242 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



August, 



The Goat's Beard— A Fine Spiraea 



Among Spiraeas that die to the ground 

 each autumn, none is more worthy of cul- 

 tivation than the species known as Goat's 

 Beard (Spiraa arunms), a branch which 

 is illustrated herewith. It is a vigor- 

 ous grower, attaining in good soil to di- 

 mensions equalling three to five feet in 

 height, and the same width, being matched 

 In this respect hardly by another plant of 

 its class. On this account It is of value as 

 a plant that Is almost as much at 

 home In the shrubbery as In the 

 herbaceous border. 



The plant is prized for its 

 beaiitiful foliage and habit as 

 well as for Its flowers, which 

 latter are freely produced in 

 large, gracefully-drooping 

 plumes, the color being a creamy 

 white. It should however, be 

 noted that some forms of this 

 plant are inferior and to be 

 avoided. It is a native of the 

 Alleghany and CatsklU Moun- 

 tains in this country, and to some 

 parts of Europe and Asia. By 

 procuring stock from first-class 

 nurserymen there need be no 

 trouble about getting the best 

 form, for such growers will have 

 been at pains to have secured 

 such. In Its best forms, as Mr. 

 Robinson remarks, It is as orna- 

 mental in midsummer as the 

 Pampas Grass, and is a valuable 

 subject for grouping with other 

 fine-foliaged herbaceous plants. 

 As an Individual specimen on 

 the lawn a strong plant of this 

 Spiraea Is remarkably handsome, 

 its neat form and clean cut 

 foliage of good color showing 

 finely above the green sward. 



The culture of the Goat's Beard 

 is of the most simple character. 

 The plant succeeds In almost any 

 situation, and yet, as with 

 everything else, a gain comes 

 from bestowing good treatment. 

 If it can have a deep moist loam 

 fairly enriched, it will ask for 

 nothing more. It is, moreover, 

 In common with the Astilbe and 

 some others of the Spiraea class adapted to 

 culture In pots. By setting the roots in good- 

 sized pots of soil in the fall and providing 

 several Inches of drainage, they will be in 

 shape for passing the winter in a pit. Early 

 In the spring the pots may be brought to 

 , the greenhouse, or else later, say in May, be 

 transferred directly out of doors for bloom- 

 ing. If they be then given a liberal supply 

 of water, they will be found to grow remark- 

 ably well and carry fine and luxuriant 

 heads of flowers as a result. 



top of this a wire selve was placed on which 

 to set the plants. (Lath put on one-half 

 inch apart would do quite as well as wire.) 

 At the bottom of the box was a side-door 

 large enough to admit a tin pan, which had 

 a few small holes in the bottom. This I set 

 upon four inverted flower pots In order to 

 secure draught from below while burning. 

 For safety, I kept a piece of zinc underneath 

 the pan so that a stray coal dropping 

 through the holes in the pan would not set 



A Convenient Fumigating Box. 



W. F. LAKE, ERIE CO., N. Y. 



There are but few plant growers, amateur 

 or otherwise that are not more or less 

 troubled by the presence of plant aphis or 

 lice. The possessor of a greenhouse finds 

 less dlfliculty in destroying them, than 

 those having only a window garden, as 

 Tobacco can be freely used In the former, 

 both by fumigation and keeping it strewn 

 imder the benches, things not near so easily 

 done in the house. 



Before I had the pleasure of owning a 

 greenhouse, growing many flowers in the 

 window garden, I overcame this difficulty 

 in the following manner: Procuring a 

 large tight dry goods box at least six feet 

 high by four square, I had the cover put on 

 with hinges, taking care to leave no open 

 cracks, then inside about 18 inches from the 

 bottom, some cleats were nailed In, and on 



THE GOAT'S BEARD. SPIR/EA ARUNCUS. 



fire to the bottom of the wooden box. 



Such a box will accommodate a large 

 number of small plants, while the box 

 being quite high, tall plants could be 

 easily fumigated, though of course, not so 

 many at a time as of the small ones. 



In starting the smudge, I put a handful 

 of shavings in the bottom of the pan, and 

 on top of this, dampened Tobacco leaves, 

 those termed "sand leaves" will be given 

 away by growers and are mul;h better and 

 stronger than stems. Care should be taken 

 that there are no crevices in the box where- 

 by the smoke will escape, and what leaves 

 can be heaped upon the pan after putting 

 in the shavings will not be found too strong 

 for most plants. 



After a few trials, one can determine just 

 the right quantity to use in the case of plants 

 like the Cineraria and Heliotrope, which are 

 badly affected when too strong, making the 

 remedy almost worse than the disease. It 

 may be added that If the plants named be 

 syringed, just previous to the fumigation, 

 they will stand about the same degree of 

 fumigating as most other kinds. 



Calla Culture.— A Flower Market. 



"How do you make your Callas bloom so 

 continuously?" asked my neighbor last win- 

 ter. By treating them in their growing 

 season like very hungry little boys, said I. 

 Also by bearing in mind that these "Daugh- 

 ters of the Nile" ought to be treated as nearly 



as possible, as though they were in their own 

 native land. In the spring, I put the pots 

 on their sides in a shady corner of the gar- 

 den, and there the bulbs dry and rest until 

 the last of August. This corresponds to 

 the dry time when the freshet of the Nile 

 has gone down, leaving the bulbs In the 

 sun-baked earth. The last of August, get 

 rich earth to re-pot them in, and after they 

 begin to grow commence the feeding. You 

 will find them the hungriest plants you 

 ever had to deal with. I took some 

 fine soot, last winter, made a tea 

 of it, and filled the deep saucers 

 once a week, alternating with 

 hens' droppings. WTien we had 

 oysters, I would tuck one or two 

 raw ones under the soil in each 

 pot. My bay window was glad- 

 ened by these royal lilies from 

 February until May. I actually 

 had to withold water to stop 

 their blooming.feaiingthe plants 

 would be too much weakened. 



Detroit is a flower loving city. 

 Rich and poor have their lawns 

 or small front yards beautifled 

 by these lovely things. In winter 

 the conservatories and cottage 

 windows are bright with plants, 

 making the cold winter less long 

 and tedious. In the busy part of 

 the city, where all the street car 

 lines meet, is a long, low build- 

 ing, open both sides, fitted with 

 stalls, and is devoted to fruits, 

 vegetables and flowers. The 

 plants are sold so reasonably that 

 even the poorest can buy some- 

 thing. A walk through the 

 market In early morning Is a 

 delight, an education in color, 

 and love for the beautiful. One 

 pleasant and profitable feature 

 is the selling of rooted Annuals; 

 Zlnnas, Asters, Sweet Alyssum, 

 etc., are sold at from six to twelve 

 cents a dozen. The plants are 

 small but well rooted. Often 

 they are handed to you done up 

 In a cool moist Burdock leaf, and 

 can be carried safely quite a dis- 

 tance. The garden beds can be 

 made bright with these well- 

 rooted plants, without the tedious waiting 

 and often failure from seed planting. Every 

 city, large or small, ought to have its flower 

 market. If the city rents the stalls they can 

 be made profitable. Detroit's revenue for 

 one year was $6,(591. A fee from farmers' 

 wagons, also loaded with fruits, vegetables 

 and plants, at ten cents a morning, amounted 

 to $3,.587.20. It makes a grand opening for 

 women. Most of the stalls in the Detroit 

 market are attended by women and girls. 

 They make a comfortable living and some- 

 times become wealthy. 



Sister Gracious. 



Some Points on Pansy Culture. 



W. C. JENNISON, MIDDLESEX CO., MASS. 



The best Pansies at any season of the 

 year are generally obtained during rainy or 

 damp weather, and at such times are quite 

 likely to be soiled by muddy water spatter- 

 ing on them. This may be remedied by 

 mulching mth meadow moss which pre- 

 sents a neat appearance. But my experi- 

 ence is that it better be spread quite 

 thinly among the plants, for if put on two 

 or more Inches deep, it will absorb the 

 greater part of the rainfall during the sum- 

 mer, only to be dried out in a few days with- 

 out allowing much water to reach the roots. 

 A green worm, closely resembling the rose- 

 leaf slug, made its appearance on some of 

 the Pansies this year. I noticed quite a 

 number of blossoms and leaves looking a 



