238 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



The Camperdown Weeping Elm — A 

 Fine Arbor Tree. 

 As a shady retreat, approximating an ar- 

 bor on the lawn, what can be finer than a 

 tree, like that shown in the accompanying 

 engraving? This is a faithful representa- 

 tion of a Camperdown Weeping Elm growing 

 on the specimen grounds of EUwanger & 

 Barry, Rochester, N. Y. On a recent visit 

 to these grounds, we were so impressed by 

 the beauty of the tree in question, that a 

 photograph of the same was obtained, from 

 which our engraving was made. 



This tree is fully fourteen feet in height 

 by twenty feet spread. There is head room 

 of about ten feet under the tree. What ren- 

 ders the growth arbor-like is that the outer 



ity. Our nurserymen propagate the trees 

 by grafting on common Elm stocks. The 

 aim is to have the place of union at a point 

 six feet or upwards from the ground. 



The Right and the Wrong Way of 

 Watering Outdoor Plants. 



To apply water to our bedding plants dur- 

 ing the hot season, in a proper manner, 

 seems a simple task, so long as the applica- 

 tion is tempered with discretion and ordi- 

 nary common sense. It is not common 

 sense to drench, as so often done, the heated 

 plants under a blazing sun at noon-time 

 with ashower bath of ice-cold water directly 

 from the well. 



It is not wise, says a correspondent of 



SPECIMEN OF THE CAMPERDOWN WEEPING ELM. 



branches, to a considerable width, descend 

 to the ground, forming leafy sides, as com- 

 pletely as though there was a frame of 

 lattice-work covered with vines, like in an 

 ordinary arbor Under such a tree, seats 

 could be arranged either around the trunk 

 or against the branches at the sides, looking 

 inward. 



The Camperdown Weeping Elm is a tree 

 of comparatively recent Introduction. It 

 can be had at the leading nurseries for 

 about .$1.50 apiece. It is a variety of the 

 Scotch or Wych Elm known also as the 

 Mountain Elm {Ulmvf: montana). A pe- 

 culiarity of the tree is its rapid growth and 

 robustness. The branches extend outward 

 and downward, often in a zigzag direction, 

 and it Is not uncommon on fertile soil to see 

 young shoots making a growth of from two 

 to four feet in a season. The leaves are 

 large, dark green and glossy. They overlap 

 after a fashion, thus serving to keep the 

 grass under the tree quite dry and pleasant. 



In common with other varieties and 

 species of Elm, the Camperdown Weeping is 

 a lover ot moisture at the root. And yet it 

 is as adaptable in its nature as any Elm 

 tree, and will thrive admirably in any good 

 high soil. The fact that it enjoys moisture, 

 renders it particularly at home on lawns, 

 that are kept much watered; on such, if 

 the soil otherwise is suitable, the annual 

 growth of well established trees is large. 



Altogether, our subject is one we take 

 great pleasure in recommending as deserv- 

 ing of extensive planting. As the engraving 

 shows, it is extremely picturesque as a 

 garden object, aside from its arbor-like qual- 



Transcript Monthly, to water our plants in 

 such a manner, with the sun directly upon 

 them, for it not only mars the beauty of the 

 foliage, but it shocks the tender rootlets and 

 greatly injures them. Just think for a mo- 

 ment, dear reader, what a shock it would be 

 to our system, should some one deluge us 

 with ice water when we were heated ex- 

 cessively! I believe that one such bath 

 would make us more careful about out- 

 raging the laws of nature when watering 

 our plants. 



The best time to water plants is in the 

 evening. The moisture arising gradually 

 from the soil during the night will be ab- 

 sorbed by the leaves, while the limited 

 evaporation will enable the plants to draw 

 an abundance of nourishment from the soil. 

 If watered in the morning or at noon, the 

 plants will not receive full benefit of the 

 moisture, for tiie sun dries off the soil so 

 quickly. But I would have you bear in 

 mind that I never sacrifice my plants for the 

 sake of a theory; if I find them suffering 

 with thirst at midday, I water them, but I 

 am very careful not to wet the foUage. I 

 apply it close to the roots, and have the 

 water warm, never cold. If it is the same 

 temperature as the soil about the roots of 

 the plants, it will not injure them. 



Experience has taught me that it does not 

 matter so much when we water our plants 

 as the how of doing it. Still, ordinarily I 

 would recommend showering them at even- 

 ing; if well water is used it should be 

 pumped up in the morning, where it can 

 stand in the sun, and by evening it will be 

 warm enough to give them a bath. It re- 



quires no more time or labor to pump or 

 draw water in the morning than it does at 

 night, but the difference to the plants is 

 very, very great. If a tub filled with water 

 can be set near the garden beds, a force 

 pump may be used to good advantage. 



These things may seem of little conse- 

 quence, but should our warm weather and 

 drought continue, you will have an oppor- 

 tunity to test them, and experience will 

 soon teach you that there is a right way and 

 a wrong way to water plants. 



The Wistaria as a Winter Bloomer. 

 With the greatly increased modern de- 

 mand for winter flowers, florists have 

 pressed into service for winter forcing many 

 plants that formerly were 

 scarcely thought of for such 

 a purpose. Among these are 

 many of the hardy flowering 

 shrubs, such as Lilacs, Dent- 

 zias, Spir<Bas, Hybrid Per- 

 petual Roses, etc., besides 

 some hardy perennial flowers. 

 We have never seen the 

 hardy Wistaria employed as 

 a forcing plant for winter 

 flowers. According to Moel- 

 er's Deutsche Gaertner-Zeit- 

 ung it seems that gardeners 

 in Germany employ the plant 

 for this purpose. A specimen 

 of the well known Chinese 

 Wistaria ( nistaria Sincnms) 

 was exhibited last spring at 

 Berlin, from which the en- 

 graving was made (page 337). 

 The specimen flgured had 

 seventy panicles of bloom — 

 the whole head being a mass 

 of flowers. 



The directions given for 

 raising plants for this pur- 

 pose are as follows: Select a 

 strong young plant in the 

 spring and pot it in well en- 

 riched fibry loam in a good 

 sized pot, and keep it grow- 

 ing steadily through the 

 summer, allowing it to rest 

 in autumn. By mid-winter 

 cut back all the shoots but the strongest 

 and start again into growth. Tie up erect 

 the remaining shoot and guard it carefully 

 that it be not broken. At the end of the 

 second season the stem should be several 

 feet in height. 



Before starting for the third year's growth 

 cut the stem back to a convenient height, 

 say four or five feet. The head, consisting 

 of several branches, will now begin to form, 

 and the fifth year it can be brought into 

 bloom. The branches and young shoots can 

 be allowed to hang naturally, drooping all 

 about the stem. If properly managed, a 

 plant will remain in good condition, bloom- 

 ing annually, for many years. 



Forcing is quite easy, as only a moderate 

 temperature is required. If kept in too 

 much heat the buds will drop. 



About Some Bulbs and Bulb Forcing. 



A. L. HOYT, STEUBEN CO., N. Y. 



In spring flowering bulbs of special value 

 for indoor culture, I have found the Van 

 Thol Tulips, White Roman Hyacinths, and 

 Paper White and Double Roman Narcissi, 

 all of which bloom early, are easily culti- 

 vated, and have the great merit of cheap- 

 ness. With the aid of a forcing pit they 

 may be had in bloom during November and 

 December, but they naturally flower .so early 

 that when grown without, and protected 

 from frost, their flowers may be enjoyed be- 

 fore the year is far advanced. 



The most simple method of dealing with 

 the whole of the subjects mentioned is to 

 put them in five-inch pots, three or four 

 bulbs in each, and grow them on without 



