December 16, 1905 



HORTICULTURE 



651 



Plants Hardy vs. Tender 



The technical terms hardy and temliT, as nscil liy 

 horticulturists are relative rather tlian ahsolute in tlieir 

 meaning, and when we ask why some' exotic plants arc 

 hardy and withstand climatic vagaries, while others 

 from similar latitudes and elevations are not so, the reply 

 is apt to be ambiguous or otherwise unsatisfying. 

 Broadly speaking. ]ilants from other countries, where the 

 extremes of temperature ai-e similar to our own, are 

 hardy, but this is a rule with many exceptions. 



On the other hand, ihciv are phinls from countries 

 tile mean temperature of whicli is much warmer than 

 those to which these plants are translated which never- 

 theless pass through an average hard winter with im- 

 punity. Temperature is by no means the only factor 

 which decides whether a jjlant is hardy or tender in our 

 climate, since soil, moisture, aspect and shelter all enter 

 more or less into the question. In a word, exactly why 

 some plants are hardy in our open air gardens, and 

 others sooner or later die off in them, nobody knows, and 

 scirnc-c trllc us litili' or nothing about the matter. To 

 kniiu thi- L:(M,uia|ili\. latitude or elevation of a plant in 

 its native hiuiie helps US very little. For example, two 

 sjiecies of plants may be found growing together at a 

 certain altitude on the Andes or the Himalayas, and, 

 when brought home to our gardens, the one will prove 

 hardy and the other will die out if exposed in the open 

 air. Why this is so neither physicist nor physiologist 

 has as yet told us, but there must be some natural laws 

 underlying the problem. 



While we wait for ni(ii-e liglit on this very intricate 

 question, the only thing fur the gardener to do, be he 

 amateur or professional, is to make experiments for 

 himself and to watch those made by others, whenever he 

 can. As I have said ])reviously hardiness is relative and 

 not absolute. For ox:iin|ile. Keeause some plants are 

 quite hardy in Florida, .and like favored parks, it by 

 no means follows that iliey are hardy when planted 

 farther north. Again much more than mere hardihood 

 is desirable. Many ])lants are hardy in the sense that 

 they do not die in a particular climate, but at the same 

 time they are never luxuriant and beautiful. In the 

 case of outdoor ornamental plants we not only want 

 them hardy, but healthy and happy as well. This is 

 why we add to the advantages of climate or proximity 

 to "the sea other cultural advantages, such as good soil, 

 manures, slicltei-. •.:hade. or full exposure to sunshine, 

 whhli expeiienre |eaelie> n- as being most desirable for 

 ditVeivni tlnn.us. i.nealn\ means a good deal, but it is 

 not everything, sinee many things can be grown in the 

 sheltered valleys and glens that are impossible on the 

 wind swept hills or slojios in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood. Seeing the many failures that follow the plant- 

 ing of things not really hardy, it becomes obvious that 

 trees, shrubs and other plants intended for cold and 

 exposed places sliould be obtained from nurseries where 

 they have been reared under similar or even worse 

 conditions. 



It has been suggestctl that the locality in which par- 

 ticular plants do especially well should be added when- 

 ever such are doseribed, and up to a point that rule 

 would be a good one : but in the same district, in the 

 same county even, tliere is a too wide diversity of cir- 

 cumstances, and, as 1 have already said, hardiness is 

 merely one of many other factors that render plants 

 beautiful or welcome in gardens generally. Much de- 

 l>ends on artificial or cultural methods. In tiie c-ase of 

 lilacs, rhododendrons, clematis, and manv other trees 

 and shrubs, including the whole oronp nf'oarden roses. 



many failures result from grafting such things on 

 eonimon and often ill-fitted stocks, instead of rooting 

 llieni from layers or cuttings. Another source of fail- 

 ure even in the case of perfectly hardy trees reared 

 from seeds, results from growing on the .seedlings in 

 pots, instead of cultivating them naturally in open air 

 ([uarters from the seedling stage. Two evils result from 

 the early pot culture of hardy trees and shrubs, viz., 

 their tap roots become spirally contorted, and never 

 afterwards take a firm grip of the ground. Hence the 

 tree is stunted, and never grows to its full size, while 

 the chances are that it will be blown over by a gale long 

 before it I'cacbes inaturity. The point of the whole 

 i|uestiiiii is that we already possess an almost endless 

 >u|i|.ly cif plants iierficily hardy, that are also healthy 

 and beautiful almusi everywhere, and it is on these as 

 naturally increased from seeds, layers, cuttings, or other 

 divisional processes, that we should mainly rely for our 

 best effects in the garden. With things new and un- 

 known there is no reliable way of our knowing their 

 hardihood or value as being effective, except by actually 

 testing them each for ourselves and in our own gardens. 



Hints on Boilers and Heating 



The old practice of installing a new boiler for every 

 additional greenhouse to a range has gone by. The 

 result of this method was a cellar full of boilers, numer- 

 ous fires to run, waste of coal, and time. Since the 

 advent of sectional boilers, and the marked increase in 

 the demand for cut flow-ers and plants necessitating 

 large ranges of glass, methods have changed. 



A man or firm starting in the commercial business to- 

 day does not as a rule commence with one or two houses 

 unless they are of extra width and length. Less than 

 12,000 square feet of glass for a cut flower plant to 

 cater to the wholesale market is not very profitable, 

 that is, if the plant is to be run on business principles 

 keeping the general expense in a good business I'atio to 

 the sales, and leaving a profit at the end of the season. 

 A range of the size mentioned would require about 

 4500 feet of boiler power for a temperature in each 

 house of from 55 degrees to 60 degrees in zero weather, 

 or in other words, boiler power sufficient to take care 

 of about 4500 feet of radiating surface, including 

 mains, and to this should be added about 25 per cent, for 

 surplus power, making a total boiler power of about 

 5600 feet. Working boilers up to their full capacity or 

 rating is poor practice, as fuel is wasted, and they re- 

 quire frequent attention. If extensions are made to 

 the plant the boiler power can be increased by adding 

 sections up to a practical limit. 



For a range of the dimensions given two boilers should 

 be used of equal capacity, thereby providing against loss 

 and delay in case of accident to either. This method 

 also saves fuel in mild weather such as early spring and 

 late fall when one boiler will usually perform the work, 

 ^lost nudvcs of boilers are not tested by practii'al demon- 

 stration before being placed on the market, consequently 

 a liberal allowance should be made in estimating power 

 required. Time should be taken before purchasing a 

 boiler to visit a plant where the particular boiler which 

 is recommended is being used, and note that it is per- 

 forming the amount of work which it is rated for, easily, 

 and that it can be left from eiglit to twelve hours at 

 niuht wiiliout attention. X. 



