72 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



SEPTEMBEn,I9IO 



(Editor's Note. — We want to know how suc- 

 cessful workers do things — in order to put actual 

 experiences before our thousands of readers in all 

 parts of the country. Every reader is invited to con- 

 tribute a short note on some interesting experience. 

 Just state the facts about some ingenious idea that you 

 have actually worked out yourself or have seen.) 



To peel tomatoes without scalding, work 

 round and round the tomato with a dull 

 knife, pressing evenly and gently without 

 piercing the skin. The fruit will peel exactly 

 as if scalded if its whole surface is gone over 

 in this way, and its advantage over the 

 scalding method is obvious, when ice is not 

 available. — J. D. F. 



I have seen two striking combinations of 

 flowers which, having the right situation, 

 give great pleasure to the observer. One was 

 a bed of white peonies and oriental poppies; 

 the other a bed of white tulips and forget- 

 me-nots. The effect of the latter was as 

 dainty and restful as that of the former was 

 stimulating. — E. R. S. 



When sorting tomatoes for canning, for 

 which only perfect fruit should be used, put 

 all bruised and overripe ones in a granite 

 kettle without peeling. Wash thoroughly 

 and drain. Butter the bottom of the kettle 

 and let the tomatoes simmer slowly until 

 cooked down thick. Work through a catsup 

 strainer, return to fire, salt to taste, and, 

 while boiling hot, can and seal. They will 

 keep indefinitely. Soup may be quickly 

 made by adding a little thickened milk 

 with a piece of onion and some bay leaves 

 to flavor. — J. D. F. 



In the spring of 1909 I planted a number 

 of shrubs, such as Japan barberry, weigela, 

 lilac, syringa, weeping golden bell, snow 

 berry, etc. The worst drought in our his- 

 tory came that summer and killed such hardy 

 things as native elms, Lombardy poplars, 

 and California privet. I do not condemn 

 any of the shrubs for dying, but, neverthe- 

 less, I feel like giving gold medals to the 

 syringa and to the weeping golden bell. The 

 golden bell was planted on the very worst, 

 hottest, and most exposed situation, and yet 

 it sent out vigorous shoots three feet long 

 its first season, and is now bidding fair to 

 become a tree like a weeping willow. It is 

 my belief that if the simple, essential things 

 about growing trees, plants, and flowers were 

 known by the average person, the nurseries 

 would sell a thousand trees and shrubs 

 where they now sell one. — J. T. B., Okla. 



An old-fashioned way of keeping cuttings 

 moist when they have to travel a consider- 

 able distance is to place them inside of a 

 large potato that has been halved lengthwise 

 and scooped out. • — E.G. 



Always keep in the drawers of your desk 

 a package of small manila envelopes of the 

 size called "pay." Those that open at the 

 end are best. Use these envelopes for the 

 seed that you stow away against next spring 

 or wish to give to a friend. When you go 

 a-visiting, take a few of the envelopes with 

 you. They will come in handy if you are 

 offered seed from a friend's garden, as is 

 often the case. Failing an envelope at any 

 time, put the seed in the middle of a small 

 square of paper and fold the latter just as 

 a druggist folds a powder paper. When the 

 ends are folded over they should be left 

 long enough for one to go in the other. If 

 done deftlv, such a package will never leak. 

 — H. S. A. 



Three years ago I bought some valuable 

 grapevines and employed a man (who 

 claimed to know as much about planting such 

 things as Izaak Walton knew about fish) to 

 set them out. This man took the long roots 

 and wound them tightly around his hand, 

 as a woman coils her hair, and then set them 

 out in this very easy fashion. He gravely 

 assured me that this was the proper way to 

 plant them, and, although I was skeptical, 

 I had already told him I knew nothing about 

 such matters, so was helpless. By the time the 

 grapevines died this artistic Ananias was Uv- 

 ing in Texas, but it makes me tingle to think 

 of how many people will suffer from experi- 

 ences with such fellows as he. — B. T. J. 



For protecting squashes, cucumbers, etc., 

 from early frost, drought, squash bugs, and 

 beetles, we use frames covered with cheese- 

 cloth. We made them last spring Hke the 

 accompanying sketch, put them over the hills 

 when planted, and kept them on until the 

 plants had outgrown them. They serve 

 to retain moisture in the soil (like growing 

 cauliflowers under cheesecloth), act like a 



conservatory in pushing the early vegetables 

 along, and are a sure protection against 

 bugs. Last year it enabled us to enjoy 

 the fruits of the Mountain Sweet water- 

 melon for the first time in five years' trial, 

 an unusual thing in this country, where we 

 have kiUing frosts until June ist and any 

 time after September ist. — D., Vermont. 



We used in our garden last sum 

 mer a device, not original with 

 us, but worked out anew, for 

 protecting newly trans 

 planted cabbage and 

 Brussels sprouts from 

 sun. Twenty-five of 

 these "cabbage bon- 

 nets" were cut out _ 

 of building paper, 

 tacked on to the 

 sticks, and put 

 in a half hour. 



over wilting plants 

 H. C. D. 



On such days as Decoration Day and In- 

 dependence Day I make bouquets of the 

 national colors, using white peonies and scar- 

 let oriental poppies. It is hard to find a blue 

 flower of corresponding size and color to go 

 with the peonies and poppies. I have here- 

 tofore depended on centaurea, but next year 

 I am going to try larkspur or bedding ver- 

 bena, using the entire plant in a mass. — 

 H. B. M. 



There is one thing I have learned thor- 

 oughly, that many thousands of people ought 

 to know. Ibota privet {Ligustrum Ihota) 

 will stand both heat and cold, and also 

 drought, much better than California privet 

 {Ligustrum ovalifoliiim) . I planted several 

 hundred bushes of these two species in 

 1909. That summer and fall were the hot- 

 test and driest we have had for thirty years. 

 Many of the California privets died, but not 

 a single Ibota dropped a leaf. It made a 

 growth of from two and a half to three feet. 

 Furthermore, zero weather last winter, 

 which turned the California quite black, left 

 the Ibota still fresh and green. Ibota privet 

 is often called Regel's privet and Amoor 

 River privet, and is sold under those names, 

 although I suspect they may be different 

 varieties. — B. [The names aie much con- 

 fused. Regel's privet is a lower, more spread- 

 ing form of Ibota which grows 10 ft. high. 

 The Amoor privet attains 15 ft. — Editors.] 



It is not true that named varieties of peren- 

 nial phlox "run out" or go back to the com- 

 mon purple. The trouble comes through 

 the seedlings. The hardy phlox self-sows 

 very readily; the seedlings are very vigorous 

 and soon crowd out the named sorts. In 

 color they usually go back to the type — 

 the common purple. To prevent this, care- 

 fully weed out in May and June all young 

 plants found between the original clumps. 

 Destroy in August the whole of the root of 

 every plant that blooms "off color. " As soon 

 as the flowers have fallen in September, cut 

 and burn the spikes. Phlox ripens its seed 

 quickly, and when dry the capsules shoot 

 the seed with great force for several yards. 

 Remember also that all pieces of roots left 

 in the ground, especially from fall-dug plants, 

 will throw up sprouts which make flowering 

 plants the next season. Though these bloom 

 true to the parent plant in color, they make 

 trouble when the phlox bed is rearranged. 

 By acting on these suggestions, your cherry 

 reds and scarlet pinks, etc., may be kept true 

 to color. — S. F. H. 



