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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



July, 1919 



moved to the Valley outgrew those left behind 

 among the sage brush. The dwarf mountain, 

 Pinus momana, generally associated with rock 

 mountain sides, grows thriftily in heavy soil 

 around Fargo, N. D. This tree may well be 

 called one of the hardiest of evergreens since it 

 holds its own out on the open prairies. Given 

 moisture enough, and grown in heavy soil, 

 the American arborvitae, Thuya occidentals, 

 will make a compact clipped hedge, but a lack of 

 water makes it winter kill badly. Grown as a 

 tree it endures more drought apparently but a 

 lack of moisture makes its growth rather sparce 

 and open and of little beauty. The white Spruce, 

 Picea canadensis and the Colorado blue Spruce. 

 Picea pungens, both thrive in clay soil. Both 

 are drought resisters. The intensity of the blue 

 of Picea pungens varies greatly in different in- 

 dividuals and it is quite possible to have a fairly 

 large planting of these trees with the color a 

 good green throughout. The Norway Spruce 

 will also do well in clay soils but it cannot endure 

 the dry winds of the prairies. Thrifty specimens 

 grown in the protection of a large planting of de- 

 ciduous trees failed completely when set out ex- 

 posed to the prairie winds. The common Juni- 

 per, Juniperus communis will also grow in clay. 

 It has landscape value when grown on a hillside 

 or as a ground cover among taller evergreens. 

 The Jack Pine and the bull Pine also thrive in 

 clay but their landscape value is so small that the 

 average planter will have little occasion to use 

 them. From a rather lengthy experience with 

 the foregoing and a lesser experience with others, 

 the writer is of the opinion that almost any coni- 



ferous evergreen can be grown in stiff clay pro- 

 vided the soil is properly prepared. The soil 

 must be leavened. Sand is a poor expedient to 

 accomplish this. Humus is the thing, it is as 

 yeast to the soil. Well rotted strawy manure 

 is often the most available form of humus. Fresh 

 manure is of no value since it is not plant food but 

 the leavening effect of decayed vegetable matter 

 that we seek for; be it remembered many of the 

 coniferous evergreens grow on sterile soils. Thus 

 some form of humus worked abundantly and 

 thoroughly into the soil makes the heaviest clay 

 fit for the roots of most of our evergreens. Clay 

 therefore is no barrier to a gratification of one's 

 love for evergreens. The writer's experience 

 convinces him that where a heavy clay soil is 

 concerned, such as is found in a large part of the 

 Red River Valley, the more thorough and deeper 

 the preparation of the soil, the more thrifty the 

 subsequent growth of the tree will be. — C. L. 

 Meller, Fargo, N. D. 



Sowing Annuals Now for Next Spring.— It seems 

 a pity more gardeners, at least the very busy 

 ones, do not avail themselves of the advantage 

 that may be gained by sowing seed in late sum- 

 mer for spring bloom: There are quite a good 

 many annuals whose young seedlings will survive 

 a winter unprotected. I have never seen a com- 

 plete list, but have experimented with several. 

 My greatest success has been with the blue 

 Cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus). For several 

 years, I have sowed this on August 22d. It 

 happens to be an anniversary which I celebrate 

 florally, linking the day with pleasant prospects. 



One year the row of seventy-five feet of corn 

 flowers which made a blooming hedge in May 

 and June yielded such quantities of flowers, I 

 disposed of them to a florist in a neighboring city. 

 I cut and shipped twice a week. It required 

 about four hours to cut and bunch the blossoms 

 when the row was at its best. In spite of all this 

 cutting, seed enough formed and sowed itself 

 to give many volunteer plants next year. That 

 part of the garden is now planted to vegetables, 

 but stray cornflowers appear among the corn. — 

 A. H. Botsford, Edgemoor, Del. 



Barberry and Wheat Rust. — A vigorous cam- 

 paign is being carried on to prevent spread- 

 ing of the rust which in the past two years has 

 destroyed many millions of bushels of wheat. It 

 is a well established fact that the wheat rust is 

 harbored by the common and purple-leafed Bar- 

 berries. Accordingly, the present campaign 

 calls for the extermination of these plants in all 

 sections where wheat, rye, oats, and barley are 

 grown. Now these Barberries can be given up 

 without serious loss, but it is highly important 

 that the fact be made known that the Japanese 

 Barberry, Berberis Thunbergii, is not among the 

 varieties which endanger the wheat crop. There 

 are many gardeners who class all Barberries to- 

 gether, and consider it necessary to pull up and 

 destroy their Japanese Barberry hedges. This 

 imported Barberry is undoubtedly one of the best 

 hedge plants for suburban plots, and it would be 

 no less than a disaster if, through ignorance, large 

 numbers of these plants should be needlessly 

 sacrificed. — E. I. F. 



Here is Making A Great Deal Out of A Very Little 

 The garden of Mrs. John M. Beckley, Rochester, N. Y., is on a plot ninety feet wide of which forty feet is occupied by a garage, yet here are flowers from spring till fall and with no gardener to help. 



Climbing American Beauty Rose is on the arbor. Larkspur and other perennials are in the border 





