I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



131 



objects. They will grow in almost any situ- 

 ation if the soil is not absolutely deficient of 

 food, or if the roots of other plants do not 

 rob them of a fair supply of nutriment; and 

 in such positions nothing would be required 

 but to throw down a few tree roots or 

 rougli branches for them to scramble over. 

 Thus planted, a layer of manure worked in 

 annually with the fork, and a supply ot 

 water in very dry weather, would secure a 

 good result. 



Again, they rank among the noblest of 

 ornaments for low 

 walls, trellises, vV-c, to 

 which they must 

 necessarily in the first 

 instance be nailed or 

 tie<l; but once firmly 

 fixed, they should be 

 allowed to fall down 

 in rich picturesque 

 masses. Probably, 

 however, the simplest 

 and grandest use that 

 could be made of 

 them would be to 

 plant them on large 

 masses of rock work, 

 giving them a good 

 depth of rich, light, 

 and sandy earth, and 

 allowing their shoots 

 to fall over the face of 

 the blocks without 

 training or pruning. 



In making a vine 

 walk beneath arches, 

 as illustrated, while 

 it is true that the 

 various species and 

 varieties of Clematis 

 are among the most 

 useful of plants for 



the purpose, there are others about equally 

 desirable. Among such may be mentioned 

 the various Ampelopsises, Wistarias, Loni- 

 ceras (Honeysuckles), Dutchman's Pipe, 

 Bitter Sweet, Akebia Quinata, and Wild 

 Grapes. 



A Washington, D. C , Rose Estab- 

 lishment. 



JOHN W. HAiL. 



Recently I made a brief visit to the exten- 

 sive Rose and cut flower establishment of 

 C. Strauss, Bladensburg Road, in the sub- 

 urbs of Washington. This concern has 

 long been known as one of the heaviest 

 growers of cut flowers for the wholesale 

 trade in this vicinity, but I was indeed sur- 

 prised to find the great extent of their busi- 

 ness in the production of Roses under glass. 



Hints From a Successful Gardener. 



W. C. JENNINGS, MASS. 



Canna Seed.— a good way to sprout 

 Canna Seed is to roll it up in a piece of 

 cloth, place it in a cup or other receptacle, 

 wet thoroughly with hot water and keep in 

 a warm place, care being taken not to cook 

 the seed. This treatment will cause the 

 outer shell of the seed to crack and enable 

 it to absorb moisture, when it will quick- 

 ly germinate. As the seed varies in the 

 thickness ot its outer covering, some will 

 be much longer in germinating than others. 

 Examine them frequently and pick out 

 those that have sprouted, and plant in small 

 pots, being careful to always keep in a 

 warm place, for if not cared for in this re- 

 spect, there is danger of the plants dying, 

 even after they have commenced growing 

 nicely. There are other kinds ot seeds that 

 may be started to advantage in this way. 



Dr\' Rose Thorns of large size, make 

 quite good points, that can be driven into 

 sash bars when glazing, and are a very good 

 substitute for the tin points generally used, 

 when these are not at hand. 



Plants for Shade.— List of a few plants 

 that will thrive in shady or partially shady 

 situations; Narcissus, in variety, and near- 

 ly all spring flowering bulbs for the first 

 year or two after planting good strong 

 bulbs; English Daisies, P^oxglove, Mint, 

 Campanulas, Irises, Sweet Rocket, Colum- 

 bine, Lily of the Valley, Sweet William, 

 Antirrhinum, Mimulus, Mexican Sage, 

 Moneywort, Asters, both hardy and tender 

 varieties, and Pansies. The latter should be 

 shaded from the noon sun only; the north 

 side of a building is a good place for them. 



VINE WALK AND CLEMATIS ARCH. 



The range of glass embraces 150,000 square 

 feet of surface, nearly two-thirds of which 

 is covered with double-thick French glass, 

 the size of panes being 16 by 24 inches, and 

 these are put in the two foot way. Al- 

 though the first cost of this character of 

 glass is somewhat heavy, yet I was informed 

 by the foreman, that but half a box was re- 

 quired to do all the repairing for the large 

 area now covered by this size during twelve 

 months, while for the remainder, a little 

 over half as much, 36 boxes were required 

 to make the repairs for a year. The size of 



thorough-going business man, and one who 

 is able in his profession, he has pushed 

 through all these, and now unquestionably 

 stands on the top round ot Rose growers. 

 Great pleasure is taken by him in showing 

 those interested in Rose culture through 

 his almost perfect establishment. I could 

 tliink of the large houses filled with .Vmeri- 

 can Beauty, Papa Gontier, Wooton, Watte- 

 ville. La i''rance, Bride, and many others, 

 all showing forth perfection, as nothing less 

 than glass Rose .palaces. Something like 

 A1.5O0.(J0 worth of new 

 testing kinds are here 

 under cultivation, a- 

 bout 99 per cent, ot 

 which it is believed 

 will be thrown away 

 as not coming up to 

 the necessary require- 

 ments, and it is in 

 order to be in the field 

 promptly with the 

 o u e-i n -a - h u n d r e d 

 meritorious variety 

 that leads to such en- 

 terprising tests. 



As the establish- 

 ment isnow run, from 

 •5,000 to 30,000 Rose 

 buds are cut daily. 

 This large supply is 

 by no means demand- 

 ed by the Washington 

 City trade, but a good 

 percentage of the 

 daily cut is shipped 

 all over the country. 

 A visit to such an 

 establishment is in- 

 teresting and instruc- 

 tive, not only in re- 

 gard to Rose culture, 

 but also as showing that integrity com- 

 bined with skill is the price of success. 



4 ^^itt -Jji 



PLAN OF CARPET BED. 



pane used in the last instance was 10 by 1.5 

 inches. In a further extension ot range 

 contemplated, only the large size will be 

 used, as the owner is satisfied the advan- 

 tages more than justify the increased cost. 



The heating of these greenhouses is done 

 with Exeter and Furman No. 8 furnaces, 

 which latter, embodying as they do, all the 

 recent improvements, are giving superior 

 satisfaction. 



Mr. Strauss can relate many difficulties 

 he has had to overcome in establishing his 

 present extensive business, but being a 



An Easily-Arranged Carpet Bed. 



The plan here presented has been carried 

 out with fine effect. It is capable of wide 

 adaptability, both as regards size and use 

 of plants. One simple and pleasing ar- 

 rangement might be as follows: 1, Danbert 

 Coleus; 3, Golden Coleus; 3, 4, 5, 6, Coleus 

 Verschaffelti (crimson); 7. Alternanthera 

 Amcena (carmine); 8, Cerastiuni tomentos- 

 um (white); 9, Alternanthera paronychi- 

 oides major (orange red);10 Variegated Mes- 

 embryanthemum; 11, Echeveria Secunda 

 glauca. 



2,220. Plant for Hedge. All things considered 

 we believe you would find the Norway Spruce 

 the most satisfactory plant for this purpose. 

 The row is handsome at once, even if trees not 

 more than two feet in height be set out; the 

 growth is rapid, yet with careful pruning it may 

 be Itept low and in good shape, and in this form 

 it is highly ornamental. We are acquainted with 

 hedges of this character that cannot be excelled 

 for beauty. The trees should be set about two 

 feet apart, and the pruning he done with a view 

 to keeping the hedge rather broad at the base. 

 After the hedge is well under way, we should 

 prune in the spring, when the young growth is 

 about halt developed. A fault we have here 

 found in the Privet, is that after the hedge is es- 

 tabhshed a plant here or there mav, for some un- 

 controllable reason, die, thus marring the beauty 

 of the row greatly. The Norway Spruce is not 

 open to that objection. 



2,247. Wager and Willow Peaches. I am only 

 acquainted with the Wager, and this, in its own 

 neighborhood, is giving excellent satisfaction on 

 account of its comparative hardiness in bud, and 

 the good quality of its fruit, although it is not 

 equal to Crawford's Early, which it somewhat 

 resembles. The reputation of this variety, how- 

 ever, has been greatly damaged by the injudi- 

 cious claim that it would always reproduce itsetf 

 from seed. My experience with it has shown 

 me that the seedlings are not reliable by any 

 means. It we want true Wagers, we should bud 

 from a tree known to be true to name, and then 

 we will have a variety that tan be planted with 

 entire confidence.— G. K. 



