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The Readers' Service gives 

 information aboul insurance 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 1912 



What Do You 

 Ask of a Roof ? 



"\ 'X.T'HEN youwere a boythere 

 » » was owe- universal test for 

 a roof: — ' will it keep out the 

 weather?" Shingles gave that protection, they were cheap — good shingle 

 timber was plentiful and every one was satisfied. 



Roofing today must not only keep off the rain and snow, but should offer pro- 

 tection against fire as well. Farmers everywhere are now turning naturally to 



NEPDNSET 



PAROID ROOFING 



In 1898 the United States Government put NEPDNSET Paroid on a storehouse — in 1911 

 (thirteen vears later) the building was torn down but the roof was still in good condition. 

 NEPONSET Paroid is used by the great railways because of the protection it gives against 

 fire. Put it on all your farm buildings if you want to be free from worry over roof-leaks 

 and repair bills as well as from risk of fire from sparks. 



■Write for Our Free Booklet on Roofing 



It gives many interesting roofing facts and tells how many farmers are saving money by 

 using NEPONSET Paroid and laying it themselves. We will also give you the name of 

 the NEPONSET dealer near you. 



NEPONSET 



Proslate Roofing 



makes a handsome red 



or green roof for houses 



ZH F. W. BIRD & SON, (Established 1795) 223 Neponset Street, East Walpole, Mass. 



HOOVER POTATO DIGGER 



Built on scientific 

 principles which 

 twenty-five years 

 experience has 

 proved to be 

 correct. 



Guaranteed to Work. 



All up-to-date 

 features patented . 



Send for catalogue of Diggers, 

 Pickers, Sorters and Sprouters. 



THE HOOVER MANUFACTURING CO., Box 36, 



AVERY, OHIO 



The Showy Bridal Wreath 



THEY christened it the "button bush" — 

 the children of the neighborhood — because 

 the plump, round flowers looked, they said, like 

 little buttons. But it is really the bridal wreath 

 (Spircra prunifolia, var. flore pleno) although its 

 common name has been misappropriated by the 

 single bridal wreath {Spiraea Van Houttei). You 

 will find it in old-fashioned gardens, mostly, for 

 in these days the favorites of long ago seem to be 

 neglected. 



Spircra prunifolia has one remarkable feature 

 — it will thrive absolutely without- care. Once 

 planted and well established, it will increase in 

 beauty each }'ear. In deserted door yards, where 

 it has been without attention for a generation, it 

 blooms each year. The shrub shown in the picture 

 has been growing in heavy sod for fourteen years, 

 and during that time it has not been pruned or 

 given any other attention. 



Prunifolia reaches a height of six feet and has a 

 more erect habit of growth than most of the spireas. 

 A single specimen will reach a width and breadth 

 of ten feet. The flowers, which are of the purest 

 white, are less than a half-inch in diameter, but 



The double bridal wreath thrives without any 

 great care and is a mass of white when in bloom 

 (Spiraea prunifolia. var. flore pleno) 



they are very double, layer upon layer of petals 

 making them a quarter of an inch thick. They 

 make up for their small size by being so numerous 

 that they almost touch all the way along the 

 branches, and a bush in bloom appears as a mass 

 of white. 



The flowers come before the leaves, as is the case 

 with Spiraa argitta, and remain attractive for about 

 four weeks. Because of its late blooming — 

 prunifolia is one of the latest spireas — it prolongs 

 the spring show of flowers and helps to bridge the 

 gap between the early-flowering shrubs and the 

 midseason kinds, like philadelphus. 



The bush is not particularly attractive in foliage, 

 but it gives a distinctive touch to the landscape at 

 all times, and is particularly attractive in winter. 



Illinois. Fred Haxton. 



The Gentianella 



EVERYBODY goes crazy over the lovely 

 gentianella, or stemless gentian (Gentiana 

 acaulis); so I don't mind saying that I fairly 

 danced for joy when I saw it for the first time 

 blooming in an American garden last May. There 

 was only a single blossom, but it was perfection; 

 and, oh, that unsurpassed, deep blue! This was in 

 a New England rock garden where the plants were 

 blooming for the second time since they were 

 brought from Switzerland three years before. In 

 this particular garden the gentianella has offered 

 no special cultural difficulties and I fancy that one 

 good reason why an alpine commonly grown in 

 England is supposed not to be adapted to American 

 gardens is because it has not been given a fair 

 trial. One thing this grower learned about the 

 gentianella: after twice throwing out the earth 

 in the seed pans because no plants hove in sight he 

 discovered that the seed does not germinate until 

 the second year. 



New Jersey. L. A. S. 



