HORTICULTURE 



November 11, 1905 



Experience with Hydrangea pan- 

 iculata grandillora 



I was greatly interested in ^Ir. J. E. Freeman's arti- 

 cle in regard to the retarding of Hydrangea paniculata 

 grandiflora blooms. Perhaps a little account of our ex- 

 perience along the same lines might be of interest to 

 your readers. 



It was along in 1869 that the writer first commenced 

 to grow this useful, hardy, ornamental shrub for propa- 

 gating purposes. The first dozen plants were bought 

 from a Flushing, New York, firm, and since then mil- 

 lions have been propagated in this section. In this lo- 

 cality (southern Pennsylvania) this hydrangea thrives 

 remarkably well; our rich loamy, limestone soil seems 

 to agree with it. In the town and country places, large 

 specimens 9 to 10 ft. liigh with a proportionate diame- 

 ter, are not uncommon. Some of these were planted 25 

 or 30 years ago and are a grand sight when in bloom. 



It roots easily from cuttings taken from the plants 

 the first or second week in July, depending somewhat 

 on the season. In looking over the record of propaga- 

 tion since 1870, I find the average time about July 

 9th. The cuttings are made from wood of the new 

 growth cut into proper lengths; half the foliage is cut 

 off to prevent too rapid evaporation, as well as to save 

 room in propagating house. I prefer to root them in 

 houses in preference to frame as they do not require 

 any bottom heat at this season of the year. They root 

 in from 3 to 4 weeks. After they are rooted, we pot 

 them into 4-inch pots, five and six plants in a pot. Wc 

 keep them under glass until October, then begin to 

 harden them off, after which they are heeled in outside 

 in beds where they remain until spring. 



When they are ready for field planting, generally 

 about the middle of April, sometimes as late as first 

 weeiv in May, according to season, we select a rich, mel- 

 low plot of ground and plant them in rows 100 to 125 

 yards long. "Wlien the plants are expected to remain 

 two years we run the rows 3 ft. apart and the plants 

 about 5 or 6 inches ajDart in row. These are cultivated 

 with horse. Where the plants are intended to remain 

 in same ground only one season, we run rows 20 inches 

 apart and plant about 4 inches apart in the row. These 

 are cultivated with wheel hoe by hand. This stock is 

 generally used for the mailing trade. The plants grow 

 from 15 to 24 inches the first season after planting, 

 with from 1 to 3 shoots, each of which produces a fine 

 head of bloom the second or third week in September. 

 This is about a month later than the blooming season 

 on established plants. The flowers on the late blooming 

 young plants are wliiter than the earlier blooms on older 

 plants. 



When wc have a wet summer like the past, the stock 

 plants in field, from which the cuttings have been 

 taken, make a second growth and produce good blooms 

 in October. We had a batch of 1000 plants in fine bloom 

 as late as October 20th. The soil, however, should be 



very rich and the plants should be topdressed with fine 

 manure, also well cultivated after the July cutting. To 

 ensure success in a dry season, watering would have to 

 be resorted to. 



There is another method by which the blooms can be 

 retarded^ at will. This can be done by digging the 

 plants from field in Xovember, pruning them into desir- 

 able shape. If large heads are desired, prune close, if 

 smaller ones are wanted, prune less. Keep the stock 

 plants in a cold cellar and plant them in field in June 

 or early July. This will ensure a late fall bloom. 

 When all the good qualities of this hydrangea are taken 

 into consideration, it is not surprising that its popu- 

 larity is constantly on the increase. The millions of 

 blooming shrubs in the country are a living advertise- 

 ment. It has a character of its own, hardy and endur- 

 ing as a forest tree, giving us its annual wealth of 

 flowers without stint. Its only requirements are ample 

 room, good soil and plenty of manure and water. It 

 can be pruned at any time from November to April, 

 and the writer has never known it to fail even under 

 adverse conditions. 



^SIxSS5s^5^^^ 



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More About a Grower^s Duty 



"Pardon this freedom I have ta'en 

 An', if impertinent I've been, 

 Impute it not, good sir, in ane 



Whose heart ne'er wrang'd ye 

 But to his utmost would befriend 



Ought that belang'd ye." 



—Burns. 



Volcanoes and earthquakes, we are told, are caused by 

 gases being bottled up in the earth's interior, gradu- 

 ally getting stronger, till the pressure is so great that 

 something must give way. Something of this sort would 

 probably have happened around that eastern city, but I 

 gently lifted the lid, and the pressure seems to have gone 

 down very perceptibly. Judging by the quietness of 

 some of the circle, they must have taken to the tall tim- 

 ber. I hope all of these will be a little more sensible and 

 look around home and not go west to pick a mote out 

 of a brother's eye. Their shafts were not hurled at Mr. 

 Lemon or the C. S. A., but they came pretty close. 

 They were thrown at a gentleman with whom I have had 

 business dealings and who probably has forgotten more 

 than his critics ever knew and who has done more for 

 horticulture than the whole bunch; but let this part of 

 the matter drop, as they are doubtless repentant and 

 wish to be good boys and will try to make amends for 

 all. 



Regarding the foreman question, I maintain that any 

 foreman who has charge of a place, the proprietor hav- 

 ing a knowledge of the business or being ignorant of his 

 position, should, when a flower show of national impor- 

 tance is almost at his door, see to it that the matter is 

 placed before his emploj'er in a way which would enable 

 him to see his duty. 



We all know that Mr. Lemon is a painstaking gentle- 

 man, watchful of the interests of the society in which 

 he holds an exalted position, and one who, like our Pres- 

 ident, wishes to give every member or non-member a 

 "square deal." 



