136 
A p it i l , 19 15 
CARDEN MACAZINE 
READERS' SERVICE 
Help in need! Ask this department to answer your specific 
problem. Replies of general interest only are printed here 
Hollyhock Seed True to Color 
Will the hollyhock come true to color from home 
raised seed? If not, how do seedsmen control the 
color, or get seed that will produce original color? — 
A. C. G., Penna. 
— Probably your home raised hollyhocks will not come 
true from seed. Seedsmen raise them true to seed by 
growing the different colors in isolated blocks and 
keeping a constant selection over a long period. But 
there is always a tendency and a probability that any 
other color than red will revert to the original red. In 
such cases you have to rely on the good faith of the 
seedsmen and realize that the higher the price you pay 
the more likely you are to get the color selected. This 
is the difference between the cheap and the high priced 
strains. 
Depth to Plant Ismene 
How deep should bulbs of the giant ismene be 
planted? — G. C., Penna. 
— Plant ismene bulbs deep enough so that the top 
of the bulb is just above the ground. 
Transplanting Fruit Bushes 
Can I safely transplant this spring three-year-old 
blackberry and raspberry bushes, also a six-year old 
grape vine? If not, when would be the best time to 
make the change? — R. B. H., New Jersey. 
— Any fruit trees, vines, or bushes can be transplanted 
in early spring before growth starts, or in the fall after 
the growth is stopped and before the ground is frozen 
(or in midwinter by the frozen ball method). All that 
is necessary is to injure the root systems as little as 
possible, keep them from drying out, and prune back 
the tops so as to balance the injury which, no matter 
how carefully the work is done, the feeding root system 
will suffer. 
Substitute for Potash 
Owing to the high cost of potash, what substitute 
can be used as a fertilizer for potatoes? — C. H. M., 
New Hampshire. 
— One of the best sources of potash in common use is 
well rotted stable manure. While growers sometimes 
prefer not to apply this previous to planting potatoes, 
beneficial results can be obtained without danger by 
applying it to the clover or grass crop in the rotation 
the season before the latter is plowed under in readiness 
for the next crop of potatoes. If wood ashes are avail- 
able they form an admirable source of potash if they 
have not been subject to leaching. Tobacco waste 
contains a generous amount of potash, but this is 
liable to be rather expensive except near tobacco 
factories and where the crop is raised. Experiments 
are being conducted on the Pacific Coast in the direc- 
tion of obtaining potash from the sea weed obtained 
there but this source is not yet of commercial impor- 
tance. All in all, we consider manure and wood ashes 
the best materials for the average farmer. 
Raising Flowers for Market 
Would it be possible for me to make some money by 
raising for market sweet peas, gladiolus, asters, peonies, 
etc.? I have no greenhouse and but a few coldframes. 
- — Mrs. F. A. B., Mass. 
— To begin with it is quite useless in your case to 
endeavor to compete with the large dealers in the flower 
trade. The demand is for flowers that are grown in 
greenhouses and it is a very specialized industry. The 
hardier garden flowers are supplied as wanted in the 
city markets as side lines by the greenhouse florists. 
Therefore, the large centres would not be available 
for garden grown plants in the quantities you could 
supply them. The only thing possible to look out 
for is the development of local trade with such things 
as are suited to local requirements. The garden sweet 
pea cannot be forced and the forcing type needs a 
greenhouse for its culture. As a matter of fact there 
is no general market for the outdoor grown hardy 
flowers. When a demand does occur the general 
channels of trade are well able to take care of it. For 
instance, peony blooms come into the market from the 
people who are growing peony roots for the trade. This 
is also true of the iris, gladiolus, etc. Unless you can 
develop a holiday resort trade in nearby localities we 
would advise you to give up the idea. 
Setting Out Young Pines 
What time of the year is the best to set out young 
cedars and pine trees? — A. S., Penna. 
— Cedar and pine trees can be moved all through the 
spring, late summer and early fall but with young 
stock we would prefer to do the work in the spring. 
Why Grapes do not Mature 
On a grape vine that blossoms three or four times in 
the spring, the small grapes are “set” apparently, 
then fall off. That is to say, the vine will be full of 
blossoms this week, grapes set in due course, then the 
sets fall off and the vine begins to blossom again, 
doing this perhaps three times in succession. But 
there is never a sign of a mature grape. The bees 
work at the blossoms, so that pollen must get im- 
pregnated? — F. J. W., New York. 
— There are several possible reasons why the grapes 
do not mature. It is possible that the grape vine is 
sterile and needs foreign pollen. Then again, it may 
be due to the general conditions under which it is 
grown, improper soil conditions, too cold and too 
wet or insufficient available food. It may be even due 
to cold currents or some other local atmospheric con- 
dition at present quite unsuspected. At all events, 
the reason must be looked for outside the plant itself. 
Monkshood from Seed 
I have had repeated failures with raising monks- 
hood (Aconitum Napellus) from seed. Is there any 
special way of planting or forcing these seeds? — • 
R. H. L., New York. 
— Aconitum napellus (monkshood) does not present 
any difficulties other than those common to other her- 
baceous perennials. If the seed is sown in the spring 
and germination takes place in the summer you will 
have small, weak plants for winter. Hence the 
necessity of protection. We prefer to sow the seed 
in August in a frame and give a light litter protection 
if germination takes place; if not, give a very much 
lighter sprinkling of litter. Your failure may be due 
to the fact that the seed was dry and the soil not 
sufficiently moist to start germination and sustain 
the plant. Soak the seed in water for a day before 
sowing. Seed sown now would not give flowers until 
next season and of course nothing would be gained by 
forcing. For the seed bed use a light, porous soil that 
holds moisture, that is, one with a liberal quantity of 
leaf mold. 
Larkspurs and Lilies 
In our lawn there is an L-shaped garden, through 
the centre of which and in both branches are rows of 
Madonna lilies. I want a very clear blue larkspur to 
plant with them, of the same height. What variety 
do you recommend; when is the seed sown for spring 
transplanting, and will these plants blossom the first 
season? — F. A. P., Indiana. 
— We are very partial to Delphinium Belladonna 
used in connection with the Madonna Lily, owing to 
its clear azure blue color. Delphinium seed should be 
sown in late summer, August by preference or it may 
be sown in the spring. If in the spring, you could not 
expect to get flowers that same year. Seeds sown in 
August will produce plants that will give small flowers 
the next year, but will not attain their best develop- 
ment until the following year. Our practice is to sow 
the seed in frames, transplant them into other frames 
when large enough and grow them on in these frames 
until large enough to transplant into the borders, in 
the spring or fall as the case may be. Seeds can be 
sown on the surface of the bed and covered about one 
fourth inch deep with finely sifted soil. Snapdragons 
for spring planting should be sown in August, at which 
time, in fact, all perennials and biennials should be 
sown. If you sow the seeds in boxes the boxes are 
best handled in frames. Any ordinary seed bed will do 
perfectly well for either of these plants. After making 
the bed, give it a good watering, sow the seed, press 
down lightly with a board so as to get a perfect contact 
and do not water again until the seeds have germinated. 
Cover the bed with a lath screen or with a glass frame, 
the glass being covered with cheesecloth, and the glass 
being arranged so that the frame can be lifted up on 
the side away from the sun to admit air After the 
plants have germinated water freely and keep them 
uncovered. 
Commencing a Vegetable Garden 
I am planning for a vegetable garden of about one 
quarter acre. The soil is good, slightly sloping, and 
has not been worked for three years. How shall I 
start and what will be the best fertilizer for peas, beans, 
tomatoes, corn, potatoes, and small patches of radish, 
lettuce, etc.? — C. A. F., Mass. 
— Ir the land is in sod the best course will be to spread 
at any time when the ground is bare before spring, a 
good application of well-rt>tted manure, say from one 
to four tons, if available, or otherwise as much as you 
can get. Plow as early as possible, but not early 
enough, of course, to cause the soil to puddle, espe- 
cially if it is of a clayey nature. Harrow thoroughly 
with a spring-tooth disk or spike tooth harrow and 
then with a smoothing harrow until a good seed bed 
is obtained. You can then proceed to plant as the 
weather becomes warm enough. It will be helpful 
to work into the soil at this time some commercial 
fertilizer and for your limited area we suggest any 
standard balanced garden fertilizer such as can be 
obtained of the larger seed stores. One hundred 
pounds should be plenty for one fourth of an acre. 
Later in the season, after the plants are up, a little 
nitrate of soda sprinkled along the rows would be 
helpful. If your soil shows any signs of acidity — that 
is, if clover is noticeably absent or if the ground is 
heavy and dampish — you would do well to apply one 
half ton of ground limestone or one fourth of a ton of 
agricultural lime just after plowing so that it may be 
well harrowed in. 
Grafting Lilac on Privet 
In grafting lilac on privet, for which I have some 
potted California privet measuring about a half inch 
at the base, when should the lilac cions be cut and 
how treated? Would it be better to bud or graft, and 
if the latter, what sort of graft? How low down should 
bud or graft be applied, etc.? — H. C. H., Mass. 
— In grafting lilac on the so-called California privet 
(and this is the best stock to use), root grafting 
is the best. A piece of the main stem root, from three 
to three and one-half inches long, is large enough. 
It should be cut so that the stem extends above the 
fascicle or bundle of roots about two or two and one- 
half inches. The top of this stock or stem is split 
with a sharp knife down the centre about one inch 
and a half. The lilac cion is sharpened to a wedge 
shape, equalling the split made in the privet stock. 
This wedge is then pushed into the split stock and 
tied around securely with waxed string. If potted or 
placed in deep flats they should be planted suffi- 
ciently deep to entirely bury the graft beneath the 
surface of the soil. The privet in question which has 
been potted will have to be taken out of the pots, the 
main stem roots employed, and repotted after the 
operation has been performed. It cannot be properly 
done in any other way. The stocks and cions should 
be dormant, and only one cion on a stock is necessary. 
The grafts should be placed in a gentle heat from 55 
to 60 degrees. — J. D. • 
