740 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



against a dark background, such as can be afforded by Scots 

 Pnies. In ,\mmnn, it is one of our tciv native trees to snow 

 bright orange and red foliar tints, whicn hkewise stand out well 

 ill relief against the deep blue-green of the bcots Pme. but my 

 main object in writing tnis note is to point out an additional ad- 

 vantage this tree possesses, viz., as a counter-attraction to black- 

 birds from cultivated Iruit. This fact has been brought vividly to 

 my notice this Summer. Suddenly these birds ceased from 

 troubling the garden berries. 1 discovered that their attention 

 had been turned to the ripening fruit of the Wild Cherry trees 

 growing in the vicinity. For a full fortnight they were almost 

 wholly occupied with them. Apparently wild Cherries form a 

 superior attraction to cultivated soft fruit. The same change- 

 over was very noticeable at another garden in this neighborhood. 

 In this instance the Cherry trees are situated more than a quarter 

 of a mile away ; yet the blackbirds forsook the garden for several 

 days to devour the wild fruit. A fortnight's freedom froin these 

 birds at the height of the Strawberry season is a great blessing. 

 Hence . for this reason alone the planting of wild Cherry trees 

 in the vicinity of gardens is desirable. They are easily raised 

 from the fruit stones, grow rapidly and are very accommodating 

 as to soil. It is not a small tree, either, as some writers might 

 tnake us imagine, for specimens will attain to the size of forest 

 trees, and produce timber of value to cabinet makers. — The 

 Gardeners' Cliroiiiele (British.') 



FUNKIAS: 



BEAUTIFUL PLANTS FOR SHADY 

 POSITIONS 



DRI^-EMINENCE is, generally speaking, given to the suimy 

 * side of the garden, and plants which thrive in the Hght and 

 come to full beauty in time of bud and blossom are studied and 

 arranged for from the point of view of color effect and suitabil- 

 ity. It is the "sunshine line" which appeals to most folk. We 

 are constantly being reminded that such and such plants "love 

 the sun," and so it has come about that the shady places in our 

 gardens and their possibilities of beauty are not thought out or 

 considered with the same degree of interest. 



But the place where the shadows fall for the longest, as well 

 as the sunny ciuarter, inay be made attractive, suggestive of cool- 

 ness and quiet and restfulness during the days of Summer. 

 Sometimes it is the least inviting spot in a garden in the matter 

 of plants — the neglected and often uncared-for position — which 

 is the very test of the gardener's capabilities. Just as some great 

 landscape painter is able by certain deft finishing touches on the 

 canvas to impart life and beauty to the scene, so the gardener- 

 artist sees in the least-regarded portion of the ground great 

 possibilities, and, with that before him, works until his ideals 

 are achieved, and sombre and hitherto uninviting surroundings 

 are, by the use of the most suitable subjects, transformed. He 

 creates a scene of beauty vv-here little or none existed before. 



We do not go so far as to say that the number of plants which 

 thrive best in the shade is unlimited, but we would remind anyone 

 interested of one hardy subject at least, valued for the beauty 

 of its foliage and flowers, too. It is the Fiinkia or Plantain Lily, 

 a lover of shade and moisture, one of the prettiest plants in early 

 Summer when seen in all the freshness of its new dress, a plant 

 that is not averse to growing under trees so long as they are 

 not allowed to rob it of the elements of the soil. 



As we have said, they are hardy — so hardy, in fact, that in 

 all our experience of them we do not remember a Winter when 

 frost hurt them to any very great extent, or when the covering 

 of leaves which we gave did not suffice to protect them. — /r!.f/t 

 Gardciniig. 



DEPARTMENT OF BOOK REVIEWS 



The Utile Garden. By Mrs. Francis King. .Atlantic Monthly 

 Press, Boston. 

 The soul of a garden could not be more pleasingly embodied 

 in description than it is within the less than one hundred pages 

 of this attractive little volume. Through it are expressed the ma- 

 tured sensibilities acquired by one who has long made such a 

 study of the harmonious arrangements of flow'ering plants that 

 she could compose that appropriately named book. The IJ'cl! Con- 

 sidered Garden. This new work is imbued with the spirit that 

 might be expected to arise from service as the honorary president 

 of the Women's National Farm and Garden Association. Though 

 most valuable for giving improved ideas of color arrangement, a 

 subject to which a chapter is devoted entirely, it suggestively 



and in a fairly practical manner relates the ideas of other recent 

 writers on the designing of gardens of not large scale. Several 

 helpful charts, some ot them original with the author, are con- 

 tained in the \ olume. 



Come Into the Garden. By Grace Tabor. Macmillan Ciunpany, 

 Xew York. 



Tiie contents of this neat and tastily-made little volume are 

 quite in keeping with its form. In it are lucidly and attractively 

 set fcrth the principles and details of plamiing and constructing 

 homes and gardens upon city lots that are measured by square 

 feet — a field slighted by writers of books on landscape art in 

 general. The enclosing walls, by which such lots of necessity are 

 usually hemmed in, are found an advantage. Miss Tabor de- 

 clares that she "cannot too earnestly express the belief that noth- 

 ing worth while will ever be done with suburban or any other 

 gardens until we restore the fences and walls so ruthlessly torn 

 down and abandoned around the latter quarter of the last cen- 

 tury." The solutions of the practical difficulties resulting from 

 limitations of space are eminently sensible and happy. There is 

 shown what at lirst blush might appear preposterous and alto- 

 gether hopeless, namely, how, even within such straightene'd con- 

 fines, may be enjoyed the charms of the "outdoor living room." 

 The owner of the small city lot need not abandon thoughts of 

 having his own trees, evergreens, shrubbery, vines, roses and other 

 flowers, nor even fruit trees and bushes, a vegetable garden, a 

 rock garden, a wild garden, water features and water flowers. 

 Here is given, very clear and very sane, directions also for cul- 

 tivating them all. 



The author's experience tells in the nice selection of the mate- 

 rials she adxocates ; she eliminates discreetly and cautions judi- 

 ciously. 



The Flo'ccer Art of Japan. By Mary Averill. The John Lane 

 Company, Xew York. 



The author of this work has been doing valuable service by 

 interpreting to lovers of flowers the world over the genius of that 

 people among whom have e.xisted for 700 years clearly recog- 

 nized schools of flower arrangement. To Occidentals it is strange 

 indeed that in the one city of Kyoto alone there are forty teachers 

 of the art adhering to one school, and strange that there is a 

 regular ceremony of arranging flowers. The invited guest enters 

 the room of a home where there is a carefully and scientifically 

 studied arrangement of a few sprigs of flowers or tree branches, 

 with all surroundings carefully appointed. After judging his 

 host's attainments in the art — he displays, by trial, his own. 



There has naturally grown up an elaborate system of sym- 

 bolism. There have liecn developed, as might be expected, meth- 

 ods of making flowers last well. Steins of all are cut under 

 water ; the stems of the lotus, as is practiced among us in the 

 case of the Oriental poppy and of other very evanescent flowers, 

 are plunged immediately into boiling water; the blossoms of all 

 water-loving plants are kept fresh longer by forcing a little salt 

 into the stems and standing them in warm water or weak tea, 

 which is used for flowers of other kinds, also; flowering fruit 

 branches and those of dogwood, etc.. have the bark bruised w'here 

 it will be under water. 



The many illustrations, at first sight of apparently no signifi- 

 cance, repay study by the suggestions that gradually evolve from 

 them. 



A LESSON ON GRAFTING AND BUDDING 



{Continued from page 738) 



trees and inserting grafts in the stubs of the branches. It is not, 

 however, worth wdiile to do this unless the trees are sound. 



Grafting with a ciou is invariably used for trees of any size, 

 and on branches in the case of regrafting old trees, but for seed- 

 ling stock buds are used ; the latter being also always used for 

 roses. 



In selecting cions or buds for fruiting stock we must not forget 

 Pliny's advice to take them from good bearing trees. It is to be 

 feared that this point is not always given full consideration by 

 fruit-tree raisers. I am inclined to believe that, in the case of 

 apples especially, failure to bear is due to want of care in select- 

 ing scions and buds. 



Grafting by approach, or inarching, has been mentioned. This 

 is Nature's method and examples of it may be frequently seen in 

 woods and forests, as well as in other places w-here related trees 

 are growing together. In ordinary practice this method is not 

 now much used, although it was a favorite way in private 

 gardens, especially in connection with plums. For this purpose 

 a seedling is planted under an older tree of the desired kind, and 

 a branch, preferably about the same size as the seedling, is joined 

 to the latter, the barks being removed betw-een the stock and the 

 cion. and both waxed and tied snugly together. If the operation 

 is performed in the Spring the branch may be severed in the Fall 

 and the resulting young tree planted in its permanent position, 

 provided a perfect junction has resulted. 



