1863.] 
AMKRICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
243 
Dew growth will be long-jointed and succulent, 
and poorly fitted for good horizontal arms. 
Experience with Grape Cuttings. 
Mr. D. N. Allard, sends to the Agriculturist the 
result of his experiments with fifteen thousand 
grape cuttings, taken from the vines at various 
times from December to March 1st. He plant- 
ed all the cuttings in the same manner and found 
that of those made in February, twice as many 
grew as of those taken in December. This he 
accounts for by the fact that the partially ripen- 
ed wood had been killed off by February, and 
was rejected in making the cuttings at that 
time, while in December the wood was all alive, 
but the fully and the partially matured were 
both used. Most of his beds of cuttings were 
shaded by branches supported upon frames five 
or six feet above them — while three beds were 
left unshaded. The result was that more than 
twice as many cuttings rooted in the shaded 
beds as in those without this protection. 
■ — -—. — »»- .-. 
Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and Kalmias. 
It surprises English visitors to this country, 
that we make so little of these native flowering 
shrubs. In the old world, especially in the 
British Isles, they are a favorite feature in orna- 
mental grounds. They are set in picturesque 
groups and masses, in soils carefully prepared 
and suited to their wants, and are styled, by 
way of distinctive honor, "the American Gar- 
den." Mr. Hovey tells us that "every Spring 
these shrubs are transplanted in the Regent's 
Park and Roj'al Horticultural Society's Garden, 
where they are arranged in neat beds, and pro- 
tected with an awning, retaining their beauty 
for weeks, and attracting immense crowds of 
admiring visitors. After their bloom is over, 
they are removed to the nursery -grounds from 
whence they were taken, receiving no injury, 
so easy are they to transplant at all seasons." 
Why should we leave it to foreigners to find 
out before us, the merits of our own plants and 
trees? Like our books, they have to go abroad 
to get a reputation before we appreciate them. 
But the few who do know them, are becoming 
zealous in their attachment and most enthusias- 
tic in their praise. One reason why they are so 
seldom planted, is the prevalent impression that 
they are hard to transplant ; whereas, if prop- 
erly treated, nothing is more easy. If taken 
from the shade of a dark swamp, and set in the 
glare of a sunny garden, it is riot strange that 
they wither and die. 
The Rhododendron maximum of our Nor- 
thern swamps does not seem to do so well in 
cultivation as its more Southern brother, the 
Rhododendron Catawbiense ; this has been hybrid- 
ized with some of the brilliant Indian sorts, and 
11 great number of varieties of exceeding beauty 
have been produced. The Azaleas now pro- 
curable are a great improvement on our native 
species. We have the pink, yellow, orange, 
and flame-colored, which make the garden all 
ablaze with bloom. The Kalmia is beyond im- 
provement. It is less fastidious than the rhodo- 
dendron or azalea about soils, and will do well 
in any garden not too dry. All these plants in 
a wild state seem to prefer the steep banks of 
streams, or the sides of hills sloping northward. 
This northward slope protects them from the 
burning suns of mid-day, and gives them the 
partial shade and cool atmosphere they delight 
in. To any of our readers preparing to set out 
these shrubs, we -would recommend the trial 
of such a situation and such soil ; if not at 
command, let the treatment be as follows: 
Choose a spot rather sheltered from harsh 
winds, surround it with a belt of evergreens, or 
at least with a screen on the south side, throw 
out the natural soil of the bed for eighteen inch- 
es or two feet deep, and fill up the space with a 
compost of good garden loam, sand, and fibrous 
peaty earth. Give the plants a thorough water- 
ing when set out, then cover the ground with 
three or four inches of forest leaves. One 
writer warmly recommends a mulch of saw- 
dust, The girdle or screen of evergreens is 
needful both to keep off the bright rays of the 
sun in Winter and Summer, and to protect the 
plants from too sudden changes of temperature. 
Once a year, it will be found advisable to cut 
off with a spade the roots of the surrounding 
evergreens, because they will naturally push 
into the rich feeding ground of our plants and 
rob them. It is possible that the partial failure 
of some planters is owing to the practice of set- 
ting the roots of their plants too deep. In their 
native conditions, they do not send their fibrous 
roots deep into the ground, but spread them out 
in a sort of net-work near the surface, ramify- 
ing among the half-decayed leaves and rubbish 
of the top soil. Follow nature's hint, and do 
not forget the indispensable mulching. The 
deep benching we have recommended is need- 
ful to furnish a reservoir of moisture for the 
roots in dry weather, but not to bury the roots 
in, and the mulching is useful to keep that 
moisture from evaporating. It is one excellence 
of the rhododendron, that it can be safety trans- 
planted any time from April to October. We 
have often reset them when just opening their 
blossom buds, and have had good flowers the 
same year in which they were transplanted. 
• ■ i -»» ►-« 
Substitute for a Green-House- 
Lovers of plants will manage to grow them 
in spite of all difficulties. We have published 
several ingenious plans contrived b) r those who 
can not command a green-house, for the preser- 
vation of their favorites. Mr. S. A. Myers, of 
Henry Co., Ohio, writes us, that " having but 
two acres of land and at present a cabin house, 
the pretty green-house would make rather a 
striking contrast, and yet I am not willing to do 
without flowers even of tender varieties. Our 
house being too cold to protect them, I have 
made a close fitting glazed box, 4 feet long, 3 
feet high, and 3 feet 4 inches wide, which is 
placed on wheels and kept in the house ; it is 
accommodated with several shelves in order to 
bring the small plants near the top. The result 
is, that I have suceeeded in keeping in a healthy 
state, 4 varieties of roses, 5 Geraniums, 4 Fuch- 
sias, 2 Pinks, 3 Cactuses, 1 Pelargonium, 1 
Lemon scented Verbena, Ageratums, Petunias, 
Verbenas, 1 Jerusalem Cherry, etc. 
Floral Zodiacs. 
A lady correspondent is mystified about this 
learned expression. An explanation is ea6y. 
As used in garden-books, it means an arrange- 
ment of pleasure-grounds, by which the flower- 
ing shrubs and plants of each month are ar- 
ranged by themselves. Suppose we have a 
garden walk 150 feet long, running in a circle 
if convenient. We will divide this off into eight 
or nine sections, called by the names of the 
months, which we will mark by stout stakes. 
On finding out the mouth in which every known 
plant blooms, we will place the plant in the 
section where it belongs; and so, when our col- 
lection is full, we shall have a floral zodiac. 
The April and November sections will require 
less space than the others. August, September 
and October will demand the largest room. A 
walk through such a zodiac would be both 
charming and instructive. Such a zodiac was 
first devised and executed by Daubenton, an 
eminent French gardener and botanist. The 
scene of his labors was the garden of Luxem- 
bourg. He styled it " the grove of the months." 
•-• wt ^- »-* 
The Perennial Phloxes. 
We have often advocated the growing of per- 
ennial flowering plants. They are less trouble- 
some than the annuals and bedding plants, 
and a few of them should find a place in the 
smallest gardens. The Phloxes make a great 
show, remain a long time in bloom, and present 
a great variety in color. The newer sorts have 
every shade from pure white to dark purple. 
Some, like Harlequin and Van llouttii are 
pleasingly variegated. Alba perfecta is a fine 
white. Roi des Roses a good rose color. Min- 
erva is of a rosy lilac with crimson centre, and 
Atropurpurea is of a deep purplish rose. The 
catalogues have a host of varities; we mention 
the above because we have cultivated them. 
A mass of different sorts with strong contrasts 
of colors is a fine siirht. 
Double Flowering Trees and Bushes. 
Of these, there are many. The double flow- 
ering cherry is a pretty thing, and blooms 
abundantly. The double Peacli has several 
fine varieties, such as the rose-colored, the new- 
er crimson, and the white. Lately, we have 
heard of a carnation or striped, and a camellia- 
flowered. For free, luxuriant bloomers, com- 
mend us to the flowering Hawthorns, crimson 
and pink. And if the common single apple 
blossom is beautiful, much more so is the double. 
Among shrubs, the old flowering Almond, pink 
or rose-colored, should never be overlooked. 
More recent additions to this family include the 
double while and large single-flowered Almond, 
pure white. Reeve's double Spireea is a gem in 
its way. The Primus triloba is spoken of as 
very line, but we have not yet seen it, 
Pillar Fuchsias. 
The true beauty of the flower of the Fuch- 
sias is not seen when it is looked down upon. 
The finest display we ever saw was where the 
plant was trained to the raflers of a rather low 
green-house. The flowers, hanging where it 
was necessary to look up at them, made a most 
magnificent show. Something of this effect can 
be obtained by training the Fuchsia, cutting 
back the branches to the bight of 6 or 8 feel, 
Two or three of different colors trained in this 
way and planted out against a pillar for sup- 
port, produce a grand effect. They should be 
put in a rather sheltered and shaded situation. 
— . Mi l *-» 
Economy in Cucumbers. — In England, cu- 
cumbers can only be successfully grown under 
glass, and some of the varieties grown there have 
very long fruit, A recent foreign treatise on the 
cucumber and melon tells us, that it is the 
custom with some, to cut off a portion of a cu- 
cumber, and leave the remainder to grow on. 
