348 



* * * GARDENING. 



Aug. /, 



of July 12 the temperature fell to within 

 5° of the freezing point atNorthfield, Vt., 

 and from several New England points 

 frosts were reported. 



Rain is now generally needed in the 

 states of the Missouri, upper Mississippi, 

 and Ohio valleys, lake regions, and over 

 the greater part of New England, and 

 the middle Atlantic states, especially in 

 Missouri. Ohio, northern New England, 

 and portions of the middle Atlantic 

 states, the drought in Maryland and 

 adjacent portions of Virginia being espe- 

 cially severe. Too much rain has fallen 

 over a large part of the south Atlantic 

 and east Gulf states, causing injury to, 

 and preventing the cultivation of crops. 

 Along the immediate coast from southern 

 New England to North Carolina, in West 

 Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, the cen- 

 tral and west Gulf states, and generally 

 throughout the Rocky Mountain and 

 north Pacific coast regions, the weather 

 conditions have been generally favorable 

 to crops. 



THE DUTCH HORTICULTURISTS. 



At the June meeting of the Dutch Horti- 

 cultural and Botanical Society, held in 

 Amsterdam, the floral committee made 

 the following awards: First-class certifi- 

 cates to E. H. Krelage & Son for Aealy- 

 pha Sanders; J. H. Kersten & Co. for 

 Anemone coronaria fl. pi. White Lady; 

 ]. H.Schober, for Epidendrum purpurcuiu: 

 and J. C. de Lange for Lilium rubellum. 

 Certificates of merit to E. H. Krelage cV 

 Son for Brodiaea Howelli lilacina and H. 

 D. Willink van Collen for Lupinus Noot- 

 katensis. Botanical certificates to E. H. 

 Krelage & Son for Calochortus Mawe- 

 anus major, Iris nigricans, Kniphofia 

 Tucki and Tulipa Sprengerii; and to Baron 

 von Boetzelaer for Masdevallia rosea and 

 M. Epbippium, who also received honor- 

 able mention for three varieties of Odon- 

 toglossum crispum. E. H. Krelage St 

 Son were awarded a gold medal for a 

 collection of cut flowers from bulbous and 

 tuberous plants. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 

 Benjamin Hammond, Fishkill-on-thc- 

 Iludson, N. V., paints; Hubert & Lucas, 

 Yauquiedor Nurseries, St. Andrew's, 

 Guernsey, bulbs; Rea Brothers, Norwood 

 Nurseries, Norwood, Mass., herbaceous 

 perennials; Peter Henderson & Co., New 

 York, N. \'., plants and seeds; The New 

 Jersey Moss and Peat Co., Barnegat, N. 

 J., peat; Ellwanger & Barry, Mt. Hope 

 Nurseries, Rochester, N. Y., plants; John 

 Barth Bos, Overveen, near Haarlem, Hol- 

 land, bulbs; Arthur De Meyer, Mont St. 

 Aniand, near Ghent, Belgium, plants; 

 Brinkworth & Sons, Winchester, Hants., 

 England, seed dressing; Pennell & Sons, 

 Lincoln, England, plants; E. H. Krelage 

 & Son. Haarlem, Holland, bulbs; Pine- 

 hurst Nurseries, I'inehurst, N. C, seeds. 



EEL WORMS. 

 There has been some discussion on the 

 use of silico fluoride of ammonium in the 

 Journal of Horticulture (English). In an 

 article by Mr. G. Abbey, it is stated that 

 experiments conducted by him show con- 

 clusively, that one ounce of this substance 

 to a square yard of ground will com- 

 pletely destroy eel worms and many other 

 noxious insects. As its effects are injuri- 

 ous to some plants (although not so much 

 to the roots as to the leaves), he advises 

 treating the ground before planting. The 

 substance soon decomposes and thereby 

 becomes harmless to vegetation while, as 

 it contains about 19 percent of ammonia, 

 it leaves in its decomposition a valuable 

 fertilizer. 



HOW TO GROW GENISTAS. 



The genistas are sometimes called cyti- 

 sus, but the former being the old Latin 

 name and the one with which I have been 

 the longest familiar, I shall use it in this 

 paper. Genista is a large genus; over 

 sixty species have been described. They 

 are natives of Europe, Asia, Africa and 

 the Canary Islands; many of them are 

 hardy, and all are of a shrubby character. 

 Genista Canariensis, from the Canary Is- 

 lands, and G. raeemosus, supposed to be 

 a variety of greenhouse origin, are the 

 only two varieties usually grown for 

 house decoration. G. raeemosus, being 

 the best in color and in habit, I grow the 

 most of this variety. 



The propagation of genistas may be 

 done either in mid-winter or spring. I 

 prefer the former, although they take 

 much longer to root. But the difference 

 in the size of plants pays for the extra 

 time. For winter propagation take cut- 

 tings of good size (with a heel), say four 

 to six inches long, when the plants are in 

 a dormant condition and insert them in a 

 propagating bed, box or pot, as best suits 

 your convenience, with a temperature of 

 about 55° or 60°. Wait two months or 

 so and you will have a lot of well-rooted, 

 stocky plants. 



For spring propagation, take the ends 

 of the young growths about two inches 

 long. Put them in a propagating bed 

 with the temperature of about 65° to 70°, 

 and shade from sun. Put them in thumb 

 pots, with care not to break their brittle 

 roots, as many plants are lost from this 

 cause in transferring them from the prop- 

 agating beds to their first pots. After 

 they get established in small pots, there 

 will be no difficulty in shifting from one 

 size of pot to another. 



There are three ways of growing 

 genistas in summer and but one in winter 

 for the best results. The first method 

 for summer treatment is to keep 

 them in greenhouses. That is to say, they 

 live in a greenhouse from the cradle to the 

 grave; they r are born there; they thrive 

 there until at last, to give a generous re- 

 ward for their kind and incessant care, 

 thy burst into beauty, soon to die of 

 utter neglect in some palatial home. 



The next plan isto plunge them in their 

 pots, in some material which will retain 

 moisture, outside in a frame. The last is 

 to plant them in the field as early as it is 

 safe; lift and pot them on the near ap- 

 proach of frost. Of these three, the first 

 is my method of culture, and I will de- 

 scribe it, as I think it gives the best re- 

 sults, although more expensive than the 

 others. But quality is my aim for the 

 results of my labor. I always find it 

 pays, and believing you want the best 

 methods, I will pass over the latter two. 



While growing, the genista loves plenty 

 of moisture, and a good, rich compost, 

 consisting of one-half loam, cow manure 

 and sand in equal parts forthe other half, 

 with a little bone meal added. Shift the 

 plants from one size of pot to the next 

 larger as the pots become well filled with 

 roots. If it is your wish to grow shapely 

 plants, they will require trimming five or 

 six times during the summer and autumn. 

 You may trim and train them into any 

 desired shape. Wm. K. Harris. 



Societies. 



Minnesota Horticultural Society. 

 — The premium list for the exhibits at the 

 state fair to be held at Minneapolis in 

 September has been prepared. It is 



designed to attract an adequate display 

 of the state's fruit growing resources, but 

 also offers excellent prizes for exhibits of 

 flowers and vegetables. 



Dickinson County Horticultural 

 Society. — An organization of this name 

 will be perfected at Abiline, Kan., on 

 August 10. 



Skagit County Horticultural Soci 

 ety. — This society was in session at Mt. 

 Vernon, Wash., the county seat, on July 

 16. Capt. D. F. Decatur was the moving 

 spirit of the meeting. 



Ottawa Horticultural Society, 

 Ottawa, Canada. — There was a merito- 

 rious display of flowers and fruits at the 

 meeting July 19. Prof. Shutt talked 

 upon special manures for garden crops. 



Floyd County Horticultural Soci- 

 ety.— The meeting July 2 was with H. 

 B. Stoy at Georgetown, Scott county. 

 Papers were read by Dr. H. S. Wolfe, 

 Thomas Farnesley, M. V. Hanger and 

 Rev. Harvey Green. 



Indiana Horticultural Society.— 

 The annual summer meeting will be held 

 at Connersville, August 11 and 12, and a 

 very interesting program has been pre- 

 pared. Accompanying the announcement 

 of the meeting a circular was sent out 

 inquiring as to crop conditions. Seventy 

 counties have been heard from and a sum- 

 mary of the reports shows that Indiana's 

 crop of fall fruit will be very poor. 



Asa ('.ray Botanical Society, Utica, 

 N. Y. — The society held a very pleasant 

 session with Miss Elizabeth Sharp, 323 

 Genessee street, July 12, and made plans 

 for its excursion to Frenchman's Island, 

 in Oneida Lake, made on July 25. A 

 feature of the meeting with Miss Sharpe 

 was the exhibition, by Miss Boyce, of r. 

 very fine specimen yucca plant, com- 

 monly known as the Spanish dagger. 



Gulf Coast Horticultural Associa- 

 tion, Ai.vin, Texas. — W. H. Harrell, 

 manager, gives the following figures for 

 the four months ending July 1: Total 

 express shipments of fruit and vegetables 

 by members, $13,541.28; express charges 

 and commissions just half the gross, 

 leaving net returns $6,770.64. Twenty 

 car-loads were shipped, gross receipts 

 from which were $6,879.39; freight, 

 $3,023.01; commissions, $621.76; net to 

 growers $3,259.04. 



Nom.E County Horticultural Soci- 

 ety. — The meeting, July 16, was with 

 John W. Moorehouse, four miles east of 

 Albion, Ind. There was an excellent dis- 

 play ot fruits, vegetables and flowers, and 

 papers were read and discussed by M. 1. 

 Borck, Avilla; E. H. Upson, Wilmot; W. 

 W. Carev, Albion; M. J. (food, Avilla; 

 Wm Talbert, Albion; E. E. Snyder, Wol- 

 cottville; and J. C. Kimmell, Ligonier. 

 Liberal premiums were given in the vari- 

 ous classes. 



Alton Horticultural Society, Al- 

 ton, III. — At the July meetingthefollow- 

 ing were expressions by members: Peaches 

 should be planted on hills; Sneed is the 

 best early variety we have, free stone and 

 hardy. The Lawton and Piasa are our 

 best blackberries and Miller the poorest. 

 For ornamental planting the sugar maple, 

 tulip, chestnut and linden are valuable in 

 the order named. Bubach is our best 

 strawberry; Jersey Queen was for years 

 the best but does not do well now. Worden 

 always produces some small grapes; the 

 greatest neglect in vineyards is in the 

 matter of cutting away old wood. 



