126 



The Garden Magazine, April, 1920 



meeting of all the different horticultural interests in the United 

 States should be held to consider Quarantine 37, and to take 

 such action as may seem necessary to secure its amendment"; 

 and they have requested that all organizations appoint a dele- 

 gate to represent them officially at such a meeting, to be held 

 during the month of May, in a central city of the United States. 

 And further, "The Trustees of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Societv will thank you to advise them of what action you may 

 take." This is good news indeed, and will lead to concerted 

 action. 



THE OPE^C OLUM: K, 



Readers' Interchange of Experience and Comment 



Tigridia 

 Pavonia 



Second 



Crop 



Crabapples 



THREE Crabapples bearing in my garden 

 were last summer full of aphis on the tips 

 of thetallest branches. I had sprayed them be- 

 fore but evidently did not reach the vital spot. 

 As I was busv 1 decided to cut out those tips and I did not want them 

 to grow too tall anyway! Imagine my surprise when in August I 

 found a number of branches in blossom on one of the trees, right where 

 they were pruned, and I had a second crop of crabapples, about one 

 dozen in all, in November, I presume as a result of the late prun- 

 ing. — L. A. Malkiel, N. Y. 



Fall 



Blooming 

 Iris Again 



MR. MORRISON'S remark last spring that 

 he did not know of another instance 



of the second bloom in the East of 1. Mrs. 



Alan Gray as reported from my garden, 

 recurred to me many times during the past cool wet sunless summer as I 

 watched for a second bloom on my I ris plants. Sincere gardeners abhor, 

 I think "fisherman" stories from their gardens. Not one spike of 

 bloom appeared on any plant until mid-September when Mrs. Alan 

 Gray with superb loyalty to the Garden Mistress, despite lack of ripen- 

 ing sun, sent up one spike — and such a spike! The usual number of 

 flowers of this variety to the stalk is about five. This spike of vindica- 

 tion was twice branched and had eleven superb blossoms, whose pinkish 

 lilac was well content with the Indian yellow of a neighboring 

 Mrs. Aaron Ward Rose. — Ella Porter McKinney, New Jersey. 



Oh, Where 

 Can It 

 Be Had? 



1WAS forcibly reminded by the experience 

 of E. L. Cabot (see January issue) of the 

 hours I too have spent searching the many 

 catalogues for some of the plants and seeds 

 commented on by writers in The Garden Magazine. And just 

 here I would like to ask the "White Violet Lady" if she will please tell 

 us where we can get plants of White Violet, for we are very much 

 interested. — Mrs. Olive Goens, Longview Farm, Hector, N. Y., R. 1. 

 — I have been trying to locate some of the vegetables described by 

 Mr. Kruhm in January issue, and have not yet traced Egg Harbor Pole 

 Bean. When a contributor enthuses over a lot of so-called new things 

 (new names, anyway!) why on earth don't you make him say where one 

 can get them? That is one of the worst faults of The Garden Mag- 

 azine and should be remedied. By the way Wong-Bok Chinese 

 Cabbage, and the Cocozelle are already rather common here— I, at 

 least, have raised them for some years. — (Dr.) C. L. Gregory, Redwood 

 City, Cal. 



— We sympathize with Dr. Gregory and others who have written 

 in a similar vein but it is obviously not practical to supplement 

 every article with a directory of dealers. As a matter of fact a little 

 judicious searching of the list of the leading nurserymen and seedsmen 

 will usually afford satisfaction. But it would indeed be surprising if 

 any one dealer's list was found to offer everything that is discussed. 

 Nor does the editor feel bound to hunt through catalogue after cata- 

 logue in assuring himself in advance that such and such a thing is 

 offered in the lists before him, and refusing space to a comment on any- 

 thing that he could not find listed. Such a course would not work for 

 progress. Then again the dealer has ample opportunity to lay his 

 announcements before the reader, and should do so indeed for the good 

 of all. The Garden Magazine tries to lay before its readers the whole 

 truth, impartially, in a general way — it is always glad to furnish further 

 information by letter in reply to any specific request, so far as is possi- 

 ble.— Ed. 



A YEAR ago an English gardener gave me 

 six bulbs of Tigridia pavonia which I 

 planted last spring in a warm spot in my gar- 

 den in a mixture of leaf mold, sand, and loam. 

 Their growth was rapid and strong. Then came weeks of wet weather 

 interspersed with only days of sunshine and then more rains. Un- 

 daunted by repeated soakings the Tigridia continued to grow and one 

 morning I looked from my windows and saw standing straight and tall 

 the most gorgeous flowers red, orange, and yellow in such splashes of 

 barbaric combinations and truly "Tiger-like." They had persevered 

 through such climatic odds to reach their ultimate development that 

 they indeed won my admiration. The bulbs multiplied rapidly, so I 

 hope to set out these children of the tropics this spring and wish them a 

 pleasant summer heat and sunshine. The gardener, who gave me this 

 plant told me they were supposed to possess some medicinal qualities, 

 but of what value, he knew not. What of the plant? Can any one 

 tell me? — (Mrs.) Henry A. Steinmeyer, New York. 

 — Tigridias are Iridaceous plants, and the one mentioned is called 

 Peacock Tiger Iris from its gorgeous coloring. It was introduced 

 from Mexico in 1796. It should be treated just like a Gladiolus. All 

 these Tiger Day-lilies are barbarically gorgeous but the flowers last only 

 one day which is somewhat of a drawback. — Ed. 



By Way 



of 



Explanation 



AN ARTICLE in a recent number in 

 referring to Californian enterprise in 

 the future production of plants for American 

 gardens gives a wrong impression of the 

 Cottage Gardens Nurseries moving to the Columbia River Valley. 

 We are not moving because we cannot grow bulbs, Azaleas, 

 Rhododendrons and other plants in enormous quantities success- 

 fully and profitably, but for business considerations. We had our 

 troubles and our auto trucks were attached and tied up at commence- 

 ment of shipping season so as to prevent our getting the 25 to 30 

 carloads of bulbs and plants shipped on time. Our water supply was 

 cut off also when Azaleas were budding. Now as to growing plants: 

 It takes three years to produce a commercial Azalea indica plant 16 

 to 18 inches in diameter. Four years produces commercial Rhodo- 

 dendrons; one year produces large fully-budded Ericas two to three 

 feet tall; six months produces good Begonia bulbs from seed and same 

 is true of Gloxinias; two years produces mother bulbs in Tulips from 

 small planting bulbs three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and the same 

 is true of Narcissus. Araucarias are readily produced in twelve to 

 eighteen months. Hollies grow slowly and four to five years are re- 

 quired to get good plants two to three and one-half feet high. 

 Six months produces fine Hydrangeas and other succulent rapid- 

 growing plants. Our growing season includes all months except 

 July, August, September, and October. No, it is no fault of the 

 growing here. This coast will grow all the Dutch bulbs, Azaleas, 

 Rhododendrons, Camellias and plants which will be needed to supply 

 the American market and furnish them at less cost than impotted 

 stock. Stop kicking at the quarantine! Charles Willis Ward, 

 Eureka, Cal. 



— We take exception to Quarantine No. 37 partly because it is using 

 quarantine measures to achieve a protective wall, and partly because 

 it is administered in an illogical arbitrary way without regard to 

 the actual facts and necessities of horticulture. — Ed. 



An Early 

 Start Without 

 Hotbeds 



VERY early hotbeds do not seem satis- 

 factory in our climate (Wisconsin) 

 for the germination of seeds that require a 

 good deal of heat, — such as Tomatoes, Egg- 

 plants and Peppers, and some flowers. 1 plant such seeds in cigar 

 boxes about two and one-half inches in depth, and place the boxes in a 

 pile on a hot-air register in a room where the heat is never intense, and 

 where the boxes will not be troublesome. They are piled unevenly to 

 allow a circulation of air, and are watered twice a day. The top box is 

 covered with glass. Germination is quick and certain, and as soon as 

 the plants appear the boxes are removed to a plant stand in a sunny 

 window. Here they remain until the hotbeds are ready. We have 

 found a very satisfactory place for the germination of seeds in our 

 cellar. The top of our hot-air furnace is covered with a layer of sand to 

 prevent escape of heat. Boxes placed on this sand between the 

 emerging pipes keep an even, gentle heat, and give a surprisingly high 

 percentage of germination. These boxes are covered with glass. 

 We use the furnace again in making "pots" from which to trans- 

 plant into the garden, using tin canswhich are heated to remove the end. 

 These cans are arranged in shallow boxes, drainage being provided for 

 through the bottom of the box. These cans have uniformly produced 



