224 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Speaking of insect pests, it is interesting tn note that 

 near Boston, where the gypsy moth got its start in 

 America and where milhons of doHars have been spent 

 in combating it, that tliis major pest is scarcer than ever 

 before, this being thie to the prevalence of the wilt disease, 

 the work of parasitic foes and unfavorable climatic con- 

 ditions, for all of which we are profoundly grateful. The 

 brown tail moth is extinct except in a few scattered locali- 

 ties. The elm leaf beetle, which came as a plague in l^'OO, 

 threatened to wipe out all our elms and tinall\- disappeared, 

 has come back in i)laces, but is not numerous. The oak 

 leaf roller threatened to destroy all our oaks six or eight 

 years ago, but is now rarely met with. The San Jose 

 scale, which was to clean out all our orchards, is still with 

 us but is gradually dwindling. It taught us the necessity 

 of dormant spraying and. as a result, we have much better 

 orchards. The European corn borer is destructive now 

 but it will, before long, be controlled by parasites. Other 

 pests there are in Massachusetts but where tons of arsen- 

 ate of lead were used a decade ago, 100 i>ounds suffices for 

 protection now, and if we only had more birds, our insect 

 fights would be still more lightened. 



The latest document from the h'ederal Horticultural 

 Board is pitifully weak when examined. The eminent 

 array of Government and State ofificials dare hardly 

 criticize the hand that feeds them, knowing full well that if 

 they did so. they would speedily suffer decajjitation, and the 

 various nurserymen who applaud the beneficent (to them) 

 (Juarantine 37 do so, not because they are terrified at the 

 possible introduction of a few more bugs but because the 

 F. H. B. functioning as a tariff board accords them almost 

 complete protection from foreigii sources, and that means 

 much higher prices for home raised plants to the ultimate 

 consumer, and of course this is the only legitimate way to 

 build up "a more truly .American PTorticulture !'' Dr 

 Marlatt's s])ecial conuuittee has given the F. H. B. the 

 generous coat of whitewash desired, but their latest ex- 

 ploits will only tend to strengthen opposition to the board 

 as at present constituted, and further camouflaging on 

 their part will be necessary if they hope to hoodwink those 

 who remain unconvinced that a board of scientific theor- 

 ists api)ointed to jjrotect us from plant j^ests and diseases 

 should ajjpoint themselves a tariff' legislative body. 



* * ■:■■ * 



Some years ago when JFalsiniia .Irdcniei was first 

 introduced from .^oulh .\frica it attained some popularity 

 as a greenhouse plant. Of lale it is rarely seen. In 

 l-'lorida, California and other warm States these beautiful 

 bulbous ]>lants are very po])ular as garden plants and 

 flower over a long season. My friend, F. W. Fletcher of 

 Orlando, Fla., sent me some bulbs last Fall. These were 

 I)ot-grown and flowered beautifull}-, the colors being 

 mainly peach ])ink and pure white. The spikes are well 

 branched anfl carry as many as 50 or more flowers each. 

 They grow somewhat taller than gladioli, want similar 

 culture and are fine for cutting. l'"or use in groups of 

 flowering ])lants at our Spring shows they would be ex- 

 cellent. I do not remember to have seen anv at recent 

 shov\s. Bulbs are obtainable in abundance in both Florida 

 and California. Watsonias might also prove a jirofitable 

 liench crop for conunercial growers to try in a moderate 

 way. cutting them when the first two or three flowers open. 



* * * * 



The old Scarborough lily (Vallola piirpnycn) is rarel\ 

 seen on jirivate estates. It is one of those subjects which is 

 usually belter grown and flowered by small amateurs than 

 by professional gardeners, and quite commonly at agri- 

 cultural fairs in Massachusetts in September or early 



( )ctober, splendidly rt(j\\ered i)lants in large pots or tubs 

 are exhibited, carrying anywhere from two dozen spikes 

 u])wards. Those who flower them so successfully usually 

 Winter them in a light cellar, and a point to remember is 

 that while they are closely allied to Amaryllis, they are 

 evergreen leaved and must never be dried ofT. Further- 

 more, they resent disturbance at the roots and flower most 

 [irofusely when bulbs are crowded and receptacles matted 

 with roots. In this resjject they are not dissimilar from 

 Nerines. There is a ])ure white form of Vallota in cul- 

 tixation and several varieties of the scarlet type, the finest 

 being called inagnifica. T. purpurea was introduced from 

 South Africa in 1774 and the plant is named after M. 

 J'ierre Valot, a French botanist who wrote a description 

 of the royal gardens as long ago as 1623. For the suc- 

 cessful culture of Vallota. it is necessary to cover bulbs 

 several inches deep and bed them well in sand. It will 

 take a year or two for them to thoroughly establish them- 

 selves. Well grown and bloomed ]>Iants, carrying numer- 

 ous spikes two to three feet in height, are most attractive. 



(Ireenliouse tomatoes have this season been more 

 troubled with mildew than for many years owing to the 

 prolonged sjjell of hot, rainy weather in June, with many 

 dark days with an atmosphere reeking with humidity. A 

 great many florists grow tomatoes as late Spring and 

 .Summer crops and nearly all private estates wliere there 

 are greenhouses plant quite a number. The \-ahie of dust 

 over liquid S])raying has been clearly pro\'ed this season. 

 1 have used 80 per cent sulphur and 20 per cent lime, and 

 this has controlled mildew much belter than Bordeau.x 

 mixture or sprays containing sulphur. At the Lexington 

 Field Station, managed conjointly by the Boston Market 

 Gardeners' Association and the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College, a large number of varieties, mostly of 

 British origin, are being tested unde'r glass this season, 

 and the one which seemed to me to be the best all round 

 sort was Lister's Fxcelsior, a 1917 introduction. Comet 

 also showed up well, but the crop was not. owing to 

 mildew attacks, a normal one. 



What is the best producing and most disease-proof 

 .isparagus? This is a question fre(juently asked and it is 

 ;m important one. There has been a steady improvement 

 in varieties and t\pes of late years and nuich has been 

 .iccomiilished b_\- selection. Not many years ago Palmetto, 

 ( liant Argenteuil and Conover's Colossal were the stand- 

 bys. These varieties are still largely grown but Reading 

 Giant has forged to the front rapidly of late years. Now 

 it in turn seems destined to play second fiddle to Martha 

 Washington. There arc several Washingtons on the 

 m;irket, which is unfortunate, as the average amateur or 

 l>rivatc gardener does not know whether to buy Mary 

 Washington, Martha W.ashington or Washington. At 

 present Martha seems to fill the centre of the stage. 



LTsually seedsmen carry what are termcfl two-year- 

 old roots of as])aragns which average no larger in 

 size than yearlings. .\n excellent way to save time is to 

 sow seeds under glass about C'hristmas. pot olT singly into 

 2'/jS and later into 4s, gradually h.ardening oil" and plant- 

 ing out as soon as weather |)ermits. There will l)e no 

 loss from plant" <^hus raised and they will grow five or 

 more feet high the same season, and with me have ])roved 

 'ar more satisfactory than either two or one-year-old 

 dormanl roots. 



The auioimt of pleasure that there is in this world can 

 never Ix- measured. The philosophy ol lile i^ rrcipidcit\ 

 and a man gets what he gives. — Ch.auucey .M . I )(pew. 



