IOO 



GARDENING. 



Dec. /j, 



FRUIT OF AKEBIA QUINATA. 



Lobelia cardinalis I grow, and it blooms 

 in a frame in the garden. The frame is 

 mainly intended to hold the mulching of 

 leaves which I put into it. Here, again, 

 the soil is quite dry and although the 

 plant is only moderately vigorous yet the 

 flower spikes are fine. I have several 

 clumps of our native High swamp huckle- 

 berry (Vaccinium corvmbosum) and they 

 are gorgeous for several weeks after frost 

 in their coloring. Clethra alni flora I can- 

 not induce to grow over 18 or 20 inches 

 high, although in its wild state I see it 8 

 feet or more. It lasts in bloom for several 

 weeks and is a mass of white. 



I had 18 tea roses in the ground this 

 summer that did remarkably well. I have 

 just built a pen around them, about 18 

 inches high, which I propose to fill with 

 leaves, putting in a part at a time as the 

 weather grows cold, and cover with 

 boards. This to see if they will live 

 through the winter. 



Azaleas Vaserii and mollis winter kill 

 here with a heavy mulch What more 

 would you do for them? 



Connecticut. John E. Prior. 



Kalmias as taken f- om the woods are 

 hard to establish, but nursery grown 

 plants move easily and generally succeed. 



Azalea sinensis, commonly called A. 

 mollis, is hardy at Rochester and Pitts- 

 burgh and has stood some winters at 

 Chicago. Undoubtedly at the latter place 

 t is better with some p : otectiou. I have 



one group at Highland Park, 111., now in 

 good form, that has been protected for 

 the past three winters by covering with 

 boxes filled with dry oak leaves. The box 

 should be nearly water-proof in order 

 that the leaves may be kept dry. With- 

 out doubt Rhododendron (Azalea) 

 Vaseyii could be covered the same way. 

 Heavy mulching, especially when they 

 get wet, excludes the air and some plants 

 do not like it. 



In the Botany of Cook County issued 

 by the Chicago Academy of Science men- 

 tion is made of one specimen of Azalea 

 nudiflora being found by Professor Bab- 

 cock near Lake Calumet. The plant was 

 some five feet high and in a flourishing 

 condition. It was destroyed alterwards 

 to make room for some improvement. 



W. C. E. 



TREES AND SnRUBS WlTfl COLORED TWIGS. 



The winter season is not at all a dreary 

 one on the lawn to any one interested in 

 trees and shrubs. Many trees, weepers 

 for example, are often more to be ad- 

 mired when bereft of foliage than en 

 any other time. The weeping dogword 

 is exceedingly beautiful then. But it is 

 my intention to speak of the many trees 

 and shrubs with colored twigs, w hich 

 afford much pleasure in winter by the 

 display they make. 



I was reminded of this to-day when 

 passing a clump of the Cornus alba. 

 This is the common red-twigged dog- 



wood, which just now seems almost 

 ablaze, so deep red is the bark. To have 

 the best display, cut the bushes down 

 every spring, that a lot of young shoots 

 may spring up, as the younger ones make 

 the best display. By the way it does not 

 seem to be generally known that this 

 shrub takes on its deep red hue for win- 

 ter, but it is a fact. When spring comes 

 the red color almost disappears, to show 

 itself again when winter returns, and this 

 is the case, too, with many of the willows, 

 to some extent. 



And speaking of willows, when plant- 

 ing for color, do not overlook the Brit- 

 zensis. It is well called flame willow. 

 Some time ago, looking at a clump at 

 some distance off, it looked like the color 

 of a golden sunset, and I had to turn to 

 look before being satisfied that it was not 

 the sun shining on it. 



The yellow twigged willow, vitellina, 

 has long been a favorite one because of 

 its beauty in winter. Among larger 

 growing trees there is the golden-barked 

 ash, the sorrell tree, Andromeda arborea, 

 with deep red stems; the ^4cer striatum, 

 with white and green stems, and the red- 

 twigged cut leaved linden, a most beau- 

 tiful variety indeed. And the white- 

 barked birches show to great advantage 

 in the winter season. 



Joseph Meehan. 



FLOW OF SAP IN TREES. 



Does the sap ascend a treein spring and 

 return to the roots in the fall. People 

 speak of the spring run of sap and an 

 August run. I don't fully understand it. 

 Please give me correct information. 



H. P. 



What is called the crude sap rises from 

 the roots in spring, ascends to the leaves 

 where it undergoes certain chemical 

 changes, and becomes the true sap, which 

 feeds the tree, enabling it to flourish. It 

 does not wait until fall to descend, but 

 commences its downward course almost 

 as soon as the leaves are perfected in the 

 spring. Neither does it all descend to the 

 roots as your inquiry suggests you may 

 suppose it does. It is deposited to every 

 part of the tree on its descent including 

 the root. This upward and downward 

 flow is more pronounced in the early part 

 of the season than in late summer. The 

 girth of trees does not increase much 

 aftt r September, showing the downward 

 flow is ceasing. 



There is no such thing as an "August 

 run" unless it may refer to the downward 

 flow, which is sometimes quite pro- 

 nounced in midsummer, as is shown by 

 the swelling trunk at that time. 



Jos. Meehan. 



KEROSENE KILLING TREES. 



One of my neighbors had some very 

 handsome maple trees on his place, which 

 for two summers had been infested by 

 caterpillars. He put a good bunch of 

 cotton around the trunks, but as this did 

 not seem to do any good, he saturated 

 the cotton with coal oil. In a few days 

 he noticed that the leaves were curling 

 up and turning brown. He called in two 

 nurserymen to advise him but they could 

 not tell what the trouble was. Every- 

 one of the trees died and I have heard of 

 two similar cases. Above the cotton the 

 wood and bark was black, while below 

 the trunk appeared healthy. Was it the 

 coal oil that killed the trees? - H. A. B. 



It was a mistake to put coal oil to the 

 cetloti. This is no doubt what killed the 



