THE QUESTION BOX. 



// is the privilege of subscribers to ask us any questions about gardening i7i any departjuent. All 

 will be answered by specialists. . 



* * * If a?iswers are desired by >nail^ stamps for return postage should be e?tclosed. 



* * * Readers are invited to ansiver briefly any questions in the Box, whenever their experience 

 leads to a different conclusion thati the printed replies. 



14. Manure for Pansies. — I have read that stable 

 manure is injurious to pansies. Is it true, and if so, 

 what is best for them ?— M. I. S,, Suffolk Co.. N. Y. 



Ans. — Well-decayed stable manure is first rate for 

 pansies. They like a mellow, rich, moist soil. Fresh 

 manure, or that which is not well decomposed, is hot 

 and dry. 



15. May we touch the Flowers ? — I have heard it 

 said that if you touch a pansy (or any other flower) with 

 the hand when it is growing on the plant, it prevents its 

 going to seed. Is this statement correct ? — M. I. S. 



Ans. — No. If it were a fact, crossing would be im- 

 possible. 



16. Why Carnations do not thrive South. — I have 

 for years tried to cultivate carnations, my favorite 

 flower, but alas, with utter failure. If we put them out 

 in open ground April ist, they grow all right during April 

 and May, and fail utterly after those two months to 

 make any more growth or put out flowers. Can you 

 suggest a remedy? — W. M. C, Cunlersziille, Ala. 



Ans. — Carnations do not like hot, dry weather. That, 

 we fancy, is the main trouble with your plants. Try 

 growing them in partial shade, in moist ground. 



17. A Christmas Pear. — Please recommend a late 

 pear similar to the Bartlett that will keep until Christ- 

 mas or longer. — W. M. C, Ala. 



Ans. — Winter Nelis. 



18. Espalier Pears in Tennessee. — Can I plant 

 standard and dwarf pears of the following varieties in 

 espalier form, and depend on their succeeding in Nash- 

 ville, Tenn., properly pruned, watered and fertilized, 

 viz : Lawson or Comet, Keiffer, Idaho, Bartlett ; dwarfs 

 seven feet apart each way, closely pruned, and standards 

 trained according to the instructions in The American 

 Garden? — Mrs. W. M. C, Guntersville, Ala. 



Ans. — The standards would probably succeed, though 

 we can not answer for Lawson or Idaho, those being 

 comparatively new varieties. We should not plant 

 dwarfs of the kinds named. A selection of dwarfs may 

 be made from the following, suited to espalier training : 

 Beurre d ' Anjou, Duchesse d 'Angouleme, Howell, Ur- 

 baniste, Beurre Superfin, Brandywine, Tyson, and 

 Josephine de Malines. 



19. Starting Plants for the Window Garden. — I 

 have often heard June named as the best time, but Hen- 

 derson s "Practical Floriculture" recommends the falh 

 as cuttings started then give more healthy plants. — W. 

 I. S., Patchogue, N. V. 



Ans. — Early fall or late summer is the best time, ac- 

 cording to our experience 



20. Rhododendrons in Iowa. — Has any one suc- 

 ceeded in growing them in this state ? — E. L. J., A/u.'.- 

 catine, la. 



21. Planting a Little Border. — Next to the lawn, 

 and running parallel with a neat wire fence and the 



street, I have a bed several feet long and about three 

 feet wide. Further back out of sight I have annuals 

 and hardy perennials, from which I might select for the 

 border named. Would it be bad taste to fill it with a 

 variety arranged in groups, each sort by itself, in an 

 effective way as to height and color, with no turf and 

 but little space between the groups ? Would this come 

 under the head of "dowdy gardens ?" I do not care to 

 fill the bed with one or two kinds only, if they can be 

 tastefully arranged with different kinds. If one or two 

 varieties only are used, would it be best to plant in 

 rows ? If a variety, would it be well to group them in 

 fanciful shape ?—S. I. M., Long Island, N. Y. 



Ans. — In so small and narrow a plot, it would be un- 

 wise to divide it by strips of sod or break it up into fancy 

 figures. Groups of narrow bedding plants of suitable 

 size might be selected to give a pretty effect — pelargon- 

 iums, dwarf dahlias or cannas, dwarf nasturtiums, pan- 

 sies, pinks, petunias and the like. But we should prefer 

 to select different varieties of the same species for so 

 small a bed. Mixed borders, to be satisfactory, should 

 be of considerable size. If different species be used in 

 groups, a better effect could be obtained than if mixed 

 together. 



22. Potatoes without Tops or Roots. — I planted 

 potatoes of the Late Rose variety last spring that were 

 somewhat heated in the hole. Well, young potatoes are 

 forming on many of them without throwing out any top 

 or root. There are hundreds of such hills, and many of 

 the new potatoes are of the size of walnuts. I have be- 

 fore seen this occur in the pit, but not in the field. By 

 what physiologic law do they grow ? — Benj. Buckman 

 Sangamon Co. , ///. 



23. Rhododendrons and Magnolias in Iowa. — Has 



any one succeeded with rhododendrons and magnolias 

 in Iowa ? — Iowa Sister. 



24. Black Walnuts are the most profitable nuts, as 

 they seldom fail to bear a crop, and are not only good 

 for man and beast but will make hens lay when cracked 

 for them in winter. — C. H. E. 



25. Abundance Plum. — Is this a desirable variety, 

 and does it come up to all that is claimed for it by the 

 nurserymen ? — F. S., Pliiladelphia , Pa. 



Ans, — This is probably the same as the Botan, an ex- 

 cellent fruit, mentioned elsewhere in this issue. Set the 

 trees in either fall or spring. 



2ri. Campanula Portenschlagiana. — This beautiful 

 little harebell is covered with flowers in the rock garden. 

 It is a low-growing evergreen species, with cordate, 

 bright green leaves, and grows from six to nine inches 

 high. The flowers are pale blue and erect. It is a na- 

 tive of Dalmatia and grows there on walls and rocks. 

 It grows very freely, and is well adapted for the rock 

 garden. — R. C, Cambridge , Mass. 



