



it produces its (|uaint flowers in earlv Spring before the 

 leaves appear. \\'hilst they cannot be called showy, they 

 are interesting and welcome, coming as they do, so early 

 in the year. 



Another native plant useful as a ground cover is the 

 shrub Yellow-root, Xanthorrhiza (or Zanthorhi::a aPii- 

 folia. A large stretch of this was recently seen on an 

 estate in New Jersey. It was growing in the shade of 

 tall trees where it presented a handsome eff^ect. It has 

 bright green glossy leaves and grows from eighteen 

 inches to two feet in height. The inconspicuous brown- 

 ish purple flowers are produced in early Spring. 



Perhaps the best of the native plants as a ground cover 

 for certain situations is the Bearberry, Arctostapliylos 

 L'z'a-iirsi. This is found wild over a considerable sec- 

 tion of the country and grows in profusion along the 

 railway banks on the eastern part of Long Island. It is 

 evergreen, clinging close to the ground and when es- 

 tablished forms a perfect carpet. It is somewhat diffi- 

 cult to establish unless the right condition is provided, 

 which is a well-drained sandy soil free from line. Like 

 many of the Ericacecc the Fjearberry is intolerant of alka- 

 line conditions. It thrives in almost pure sand and 

 seems to prefer a sunny situation. A scientific friend 

 of the writer made the discovery that the long trailing 

 growths provide admirable material for draping the 

 front of winter boxes in Winter if they are not exposed 

 to sunshine. He required something to hide the hideous- 

 ness of his porch boxes in Winter, fell in love with the 

 glossy coppery-green foliage of the Bearberry and de- 

 cided to use it. The shoots were cut in November, stuck 

 into the soil of the boxes, kept watered, and remained in 

 good condition until the sun struck them in ^larch. It 

 would perhaps be imprudent to give such information 

 as this were it not that the readers of the Chronicle 

 are of the elect. In some circles it might be construed 

 as an invitation to indiscriminately ravish the country- 

 side of Bearberry streamers, which would be most unde- 

 sirable in sections where it is not too plentiful. 



;f; ^ ;;; :;; 



The most popular Hibiscus in the tender woody group 

 is undoubtedly H. rosa-sinciisis and. like so many of our 

 well known plants is burdened with a multiplicity of 

 common names. Those who insist that a plant must have 

 a common name before they can become interested in it 

 can make their choice from the following: Chinese Hibis- 

 cus, "Shoe-flower," "Blacking plant," "Shoeblack plant," 

 and "China rose." The names "Shoe-flower," "Blacking 

 plant," etc., indicative of some connection with the shoe 

 shining industry, were presumably given because of the 

 reported use of the flowers as shoe blacking in the West 

 Indies and elsewhere. The red flowers when crushed 

 turn black which renders them available for this pur- 

 pose. The Oiinese are said to make a dye from them 

 which is used for coloring the hair and eyebrows. A 

 shrub with flowers possessing these properties might 

 perhaps be said to open up possibilities for those who 

 iiave facilities for growing it and who are interested in 

 reducing the H. C. of L. ! It is an "easy doer" and can 

 be grown even by those who are without greenhouse 

 facilities as the plants can be planted out of doors for 

 Summer blooming and stored in a cellar over the Winter, 

 It is very free flowering, and when grown under green- 

 house conditions, is seldom entireh' out of bloom. There 

 are numerous color forms, red of various shades, white, 

 orange, and yellow. Some varieties are single, others 

 have double or semi-double flowers. A curious form, 

 usually grown for its foliage, is H. rososiiiciisis car. 

 Coopcri. This has rather narrow leaves compared with 

 the type, with queer pink and white markings on them. 

 The flowers of this variety are frequently deformed. 



