April 28, 1917 



HORTICULTUEE 



547 



Salvi 



via 



Writing the name Salvia at the head of this note I 

 know tlie thoughts of the majority of my readers will 

 first of all turn to the popula.r scarlet sage. During the 

 midsummer and early fall months the aspect of an 

 overwhelming number of our home grounds would lack 

 one of their at present very conspicuous features with- 

 out the strong fieiy red banks of the annual Salvia 

 splendens varieties. Certainly, as a very convenient 

 bedder for near and distant color effects scarlet sage is 

 simply indispensable, but on the carefully blended 

 borders of our flower gardens on account of the in- 

 tensity of its red tints it is sometimes rather difficult 

 to place. Hei"e Salvia patens with its intense pure blue 

 spikes would be invaluable, but, unfortunately. Salvia 

 patens is not free flowering enough. Under such con- 

 ditions our interest in the hardy perennial sages in- 

 creases. Blue being the dominant color of the garden 

 types they are at their best after the great floral May 

 and June climax on our mixed garden borders is past. 

 Therefore in keeping up a disirable variety in forms 

 and colors at a time of obvious need they prove de- 

 cidedly valuable. This applies to Salvia azurea, S. 

 Pitcher! and S. uliginosa, averaging a height of from 

 4 to 5 feet in growth and in blossom from August until 

 frost. As one of the best perennial sages I consider the 

 subject of our cover illustration, Salvia virgata nemo- 

 rosa, producing its beautiful dark blue spikes during 

 the latter part of June and throughout the month of 

 July. 



Last, not least, the white and carmine forms of our 

 native Texas species Salvia Greggi merit our attention. 

 Like the species %drgata nemorosa they are of medium 

 height and handsome busliy habit of growth and begin 

 to flower late in June. Knowing that at present the 

 possibilities of employing perennial salvias for floral 

 midsummer and fall eft'ects among horticulturists are 

 not fully realized I should like to advise early and more 

 frequent trials. 



Hardy salvias thrive best exposed to the full sun in 

 a rather light soil. Propagation by spring sowings 

 and divisions. Light winter covering. 



Glenside, Pa. 



-StvcAxxj-udSiM^ 



Semi-Tuberous or Socotrana 

 ronias 



Begc 



During May, June and July they will need more 

 shade from time to time but always avoid heavy shad- 

 ing. A very good shading is a lathe frame with cheese- 

 cloth. Overhead spraying should be more frequent and 

 heavier in the morning preceding a hot day and right 

 after dinner time. KeejJ the air humid by wetting 

 down the paths and beneath the benches. Keep the 

 flowers and buds removed and pinch any runaway 

 shoots. Examine the stalk carefully and where they 

 appear pot bound shift them without delay. You can 

 use a compost now and on of fibrous loam, leaf mould, 

 well decayed cow manure in equal parts, with a sprink- 



ling of sand and give plenty of drainage to each pot. 

 Better specimens are raised by timely, short shifts, 

 gradually working up to the final size than by long 

 shifts skipping several sizes at every potting. During 

 these months of hot summer they will be slow of growth. 

 During the end of August they should get their final 

 potting. The best pots are azalea pots of 5, 6 or 7-inch 

 according to the size and vigor of the plants. A good 

 compost is turfy loam three parts, well-rotted cow 

 manure two parts, leaf mould and sand one part each. 

 Pot moderately firm, but not too hard. After August 

 discontinue all pinching on those intended for early 

 flowering. When September comes we are in the start 

 of a season when these plants make their main growth. 

 The temperature should be about 60 degrees during 

 night. Use. only enough stakes to keep them up neatly 

 and in such a way as to be inconspicuous as possible. 

 Give them room now from time to time. They do 

 better set up on inverted pots, which allows them better 

 air and light. Keep reducing the shading so by the mid- 

 dle of October they will be standing full sun. During 

 October and November Gloire de Lorraine, Glory of Cin- 

 cinnati, Florence Davenport, etc., will be sending up 

 their flower spikes. As they become sufficiently well 

 bloomed, they can be greatly improved by the careful 

 use of liquid manure once a week. These winter flower- 

 ing begonias are very sensitive to any sudden changes of 

 temperature and should be kept as near 60 degrees at 

 night as possible. Wliere large specimen plants are 

 grown in 7, 8 and 10-inch pans they should have plenty 

 of room now. 



.ToHN J. M. Farbell. 



Crazy Hysterics 



According to the papers, as Sweeney would say, we 

 mustn't do a thing any more but raise eats and fight. 

 No more posy raising, no more song singing, no 

 theatres, no pictures, no parks, no anything of the 

 l^eautiful and lovely in life from now on ! While the 

 newspapers tallied about cultivating the vacant lots, 

 that was all right, but now when they are tallying about 

 ripping up parks, and turning the conservatories into 

 potato and onion patches — when 95 per cent of the 

 farms in the country are only half cultivated — that's 

 turning common sense into crazy hysterics. 



I tallied yesterday with a farmer who owns a 500- 

 acre farm within 20 miles of Philadelphia and asked 

 him how much of it was in cultivation. He said about 

 10 acres. I asked why not all of it. Can't got the help 

 said he. Can you beat it? What he meant was that 

 he couldn't get the help at tlie old price of $30 a month, 

 and his slow working mind will take some years to 

 realize that labor is a commodity and subject to the 

 universal law of supply and demand and not to custom 

 and tradition. This is just a sample case. It is com- 

 mon evei7where, and yet they tallv of ri]iping up our 

 parks and squares ! 



