October, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



143 



Rooted rose cutting in a 4-inch pot ready for planting 

 in the open (Marie Van Houtte) 



in that position carried through the cold 

 season. 



After the cuttings have made good roots 

 transplant them into small pots (2-inch rose 

 pots) in a soil composed of sand like that 

 used in the propagating box, but with the 

 addition of about one-third rich loam. The 

 transplanting must be done carefully because 

 the rootlets at this stage are easily injured 

 by breaking. Plunge the pots with the 

 plants in the sand of the propagating box 

 to facilitate keeping an even moisture. It 

 will be found convenient to have a separate 

 box for this stage of growth since they may 

 need more air than the fresh cuttings. When 

 the roots have filled the pot shift the plants 

 to 4-inch pots, using a good potting, soil in 

 which they may remain over winter. When 

 winter comes the young plants are usually 

 too tender to pass through the cold season 

 if set out in the open ground; but if they can 

 be given some protection slow growth of 

 root and top will take place, making better 

 plants for setting out in the spring. 



To carry them through the winter the pots 

 were set in a coldframe. This was placed 

 against the south side of the house, and is so 

 made in two sections, that during the sum- 

 mer it can be removed and the ground used 

 for annuals. The sides were lined inside 

 with several thicknesses of newspaper, which 

 protected the plants from sudden extreme 

 changes of temperature. At night and dur- 

 ing very cold weather, pieces of carpeting 

 and newspaper mats were spread over the top. 

 In this way only slight freezing occurred 

 inside during the past winter, 1906-07. On 

 bright sunny days, the sash was raised 

 to give fresh air, increasing this as warmer 

 spring days come on. Plants brought 

 through in this style do well when set out 

 in the spring. 



The varieties which I had the greatest 

 difficulty with were, Paul Neyron, Marie 

 Van Houtte, La France, American Beauty, 



Meteor, and Maman Cochet white and 

 pink. 



The Crimson Rambler roots quite readily 

 even in rather unfavorable conditions. 



Washington. Burton J. Howard. 



Sand-grown Narcissus 



T HAD much pleasure last winter in forc- 

 -■- ing the Paper White narcissus and 

 the Chinese sacred lily in moist sand instead 

 of using the commonly accepted method of 

 water and pebbles, at best a very poor and 

 unsteady arrangement. Try the sand this 

 year and have better flowers, stronger stems 

 and a root system that will prove a surprise 

 to the grower, so firm and tenacious a hold 

 do the slender white roots make on the sand. 

 Any sand will do ; the sand I used was dug 

 from the driveway, but for shallow bowls of 

 brass or glassware, the white bird sand makes 

 the prettiest effect. The method of planting 

 should depend on the depth of the receptacle 

 used — if it is shallow, put in the bottom a 

 small amount of sand for a foundation, then 

 fit in the narcissus and fill all about them 

 with sand half way up the body of the bulb. 

 Then pour very slowly enough water thor- 

 oughly to moisten the sand, which will 

 absorb an astonishing quantity, and set away 

 in the dark in a cool place for ten days. After 

 this they may be brought into the living room, 

 and during the growing season they will need 

 a good drink about once a week, but require 

 no further attention. 



Where deeper pots are used, fill up almost 

 to the top with sand, fit in the bulbs and treat 

 as above. Plant the Chinese narcissus by 

 the end of August for November flowers, by 

 the first of November for bloom at Christmas 

 time. The Paper White can be forced 

 readily in from six to seven weeks. 



New York. M. K. F. 



What is the Earliest Lily? 



T^HE charming little Siberian coral lily 

 A herewith pictured is, according to the 

 books, the earliest of all lilies to bloom, but 

 there seems to be a conspiracy of silence as 

 to the exact month it flowers. William Rob- 

 inson declares that it is so early that it is "all 

 the better for a handlight or frame." Mr. 

 Horsford of Charlotte, Vt, contributes the 

 following dates from an old book: U L. 

 tenuifolium, June 18; L. elegans, middle of 

 June; L. parvum, June 12; L. monadel- 

 phmn and Columbianum, early in June. I 

 do not find any record for L. rubellum, but 

 I know it to be one of the earliest." 



A LILY FROM SEED 



The lily here pictured is practically the 

 only one that is commonly propagated by 

 amateurs from seed. Mr. Horsford says 

 that he grows Lilium Henryi from seed 

 almost as easily. The best way to grow 

 either, of course, is to start with bulbs as you 

 will then get flowers the first season. Bulbs 

 of the Siberian coral lily cost eighteen cents 

 each. 



The Chinese sacred lily grown in sand makes a 

 better plant and sturdier flowers than in plain water 



The Siberian coral lily (Lilium tenuifolium) is raised 

 from seed and has bright red flowers 



The Siberian coral lily {Lilium tenuifolium) 

 is only a foot or eighteen inches high and has 

 nodding, scarlet flowers which "shine like 

 sealing-wax." They are only two inches 

 across, but have a certain gem-like beauty 

 and probably look best in a rock garden. 

 This species belongs to the Turk's cap group 

 in which the petals (perianth-segments) are 

 very much refiexed. The leaves are highly 

 distinctive, being linear. The stalk bears 

 "from one to twenty flowers," according to 

 Professor Waugh, but Miss Jekyll says that 

 "it bears the greatest number of flowers (six 

 to ten) in its fourth year, ripens plentv of 

 seed and then gradually dies away." William 

 Robinson says it bears "about a dozen 

 flowers." This difference of opinion would 

 seem to indicate that much depends on skill 

 in cultivation. 



A PLANT FOR SKILLED AilETEURS 



Miss Jekyll declares that it needs a rich, 

 warm soil and can probably be grown suc- 

 cessfully only by skilled amateurs, but at 

 least one American nurseryman has made a 

 success of it and Professor Waugh warmly 

 recommends it to beginners, saying that it 

 can be propagated either by seeds or bulb 

 scales. Obviously, the Siberian coral lily 

 is worth a trial, and a good mass of it ought to 

 produce an extremelv prettv effect. 



New York. W. M. 



