i8 97 . 



GARDENING. 



373 



TENDER RHODODENDRONS UNDER TENT AT MR. H. H. HUNNEWELLS. 



they have begun their attack, and in other me- 

 chanical measures. 



The most important requisite is clean culture; 

 in ract. little of substantial value can be accom- 

 plished remedially without it. Owners of forest 

 land who have sufficient financial interests at 

 stake will do well to cut down the dead and to 

 trim the injured trees. For the protection of 

 chestnuts all dead oak as well as chestnut trees, 

 and such as are infested and too feeble to recuper- 

 ate should be cleared away and burned. Much 

 can be accomplished by simply removing the bark 

 of tin- ilrad t hither. 



A frequent and potent source of injury is iu the 

 almost universal custom of permitting cut or 

 sawed timber to season without removing the 

 bark, a custom followed alike by the forest "land- 

 holder, the general farmer, and the mill owner. 

 Even the family woodpile may become a center of 

 infestation. Wood that is cut during winter be- 

 comes infested the following spring and early 

 summer, and when left to season through the 

 summer and autumn months should be consumed 

 or otherwise disposed of before the following 

 April. A few cords of wood may develop enough 

 boring insects in a single season to infest and 

 injure acres of woodland. Another source of in- 

 festation is in carelessness in permitting dead 

 trees to come in contact with living trees and in 

 bruising or otherwise injuring healthy growth. 



The progeny of insects that deposit their eggs 

 in one season so loosen the bark that it may easily 

 be removed and burned before the following 

 spring, thus destroying millions of the insects 

 before they have an opportunity to issue and lay 

 i heir eggs for the destruction of valuable trees. 



A wash of lime, to which a small quantity of 

 Paris L'i n or nl her arsenical mixture and a suffi- 

 cient amount of glue to make it adhesive have 

 been added, is a valuable deterrent, as are also a 

 wash consisting of soft soap reduced to the eon- 

 sistency of thick paint by the addition of a solu- 

 tion of washing soda in water, and a thick wash 

 of soap, plaster of Paris, and Paris green. These 

 washes are best colored like the bark of the tree 

 and this may be accomplished by the addition of 

 a little lamp' or bone black. Fish oil is also a val- 

 uable deterrent. 



Whatever is used should be applied for most 

 species just before the first warm spell of spring. 

 At the verv outset of an attack a very thin appli- 

 cation of kerosene, kerosene emulsion, or creo- 

 sote by lightly brushing or spraying it over the 



iufested parts, would kill the beetles with which 

 it came in contact. Protective measures against 

 the two-lined chestnut borer should begin about 

 the first of May in the latitude of the District of 

 Columbia and a little later in more northern and 

 colder localities. 



BEAUTIFUL SUMACHS. 



The rhus or sumach family constitute a 

 beautiful group of small trees and shrubs. 

 Nearly all of those in cultivation in this 

 country are natives here, the chief excep- 

 tion being semialata, formerly called 

 Osbeckii, a native of Japan. Of the native 

 ones cultivated the following comprise 

 the list: Glabra, glabra laciniata, typhina, 

 copallina, aromatica and cotinoides. 

 There are two others not cultivated, rad- 

 icans and renenata, their poisonous, 

 properties banishing them from gardens. 



Osbeckii is the name under which sen.i- 

 alata is found in most all catalogues. It 

 becomes a fair sized tree, and during a 

 month or so following the close of July it 

 makes a grand display of flowers, which 

 are the more valued because of the lack of 

 flowering trees and shrubs at that sea- 

 son. The flowers are whitish in large 

 panicles. If this desirable sort, like the 

 most of our natives, changed its foliage to 

 a brilliant scarlet in autumn, it would be 

 called for faster than it could be produced, 

 but, unfortunately, this desirable quality 

 cannot be added to its other ones. 



Of the native ones mentioned glabra, 

 glabra laciniata and typhina are valued 

 for their ornamental heads of fruit as well 

 as for their foliage in the fall. And 

 copallina may be added, though it is not 

 of such conspicuous beauty in the way of 

 fruit. The greenish flowers of the others 



are iu dense heads, not unlike a large, 

 thick pine cone. The berries which suc- 

 ceed the flowers are of crimson color when 

 ripe, which is in earl}' summer. These 

 red "cones" on the ends of branches 

 clothed with beautiful green pinnate 

 leaves, are most attractive. These cones 

 retain their color and their position on 

 the branches after the foliage has fallen. 

 In late autumn the leaves themselves be- 

 come crimson, adding greatly to the charm 

 of autumn scenery wherever they are 

 growing. 



Copallina is not as beautiful in fruit, 

 while having a great deal of attraction. 

 But it makes up for it in its large heads 

 of yellowish white flowers which are in 

 perfection in midsummer, and for its 

 lovely shining foliage, pretty at all times 

 in its season. It forms a low, spreading 

 bush of much beauty. 



Aromatica, a. species sometimes called 

 suareolens is of a quite spreading nature 

 and if disturbed about the roots throws 

 up a lot of young shoots from them, 

 quieklv forming a little thicket. Its low, 

 almost prostrate growth, fits it nicely for 

 planting where a mass is required. Un- 

 like the others named, its fruit is in small 

 scattered clusters. These ripen earlv, 

 being of a bright red color, as early in 

 the season as late June, and because of 

 this, so few shrubs showing fruit at such 

 an early date, it is much valued. This, 

 like all the rest mentioned is noted for its 

 beautiful crimson autumnal foliage. 



Cotinoides is a southern species, very 

 much like the mist bush, Rhus cotinus, 

 but of much larger growth and prettier 

 appearance. In its native wilds it is said 



