ae ae 
—— 
JULY, 1916 
PrHE. GAR DEN REAEGAZINE . 339 
where there had been the one vigorous spike the 
year before, and they died before the summer was 
over. 
It was planted in shade and the soil was rich al- 
though light and well drained. Actaea japonica, 
the plumy Solomon’s seal, Phlox Arendsii, and other 
shade loving plants flourished in this particular 
corner, as did the Monkshood, until the hot, dry 
days of. September. 
Artemisia lactiflora, which looks like the one 
respectable member of the tribe of Wormwoods 
(most of which are dirty looking vagrants resembling 
naltese cats that have been out in the rain) didn’t 
take kindly to its location although it grew and 
flowered. The soil was poor. A second _ trial 
showed it to be more vigorous. I hope this year to 
bring the plant to its full development. It reached 
-a height of two feet for me and when in bloom looked 
like a sick Astilbe. However, the foliage was good 
and its possibilities were apparent. In better soil 
and more congenial surroundings, I believe that it 
will do better. 
An eastern seedsman was moved a few seasons 
ago to offer Meconopsis integrifolia with the flatter- 
ing statement that it was a gorgeous yellow Oriental 
Poppy. I fell. I got as far as a few puny plants 
with strap-shaped, rough leaves which seemed 
startled and undecided as to their proper function and 
curled up and disappeared. The plants were 
watered and attended most assiduously, but kind- 
ness proved of no avail. 
I likewise cast money to the dickey birds when I 
tried a couple of plants of Astilbe Arendsii. This 
plant must have a moist situation. 
Illinois. SHERMAN R. DUFFY. 
Can Potatoes Be Grown in Swampy Land? 
‘HE GARDEN MAGAZINE is often asked to 
give the reason for a failure, but I wish to ask 
the reason for an unexpected and unmerited success! 
Last spring, being obliged to put some of my 
limited garden space in clover, I found, after ar- 
_Tanging for everything, that the potatoes had been 
left out. As my garden is in the Adirondacks and 
I do not see it until June, it is necessary to settle 
everything from a distance. I knew my man of all 
work, who is not by any means a gardener, would 
consider the potato crop the most important; and 
fearing he might think it more important than 
Asters and Antirrhinums and encroach on their 
domain, I wrote boldly, “Put the potatoes in the 
dryest place in the swamp lot.” This was taking 
almost an unfair advantage as he knew, and I knew 
and he knew that I knew there was no dry place in 
the swamp lot. But places in the sun are scarce in 
the Adirondack woods and this, at least, was sunny. 
It was originally a cedar swamp which had been cut 
many years ago and since grown up in alders. 
These we cut and burned quite recently to get a crop 
of coarse grass for bedding. 
When I went up in June and saw the potato patch 
I felt some misgivings. The man had chosen the 
best place, a very slight rise along the river. Still it 
was unpleasantly wet. Water stood on the surface 
in places and the weeds between the rows were 
Equisetum and other swamp plants, with patches of 
spagnum moss near where the ground had not been 
disturbed. I felt that only the driest kind of a 
summer could save the situation. As it turned out, 
the summer of 1915 was almost the wettest on 
record. It rained at least three days in every week 
and when once, after a prolonged rain, I exclaimed, 
“the poor potatoes,” the man of the house said, with 
crushing superiority, ‘“What could you expect in 
such a place?” I did not expect much when July 
and August had wept themselves away, and late in 
September, when we prepared to dig the potatoes, I 
thought we would be fortunate if we got the seed 
back. The patch was about three-quarters of an 
acre and we got 120 bushels of fine, smooth skinned 
potatoes!. Not a small or poor one in the lot! And 
une cooked, they proved to be extremely dry and 
ight. 
Now, what didit? The fertilizer was a very small 
amount of stable manure which is exposed to the 
weather, summer and winter, and is consequently of 
little value. I think I have seen somewhere that 
alders furnish nitrogen for the soil like clover, etc. 
Or probably the fact that the soil had never been 
cultivated may have had something to do withit. I 
have noticed that the people living in mountain 
cabins get very fine potatoes when they plant them 
in a fresh clearing, a hill here and there between the 
stumps. But I am searching for real light on this 
subject. 
New Jersey. H. M. 
Giraldi Hybrid Lilacs 
HAT beautiful things the new Giraldi hybrid 
Lilacs are! They come so early in the spring 
and help to prolong the season. On May 15, in the 
Rochester Parks, we had four in bloom, namely: 
Lamartine, Mirabeau, Berenger and Vaubau. 
Joun DUNBAR. 
Rosa Gentiliana 
alee OUR readers who live in the milder parts of 
this country, we have pleasure in introducing 
a new species of Rose of more than ordinary merit 
and of untold potential value. It hails from China 
and is one of E. H. Wilson’s introductions, and was 
Rosa Gentiliana, often erroneously named Rosa floribunda 
briefly mentioned by him, and is pictured, in his 
eighth article, which appeared in the January, 1916, 
number of THe GARDEN MAGAZINE. 
This new Rose is a strong-growing species, making 
tangled bunches of from twelve to fifteen feet high 
and from fifteen to twenty feet in diameter. The 
leaves are 5-foliolate, dark glossy green above and 
glaucous below, but when young they are reddish, 
more especially on the underside. The flowers are 
pure white, about an inch in diameter and delight- 
fully fragrant; they are borne in broad clusters and 
are followed by orange-red fruits. Unlike the 
ordinary garden Roses, it should not be pruned. 
Miss Ellen Willmott, a famous English horticul- 
turist of international renown, in her monumental 
book (Genus Rosa II. 513, 1914), describes it thus: 
“This plant in its way is, perhaps, the most beautiful 
Rose yet introduced. Its cascades of pure white 
flowers are borne in boundless profusion, and unless 
damaged by storms will continue in blossom for 
nearly two months. It should be given an isolated 
position, where it can be left to develop, and where 
its beauty can be seen to best advantage. It forms 
fine bushes of dense growth, and so far has not been 
attacked by mildew or fly.” 
Our photograph is of a spray from a plant which 
flowered in England, and was first published in The 
Gardeners’ Chronicle of London, under the erroneous 
name of Rosa floribunda. 
[EpirorR] 
Another Combination—Kochia and Delphinium 
| Ros spring I planted a mixed assortment of 
Delphiniums along the front and back of a row 
of Kochia. As the ground had been previously well 
enriched, the plants made rapid growth, soon attain- 
ing a height almost as great as that of the Kochia, 
and by May the row was a mass of light green bor- 
dered on either side by a line of darker green. It 
was not long after this until the spikes of delicate 
bloom appeared upon every side of the row and 
even pushed out from among the foliage of the 
Kochia. 
This combination planting was good for two 
reasons—because of the spectacular effect that it 
produced in the garden, and because of the shade of 
the Kochia which helped in perfecting the bloom of 
the Larkspur. The row was showy throughout the 
summer and many flowers were produced for cut- 
tings. 
Sherman, Miss. BurorD REID. 
For Mr. Duffy to Answer 
SN’T it time that Mr. Duffy wrote another article 
following up the one on Narcissus in September, 
1914? I have grown about seventy-five varieties 
this year. My soil is a rich forest one, rich in hu- 
mus; grows trees three feet in diameter. It seems to 
suit the Daffodils, as my sizes are somewhat larger 
than his: Emperor, 33 inches; Glory of Leiden, 44 
inches this year, 5 inches last year. JI find, also, that 
Glory of Leiden needs replanting every two years— 
in fact, I think that I shall have to do so with all of 
mine, as they increase so fast. The Poetaz group 
do finely, the only one that has given any trouble 
being Irene and that, no doubt, because it had been 
left too long. I have not fertilized the soil at all 
until last year, when I gave a little bone meal. But 
I wish to call attention to one of the triandrus 
hybrids—Icicle! It is a very strong grower, three 
flowers to a bulb and a perfectly beautiful thing. In 
a vase the color of the Narcissus stems, with Home- 
spun above, is a wonder. All the new ones that I 
tried this year have done well. Lord Muncaster 
and Treserve are extra good. Poetaz Admiration 
will, I think, be a great acquisition. Evangeline is 
a great beauty also. The only one of the giants that 
did not get big is King Alfred—that I have only one 
bulb of and planted rather late. The color is fine, 
but the flowers were small. I will try a few more 
bulbs this fall. 
Excelsior, Minnesota. E. W. D. Hotway. 
Sweet Violets from Seed 
jes MY experience it is a very easy and simple mat- 
ter to raise Sweet Violets. I usually send for my 
seeds very early in the season, before the soil is warm 
enough for outdoor planting, so start them in pots. 
I then put them where they will have the sunshine 
all winter, so as to get blossoms late in fall and early 
in spring. As it is best to protect the plants from 
too much sunshine in midsummer, I use a muslin- 
covered lath frame that can be quickly stored away 
when not needed. In one or two years the plants 
will require thinning, which is best done after blos- 
soming in the spring. It can be done at any time, 
however, if the plants are shaded from the sun. The 
soil is a rich garden loam. 
The variety I find most satisfactory is Princess of 
Wales, very fragrant with large blooms. The 
plants self sow. 
Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. H. E. Inirr. 
A “Renters ” Garden 
IKE most clergyman’s families, we are 
“tenters” and our home is owned by a very 
old lady, and may be sold at any time. But as I 
felt that I must have a garden, I proceeded on the as- 
sumption that I could have it undisturbed for an in- 
definite period. The usual solution for such a situa- 
tion, a garden of annuals, was not for me, as we are 
away for six weeks every summer and I must have 
more permanent material. Add to these funda- 
mental difficulties the fact that we have very poor, 
sandy soil, except for a few patches, and a great wall 
of Trumpet Vine usurping the moisture and the 
nourishment, just where all the laws of landscape 
planning demand a border of flowers, and where I 
propose to have a border of flowers, and you will see 
that the difficulties thicken. My only place for full 
