492 



BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



where they will get the full benefit of the sun — for they 

 will not thrive in the shade. So many inquire how I 

 grow them that I will give my method. First, I place in 

 my tubs about five inches of good, rich garden soil, well 

 mixed with one-third of well-rotted manure. I plant my 

 lily -tubers well down into the soil, in a slanting position, 

 but make sure that the crowns or growing-ends can just 

 be seen. I plant three tubers in each tub, also five or 

 six bulbs of Saffittaria gracilis, for they grow nicely 

 together. Then I fill in slowly, very slowly at first, so 

 as not to disturb the newly-planted roots, water enough 

 thoroughly to soak the soil and stand an inch or so above 

 the surface. Keep about the same depth until the plants 

 start into active growth, then gradually add more water 

 day after day until the tubs are full. They do best when 

 the sun keeps the water comfortably warm. My water- 

 plants give me great satisfaction treated in this way. 

 They grow and grow until they fairly run over the tubs 

 and become completely covered with beautiful double 

 pure white blossoms, looking like rifts of snow above the 

 dense green leaves. The lovely spikes of sagittarias 

 tower above the lilies, and as they constantly throw up 

 new spikes and continue in blossom the whole summer 

 long, I would not willingly do without them. In the 

 north the tubs should be set in the cellar through the 

 winter to secure the bulbs from frost. Keep the soil just 

 covered with water during this cold, dormant period. — 

 Mrs. S. a. B , Minn. 



Elm Tree in Low Spot. — Frequently it happens that 

 a natural grade on which a fine tree is growing requires 

 filling over some feet deep to bring it to the street grade. 

 Our advice for dealing with such cases is this : Favor the 

 tree by providing a device such as is shown in the illus- 

 tration, for conveying air to the trunk and roots. This 

 should consist of a simple circular wall of brick about 

 six inches away from the tree and extending from a little 

 below the natural grade to the new grade. It would be 

 quite lasting if it were laid up without mortar. The top 

 might have a perforated cover of metal or plank, to pre- 

 vent leaves and other litter gathering within the wall. 

 Besides the circular wall, it would be an easy matter to 

 lay drain-tiles over the roots as shown in the engraving, 



Sod-cutter. 



Elm Tree in Low Spoi 



letting them open into the space within the circular wall. 

 All this is done with a view to admitting air to the roots 

 on the old leve . 



Home-Made Sod-Cutter. — The accompanying out 

 represents a sod-cutter devised by one of the Gardening 

 readers. The device is simple, and made sufficiently 

 plain by the il- 

 lustration. The 

 cutting part 

 consists of an 

 old saw-blade, 

 the back of 

 which should 

 be kept sharp. 



Sods cut with this tool are of even thickness and width, 

 and perfectly square at the sides, so that they fit closely 

 and tightly together 



Irrigation in Colorado. — Here, where all irrigate, no 

 one has an advantage over another in this respect, but 

 the gardener in sections where irrigation is not gener- 

 ally practiced may often make use of it to out-maneuver 

 his competitors in a dry season. Indeed, an irrigating 

 plant in the garden is better than fire-insurance on the 

 house, as loss by drouth is more apt to occur than loss by 

 fire. With irrigating-water you can grow side by side 

 crops requiring different degrees of moisture for their 

 perfection. Give each what its nature demands, and 

 your advantage will be in quality as well as in quantity. 

 If you transplant celery in a hot, dry time, follow the 

 row with a stream of water, as soon as transplanted, and 

 see how nicely the plants will grow. But the irrigator 

 must be a good farmer. Intensive farming and irriga- 

 tion go together. — E. Brayton, Col. 



Watering Evergreens. — The following is my way of 

 raising evergreens successfully where, as is the case here, 

 drouths are prevalent, and there are no facilities for 

 lawn-sprinkling, and all the water furnished artificially 

 must be carried in pails. I take for a 12 or 18-inch tree 

 a box about 6 inches wide, the same depth and 10 or 12 

 inches long. I nail on the cover and remove one end. 

 Nine holes, ^-inch in diameter, are bored in one side 

 of the box, two being about two inches above the closed 

 end, three near the middle, and four about two inches 

 higher. The box is sunken as near the tree as can be 

 without injuring it — the holes next the roots. The open 

 end of the box stands upward and is fitted with a 

 cover which should be even with the surface of 

 the ground. The advantages of this- tree-watering 

 device are obvious. All the moisture is delivered 

 where it is wanted. There are no unsightly 

 water-holes or mulches on my lawn, nor any 

 baked soil. Experience shows that three pailfuls 

 of water poured in the box at one time answers 

 for a week in dry weather. With this arrange- 

 ment I am successfully raising the moisture-lov- 

 ing hemlock spruces — B. S. Estes, Xeb. 



Pecan-Planting. — We think it important to 

 procure and plant the largest nuts, no matter at 

 what price. Plant in fall, or stratify the nuts until 

 spring ; then sow them thickly in deep sandy soil and 

 keep them moist until they have sprouted. When the 



