December 5, 1894.] 



Garden and Forest. 



487 



Under these circumstances the best thing to do was to give 

 top-dressing, for to reduce the ball meant breaking away what 

 few feeders there were, and the consequent loss of a season 

 before vigor returned. Planting out in the open ground finally 

 had to be resorted to, and is now practiced every year. 



When the blooming season is over, toward the end of June, 

 the plants are overhauled as soon as possible, all dead and 

 weak shoots and seed-vessels cleaned off, and the extra-strong 

 shoots pruned in. In reducing the balls of earth preparatory 

 to planting it will be found that very little soil adheres to the 

 original ball, very few, if any, new roots having been formed 

 through the winter, all the work of the plants having been 

 done during the preceding summer. The potting is only a 

 handy way of caring for the plants through the winter and for 

 convenient handling when in bloom. In planting, the plants 

 are placed a little deeper than they would be if potted. This 

 encourages new roots on the surface above the original ball ; 

 as the gardener says, "It gives them new life." It will be 

 noted that this ball of earth is very solid. This packing and 

 pressing is done by the plant itself, and the hardened ball will 

 be found to be a solid mass of fine roots. It is an important 

 element of success that this ball be kept moist during the 

 growing season. The soil must be made very firm about the 

 ball, and a slight basin formed, so that water does not run in 

 between the ball and the new soil. In connection with this it 

 should be borne in mind that the Azalea grows on the moun- 

 tainous regions of India, through China and in Japan, where 

 there is a very heavy rainfall during the growing season, and 

 so, under artificial conditions, they should be almost saturated 

 with water during the months of July and August. In potting 

 for the winter sandy soil should be used. It is easier worked 

 in and about the ball, and comes off easily in spring. In win- 

 ter all the light and air possible should be given. Very little 

 water will be required if the plants are in good condition when 

 put away. 



Wellesley, Mass. 



T. D. H. 



Rose Notes. 



AS late as the 6th of November I saw, near Philadelphia, good 

 flowers on unprotected plants of the La France Rose out- 

 doors. This habit of continuing to flower until freezing weather 

 is one of the good forms of this excellent Rose. During hot 

 summer weather the outer petals sometimes burn, but the 

 flowers are at their very best when the days become short and 

 the nights cool. The flowers are then of the largest size, full 

 and double, and delightfully fragrant. The so-called White 

 La France, properly Augustine Guinoisseau, has also proved 

 a good summer Rose, either for outdoor planting or under 

 glass, but the title White La France is a misnomer, for the 

 flowers are usually pinkish. 



American Belle, the light-colored form of American Beauty, 

 has found more favor as a cut flower in its home market of 

 Philadelphia than elsewhere, though it certainly is a beautiful 

 flower when well grown. Its growth, however, is sometimes 

 disappointing, so that its parent is still in the lead as a com- 

 mercial variety. 



Rose sports have lately become quite numerous, and a ma- 

 jority of them seem to tend toward lighter colors than the 

 parent, though notable deviations from this rule are found. 

 Some years ago a bright red sport from La France appeared 

 in the establishment of a commercial florist, but the sport 

 lacked the free-flowering habit of the parent, and it was dis- 

 carded after a season or two of trial. 



Mrs. W. C. Whitney has so far proved a Rose of good con- 

 stitution, and its deep pink flowers are produced with great 

 freedom in winter. It is a useful summer Rose, too, although 

 its color is then less attractive. 



Kaiserin Augusta Victoria not only forces well, but it grows 

 strongly out-of-doors, and bears large flowers. Belle Siebrecht 

 and Mrs. Pierpont Morgan are the most promising of new 

 American varieties, although it is never safe to predict the 

 value of a Rose on a short trial. The past season has been a 

 hard one for outdoor flowers, owing to the extreme heat, but 

 where the Roses have been watered freely a fair succession of 

 bloom has been kept up, though the flowers were in most 

 instances smaller than they would have been in cooler weather. 

 The largest flowers I have noticed outdoors this year were on 

 a strong plant of Paul Neyron, and they would measure from 

 five to six inches in extreme diameter. This is a good size, 

 even for this variety, and it shows what can be- done in the 

 cramped area of a city front yard by careful management. 

 Captain Christy, though it does not flower freely, is another 

 variety which can be commended for outdoor culture, and 

 when in good condition the flowers are of rare beauty. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. lapliil. 



Protecting Strawberries. — This is about the proper time to 

 scatter some protecting material over Strawberry-beds. We 

 prefer to put it on when the ground is hard-frozen, and a wheel- 

 barrow can then be run through the rows without disfiguring 

 anything. We have found no better cover than dry leaves 

 scattered evenly over the whole quarter. Some corn-stalks or 

 pea-brush, laid thinly over them, will prevent the wind from 

 blowing them about. Many growers make a great mistake in 

 heavily mulching the beds with rotten, or half-rotted, manure. 

 We have often seen this covering taken off early in the spring, 

 and the blanched, sickly appearance of the plants was evidence 

 enough of the folly of giving such winter protection. Plants 

 protected by leaves never fail to show up green and fresh 

 when uncovered, and we rarely lose a plant by this treat- 

 ment. 



Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig. 



Correspondence. 



Planting White Pine. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Some of the farmers near my country house in Ando- 

 ver, Maine, are discussing the expediency of planting trees on 

 the wild lands and pastures from which White Pine was 

 cut many years ago. Where can they find rules for such forest- 

 planting — simple, clear rules — giving the distances between 

 the trees and rows ; stating whether it is better to plant seed 

 or transplant young trees ; whether the trees for transplanting 

 should be one year old, or two years old, or older yet, besides 

 such other information as they require ? All these lands could 

 be covered again with forests if the proper method was only 

 pursued, and I should be obliged for any suggestions. 



Boston, Mass. H. IV. Safer. 



[The results obtained by planting the seeds of the White 

 Pine in the open ground where the trees are to grow per- 

 manently have usually been unsatisfactory. Shade and 

 moisture seem to be required to insure a good crop of seed- 

 lings, which, moreover, are very delicate and suffer at first 

 from full exposure. The only practical way to cover a 

 piece of ground with White Pines, where none are spring- 

 ing up naturally from seed scattered from trees in the neigh- 

 borhood, is to plant seedlings obtained from the woods or 

 raised in nurseries. Plants from three to five years old 

 and six to ten inches high are best for this purpose. If the 

 ground is much broken and very stony, the plants should 

 be set two to four feet apart between the rocks, wherever 

 there is soil for them. If the surface of the ground, how- 

 ever, permits the use of a plow, shallow furrows four feet 

 apart each way should be made and trees set at their inter- 

 section. The trees would grow faster during the first five 

 years if the whole of the ground to be planted could be 

 plowed before the furrows were laid off and kept clear of 

 grass and weeds until it was completely shaded. This, 

 however, adds very considerably to the first cost of the 

 plantation and is not necessary, unless a particularly rapid 

 growth during the early years of the plantation is required. 

 If the ground is not laid off in furrows, holes must be made 

 for the trees with a spade ; a piece of sod a foot across 

 should be first cut out and the soil beneath it loosened to 

 the depth of ten inches ; in this loose soil the tree should 

 be planted, and then the sod cut in two pieces to fit round 

 the tree should be replaced, the upper side downward in 

 the hole. The roots of the trees should be covered with 

 mud to prevent them from drying up after they are un- 

 packed and before they are planted. This is best done by 

 dipping them into a tub of wet mud of the consistence of 

 porridge. They should then be tied in bundles of conve- 

 nient size. A man or boy carrying one of these bundles 

 and walking ahead of the planter should drop a tree at each 

 hole or at the intersection of the furrows ; the planter fol- 

 lowing behind should take the tree, holding it in his left 

 hand, spread out the roots with his right hand, draw the soil 

 over them and press it down firm with his foot. The two 

 important things in tree-planting is to spread out the roots 

 that they may grow without becoming matted, and to 

 make the soil about them hard and firm. There is no dan- 

 ger of making it too compact and hard. Good plants care- 

 fully set in this way ought to grow without any further 



