September 4, 1915 



II OKT I CULTURE 



311 



Indigofera decora 



The Indigoferas may well be classed among the 

 prettiest and most graceful garden shrubs. They be- 

 long to the family I.eguminosae and derive their name 

 from indigo, referring to the use of certain species in 

 producing the well known dye. 



Indigofera decora, a native of southern China, is, I 

 think, one of the finest of the genus, and although it 

 dies to the ground each winter in the vicinity of Boston 

 it deserves more general planting, for each spring it 

 sends up quantities of new shoots which, early in June. 

 are covered with terminal racemes of large white flowers. 

 These shoots attain a height of from one and one-half 

 to two feet and are well clothed with bluish green com- 

 pound leaves of a fine texture. 



Indigofera kirilowi, a close relative of the above, is 

 another plant deserving of attention, lliis species, a 

 native of Korea, from whence it was brought by Mr. 

 J. G. Jack, is, if anything, hardier than I. decora for 

 it does not die back each year. It is a fast growing 

 •species forming a spreading mass from one to two feet 

 in height with l)luisii green foliage and rosy pink flowers 

 of the same size as those of I. decora and borne also in 

 terminal racemes. In the Arnold Arboretum it has 

 proven to be one of the best shrubs of its class, remain- 

 ing in bloom during several weeks. 



Among the other species of Indigofera, whiiii have 

 proven hardy or half hardy at the .Arnold .Xrboretuni, 

 are I. Gerardiana, a native of the Himalayas, whicii dies 

 back each year but comes up again like I. decora, and I. 

 amblyantha, a plant of entirely different habit, having 

 slender stems and a.xillary clusters of small flowers, 

 rose colored, and continuing in bloom for two or three 

 months. The foliage is smaller than on other species. 

 I. amblyantha was introduced from western China by 

 E. H. Wilson. Tlure lie found it growing on cliffs above 



livers in aiuiuili-.- ni uji in >i\ ih(ni>aiul feet above 

 the sea. 



The Indigoferas may be propagate<i from seed or by 

 firm cuttings of young shoots inserted in sandy or peaty 

 soil under glass in slight heat in summer. These plants 

 give promise of becoming valualile material for the use 

 (if the landscape gardener when they become better 

 known. The foliage is of a texture which harjuonizes 

 well with many other shrubs and they make an attrac- 

 tive addition to the shrubbery, especially since their 

 blooming period is later than most of our native shrubs. 

 Their use should be encouraged where conditions warrant 

 rilantinff slinibs of their class. 



x;^l/4i/^ % 



■Jama'iiu J'lniii. M(ii<s. 



A PEST OF THE RHODODENDRON. 



Editor llORTICVr.TrUi;. 



Dear Sir: If pussibie I would like to get 

 some inforiiKition about a pest which de- 

 stroy.s Rhododendrons. In the last couple 

 of years I have lost ciuiie a few of the rarer 

 kinds. At first I could not aciount for It, 

 but on close examination I found that In 

 every c'ase an inch or so below the ground 

 the bark had been eaten off the stem. Al- 

 though I repeatedly oxaiiiiiied the plants 

 I was never able to find anythini; that was 

 likely to do it. Soakinj; the ground with 

 Verniino did not prevent it. Outch gar- 

 deners tell me tlial it is done by the larva 

 of a biiK tlii'y rail .Moblum which comes 

 from Holland. The hug also eats the leaves 

 during the niglit. wliich is probably cor- 

 rect, as 1 have oliserved that parts of the 

 leaves li.-ive been eaten, but that is done at 

 an earlier time. AI the present time I have 

 not been able to see any. 



If there is any remedy against this pest 

 I would very much like to know it. 

 Yours truly. 



AUU. J. P.M'LS. 



Palisades Park, N. J. 



Editor HoRTicii.TtKK. 



We liave had the trouble which Mr. 

 Pauls writes about, for years. We find 

 it is caused by a little wliite grub 

 about the size of a grain of wheat, and 

 no doubt the larvae of the bug men- 

 tioned — niobium. We know of no rem- 

 edy. So far onr trouble has been con- 

 fined to nursery beds, none having yet 

 appeared in the larger plantations In 

 the grounds. It is not confined, how- 



ever, to rhododendrons. Yews are 

 great favorites with the grub, and 

 large plants 3-4 feet higli have been 

 killed by it. It eats all the barU off 

 the roots to the ground level, and it 

 is hard to detect, for the plants do not 

 appear to show its worl; until it is all 

 but finished. Occasionally I have de- 

 tected its work and moved the plants, 

 and saved them. So far the only way 

 we have successfully combatted tlie 

 grub has lieen changing the place 

 every two years, for it takes about this 

 time from the laying of the eggs for 

 the grul) to become dangerous. It is 

 practically a fixture — has no locomo- 

 tion and so moving saves the plants 

 for a while. 



We find it attacks all Ericaceae — 

 Azaleas. Kalmias. Lcucotlioes, Andro- 

 medas, Zenobia, Oxydeiulron and many 

 others. T. D. Uvti-ikid. 



Wollosley, Mass. 



LANDSCAPE GARDENERS SCARCE 

 IN MISSOURI. 

 Landscape gardeners ate scarce in 

 Missouri. Kroni fifteen to twenty ap- 

 plications have been on file in the 

 Landscape Gardening Department at 

 the University of Missouri during the 



last year. .4t least seven of these po- 

 sitions remain unfilled at the present 

 time. The work includes supervision 

 of grounds about institutions and. 

 Iiarks, planting, designing, care of ar- 

 boretums and nurseries. 



Horace F. .Major, assistant profes- 

 sor of Landscape gardening at the Uni- 

 versity, says that there are great op- 

 liortunities in this profession. SO' 

 great are the opportunities, he says, 

 that untrained men are calling them- 

 selves landscape architects and are 

 turning to this profession. 



.\bout a dozen students are taking 

 tlie advanced courses in this work at 

 the university. A greater number are 

 taking the more elementary courses. 

 .Many university women are taking the 

 work. A course in floriculture, which 

 consists of the care of house plants 

 and gardens, is given especially for 

 women. A course in landscape gar- 

 cltiiing takes up the principles under- 

 l.vliig the urnameiitation of public and 

 I'rivate j;roiiuds. Other courses are 

 given In (lie history of landscape gar- 

 dnning. theory and principles of land- 

 scape design and engineering, elemen- 

 taiy Iniidscaiie design, and ornamental 

 plants. Considerable work is given far 

 graduate students. 



