The Garden Magazine, November, 1920 
161 
Pennsylvania shows a fine appreciation of the zealous and in- 
telligent husbandry of its pioneer growers, as exemplified by 
Jonathan Jessop, by which we of to-day increasingly profit. 
THE OPE^C olu 
Readers’ Interchange of Experience and Comment 
Keeping Grapes 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
Y OU may have fresh grapes long after the vines are barren and leaf- 
less — if you are willing to follow this simple method. When the 
grapes are ripe select a few perfect bunches and cut them with a 
generous portion of the shoot attached to the stem of the cluster. 
Place this shoot in a bottle or jar of pure water and store the bottle 
away in a dark, dry place where an equable temperature of about 40 
degrees can be maintained. The bunches will receive sustenance from 
the water drawn up through the stem in the same manner that flowers 
are kept fresh in vases. It is surprising how long grapes may be kept 
in this way. Indeed, they may be still available for eating and for 
decorating baskets of fruit during the holidays. — James J. Deehan, 
Bryn Mawr, Pa. 
— This method is followed on a large scale, commercially, in France, 
and is known as the Thomery system — Ed. 
Two Easily Grown House Plants 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
F OR those interested in house plants in the winter let me call atten- 
tion to two probably not generally known, but which are most 
attractive both on account of their foliage and their fragrance. The 
shrub sometimes called Olea fragrans, but which is really Osmanthus 
aquifolium, or False Holly, when potted readily grows to the height of 
three feet or more. In the Southern States where it is hardy and grown 
out of doors it becomes much taller. It has fine, dark, glossy, ever- 
green leaves. The flowers are indeed small, white, and entirely insigni- 
ficant, but exhale a delightful apricot fragrance perceptible in a room 
far away from the plant. The variegated Thyme is a low growing, 
creeping plant, spreading rapidly. If the least bit is planted around a 
bulb or any potted plant it will soon fill the empty spaces completely 
with its charming gray-green foliage. These plants in my experience 
have never been troubled with insects. — G. E. Behr, Englewood, N. J . 
Evergreen Trees Struck by Lightning 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
A SHORT time ago 1 saw the statement in this magazine that ever- 
green trees were not struck by lightning. I beg to differ, how- 
ever, for I saw a large Fir tree in Dublin, N. H., split nearly to the root 
by a stroke of lightning. Such queer pranks were played with large 
pieces of the trunk and limbs that many people came to see it. The 
tree was seventy years old. — Elizabeth L. Cabot, Dublin, N . H. 
— Many evergreen trees have been struck by lightning in this section. 
During this summer a large Pine tree was struck in Dana not far from 
the residence of Mr. George Southworth. On Sunday evening, Septem- 
ber 12, a large Pine tree was struck at Greenwich Village, Mass., not 
far from the railroad. With a little investigation I could easily give you 
a dozen cases where evergreen trees have been struck by lightning in 
this section. The two trees mentioned here were White Pine. — Rev. 
George A. Fuller, Greenwich tillage, Mass. 
— I wish to go on record as stating my observation that ever- 
green trees, especially the Hemlock, are struck by lightning in this 
locality. In the summer of 1918 1 was working on an estate in the 
Chagrin Valley, near Cleveland and during that time there were 
four Hemlock trees struck by lightning on that estate. Two of the 
trees had their tops shattered and the bark stripped from the trunk, 
one had the top completely knocked off about fifteen feet from the 
ground, while the lightning struck the other tree near the top shattering 
it and ploughing a furrow the complete length of the trunk, nearly kill- 
ing four men who had taken refuge under it during the storm. This is 
the first time I have ever heard of evergreens being immune from 
lightning. I have always heard that Beech trees were immune and as 
far as personal observation goes, have never seen one that was struck. 
Perhaps there is someone who could sav something in regard to this. — 
I. S. H easley, Cleveland, Ohio. 
The Summer Gloxinia 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine : 
A FTER several years’ experience with Incarvillea Delavayi, I am 
1 led to wonder why so few gardeners grow or even know this 
exceedingly handsome border plant. During early July no plant in 
my garden was more conspicuous or more greatly admired than this 
Summer Gloxinia, with its spikes of delicately tinted pink flowers. I 
have found, though, 
thafthe plant needs 
to be given an abun- 
dance of room, and 
it suffers if it is 
badly crowded. 
One reason for this 
is the fact, undoubt- 
edly, that it has a 
strong growth un- 
derground. More- 
over, surrounding 
plants should not 
be allowed to sprawl 
over it later in the 
season. Some gar- 
deners lift the bulbs 
in the fall, but if 
they are well pro- 
tected in the border, 
and especially if 
plenty of snow falls, 
they go through the 
winter safely when 
left out of doors, 
and make better 
plants the next sea- 
son than if dis- 
turbed. It is im- 
portant, though, 
that the covering 
be a loose one of straw, rather than something which mats down hard 
and becomes water soaked. Then care must be taken that the plants 
are not disturbed in the spring, as they are rather tardy in appearing, 
and there is danger of their being dug up. Altogether, the Incarvillea 
is a very desirable garden subject, and one worth becoming better 
acquainted with. — E. I. Farrington, Mass. 
Must We Revise Our Pruning Practices? 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
( SUPPOSE the last division of Mr. Seymour’s article (page 28) de- 
scribes Mr. Chandler’s “unpruned” method. He says: “except for 
removing interfering branches, preventing the formation of undesira- 
ble crotches, and doing any such absolutely essential pruning,” — which 
is pruning, of course. I did not know any one in the United States, who 
knew anything about pruning, did any different. I have seen old coun- 
try gardeners do what Mr. Chandler condemns, and some of them I know 
keep doing it in spite of “bad luck” as they call the resulting brush 
wood, and low crops. It ought not to take much experience to show 
that a so-called, unpruned tree has the best chance, and 1 know suc- 
cessful orchardists in New England who never did any different, and no 
one told them how. Tom Butterworth was once asked what he fed his 
Orchids, and he quickly answered, “ Brains.” 1 have raised a young 
orchard of 300 trees from planting, these ten years, and never pruned 
any other way. 1 always did as little as possible. In spite of any old 
country training I saw at once it was best to let them grow, with only 
restraint enough to keep them in shape — open and free from interfering 
branches. But then, a broad field, and lots of room, might have im- 
pressed me. — T. D. Hatfield, Mass. 
— Pruning problems as brought out by the article of E. L. D. 
Seymour last month cause one to think. The illustrations, how- 
ever, do not tell much of a tale save as regards how not to do it. The 
INCARVILLEA DELAVAYI 
More often talked of than seen, yet this Summer 
Gloxinia is a welcome flower in the summer 
border. It is one of the late starters in spring 
