THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



171 



WHAT BULBS TO PLANT. 



Not every person who calls himself a botanist is inter- 

 ested in the' cultivated pets of the gardener, but everyone 

 ought to have more than a passing interest in the spring 

 flowering bulbs which hint of the coming of a milder 

 season long before the wild species of field and wood 

 confirm the fact. Still earlier than the flowers comes 

 the bulb catalogue; in fact, if the weather is good it 

 should appear in the early autumn along with the cro- 

 cuses which, impatient for spring, are so early as to ap- 

 pear late. It is not impatience but necessity, however, 

 that actuates the bulb catalogue, for if spring-flowering 

 bulbs are not planted in autumn there will be no spring 

 flowers. The bulbs of this kind need the autumn and 

 early winter in which to make roots and get things ready 

 for an early start. The old bulb grower needs no in- 

 structions regarding the selection of bulbs but the novice 

 may be glad to have a few hints at the beginning. To 

 such it may be said that while all the different kinds of 

 bulbs oft'ered by the dealer will grow and bloom, there 

 are some that are much better for the beginner than 

 others because they yield their flowers with a minimum 

 of attention on the part of the cultivator. The best bulbs 

 to begin with, then, are the tulips and narcissi. Crocuses 

 are cheap and make a fine show against a background 

 of bare earth or withered leaves but they are not avail- 

 able for cutting and are easily run out by stronger plants. 

 Hyacinths are fine when in bloom but they, too, are not 

 very persistent and often fail to bloom properly. The 

 tulip is always on the job. Its large and brilliant flowers 

 light up the grounds as those of no other early flowering 

 bulbs can do, and they serve admirably for bouquets in- 

 doors. Tulips may be had in all colors except blue, with 

 flowers either single or double. If the plants are set in 

 beds, one may have two entirely diiTerent crops of flowers 

 from the same area by sowing the tulip beds, while yet 

 the tulips are blooming, with seeds of petunia, portulaca, 

 poppy or annual phlox, which will give brilliant masses 

 of color all summer. The tulips may be left in the ground 

 after they have died down, and the next spring will come 

 up stronger and brighter than ever. In recent years a 

 new race of late tulips, called Darwin tulips, have come in- 

 to the market. These have stems a foot or more long with 

 flowers of many delicate shades. They are as easily grown 

 as the commoner sorts. The narcissi are fully equal to 

 tulips as satisfactory garden flowers. They multiply rap- 

 idly and a single bulb soon develops into a clump. None of 

 the narcissi are difficult to cultivate, though the single 

 varieties will doubtless give greater satisfaction than 

 the double ones. The poet's narcissus is a favorite with 

 many, and the Em])eror and Empress are magnificent 

 varieties. Among smaller bulbs the glory of the snow 

 (Chionodoxa gigantea) with fine clusters of lavender- 

 blue flowers is well worth a trial, and a curious little 

 plant from Syria, Puschkinia libanotica, with white and 

 blue-striped flowers, wnll make an interesting addition to 

 the bulb bed. Any catalogue will list many other kinds 

 of bulbs, but the ones here mentioned are least 

 likely to disappoint the beginner without previous 

 ex])erience to guide him. Though the bleeding heart 

 (Dicentra spectabilis) is not a bulb, attention may be 

 called to the fact that autumn is the ]5roper time to set 

 speciments of it in some sheltered corner. This ])lant is a 

 spring blooming species, but its smaller relative, Dicentra 

 eximia, will produce its small pink hearts throughout the 

 summer. In planting bulbs, they should be set in a light, 

 well drained soil in a spot where the spring sun will find 

 them. It will be well, also, if they have some protection 

 from the cold north winds of early spring, though this 

 is not a necessity. During the winter the bulb bed should 



be covered several inches deep with dead leaves, coarse 

 stable manure or other litter and this covering should 

 not be removed in spring until the bulbs insist on push- 

 ing up through it. — The American Botanist. 



THE TREES. 



They are gone ! O ! implacable City, 



'Twixt a night and a night, 

 ^^'ith no pang of regret or of pity, 



You have slain them outright. 

 Though their beauty besought you to spare it. 

 To keep it forever and wear it 



For your own and your children's delight. 

 You have fattened your greed and your merit 

 The squalor your streets shall inherit. 

 In their innocent glory and grace, 

 They, the primeval lords of the place, 

 Ere your earliest highway was trod, 

 Had grown old in the service of God ; 

 And with arms lifted up as in prayer, 

 Gave Him thanks for the sunlight and air. 

 For the nourishing moss at their feet, 

 And the thrushes that made their retreat 

 In the heart of this Eden so long. 

 For their lodging gave tribute of song. 

 E'en the violets, dotting the sward. 

 Breathing perfume of prayer to the Lord, 

 Paid in full for their leasehold ; but you — 

 In the service of Mammon, you grew 

 To a huddle of houses and mills. 

 Spreading squalor through hollows and hills, 

 Till your grimy arms reached through your smoke 

 To this grove of the Poplar and Oak. 

 They are gone ! O ! implacable City, 



'Twixt a night and a night, 

 With no pang of regret or of pity, 



You have slain them outright. 

 Though their beauty besought you to spare it. 



— Selected. 



$206,000,000 SPENT ON ROADS IN 1913. 



In 1913 there was a total expenditure of State funds 

 for roads of approximately $38,750,000. The local road 

 expenditures, if a 10 per cent, increase over 1912 is 

 correct, would amount to $151,250,000. In addition, there 

 must be counted approximately $15,000,000 as the value 

 of statute labor in working out the road tax. This makes 

 a total outlay for roads in 1913 of about $206,000,000. 



In 1904 the total expenditures for labor aggregated 

 a little less than $80,000,000, so that the present annual 

 expenditure for roads is more than two and a half times 

 as great as it was nine years ago. 



The fact that the States for 1''14 have appropriated 

 nearly $43,000,000, or an increase of more than $4,000,000 

 over the 1913 appropriation, and an increase of nearly 

 $13,000,000 over the 1912 State approiiriation, indicates 

 an increased interest in the State development of good 

 roads. The mileage of roads built with the aid of State 

 funds to the close of 1913 aggregated nearly 21,000 

 miles, or only about 2,000 miles less than the famous na- 

 tional road system of T'"rance. 



It is interesting to note that there are now but nine 

 ."states that set aside no .State funds for road building, 

 and there are only se\en States which now have no State 

 highway law. 



Automobile owners ])aid in licenses and fees in 1913, 

 $7,820,895, nearly all of which was applied to road work. 

 This sum is about one-thirtieth of tlie total State and 

 local expenditure for roads. 



