May, 1890. 
AND 
93 
ORCHARD 
GARDEN 
M^MWAftW'WWNAAA/WWW M\r-- 
flowers are beautifully formed, very double, 
of a soft, silvery pink in color, and, best of 
all, delighfully fragrant. It is easily forced 
in winter, and is one of the best garden Ros- 
es for the amateur. It should not take this 
Rose long to find its way into every garden. 
Begin with a year-old plant, or at least one 
beyond the “cutting” age. 
Much the same praise may be given to the 
beautiful scarlet-crimson Rose Dinsmore, 
which will make an excellent companion for 
Mrs. John Laing. It is a free and continu- 
ous bloomer, and delightfully fragrant. It 
is a hardy Hybrid Remontant; and while 
one of the best Roses for the garden it is al- 
so good for winter blooming. It is another 
fine Rose for the amateur. Dinsmore and 
Mrs. John Laing will do something toward 
redeeming the name Hybrid Perpetual. 
Coreopsis ( Calliopsis ) lanceolata is a fine 
hardy herbaceous perennial for the border. 
It bears a profusion of showy yellow flow- 
ers in summer and autumn. The flowers 
are useful in a cut state. Plants can be 
bought or they may be raised from seed. It 
is an old native plant, now receiving again 
the attention it always deserved. 
Tritoma ( Kniphofia ) uvaria grandiflora is 
a very desirable half hardy plant for the 
border or the lawn, and is very effective in 
a group or clump. Its brilliant orange-red 
flowers, which appear in the form of a tall 
spike, open continuously till very late, are 
not injured by light frosts, and might with 
some propriety be called the autumn sun- 
set of the garden. Its common name is 
“Red-hot Poker Plant;” not a very suitable 
or euphonious name for such a pretty plant. 
In England it is called “Flame Flower” and 
“Torch Flower,” either of which is much 
prettier and more expressive than our own 
term, which, it is to be hoped, will soon 
burn itself out. 
A lady, writing for the country press, 
praises Begonia metallica, but says that it 
must be “grown in the shade to make it 
l>eautiful.” We always disagree with a 
lady with great reluctance; but we have 
grown this plant in sunshine and shade, 
and have no doubt at all that sunshine, and 
plenty of it, is quite necessary to fully de- 
velop the lustrous beauty of Begonia metal- 
lica. What a lovely plant it is, to be sure, 
look at it as we may. 
We are sorry to hear the report that two 
gardeners have been poisoned by handling 
Primula obconica. The effect is said to be 
similar to that produced by handling the 
Poison Ivy. It will require a good deal 
more evidence than we have yet seen to 
convince us that there is any real founda- 
tion for imputing poisonous qualities to this 
pretty little plant. There may have been 
fragments of the root or stem of the Poison 
Ivy in the soil used, or the men may have 
been poisoned in other ways than by this 
Primrose. The statement has been pub- 
lished, however, and it is just as well to no- 
tice it, if only to discredit it. We have hand- 
led the plant in all manner of ways, and 
many others have done so, without any 
symptoms of poisoning. If, however, pois- 
oning can be traced directly and unmistak- 
ably to P. obconica, we should like to know 
it. In the mean time, we think the pretty 
little thing may be grown with impunity 
and with great pleasure. — P. B. Mead. 
Apliides on Asters. 
Mr. Edward A. Richards, of Lynn, Mass., 
writes, that for a number of years he has 
lost a great many of his Asters, caused by 
root lice or aphis, which cover the roots, 
and wants to know if any of the readers of 
Orchard and Garden have had a similar 
experience. It may safely be said that they 
have. For fifty years or more it has been 
known that this aphis preys upon the roots 
of the China Aster, especially in parts of 
New England. There are probably many, 
however, who do not know it to-day. Sev- 
eral remedies have been proposed and used. 
Shell lime, freshly air slacked, spread 
broadcast and raked in has been found 
good. It must be applied before the plants 
are set out. Mr. R., supposing the lice had 
their origin in his barnyard manure, used 
instead a mixture of wood-ashes and bone 
dust, and he says with good results. This 
is worth knowing. “Castor oil pomace” is 
a good remedy, and also a good manure. It 
should be mixed with the earth around the 
plant, or spread broadcast and raked in be- 
fore the plants are put out. This pomace 
loses its virtue as an insecticide if kept ex- 
posed to the air. It is sold by H. J. Baker 
& Co., 207 Pearl Street, New York. It 
might probably be bought of any firm that 
makes castor oil. Watering the plants oc- 
casionally with a moderately strong solu- 
tion of carbolic soap is also good. Another 
remedy consists in making a “puddle” of 
lime, leaf mold, and a light sprinkling of 
sulphur, the roots of the plants to be dipped 
into it when they are transplanted. This is 
some trouble, but it is good. As Mr. R. 
seems to be fond of trying experiments, and 
grows Asters largely, he is advised to try 
these remedies, and report the result. These 
pretty Asters are worth all the trouble. — 
P. B. Mead. 
[Notes for the Itlonth. 
Grape vines will grow very fast this month 
when the weather becomes warm hence we 
should attend to them before they ‘become 
entwined together. All rampant shoots 
should be pinched back to the first or second 
leaf beyond the last bunch of grapes; some 
persons prefer but one leaf, others more. 
We see no particular difference in the results 
of either method if they are properly car- 
ried out. The principal thing to be accomp- 
lished in pinching back the rampant shoots 
is to check their growth and force the dor- 
mant or less vigorous shoots into a more 
vigorous growth, thereby producing better 
and larger bunches on those weaker grow- 
ing shoots which otherwise would have 
been robbed of their growth by the more 
vigorous ones. In pinching back, this fact 
should always be kept in mind, that the 
most rampant shoots should be pinched in 
first and as others become strong they should 
be pinched back in like manner, but weak 
growing shoots should not be pinched back 
at all. This pinching in should be done by 
degrees and not all at once on any vine, 
otherwise it would be better to let it alone. 
When the fruit is set, thin out all small 
and imperfect bunches and remove the weak 
shoots; this will insure larger bunches 
and finer berries. It requires some experi- 
ence to know by the appearance of the vine 
how much it can produce and yet keep in 
a healthy, vigorous condition This can only 
be told by its strength of growth, and the 
vine should be taxed accordingly. Rub off 
all the suckers that come from the stocks 
near the ground as often as they appear 
throughout the season. 
If the vines are trained on the renewal 
system select two or three strong shoots or 
canes that come from the main stem at about 
the height of the wire (if vines are train- 
ed and pruned right from a spur at that 
place). When these canes have made a 
growth of about twenty inches, if vigorous, 
pinch off about six inches of the ends. This 
will force out laterals that are shorter joint- 
ed and better fruit bearing canes. These 
should be carefully tied up to the trellis for 
the fruiting canes next season. If these 
shoots or canes are not vigorous they should 
not be pinched off but allowed to grow, and 
be tied, as the vines are overloaded and have 
not sufficient vigor to produce laterals of 
strong enough growth for bearing wood. In 
instances of this kind we will have to prune 
shorter next season to let the vines recover 
their vigor. 
Cultivate the vineyard frequently but not 
when the ground is wet or when the grapes 
are in bloom. The vineyards that pay the 
best are those which receive the greatest 
care and attention in every respect. In a 
young vineyard one may plant vegetables 
and strawberries but when in full bearing 
neither should be allowed. As the young 
vines grow tie them up to stakes or a trel- 
lis. If canes have been laid down for lay- 
ers in trenches, fill them up as they grow 
and each eye will make a good vine of all 
those varieties that root readily, but Cyn- 
thiana and its class require two years to 
make good vines in that way. Where there 
are any grafts the suckers must be kept off 
or they will rob the grafts; in taking them 
off be careful not to disturb the grafts, and 
do not mistake a graft for a sucker as is 
sometimes done when they start under the 
ground. If it cannot be determined by its 
appearance remove the earth and ascertain, 
replacing the soil and packing it firmly to 
the graft, without moving it. Tie the grafts 
up as they grow or the wmd will blow them 
off. Cultivate young vines, layers and 
