384 
dect W. A. Sperling, New York; Secretary, E. C. Vick, New- 
ark, N. J. 
Iris Society Meets and Elects 
A NOTHER one of the special Societies, The American Iris 
Society, the youngest and as progressive as any, recently 
held its annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio (May 20-22). 
This sturdy organization with a membership now numbering 
more than 500 has already made its impress upon Iris cultiva- 
tion. With the introduction of new domestic seedlings there 
will undoubtedly be plenty of work ahead in the elimination of 
the too much alike. Mrs. Samuel H. Taft’s local gardens con- 
tributed much to the interest of the exhibition. It is being felt 
that this useful organization’s destinies are being so well di- 
rected by its original officers that they were re-elected en bloc 
to carry on the business for another season. President, J. C. 
Wister, Philadelphia; Secretary, Robert S. Sturtevant, Welles- 
ley Farms, Mass. 
Some Future Foregatherings 
C OMING events of interest to gardeners are the Meeting 
of the American Gladiolus Society at St. Thomas, On- 
tario, August 24-25, which will be the first time that this 
organization has crossed ' the international border line. A 
display of nearly 50,000 Gladiolus in a great number of 
varieties has been planted in connection with the forthcoming 
exhibition as the coalition of the local Horticultural society, — 
perhaps the most energetic of its kind to be found anywhere. 
From September 22-25 inclusive, under the direction of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, there will be an unique 
exhibition of Tropical Ferns and Orchids which should draw 
much interest. It is believed to be the very first exhibition de- 
voted especially to Tropical Ferns. Inasmuch as these form the 
most popular and useful of decorative plants and probably are 
more generally used than any others in private dwellings for 
interior decoration, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 
has instituted this gathering with the object of making a de- 
monstration of the possible uses of different species and varieties. 
Associated with the Ferns naturally will also be Orchids, Cro- 
tons, Dracaenas, and other plants of decorative quality. In 
May, 1922, this same organization will hold an exhibition of 
Native Ferns, schedule of which will be available this fall. 
THE OPE^C olum:a C 
Readers’ Interchange of Experience and Comment 
Shaking the Potato Bug 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
T HERE is one weak point about the ordinary potato bug and that 
is his grip. He is so tough, so well armored and evidently so ill- 
flavored that birds and fowl do not relish him. He has a stomach 
that seemingly digests many powders and sprays warranted to keep 
him in check. But he cant hold on. 
I came home from a two weeks’ absence to find my small garden 
potato patch entertaining one of the most lively bug conventions I 
had seen. In fact, leaf provisions were running low. The very 
existence of the patch was threatened. 
What to do? Experience had shown ordinary powders were pallia- 
tives at best. Small children of the household could not be kept out of 
the patch, except by constant watching. Poisoning bugs by dangerous 
spray or powder seemed inadvisable for fear of chance injury to the 
youngsters. Hand-picking suggested itself and was commenced, 
but, of course, was slow and tiresome. 
Then I thought of the beetle’s lack of holding power, and took 
advantage of it. I secured a light, strawboard box, such as package 
sugar and similar goods come in. It measured approximately sixteen 
inches on all dimensions. 
This 1 took to the first potato hill. Holding it so that the opening 
was near the ground and facing the plant, 1 gathered the tops of the 
plant in one hand, and shook or tapped them sharply over the opening. 
The Garden Magazine, August, 1921 
It worked. The bugs, of all ages and conditions, showered down into 
the box. 
Thus 1 went aown the rows. As soon as 1 got the hang of it, 1 
cleared the plants of the mass of bugs as rapidly as 1 could have sprayed 
them effectively. One or two good taps and it was done, without in- 
jury to the plant. If the bugs in the box started to crawl up, a slight 
tap on the side returned them to the bottom. In fifteen minutes 1 
had nearly a quart of bugs and the patch was out of danger. The 
bugs were destroyed at once. A few days later I went through the 
patch a second time, even more rapidly, catching the strays who had 
escaped the first round. I had no more trouble that season. 
I have tried this scheme many times, and on larger patches, usually 
as soon as the bugs appeared, and have ended all trouble. It works 
because the rascals haven’t learned to hold on. — E. P. Lawson, 
Washington, D. C. 
Best Peas for Indiana 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
IN THE June issue, page 267, Mr. Kruhm states that the banks of 
I the Susquehanna do not afford favorable conditions for testing 
Peas. I wish he would tell me of a good succession of varieties for a 
home garden in southern Indiana. I haven’t time or room to try out 
seventy-five kinds in a season; and] we think three — early, midseason, 
and late — should be enough for a family-of-two garden. Though I 
have tried several different varieties, 1 have never found an early 
variety that was more than five days ahead of a midseason or late 
which latter have always come in together. The only really late 
variety that has done well in succession plantings is the Giant Sugar 
Pea. — Nellie Clements, Orleans, Ind. 
— For a perfect succession of Peas from one sowing, you cannot make 
any mistake in using Market Surprise (55 days), Thomas Laxton 
(65 days) and Potlatch (85 days). Should you be willing to plant 
two additional varieties, try Little Marvel, which will mature a little 
before Thomas Laxton, and British Wonder, which will mature a little 
before Potlatch. By planting short trial rows of these five varieties, 
you should be able to work out a satisfactory succession for your sec- 
tion of the country. 
Incidentally, if your soil is the rich, black Indiana loam, please do not 
expect those varieties to behave in as orderly fashion as they do under 
soil conditions less favorable. Therein lies your trouble — the rich 
soil stimulates the Pea vines to such an extent that all will bear earlier. 
But 1 have not, as yet, found a case where Market Surprise, Thomas 
Laxton, and Potlatch would mature at one time, regardless of soil 
conditions. All the varieties recommended are of the dwarf and semi- 
tall type. None should grow more than four feet if the seed you get is 
true to name. — Adolph Kruhm, New York. 
Making Young Fruit Trees Bear 
To the Editor of The Garden Magazine: 
M ANY people, particularly those who do not own the property 
they live in, are deterred from planting trees by the length of 
time that must elapse before the bearing period begins. Yet many of 
these migratory folk would discover a new interest in life in watching, 
even for a single season, the development of a tree planted by their 
own hands. And this, too, is one certain way of doing a little lasting 
good to others as Bryant reminds us: 
“What plant we in this apple tree? 
Sweets for hundred flowery springs 
To load the May-wind’s restless wings, 
When from the orchard-row he pours 
It’s fragrance through our open doors - 
A world of blossoms for the bee, 
Flowers for the sick girl’s silent room, 
For the glad infant sprigs of bloom, 
We plant with the apple tree.” 
Modern orcharding has largely reduced the former long period of 
waiting for fruit to appear. I have in my orchard several Apple trees 
set out two years ago. Two of them are now bearing fruit — in their 
third summer; and this despite a succession of late spring freezes that 
destroyed every bit of bloom on most of my older trees. For some 
years past I have been testing out a method, familiar to many orchard- 
ists, of girdling young trees to induce early bearing; and I no longer 
have any hesitation in saying that this plan is safe, successful, and 
easily workable. Not until a year ago, however, have 1 ventured to 
apply it to trees under three years} old, and I do not now recommend 
the girdling of any tree around its whole trunk. 
