ditions. 
This department will help in dealing with general con- 
It cannot render personal professional service 
ye 
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if 
Gladiolus Bulbs and Bulblets 
In digging up the Gladiolus bulbs last fall, some 
very small bulblets were found growing out of the 
bulbs. If we plant these new bulbs, the ones which 
grew on top, will they bloom this season, or will 
they form bulbs for blossoming the following year? 
—H. L. K., Indiana. 
—THE renewal bulbs of the Gladiolus produced 
on the top of the old bulbs will flower this coming 
season. The bulblets can hardly be expected to 
bloom this season. The larger ones may bloom 
-next year and the smaller onés in proportion to 
their size. Some varieties may make more than 
one bulb of flowering size. The young offsets and 
bulblets can be sown in nursery rows like peas 
and grown on year by year until they are large 
enough to produce flowering plants. 
Reclaiming an Old Hemlock Hedge 
I have a Hemlock hedge that twenty years ago 
was about four feet high and in perfect condition, 
but it was permitted to run wild and now has 
grown into practical individual trees 10 to 15 
feet high, and the under part, where the hedge 
shouid be, has died from lack of light. If the 
lants are cut back to this dead growth, will the 
edye die, or will it sprout out again if the prun- 
ing is done at a certain time of the year /—B. F. G., 
Washington, D. C. ‘ 
—Ir THESE Hemlock trees are vigorous, with good 
root. condition and with plenty of fertility in the 
soil and can be well supenea with water, there is 
no reason why you should not get the hedge under 
control by heading it back slowly. One reason that 
the Hemlock is a good hedge plant is because of its 
ability to stand severe cutting back. Of course, 
any radical cutting back will be trying to the 
plant, but by cutting back the trees moderately 
each successive year and gradually reducing the 
head, the result wanted should be obtained in from 
three to five years. 
Do Cucurbits Mix? 
If cucumbers, watermelons and muskmelons are 
planted close together, will they mix?—W. H. T., 
ew York. : 
—CUCUMBERS, watermelons, etc., will not mix the 
first year no matter how closely planted; that is, 
the fruit resulting from the flower of one such 
vine, fertilized by the flower of another, will not 
be a hybrid but will exhibit the characteristics of 
its pistillate parent. If, however, the seed from 
this fruit is planted, the fruit that forms on the 
resulting plant will be a hybrid resembling to some 
extent each of its ancestors. 
Small Fruits for Market 
I have 14,137 square feet of land that I want to 
pet with currants, gooseberries, raspberries and 
lackberries, intending to sell the fruit in market. 
What varieties do you recommend for the purpose; 
how far apart should the plants be set, and how 
far apart the rows? The soil is heavy loam with a 
clay subsoil; exposure is bleak. Should manure 
be applied, and is it necessary to add any other 
ela when planting ?—F. C. G. A., Mass. 
—THE common planting distances for bush fruits 
are as follows: Currants and gooseberries, 4x 5 
feet; raspberries, 3x5 feet; blackberries, 4x7 to 
6x8 feet. These may, however, be slightly varied 
when necessary, either increased to make horse 
cultivation easier or lessened where hand tillage is 
to be practised. At these distances your piece of 
land should hold about 725 plants. The distribu- 
tion of the different sorts must be determined by 
you, according to your preference for one or the 
other and the demands of whatever market you 
expect to cup Ely. As to varieties, we suggest the 
following: urrants: Wilder and Red Cross 
(red); White Grape (white). Gooseberries: . 
Downing (green), the standard sort; Industry 
(red); Whitesmith and Keepsake (yellow). 
Raspberry: Cuthbert and King (red); Gregg (or 
one of its more recent forms), Scarff (black) ; St. 
Regis Everbearing (red). Blackberries: Snyder, 
Agawam, Eldorado and Joy. It is almost impos- 
sible to apply too much manure to the soil, pro- 
vided it is well rotted and thoroughly worked into 
the soil. Whether fertilizer is needed depends on 
the quality and condition of the soil. It would 
certainly do no harm, however, to add a moderate 
application of a complete garden fertilizer just 
before planting the bushes. 
Asparagus at the Bottom of a Hillside 
I have an asparagus bed injudiciously placed 
near the bottom of a hillside; the water seeps 
through the soil and last summer almost destroyed 
the bed by gullying through it. I have had a 
trench dug at the top of the bed and through the 
centre to carry off the water; my problem is now 
how best to save and hold the trench.—R. C., 
Maine. 
—Ir 1s frequently possible to prevent the occur- 
rence of excessive moisture at the bottom of a 
slope by running one or more lines of drain pipe 
transversely across the bottom of the hill so that 
they will pick up the water as it seeps downward 
and carry it around instead of into or through the 
garden. Such results might also obtain from the 
use of a trench such as you mention, except that 
this would remove only surface water and would 
not reduce the excess of seepage flow. On the 
whole, it would seem as though much future ex- . 
pense and trouble could be saved by moving your 
asparagus to a better drained position at the 
earliest opportunity. One of the important prin- 
ciples of good gardening is the following of the line 
of least resistance—that is, the obtaining of maxi- 
mum results with the least expenditure of time, 
money and effort. 
The Everbearing Strawberries 
I have 1% acres of strawberries; half of this is 
last spring’s bed, the other half having been 
planted the previous spring. I have about 1,000 
feet of Everbearing; does this require any differ- 
ent cultivation from the spring variety? Are wood 
ashes and hen manure a good fertilizer for straw- 
berries? How should it be applied? Should the 
blossoms be kept picked off the Hverbearing 
plants during July and August, the plants being 
allowed to Bioeth and bear from then on?—C. E. 
T., Mass. 
—WE ARE unable to learn that the Hverbearing 
types of strawberry require anything different in 
the way of cultivation, feeding, etc., from the 
standard, spring bearing sorts. Unleached wood 
ashes and hen manure are both valuable materials 
for all garden crops, but they should not be ap- 
plied to the soil at the same time nor mixed pre- 
vious to their application. Spread the manure 
and fork it well into the soil, and then add wood 
ashes and rake them in thoroughly. Different 
growers seem to have achieved success with the 
Kiverbearing berries by adhering to both the meth- 
ods mentioned by you. We believe that the large 
forms of this type require a little rest and that it 
is well for the plants to have a little rest during a 
part of the summer. At the same time, however, 
it seems that this is not essential unless the 
grower desires berries of a specially high quality 
and large size. 
The Ibota Privet 
Is the Ibota privet hardy,’does it blight, and will 
it remain green in the winter ?—D. L. P., Virginia. 
—WE bo not quite understand what you mean 
when you speak of “blight” on Ligustrum Ibota. 
In the North this privet is deciduous and reason- 
ably hardy. In the South it holds its leaves over 
winter, but is not what is understood as an ever- 
green for an evergreen carries its leaves more 
than a year. The Ibota sheds its leaves while new 
ones come on. The effect is that of an evergreen 
plant, but it is not an evergreen in the strict sense 
of the word. You will be able to grow in your | 
region Ligustrum lucidum which is evergreen but 
APRIL, 1916 
which is not hardy at New York. There is con- 
siderable confusion as to what “Ibota” really is, 
and the form offered under the name Regelianum 
is a more serviceable plant. As to whether or not 
Ibota will remain green in your region would de- 
pend on general growing conditions, exposure, soil | 
rainage, etc. If it does not hold its leaves for 
the entire twelve months it would be bare only a 
small fraction of that time. 
Border Plants 
My house, about 30x50 ft., on a corner lot 
100 x 107 feet, is about 25 feet from the walk; on 
both sides of the walk from the street to the front | 
pore are borders two feet wide and fifteen feet 
ong, in which are Tulips, Jonquils and Daffodils. 
Following their blooming period I have difficulty | 
in keeping the beds attractive. 
man 
I have tried Ger- 
ris, interspersed with Petunias and Portu- 
laca, but annuals do not cover up the coarse - 
browned leaves of the Iris during July and August. 
The beds are entirely exposed to the hot sun all — 
day. What plants can I use to give an effective 
succession of bloom?—N. R. H., Mo. 
—OF couRSE the whole of the border cannot be in | 
bloom at one time unless you adopt the bedding | 
out system. The situation described seems to be | 
well fitted for Iris. You do not have much space 
to plan for a continuous effect, and you must make 
up your mind that, if you want to get the greatest 
effect, you will have to fill in the border with 
available material for the rest of the season. A 
border two feet wide is too narrow for a very 
effective treatment. It should be at least three 
feet wide, and four feet would be better. Among 
plants that would be available are perennial 
Candytuft, Sedum spectabile, creeping Phlox, 
Veronica repens, Gypsophila repens, tufted Pansy, 
Bugle, Thrift, Leadwort, various Scotch and bor- 
der Pinks, Iceland Poppy, Stoke’s Aster, Carpa- 
thian Harebell, Garland Flower, Forget-me-not, 
Rock Cress, Globe Flower, Coral Bells. 
Color Charts 
Is there any color chart or book I could get so 
as to be able to distinguish between the many dif- 
ferent shades of colors in flowers, so that I can 
learn how to combine them properly?—I. J. L., | 
Iowa. 
—WE Hagpiy think a color chart will be of much 
service to you. However, if you wish to obtain a 
color chart we would refer you to “Color Stand- 
ards and Color Nomenclature,” by Mrs. J. HE. 
Ridgway, Olney, Ill., price $8.10. This is the 
latest book on the subject printed in this country. 
“The Colorist,” by Hatt, price $1.80 postpaid, is a 
most suggestive little treatise. But, after all, suc- 
cessful color combinations are largely a matter of 
personal skill and invention. 
the principles of color harmony, but the applica- 
tion of these principles is a matter of the indi- | 
vidual. 
Renovating an Old Orchard 
Which would be the most profitable: the prunin 
and spraying of about twenty-five old orchar 
trees, bearing fairly well, planted 16 to 40 feet | 
apart or the planting of a new orchard? Could the | 
new orchard be successfully started under the old 
trees ?—T. W. H., Pa. 
—WE CANNOT? say definitely. It depends largely 
on the condition of the trees. Of course, it is much 
easier to take care of an orchard that is planned 
and planted all at one time and at one operation, 
but it might be a good deal cheaper now and fully 
as satisfactory later on to simply cut out the 
worst of the trees, prune and bring back the re- 
mainder, and fill all the gaps in the orchard with 
new two or three year oe trees. later this re- 
placing could be continued as the old trees die out, 
until finally a new orchard results. 
One can be taught | 
