



10 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Jew 4, 1007. 



in all the letters of the chromatic scale 

 when the violinist's article is needed, but 

 when it comes to the other catgut, Teph- 

 rosia Virginiana, there was none to be 

 found in the market. 



Lathyruf LatifoUus Succeeds. 



There was nothing that we could do 

 except to look for an allied plant now 

 under cultivation and supplied by grow- 

 ers of hardy perennials, a plant of an- 

 other genera and in the same family, the 

 Legui^nossD or pulse family* We con- 

 cluded: that Lathyrus latifolliis, everlast- 

 ing pea, of a pink-purple color, which 

 also has a long and tough root, would 

 succeed on the barren. 



As i^ndicated before, it was the teph- 

 rosia that suggested the lathyrus, but we 

 had n^ver seen the latter grow under 

 such conditions and its trial would be in 

 a great; measure experimental. If it suc- 

 ceeded, it would at any rate cover the 

 hogback during the summer months. We 

 hastened to the owner of the property 

 with our explanation. "If it succeeds, 

 we wiljl also have flowers for cutting," 

 he said. "That is very good; we will 

 try it.?' 



We went right at it in October and 

 planted several hundred. We dug 

 trenches transversely across the back, 

 taking great care to place the excavated 

 earth and stones at such places that they 

 would not run away from us, loosened 

 up the bottam of the trench and mixed 

 some ammoniated bone phosphate thor- 

 oughly, with the soil and laid in the roots 

 at an jangle, covering them with what 

 loose soil we had, and placed stones and 

 rocks on top to keep the soil from roll- 

 ing; We might call this a stone mulch. 

 We had to "wait until the following June 

 for results and the way those perennial 

 peas grew and bloomed on that hogback 

 was a surprise to everybody. There was 

 such a plethora of flowers that all the 

 blooms could not be used at the house 

 for decorating. This was six years ago 

 and the vines have since grown ranker 

 and denser and when the season of bloom 

 is over a thick mat of dark green foliage 

 covers the barren. This is the story of 

 a hogback of the first class. 



A Limestone Hogback. 



At present we are actively engaged in 

 reclaiming one of the second class or in 

 a limestone formation. In recent years 

 there has been no income from this patch 

 except that the scant growth of grass 

 was grazed by cattle. In this case the 

 strata of limestone have no dip but pro- 

 jected vertically from the surface of the 

 soil. The surface soil, if there is any, 

 is of various degrees of thickness; the 

 subsoil is a very stiff yellow clay. Be- 

 tween the projecting rocks there often is 

 sufficient space to drive a hole with a 

 post-bar in which a root can be inserted 

 and the earth gently tamped with a 

 wooden rammer. In these holes and on 

 the highest parts of the hogback we 

 have planted 200 or 300 of the new 

 perennial pea, Lathyrus latifolius Mary 

 Lovett; of a beautiful carmine and shell- 

 pink color, a very desirable florists' 

 flower. 



Hydrangeas Planted. 



In places where the soil is deeper and 

 the rocks do not obstruct, pockets have 

 been dug, the yellow clay removed and 

 the pockets filled with sand and scrap- 

 ings from the street, gutters and about 

 a quart of Quaker City poudrette 

 thoroughly mixed with the sand and 

 STapings. One hundred standard Hy- 



drangea paniculata grandiflora and 

 200 of the new Hydrangea ar- 

 borescens grandiflora alba have been 

 planted in these larger excavations, 

 another part of the premises, and 

 mulched with stable manure kept sev- 

 eral inches away from the stems of the 

 shrubs. 



As it would be impracticable to give 

 this hogback horse cultivation on ac- 

 count of its peculiar contour, the inac- 

 cessibility to many of its parts and its 

 rocky character, we propose to let the 

 Mary Lovetts have their own sweet will 

 and grow riotously among the grass and 

 weeds where the latter cannot be held 

 in check with scythe and sickle. 



Where regular distances could be 

 maintained, the hydrangeas have been 

 set about six feet apart each way, so 

 that the scythe can have a rather free 

 swing to keep down the grass and weeds 

 which will be permitted to remain as a 

 mulch. Many of the projecting rocks • 

 have been knocked off with a heavy 

 sledge so as to bring them on a level 

 with the general surface and not inter- 

 fere with the mowing. Immediately 

 around the plants we will cultivate by 

 hand with the hoe. 



As yet, we can report no results, but 



we look forward to as happy a termina- 

 tion of our labors as in the previous case 

 already related. We expect our labors 

 to have their reward and we iwill send 

 the products of this hogback to the Phil- 

 adelphia markets — not a great quantity 

 this summer, but more in the seasons to 

 come. 



No Soft Soap. 



My hearers must not classify the work 

 done in this instance with the so-called 

 soft snaps; there is truthfully nothing 

 very soft-snappy about it. It is a job 

 full of hard work. To bestride a hog- 

 back in the hot sunshine and ride it 

 successfully to an artistic finish requires 

 courage and perseverance. It is not a ride 

 in an Indian howdah with silken hang- 

 ings and a shading canopy. 



Nature unselfishly gives us many sug- 

 gestions that are helpful, written on her 

 hills and slopes, if we yield to her dic- 

 tations and take them and apply them 

 in our work. 



In the way I have related, many of 

 the hogbacks now lying idle 'as waste 

 places could be redeemed from their ap- 

 parent uselessness and be made objects 

 of beauty in the landscape and sources 

 of profit as well. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Sweet Peas. 



Sweet peas are easily the most popular 

 of our earlier summer blooming annuals. 

 The indoor crop is not yet entirely gone, 

 but with the first appearance of the out- 

 door ones they will be in little demand, 

 having a faded, dejected look and being 

 entirely lacking in the freshness of those 

 produced in the open. 



Anyone who has mastered the art of 

 growing good sweet peas outdoors can 

 secure very fair returns for his flowers. 

 We don't mean the man or woman who 

 has sown seed at the rate of about an 

 ounce per yard run and never thinned the 

 plants, who neither mulches nor waters 

 them and allows seeds to be produced 

 from the outset, but the intelligent 

 grower who will sow thinly, or at least 

 thin severely, cultivate freely, mulch 

 heavily when hot weather starts, soak 

 with water occasionally and keep the 

 flowers closely picked. He will have flow- 

 ers to be proud of. During hot, dry 

 weather the plants appreciate a hosing 

 overhead each evening. It is very re- 

 freshing after a day of 90 degrees in the 

 shade. Watering is better left alone 

 altogether unless done thoroughly. 



In picking the flowers, care should be 

 taken that they are dry, or as nearly dry 

 as possible. If damp they will speedily 

 spot if placed in water in a cold room 

 or cellar. In the case of the orange, 

 pink, scarlet and crimson shades it is un- 

 wise to pick them during the heat of the 

 day, or the colors will bleach badly. 

 To pick the flowers when they are hot, in 

 bunches of fifty or 100, and lay them 

 along the rows until the daily harvest is 

 garnered is poor policy. Get them into 

 water as speedily as possible, and to pre- 



serve the color let as little sunshine as 

 possible fall on them. If you cannot 

 pick in the morning, before 9 o'clock, 

 leave the operation until at least 4 p. m. 

 Don't allow any seed pods to develop. 

 They speedily cripple the plants. Any- 

 one can grow sweet peas outdoors, but 

 the number producing good ones are not 

 legion. 



Asters. 



Our earliest asters of the American 

 branching type, which practically stood 

 still during the cold weather in May arid 

 early June, are now growing freely and 

 making some stout stems. So far we 

 have been free from insect worries and 

 bacterial botherments. We have not yet 

 watered our plants, but in case of con- 

 tinued drought will do so, soaking them 

 thoroughly one day and -using the hoe 

 among them on the morrow. A batch in 

 benches under glass are making amazing 

 growth and promise to be in flower by 

 July 10. These we find invaluable for 

 summer use, for carnations grow beauti- 

 fully less as the torrid weather continues 

 and asters are much preferable for de- 

 sign work, also working in nicely for vase 

 decorations. 



Several sowings of asters are needed to 

 ensure a steady supply until frost. The 

 latest should now be ready to prick out 

 and should bo planted outdoors about the 

 middle of July. Mixtures of asters, like 

 those of sweet peas, are in little request. 

 A few separate colors will always pay the 

 best. In the case of asters, pure white, 

 pink and lavender blue are the most 

 popular, with a more limited demand for 

 dark blue and rosy red. 



For one or two seasons we have planted 

 our latest batch in some empty cold- 



