THE QUESTION BOX. 



It is the privilege of subscribers to ask us any questions about gardening in any deparitnent. All 

 will be answered by specialists. . • 



* * * If attswers are desired by mail, stamps for return postage should be enclosed. 



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

 leads to a different conclusion than the printed replies. 



43. Manure for Pansies. — M. I. S. — Horse manure, 

 if thoroughly well rotted, is perhaps the best. 



44. Flower Bed Arrangement. — M. I. S. — Plant 

 pansies in rows, groups or irregularly, to suit your taste. 

 We prefer to group each variety by itself, likewise as to 

 colors. 



45. Names for Manure. — S. — The terms stable ma- 

 nure andbarn yard manure are synonymous, and applied 

 to all such material as collects around the barn or 

 stable. For use in gardens it should always be well 

 rotted and not allowed to heat. 



46. When to Start Cuttings. — M. — Pelargoniums 

 or geraniums may be started in August. The season for 

 propagation of house plants is at different times of the 

 year, depending on the variety to be propagated. We 

 refer you to Professor Bailey's ' ' The Nursery Book " for 

 full particulars. 



47. Books for Beginners. — M. — Gray's "Lessons in 

 Botany" is one of the best. For methods of propagation 

 you should have Bailey's ' ' The Nursery Book. " Bailey's 

 " Horticulturist's Rule Book " has thousands of rules and 

 recipes for garden operations. 



48. Pruning a Rose. — Mrs. G. A. W., California — 

 We do not know of any book that illustrates rose pruning 

 that would be of any use. The best description of the 

 process we have seen is in the little book by H. B. EU- 

 wanger, which we condense: "Practical experience 

 alone will enable one to determine just what to do in each 

 individual case. Use a hooked blade pruning knife and 

 a pair of pruning shears. Use the pruning knife where- 

 ever a smooth cut is desired. All roses from the open 

 ground should be pruned before planting or immediately 

 after. Plants set as they come from the nurseries cannot 

 thrive. The shock from transplanting must be met by a 

 shortening of both shoots and roots. Not only should all 

 bruised roots be pruned and cut away from the sound 

 part, but also those large ones that are not injured to in- 

 duce putting forth small fibrous roots. The cut in prun- 

 ing should be nearly horizontal, to make the ex- 

 posed surface as small as possible. It is generally pre- 

 ferred to cut from the inside and see that the top bud 

 which is left points outward. If the plant bleeds, smear 

 the cnt with wax, etc. A coating of mud will often an- 

 swer. Growing roses are pruned both early in the spring 

 and in autumn. We prefer spring, but then it must be 

 done early before the sap pushes toward the upper buds 

 to prevent bleeding. The objects of pruning are symme- 

 try in the formation of the flower buds, to secure which 

 this rule must be observed ; namely, plants of delicate 

 habit and weak growth requires severe pruning ; those of 

 vigorous growth are closely pruned, but the branches 

 well thinned out. If varieties of vigorous growth are 

 closly pruned, a great growth ensues and few flowers. 



Summer pruning is also desirable with many varieties of 

 hybrid perpetuals. As soon as the June blossoming is 

 over they should be pruned, in order to induce the for- 

 mation of flower buds later in the season." 



49. How to Cut off a Rose. — Mrs. W.— You may 

 always cut back to the first bud below the peduncle of the 

 flower without injury to the plant, because the long stems 

 are preferable for bouquets. If durability is not an ob- 

 ject the short stem flowers may as well only be cut ac- 

 cording to their length, in order to save the bush. 



50. To Encourage Growth. — Ross — A stout bush or 

 many shooted stool may best be had in roses and other 

 shrubs by liberal fertilizing of the soil with well-rotted 

 compost if the soil is poor, and by cutting back the larger 

 canes to within a foot or so of the ground. 



51. Retinosporas. — J. H. H. — The specimens re- 

 ceived are tilifera and filicoides. These are carefully de- 

 scribed in "Gardens of Newport" in July G.\rden, but 

 so closely resemble each other that only close inspection 

 reveals the differences. 



52. Sweet Brier Seeds. — Kindly instruct me how to 

 make them grow. I never have succeeded. — M. L. R . 



Try Mr. Carman's method with other roses. Plant 

 the seeds this fall in boxes filled with soil. Expose 

 out-doors and let them freeze and thaw till February. 

 Put under cover in sunlight in a temperature of about 60°, 

 or over; water very moderately. They may begin to 

 vegetate — "come up" — about March, 15. 



53. Hardy Peaches. — Can you give me a list and 

 state which stand at the head in this respect ? — C. G. A., 

 J/aiiic'. 



In Michigan, the veteran authority, T. T. Lyon, 

 reports them as follows, in order as named for hardiness 

 of fruit buds ; Hill's Chili, Keyport, *Lewis, *Kalama- 

 zoo. Golden Drop, and among the very early ones, Hale 

 and Rivers. 



54. Irrigation of Strawberries. — How can we water 

 or irrigate a half acre of strawberries so as to save a crop 

 in a protracted drouth ? — //. C. G. 



55. Ardesia Crenulata. — Please tell me about it. Is 

 the fruit of any use ? — J/c. K. 



Ardisias belong to the order Myrsineae a large 

 genus of evergreens, both trees and shrubs. A.-tcrdiiidala 

 came from Mexico in the early part of the century. It 

 likes a temperature of not lower than 50° in winter. A 

 high temperature favors scale and other insect pests. 

 The flowers are small, reddish, in terminal panicles, and 

 the berries numerous and coral-like. They are very 

 pretty, though useful only for decorative .purposes. 



56. Grape Leaf Rollers. —J. B.— The leaves are 

 rolled by the well-known "grape-vine leaf roller" [Dds- 

 mia macularis). The caterpillar may usually be found in 



*Local. 



