28 
FARM AND GARDEN NEWS 
Philip J. Hauswirth, secretary of the Soci- 
ety of American Florists, died in Chicago on 
December 4th. The duties of his cffice were 
undertaken by Willis N. Rudd of that city. 
Anyone who desires to know whether he 
could profitably engage in market gardening 
should send to the Pennsylvania Department 
of Agriculture at Harrisburg, Pa., for a recent- 
ly issued bulletin on “marketing ” by Profes- 
sor R. L. Watts. Itis the best new round-up 
of the subject available for free distribution. 
Everybody ought to join the National 
Mosquito Extermination Society and get 
its literature, which will tell just how to ex- 
terminate mosquitoes in your locality. The 
dues are two dollars a year, and the publi- 
cations of the society alone are worth this. 
The secretary is Henry Clay Weeks, of Bay- 
side, L. I. 
Two notable botanists died toward the 
end of the year just closed. Professor L. 
M. Underwood of Columbia University and 
chairman of the board of managers of the 
New York Botanical Garden died early in 
December, and G. E. Davenport of Massa- 
chusets, followed within a couple of weeks. 
Thus our two most prominent authorities 
on ferns disappear almost simultaneously. 
Everybody who has been in the habit of 
taking street sweepings for fertilizing the 
garden is warned not to take them from a 
street which has been sprinkled with petro- 
leum in order to keep down the dust, as it is 
quite certain that sweepings mixed with 
oil will be harmful to any kind of vegetation. 
It takes only a light sprinkling of oil to kill 
weeds—in fact, petroleum products are 
often sold for weed killers. 
The subtle diseases of the peony that 
baffle most cultivators of that charming flower 
are being investigated by the American 
Peony Society in conjunction with the New 
York State College of Agriculture. Any- 
one having diseased specimens during the 
coming season should send the diseased plants 
(transportation prepaid) to H. H. Whetzel, 
at Ithaca, N. Y. Whatever is sent should 
be carefully wrapped in a close box, which 
insures safety in carriage. 
The earliest show of brilliant redautumnal 
foliage comes from the Tartarian maple, 
which turns a vivid scarlet in late September 
or nearly a month before the red maple. It 
is brighter than the red maple and surer to 
color well. It precedes even the flowering 
dogwood and the pepperidge. It is worth 
planting about northern camps and summer 
homes which must be left before the big show 
of autumn color begins, and it is probably the 
best substitute for Japan maples in regions 
where the later are not hardy. The tree 
here recommended is not Acer Tataricum 
but the plant known to nurserymen as A. 
Tataricum var. gmmnala. Its correct name 
is A. ginnala. 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
The best method of destroying the cotton 
boll weevil is the destruction of the stalks 
in the early fall. It is far cheaper than hand 
picking in the spring. ‘This is the matured 
opinion of the agricultural experts. 
Seed trade reports seem to point to a short- 
age of first quality seed potatoes at this time. 
The yields last season were not only below 
the average, but the keeping quality was 
not of the best. Vegetable seeds generally 
are good quality, with the exception, perhaps, 
of tomato seed in large quantities. 
Anyone who can give us a really good 
red-flowered rose of Sharon or althea 
(Hibiscus Syriacus) ought to make a small 
fortune. All the reds we know turn a 
miserable purple and are as formless as a 
wad of rags. The most chaste and satis- 
factory variety is the single white. 
Do the farmers read the publications of 
the Department of Agriculture? Well! 
There are 16,000,000 pieces of farm pub- 
lications distributed from the Government 
offices during a year. Six and one-half 
millions of these (almost, are farmers’ bulle- 
tins. The public is willing to pay $10,885.20 
for them. 
Before buying Douglas fir (or Douglas 
spruce) be sure to ask your nurseryman 
whether his plants were raised from seed 
collected in Colorado or the Pacific Coast, 
because only the former are hardy. ‘This 
beautiful conifer was first introduced into 
cultivation from the Pacific Coast and the 
Coast form is tolerably hardy in Europe, 
but not in America. Many American 
nurserymen import young Douglas firs 
from Europe instead of raising them from 
seed. Hence this precaution. 
Some French scientists who have been 
making some exact observations on prolong- 
ing the life of cut flowers found that as a mat- 
ter of fact all the commonly advised sub- 
stances, such as salt, charcoal, camphor, etc., 
are valueless because while they may prevent 
putrefaction, the flowers fade more quickly 
than when placed in pure water. ‘They 
found that weak solutions—a ten-thousandth 
or less—of these substances are better:. 
Lime, potash, saltpetre, kainit, sulphate and 
phosphate of potash, phosphate of ammonia 
and potassium chloride; also chloral, sugar 
and glycerine from 1 to 10 per cent. 
As showing what even a nut tree is cap- 
able of yielding as an investment, just ponder 
over these figures from Raleigh, N. C. The 
tree (a pecan) is about thirty-five years old; 
it commenced to bear when about twelve 
years old, and has since: borne a crop every 
year. In the fall of 1905, the crop equaled 
300 pounds; in 1907 it amounted to more 
than 400 pounds. Estimating the selling 
price at twenty-five cents a pound, 4co 
pounds would bring $100, which may be 
reckoned as 10 per cent. on $1,000, or 5 per 
cent. on $2,000. A tree resembling this one 
is a valuable asset to any man. 
FEBRUARY, 1908 
If you want a sight to stir your blood ‘in 
February plant some of the giant pussy 
willows, Salix multinervis. The pussies 
are about three times the size of the common 
wild pussies or those of the Kilmarneck 
willow. 
ing shrub about six feet high and ten feet 
in diameter. 
The New England Dahlia Society is , 
showing remarkable life, and is doing much 
to stimulate interest in the dahlia. It has 
members all over the world and publishes 
an entertaining and instructive little monthly 
leaflet called Dahlia News. The secretary 
of the society is Maurice Fuld, whose address 
is No. 5 Union Street, Boston, Mass. 
The export bulb industry of Japan has 
attained enormous dimensions. ‘The largest 
cargo of lily bulbs ever shipped came to 
Vancouver, B. C., during last fall. The 
shipment comprised 4,699 cases, or about 
thirty tons measurement, 40 cubic feet to the 
ton. The bulbs numbered over 1,057,000; 
they were principally Lilium longiflorum. 
Many people who plant a hedge of arbor- 
vitae are disappointed with its winter color 
which is dull and lifeless. The Siberian 
arborvitae is a darker and livelier green in 
winter, and more compact. It costs more 
because it is slower growing. An American 
arborvitae would grow thirty feet high 
while the Siberian is attaining twenty feet — 
its maximum. 
oC 
If you have the courage of your convic- 
tions you can restore that ragged arbor- 
vitae hedge of yours to density and sym- 
metry by cutting it back severely A ten- 
foot arborvitae hedge that is bare at the 
base can be cut back to five feet and new 
branches will come right out of the hard old 
wood. Is there any other evergreen hedge 
of which you can say this? 
The Japanese redbud (Cercis Japonica) 
is generally recommended by nurserymen 
in preference to our native species, because 
it makes a more compact and bushy growth. 
Cercis Canadensis is rather scraggy. Also- 
the flowers of the Japanese species are a 
brighter, redder pink. But the flower buds. 
of the Jap are sometimes winter-killed. 
The redbud should be planted in the early 
spring, never in the fall. 
The Japanese dogwood (Cornus Kousa) 
is very floriferous on Long Island and makes. 
a fine show in autumn with its scarlet fruits, 
which are about the size of a strawberry. 
Its flower is even more graceful than our 
native species, because the petals (or rather 
bracts) are pointed, instead of notched, ' 
giving the flower a starry effect. Moreover, 
the flowers have a better background. 
Everybody who owns a bit of woods where 
the flowering dogwood is native ought to 
graft over a few of them with the Japanese 
species, which blooms a fortnight later and 
will thus extend the season of dogwood 
bloom considerably. 
Salix multinervis makes a sprawl-~ 
