104 



The Garden Magazine, October, 192t 



The Oak, Horse-chestnut, Shagbark, and Red Maples head the list. 

 It has been found that the Shagbark or Hickory can bear 102 times its 

 own weight, the Horse-chestnut 1 15 times its weight, the White Birch 

 (native) 130 times, and the Red Maple 151 times! This is ascer- 

 tained by weighing the ice-covered branches, and then after the ice is 

 melted off, weighing them again. 



Those trees most easily injured are the Willow and the Poplar, each 

 bearing only 40 times its weight; the Paulownia, White Birch (Euro- 

 pean), Silver Maple, and the White Ash, 63 times. 



Many of the evergreens have wonderful resisting powers. They have 

 more surface exposed, too, than the deciduous trees, but their lowest 

 branches bend over and rest on the ground, the next ones above rest 

 on them, and so on all the way to nearly the top. This pertains par- 

 ticularly to the Spruces, Firs, Junipers, and all evergreens that tend 

 to grow in pyramidic shape, which come through a storm beautifully. 

 The White Pine and Pitch Pine and others growing differently, with 

 much longer branches of an upward tendency, making the angle all 

 the sharper when they have to bend, are generally dreadfully injured. 



There is very little you can do in an ice storm to protect your trees. 

 If they are quite small you can go out and knock off the ice as it forms 

 with a flat stick, or prop up the branches with boards or rails; but when 

 your trees are large and numerous you are practically helpless and can 

 only sit by the fire and hear crash after crash of falling boughs. 



An injured tree must have attention as soon as possible after the 

 storm is over, its broken boughs sawed off clean, making the cut sloping 

 to allow all rain or moisture to run off and not soak in. Painting over 

 the cut surface helps also; a dark colored paint can be used, green, 

 brown, or gray, which tends to render the painted spots less noticeable. 

 — Annie Cochran Rawlinson, Augusta Co., Virginia. 



Landscape Gardening in Arid Places 



To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 



THROUGHOUT the Plains Region generally The Garden Maga- 

 zine seems to be read, yet it is very seldom that we find articles of 

 direct benefit to readers in the "dry country." 



The desire for landscape gardening has increased wonderfully in the 

 last few years, but for some reason or other very few gardens in this 

 region are properly planned. The extent of the work seems to be a base 

 planting of shrubs around the buildings with a scattering over the 

 ground, or a border along the property line. Never an individual fea- 

 ture shows itself, nor a garden to really be lived in; no privacy, no fore- 

 thought in planning is to be found. The places are beautified for the 

 passerby, and the property owners, to enjoy their own places (called 

 grounds) must stand in the street. I have studied conditions for 

 some time now and I am trying to give the people something worth 

 while, but I need help. 



At different times landscape men have been imported, but their work 

 has not been entirely satisfactory because, although their knowledge of 

 the architecture was excellent, they were at fault in the choice of plants, 

 and much of their stock succumbed to the hot, dry summers. 



Nurserymen are too busy for much experimental work and the list 

 of plant materials is not increased very rapidly. Any aid that may be 

 had through the reading of your magazine will be greatly appreciated. 

 — J. R. Padrick, Landscape Architect, Fort Worth, Texas. 



— Yes, we'll plead guilty; with the explanation that the greater em- 

 phasis in writings must naturally be given to the conditions under 

 which the greater number of our readers garden. It is gratifying to 

 learn of the progress being made in the region of our correspondent, 

 and we trust we may learn more about actual progress with photo- 

 graphs of results achieved. — Editor. 



Failed With Tulips For Twenty Years 



To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 



1AM a subscriber to Garden Magazine, look forward to its coming, 

 and enjoy it very much — but may I say that most of my enjoyment 

 is derived from its pictures. I get ideas from it — but have to experi- 

 ment with the ideas, for never have I seen anything about how to grow 

 flowers in Texas — let me tell you I have experimented enough to know 

 that growing flowers in Texas is a very different proposition from 

 growing them in other parts of the United States. I spent many 

 dollars and much time and energy before I found this out. 



The first thing I failed on was Pansies. I used to sow them in the 

 spring — result — total failure. Now I sow seed in boxes in September, 

 set plants in open border in November and have blooms from January 

 till June. My Pansies are the admiration of all beholders. This 



year the first Pansy bloomed January 7th. My next great failure 

 was with Tulips. So great was my disappointment that when any 

 one would send a few Tulip bulbs I felt like throwing them over the 

 fence. I never saw Tulips in Texas, but knew of their beauty from the 

 garden of my childhood over the sea. I tried off and on for twenty years 

 to grow them and finally gave it up. A few years ago a friend had some 

 Tulips blooming in her yard and I learned they were Darwins. I tried 

 again, ordering Darwins. They all came up and bloomed on fairly 

 long stems! They bloomed in April and I hope to make a good plant- 

 ing of them this fall. 



I live in central Texas. The soil is stiff, black, waxy, and cracks 

 badly in dry weather. The sun shines hot from June till October 

 and so far I have found only one annual that gives satisfaction during 

 this hot season: Vinca or Madagascar Periwinkle. Can any of the 

 readers suggest something else that will thrive in the open and also 

 in a partially shaded location during these dry, hot months? Vinca 

 will not thrive in shade. Pansies are ready to pull up and throw away 

 by the first of June, being an annual here, and I plant the Pansy bed 

 with Vinca and have lovely bloom all summer. 



Though hard to have to plod along finding out things for yourself, 

 it is of course interesting, but there would be so much time and labor 

 and money saved if only we had some one to tell us the proper thing 

 to do and when to do it. — Miss Bettie Markey, Chatfield, Texas. 



Pansy Growing in the South 



To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 



PANSIES are absolutely hardy in the latitude of Tennessee and 

 below, as are most plants classed as half-hardy by Northern flor- 

 ists. That is why the printed instructions coming with many of our 

 seed packages hardly apply to this section. 



I have learned that the best method of propagating the lovely Pansy 

 here is the following: 



I Procure wooden soap boxes; fill half full of well-rotted cow manure; 

 then fill to the top with good soil, preferably leaf mold, sifted through 

 a coarse sieve or net; and press down with a board. With a thin plank 

 or shingle mark shallow rows about an inch apart and about a third of 

 an inch deep, and drop in the seed an inch apart. Then take sifted 

 soil and fill the rows level, and pat down firmly with the hand. If the 

 soil seems at all dry I sprinkle with a fine spray, then cover with a 

 board and leave alone for four days or until water is again needed. 



The tiny plants usually appear in two or three weeks. They grow 

 slowly and require occasional watering. In the meantime I prepare 

 the flower beds where the sun will shine on them the greater part of the 

 day, forking it up deeply and fertilizing highly with well-rotted cow 

 manure, as Pansies are gross feeders and must have rich soil to pro- 

 duce large blossoms. 



This seed-planting we do in northern Alabama about the first week 

 of October, then the wee plants have four or five leaves each by the 

 last of the month or early in November and may be transplanted to the 

 large, prepared beds, where they must be placed some six inches apart, 

 the soil pressed down hard around them and a thorough watering 

 given; then they are left alone through the first winter months except 

 for an occasional watering if winter rains do not fall. The soil may be 

 stirred once or twice to advantage. 



When transplanted late in October or November they begin bloom- 

 ing in January to the delight of all, especially new comers from the 

 North, and by March the beds are a mass of wonderful flowers. 



All one needs to do in the spring is to give an occasional stirring of the 

 earth, an additional fertilizing and weeding. A Pansy blossom does not 

 attain its full size for three days, so only the largest should be picked. — 

 Lee McCrae, Birmingham, Alabama. 



The Preference for Perennial Peas 



To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 



THE Perennial Pea seems better than the annual Sweet -pea for 

 table decoration and is even better than the Rose for lasting quali- 

 ties. It comes true to seed as readily as does the Sweet-pea; does not 

 require early planting; and, once established, three or four plants may 

 be depended on to give all the bloom one family wants for life. A rocky- 

 hillside in the hot sun is an ideal location, but a square frame with three 

 or four slats at each side to climb on, or a wire fence helps a lot. With 

 no cultivation, no irrigation, and no fertilization a single plant has had 

 on July 4th more than three hundred trusses with open flowers and a 

 still greater number of stems in all stages of development. 



Lathyrus latifolius, the Hardy Everlasting Pea of the catalogues, 

 has pea-shaped flowers of unusual size, white, rose, and red; and is 



