for July, 1920 



255 



the war, and now has some money at its disposal. But it can- 

 not realize its intention to bnild a new home, because no houses 

 at all can be erected at a time when one brick costs about 3 

 crowns. The society has a garden of its own at Esslingen, 

 about two hours from the city, in the so-called Marchfield, but 

 at present it is not much more than a vegetable garden. It 

 will take some time to transform it again into a real experi- 

 mental ground. 



The former Obstbau-und Po»iohigcti-CcscUschaft has been 

 united with the Horticultural Society, wliich tries to do its best 

 in helping the reconstruction of horticulture in its broadest sense 

 in German Austria — Caiitilto Schneider, rirniia, Af<ril 21, 1920 

 in the Gardeners' Chronicle of London. 



Lilium candidum can easily be propagated from scales. Take 

 up the bulbs in July and leave them exposed on a bench in the 

 greenhouse for a month or two for the scales to become limp 

 and easily detached without breaking. At the beginning of Sep- 

 tember put them into a box of tinely-siftcd leafmold and sand, 

 standing them upright and jusl covering them with the soil. By 

 the middle of January of bulblets w'ill have formed at the 

 base of the scale. — The Gardeners' Chronicle of London. 



Doiible<i.'orked or top-grafted apples, even when grafted upon 

 upon free-fruiting kinds, seem always to yield much less than a 

 normal crop, though they bear finer fruit. If it can now be 

 established that top-grafting gives lighter crops and larger fruits 

 it is probable that scions from varieties that are liable to over- 

 production and to bearing small fruits might become free from 

 the annoying, alternate-year bearing habit which is characteristic 

 of some varieties and which cannot in all cases be prevented by 

 severe thinning of the crop. — The Gardeners' Chronicle of Lon- 

 don. 



Fruit trees on n'olls often fail because of lack of moisture 

 at the roots, especially at south walls and where the borders 

 are raised. They should be given a mulching of partly-decayed 

 manure and a good drenching. If they are treated in this way 

 and the roots kept »ioist the red spider and most other insect 

 pests rarely appear. — The Garden. 



All Gage plums have the reputation of being shy bearers, 

 possibly because they are unable to ripen their own pollen. 

 Pond's Seedling and Czar, which one authority advises should 

 be planted in connection with the Gages, have not helped. Would 

 the need be met by grafting a branch of a dit¥erent variety upon 

 each tree of the Gage? The Elementary Handbook of Fruit 

 Culture by Bunyard and Wilks recommends only standard plum 

 trees and declares that all dwarf plum trees are as a rule 

 unsuccessful unless root-pruned every other year. — The Garden. 



Plum trees need protection from the wind, for their tender 

 blossoms are produced upon absolutely naked shoots and 

 branches. The case is all the worse with the more delicate 

 varieties, because they flower earlier than do the more hardy 

 kinds. — Gardening Illustrated. 



Blue Hydrangeas — To turn the flowers of Hydrangeas blue. 

 growers use a teaspoonful of sulphate of iron to each peck of 

 soil when potting, and a teaspoonful to a gallon of water when 

 the pots are filled with roots. Another plan is to use half an 

 ounce of ammonia alum to the gallon of water, twice a week, and 

 continue this till the leaves fall. — Garden Life. 



Dicentra cximia. — For associating with Ferns in a cool, shady 

 place, this is very useful, and though not nearly so showy as 

 its relative, D. spectabilis. it is much more reliable for the 

 open ground, as it is not so likely to be damaged by early 

 frosts. It has a very long period of flowering — something like 

 four months if it is not allowed to get parched — its red flowers 

 wonderfully pretty in their setting of tender, green. Fern-like 

 leaves. There are few more accommodating or satisfactory 

 plants when its few simple requirements are attended to. It is 

 increased by division with the .greatest case and is an ideal 

 town garden subject. — Gardening illustrated. 



Destroying the stumps ill'. Kenton). — The following is said 

 to be a good recipe. In the autumn bore a hole 1 inch to 2 

 inches in diameter and 18 inches deep, put in 1"/ ozs. of saltpetre, 

 fill with water, and plug up close. In the following spring 

 put into the same hole Vz .gill of kerosene, and then light. 

 The stiunp will smoulder away without blazin.g and leave nothing 

 but iihe?..— Gardening Ilhislraled. 



Culture of the Bearded, or Flag, Iris. — The cultural essentials 

 are practically the same for all the "Flag" Irises. All the 

 members of this section are sun-lovers. Certain of them may 



do in partial shade for a time, though in such positions they 

 presently decline, and refuse to flower. As to soil, they like 

 a light, well-drained loam, and are often quite happy in stony 

 ground and on calcareous soils. They are particularly partial 

 also to lime, and an application of lime to a limeless soil 

 usually tends to improve them. Clay soil should be improved by 

 adding sharp grit, light soil, or old mortar screenings — anything, 

 in fact, of a nature calculated to improve drainage, and intro~ 

 duce soil best suited to their well-being. Failing the old mortar, 

 a dressing of lime should be given. In planting, keep the- 

 rhizomes (root-stock) practically level with the surface. — 

 Gerdening Illustrated. 



A prominent nursery company of London has this as part of 

 its advertisement in The Garden: "We have been carrying out 

 experiments for some years as to the best time to plant the 

 Flag Iris, and we find that when performed after the flower 

 has gone they do better than any other time, flowering well 

 the next season. 



A gold medal has been awarded by the Rose Society of 

 England to Rev. F. Page-Roberts, a beautiful H.T., recommended 

 for exhibition and for garden decoration. It is a full bloom, 

 with much of the Marechal Niel form, good both in bud and 

 fully expanded. The yellow color varies from a good clear 

 shade to deep orange, flushed with apricot, and is nearly always 

 light at the tips. The blooms are pleasantly fragrant. Shown 

 by Messrs. B. R. Cant and Sons. — The Gardener's Chronicle of 

 London. 



Grafting the Lilac. — In an article on "Lilacs" great stress is. 

 rightly put on the advantage of obtaining the different varieties 

 on their own roots. Time was when it was practically impossible 

 to obtain any but grafted plants in the case of the named 

 varieties. Not only were they grafted on to seedlings of the 

 coinmon Lilac, mo^t prolific in the production of suckers, but 

 the Privet was often used as a stock. Complaints of non-success, 

 with grafted plants were so numerous that a crusade against 

 unnecessary grafting set in. It in time bore such valuable fruit 

 that it is now possible to obtain the several varieties on their 

 own roots. One of the first to issue ungrafted plants was !M. 

 Lernoine of Nancy. His new varieties were at first grafted 

 but after a while plants on their own roots were substituted^ 

 -Another method of increasing the Lilac is by means of cuttings. 

 The easiest to strike are the soft shoots produced by the plants 

 that have been forced into bloom. These shoots should be taken, 

 when they have lost their extreme succulent character, and if 

 dibbled into pots of sandy soil and placed in a close propagating 

 case where a gentle heat is maintained, they will soon root. 

 Cuttings of the half-ripened shoots, taken from the open ground, 

 will also strike in a frame kept close and shaded. — The Garden. 



Lilac hedges. — Few Summer leafing shrubs form more charm- 

 ing hedges in early Summer than Lilacs. The only pruning 

 required is thinning out the longest straggling shoots amiually,. 

 so as to keep the base well furnished with young growth. 

 Hedges of this kind should not be clipped, as in that case most 

 of the bloom would be sacrificed and a stiff, formal aspect im- 

 parted to them which would rob tliem of half their beauty. — 

 Gardening Illustrated. 



Unsightly Hedges. — Bareness at the base of hedges is distinctly 

 unsightly. There are three methods by which such bare hedges 

 may be improved : first by cutting the hedge now hard back to 

 within 9 to 12 inches of its base, thus starting it afrcsli : or, 

 secondly, if space permits by jilanting young plants in between 

 (they will then require much attention to watering in the first 

 season) ; or thirdly, by cutting down to within 6 inches of the 

 ground every alternate or third plant. The last is the best of 

 the three methods, because the hedge remains practically intact 

 and the stumps break rapidly into growth just now. If this 

 growth is lopped once or twive during Summer, it will lay the 

 foimdation for a thick bottom. The top. by careful clipping or 

 cutting, may be induced to become as thick as before in a few 

 years; a splendid hedge will result. — Popular Gardening. 



The Use of Fertilisers in Counteracting Adverse Climate. — The 

 Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture draws attention to- 

 the value of artificial manures in mitigating adverse effects of 

 climate on crops. Thus in districts with light soils where 

 drought is to he feared, the use of potash manures, by causin.g 

 a prolongation of vegetable growth, enables a plant to stand 

 up better against the drought. Phosphatic manures, on the other 

 hand, effect the more rapid maturin.g of crops, and hence are 

 specially useful in districts where heavy rainfall is to be antic- 

 ipated. — The Garden. 



