THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Febbuary, 1912 



Readers' Service 



TO SUPPLEMENT the magazine itself we have established the Readers' Service, by which the whole organization of the 

 staff of experts, with whom the editors of the magazine are in touch, is brought right to the door of the individual 

 reader. All that is necessary for the reader to do is to send an inquiry by mail, and every effort will be made to give a 

 complete and satisfactory answer — by return mail, if possible — or, at all events, to put the inquirer in the way of getting 

 the knowledge sought. Only answers of general interest will be published here. 

 This special service has been of real value to many readers, as dozens of letters testify. And it is all available to every 

 reader of The Garden Magazine upon request and without expense (although a stamped and addressed envelope for reply is 

 appreciated). Through this service each reader of The Garden Magazine, therefore, has the advantage of the most expert 

 advice that the editors of the magazine can procure. 



There are some things we cannot do. We cannot, for instance, undertake work that properly belongs to expert professional 

 service. We cannot supply plans for garden design or for garden making or for buildings, because this really requires intimate 

 knowledge of the special conditions and a personal inspection; nor can we make complete planting lists for individual purposes. 

 We are, however, in such cases ready to give references to people who we think could adequately serve the inquirer. 



We are always ready, however, to answer specific questions and to make suggestions regarding garden designs or planting 

 plans that may be submitted to us. Address all inquiries to The Garden Magazine Readers' Service, Garden City, Long Island, N. Y. 



Left=over tulip bulbs 



What can I do with 200 tulip bulbs left over 

 from last fall's planting? — W. J. S., New York. 



— The only thing you can do now with your bulbs 

 is to plant them in flats, giving them a lot of heat, 

 and thus force them into flower. 



To follow sweet peas 



I have five rows of sweet peas and want something 

 to plant in their place after they have gone. Can 

 dahlias be held back for July planting? Or can 

 they be cut back and transplanted at that date? 



— W. A., New Jersey. 



— We would suggest the transplanting of China 

 asters to each side of the sweet pea rows. Dahlias 

 are safely planted the first week in July and per- 

 sonally we prefer that time for doing the work. 

 We prefer not to cut them back if planted so late. 



Liming the soil 



With what quality of lime do you place the 

 refuse from acetylene gas machines in which car- 

 bide (calcium carbide) is used? Should it be 

 applied to sour land in larger quantities than 

 ground lime? — F. M. O'B., New York. 

 — The sediment from acetylene gas machines is 

 practically the equivalent of slacked lime, and is 

 subject to the same precautions in its use as a land 

 fertilizer. Applied in a thin coat it proves very 

 beneficial to many kinds of soil. On heavy soils 

 it may be applied at the rate of from twenty to 

 forty bushels per acre. 



Planting peach trees 



I expect to plant about one thousand peach trees 

 this coming spring and of course desire to get nur- 

 sery stock that is free from yellows. I understand 

 peaches grown south of the Virginia-Carolina line 

 are free from this disease. Has this been your 

 experience? Some of the northern nurseries claim 

 that southern-grown peach trees will winter-kill 

 in the north. Would there be much trouble from 

 that source here in Southern Pennsylvania, six 

 miles north of the Mason-Dixon line? — S. A. H., 

 Pennsylvania. 



— It is our experience that the liability of the 

 peach yellows is not a question of original stock, 

 as much as the conditions under which the trees 

 grow. Trees that have grown in a region where 

 peach yellows is unknown easily fall a victim to the 

 disease if planted in a locality where it is prevalent. 

 We have never before heard the statement made 

 that peaches grown south of the Virginia-Carolina 

 line are free from this disease, and we hardly think 

 it is true. The whole thing, it seems to us, is a 

 question of adaptation of relationship of North 

 to South and South to North, and this has been a 

 subject of considerable debate. In the Interna- 

 tional Conference of Plant Hardiness and Acclimi- 

 tization it was pretty clearly shown that the 

 inherent resistance of the given plant could not be 

 modified by changing its environment. Con- 

 sequently, we cannot consider southern stock less 

 hardy than northern stock. The southern stock 



may be more susceptible to climatic injuries in the 

 North when brought north, because of the sudden 

 changes in condition. In other words, it might 

 be suddenly exposed to what would be equivalent 

 to an extreme drop in temperature. We do not 

 think you will have any trouble in bringing peach 

 trees from the South to Southern Pennsylvania 

 if they are in a dormant condition when brought 

 north, and if the conditions of the two places are 

 nearly on the same level. 



Privet and grass 



Will grass grow close to the roots of privet? 

 If any, what are the unpleasant features of a privet 

 hedge? — J. McG., Michigan. 



— Grass will grow close to the roots of California 

 privet except where it is prevented by actual shade. 

 An unpleasant feature of the privet is its liability 

 to occasionally winterkill down to the ground. 

 Also the color of the foliage is a yellowish-green 

 and there is the necessity of constant shearing in 

 order to keep the hedge trim; it grows very rapidly. 



Cherry tree borer 



In my garden there is a sweet cherry tree about 

 ten years old, which bears every season less than a 

 quart of fruit. A sticky substance oozes out from 

 many parts of the tree; when these spots are 

 opened and examined it is found that the bark is 

 eaten away right to the heart of the tree. In- 

 variably numbers of large black ants are found 

 in each soft spot. What ought I to do with such 

 a tree? — W. J. B., Pennsylvania. 



— The tree has probably been attacked by borers 

 and it will only be a question of time before it 

 fully succumbs. Cut it down and plant a new one. 

 If you really want to try to save it, however, 

 thoroughly fertilize the ground around it, prune 

 the tree carefully, clean out all the diseased holes, 

 and inject in each of them a drop or two of 

 carbon bisulphide. Whitewash the whole trunk. 

 The gum which oozes from the tree is a natural 

 secondary product. 



Non=blooming wistaria 



I have a wistaria vine about nine years old that 

 is making a marvelous growth each year of wood 

 and tendrils, but blossoms practically not at all. 

 Two years ago, it produced a few rather small 

 flowers and once before that it blossomed ,a little 

 more profusely. When a young vine it was en- 

 riched very freely, but has not been since we sus- 

 pected the strength was going entirely to wood. 

 Can the vine be made to bloom satisfactorily? — 

 M. F. T., New York. 



■ — There are several possible reasons why a wistaria 

 vine does not bloom. The vine may be in an 

 unfavorable situation, or the buds may be injured 

 by a combination of sunshine and frost in the spring. 

 Then again, the failure to bloom may be due to 

 too excessive growth. Careful root pruning might 

 check this, but it is a dangerous thing for an inex- 

 perienced person to try. Possibly a dressing of 

 wood ashes would help. Is there any opportunity 

 of restricting root growth? There is the possi- 

 bility that the roots are running away to a rich 

 soil somewhere else. 



Begonias in porch boxes 



What can I use in large quantities in porch 

 boxes that will be shaded by an awning all summer? 

 If begonias were slipped now would they be ready 

 to put outdoors in spring? — E. W. S., Massa- 

 chusetts. 



— If you want begonias for your purpose use the 

 Erfordi begonia. If you have a greenhouse you 

 can grow it from cuttings, which if struck this 

 month (February) will be ready for putting out- 

 doors in two or three weeks. They are usually 

 raised from seed, which is the easiest and cheapest 

 way. If you buy the plants in fiats you can get 

 them for less than three cents each; but potted 

 up they will cost from five to ten cents per plant. 



Plants for wet places 



What flowering annuals or perennials, that will 

 grow from two to three feet high, can I plant along 

 the banks of a stream of brackish water on sup- 

 posedly fertile land which was thrown up out of 

 the river-bottom? The plants will have to with- 

 stand very "wet feet" and an occasional flooding 

 when the stream is high. Will any treatment of 

 the soil be necessary? — J. B., New Jersey. - 



— In all probability the turned-up soil is not 

 really fertile but only potentially so, and will need 

 composting. For information regarding soil con- 

 ditions write to your state experiment station at 

 New Brunswick. As to the plants, you will have 

 to be content with aquatics and sub-aquatics, 

 such as bullrushes, swamp mallow, horsetail rush 

 and wild flag. We do not know of any annuals 

 that can be recommended for such a situation. 



Time to prune shrubs 



What is the proper time to prune rambler roses, 

 wistaria, hydrangeas and lilac bushes? How are 

 they pruned, or what is the distance to cut them 

 from the main stem? — A. G. H., New Jersey. 



— In pruning rambler roses cut off in the spring, 

 before the buds open, from one-fifth to one-third 

 of the previous year's growth; also, in established 

 plants, any of the old, flowering wood which is 

 enfeebled. Do not hesitate, even if a part of the 

 trellis is laid bare. It is only by this method that 

 these plants can be kept vigorous. In summer 

 take out most of the old wood after it has finished 

 flowering and train new growths as desired, pinch- 

 ing out weak and objectionable shoots. Hy- 

 drangea paniculala and horlensis, and also most 

 of the other species, should be pruned in the fall 

 or the early spring, and the branches of the previous 

 year cut back to one to three pairs of buds, accord- 

 ing to the growth of the branches and the desired 

 size of the panicles; if only slightly pruned the 

 panicles will be many but small. Sometimes they 

 are cut back every year almost to the ground and 

 produce then enormous panicles, which, however, 

 usually need artificial support and lack the grace 

 of the less severely pruned plants. After blooming, 

 the inflorescence of the lilac should be removed 

 if possible and the pruning should be done as far 

 as necessary. Pruning in the winter or spring 

 would destroy a large part of the flower-buds for 

 the coming season. 



