246 



GARDENING. 



May /, 



as the more common forms of the iris, 

 will do in lower beds; but Pyretheum 

 roseum, Lychnis flos-euculi, Papaver 

 nudicaule, or any low growing plants, 

 do better where most perfect drainage 

 exists, especially in winter. Where a bed 

 is high, we can, by watering properly, 

 control the moisture; but where it is low, 

 the plants are at the mercy of the ele- 

 ments during a rainy season. 



On examination of a horse chestnut 

 "blister spot," so common on the trees 

 around here, I found evidence of damage 

 by worms; fine particles of sawdust were 

 present. With a sharp gouge, all unsound 

 wood was cut away and two white 

 worms dislodged. A paste was made of 

 finely powdered charcoal and pine tree oil, 

 and all parts of the exposed inner wood 

 thoroughly covered. This soon hardens 

 and protects the injured parts from the 

 elements, and will repel further attacks 

 of the worms. In the course of time new 

 wood and bark will cover this wound, 

 and the tree be none the worse. The 

 inner wood of a tree is practically dead 

 and inert, and, so far as the future 

 growth and development is concerned, is 

 of no consequence, except as a post 

 around which the active, living part 

 grows and adheres for support. If 

 the decay of the inner part is averted, 

 and it is eventually covered by new bark, 

 the tree lives on as if never wounded; but 

 if the decay is not stopped, it will, in 

 time, extend to all the old wood, with a 

 hollow shell as the result. 



Rosa spinosissima Altaica, sometimes 

 described as A', grandifiora, is such a 

 charming form of the single white, that 

 for the two winters I have had it I 

 deemed it best to protect it by simply 

 placing an inverted box over it. Last 

 summer it sent out several suckers some 

 two feet away from the main plant, and 

 this bunch was left exposed during the 

 past winter; it came through uninjured, 

 even to the tips. For simple rustic beauty 

 this rose cannot be excelled. W.C. Eg an. 



moneywort, or any creeping plant along 

 the inner edge of the box in order to cover 

 it from view. Potentilla fruticosa, Car- 

 agana frutescens, Cotoneaster acutifolia, 

 and the Amur tamarix will do in the 

 situation named. W. C. E. 



SflRUBS'FOR SITE NBAR LARGE MAPLE. 



Kindly tell me which of these shrubs 

 will be the least injured by the proximity 

 of a large maple tree. The garden plot, 

 100 feet long with southern exposure, has 

 a hedge of Berberis Tlwnbergii. I wish 

 now to plant a collection of tall growing 

 shrubs as a screen. The following are the 

 shrubs: Forsythia Fortunei, F. viridis- 

 sima. Hamamelis Virginica, Viburnum 

 opulis, V. tomentosum, Diervilla alba, 

 Syringa grandiflorus, Rosa muhitiora, 

 Spiriea prunifolia, Ribes aureum. 



M. H. G. 



All the varieties mentioned are well 

 able to take care of themselves, and do 

 fairly well under the circumstances stated, 

 except Rosa multiflora. Hamamelis Vir- 

 ginica, Ribes aureum, Spirsea pruniiolia 

 and the forsythiaswill stand the drought 

 better than the balance. The extra drain 

 of food from the soil, on account of the 

 numerous feeding roots that the maple 

 will send out, can be overcome by a gen- 

 erous top dressing of well- rotted manure 

 in the fall, raking off the coarser part in 

 the spring and carefully forking in the 

 balance. The main difficulty to overcome 

 will be the lack of moisture during dry 

 spells in summer, although watering 

 once in a while will help matters. If a 

 few i?osa multiflora are desired, make a 

 bottomless box of two inch planks, three 

 feet square and two feet deep. Set it in 

 the ground so that the top is even with 

 the surface of the surrounding soil, riant 

 a rose in the center, and use Vinea minor, 



THE FLOWERING AGE OF AGTINID1AS. 



Ed. Gardening; — How old must the 

 various actinidias be to bloom and fruit? 



F. N. B. 



Replying to yours enclosing inquiry 

 concerningthe flowering age of actinidias, 

 we are unable to state definitely, but 

 think that the plants produce flowers and 

 fruit when five or six years old. 



Ellwanger & Barry. 



Rochester, N. Y. 



flYDRANGEA UESTlTfl. 



Ed. Gardening: — Referring to Hydran- 

 gea vestita, there is no trouble about 

 making it grow near Chicago, and it 

 does notneed protection. When it comes 

 to blooming, that is another story. If 

 Mr. Egan can make it bloom to any 

 extent, I shall be thankful for his recipe. 

 However, I am inclined to think he will 

 find this shrub a worthless nuisance. R. 



PLANTING ABOUT TAB nOME. 



The following is an abstract of an ad- 

 dress delivered before the Columbus, 0., 

 Horticultural Society, by Prof. W. A. 

 Kellerman: 



The first and essential thing is to have 

 a good and well-kept lawn of bluegrass 

 and white clover. No planting can take 

 the place of this, and if the 'lawn is perfect 

 no other planting is demanded in case the 

 front yard is very small. Where the 

 owner possesses a large lawn his taste 

 need not be criticised if flowers, shrubbery 

 and trees are entirely discarded. But the 

 majority prefer to have some ornamental 

 plants or shrubbery where the city lot is 

 of good size or the country yard is of 

 generous dimensions. 



Usually the walk from the front door 

 is and ought to be straight, leading 

 directly to the sidewalk or road. If the 

 distance is sufficient, or the point of inter- 

 section with the road or street is so situ- 

 ated that a gracefully curved walk can be 

 laid out, so much the better. 



The lawn should not be clutted up or 

 dotted over with shrubs or other plants. 

 These will especially arrest the attention, 

 and distract from the pleasing impression 

 of the place as a whole. Rather let the 



OROTON MADAME SEILLIERE 



