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Vol. v. 



82.00 A Year. 

 24 Numbers. 



CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 15, 1897. 



Single Copt 

 10 Cents. 



No. 107. 



HYDRANGEA OTAKSA ON GROUNDS OP HON. J. S. FAY. WOODS HOLL. MASS. 



The Flower Garden. 



HYDRANGEA OTAKSA. 



The plant represented in our illustra- 

 tion is one of several noble specimens 

 which every year adorn the grounds of 

 Hon. J. S. Fay, at Woods Holl, Mass. 

 When photographed it was fifteen feet in 

 diameter and seven and one-half feet high 

 and bore two hundred and twenty-six 

 trusses of bloom. Mr. M. H. Walsh, the 

 gardener, gives his method of culture as 

 follows: 



"I let the plants remain outside until 

 about December 15th. They are then 

 pruned back, leaving about two buds 

 above last year's growth, and placed in 

 a cellar, where they are kept until about 

 May 1. Freezing in the early winter 

 seems to ripen and harden the wood, and 

 I find that they will stand 15° of frost 

 without injury. They seem to grow 

 best when fully exposed to the sun, 

 the flowers being larger, the foliage 



brighter and the wood better matured 

 than when grown in partial shade. A 

 light soil composed of equal parts of 

 loam, leaf mould and sand seems best 

 suited to their requirements. To this is 

 added ground bone and unleached wood 

 ashes in the proportion of one quart of 

 bone and three quarts of ashes to one 

 wheelbarrow full of soil. Hydrangeas 

 are gross feeders and require an abund- 

 ance of water. When the flower buds 

 appear liquid manure should be applied 

 and repeated once a week, during the 

 season." 



STARTING FLOWER SEEDS. 



Many of our readers are already plant- 

 ing their gardens in their "mind's eye," 

 and it is well to call the attention of those 

 who have had but little experience to a 

 few simple rules that may be of service. 



All seeds, as a rule, do better with a 

 light soil immediately surrounding them. 

 This allows their tender infantile roots 

 easy access to their feeding grounds. 



Hardy annuals are often prefixed in cat- 

 alogues with the letters h.a.,and are best 

 sown outdoors as soon as the soil is warm 

 enough. April is early enough in the 

 north with a few exceptions. Choose a 

 time when your soil is dry and friable 

 enough to work without lumping up or 

 adhering to the spade. Spade up the bed, 

 break up all lumps and level with a rake. 



If planting in rows and your soil is 

 moderately light, with a lath or narrow- 

 edge of a board or rake handle press in a 

 groove about an inch deep. If the soil is 

 rather heavy, having a large proportion 

 of clay, then pressing the groove might 

 pack the soil under it, and it is best to 

 draw the end of the head of the rake 

 across the bed, which makes the groove 

 without packing. In the meantime pre- 

 pare some soil by adding sand or leaf 

 mould until it is very light and open, sift- 

 ing it through a fine mesh. If this is not 

 convenient, dry the soil a little and on a 

 hard surface crush it fine with the back of 

 a shovel, saving the finer portions. Put 

 this fine soil in the trench, filling it nearly 



