rSgS. 



GARDENING. 



195 



moderate success. It soon gets covered 

 with seeds, indicating its arrival at 

 maturity, a desirable condition in a fruit, 

 but not in a street tree. Some fine speci- 

 mens of Acer catnpestre planted on the 

 Capitol grounds have been tomahawked 

 lately, agreeable to an uninstructed, semi- 

 popular request. A variety of this Eng- 

 lish maple grows more freely and is alto- 

 gether a larger, different appearing tree, 

 and may, when more abundant, make a 

 street tree. 



The tulip tree is not, in my opinion, a 

 good curb tree, although the parkway is 

 planted with it. If the trees are well 

 cared for it will make the handsomest 

 avenue in Washington. Permit me to 

 introduce one which I think is among the 

 best as a curb tree, the ginkgo or maiden- 

 hair tree. Two of these interesting trees 

 have flourished in Washington for sixty 

 years or more. Several streets are now 

 planted with them, where they are very 

 fine, and fruit freely. I have never seen 

 an insect near them. 



The western rock elm (Ultnus race- 

 mosa), is a tree worthy of more attention. 

 A dozen or more as curb trees mixed with 

 other elms are not attacked by an insect 

 as far as my observation goes. It is a 

 good street tree. The wahoo (Ulmus 

 alata) is another not attacked bj-insects. 

 It is worthy of trial in the North. I have 

 only to mention the majestic American 

 elm and say, give it room; it must have 

 room. To say more in New England 

 would be supererogation. Another re- 

 mark we might make — it bears the knife 

 when young, but not the saw. In after- 

 time, only dire necessity should be the 

 excuse. 



The plane tree (Platanus orientalis) in 

 Washington is one of the best all-around 

 street trees. They are greatly improved 

 when severely trimmed; even the hollow- 

 stemmed old specimens on Pennsylvania 

 avenue, when so treated, were greatly 

 renovated in appearance. Another tree 

 not troubled with insects is Gleditschia 

 triacanthos (three-thorned acacia). It 

 bears pruning and is improved by it. The 

 sweet gum or liquidamber is onty a mod- 

 erate success as a curb tree. It is attacked 

 by insects. Of the genus quercus (oak) I 

 have my doubts as a curb tree. As lawn 

 trees, or in lines in the park they are 

 grand. The American linden has been 

 planted and is doing well, although not a 

 perfect tree; it is much better than the 

 European, which is apt to be destroyed 

 by the borer. The same may be said 

 of the ash, especially the European, 

 which is a very variable species; none 

 of its forms escape this terrible enemy. 

 With the American species the borer 

 is not quite so successful in disfigur- 

 ing and destroying the trees. Fraxinus 

 pubescens and F. quadrangularis, where 

 there is good soil, are worthy of trial. 

 With the horse-chestnut we achieve satis- 

 factory results owing to the opportunity 

 afforded by heavy filling where the trees 

 were used. In poor soil, with no chance 

 to root deep, by the last of the summer it 

 is not beautiful to look upon. 



Permit me here to name a few proba- 

 tioners for the office of street decoration, 

 and as sanitary cooling agents: Phello- 

 dendron Amurense I think would fill both 

 offices; Zelkovacrinata andZ. acuminata, 

 Celtis occidental's (American nettle tree) 

 and C. crassifolia (hackberry) we would 

 call necessary trees. Birds get the fruit in 

 hard weather, and for this reason we rec- 

 ommend them to be planted in parks and 

 other places. The Japanese catalpa is of 

 more upright habit than the American 

 species, and is, I think, a probable street 

 tree in some sections. Ostrya Virginica 



(hop hornbeam) would make a nice, small 

 but rather slow-growing street tree. 

 Kcelreuteria paniculata would be a doubt- 

 ful candidate for street decoration. I 

 make bold to recommend that much 

 abused tree, Ailanthus glandulosa, for 

 certain streets. The objection to this 

 tree is its odor when in flower, which can 

 be overcome by cutting it back even- two 

 or three years. The members of the wil- 

 low family affect damp, swampy, ague- 

 breeding places, and in various ways are 

 candidates for the high honors of quinine, 

 as a cure for intermittent fever. 



I have never been in favor of spending 

 large sums of money for moving trees, 

 even to satisfy public demand. I have 

 looked in vain for permanent success in 

 this matter. It usually takes a young, 

 healthy tree about the same time to grow 

 up as it does a large one to die, after 

 being removed. Much more might be 

 said on this subject, but it is enough if I 

 show you that it is better to observe and 

 think before spending money on trans- 

 planting large trees. 



By cutting back severely, careful water- 

 ing when necessary, and cultivating with 

 the assiduity of a good farmer towards 

 his corn crop, we reached a phenomenal 

 success in the early days of tree planting 

 in Washington. Another suggestion; do 

 not let dudeism drive from your street 

 trees the white-washer. If he uses lime, 

 blue or other colored clay, sulphur, lamp- 

 black, salt or other material, he will 

 greatly improve your trees, and add to 

 the health of the neighborhood, perhaps 

 killing the much-dreaded microbes of dis- 

 eases as well as scale insects and fungoids. 

 It will not stop horses nibbling at the 

 bark; woven wire must be used for that. 

 For bad boys who injure trees, and for 

 gas leaks it is difficult to suggest reme- 

 dies. I can only say, mend the latter and 

 try to improve the former. Arbor Day 

 and memorial tree planting should go 

 hand-in-hand, creating a sentiment of 

 love and veneration for trees. 



The Flower Garden. 



POINTERS ON SWEET PEfl CULTURE. 



There are no flowers so popular or so 

 much appreciated during the summer 

 season as are sweet peas. It is not long 

 since there were but ten sorts at most to 

 select from, while to-day we have hun- 

 dreds of varieties of such varied form and 

 shade as to be almost indescribable. 

 Sweet peas have a warm place in the 

 hearts of all lovers of flowers, as have 

 roses, violets and carnations. One great 

 cause of their popularity is the ease with 

 which they may be cultivated. The small 

 outlay and the certainty of having a good 

 crop of flowers with the little attention 

 required are strong arguments in their 

 favor. 



The time is rapidly approaching when 

 at least a first sowing should be made, 

 —just as soon, in fact, as the ground is 

 in good workable condition after the 

 severe frosts are over. It is of no use to 

 sow sweet peas on poverty stricken soil 

 and expect good results, but any piece of 

 ground that will produce a good crop of 

 wheat, roses or strawberries, will also 

 raise good peas, sweet orotherwise. The 

 seeds should be sown in lines two inches 

 deep, two lines five inches apart to each 

 trench. The seeds should be pressed down 

 firmly, tramping in with the feet. The 

 plants in the lines should be about three 

 inches apart, but it is advisable to sow the 

 seeds thicker than this so as to provide 



against failure, thinning out the plants 

 to the required extent when it becomes 

 evident that there is no longer any danger 

 of loss through ordinary causes. 



When the plants show the fourth leaf, 

 a little soil should be drawn to them. 

 For supports employ either light brush 

 or wire netting. The latter is perhaps 

 the cheapest and best. That of 3 inch 

 mesh is the most serviceable, and it should 

 be at least three feet six inches high, 

 increasing the height according to the 

 vigor shown by the plants in any partic- 

 ular soil or location. Stakes driven on 

 either side of the line will be required to 

 support the wire, and they should be four 

 feet apart, and arranged with such alter- 

 nation as will insure to those on opposite 

 sides of the line a space of two feet apart. 

 It will be necessary occasionally to run a 

 light string along the line, fastening the 

 vines in position to the wire. This ap- 

 plies also where coarse brush is employed. 

 Sweet peas are gross feeders, and delight 

 in plentiful supplies of water during dry 

 weather. Wood ashes is good for them, 

 and a mulching of thoroughly decayed 

 manure, or grass mowings from the lawn 

 can be applied with advantage. 



Flowers should be closely picked every 

 day so as to prevent the formation of 

 seed pods. If the flowers are allowed to 

 remain on the vines, the seeds will speedily 

 mature in hot weather and shorten the 

 flowering season very materially. Where 

 plantations of any considerable extent 

 are made, varieties to name are prefera- 

 ble to mixtures, however fine the latter 

 may be. The varieties are so numerous 

 and all are so beautiful that a good selec- 

 tion is rather difficult to make, but the 

 following will be found valuable in their 

 respective colors: White, Blanche Burpee 

 and Emily Henderson; mauve shades, 

 Emily Eckford and Princess May; blue 

 shades, Captain of the Blues, Boreatton 

 and Duke of Clarence; rose and pink 

 shades, Apple Blossom, Blanche Ferry, 

 Early Blanche Ferry, Peach Blossom, 

 Duke of York, Katherine Tracy, Mrs. 

 Gladstone and Royal Robe; scarlet and 

 crimson, Brilliant, Ignea, Cardinal and 

 Mars; shades of yellow, Mrs. Eckford, 

 Lady Beaconsfield and Alice Eckford; 

 variegated, America, white red and pink; 

 Aurora, orange and white; Mrs. Joseph 

 Chamberlain, white and rose; and Prin- 

 cess of Wales, mauve and white. 



John Thorpe. 



NOTESON SOME OF THE NEWER SWEET FEflS, 



The past season was a peculiar one in 

 the vicinity of Detroit, and seemed to 

 have a curious effect upon some varieties 

 of sweet peas, notably Blanche Ferry, 

 Extra Early Blanche Ferry and Little 

 Dorrit. I had nine different stocks of 

 these sorts planted in trial, occupving 

 altogether some seventy-five feet of double 

 rows, and among the thousands of flow- 

 ers produced there was not a single 

 normal colored blossom, all being to a 

 greater or less degree like the sport called 

 American Belle, with pink or pink and 

 white striped wings instead of the nearly 

 white ones of the normal flower. 



It is a curious fact that the two stocks 

 of Little Dorrit (which were from unim- 

 peachable sources) should show precisely 

 the same sportive tendency as the Blanche 

 Ferry, though I understand that Mr. 

 Eckford developed it from entirely differ- 

 ent strains. Some of the identical lots 

 of seed used were planted in other Detroit 

 gardens and also at Toledo, Ohio, and on 

 the Huron Peninsula; and while the 

 Detroit flowers were like my own, the 

 Toledo and Huron plantings furnished 



