April 19, 1919 



HORTICULTURE 



373 



SOME ATTRACTIVE LABURNUMS. 



The Laburnums are among the most 

 useful flowering trees, for they are 

 perfectly hardy, thrive in many differ- 

 ent kinds of soil and under very va- 

 ried conditions, are suitable alike for 

 large and small gardens, and give ex- 

 cellent results in town and country. 

 Moreover, they can be used for forc- 

 ing in spring, although rather more 

 difficult to deal with in that respect 

 than many other subjects. Nor is it 

 alone as ornamental trees that the 

 Laburnums demand consideration, for, 

 although the wood is small, it is among 

 the most beautiful of all European 

 woods when properly worked. It is 

 very hard and close-grained, the heart- 

 wood being dark brown Or simetimes 

 nearly black, and the sap-wood yellow. 

 When worked up and polished, it bears 

 a resemblance to ebony, and can be 

 used effectively for cabinet work, 

 turnery, etc. At one period of our 

 country's history it was used in addi- 

 tion to the wood of the yew and one 

 or two other trees for the manufac- 

 ture of bows. 



Propagation of the species is so 

 easly effected by seeds that there is 

 no reason for adopting any other 

 method, but the varieties and hybrids 

 must be increased by grafting or bud- 

 ding upon stock of the common kinds. 

 Pruning is only necessary in the early 

 stages to shape the trees; in fact, it is 

 not advisable to prune old specimens 

 if it can be avoided, for the wounds do 

 not heal well. A word of warning is 

 necessary regarding the poisonous 

 character of the seeds and branches, 

 for cases have been recorded of death 

 or severe sickness among children and 

 animals who have eaten the seeds or 

 branches. 



The two best known are L. vulgare, 

 the common Laburnum, and L. alpi- 



num, the Scotch Laburnum. The first 

 named may be found at any height up 

 to 30 feet, with a rather thin head of 

 branches and a trunk sometimes a foot 

 in diameter. The cylindrical racemes 

 of flowers are up to 6 inches long and 

 borne in May. There are many va- 

 type. Alschingeri, however, differs in 

 rieties, but few are superior to the 

 the shape of the flowers; aureum has 

 golden leaves; and pendulum, pendent 

 branches. Such kinds as involutum, 

 quercifolium and sessilifolium are dis- 

 tinguished by their deformed leaves. 

 The Scotch Laburnum flowers two or 

 three weeks later than the common 

 kind. Like the other species, it is a 

 native of Central and Southern Eu- 

 rope, and grows almost as tall, but is 

 easily distinguished by its larger, 

 darker-colored leaves and longer in- 

 florescences. Of the two it is the bet- 

 ter tree to plant. Of several varieties, 

 grandiflorum and Latest and Longest 

 are very distinct. The former pro- 

 duces racemes 10 inches to 15 inches 

 long, and in the latter case the inflor- 

 escences are often 15 inches to 20 

 inches long. Autumnale is a variety 

 that bears a second crop of flowers in 

 autumn. Of several varieties that 

 have been raised between these two 

 species, the best is L. Watered, an ex- 

 ceptionally free-flowering and vigor- 

 ous tree which bears racemes of flow- 

 ers up to 9 inches or 10 inches long. 

 When only one Laburnum is wanted, 

 this should be selected. 



L. Adamii is a very curious Labur- 

 num, for it produces two distinct types 

 of growth and three different kinds of 

 flowers. It originated near Paris in 

 1825 as a graft hybrid after Cytisus 

 purpureus had been grafted upon L. 

 vulgare. The hybrid bears racemes of 

 yellow flowers, racemes of purplish 

 flowers, and patches of growth exactly 

 like Cytisus purpureus, bearing sim- 

 ilar leaves and flowers. Although less 

 beautiful than an ordinary Laburnum, 

 its singular appearance both when in 

 and out of bloom makes it an inter- 

 esting tree for the garden. — W. D., in 

 The Garden. 



JmilllllllltHltliniimimimilllllllllllllimilllllllmimimllHIIUIirilllllimiNllllllf: 



INSTRUCTION IN GARDENING | 



I Practical instruction is offered In I 

 = vegetable, flower and fruit gardening, f 

 I greenhouse and nursery practice, to- § 

 | gether with lectures, laboratory, field | 

 1 and shop work in garden botany, zoo- i 

 = logy, pathology, landscape design, soils, = 

 I plant chemistry and related subjects. I 

 I The curriculum is planned for the = 

 § education of any persons who would | 

 | become trained gardeners or fitted to | 

 | be superintendents of estates or parks. = 

 = Students may be admitted at any time. | 

 i Circulars and other Information will I 

 § be mailed on application. 



1 The New York Botanical Garden j 



| Bronx Park HEW YORK CITT | 



^■niiiHHittiiiRulJiiiliiiliiimiiiiiimiiuiiiiiiiiiimiimiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiMiiiiii? 



Chrysanthemum 

 Cuttings 



Major Bonnaffon, Chas. Razer, Oconto, 

 Pacific Supreme and Clirysolora, ready 

 April 1st, $2.50 per hundred. 



Also, Extra Strong Cuttings of Car- 

 nation Matchless, $20.00 per thousand. 



W. D. HOWARD 



MILFORD, 



MASS. 



FERTILIZE THE GARDEN. 



Fertilizers mature the vegetables 

 early, increase the yield, and Improve 

 the quality. For the home garden, 

 manure is the common fertilizer. It 

 makes the garden soil open, deep and 

 mellow, the proper condition for a soil 

 hoed as much as the well cultivated 

 garden is. However, according to W. 

 A. Albrecht of the University of Mis- 

 souri College of Agriculture, it is a 

 poorly balanced plant ration, supply- 

 ing nitrogen in abundance to develop 

 the leaves and stems of the plant, but 

 deficient in phosphorous, which is nec- 

 essary for root, fruit and seed growth. 

 Most soils are low in phosphorous and 

 manure in the garden should therefore 

 be supplemented by commercial fer- 

 tilizers rich in this element of plant 

 food. MVeri though manure may not 

 solve the fertilizer problem complete- 

 ly it is the best general fertilizer to 

 use on the garden and should be used 

 freely. The addition of some phos- 

 phorus or commercial fertilizer, how- 

 ever, is a paying practice. 



An application of well rotted horse 

 manure at the rate of 10 to 15 tons 

 per acre is not excessive. When pos- 

 sible this should be supplemented by 

 either a complete fertilizer or acid 

 phosphate. Phosphate applied on the 

 surface in the early spring at the rate 

 of 3 to 5 pounds per square rod will 

 improve general garden crops. Where 

 complete fertilizers are used they may 

 be varied somewhat to suit the vege- 

 tables. For cabbage crops, roots, 

 sweet corn, lettuce and other leaf 

 crops a fertilizer labelled 3-12-2 or 3- 

 12-0 is recommended, to be applied at 

 about the same rate as acid phos- 

 phate. 



For potatoes, onions and early peas, 

 which demand more potash a 2-10-4 

 might well be used, especially on the 

 heavier clay soils well manured. The 

 ammonia helps start the crops in the 

 early spring before the soil is warm 

 enough to liberate the needed plant 

 food. The high content of phosphorio 

 acid makes up the shortage in the soil, 

 while potash is used on soils low in 

 decaying organic matter and for crops 

 demanding much of this plant food. 

 Where the above fertilizers cannot be 

 had, those with less ammonia may be 

 used. The potash is not essential ex- 

 cept on sandier or lighter soils. Phos- 

 phorus is the first plant food to con- 

 sider for any garden, regardless of the 

 soil. Where less manure is used the 

 rate of application may be increased 

 to as much as ten pounds per square 

 rod. The cost of fertilizer for the 

 home garden will be small, and the 

 money so spent gives big returns. 



