16 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



February, 1919 



sandy, sunny location where for instance even 

 tough wiry grasses grow but sparsely. In the 

 photograph we see this plant growing, a joyous 

 mass of color, against a railroad embankment. 

 The embankment is high and dry, a barren fill for 

 which nevertheless, nature finds suitable vegeta- 

 tion and pleasing color. The season was a dry 

 one and yet here it flourished on this most un- 

 promising slope. Wild Bergamot gets along 

 with less water than its relative Oswego Tea 

 (Monarda didyma) a perennial some nurserymen 

 are growing for the market. It would not be 

 advisable to grow Monarda fistulosa indiscrim- 

 inately in the border, its color, a rose-purple 

 to white is against it for that use; but, for some 

 unpromising location where color is so much de- 

 sired, it is a plant that can be used with a cer- 

 tainty of success. Seeds are easily obtained since 

 the plant is fairly plentiful and a free bloomer. — 

 C. L. Meller, N. D. 



That Aster Louse Again. — Another correspon- 

 dent in the August number writes of the Aster 

 louse. Perhaps my experience may be helpful. 

 For years we had hopefully sowed Aster seed 

 and had as regularly been disappointed, as the 

 roots were invariably attacked by lice, and the 

 plants stunted. Two years ago I determined 

 to get the best of them if possible, and reasoned 

 that tobacco tea should be as efficacious to lice 

 on the roots as well as to those on the leaves. 

 So at intervals of a week or two during the sum- 

 mer I applied tobacco tea. I made a hole beside 

 each plant and poured in about a cup of the tea. 

 It was back-breaking work, but I was rewarded 

 by fine sturdy plants and handsome blooms. 

 The tobacco probably acted as a fertilizer also." I 

 followed this same plan a year ago with similar 

 results. Last fall T thought I would get rid of 

 the lice in the soil in advance, and so save the 

 labor this summer. I applied lime plentifully 

 to the plot of ground designed for Asters and in 

 addition cast tobacco stems thickly over it. 

 These remained all winter and in the spring were 

 dug in. Thinking I was rid of the pests I re- 

 laxed my efforts this season, but the lice are still 

 there, and I have but a few fine plants, having 

 lost many. Now, can any one tell us what will 

 kill the insects over the winter? The tobacco 

 tea would be much better applied to the roots 

 than would the kerosene emulsion suggested 

 by your correspondent. Of course there would 

 be no advantage in spraying the entire plant. — 

 G. H. S. 



After Peace Came, in France. — There is 

 little to write as we have settled down on this 

 little compact farm-town waiting for the move 

 toward home. The old women clatter by with 

 bundles of faggots, a steam truck with a blue 

 coated poilu, a shawled girl with a flock of sheep 

 and a dog, a stooped and bearded man driving a 

 cart drawn by three horses tandem hitched, the 

 herd of cattle, the waddling flock of ducks or 

 geese, and then of course a clutter of khaki or 

 blue denim, all pass through the narrow streets. 

 That is the life in this once quiet village, more 

 farmy than those in southern France; all the yards 

 are on the street and all the barns open 

 thereon — so picture the rest. 

 There are no sidewalks and the many 

 little stores are merely divided off from 

 the family living room with its big man- 

 tel shelf and tiny fire, its cook-pots and 

 swinging slabs of bacon, the whole lit 

 by one much crowded window. An 

 occasional pot of Chrysanthemums in 

 full bloom gives a bright touch and 

 very rarely a Rose or Grape is trained 

 up against the wall, growing out of a 



mere nick in the pavement 



Aside from the villages the country has 

 a very New Fngland flavor with its 

 wooded hills, steep little valleys and a 

 broad rolling plain to the southeast of us. 



Curiously a knowledge of plants always give a feel- 

 ing of familiarity in a new place. The Hawthorns 

 loaded with fruit, the foaming pods of Clematis, 

 scattered red-fruited Dogwoods, Viburnums, 

 Juniper, Spruce, and lots of Beech and Horn- 

 beam, and garden flowers for weeds — Scabious, 

 Centaurea and a vivid magenta Bugbane, pic- 

 turesque masses of seed pods of Eryngium, Ech- 

 inops and Heracleum are common. . . . No- 

 vember nth, at 3.2c p. M. the bell of the little 

 church rang joyously and the old Town Crier 

 with his drum paraded the streets, a relic of the 

 '70's I suppose, and quite a picture in his old cap 

 and faded trousers. The townspeople were 

 pitifully few in number and mostly children. 

 Very sober, the majority with us in our lack of 

 ecstasy. I suppose it was the result of previous 

 rumors. I was glad the sun came out to give a 

 certain cheer to the muddy village. It is muddy 

 not to be compared to our farm mud but just a 

 nasty sticky surface affair. . . . France 

 may not have our scarlets often in her fall col- 

 oring, but the vineyards give blocks of yellow, 

 of ochre, and of bronze; and there is the green- 

 est of grass in the meadows, while here there are 

 many a grove of yellowed Chestnuts. — Extracts 

 from a letter from R. S. Sturtevant, A. E. F., of 

 Wellesley Hills, Mass. 



The Garden Magazine is a necessity to me. 

 I get valuable suggestions in every number. 

 The most helpful articles are those that are prac- 

 tical and for just the ordinary gardener, such as 

 the recent Iris articles and the one on Gladiolus. 

 It is inspiring to learn of what other gardeners 

 have accomplished. I get a great deal of 

 pleasure from every number, and worlds of help. 

 — Grace B. Robertson, Yakima, Wash. 



Our Own Fig Crop. — One of the significant 

 horticultural developments brought about as 

 a result of war curtailed importations, has been 

 the planting of 10,000 acres of Smyrna fig trees 

 in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Al- 

 though the present production of that state — 

 which represents practically the entire output 

 of the country — is but two thousand tons, it is 

 confidently expected that the increased plantings 

 of recent years and the additional opportunities 

 offered in the southwestern states generally, will 

 enable the United States to eventually replace 

 its entire imports of figs, totalling fifteen or 

 sixteen million pounds a year, with home-grown 

 fruit. 



SING A SONG OF SWEET CORN 



Sing a song of sweet corn, 



A garden full of chard, 

 Four and twenty egg-plants 



Growing in the yard. 

 When the crops are gathered 



The folks can have some lunch; 

 Isn't succotssh a dish 



To set before a bunch? 

 Father's tending beets and chives, 



Saving us some money; 

 Mother's out among the hives 



Taking off the honey; 

 The kids are in the garden 



Pulling out the weeds. 

 Don't we get a lot of food 



From h2lf a peck of seeds? 

 ■ — New York State College of Agriculture News Service. 



A DELICATE QUESTION 

 Policeman: "Any one of you kids lost a ball? Eh?" 



Michigan Fruit, and Future. — At a recent 

 meeting of the 'Michigan Horticultural Society 

 in Detroit, I was greatly impressed by the fine 

 color of the fruit displayed. We have heard it 

 declared that Michigan apples were far ahead of 

 western fruit in flavor but that the Wolverine 

 product lacked color; yet I would judge that 

 the Westerners have a close competitor in the 

 latter trait. The management of the Agricul- 

 tural College displayed some rare specimens. 

 Their Tolman Sweets were not as large as those 

 grown in New York, nor do Kings reach the 

 Empire State's maximum of this variety. Of 

 dark colored fruit Nero was the richest shown. 

 Of the different growers' exhibits the most re- 

 curring kinds were Northern Spy and Steele's 

 Red. Rhode Island Greening seemed identical 

 to New York's best. The Baldwin was notice- 

 able for its near absence. Summing it all up the 

 most attractive and the most popular Michigan 

 apple (by the criterion of this exhibit) is the 

 Northern Spy. The local nurseries seem to be 

 promoting Steele's Red but I understand that 

 often it is painfully slow in growth. I believe 

 that the apple has a great future in Michigan. 

 The native apple thrives luxuriantly here and 

 has been made the state flower. The land that 

 grew the great Pine trees should be capable of 

 growing other big things under proper culture 

 and fruit will no doubt be a major portion of 

 the future output. When ocean vessels come up 

 to the lakes through the proposed waterways 

 fruit for export will receive less handling and 

 many lines will be kept busy as fruiters. The 

 half a million acres of cut over lands, now so 

 comparatively easy to possess, will some day be 

 planted largely to orchards, Michigan offers a 

 great share of the solution of Uncle Sam's return- 

 ing soldier problem. The state is sending to 

 Europe this spring, Mr. John T. Gibson of the 

 Western Michigan Development Bureau, to give 

 lectures and movie entertainments to advertise 

 Michigan as a place for new settlers and to ex- 

 pand the market for Michigan apples. Last 

 year Michigan apples sold for #7.00 per barrel 

 in England. — U. R. Perrine, Detroit, Mich. 



American Grown Seed. — During the first 

 year or two of the war, before the United States 

 rolled up its sleeves and proceeded to show just 

 what it could do for itself and in behalf of its 

 allies and democracy, one of the causes of appre- 

 hension in the minds of American gardeners was 

 the seed supply. In view of the extent to which 

 we imported seed — especially vegetable seed — 

 from Europe the closing of this source of supply 

 was a serious matter. Serious, that is, ■until — 

 we began to produce not only enough for our- 

 selves, but also a large surplus with which to meet 

 the needs of countries who could neither buy nor 

 raise it. Thus in 1918, the United States became 

 not a seed importing nation, but an exporting 

 one, to the tune of several million pounds of 

 lettuce, turnip, beet, pea, tomato and other vege- 

 table seed. And it is anticipated that another 

 year will see the amount of seed exported at 

 least doubled, without in the least infringing upon 

 the supplies required for the greatly increased 

 gardening activities of 1919. 



Mammoth Cabbage from Electrified 

 Seed. — Recalling the various experi- 

 ments that have been reported in this 

 country on the effect of electricity for 

 increasing crop growth — none of which 

 seemed ever to give any really practical 

 and useful results — it is interesting to 

 note in Gardening Illustrated of Eng- 

 land, an account of some Savoy cab- 

 bages "grown from electrified seed." 

 One of these measured four feet one 

 inch across and weighed 13! pounds, as 

 compared with plants in an adjoining 

 row grown from untreated seed which 

 weighed from two to three" pounds apiece. 



