102 



* ' ' GARDENING. 



Dec. is, 



zanzibarensis, followed by R. cambodg- 

 ensis. Back of these, and shown more 

 clearly from other points of view are 

 Aralia spinosa, our native angelica tree, 

 and its much finer Japanese relative Acan- 

 thoponax ricinifolium, sometimes cata- 

 logued as Aralia Maximowiczii. With 

 these are the catalpas and the ailantus. 



The large-leaved tree to the left of the 

 centre is the paulownia. next to which is 

 a clump of the hardy Eulalia Japonica 

 striata, partially hiding a large rhodo- 

 dendron, "The Queen." W. C. Egan. 



Highland Park, 111. 



GfllNA ASTERS. 

 Mr. James Semple of Bellevue, Pa., has 

 long been noted as one of the most suc- 

 cessful growersof the China aster, and as 

 the originator of improved varieties. By 

 his simple method of culture he has b.en 

 able to overcome their tendency to disease 

 and to produce plants over five feet in 

 height with main stems an inch in thick- 

 ness and blooms fully five inches in diam- 

 eter. The flowers in the vases here illus- 

 trated speak for themselves, showing 

 their whorled centres, a feature typical of 

 Mr. Semple's strain. They are piodueed 



place by themselves and transplanted 

 into rows eighteen inches apart and fif- 

 teen to eighteen inches asunder in the 

 rows, with a space of three feet at every 

 fourth row. 



Mr. Semple sows a few inside in the 

 third week of March, afterwards growing 

 them outside, but the gain in time of 

 blooming is only about five days; these 

 asters being a late variety, they do not 

 bloom in ordinary seasons until about 

 the twentieth of August. By growing 

 them in the greenhouse continuously, one 

 can have them in bloom about two weeks 

 earler. 



In reference to diseases of the aster, Mr. 

 Semple is unable to speak from personal 

 experience as to causes and cures, for he 

 has had so little disease in all the years 

 he has devoted to their improvement, 

 that he has never had occasion to look 

 up or use a remedy; he thoroughly be- 

 lieves that to the use of the lime, in the 

 condition and applied in the manner rec- 

 ommended, his freedom from aster dis- 

 eases is attributable; his belief is, that the 

 gases developed from the lime prevent 

 fung s and other diseases; that this view 

 is correct seems to be assured, for he has 



is good to keep cannas in. Too warm a 

 cellar will dry them out, and too much 

 dampness may produce decay. Some 

 varieties, notably Madame Crozy, is very 

 easy to keep, while some others dry out 

 easily. 



If your cannas were taken up without 

 much soil and your cellar either quite 

 warm or so cold that it would be a ques- 

 tion if potatoes would not freeze there, 

 put your cannas in boxes or barrels and 

 cover with dry sawdust, but examine 

 them occasionally during the winter and 

 if decay shows itself, cut it out. The saw 

 dust keeps the dry air away, also the 

 light frosts. 



VASE OF HARDY FLOWERS AND FOtlAOE. 



Here we have a comely combination of 

 hardy plants — flowers and foliage— the 

 fleecy pink wands of the African tamarix, 

 the white, fragrant Florentine iris, and 

 young, leafy sprays of the crimson leaved 

 Japanese maple. 



The tamarisk is in fine bloom near the 

 end of May and the iris at the same time. 

 This iris is one of the handsomest and 

 boldest of early blooming kinds and per- 



TWO VASES OF ASTERS GROWN BY MR. SEMPLE. 



in but three colors, viz.: white, pink and 

 lavender. His mode of culture is as fol- 

 lows: 



For soil he uses a light loam, and is 

 very particular that no horse manure is 

 used, not even a shovelful of it, but, if the 

 soil should require enriching, a very small 

 quantity of two-year-old cow manure 

 proves beneficial. He manures in the 

 spring with a small quantity of crushed 

 unslacked lime, about twenty-five bush- 

 els to the acre, spread over the field so 

 that it will receive the full benefit of the 

 gases generated when it is turned under, 

 and puts it on in this way, spreads the 

 lime on in small quantities just ahead of 

 the plow, plowing it under immediately, 

 thus insuring its being covered up with- 

 out delay, and preventing exposure to 

 the atmosphere. 



Sow the seed outside as soon as possi- 

 ble after April 12 (in his latitude) for the 

 main crop, sowing in drills about one 

 inch deep, covering the seed with good 

 potting soil. This sowing is done in a 



grown asters for five successive years in 

 the same place and same soil with entire 

 freedom from disease, and only treating 

 the ground in the way described. 



Where his main crop is grown (he had 

 this season three large fields in asters, 

 besides some smaller lots) it is a light, 

 loamj-, black walnut soil, and is the finest 

 he has ever tried for them. 



KEEPING CANNA ROOTS OVER WINTER. 



Please tell me the best way to keep 

 canna roots over winter. How can I 

 keep them from drying out? G. W. V. 



New York. 



When the cannas are taken up in the 

 fall, as much soil as possible should be 

 allowed to adhere to the roots. The 

 presence of the soil in among the tubers 

 prevents undue evaporation of the juices. 

 They should be kept in a cool frost proof 

 cellar. Any place that will keep potatoes 



fectly hardy; its white flowers have a 

 tinge of blue in them, and they are Ira- 

 grant. Indeed, the rhizomes of this plant 

 are used in the manufacture of some kinds 

 of perfumer}'. It is well worth growing 

 for cutting, but like most all other irises 

 its blossoms last for only one day. And 

 in the way of irises don't miss I. pallida, 

 blue, and one of the largest and finest of 

 all as well as the thriftiest of the rhizoma- 

 tous sorts. But the ephemeral nature of 

 iris blossoms will always be a barrier to 

 their popularity as cut flowers except for 

 home use or immediate want. 



The foliage of the Japanese maples, 

 however, is very suggestive. Leafy 

 sprays of these elegant maples have a 

 fine effect when used with cut flowers and 

 they are much esteemed by refined people. 

 These maples — the polymorphum, not the 

 Japonica section— are shrubs only with 

 us. but they are of a dense branching na- 

 ture and very leafy, and according to 

 variety the foliage is large or small, 

 broad or narrow, simply palmate or 



