INVITATION TO READERS.- IVe want sh,n I . piuiticai 

 notes on cultural methods and devices, and sketches and photo- 

 Sraphs of choice plants, fruits, flowers, vegetables, garden-scenes, 

 implements, etc. Therefore, for any available article occupying 

 a half-column or so of space, or for any sketch or photograph from 

 •which an acceptable engraving can be made, a year's subscription 

 to this magazine will be given. Please always so specify when 

 contributions are sent in under this offer. 



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I, LITTLE TWIGS. 

 Protect tender and hrdf-hardy plants. 

 Pteris serrulata is a fine fern for the window. 

 Asparagus-Beds, — Coat them heavily with manure. 

 Trades-Unions Amonc, Gardeners. — Practically there 

 are none. 



The Blanche Ferry Sweet Pea deserves all its pop- 

 ularity. 



The Manila Hemp-Plant likes soil composed of de- 

 cayed vegetable matter. 



Propagating Rhododendrons is no fit task for an 

 amateur. Buy them. 



The tree form does not suit shrubs like the common 

 lilac, snowball, etc. 



Plants to Grow Under Trees. — Do not overlook 

 trilliums and hepaticas. 



Tree-Frogs. — An English gardener keeps them in his 

 greenhouse as insect destroyers. 



Conifers are mountain rather than valley trees ; they 

 do best in drained soil. 



Wild Fruit. — It is reported, on good authority, that 

 60,000 bushels of huckleberries are used annually in 

 New York. 



Chrysanthe.mum Shows. — Public enthusiasm will wax 

 warm over them this month, and it really seems quite 

 justifiable. 



Effects in autumn foliage, as well as in spring 

 and summer bloom, should be studied while planting 

 trees and shrubs. 



Salpiglossis and Scabiosa are two handsome old 

 favorites that are very unjustly neglected now-a-days. 

 They are annuals of easy culture. 



MoNTBRETiAS. — These early fall-blooming bulbous 

 plants also fail to receive due attention. They impart 

 -warm and delicate touches of scarlet to the border. 



LANTERBURY Bells with six Or Seven points at the 

 edge are much larger and handsomer than the old five- 

 pointed ones. Why cannot florists give us a fixed strain 

 of this sort ? — Adele. 



Powdered lime has been tried as a preservative for 

 fruits and vegetables, apparently with the best of suc- 

 cess. Simply stratify the lime and the articles to be 

 preserved. 



The Fruit Industry of California. — There are in 

 this state 17,649,765 fruit-trees, not counting those of 

 the orange and lemon groves. The area devoted to grapes 

 extends over 168,364 acres. 



A Woman Landscapist. — England can boast of a 

 woman, a Miss Wilkinson, who is a most successful 

 landscape gardener. Her services are in steady de- 

 mand by private parties who wish to have parks and 

 gardens laid out. 



Clematis Davidiana, — Do people who like porcelain- 

 blue hyacinths know what a pretty plant this is ? Such 

 odd clumps of blossoms and buds, and so many of them, 

 and they are sweet as the four-o'clocks ! — Adele. 



Copper Labels. — They are made from very thin 

 sheets of metal, and can be written upon with a pointed 

 piece of wood or pencil, leaving the name permanent. 

 These labels are much valued by some of our practical 

 gardeners. 



Summer Bloom from Lily-of-the-Valley. — Messrs. 

 Strauss <& Co., of Washington, D. C, retard lily-of-the 

 valley roots by the cold process, and bring the plants 

 into bloom in summer. They expect to handle half a 

 million pips for summer bloom the coming season. 



The requirements of pruning vary somewhat, ac- 

 cording to the kind of tree ; we prefer low training for 

 all trees. The pruning should be done each year, so 

 that no necessity may arise for cutting large limbs. 

 Keep the head of the tree well balanced, cutting limbs 

 which may be superfluous. — Luther Burbank. 



An English Way of Keeping Fruit. — Thoroughly 

 dry a quantity of sawdust. Roll up sound, perfect 

 fruit — bunches of ripe grapes, tomatoes, etc. — in paper, 

 and pack it in boxes, filling spaces with the sawdust. 

 Then wrap the box in newspapers, and keep it in a dry, 

 cool room. 



Fall Bloom from Roses on Manetti Stock, — An 

 English rose-grower points out that hybrid perpetual 

 roses budded on manetti stock give less bloom in au- 



