1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



61 



15" warmer than the atmosphere above, rooting 

 is much accelerated. By the aparatiis ilhistrated 

 it is seen that this desirable condition of bottom 

 heat is provided by the use of a heating kettle in a 

 closed apartment beneath the cuttings. This kettle 

 receives its heat from alamp beneath. The advan- 

 tage of employing a kettle for diffusing the heat 

 instead of the lamp is that by this means the warmth 

 is moist, and this is an advantage. A case like our 

 figure should be built all complete for fflO or $12. 



Culture of the Peach and the Pear. A large 

 work of nearly 400 pages on this subject, by Dr. J. 

 J. Black, Newcastle, Delaware, has reached our 

 table. It deals chiefly with the methods of culture. 

 varieties, etc., peculiar to the Delaware penin- 

 sula, and as such will be welcomed by fruit 

 growers of all sections. The author is free to 

 intimate that in writing this book he had in 

 mind the wants of the novice more than those of 

 the veteran, but as many of the usages of fruit 

 growing in the famous Delaware regions are 

 new to those outside, this peculiarity should 

 prove widely acceptable. There is also a chapter 

 on the culture of the Quince and of nut-bearing 

 trees. Illustrated with eight full page plates. 

 The James & Webb Printing Co., Wilmington, 

 Del., are the publishei"s. 



A Charming White Violet. One finds it diffi- 

 cult to think of the Violet as being any other 

 color than violet of some shade, but in the 

 lovely Swanlej- White (herewith illustrateSl we 

 find the color wholly untrue to the name of the 

 genus. To be sure there are so-called white 

 Violets, but the trouble with these is that they 

 are far from being white. In the Swanley we 

 have a veritable snow-white bloom that is not 

 only exquisite in color, but perfect in form, richly 

 fragrant and quite productive. The fact that it 

 is the offspring of the well-known forcing Violet, 

 Marie Louise, should jjerhaps sufficiently indicate 

 its robustness and worth. Those who have not seen 

 or grown this recent variety would enjoy a rich 

 treat with the coming in of the first bloom on any 

 plants they might undertake to cultivate. 



Have You a Muck Field 1 If so, and it is sus- 

 ceptible to being drained, and you are near a ship- 

 ping point to good markets, you might make much 

 money by putting it to Celery culture. If this is 

 not a feasible coui-se you can still make money, 

 whether the field be wet or dry, by hauling good 

 quantities of the muck to the high ground in the 

 winter's leisure, and from here disposing of it by 

 composting with lime, drying it for use in the 

 stable, or even spreading it directly on the orchard 

 or garden soil. How muck helps all crops is by 

 affording organic matter to their needs. It possess- 

 es nearly the same elements as cow dung. It con- 

 sists largely of the accumulated remains of dead 

 plants; hence by composting becomes almost a 

 perfect plant food. 



Boses under Glass. The crops of flowers that 

 maj- be taken from a given number of plants under 

 glass with high culture is enormous. R. J. Men- 

 denball, of IVtinneapolis. Minn., writes to us that 

 from two houses 15 by 100 feet he cut during Octo- 

 ber 9,021 Roses, and on the first Monday in Novem- 

 ber 519 buds alone. Some leading and favorite 

 kinds with him are Perle. Sunset and Bennett. 

 How much of an area out-of-doors devoted to 

 Roses would be required to yield returns month 

 after month like these ? A very large one, indeed. 

 The advantage of under-glass culture over that of 

 outdoors is, that with the former all the essentials 

 of success— fertility, moisture, wetness, heat, in- 

 sect-destroying—are almost absolutely under one's 

 control. This fact accounts largely for the pecu- 

 liar charm there is in the possession and manage- 

 ment of an amateur plant house. 



"Modern High Farming" is a treatise of 94 pages 

 on the subjects of soils, plants and manures, and 

 which would make good reading for any cultivator 

 of the soil now in the between-season It is from 

 the pen of Francis VVyatt. Ph. D., and treats of its 

 subjects from a chemical standpoint in a plain and 

 comprehensive style. The chemistry of soils and 

 growing crops is one that no intelligent cultivator 

 will in this day think of ignoring. An advantage 

 of this work is that it brings the essence of this 

 field of information into very compact shape for 

 the general reader's use While, as the authority 

 says in his preface, he has sought ntit to deviate 

 one inch from the broad line of agricidtural chem- 

 istry, he has also sought, and we think success- 

 fully, in treating each subject in the plainest lan- 

 guage possible. The book is published by C. E. 

 Bartholomew, 2-2 College Place. New York. 



Wild Yellow Lily in a Town Garden. S. T. 

 W., Brooklyn, N. Y.. has our thanks for a brief ac- 

 count below of the cultivation of this showy, nod- 



ding Yellow Lily (Lilium Canadense) in the gar- 

 den. It is one of the easiest of the Northern wild 

 Lilies to cultivate, and as our correspondent so 

 well learned, it grows stronger and produces more 

 flowers in cultivation than in its wild state. " I 

 procured some of the bulbs two years ago in Duch- 

 ess County, and a few last year among the White 

 Mountains. I planted them in my city garden. 

 where they have the sun up to about noon. The 

 soil is deep and well enriched with cow manure. I 

 wish you could have seen them this year. The two 

 Duchess County bulbs produced plants over eight 

 feet in height and each had 13 Lilies. The bulbs I 

 got in New Hampshire did not do quit** as well. 



THE SWANLEY WHITE VIOLET. 



which I lay to the fact that they were dug while 

 in flower. Next year I expect they will be better." 



Bexterity of hand movements should be culti- 

 vated by all gardeners in everj^ department of the 

 art It is true some operations, like spading, manure 

 handling, etc , are heavy to perform and in these 

 comparatively slow movements are desirable. But 

 work of this nature is the exception and not the rule. 

 Most other operations, such as grafting, budding, 

 propagating, potting, weeding, watering with hose, 

 and the like, are light to perform, and here is where 

 quick movements stand at a premium. The writer 

 has seen a man and boj' poke away all day setting 

 60Q or 700 root grafts, wheu 1500 to 3000 should have 

 been a day's work. Their movements were spirit- 

 less, and the work seemed heavy and uninterest- 

 ing, when it should have been just the reverse, 

 light and pleasant, as it would have been with 

 quick movements. Or who has not seen a plant- 

 grower putter over potting 800 or 1000 cuttings in a 

 day of ten hours, where the potting of 3000 or 4000 

 is no more than a good day's work. To move at 

 the slow rate instead of the fast one also makes a 

 great difference in profits. And you may be sure if 

 the proprietor does no better than tliis, his workmen 

 will fall iuto the same slow methods. Horticulture 

 in nearly all its departments is a light and cheerful 

 art: let one's habits of work be consistent with the 

 character of the work. 



"What is Costmaryr' Our brief answer to 

 this question in the November number was per- 

 haps too brief, for it may have convej'ed the idea 

 that the common Tansy was the plant referred to, 

 when another species of Tansy is really the one to 

 which the old name Costmary belongs. Our cor- 

 respondent, Fannie K. Briggs, of Clarke Co., 

 Washington Territory, has in a very neat way set 

 forth the matter rightly as follows, giving some 

 other information also: ''I would re-answer this 

 question by saying that a London encyclopsedia of 

 gardening of 1855 gives this name, not to the com- 

 mon but to the Balsam Tansy iTanacetutn bal- 

 samea ) The same authority says it was named in 

 honor of the Virgin, and describes it so exactly that 

 I recognized the plant at once. It has flowers like 

 the well-known Tansy, but the leaves are large, 

 handsome, entire, thin, smooth, the edges slightly, 

 but regularly dentate, and the odor mild and 

 agreeable. It was known in New England forty 

 years ago as Patagonian Mint; in the Western 

 States as Rosemary, and Sweet Mary, names no 

 doubt derived from Costtnary." It is recommend- 

 ed that the stems be broken off as they appear. 

 for indvicing larger leaves from the base. This 

 old plant can be procured of Woolson it Co., 

 Passaic. N. J. . and perhaps of other nurserymen. 



The Use of Flowers In New York, as 

 Noted by Our Correspondent. 



Daphnes are being recognized again, though they 

 are not likely to be a very remunerative crop to the 

 grower. 



The handsome foliage of both Camellia and Gar- 

 denia is used in conjunction with heavier flowers, 

 such as Orchids 



The larg'' varieties of Mignonette are in high 

 favor, as they well deserve to be. Their modest 

 blooms combined with Roses or Violets are inde- 

 scribably charming. 



The newest variation of the ever-popular wreath 

 is like a crescent tied together at the tips with a 

 ribbon sash. It is pretty made solely in foliage, 

 but lovelier still in loosely arranged shaded Roses. 

 Some of our florists are making a floral divan, the 

 cushions boun<i together by the inevitable sash. 

 It is pretty, when made by an artist, but. according 

 to Ruskin's ideas, it is not really artistic, be- 

 cause it has no raison d 'etre. 



There is some attempt being made to popu- 

 larize the Lichen-covered vases shown at the 

 American Institute as flower holders. They are 

 of picturesque shape, covered with soft greenish 

 gray Lichen, with some additional rustic adorn- 

 ments. 



The use of ribbon in floral decorations is now 

 almost unlimited; in fact, sometimes one is 

 tempted to say there is almost too much of it. 

 A design without a sash of some sort will soon 

 be a wild novelty, and admirable on that account. 

 Orchids are now looked upon as the floral 

 aristocracy, and as such, are costly and unique in 

 bouquets and designs. But the most popular of 

 all tiowers is undoubtedly the Rose, and the 

 fancy for high-priced Orchids does not in reality 

 lower the demand for the Queen of Flowers. 



The Makart wall bouquets, which attained 

 great favor abroad when made of grasses, dried 

 flowers and peacock feathers, are very effective 

 when arranged in fresh flowers. A large Palm leaf 

 is the best backing; on this is a fan-shaped bunch 

 of bold, effective foliage and flowers. 



The flowers at Ex-President Arthur's funeral dis- 

 played some exquisite work. Much notice was at- 

 tracted by a cross in two shades of Heliotrope, so 

 artistically arranged that half the design seemed to 

 be in shadow. Funeral flowers are certainly not 

 out of date, and they now give the florist a better 

 chance to exercise his taste, since bright-hued 

 blossoms are admissible. 



Asparagus tenuissimus grows in favor; it has 

 quite supplanted Smilax for the finest class of work. 

 At a recent wedding, remarkable for the beauty of 

 the decorations, the great bay window had a festoon 

 of Asparagus, caught in the middle and at each end 

 by starry bunches of Eucharis. The Ivy-covered 

 pillars at each end were dotted with La France and 

 Niphetos Roses. All the floral decorations were 

 bound together by festoons of pink ribbon. 



Bouvardia is very much in demand, though it will 

 always be an inexpensive flower. It combines very 

 well with Orchids; the pink variety has a very 

 happy effect with the pale greenish hue of Cypripe- 

 dium insigne. This last named orchid is effective 

 in combination with La France or Mermet; a loose 

 nosegay of the Roses will have a few blooms of the 

 Cypripedium at one side, over the sash, with fronds 

 of Adiantum Farleyense caught in the ribbon. 



There are no startling novelities in designs. In 

 decorating, the tendency is to arrange pla(iues» 

 shields, hearts, and such studdings on the walls; 

 this was the arrangement at the Junior Patriarchs' 

 ball. On the same occasion the belles displayed 

 fewer flowers than in former seasons. It was not 

 unusual to see a popular girl completely loaded with 

 bouquets, like an Indian brave with his display of 

 scalps, but either economy or good taste has now 

 decided that such ostentation is rather vulgar. 



Some of our florists are endeavoring to restore the 

 Camellia to its former glory, and to replace the 

 Rose with the waxy Gardenia. The latter flower 

 seems to take not very well with Amerieaus. in 

 spite of the favor with which it is regarded by our 

 English cousins. It is extremely improbable that it 

 will ever be a favorite in bouquets, though it is worn 

 as a boutonniere. and produces some very charming 

 effects in table decorations. It must, however.be 

 used sparingly in the latter case, as the heavy odor 

 is positively sickening to many. 



It is impossible to give the palm of favoritism to 

 any special Rose The Bride has quietiy taken its 

 place side by side with Niphetos. and Papa (iontier 

 is meeting with much favor. It somewhat suggests 

 the Bennett, though its vivid crimson has a different 

 shade, and the foliage is like a vigorous Bon Silene. 

 Next season we shall probably have to enumerate 

 the triumphs of the Puritan and Mrs. John Laing. 

 our latest candidates for public favor. Both are 

 most charming, and both possess the crowning 

 glory lacking in too many hybrids; they are ex- 

 quisitely fragrant. 



Emily LorisE Taplin. 



