THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



January, 1916 



OLYMPIC 



A grand flower of a deep rich 

 crimson color and of massive pro- 

 portions. Many flowers measur- 

 ing eight inches across and being 

 exceptionally incurved and of 

 great depth as well. 50c. each. 



Newest 



Imported Dahlias 



of Cactus, Decorative and Peony 

 Flowered Types 



The Dahlia enthusiast will find my 

 stock of Dahlias the very best to be 

 found, at reasonable prices. 



All in field grown tubers. No plants 

 sent out unless wanted. 



$1.00 up to $5.00 a dozen 

 20, my choice, for $1.00 

 Large bulbs for $1.20 



SEND FOR MY DAHLIA BOOK 



containing descriptions and prices of 6oo 

 different varieties. Sent on request. 

 Write now to 



MRS. H. A. TATE 



Dahlia Importer and Grower for Enthusiasts 



Old Fort 



North Carolina 



WILL MORE MONEY HELP? 



As a member of our agency organization, securing subscribers 

 for the World's Work, Country Life in America and The Garden 

 Magazine, you can increase your earnings — many are doing it. 

 Send your name to the Circulation Dept. 



Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York 



Have your trees and plants been destroyed by insects? Have 

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ORMOCIDE? 



ORMOCIDE is the latest effort to fight insects in a scientific 

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Do it now, before buying your stock of spray material. A 

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How to Successfully Graft the Crab Cactus 



By MARY NELMS, New Jersey 



ONE of the most interesting ex- 

 periments the amateur gar- 



dener can follow out is that of 

 grafting. To many people, it is one 

 of those mysterious processes re- 

 quiring highly expert knowledge and 

 quite beyond the powers of the or- 

 dinary mortal, though in reality it is 

 a very simple thing to do when one 

 remembers the principle of it. This 

 is to bring the raw surface of the 

 stock and that of the graft into such 

 close contact that they will grow to- 

 gether, holding them firmly in place 

 until the union is completed. In 

 due time the sap cells unite and the 

 graft continues to produce its own 

 peculiar flower and fruit, though re- 

 ceiving added vigor and hardiness 

 from the stock. This fact makes 

 possible many interest- 

 ing results, as, for ex- 

 ample, the growing of 

 several different kinds of 

 apples on the same tree. 

 It is also from this pro- 

 cess that we get our 

 wonderful ' ' budded ' ' 

 Roses, extra fine cher- 

 ries, peaches, etc., al- 

 though in these cases 

 the graft is set in just a 

 few inches above the 

 roots of the stock, and 

 receives the benefit of 

 the full strength. It is, 

 however, necessary to 

 keep down all shoots ap- 

 pearing below the graft, 

 as they would very soon 

 claim their own and 

 sap all the nourishment 

 from the introduced wood. 



The accompanying photographs illustrate the 

 results of grafting the crab-claw Cactus (Epiphyllum 

 truncatum), on the stem of a Barbados gooseberry 

 (Pereskia aculeata). The experiment should be made 

 in spring or early sum- 

 mer unless a green- 

 house is available, and 

 the necessary plants 

 can be obtained from 

 any of the Southern 

 nurseries for about 

 twenty cents each. 

 They travel well by 

 mail but it is well to 

 order two or three sets 

 to guard against pos- 

 sible failures. When 

 the plants arrive they 

 should be placed in 

 pots filled with a light 

 soil, and kept from in- 

 tense sunlight until 

 they show signs of 

 having recovered their 

 normal vitality. The 

 Epiphyllum will then 

 begin to send out little 

 reddish knobs along 

 the indented "leaves" 

 and the Pereskia will 

 show two or three 

 heavy succulent shoots 

 near the top. Increase 

 the exposure to sun- 

 light for a few days and then, with a very sharp 

 knife, cut the Pereskia straight across, removing 

 from across the centre a narrow, wedge-shaped 

 piece about three quarters of an inch long. Next, 

 cut a nice, stocky shoot with two or three leaves 

 from the Epiphyllum, carefully shave two sides of 

 the base to a corresponding wedge shape, and set it 

 snugly into the opening in the Pereskia. Hold it 

 in place with a stiff cactus spine or a fine needle, 

 and bind the joint with a light wrapping of rafia. 



Though only two years 

 from grafting, this plant bore 

 more than 150 blooms 



This specimen, known to be at least twelve years old, 

 measures 2 ft. 9 in. across and is considered to be doing well 

 if it bears 100 blossoms 



Pereskia stalk 

 phyllum in good 

 for grafting 



and Epi- 

 condition 



The wrapping is not absolutely 

 necessary, but it serves as an extra 

 protection. Keep the plant out of 

 the sun until the crab shows signs, 

 of growing, and guard, carefully 

 against any_ water reaching the 

 wound until it is thoroughly healed. 

 The Pereskia will frequently try to 

 send out shoots along the stem, but 

 these must be rubbed off as soon as 

 they appear in order to send all the 

 sap to the crab. 



Where Grass Won't 

 Grow; Hairpins and Vines 



IF YOU have a short terrace be- 

 tween your hedge and the side- 

 walk, that is a nuisance to mow 

 and hard to keep look- 

 ing decent, I have dis- 

 covered a remedy for it. 

 My lot was three or four 

 feet above the sidewalk, 

 and although I abomin- 

 ate a terrace I hadn't 

 room to avoid one en- 

 tirely, but I graded it 

 down so that the bank 

 outside the hedge was. 

 about a foot high and 

 sloped at an angle of 

 45 or 50 degrees. The 

 grading cut down into 

 the subsoil — a tough 

 hardpan that was almost 

 like concret e — and 

 on that unpromising 

 foundation I had my 

 bank sodded. It is un- 

 necessary to give details 

 of the year or so I spent in learning that such a 

 combination was hopeless. The sod gradually 

 "petered out." 



Then I began to plant Periwinkle (Vinca minor) 

 and English Ivy here and there at the top of the bank, 

 at the edge of the trench I had dug for my hedge 

 where the soil was good enough for the vines to root. 

 As they grew I gradu- 

 ally pulled out by the 

 roots the remaining 

 grass and weeds in the 

 sod, and pinned the 

 vines down with ordin- 

 ary hairpins, to encour- 

 age them to root again. 

 This treatment, be- 

 gun in spring and kept 

 up all summer, has 

 transformed my rag- 

 ged bank into a green 

 carpet that I am not 

 ashamed to have the 

 passer-by see as he 

 comes down the street. 

 Instead of mowing 

 every week all the care 

 this bank requires is 

 going over two or three 

 times during the sum- 

 mer to cut out dead 

 leaves and put in a few 

 more hairpins. In the 

 spring the Periwinkle 

 is dotted with white 

 and lavender blossoms. 



This job required patience, because the old grass 

 should be pulled out only fast enough to keep out of 

 the way of the growing vines, as otherwise the bank 

 would wash away in one or two rains. That is why 

 it took all summer. And it required hairpins — I 

 used 500 or 600 on my stretch of 100 feet. You can 

 hardly use too many, but the ordinary kind, about 

 three inches long with corrugations, six dozen costing 

 5 cents, are just the kind to use. 

 Washington, D. C. Bernard H. Lane. 



Showing a double graft 

 which, however, is not as sat- 

 isfactory as the single cut 



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