The Garden Magazine, March, 1920 
55 
thing at all they mean a tremendous reawakening of interest in 
active gardening. The Kurume Azaleas will be one feature of 
the Boston Show; and the Orchids of Mr. Burrage promise 
what is unquestionably the greatest individual display by an 
amateur ever undertaken, as the entire lecture hall of the Mas- 
sachusetts Horticultural Society building is to be filled by this 
one exhibitor who, by the way, is further to make a weekly 
display each Saturday in the same place, of Orchids in season. 
It is many years since the general public has had such an op- 
portunity of becoming acquainted with this interesting family 
of plants. 
A NOTHER sign of the times is seen in the enthusiastic 
launching of the Iris Society at New York last month. A 
detailed account will be found on another page. The desira- 
bility of some such organization has been frequently broached 
in these pages; and when the ball was started rolling it at once 
picked up enthusiasm that increased its girth not only to a 
gratifying, but a surprising degree, and with astonishing 
rapidity. In all our recollections of such organizations — and 
we have assisted at the birth of several — there was never before 
such a representation of enthusiastic, earnest amateurs. It is 
especially significant that all other such movements have been 
launched by the trade, but here there is a sign of a new era — that 
of the ascendancy and dominance of the true amateur, or lover. 
Not the bungler be it noted, which unfortunate and erroneous 
significance is sometimes (ignorantly) associated with the word; 
an amateur is rightly “one who loves”, which is the kind of 
amateur this magazine is made for. For the one who loves, in 
gardening even more than in anything else perhaps, is the one 
who does. 
THE OPE^C OL 
Readers’ Interchange of Experience and Comment 
Experiences 
With Three 
Perennials 
F ROM a dozen plants of Perennial Phlox, 
I am now abundantly supplied, but not 
from saving and sowing the seed. Efforts 
in that direction failed me several times. Then 
I moved a number of clumps to a new location, and lo! my supply 
was more than doubled, for not only did the roots remaining in old 
holes push up the next spring, but a fine lot of seedlings appeared all 
about. [You are lucky indeed! The seedling is the real reason for the 
alleged “reversion” in Phlox — Ed.] Peonies removed in the fall to a 
carefully fertilized bed did not come into full bloom till the third 
year following. These had bloomed beautifully in their old location, 
and they are now doing finely. In six years, 1 have succeeded in 
getting but two vines of the Perennial Sweet-pea to bearing size. 
Over and over again 1 have sowed the seed and nursed the little 
plants in high hope, only either to lose them during the summer, or 
have them fail to appear next spring. My two specimens are truly 
beautiful and much admired by everyone who sees them. Both 
have very unpromising positions where nothing else would live and 
thrive for even one season. — J. W. Dixon, Md. 
What 
“Daylight 
Saving” Did 
H ERE is a summary of the benefits, 
which I as a suburbanite have enjoyed 
from the extra hour of daylight furnished by 
the Daylight Saving law last summer. On a 
plot 50 x 75 ft. in the rear of my place I started to produce the 
maximum crop consistent with quality with the minimum of expense. 
The gross results were $145.80 harvested at market prices at a total 
expense, exclusive of our own time, of $16.50. With the exception of 
the initial digging of the land all the work was accomplished by myself 
and wife. Part of the plot was new land, and on the balance I had 
had a garden the two previous years. The ground received one load of 
manure in the spring and a small amount of prepared fertilizer planted 
with the crops. Potatoes planted in April were harvested the middle 
of July, yielding four bushels. This ground was then planted with corn 
which matured before frost. Winter celery replaced the first peas, 
and winter root crops followed the early beans and lettuce. A greater 
yield would have been obtained but for the wet weather, which did 
considerable harm and curtailed the yield of lima beans, tomatoes, and 
eggplant. The brightest spot of all was the pumpkin and squash 
THE FRUITS OF “DAYLIGHT SAVING" 
This season Daylight Saving is or is not according to local ordinance. 
Where it is to be, March 28 will see the clocks advanced one hour 
patch, a partial evidence of which is pictured in the enclosed snap shot. 
Please note “partial” for the total number of winter squash was 52, 
while the pumpkins numbered 20, of which the largest measured 
45 ft. in circumference. Aside from the usual garden vegetables, 
which we enjoyed in abundance, we harvested 80 cantaloupes, 12 
watermelons, 1 14 cucumbers, 250 winter celery heads put into storage, 
endive, okra and oyster plant. The opportunity for work in the 
garden is coming again and incidentally we’ll give a jolt to old Mr. H. 
C. L. — Stanley M. Babson, New Jersey. 
Sure Kill 
For 
Field Mice 
F OR several seasons I have been troubled 
with field mice in my garden and al- 
though 1 have tried numerous ways to destroy 
them everything seems to be of no decided 
help — in fact they seem to thrive on my methods of destruction. I am 
writing to The Garden Magazine in an effort to secure an efficient 
means to destroy these pests. — Inez Brownell, Long Island. 
Mix thoroughly one ounce of powdered strychnine, one ounce of pow- 
dered bicarbonate of soda, and one eighth ounce of saccharine. Put the 
mixture in a tin pepperbox and sift it gradually over 50 pounds of 
crushed wheat or 40 pounds of crushed oats in a metal tub, mixing the 
grain constantly so that the poison is evenly distributed. Put out in 
runs, and if possible, under shelter, using not more than a teaspoonful 
of the grain at a place. 
A LTHOUGH expressing totally diverse 
opinions we thank equally the writers 
Same Mail! of these accompanying letters — they both 
help though it is ofttimes difficult for us to 
keep an even balance between opposing opinions such as these: 
I am fortunate in possessing a complete I wish to renew my subscription to the 
hound file of the Garden Magazine and have Garden Magazine as it is indispensable. It 
in years gone by found it of great help to an has been wonderfully improved and the many 
amateur gardener, but I'm free to confess to illustrations are to me very instructive. The 
a feeling of keen disappointment over the way Garden Magazine in my opinion is superior 
it has dwindled in interest and size in the past to all as a practical help, enjoyable for reading, 
few months. Had I not recently renewed it I and instructive. — H. E. W., Conway, N. H. 
should be inclined to discontinue my subscrip- 
tion. Mrs. C. W. M., Cleveland, Ohio. 
— Just what are we to do? May we hope that the present enlarged 
form of the magazine will afford ample bulk and variety of material to 
satisfy all? — E d. 
