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POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



The Garden Mallows. -A Pure White 

 Variety. 



The Mallows are easily-grown garden 

 plants, and as the flowers are attractive and 

 of pleasing odor, they are, in certain kinds, 

 among the more desirable plants for the 

 border. 



In a recent issue of Mr. Robinson's Gar- 

 dening Illustrated, attention was called to 

 one of the most beautiful of the hardy per- 

 ennial Mallows, namely the White Musk 

 Mallow, a variety of the English Mallow, 

 Malva Moschata, and of which former we 

 reproduce the engraving herewith. It 

 is described as forming a branching 

 pyramidal bush, composed of numerous 

 stems about two feet high, and bears 

 an abundance of flowers from one inch 

 to one and a half inches in diameter. 

 It is a hardy perennial, and will grow 

 in almost any soil or situation, but a 

 hot, dry place suits it best, hence it is 

 well adopted to the American climate. 

 The plant is slightly musk-scented. 



Among others, Malva carapanulata 

 is a beautiful dwarf plant, but rare and 

 difficult to grow well, as it is not quite 

 hardy except in very mild districts. It 

 is dwarf and spreading, and bears 

 numerous lilac bellshaped flowers. M. 

 Alcea, Moreni, and Mauritanica are 

 worth growing when a full collection 

 is desired. 



The annual Malva M. Crixpa is also 

 valuable for all large collections. It 

 grows from three feet to six feet high, 

 forming an erect pyramidal bush of 

 broad leaves, with a curled or frizzled 

 margin. Bushes of this are pretty in 

 groups, beds or borders. It may be 

 sown in cool frames and put out early 

 in May, by which means strong plants 

 may be obtained early in the season. 



One correspondent thus wrote last 

 summer respecting this annual Mallow 

 (M. cri«pa):— "I never see that any of 

 your correspondents mention this plant, 

 which is now to be seen with me in all 

 its beauty. I have a long bed full of 

 it. It grows to a height of four feet, 

 and bears large showy flowers of pink and 

 white. Every one is struck by the brilliancy 

 of the coloring and the size of the flowers, 

 which few have ever seen. It is very diffi- 

 cult to procure the right seed. Mine was 

 sent me last year from Guernsey, and this 

 year the flowers and foliage are lovelier 

 than last. My gardener saved the seed. 

 They make splendid decorations for a room, 

 and the flowers remain fresh for so long. 

 It is an annual that ought to be largely 

 cultivated." 



square inches of space each. If the frame 

 is kept rather close for a few days the plants 

 will quickly get hold of the soil and with a 

 moderate quantity of air, at all times after- 

 wards, they will soon make sturdy plants, 

 that will lift with balls of splendid roots, 

 in masses as large as a man's hand. As a 

 matter of fact any pains taken to secirre 

 strong,short plants before bedding the better 

 assures the success of the season's work. 



Strong-growing varieties like the Pseony- 

 flowered and Quilled Asters should be 

 planted from one foot to fifteen inches apart 



The Culture of Chinese Asters. 



WM. D. WILUS, BUCKS CO.. TA. 



The secret of growing these favorite 

 autumn annuals centers in three points 

 namely: a well-enriched soil, plenty of sun 

 and plenty of water in dry weather. 



In regard to soil they like rich and fairly 

 deep garden loam, preferring that which is 

 strong to sand. Manure from an old hot- 

 bed is as good a fertilizer as any, and a layer 

 at least two inches deep of this over the 

 space to be planted, spading it in, should be 

 about right. In pot culture— and the Aster 

 is a superior plant for exhibition and other 

 decorative purposes when grown in pots— it 

 is important to be at considerable pains to 

 have the soil properly prepared, if large and 

 perfectly-formed flowers is the aim. A com- 

 post should be used consisting of three parts 

 decayed sods, one part old manure with the 

 addition of a liberal quantity of leaf-mold. 



It Asters are wanted in full bloom by 

 August, the seed should be sown in gentle 

 heat by the middle of March, and in three 

 weeks they ought to be transplanted into a 

 new position giving the plants about six 



WHITE GARDEN MALLOW. Malra moKchata alha. 



each way. In a rich strong soil they spread 

 out a good deal while in light sand there is 

 less inclination in this direction. It is well 

 to set the plants in a slight depression ex- 

 tending along the rows in one direction, to 

 facilitate watering in summer. As the 

 season advances the drills maybe gradually 

 filled in with the ettect to induce an increase 

 of roots near to the surface. The tall 

 varieties should be sustained by short incon- 

 spicuous stakes to prevent the rain from 

 bending or breaking down the plants. 



For exhibition purposes Asters may be 

 grown singly in four or five inch pots. 

 Another favorite way is to set two or three 

 plants into six or seven inch pots, using the 

 soil described above. Each pot should be 

 filled with plants of the same color, other- 

 wise the effect will be far from satisfactory 

 when they are in bloom. The pots should 

 be plunged in coal ashes or soil during the 

 summer. In either case they must stand on 

 a hard bottom or else be set over a smaller 

 pot plunged beneath the regular pot to 

 prevent worms from getting into the pots. 



At no time, whether grown in pots or 

 bedded out, should the plants be allowed to 

 suffer from want of water at the roots. As 

 the season of bloom arrives to treat the 

 plants to a dose of liquid manure of the 

 color of tea, will be beneficial. 



There can be no doubt that judicious 

 shading of the flowers as they open, is con- 

 ducive to purer and better coloring in the 

 blooms. Although the flowers bear shading 

 the plants must have plenty of air. A 

 suitable shade may be provided by elevating 

 over the plants a glass sash the lights of 

 wliich have been coated with a lime wash. 



The Botanic Garden at St. Louis: 

 Extending its Usefulness. 



At a recent meeting of the trustees of the 

 Missouri Botanical Gardens the following 

 outline of general policy to be pursued in 

 the development of the important institu- 

 tion left to their charge was adopted: 



To maintain and add to the present orna- 

 mental features of the garden. 



To increase the botanical usefulness of 

 the collection by the introduction of 

 American plants, so that, other things being 

 equal, these shall ultimately be largely 

 represented, and may even prepon- 

 derate outside of the green-houses, 

 giving them in the garden an epitome 

 of the characteristics of our native flora. 

 To carry into execution, as rapidly 

 as possible, a system of correctly 

 naming and labeling all plants in the 

 grounds with the exception of such as 

 may be used in ribbon-gardening or for 

 other exclusively ornamental purposes. 

 To provide fire-proof quarters for 

 the invaluable herbarium of the late 

 Dr. George Engelmann, and to im- 

 mediately mount it in the proper man- 

 ner, so as to Insure its preservation 

 and availability for scientific use. Also 

 to provide for and add to the general 

 herbarium { based on that of Bem- 

 hardi ) now at the garden, with the 

 special object of making it complete 

 in good representatives of American 

 plants. 



To arrange, bind, and index the books 

 and pamphlets at the garden. Also to 

 provide more ample, but equally safe, 

 accommodations for the library, to 

 bring it up to date as rapidly as possi- 

 ble, to enter subscriptions to period- 

 ical publication, and to keep it abreast 

 of the times and in the most useful 

 form by the purchase of important 

 publications as they shall appear, and 

 by the proper indexing of periodicals 

 and pamphlets. 



To secure a botanical museum con- 

 taining material needed for study or 

 calculated to advance knowledge of 

 botany. 



To direct the main effort of research for 

 the present toward aiding in the completion 

 of a systematic account of the fiowering 

 plants of North America, by the publica- 

 tion of monographs of different orders and 

 genera — illustrated when this may seem 

 desirable; and to cultivate representatives 

 of such groups for purpo.ses of study. 



To gradually acquire and utilize facilities 

 for research in vegetable histology and 

 physiology, the diseases and injuries of 

 plants, and other branches of botany and 

 horticulture, as special reason for develop- 

 ing the one or the other may appear in the 

 judgment of the managers. 



To make the facilities of the garden use- 

 ful in botanical and horticultural instruc- 

 tion, as they increase and opportunity for 

 such work appears; meantime in all feasible 

 ways to attract to the School of Botany 

 students of promise, and to provide for their 

 instruction and the best use of their time as 

 investigators. 



To take steps looking to the early appoint- 

 ment of a number of "garden-pupils"— 

 youths with at least an elementary English 

 education, who shall be regarded as appren- 

 tices in the garden, working under the 

 direction of the head gardener and foremen 

 and shall hold scholarships sufficient for 

 their living expenses, together with free 

 tuition in the School of Botany; and who, 

 after having worked for several years in 

 the different departments of the garden, 

 and proved proficient in its practical work, 

 may be admitted to examination for a certi- 

 ficate of proficiency in the theory and 

 practice of gardening. 



