196 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1906 



Rhododendrons on grounds of Walter H. Hunnewell.Wellesley, Mass 

 {Frontispiece of Moyiograph on Rhodode?idrons) 



IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN 

 RHODODENDRONS AND 

 MOUNTAIN LAUREL 



IN their selection; in their planting or their care, you 

 should read the Monograph "Hardy Rhododendrons, 

 Azaleas and the Mountain Laurel" by J. Woodward 

 Manning, who has probably spent more time in their 

 study than anyother person in the country, and s a specialist 

 in growing them. Mr. Manning undertook the writing of 

 this Monograph because.so many people have sulTered serious 

 loss in the imp roper planting of Rhododendrons. due to the utter 

 lack of knowledge concerning the right varieties to plant under 

 different conditions. His desire was to make it a contribution 

 to practical horticultural literature, ^f It is one of the most 

 comprehensive treatises on the subject that has been pub- 

 lished in this country. Among the many interesting chapters 

 are the following: 



Hybrid Rhododendrons 

 Tender or Obsolete Varieties 

 Varieties of Doubtful Hardihood 

 The Ironclad List (with descrip- 

 tions) 

 Propagation 



CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS 

 Soil Mulching 



Exposure "Watering 



Planting Fertilizing 



Protection 

 A copy of this Monograph will be sent to the readers of The 

 Garden Magazine who are really interested, on receipt of 

 four cents to cover postage. 



A word about the Reading Nurseries. We control the largest col- 

 lecting area in America, comprising 30,000 acres, and are able to 

 supply the very choicest stock of these evergreens in every size and 

 quantity. There is, we believe, not a more extensive single stock 

 in the world. We have also the best grades of Hybrid Rhodo- 

 dendrons and A?aleas in New England, obtained from the most 

 trustworthy European sources, based on fifty years experience in 

 the importation of these plants. 



A Bit of History 



Grouping 



American evergreen species 



Other evergreen species 



Azaleas 



Mountain Laurel 



THE READING NURSERIES 



J. Woodward Manning, Prop. READING, MASS. 



In addit-on to these evergreens, we have a fine stock of Trees, 

 Shrubs and Hardy Plants. Our illustrated catalogue descriDes 

 these in detail. 



Competent Gardeners 



The comforts and products of a country home are increased by 

 employing a competent gardener ; if you want to engage one, write 

 to us. Please give particulars regarding place and say whether 

 married or single man is wanted. We have been supplying them for 

 years to the best people everywhere. No fee asked. PETER 

 HENDERSON & CO., Seedsmen and Florists, 35 and 37 Cortlandt 

 Street, New York City. 



Gardeners' Register 



High-class men, with good records, can be 

 obtained at VAUGHAN'S SEED STORE, 

 14 Barclay Street, New York City. No fee. 

 84 Randolph Street, Chicago. ~ 



FERTILIZERS 



Fertilizing the Home Garden 



THE practical fertilizer questions that 

 the amateur wants answered are just 

 these: What to use, in what quantities? 



Most of the articles and all the books on 

 fertilizers lay special stress upon the food 

 values and costs. Though of great impor- 

 tance to the farmer, these details are only 

 of minor interest to the amateur. The 

 great problem for the home gardener is 

 how to get earlier, larger, better fruit, 

 vegetables and flowers. 



There are three great plant foods: ni- 

 trogen, phosphoric acid, and potash. 



The one most likely to be deficient in the 

 soil is nitrogen. The trouble is that the 

 salts that are available for the plant are so 

 soluble that they are quickly washed out of 

 the soil. Stable manure gives nitrogen in 

 small quantities over a comparatively long 

 period, and is valuable on that account. 

 Its vegetable matter (giving humus and 

 holding water), is also an important factor, 

 rendering it especially valuable on light 

 or sandy soils. 



Many people have a notion that a black 

 soil must of necessity be a rich one. But, 

 on the contrary, it may be almost devoid of 

 nitrogen, and so stands in need of some 

 fertilizer. Whilst it is true that garden soils 

 in general have a sufficiency of both potash 

 and phosphoric acid in them, the chances 

 are that these two food materials are to 

 a certain extent "locked up" — that is, 

 they are not immediately available to the 

 plant, and are only taken out by slow degrees. 



Therefore, the amateur gardener will 

 find that the best all-round fertilizer for 

 him to buy is one with an abundance of 

 nitrogen, and moderate quantities of the 

 other two substances. Of course, for large 

 operations, special compounds of fertilizers 

 are an economy, and, while the same thing 

 holds good in theory on the small scale, 

 yet in practice, as the amount involved is 

 so little, it is wiser to have one all-round 

 fertilizer. Succulent vegetables particularly 

 will thrive on nitrogen. It makes them 

 grow rapidly, and that means tenderness. 

 Potash is used to improve the quality. 

 Phosphoric acid helps to build the tissue 

 of the plant. What a fertilizer contains 

 can always be ascertained by reading the 

 analysis which must accompany it. Look 

 only for those three terms. Don't regard 

 anything else. 



How much to use ? Of course, the answer 

 largely depends on the grade of fertilizer. 

 Stable manure can be spread on three inches 

 thick. A pound of nitrate of soda is suffi- 

 cient to cover from eighty to one hundred 

 square feet. B. B. 



ANOTHER SIDE 

 TO GREENHOUSES 



It's the pleasure side of a greenhouse that makes it 

 such an interesting proposition. 



The pleasure of taking seemingly dead bulbs and 

 seeds, nursing them to life, watching them grow daily 

 into strong, healthy plants, and then to reap the 

 enjoyment of this pleasure-work in luxuriant blooms 

 and perfect fruits and vegetables. 



Just because you yourself have grown these 

 flowers, fruits and vegetables seems to add to them 

 an indefinite something which more than repays the 

 really little time you have devoted to them. 



We make small greenhouses as well as big, and 

 conservatories of all sizes. 



H1TCHINGS & COMPANY 

 Greenhouse Builders and Designers 



Manufacturer! of Heating and Ventilating Apparatus 



1170 BROADWAY, NEW YORK 



40,000 PEACH TREES 



That must be sold ; all clean, thrifty, healthy, beauti- 

 ful trees. Prices right. Apple, Plum, Cherry and 

 Pears. Asparagus Roots. Strawberry Plants. FREE 

 catalogue has valuable Spraying Chart. Send to-day, 



ARTHUR J. COLLINS, 

 Box N, Moorestown, New Jersey. 



The Hardy Border 



We have a fine collection of Hardy- 

 Phlox and other Hardy plants. Collected 

 Laurel and Rhododendron, Evergreens, 

 Shrubs and Trees. 



See our stock or send us list of wants 

 for prices. 



Competent men furnished and advice 

 given regarding the proper arrangement of 

 large or small estates. Excellent references. 



DUMMETT & WAGNER 



Office, Conservatories and Nurseries at 

 MOUNT VERNON, N. Y. 



Telephone, 845 Mount Vernon. 



