294 



GARDENING. 



June /s, 



ing heat after it has once been applied 

 have been found to be disastrous. The 

 pots being well filled with roots the 

 plants are led on liquid manure. 



Mr. Schiller has tried several varieties 

 but has found little success with other 

 varieties than the officinalis. Of this the 

 red is a week or ten days earlier than the 

 pink and two weeks earlier than the white. 

 It takes from six to eight weeks of heat 

 to bring them into flower. After bloom- 

 ing in pots the plants cannot be forced 

 the following season. Mr. Schiller forced 

 several hundred plants the past season 

 and they brought him an average of 

 $1.50 each, some fetching as high as 

 $3.50. The reds were all gone before 

 Easter, but the pink and white were just 

 right for that occasion. The pinks sold 

 better than the others. J. T. A. 



SPECIMEN FLflNTS OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Specimen plants have made rapid 

 growth since they were shifted into eight- 

 inch pots. They will require frequent 

 stopping to keep them shapely. Towards 

 the end of this month the last shift will 

 be given, and the real work of making 

 specimens will begin. More will be 

 discarded, and probably out of a hundred 

 to commence with only forty will be 

 grown on. This does not mean that we 

 shall altogether discard the remainder. A 

 piece of well-prepared soil will be selected 

 and the best planted out, heing careful to 

 pack the balls closely with finely pulver- 

 ized soil, so that when we come to lift 

 them there will be less danger of the balls 

 breaking apart. It is well to remember 

 this where the general practice is to culti- 

 vate plants for specimens in the open 

 fields. 



Some pretty specimens can be grown in 

 eight-inch pots, and along with those 

 specially selected for exhibition a few are 

 grown for this purpose. Prizes have 

 been offered by the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society for untrained specimens, 

 though just as neat plants can be grown 

 in this size as in larger pots. Such plants 

 are kept a stage behind. For the pur- 

 pose of smaller specimens special varieties 

 are chosen, among them Golden Ball, yel- 

 low; Norma, pink; Symphonia, pink; 



John Shrimpton, crimson; Midge and 

 Adelaide, white. 



For pot plants a fairly light and rich 

 soil is to be preferred. It drains better 

 and it is easier to keep the soil sweet, 

 with less danger from overwatering. As 

 abundant drainage is essential we order 

 our pots with three holes. Charcoal, 

 once used for such varieties as were liable 

 to burn, is now used for all. It can do no 

 harm, and when broken finely displaces 

 little soil. If the soil be unavoidably 

 heavy it is well to have it under cover 

 some time before needed, so that it will 

 not pack when handled. We pot firmly 

 and evenly, but do very littie pounding, 

 except in cases where plants have become 

 pot bound, then we must be sure the old 

 and the new soil become firmly incorpor- 

 ated. They are watered sparingly until 

 active growth is resumed, but never 

 allowed to get dry. 



There is nothing so dangerous in the 

 cultivation of specimens as to have a 

 plant get thoroughly dry. Unless it be 

 soaked at once in a tub of water it will 

 be a plague the whole season, always 

 dry. The care of specimen plants should 

 be left to one man, and that man an 

 enthusiast. We must know them as a 

 teacher does children; no two are alike in 

 behavior. Some take more water than 

 others. There are delicate ones which are 

 indispensable for some reason, and these 

 must be pampered. An overdose of liquid 

 manure would spoil them for a season. 

 Of such there is generally a warning indi- 

 cation by their manner of growth. Soft 

 growth is a sign of weakness in this 

 respect. Others, such as W. H. Lincoln, 

 can be fed to an incredible degree. 



T. D. Hatfield. 



very freely. A small plant sent by Sander 

 & Co., to the Cleveland convention 

 arrived in excellent condition. 



A. Dimmock. 



DRACAENA GODSBFF1ANA. 



As a decorative plant this novelty will 

 be found most distinct, useful and remark- 

 able. It has little resemblance in general 

 to ordinary draca^nas, but is nevertheless 

 vigorous in constitution and of peculiarly 

 graceful habit. The foliage is deep pol- 

 ished green, heavily spotted and splashed 

 white, the stems slender and very wiry. 

 Not easily affected by insects, it has the 

 constitution of an aspidistra and grows 



DRACAENA GODSBFFIANA. 



SWEET PEAS. 



Ed. Gardening:— Our Blanche Fern- 

 sweet peas turn striped in very warm 

 weather, and we would like to know 

 whether there is not a better pink variety 

 for market purposes. We would also like 

 to know of a better white for outdoor 

 culture than Mrs. Sankey, which is tinged 

 with pink. Next year we are desirous of 

 having our sweet peas in bloom about 

 February 1, and would like to have infor- 

 mation as to the time of sowing, tem- 

 perature and the two best varieties, one 

 pink and the other white. J. S. 



Tennessee. 



Replying to above, we had same trouble 

 last year outdoors. We do not force any 

 under glass nowadays, so ventured to 

 get replies from some of the successful 

 growers of sweet peas who do. 



Edward Swayne, Wawaset, Pa., says: 

 "We have had the usual trouble with 

 Blanche Ferry coming striped, but do not 

 know the cause. The trouble is not con- 

 fined to those grown under glass. This 

 year we have them outside more than 

 95% pure. Last year they were all 

 striped. Inside we have about half our 

 house nearly all true to the type, and the 

 other half nearly all striped, from the 

 same lot of seed. Better save our own 

 seed from best plants." In answer to the 

 question, "Is there not a better pink for 

 market purposes?" Mr. Swayne would 

 not say positively, but would suggest as 

 worthy of trial Miss Hunt, Lovely and 

 Prima Donna; and as a white variety for 

 forcing, Blanche Burpee has given him the 

 best results, with Emily Henderson next. 



Jacob H. Weaver, Greenland, Pa., says: 

 "We have experienced more or less trouble 

 with the variety under consideration 

 coming striped. At the present time it 

 is confined to a few plants which came 

 from seed dropped from last year's crop. 

 Up to the present the flowers from the 

 seed sown has shown no signs of stripes." 

 He does not use the Blanche Ferry ex- 

 clusively. With him the Emily Hender- 

 son far exceeds the Blanche Burpee, and 

 these are the only two whites he has tried 

 as yet. 



Elmer J. Weaver, Bird-in-Hand, Pa., 

 says: "About April 20 a portion of our 

 sweet peas began touching the glass, 

 which was removed, thus allowing the 

 peas to grow through the roof. At the 

 present time they are so badly striped, 

 standards and all, that they do not re- 

 semble Blanche Ferry in any way. All 

 the remainder of this variety which are 

 growing under glass at present are true 

 to color, not a plant bearing striped 

 flowers. Last 3 r ear they grew true to 

 color. Cannot account for it, as one 

 would think removing the glass would 

 tend to bring them true." Up to date 

 Mr. E. J. Weaver has no variety as suit- 

 able as Blanche Ferry for an all round 

 pink. "Katherine Tracy," he says, "has 

 certainly a more delicate and beautiful 

 color, and also comes true, but is rather 

 a shy bloomer, many of the first buds 

 turning yellow and dropping off. But 

 when it gets well started it makes fine 

 salable flowers. Emily Henderson is the 

 best white for forcing, though Blanche 

 Burpee may make a few more flowers, 

 but of a much inferior quality and shorter, 

 weaker stems." 



I n Tennessee, if the seeds are sown about 

 the middle of August, they should be in 



