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1002 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Mabch 23, 1905. 



ready to forgive and forget any one who 

 injured hin. Hoo-Hoo. 



SWEET PEAS DYING. K' ; 



For several years my sweet and veget- 

 able peas have died more or less in spots 

 after having attained some growth, fre- 

 quently just about the time they are be- 

 ginning to bloom or later. Sometimes 

 it may be caused by their being too dry, 

 but not always, as they sometimes die 

 during wet weather or when watered 

 artificially. I try to change their loca- 

 tion as much as I can, but this is dif- 

 ficult, as ground is somewhat limited. 

 Do you think the quality or quantity of 

 manure in the soil might have anything 

 to do with it? Is it a good plan to 

 mulch with manure or straw during hot 

 weather? If so please state kind, quan- 

 tity and time best for application. I 

 shall be grateful for any information 

 you can give me. S.- P. S. 



We do not think it has anything to 

 do with the weather. If it had, the 

 trouble would not be in spots. It is more 

 likely a cut worm feeding on the roots 

 or the larvae of some moth or insect 

 brought there with the manure. The 

 growers of the grandest sweet peas we 

 ever saw prepare the trenches in the fall, 

 working in to the depth of a foot a 

 very liberal allowance of animal manure. 

 Then in the spring the seed is sown just 

 as soon as the surface of the soil in the 

 trench is dry enough. If you want a 

 large and continuous picking of the de- 



licious green peas with your spring lamb, 

 the ground is always well manured. 



About the mulching, it is a great help 

 to the sweet pea grower to spread two or 

 three inches of straw litter from the 

 stable over the whole surface between 

 the rows of peas, not that there is much 

 benefit from it as a fertilizer, but it is 

 a mulch, keeps the ground moist and 

 prevents it being trodden into a hard 

 pan when picking the flowers. There is 

 no need of putting this mulch on until 

 just before the first flowers appear. 



If it is a cut worm or grubs that eat 

 the roots, then a heavy dressing of 

 slaked lime just after digging may kill 

 them or make them vacate. W. S. 



MOVING LARGE PALMS. 



The conservatories at Lincoln park, 

 Chicago, have for many years been the 

 Mecca for visitors from all over the 

 world. The collection of plants is one 

 of the largest and best in this country. 

 Especially attractive is the natural ef- 

 fect in the large palm house, where a 

 representation of a tropical forest ex- 

 cites much interest. 



Many of the large palms in this house, 

 planted thirteen years ago, have grown 

 to enormous size and are grand speci- 

 mens. They had so approached the glass 

 and become so thick that their quarters 

 were entirely inadequate and gave rise 

 to the consideration of means by which 

 the lives of valuable specimens might be 

 prolonged. Some were removed and oth- 



U : i 



(.. Moving a Gigantic Phoenix. 



ir.ii' ' :(Froina flaahllght photograph t&kejL at Lincoln Park. ChlcaKOj_ 



ers were successfully lowered, thereby 

 gaining headroom. 



The accompanying illustrations show 

 the process of moving a great Phoenix 

 reclinata of forty feet spread which 

 stood on a bank five feet above the 

 level of the walk and has been lowered 

 fifteen feet. It was a painstaking, yet 

 simple operation. The first act was to 

 remove about fifty of the enormous- 

 leaves, fifteen to twenty feet long from 

 the point where they were severed. A 

 heavy rope was then wound around the 

 great stem just below the leaves and a 

 rope and block attached on each side, the 

 tackle being carried to the heavy iron 

 girders of the roof, soi as to partially 

 support the plant. At the other sides 

 two guide ropes were attached. 



Then the excavation began. All 

 around the plant a ditch was dug from 

 two to four feet wide, leaving a ball of 

 earth about ten feet in diameter. When 

 this work had progressed to a depth of 

 about eight feet the plant was carefully 

 undermined, being allowed to settle inch 

 by inch from its own weight, as support- 

 ing it by the tackle would have been an 

 unnecessary strain on the house, for the 

 ball and plant weighed fully ten tons. 

 The ropes were necessary, however, to 

 avoid all danger of the plant falling over 

 at any stage of the work. Had it been 

 desired to move the plant any distance 

 this would have been the stage of the 

 work at which to have introduced a truck 

 under the ball. In this case, however, 

 the excavation was continued, also the 

 undermining operation, until fifteen feiet 

 below the starting point and the plant 

 was in the desired position. 



The roots, which had, of course, been 

 severely cut back by the operation, were 

 cleanly trimmed with a sharp pruning 

 shears and as the soil was filled In 

 around the ball a hose was kept running 

 to wash the soil well in around the roots. 

 Head gardener A. P. Frey, under whose 

 supervision the work was done, says that 

 the plant showed very little sign of suf- 

 fering and that its life is assured for 

 many years to come. 



MASSACHUSETTS GARDENERS. 



Dr. C G, Weld, Brookline. 



W. C. Rust has some fine ranges of 

 glass on the Weld estate and his stock 

 is in fine condition. In carnations Law- 

 son, Patten and Enchantress are favor- 

 ites and look well. In the rose house 

 Golden Gate, Bride, Bridesmaid and 

 Wootton are grown. Both Campbell and 

 Princess of Wales violets looked fine. A 

 house of cinerarias and cyclamens ar- 

 ranged for effect made a gorgeous show. 

 The plants showed excellent culture. 

 Hard-wooded plants are grown in quan- 

 tity. Some fine specimen acacias and 

 ericas were flowering. Others were be- 

 ing held back for the coming show. 

 Quite a number of orchids are grown. 

 A batch of phalsenopsis looked especially 

 good and were flowering well, especially 

 Schilleriana. 



Geo. F. Fabyan, BrookUne. 



This is a comparatively new place, but 

 has already achieved some distinction, 

 owing to the remarkably fine cyclamens, 

 calceolarias and other plants shown at 

 the Boston exhibition by the gardener, 

 James Stuart. His stock this year is, 

 if anything, finer than ever. Cyclamens 

 ere of great excellence, specimens carry- 

 ing hundreds of flowers eaxih, diner- 



