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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[July 14, 1888. 



some plants of the Himalayan A. polyantha sent to 

 me from Kew. The leaf of the latter is more robust, 

 and less divided : the flower-stalk thicker, with a 

 tendency to form compound stalks above the bracts. 

 The flowers seem to have the petals more concave 

 on the upper surface. In all other points they re- 

 semble those of A. narcissiflora. C. Wolley Bod, 

 Edge Hall, Malpas. 



Aqutlegias. 



It is not many years ago when the new varieties 

 of Aquilegia caused quite a stir among lovers of 

 hardy plants, and they were well deserving the 

 notice they then received, and the high character 

 they had ; but, unfortunately, one of the best and 

 most striking of them, A. coerulea, seems almost 

 lost, as it is very seldom one meets with it now. 

 This, no doubt, results from its rather delicate habit, 

 which led to dwindling and weak health, and the 

 only way of keeping and growing anything like 

 strong plants is to sow seed annually, and thus be 

 constantly raising fresh ones and renewing the stock. 

 Another undesirable feature is its tendency to sport ; 

 or rather, in common with all the Columbines, to 

 become impregnated by the pollen of others; and 

 therefore plants intended for seeding purposes should 

 be isolated, or it is impossible to keep the sort true. 

 The original kind when first introduced had long 

 slender spurs and very large wide open flowers, the 

 petals being of an exquisitely soft pale blue and 

 white, and as the blooms stand nearly erect, they 

 show off to the greatest advantage. As this 

 Aquilegia comes early into growth, and is some- 

 what tender, and often suffers from spring frosts, 

 it is necessary to place the plants in a sheltered 

 position, and they also require a warm well-drained 

 soil — that is, sandy, loose, and open — as they do not 

 succeed well unless their fleshy roots are enabled 

 to draw moisture from the subsoil. The next 

 noteworthy Columbine is A. chrysantha, which has 

 very long spurs, and much less distended flowers 

 than A. coerulea, the colour being of a delicate 

 canary-yellow, and the habit of the plant tall and 

 vigorous, the stems branching and blooming freely, 

 which they continue to do for six or eight weeks in 

 succession. With ordinary treatment, and a suitable 

 position, there is no fear of losing this variety, as, 

 unlike A. ccerulea, it is not only of strong growth, 

 but it is a true perennial, and may be increased 

 readily by division, the best time for doing this 

 being just as the plants start in the spring. 



Among the older forms of Columbine, A. glandu- 

 losa is one of the best. This has handsome blue and 

 white flowers, and comes into bloom early, and the 

 habit of the plant is strong, but it does not stand 

 being interfered with so well as the one just referred 

 to, and requires care in dividing. Besides the two 

 named, and referred to above, there are now many 

 hybrids, and the best of them are quite worth a place 

 in the herbaceous border ; but where they come in 

 well, and are of great value, is in the wild garden, 

 or alongside of woodland or shrubbery walks, where, 

 if planted in quantity with A. vulgaris, they will 

 cross, and seed freely, and increase and spread, and 

 form quite a feature in that part, where they will 

 make a fine show. To raise the better kinds, seed 

 should be gathered as soon as it is ripe, and either 

 sown thin or in gentle heat in spring, but the plants 

 come stronger if they are got up under hand-lights 

 in August, and wintered by having the lights kept 

 over, and tilted above them. J. S. 



The Apiary. 



It is best in any year, whatever may be the wea- 

 ther, not to give much comb-building to do after 

 the commencement of July, and this year certainly 

 not. It always pays to give more foundation as the 

 season goes on. If strong combs which will not 

 break in the extractor are required, it is best to wire 

 the frames. This can easily be done at home. Get 

 some thin tin wire, No. 32, at any ironmonger's. 

 This can now be bought in reels for the sum of a 



penny. Lay the frame down on a piece of wood cut 

 to fit easily inside the frame, and about half an 

 inch thick. Bore about five holes, with a very thin 

 awl, through the top bar, and equidistant apart ; 

 then bore five in the bottom bar, just opposite the 

 others. Unwind some of the wire carefully from the 

 reel, straightening it a little as you unwind. Put 

 the wire through all the holes, and draw it tight, 

 and fasten the ends so that when complete there are 

 five pieces of wire hanging perpendicularly, and 

 parallel to the two side bars. Now lay a sheet of 

 foundation down on the piece of wood, and lay the 

 frame on top of it. Get a Woiblet spur-embedder, 

 which consists of a small wheel which easily turns 

 on an axis at the end of a piece of metal. Warm 

 the wheel in a flame, or some very hot water, and 

 run the wheel along the wire. The warmth of 

 the wheel, added to a gentle pressure, causes the 

 wire to be embedded in the wax, and a sufficient 

 amount of the latter will be melted, and will cover 

 up the wire so that it cannot be seen. Do the same 

 with the rest of the wire. Now lift the frame from 

 the block, and the foundation will hang beautifully 

 in the centre of the frame, and the wires will keep it 

 perfectly straight and true, and it will keep so while 

 the bees operate upon it. Some people put the wire 

 diagonally on the frame as well, and by so doing 

 make a firmer job of it ; but the first-named way of 

 fastening the wire is sufficient, if care be taken not 

 to pull it too tightly. If it is pulled too much the 

 bottom bar will be drawn up — i.e., if that bar is very 

 thin. With all deference to our prominent frame- 

 makers, I would suggest that the bottom bar be 

 made a little thicker than is mostly the case ; then 

 the wire can be drawn as required without the bar 

 moving. Frames thus wired will not break when 

 put in the extractor, however new they may be. 

 Bee. 



American Notes. 



PACKING. 



Ma. Peter Henderson, of New York, finds storing 

 empty pots in soap-boxes, and then piling up the 

 boxes, better than using a pot-rack ; there is less 

 breakage, and the pots can be more readily removed 

 where wanted. He has found the following method of 

 packing the best for very cold weather : — The box is 

 lined with heavy paper; then pieces of board which 

 fit into the box are placed inside, and the box again 

 lined with paper over them ; the boards are with- 

 drawn, and the space between the two linings of 

 paper filled with sawdust ; an inch thickness of saw- 

 dust is thus placed entirely around the plants, but 

 separated from them by one lining of paper. Plants 

 so packed have travelled long distances without 

 injury in the coldest weather. 



Magnolia parviflora. 

 This is one of the choicest gems of our garden. 

 We have a fine thrifty specimen between 4 and 5 feet 

 high. It bloomed in May, 1886, but not in 1887, 

 and I find that it is going to bloom again this year. 

 Its flowers in size and form are not unlike those of 

 M. glauca ; and of a creamy-white colour, with 

 crimson stamens, and powerfully and deliciously 

 fragrant. The flowers opened May 23 — after the 

 foliage began to unfold — and dropped before May 30. 



Other Early Blooming Magnolias. 

 Magnolia stellata (Halleana) began blooming with 

 us about May 20, and was the earliest of all in 

 flower. The plants assume a stocky bush form ; the 

 flowers are very numerous, and white, and the petals 

 narrow and spread out or reflexed a little. It has 

 not the stiffness of the other forms. The Yulan 

 Magnolia began to open April 28. It is the most 

 showy of all. The flowers are large, white, and 

 abundantly produced on leafless bushes. While 

 striking and beautiful almost anywhere, they are 

 seen to best advantage when they are growing in 

 front of tall evergreen trees, as Pines or Spruces. 



Thurber's and several other Chinese Magnolias, all 

 well worth growing, are also now in bloom with us. 



Cockscombs as Bedding Plants. 



Many of the florists in attendance at the Chicago 

 meeting of the S. A. P. noted the beds of Celosias 

 and Centaureas at Lincoln Park in that city, and 

 were much impressed with their beauty and oddity. 

 They were certainly a departure, and very handsome. 

 Head gardener Stromback was continually asked the 

 question, "How do you keep the Celosias so dwarf 

 and uniform in height ? " In reply to these visitors, 

 and for the information of other readers, we have 

 obtained some notes on his method of handling the 

 plants. 



The variety he grows was obtained about ten 

 years since under the name of President Thiers, and 

 Mr. Stromback has kept up his stock by seed of his 

 own saving ever since. The colour of the " comb " is a 

 deep scarlet, approaching crimson. He sows the seed 

 the latter part of March, in pure sand, as he finds 

 that the seedlings damp off quickly if planted in soil. 

 As soon as large enough to handle, the seedlings are 

 pricked out in boxes of soil, and before they have 

 made much growth in the boxes they are potted 

 singly in 2.}-inch pots, where they remain until the 

 " comb " shows, when they are at once shifted into 

 4-inch pots. The temperature of the house is kept 

 the same as for Coleus, and the plants are held a 

 little close until the roots start after shifting. The 

 young plants are kept rather dry at all times, as they 

 are very prone to damp off. 



The plants make no growth in height after the 

 "comb" has begun to develope, and to keep them 

 quite dwarf, growth must be retarded until it appears, 

 when they may be treated more generously, as the 

 whole strength of the plant then goes to the "comb." 

 In spite of the greatest care, there will be some 

 plants which are a little taller than is desired, and 

 these can be used in a bed by planting them so much 

 deeper than the others as will make all the tops 

 uniform in height. American Florist. 



Forestry. 



Cleaning Plantations. — It is now high time that 

 all young trees and shrubs were examined, and rank 

 vegetation of whatever kind removed from amongst 

 them. Such work must only be entrusted to careful 

 men, for the damage oft inflicted on the tender 

 stems and branches of young trees by the shearing- 

 hook or scythe when swayed by a careless hand 

 is hardly credible, and would scarcely be believed 

 unless by those who have seen the evil results. The 

 margins of plantations, particularly such as adjoin 

 cultivated land, should likewise be run over, and all 

 Thistles, Docks, and Nettles, cut over before the 

 season of seed-shedding comes on. Thistles, if left 

 too long, will ripen and shed their seeds, even after 

 being cut over, so it is well to bear this in mind, and 

 have them remove d before the flowers are fully deve- 

 loped. 



Pruning. — The summer pruning of young trees is of 

 much importance, and the young plantations should 

 receive the first attention. Rival leading shoots must 

 be cut away, and ungainly side-branches and heavy- 

 foliaged branches be cut back somewhat. Lop off all 

 broken branches, dress the wounds neatly, and paint 

 over with gas-tar. Now is a good time to open up 

 views, to lop off overhanging brandies from roads and 

 walks, and to prune out dead wood from park trees 

 and shrubs. The too close pruning of all large 

 branches is to be avoided as much as possible, it 

 being better to foreshorten first before the final 

 amputation. 



Barking. — This should now be all but completed, 

 but the showery nature of the weather during the 

 past six weeks has considerably retarded the harvest- 

 ing process. Care will be necessary to avoid heating, 

 which means discolouring of the bark, and happy is the 

 forester who is well provided with drying sheds and 

 tarpaulins in a season like this. Prices of the best 

 Oak bark are likely to be low, but that damaged by 

 the weather will not find a ready market. 



