The Carden Ma 
Some Good Things Found. — From the 
attractive covers and well written advertise- 
ments, all through, I have enjoyed The Gar- 
den Magazine of 1916. I very much appre- 
ciated the articles by Mr. E. H. Wilson which I 
read and re-read. [Ihese have just been 
republished in book form. — Ed.\ The April 
number was especially helpful — the articles on 
“Roses” by Harold Staples and “Simple 
Rock Garden Effects” by H. S. Adams I often 
refer to. The September number was a joy — 
what Mr. Melish wrote about the “Iris,” and 
I 1 Mr. Saunders concerning “Peonies” interest 
me immensely. “Foundation Planting” by 
Dr. Miller in October and the article on “ Dar- 
win Tulips” by Mr. Duffy made that number 
| valuable to me; Mr. Duffy writes in such a 
cheerful mood that it is like hearing from a 
1 personal friend. Frequently there are articles 
on subjects in which I am not particularly 
interested, but I pass them by with the 
thought that they will be helpful to some of 
our other friends; and of course, there are 
p many of us to be considered. It gives me 
pleasure to congratulate you on The Garden 
i 1 Magazine of 1916 and I have great confidence 
! in your ability to satisfy reasonable garden 
s lovers for this coming year — Mrs. Katherine 
; Fellows, Belvidere, III. 
Chrysanthemums de Luxe. — The Garden 
| Magazine suits me tip-top. The recent 
article telling what Rhododendrons to plant 
I is very valuable and I shall discard some I 
have and get varieties that will respond to good 
1 treatment. 1 he articles in the Readers’ Ser- 
^ vice I wouldn’t miss, the notes of hurry-up 
device plans, the planting tables, the varieties 
of both vegetables and flowers to plant and 
■ how to plant them are all exceedingly inter- 
1 esting and helpful and just what we want, 
j Keep it up! I cultivate some two dozen 
1 varieties of Chrysanthemums in the green- 
house. Last year I acquired Wm. Turner; 
it stands head and shoulders above the rest. 
Are there more like it? One can’t select 
from a catalogue. A short article on the 
Chrysanthemums giving the names of the six 
largest and best all around Chrysanthemums I 
feel sure would interest many of your readers. 
— Olaf P. Frederickson, So. Coventry, Conn. 
[Perhaps some readers will tell us what they 
I have found to be the best half dozen Chrysan- 
themums, large flowered of course. — Ed.] 
A Japanese Plum. — On page 224, issue for 
January, A. Van Gelder describes the growth 
of a Japanese plum and calls it Abundance. 
It is probably the Burbank which does grow 
laterally, whereas, Abundance grows verti- 
cally. There is a treat in store for A. Van 
Gelder if he has never eaten a genuine well- 
ripened Abundance plum. The Burbank is 
firm while Abundance is a veritable goblet of 
nectar. — Geo. II. Bedford, E. Stroudsburg, Pa. 
Experience with Mexican Tuberose. — The 
catalogue describes it as “beginning to bloom 
in May” but also says “nothing will kill 
it but frost.” Should they be potted in the 
house now and transferred to the garden 
“when all danger of frost is over?” I got 
blooms from mine the first year. In Septem- 
ber not in May. Last year, however, they 
bloomed not at all. Aside from this “ever- 
blooming” quality, the only point in their 
favor seems to be that they may be lifted 
each fall and grown again the following season. 
I should like to hear from others. My garden 
is only a border 10 x 125 feet, but I extract 
much inspiration from The Garden Maga- 
zine none the less — have devoured it for ten 
years. — Flower Lover, III. 
[The Tuberose flowers normally in late 
summer from spring planting, but can be 
forced earlier. The bulb will not endure frost 
and is best taken up and dried off for winter 
rest. — Ed.\ 
A Trick with Poinsettia Cuttings. — This city 
has started a “City Beautiful” campaign. 
Many timely suggestions are being passed from 
one lady to another, such as: In planting 
cuttings of Poinsettias it is well to split the end 
that goes in the earth, thus giving more surface 
of the plant to the earth. It has proven of 
advantage also to place a bean, pea, piece of 
rice, or other similar seed in the lower end. 
This seed sprouts quickly and becomes a root 
for the Poinsettia. I hese suggestions might 
reasonably apply to any cutting. With Poin- 
settias it :s also suggested that the top end be 
filled with very damp earth. Many people 
complain of the ants. One lady puts grits 
near the seeds. The ants eat the grits first 
thus giving the seeds time to sprout. — Mrs. Ida 
Lacy, St. Augustine, Fla. 
[Let the good work go on, here and in every 
other city till our whole country is transformed 
159 
into a chain of garden cities, thanks to the 
Garden Clubs, etc. — Ed. 
Is the Globe Thistle a Bad Weed? — In 
the February issue the Globe Thistle is il- 
lustrated and described as a stately border 
plant. Magazines with the influence of yours 
do the country very great injury when 
suggesting, Thistles, Daisies, etc., as garden 
flowers. I know their beauty but every 
farmer knows them as a curse. 
One of the worst weeds the Horse Nettle 
which is spreading over the country, and 
which it is almost impossible to eradicate was 
introduced by an enthusiastic botanist, into 
his garden. If you once have occasion to 
fight I histles, Dandelions, etc., you will 
realize what work is. — John Welsh. Dulles, 
West Chester, Pa. 
[Regretfully, we are unable to follow our 
correspondent. \ heGlobeThistles (Echinops) 
have decided garden qualities that make them 
desirable.' The garden and the farm points 
of view may not always be identical, but we 
think our correspondent is unduly excited. 
Has any one, as a matter of actual fact seen 
even a half acre stretch of Echinops? True, 
an occasional plant will be found in waste 
places, but even then it is hardly justifiable 
to denounce it as an obnoxious weed. Let’s 
be fair to all! — Editor. 
To the Lovers of Humming Birds. — Hum- 
ming birds, like all the world, go to dine where 
good food is to be had. By supplying a gar- 
den with flowers that cater especially to the 
long bills and hollow tongues of the hum- 
mers, one can entice them to be constant 
visitors all summer. Some flowers, like the 
dainty Jewel Weed, are fertilized only by the 
humming birds and depend upon them 
for their very existence. Others, though pri- 
marily adapted to the humming birds, admit 
other visitors. A garden planted with Lark- 
spur, Lychnis, Bee-balm (cousin of Bergamot 
the spicy) Columbines, Sweet William, Gladio- 
lus, Foxglove and Monkshood will offer 
them an enticing feast. I have seen the birds 
try to pry open the petals of the still closed 
flowers of the Trumpet vine. Before the 
Hollyhocks are unfurled, while the tightly 
rolled petals still make a sheath-like tube, the 
birds plunge in their long bills, though I have 
never seen them about the fully opened flowers. 
