3o8 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 388. 



The Rock Garden. 



THE rock-garden in summer, like the herbaceous border, 

 will appear ragged if not carefully gone over every vceek 

 or two. There are two important overhaulings during a sea- 

 son. By the one in early spring some valuable lessons are 

 learned, especially on the hardiness or non-hardiness of the 

 newer additions; and, again, in summer the garden is im- 

 proved by reducing the number of some kinds of plants, and 

 the transplanting of seedlings and other plants from the reserve 

 garden. 



Campanulas are abundant, so that blue is the prevailing 

 color. C. Carpathica, in several fine varieties and allied forms, 

 is growing luxuriantly, including the beautiful C. Carpathica 

 turbinata and the pure white-flowered variety. C. Van Houttei 

 is probably the largest bell-tiower of all. There are also C. 

 latifolia macrantha, C. Pallasii, self-sown to the extent of need- 

 ing continued weeding out; C. Garganica, the most diminu- 

 tive, with clusters of pale blue. The dwarf Chinese Bell-Hower, 



C. grandiflora pumila, better known as Maresii, belongs to the 

 Platycodon section of the genus, and is distinguished by the 

 spreading segments of the corolla, rather than by being bell- 

 shaped. I measured one flower recently which was three and 

 three-quarter inches across. The new Ostrowskia magnifica 

 must belong to this group, judging from flowers seen 

 recently at the Bussey Institute. There is also the white C. 

 alliariasfolia, which, though rather coarse in habit, is quite 

 handsome when in flower; the white C. persicifolia and 

 the distinct C. glomerata Daluirica. A few noble spikes 

 of a hybrid Cardinal-flower contrasts beautifully in color, 

 helped by the charming little Slipperwort, Calceolaria Mexi- 

 cana, which here is a hardy annual. The copper- toned Poppies, 

 Papaver pilosum and P. rupitragum, i.iiennial in character, 

 almost bloom themselves to death, and bright little patches of 

 Sea Pinks still linger on. Sempervivams and Sedums, in 

 crevices and ledges along the paths, are especially attrac- 

 tive at this season. Sedum acre shows dense masses of yel- 

 low flowers ; S Kamtschaticum has paler flowers of the same 

 color, and S. lydiuni charming pink blossoms. S. Hispani- 

 cum has glaucous foliage, S. sexangulare deep green, and S. 

 Anacampseros rosettes of broad glaucous leaves on stolo- 

 niferous stems. Several Sempervivums are handsome in 

 their flowering as well as in the neat rosettes of many shades 

 of green. S. arachnoideum, the cobwebby Houseleek, is 

 the most peculiar of all ; S. arenarium has small globular 

 rosettes of light green tinted with brown. S. calcareum is 

 abundant in several forms, and also S. Atlanticum. Several 

 species of Dianthus light up the rock-garden. D. hybridus is 

 among the handsomest, having deeply fimbriated petals. D. 

 dentosus, the Russian Pink, is a brilliant red ; D. cffisius and 



D. arenarius complete the list. 



Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield. 



The Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostignia. 



SO much has been said in Boston about the difficulty 

 and expense of keeping the larva; of the Tussock moth 

 in check that we have asked Dr. E. B. Southwick, ento- 

 mologist of the Central and city parks of New York, to 

 give us an account of his e.xperience with this insect. Dr. 

 Southwick says : 



First, the trees must be cleaned of egg-masses of the Tus- 

 sock moth during the winter, for each mass of eggs will 

 average between three and four hundred, and, when hatched, 

 the larvas will feed upon the young foliage in spring. This can 

 be done more readily with steel brushes than is generally sup- 

 posed. If this has not been done, the second thing to do is to 

 spray the trees in the spring as soon as the caterpillars show 

 themselves, while they are small and in colonies, spraying 

 only those spots that are affected with London purple, and not 

 attempting to spray the whole tree. By these preventive 

 nieasures of careful watching and spraying in time the Tus- 

 sock moth can be kept in subjecfion. 



If it is too late to do this and the insects have defoliated 

 the tree, the third thing is to jar down the larvae with poles 

 covered with ruliber, so that the brandies will not be bruised. 

 A slight sudden jar will dislodge them, and they will fall to the 

 ground. Two or three men should go ahead and jar them 

 down, and let the spraying machine follow. As soon as they 

 begin to ascend the trunks, spray them with an emulsion con- 

 sisting of kerosene, six quarts ; crude carbolic, four quarts ; 

 soap, six pounds, boiled together and mixed with one hun- 

 dred gallons of water. Sprayed upon the larvae, this emulsion 

 will kill them. As fast as they come in from the grass and 

 collect on the tree-trunks return and spray them again. This 



should be done three or four times, when nearly all the larvas 

 affecting the tree will be destroyed. If this cannot be done, and 

 the larvas havecome to the trunk and branches and formed their 

 cocoons, as is the case with those in Boston now, the fourth 

 thing to be done is to spray the cocoons with the same emul- 

 sion, and all that have not left their cocoons will be destroyed, 

 and many of the eggs. With an extension pole, such as I use, 

 one can reach fifty feet or more, and as most of the cocoons 

 are on the under side of the Ijranches they can be easily 

 sprayed. I find that the Nixon nozzle is the best for this 

 work, as it has great penetrating power and throws the spray 

 through the thinly constructed cocoons of Orgyia leucostigma, 

 while the Cyclone nozzle is, perhaps, the best for spraying the 

 foliage. After spraying the cocoons they can be removed 

 with steel brushes if deemed unsightly, or they can be left on 

 the trees. As the spray will kill but few of the eggs, it is neces- 

 sary to do the spraying before the female emerges and deposits 

 them. If this has not been done, and the trunks are sprayed 

 as the young larvas hatch, every one of them will be destroyed. 

 At a certain time the trunks of the trees infested with eggs will 

 be covered with minute caterpillars. A practiced eye can tell 

 just when this is occurring, as the egg-masses have a broken 

 appearance and are pierced with holes when the larvae have 

 emerged and taken their first meal, perhaps. To spray the 

 trunks then will destroy every larva touched. 



I find that even if the cocoons are twenty or thirty deep on 

 the branches the stiff spray will penetrate the entire mass. I 

 have used these methods for the past twelve years and have 

 found them eftectual here as far as they could be carried 

 out with a force of two men and one spraying machine for all 

 our city parks. We use an extension pole devised for this 

 purpose. The first pole is one and three-quarter inches in 

 diameter and sixteen feet long. The second pole is one and 

 one-fourth inches in diameter and eighteen feet long. The 

 third is a bamboo pole bound to the top of the second one, 

 and is eighteen feet long. The second pole has two rings or 

 bands at its base to run up and down on the first, and is 

 hoisted or lowered by a small rope and pulley. The hose is a 

 quarter-inch orifice rubber-cloth insertion, which is strong and 

 light. 



Correspondence. 



The Good Work of an Improvement Association at 

 Narragansett Pier. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — A few years ago Narragansett Pier presented the 

 ragged, shiftless look which is only too common in American 

 seaside resorts frequented by large numbers of people. Just 

 beyond it to the southward ran a beautiful line of rocky coast, 

 backed by the pastures rich in the sturdy shrubs and flowers 

 characteristic of the south-eastern New England coast. But 

 its hotels were built nearer to the fine bathing-beach, along a 

 rough road, between which and the water lay neither beach 

 nor real rocks — only a narrow stretch of stony shore, covered 

 for the most part with rubbish and refuse; and back of them 

 spread an unkempt little village. Now it shows few spots 

 which are disagreeable to look upon ; in many parts it has 

 grown very pretty, and elsewhere it is neat, at least. Part of 

 the improvement has been due to the building of the Casino 

 between the hotels and the beach and to the excellent care 

 bestowed from the first upon its grounds, and part to the mac- 

 adamizing of streets and roads and to the increase in the num- 

 ber of private cottages and villas lying along the streets back 

 from the sea. But even four or five years ago much ragged- 

 ness and roughness were still apparent, and little care was 

 taken to keep the highways in a tidy condition. The influen- 

 tial men among the hotel-owners and summer residents had 

 tried to exert an influence toward the betterment of these con- 

 ditions, but without much avail until they conceived the wise 

 idea of asking the women also to exert themselves. A ladies' 

 improvement association was formed, and, although it has 

 existed only three or four years, the good it has accomplished 

 is remarkable. Among its members are owners of summer 

 cottages, constant frequenters of the hotels, and also native 

 residents of the village. The annual fee has, for obvious rea- 

 son, been kept at a low figure — two dollars; but voluntary 

 contributions are welcome, and have more than once been 

 generously made, and money-making entertainments have 

 been organized from time to time. The largest outlay of the 

 association has been a contribution of $500 toward the build- 

 ing of a fine sea-wall along the ugly stretch of coast in front of 

 the hotels. This, the most conspicuous improvement which 

 could possibly have been made at the Pier, is now completed 



