366 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
inch or more long, and of dark brown color. If an 
affected plant is dug up about the first of August, the 
worm is almost sure to be found in the cavity ol the 
rhizome. The rhizome often shows a tendency to de- 
cay, and emits an offensive odor. 
After this the worm does not eat much, and is very 
inactive, indicating that it is about to enter the chrysa- 
lis stage. Very soon after it enters that stage, and 
finally, about the end of .September, emerges as a 
moth'. The moth is slightly over an inch long with a 
dusty brown body and brown wings, obscurely marked 
with darker brown, it has no conspicuous color or 
marking. It flies at night, and is rarely seen in a wild 
state and is said to live only a short time, and prob- 
ably lavs its eggs about the base of the Iris stalk, the 
egg hatching about the end of April following. 
"if the eggs are laid in the refuse which accumulates 
at the base of the plant in the fall, gathering up and 
burning such refuse should be one of destroying a 
good many of the eggs. Another suggestion would 
be to spray the plants with arsenate of lead when the 
young growth appears in the spring, for as far as we 
know the young worm has to eat its own way into the 
inside of "the leaf. A sure remedy is to cut off and 
burn the tip of the leaf below the worm in its early- 
stages, but that is practical only in small gardens. 
Plants that are badly affected so that the rhizomes are 
decaying should be 'lifted in August and the decayed 
part cut out with a sharp knife, dip the newly cut sur- 
face in air slaked lime, which will dry the wound and 
prevent further decay, then plant them back again, 
and they will soon recover. 
Although it is usually the bearded Iris which suffer 
most from the worm, it has been found to attack also 
the hard foliaged sorts, such as I. spuria and I. mon- 
nieri. also I. chrysographis and I. wilsomi; in face, it 
does not confine 'itself to the genus Iris, for it has been 
found to attack Pardanthus chinensis, so that appar- 
ently any genus of the order Iridace?e might be at- 
tacked by it. 
A WILD FLOWER GARDEN 
By Morris M. Rathbun, California. 
V\/"ILD floral life of every section of California, spread 
in colorful panorama, now is one of the attractions 
for lovers of flowers in Los Angeles. The claim is made 
that the five-acre section of Exposition park, near the 
center of the city, that has been converted into a wild 
garden, is the most pretentious effort of its kind 
in the country. Regardless of the accuracy of this 
assumption, it remains true that certainly the hitherto 
barren ground now is a perpetual source of delight and 
education to flower lover and student alike. 
The idea of an immense wild flower garden in the city 
was conceived by the secretary of the Chamber of Com- 
merce some years ago, but it was not until a city beauti- 
fication plan was put into effect in 1915 that it was pos- 
sible to actually do the necessary work. When the funds 
were at hand, creation of the wild garden was made easy 
through the preparation of years by Theodore Payne, an 
enthusiast and authority on the wild flowers of the state. 
Placed in charge of the planting, Mr. Payne brought to- 
gether two hundred and thirty varieties of native wild 
plant life, nearly all of which bloomed for the first time 
early this summer. 
Included in the masses of color are the tiniest speci- 
mens of blooms, ranging from the modest yellow violet 
to the larger shrubs and even the fir trees of the northern 
part of the state. 
In this garden, illustrated in the cover design of this 
issue of the Chronicle, not much greater in area than a 
city block, may be seen in their native habitat flowers that 
otherwise would force journeys of thousands of miles to 
observe. Eminent horticulturists have complimented the 
collection as being typical of all California, and students 
of botany find a feast within easy reaching distance. It 
is no uncommon sight to observe several classes from 
public and private schools in the garden at the same time. 
Color tones not found in cultivated plants are noted 
in the wild flowers. The sticky monkey flower with its 
hundreds of buff salmon blooms, the exquisite lavender 
of the thistle sage, the violet nightshade and scarlet lark- 
spur contribute to the unique effects, while the more fa- 
miliar brilliant poppies, yellow mountain daisies and wild 
geraniums lend gorgeousness to the whole. 
There are many private estates in Southern California 
having wild flower plots, but until Los Angeles made its 
native garden none existed. The charm of the new idea 
has appealed so strongly that Pasadena announces a wild 
garden to be that shall cover twenty acres, and other 
communities are expected to follow this innovation in 
municipal beautifying. 
JACKSON THORNTON DAWSON. 
(Continued from page 355.) 
edge ; a new plant discovered anywhere in the civilized 
world would sooner or later — generally sooner and often 
first — appear at the Arboretum. His would be the task 
of rearing, perpetuating and increasing the stock, and the 
methods he would adopt transcend fiction in their mar- 
vellousness. Receipts of stock frozen, desiccated, parched 
or immature, would be treated by means that from a 
hopeless appearance, would emerge triumphant. He 
combined to a rare degree the cultivator's craft and the 
scholar's knowledge, and to what extent we are indebted 
to him for the propagation and dissemination of the 
Wilson collection of Chinese plants is unfathomable. 
Jackson Dawson had a most genial, straightforward 
temperament. His was a nature irrepressibly and peren- 
nially kindly. To his intimates he extended a strength 
and depth of friendship of profound intensity, and it 
begat like friendship in return. To know him was to 
love him, and to love him dearly. He was a good citizen, 
a most desirable neighbor, a priceless friend and the 
dearest father ; a sturdy, upstanding, whole-souled man, 
every inch of him. 
As a society, we shall miss his cheerful presence and 
valued counsel ; with profound regret do we extend to 
his bereaved family the sympathy of his comrades who 
held him in such high regard and who will forever 
cherish his memory. 
Emil T. Mische, 
President American Association of Park Superinten- 
dents. 
BOSTON'S 1917 OUTDOOR SHOW. 
D OST( )\" will hold a large flower show in June, 1917, 
on a vacant lot near the Boston Museum of Fine 
Arts in the Back Bay Fens. Large marquees will contain 
the more tender plants, while rock gardens and other fea- 
tures will be placed in the open. Leading members of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society have already prom- 
ised $7,000 towards a guarantee fund, and it is hoped to 
raise this amount to over $10,000. Orchids, azaleas, rho- 
dodendrons, stove plants, rock and herbaceous plants and 
ferns will be a few of the leading: features. 
