844 



HORTICULTURE 



December 14, 1912 



ASPARAGUS RUST. 



Breeders and growers of asparagus 

 are advised by the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture through Bulletin 263, Bu- 

 reau of Plant Industry, to take up ped- 

 igree breeding and to use careful meth- 

 ods of production in order to keep 

 rust from the plant. 



On the subject the Bulletin says: 



"Although the breeding work car- 

 ried on with asparagus will eventual- 

 ly lead to the control of rust in com- 

 mercial plantings several years must 

 elapse before this result will become 

 effective. Meanwhile it is necessary 

 to take all measures practicable to 

 prevent the destruction of existing 

 fields of asparagus by the rust. To 

 this end the main factor is to keep the 

 rust away from the fields in summer 

 just as long as possible. 



"Wild asparagus growing around the 

 borders of the fields, along fences, and 

 ditches is one of the worst enemies 

 of the growers. These wild plants act 

 as infection centers and their influence 

 can be easily traced later in the sea- 

 son when the cutting beds have grown 

 up. Wild plants wherever found should 

 be dug up and burned. New beds 

 should be planted at only rare inter- 

 vals of time and then if possible 

 where they will be to windward of a 

 cutting bed. Keep the seedlings out 

 of the cutting bed, at least let none 

 stay in at the time the bed is allowed 

 to grow up after the cutting season. 

 Allow no poor shoots to grow up in 

 the cutting field. Keep down every 

 shoot of asparagus until the middle 

 of June and see that the neighboring 

 farmers do the same. In the fall the 

 tops should be removed carefully from 

 one-year-old beds that are not to be cut 

 the next year. This will in a large 

 measure reduce the liability of infec- 

 tion from this source." 



SEA SHORE LAWN MAKING. 



Of course, you need a foot of soil 

 from some good old pasture land. We 

 all know that. But before starting 

 here is something which very few 

 know (at least I didn't know until Paul 

 Huebner told me), a four or five-inch 

 layer of salt hay! Not a thin spread- 

 ing, but a good thick covering. Six 

 inches wouldn't hurt. Another im- 

 portant point: Before you put the 

 soil on dampen the salt hay. Turn 

 the hose on strong. That solidifies 

 it and keeps the soil from getting 

 through. Mr. Huebner states that it 

 is wonderful how long this salt hay 

 layer lasts. There seems to be some 

 important chemical reaction which 

 cannot be easily explained; but any- 

 how — there's the wrinkle. The salt 

 hay layer keeps the good soil from 

 leaching away and your lawn is a suc- 

 cess. We have been long familiar 

 with the layer of clay underneath for 

 the same purpose. Salt hay is just as 

 good if not better than clay and far 

 cheaper. This wrinkle takes its place, 

 if I'm spared to tell it often enough, 

 with the crab-grass remedy. 



As for the seeds to sow for a lawn 

 at the seashore there's nothing better 

 than "a good lawn mixture" composed 

 of about ten varieties, including: Poa 

 pratensis. Cynosurus cristatus, Pes- 

 tuca duriuscula, Agrostis stolonifera, 

 and other dwarf, fine-leaved perennial 

 sorts — such as all first-class seed 

 houses know how to formulate. 



GEORGE C. WATSON. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 SOIL SURVEYS. 



During the fiscal year 1912, the Bu- 

 reau of Soils, according to the annual 

 report of Professor Milton Whitney, 

 chief of bureau, made 181,114 square 

 miles or 115,912,960 acres of soil sur- 

 veys in the country or a total area 50 

 lier cent larger than the area of great 

 Britain and Ireland combined. 



The work was distributed in 28 

 states. 31,304 square miles were sur- 

 veyed in detail, and 149,810 square 

 miles were made on a reconnoissance 

 scale. Since the Bureau of Soils was 

 organized about 10 years ago 622,595 

 square miles of detailed and recon- 

 noissance soil surveys have been made 

 by the bureau, making a total of 29 

 per cent of the soils of the country, 

 which have been classified and 

 mapped. 



Cooperation work between the bu- 

 reau, and the states of Alabama, 

 Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, 

 Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New 

 .Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, 

 Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wash- 

 ington, West Virginia and Wisconsin 

 was performed during the year. 



GARDEN SEED 



BEET, CARROT, PARSNIP, RADISH and 

 GARDEN PEA SEED In variety; also other 

 Items of the short crop of this p<ist season, 

 as well as a full line of Garden Seeds, will 

 be quoted you upon application to 



S. D. WOODRUFF & SONS, 82 Dey St., NEW YORK 



and Orange, Conn. 



1-2 in. strong, $5 per 100; 

 $45 per 1000 

 the celebrated English 

 strain, $9 per 1000 

 home-grown, finest giant 

 strain. $5 per oz. 



POINSETTIAS 

 CYCLAMEN SEED 

 PANSY SEED, 



Send for Catalo^e. 



S. S. SKIDELSKY & CO. 



1215 Betz BIdg. Philadelphia 



importer of Best French Seeds 



I have received over 3000 new seeds. Send 

 for List. No "short crop" about me. 



New store, 4197 University Place, Wiodliaven, N. Y. 



Telephone 1749 Rithinom.i Hill 



TOMATO SEED 



BEST STOCKS. 



ALL V-\Rir:T;Es. 



The Haven Seed Co. 



Orinvers lor Wholesale TratU' <)::I,v. 



SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA. 



HEADQUARTERS FOR 



Christmas Greens 



BOXWOOD (cut), 50 lb. box $7.00 



HOLLY (loose), selected, V4 ca.se, $1.50; 

 Vo case, $2 75; fufl case, $4.00; 5 cases. 

 $18.75 ; 10 cases. $:i5.(K). Extra selected, 

 Vi case, $1.75; 1/2 case, $:).00; full ease, 

 $."i.()n; 5 cases, $22.50; 10 ca>es, $+2.,50. 



HOLLY WRE.4THS, extra fln.- per 



100 ll.CO 



Micliell's special, per 100 12.00 



Micbell's extra special, per 100. 15.00 



LAUREL WREATHING, 1st qual- 

 ity, 50 yds., at 4V.c. 



1st quality, 100 yds., at 4 c. 



1st quality. 500 yds., at SVjC. 



Extra quality, 25 yds., at 5 c. 



Extra qualitT, 100 yds., at 41/2C. 



Extra quality, 1000 yds., at 4 c. 



LYCOPODICM (loose), 5 lbs CO 



10 lbs., ,$1.10; 50 lbs., $4.75; 100 

 lbs., $9 00, 



LYCOPODIUM WREATHING, ex- 

 tra fine, 10 yds 70 



Extra fine. 100 yds 0.50 



Michell's special. 10 yds 1.00 



Micbell's special, 100 yds 0.00 



LYCOPODIUM WREATHS 



12 in,, dozeu 3.25 



MISTLETOE (native), Vt case, $3.00; 



1,4 case, $5.50; full case, $10.00; lb. 



(Mexican), 50c ; 50 lbs. at 40c. per lb. 

 MOSS (green lump), 1 bbl. bag, $1.25; 



5 bbl. bag. $0.00; 1 bbl. bag (sheet), 



$2.50; 1 bbl. bale (shagnum), 60c.; 5 



bbl. bale, $2,00; 3-5 bbl. bale, $5.75. 



NOTICE. Christmas Greens are sold 

 on a very small margin of profit, and 

 terms to approved customers are Janu- 

 ary 10th, 1013. New customers not 

 rated in Bradstreet's or Dun's will 

 kindly send cash, less 2 per cent on first 

 order to insure quick shipment. 



We suggest ordering at once, as 

 stock may run short; also give us ship- 

 ping dates. 



SPIREA ('ust Received) 



Doz. 1(10 lOflO 



Gladstone $1.30 $8.00 $77.60 



Astilboides Florl- 



bunda 90 6.25 57.60 



fonipacta Multiflora. .90 6.50 62.50 



.laponioa 75 4.75 42.50 



Philadelphia 4.25 30.00 



FLOWER SEEDS (New Crop) 



VERBENA SEED 



Mammoth Fancy Blue, Pink, Scarlet, 

 Striped, White, 30c. tr. pkt., $1.25 oz. 

 Mixed, 30c. tr. pkt., $1.00 oz. 

 VINCA SEED 



Alba (white with eye). Alba Pura 



(pure white). Rosea (pink). 15c. tr. 



pkt.. 50c. oz. 



Mixed (choice), 15c. tr. pkt., 40c. oz. 



S.-VLVIA SEED Tr. pkt. Oz. 



Micbell's Scarlet Glow $ .50 $4.00 



Bonfire 40 2.00 



Zurich 50 4.00 



Splendens 25 1.25 



SHAMROCK SEED 



True Irish $ .25 $ .75 



BEGONIA SEED 



Seniperflorens Vernon $ .25 $2.50 



Gracilis Luminosa 40 



Rosea, Alba 30 



" Prima Donna 50 



ASPARAGUS SEED 



I'lumosus Nanus, Greenhouse Grown, 

 ino seeds. 50c. ; .$3.75 per 1.000 seeds ; 

 5,000 seeds, $18.00; $34.00 per 10,000 

 seeds. 

 Send for Our Latest Wholesale Cata- 

 logue. Flower Seed Order Sheet just 

 issued, shall we send you a copy? It's 

 very handy to order your Flower Seeds 

 from this order sheet. 



Micheirs Seed House 



518 Market St. 



PHILA., - PA. 



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