i8 97 . 



GARDENING. 



3i3 



A RECENTLY TRANSPLANTED LARGE NATIVE HAWTHORN. 



some had been cut down some time ago, 

 to bring the woods back to their original 

 appearance, as I was told. I regret to 

 add that if this is the intention, a griev- 

 ous mistake has been made. Such trash 

 as the Carolina poplar and silver maple 

 has been largely used, and worse than all 

 is the introduction of a lot of foreign trees. 

 I did not hunt for them, but I saw several 

 English oaks and salisburias in the lot. 

 Think of planting foreign trees to bring 

 back an American battlefield to its origi- 

 nal state. Even if not the intention to do 

 this it ought to have been. Whoever has 

 charge of the work should be made to 

 take out everything excepting what is 

 native to the locality, whether native or 

 foreign. 



A piece of woods in which the monu- 

 ment of the 5th Ohio Regiment stands, 

 near Culp's Hill, is much disfigured by 

 this planting, as is Wolf Hill and the 

 other localities named. There would be 

 no trouble whatever in procuring the ash, 

 oak, hickory, walnut, etc., similar to the 

 large trees already there and it should be 

 ordered done. Joseph Meehan. 



Philadelphia. 



Cold Pits. 



fl COLD FIT. 



I want to build a pit to winter flowers 

 in and for early forcing, to use without 

 fire heat. Our winters are mild but very 

 changeable, only a few nights of zero 

 temperature and some years not that 

 low. Can arrange to supply some heat 

 for extreme weather, but don't want 

 expense of regular heating apparatus and 

 steady fire. Want it about 10x12. My 

 idea is to build it behind wood house, 

 digging out a path 3 feet deep and 3 or 

 2V2 wide, the length of pit, leaving the 

 shelves even with outside surface, path 

 to be bricked up and brick floor, with 



entrance through wood house. This will 

 make the pit run southeast and north- 

 west, a rather odd way from what I have 

 read in your paper, but don't see how I 

 can better it to have it convenient to 

 dwelling and have the entrance through 

 some house which will keep the rain out. 

 1 saw one at our neighboring town built 

 on this order except it stood out alone 

 and nothing at all over entrance, which 

 you understand is dug out and steps 

 placed. 1 thought this way would cause 

 a lot of water to accumulate in path 

 during heavy rains. 



Which will make the better roof: even 

 span, lean-to or three-quarter? Will be 

 glad to have your idea on my plan and 

 any improvements you can make. I un- 

 derstand a small greenhouse would be 

 better, but I cannot have that. The pit I 

 saw was even span, ridge running east 

 and west, sashes hinged on ridge and 

 raised like a hotbed sash. Is this the 

 best way? Sashes were about 3 feet wide. 



Maryland. H. H. Stevens. 



The aspect of the pit with ridge running 

 northwest and southeast is certainly not 

 the best. If it were possible to let the 

 house face due south or a little east of 

 south it would be much better. Without 

 artificial heat it will be impossible to keep 

 tender plants alive, much less growing, in 

 any climate where you are liable to have 

 zero weather occasionally. So make up 

 your mind to have the means to heat the 

 pit even if you only need it half a dozen 

 times during the winter. The shape roof 

 should certainly be equal span; any other 

 style for such a pit would be absurd. 

 Ventilation at the ridge is much better 

 than at bottom. Perfect ventilation in a 

 pit of that size would be ventilators 2 feet 

 deep the entire length of the ridge and on 

 the east side, unless your prevailing winds 

 come that way. 



I do not like these dug out pits and you 

 save nothing in heating for you have the 

 same glass exposure. They are awkward 

 to dive down into and laborious to climb 



out of. Unless drained, which is expensive, 

 you will be troubled with water; and the 

 labor of excavating andbuildingup walls 

 on each side of the path will be fourtimes 

 as expensive as building side walls, say 

 3V2 feet high, with good cedar posts and 

 two thicknesses of board, both on the 

 outside of post, then you have a little 

 house you can take some comfort in and 

 it can be heated cheaply and with facility. 



Wm. Sr OTT. 



Palm Leaves. 



PRESERVING SflOO PALM LEAVES. 



Can you tell me how the florists cure 

 sago palm leaves and what preparation 

 they use to get the green tint? I have 

 some fine leaves and I would like to use 

 them for decoration. Kindly let me know 

 through Gardening. H. A. B. 



I can only say that I have not tested 

 the operation referred to, but believe it 

 to be as follows: The leaves are first dried 

 under sufficient pressure to prevent them 

 from curling up, this being accomplished 

 in practically the same manner that is 

 usually adopted for the drying of large 

 botanical specimens, that is, by placing 

 them between large sheets of blotting 

 paper or other absorbent material, then 

 cover with a smooth board to distribute 

 the pressure, and place a heavy weight 

 on the board. 



The absorbent will need changing from 

 time to time as it becomes dampened 

 from contact with the leaves, and after 

 the latter are quite dry, the color mav be 

 restored to a great extent by dipping in 

 a solution of aniline dye of a suitable 

 tint. 



The dyed leaves will require the same 

 care in drying as they did in the original 

 condition, and when thoroughly dry the 

 final finish is given in the form of a thin 

 coat of clear shellac varnish. 



W. H. Taplin. 



