ODDS AND ENDS 
FROM EVERYWHERE 
Green “ Hills of Snow” 
F OR the past three years I have had in my yard 
some bushes called “hills of snow.’’ The 
first year they bloomed the flowers were white and 
beautiful; the next, many of them were all green 
and I thought perhaps they did not get enough sun, 
so I had them moved to a more sunny place. Last 
year they were full of blossoms but again all were 
green and not one was white. Can you tell me 
what was the cause of it and what can I do to make 
the blossoms white? 
Illinois. Mrs. S. A. Shellman. 
My Lily Pond 
W HEN I first began to think of having a lily 
pond in my garden I did not know very much 
about the subject but I made up in enthusiasm 
what I lacked in knowledge. In the centre of my 
half-formal, perennial garden was a bed some six- 
teen by twelve feet, with rounded corners, filled 
with a nondescript collection of hardy bulbs and 
low growing plants. One end was slightly shaded 
by an orange tree, but the greater part of the bed 
lay in direct sunlight all day. All paths led to it and 
at seemed an ideal location for a water garden. 
My inclinations leaned toward an informal pond 
with inconspicuous edges, bordered with water- 
loving plants and grasses and with a few water 
lilies in the centre. Rut such a pond would not fit 
in my garden nor did it seem at all practicable. I 
gave up that idea with much reluctance and began 
to plan for a formal cemented pond. 
My pond when finished was in the shape of an 
oval, six by eight feet, lying in the sunnier end of 
my bed. The curb was six inches deep and nearly 
as broad, while below the lower edge of that, the 
pond sloped gradually two feet toward the centre. 
The outlet was placed three inches below the top 
of the curb and a drainage pipe was run underground 
to an old abandoned well. The work of excavating, 
pipe laying, and cementing was done by the cement 
workers at the cost of $34.65, quite a reasonable 
figure. 
In the spring of the following year began my 
planting following instructions gained through the 
Readers’ Service of The Garden Magazine. The 
planting was to be permanent, so the soil was 
placed directly in the pond itself instead of in tubs, 
as might have been 
done. A mixture of half 
well-rotted cow manure 
and half garden soil was 
used to the depth of 
nearly a foot and a half. 
Then the plants them- 
selves were set out. 
In selecting varieties 
of water lilies, I chose 
hardy ones which would 
endure the winter. These 
were Nymphaea Mar- 
liacea, var. chromatella, 
a yellow variety; Nym- 
phaea Marliacea, var. 
albida, white; Nym- 
phaea Marliacea, var. 
carnea, pink; andNym- 
phaea Marliacea, var. 
rosea, rose. After they 
were set out I covered 
the earth with an inch 
of sand and filled in the 
water to four inches 
above the crowns of the 
plants. As the leaf 
stalks grew, I raised the 
level of the water, al- 
ways keeping the same 
distance above the 
crowns, until it was 
about a foot in depth. This remained the permanent 
depth of the water. 
The growth of the plants seemed marvelous. In 
no time at all the red leaves reached the top of the 
water, turning green after a few days and spreading 
out over the surface. Then the buds began to come 
and in just exactly a month from the time of plant- 
ing, the first blossom appeared. It was the pink 
variety, a delicate, flesh pink and remained out for 
several days, the petals closing at night. Since 
then all the plants have bloomed, often bearing 
several blossoms at a time. 
The addition of four small gold fish has kept the 
pond clear of mosquitoes, besides furnishing us 
amusement. Leila B. Stapleton. 
Enemies That Attack Strawberries 
T HE enemies of the strawberry are those which 
attack the leaves and those which attack the 
roots. The former can summarily be dealt with, 
but the latter are more stubborn fn their resistance. 
The saw-worm attacks the undersides of young 
leaves; the remedy for it is a spray of arsenate of 
lead or paris green. The leafroller, that usually 
makes three attacks on the plants during their 
growing season, is to be fought in the same way as 
the first pest; while the strawberry slug, that per- 
forates the leaves, yields to the same treatment. 
To guard effectively against these marauders, the 
strawberry plants should be sprayed every three 
weeks, whether or not the insects have made their 
appearance. The strawberry beetle finds a con- 
genial home in the neglected bed; clean cultivation 
will discourage him, though a dose of paris green 
will utterly rout him. 
Two fungous diseases, mildew or leaf curl, and 
rust or leaf spot, attack the strawberry. The 
former may be recognized by the tendency of the 
diseased leaf to curl, as if affected by drought. It 
seldom does any great damage. But rust is more 
dangerous. It may be recognized by its white- 
centred red spots. Bordeaux mixture will effectively 
combat these two enemies. 
There are two insects attacking the strawberry 
which sprays cannot reach; these are the white 
grub and the root louse or aphis. The former is 
troublesome, and is oftenest found in sod land. If 
the land is turned up late in the fall, the grubs will 
be killed by the winter. The aphis, known also 
as the ant-cow, is said to be brought by ants to the 
tender growths of many plants and trees, whence 
they extract sweet juices, sharing their profits with 
the ants. They attack the roots of strawberry 
plants, often with fatal results. Black or red ants 
about a plant are almost certain evidence of the 
aphis at work below. Another sign is the putting 
up of undersized, weakling leaves. A preventive 
is found in dipping the roots of plants about to be 
set into a cool weak solution of tobacco water. 
One pound of tobacco stems boiled in five gallons 
of water will give the solution its proper strength. 
Berberis Sinensis 
S OME time ago I sent a specimen of berberis to 
the Department of Agriculture at Washing- 
ton, D. C., for identification. It was designated as 
Berberis sinensis. I have been through a great 
number of catalogues without being able to find it 
listed; can any of The Garden Magazine 
family of readers tell me where I can obtain speci- 
mens of this variety? 
Michigan. E. A. Upton. 
“Dirt Bands” For Starting Plants 
L IKE every other progressive gardener or 
farmer I start my plants for the early crops 
in coldframes or hotbeds and transplant them to the 
fields when they are well started. But I find that 
there are many plants which do not take kindly to 
the ordinary method of transplanting, and potting 
in earthenware pots is not always satisfactory and is 
sometimes too expensive a method. The use of 
paper pots saves the expense but I find many of 
them will not stand the heat and moisture of a hot- 
bed for three or four weeks and hold together. 
To overcome this difficulty I have found the 
cheapest, best and most effective method is the 
using of the “dirt band,” which has been in use for 
years with complete success in some sections of the 
West, but is little known in the East. 
I have the box factory cut me strips of wood 
veneer of about the same thickness as that used in 
making berry boxes. These strips are cut twenty 
inches long and four inches wide. I have grooves 
or “scores” cut crosswise every four inches, to 
enable the strips being folded easily without break- 
ing. When I am ready to use them the strips are 
folded with the two ends 
lapping one fold, and 
the result is a bottomless 
box exactly four inches 
square and four deep. 
Before folding into 
boxes I soak the veneer 
in water for a short time. 
The strips can be folded 
very rapidly and will fit 
closely when set in the 
frame. A bed six feet 
wide will hold fifteen to 
the row. 
In using these bands 
I place about three 
inches of soil in the bot- 
tom of my hotbed, firm 
it down and smooth it 
off before setting the 
bands in place. If using 
a coldframe I simply 
level off the soil nice 
and smooth. The bands, 
previously soaked in 
water, are folded and 
placed close together so 
as to fill the bed. They 
are then filled almost full 
of soil and the soil 
firmed down, the seed 
planted, and additional 
What could be more delightful than to "raise” your own water lilies? It cost about thirty-five dollars to make this 
pond, and the owner has never regretted the expenditure of so much of her wealth 
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