GARDENING. 



i«S 



planting just as soon as the soil is dry 

 enough in spring. The time between this 

 period and that of bursting buds is so 

 short that it would make but little differ- 

 ence, and this practice has led me to 

 believe, for early planting has always 

 resulted favorably with me. Get good 

 roots, prune closely and plant well, then 

 1 think the precise time in spring is im- 

 material. E very planter knows the roots 

 of trees should not become dry while trans- 

 planting is going on, so I will only say be 

 extra careful with magnolias. Among 

 tree magnolias, as they are called, M. 

 acuminata, M tripetala, M. Fraseri and 

 M. macrophylla are the best known. Of 

 these M. tripetala is the most valued, 

 because of its lovely pink pods of seeds in 

 late summer. M. Fraseri is noted for its 

 fragrant flowers and M. macrophylla for 

 its very large leaves. I heseare all native 

 sorts. A newer species, from Japan, M. 

 hvpnleuca, may prove a rival to M. 

 tripetala. 



The shrub class embraces such sorts as 

 M. glauca, M. conspicua, M Lennei, M. 

 obovata M. gracilis, M. Soulavgeana, 

 M. speciosa, AT. Norbertiana, M Alex- 

 andrina, M. Kobus. M. stellata, M. 

 parviHora and Af. Watsoni. Many of 

 these become of tree size in the course of 

 time, but being of shrub-like outline and 

 flowering when of quite small shrub size, 

 they have come to be classed as shrubs. 

 I have seen Af. glauca of tree size in the 

 swamps of Delaware, and near cities such 

 as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore 

 and Washington, on old estates, are 

 specimens of Af. Soulangeana and M, 

 conspicua of tree size. Those with lots of 

 room at command will desire to plant all 

 kinds, but were I limited for room I would 

 select from the list the following six in 

 the following order of preference: M. 

 Soulangeana, M. conspicua, Af obovata, 

 M. stellata, M. glauca and M. Lennei. 

 M. parviHora and AT. Watsoni are both 

 beautiful, but they are scarce as yet in 

 cultivation and might not be as easily 

 obtainable as the others. M. glauca, 

 though usually found in swampy places, 

 does ver\- well in any fair position on a 

 lawn. 



Magnolia grandiUora, the beautiful 

 evergreen species of the south, is hardy 

 to a point north of Philadelphia. William 

 Falconer reported it hardy at Dosoris, 

 Long Island, but there it became decidu- 

 ous in winter. All the way from Phila- 

 delphia southward it thrives well. It 

 wants to be in the shade in winter, and 

 should be planted where the sun will not 

 shine on it after about 10 a. m., and at 

 the same time let it be as well protected 

 from winds as may be possible. 



Philadelphia. Toseph Meehan. 



CREEPING PLANTS FOR SHADY PLACES. 



At one time about the only plant 

 thought of for a shady place, such as 

 beside a dwelling or under trees, was the 

 common periwinkle. This is still among 

 the best for the purpose, but no longer the 

 only one, as there are many other plants 

 which thrive fairly well in such a situa- 

 tion. The common Japanese honeysuckle 

 is excellent for such work, and gives sat- 

 isfaction to those who use it. 



This is not Lonicera Halleana, but L. 

 brachypoda, easily distinguished by its 

 bushy growth and shining foliage. It 

 grows close to the ground, rooting as it 

 goes, and soon forms a mat of the deep- 

 est green. Fora bankliableto be washed 

 away in time of heavy rains it is invalua- 

 ble. I saw it on one occasion used in this 

 way, but to relieve the mass of green it 

 presented, some hypericums and other low 



growing shrubs had been planted among 

 the branches, much to the general advan- 

 tage. This honeysuckle is a useful plant 

 for covering low walls, stumps of trees or 

 other objects desired to be ornamental. 



English ivy is another plant which 

 could be used much more than it is. So 

 many persons fail to plant it from a belief 

 that it is not hardy. In this vicinity the 

 foliage suffers a little in winter when the 

 vine is growing up the walls of a house, 

 but not at all when it is on the ground or 

 but little above it. It behaves well under 

 trees in the shade, and, as with all plants 

 that root as they grow, it has the power 

 of sustaining itself well in dry places. 



Main - of your readers are acquainted 

 with the moneywort, Lysimachia num- 

 mularia, a plant often used in hanging 

 baskets, having pretty green leaves and 

 yellow flowers. This is a great spreader, 

 and is much at home in a damp place, 

 shaded or sunny. As with the other 

 plants named, as the shoots lengthen 

 they make root, and very soon this plant 

 makes a carpet of green. Sometimes a 

 stray piece of it will find its way from the 

 garden to the roadside, and very soon a 

 large mat of it will be found where the 

 piece takes root. 



There is a veronica which spreads much 

 as the moneywort does and prefers the 

 same situation, but is not such a rapid 

 grower. This is V. serpyllifolia. It is 

 often found on lawns, where if not eradi- 

 cated it kills out the grass, such a dense 

 mass does it make. It would be found a 

 satisfactory plant for shady places by 

 those who might try it. Another species, 

 V. officinalis, is well suited in a dryish sit- 

 uation, shaded or otherwise. It is usu- 

 ally found on quite dry banks, where it 

 flourishes nicely. It is not such a fast 

 grower as V, serpyllilolia, but it makes a 

 sturdy, clump-like growth, which is very 

 enduring. I have seen it flourishing in 

 places so dry that the wonder was that 

 it existed at all. 



The partridge berry, Mitchella repens, 

 does not object to a quite shady place. 

 It takes some time to establish itself, but 

 is most beautiful when it has spread to 

 form a mat. In its wild state when it is 

 met with in masses of a yard or more 

 square, as it often is, with a sprinkling of 

 its red berries nestling among the foliage, 

 no lover of the beautiful can pass it unno- 

 ticed. Clare. 



Fayette Horticultural Society. — 

 The following are the newlv elected offi- 

 cers for the year 1898: Jonas Scholl, 

 president; A. M. Sinks, secretary; J. C. 

 Rea, treasurer; Dr. F. D. White, corre- 

 sponding secretary. 



Oklahoma Territorial Agricul- 

 tural, Horticultural and Irrigation 

 Society.— At the fifth annual meeting of 

 this society held January 19, the follow- 

 ing officers were chosen: President, 

 Prof. E. E. Bogue, entomologist of the 

 Stillwater experiment station; vice presi- 

 dent, W. 0. Beach of Perkins; secretary- 

 treasurer, C. A. McNabb, of Oklahoma 

 City. 



Two Southern Minnesota Societies 

 Consolidate. — At a very enthusiastic 

 meeting held January 15 the Fillmore 

 county and Southern Minnesota Horti- 

 cultural societies decided to join hands 

 under the name of the Southern Minne- 

 sota Horticultural Society, The follow- 

 ing officers of the united society were 

 elected: Prerident, John C. Hawkins, 

 Austin; vice-presidents, Jonathan Free- 

 man of Moscow, O. W. Moore of Spring 

 Vallev, Olin L.Gregg of Austin; secretary- 

 treasurer, Robert Parkhill, Chatfield. 



WILLIAM NICHOLSON. 



WORKERS IN HORTICULTURE. IV. 

 We are pleased to be able to present 

 herewith a portrait of the president-elect 

 of the American Carnation Societv, Mr. 

 William Nicholson, of Framingham, 

 Massachusetts. The honor was well 

 deserved, for Mr. Nicholson has been a 

 sincere worker in the best interests of the 

 society. He was elected district vice- 

 president for the New T England States in 

 1895, and also served the society in 

 that capacity during 1896 and 1897. 

 This was a period of much trouble for 

 the society, and there can be no doubt 

 th~t the presence of such stanch men as 

 Mr. Nicholson at the head of affairs was 

 a potent factor in bringing about the 

 progressive spirit which has recently be- 

 come unmistakablein the society's affairs. 

 Mr. Nicholson is well known as a success- 

 ful grower of carnations, and we are con- 

 fident that the society will lose nothing 

 of its prestige during his term at the helm. 

 We congratulate Mr. Nicholson, and wish 

 both him and the society plain sailing 

 and prosperity. 



Fruits and Vegetables. 



TOMATOES UNDER GLASS. 



In his article on tomato forcing, Janu- 

 ary 15th issue of Gardening, W. N.Craig 

 states that he prefers to train plants to 

 three stems instead of one as is usually 

 practiced, and also that he is able to 

 obtain nearly double the quantity of 

 fruit. This is contrary to our experience 

 and that of others who have conducted 

 careful tests to determine this point. 



This is an important question to the 

 commercial grower. Which method will 

 give the larger yield area for area? The 

 single stem training requires more plants, 

 but this is an item immaterial to the ques- 

 tion. We decidedly prefer the single stem, 

 /. e., each stem on its own root. The 

 New York Experiment Station carefully 

 studied this question last year. An aver- 

 age of approximately four ounces per 

 square foot bench space larger yield was 

 obtained with single stem training than 

 with the three stem. Their conclusions 

 were regarded as quite conclusive. 



We have found the camel's hair brush 

 unhandy for pollinating and now use the 



