THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



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toda}', we woukl not ha\i- hail to sufFer the ravages of the 

 San Jose scale, brown tail moth, etc., as we have had to 

 do in the past decade. It was only because very little 

 attention was paid to insects that these pests were allowed 

 to go on ])ropagating until they were so numerous as to 

 become an epidemic. 



Apart from the financial value any gardener will obtain 

 from even an elementary study of the three subjects, 

 botany, chemistry and entomology, he will derive a much 

 greater enjoyment out of his chosen profession. 



CONSERVING THE WOODLANDS. 



A most interesting and instructive lecture on the con- 

 servation of the woodlands of private estates and public 

 parks was given recently under the auspices of the Nassau 

 County Horticultural Society, at Glen Cove, N. Y., liy 

 Mr. J. J. Levison, M. F., Forester to the Department of 

 Parks, Brooklyn, X. Y. Mr. Levison augmented his 

 lecture with more than a iiundred stereopticon slides 

 illustrating the various phases of his subject as he spoke 

 on them. 



Local conditions, as they effect Long Lsland, were given 

 considerable attention by the lecturer during his discourse, 

 and he warned that unless vigilance is observed the island 

 is in danger of being visited by the gypsy and brown tail 

 moths, both of which have already been discovered on 

 some parts of the island. 



In the care of woodlands, Air. Levison urged for con- 

 sideration for their proper upkeep, the idea of providing 

 an imder story of trees such as hemlock and beach to 

 take the place of the older trees as they die. Also, to 

 protect the soil by keeping it well shaded at all times, 

 so that the leaves falling on the ground will decay rapidly, 

 and enrich the soil with humus. This, he said, will serve 

 to establish a natural condition in the forest and help the 

 old trees by conserving the moisture in the soil and en- 

 riching it as a ]ilant food. He argued that in most parks 

 and on most of the private estates the practice has Ijeen 

 just the contrary. The leaves are generally raked off 

 from year to year, and gaps between the trees are al- 

 lowed to, become so open that the sun gets in, dries up the 

 moisture in the soil and allows grass to take the place of 

 the humus. 



In addition to underplanting with trees, Mr. Levison 

 recommended an extensive use of native shrubs, such as 

 New Jersey tea, bleeding red berry, elder, dog-wood, blue 

 beech, iron wood, etc., etc., claiming these would also 

 aid to help conserve the moisture and soil, besides adding 

 an especial charm to the woodland. In open gaps, where 

 opportu.nity will ])ermit he suggested additional attrac- 

 tiveness may be added by planting colonies of bloodroot, 

 native ferns, columbines, etc,, a method used extensively 

 abroad. 



In the treatment of diseases of trees, Mr. Levison 

 stated that success is only possible where every trace of 

 the fibre which penetrates from the fungi into the tree 

 is first entirely removed and where this is not possible it 

 is by far better to chop down the tree, than to fill the 

 cavities. In this connection the lecturer dwelled strongly 

 on the service of the gardener, acting in the capacity of 

 an adviser to the estate owner, contending that the 

 gardener should be in position to observe the need and 

 conditions of trees so that he can keep- the owner informed 

 on their refiuiremeiits. If at any time expert treatment 

 from outside sources is necessary, it would be to the 

 gardener's interest, as well as the owner's, to see to it 

 that the treatment is of a justified as well as of a scientific 

 nature. He stated that it was not his contention that the 

 gardener should place himself in the position to assume 

 the responsibilities of an expert, but that he should ac- 



cumulate enough knowledge on the suliject to be suffi- 

 ciently posted to know whether the work when under- 

 taken by the expert is really warranted. 



Concluding, Mr. Levison pointed out that the proper 

 up-keep and protection of woodland means constant at- 

 tention to detail and that there is no man better qualified 

 to give this attention than "the man on the job" — the 

 gardener. He added that there may be times when some- 

 thing of technical character may develop on which the 

 gardener may not be informed and, so, to get the proper 

 start he should seek his advice from a well recognized 

 authority and work in co-operation with him. 



THE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A FLO'WER. 



The accompanying illustration from the Journal of 

 Heredity presents the essential parts of the flower, greatly 

 magnified. At the top is the female organ, the stigma, 

 supported on its slender column called the style. Around 

 this style, completely enclosing it, are the many stamens, 

 grown together into a solid tube, over the surface of 

 which are scattered the pollen-containers or anthers. The 

 pollen grains are seen falling from these anthers. When 



ORG.\NS OF KKl'UOIiL'CTIOK IN IIIl'.ISCl'S. 



one of these pollen grains is carried to the stigma by an 

 insect, a long tube grows down from the grain through 

 the soft' tissue of the style until the oVary" is reached. 

 The nucleus in the pollen grain slips down through this 

 tube and into the egg cell in the ovary, where it unites 

 with the egg nucleus, and the machinery of cell division 

 is then set in motion for the reproik'ction of another 

 hibiscus. 



