man sent me, masquerading under its name. Dr. Van Fleet is 
probably the most beautiful of all climbing roses if we except 
the Southern and California beauties which are beyond our 
reach, its long, pointed pale pink buds and glossy foliage are a 
perfect table decoration and its hardiness has been fully proved. 
I have been asked so often what may be safely planted in the Safe Fall 
fall that I think it would be better to give a general rule than a Planting 
list. Plants which flower before July should be planted at 
least the September or October before. Almost any hardy plant 
can be planted now if it is carefully watched for the first few 
weeks, but no plant likes to be carelessly chucked into a hole 
late in the season to mope and shrivel up and then have to face 
the heaving winter frosts. Hollyhocks and Japanese Anemones 
and Phlox are among those preferring to be planted in early 
spring. But if you plant in the fall, plant early, and cover the 
ground with litter (not manure) after it has frozen solid. 
I have just sent over to Blackmore and Landon, Bath, Delphin- 
England, for their fresli 1921 Delphinium seed. They are the iums 
only firm I know who send out seeds of their best named 
varieties. They make a specialty of a collection of twelve 
separate named varieties for six shillings. You can get from 
them the seeds of Capri, that loveliest of all Belladonna Hybrids, 
and also of Hybrid White varieties. I like Millicent Blackmore, 
sky blue with a fine black eye ; Mrs. Shirley, lilac with a sulphur 
eye; and for the double, Monarch of All, enormous violet and 
purple spike mth the individual pips 2| inches across. I have 
seen nothing like the English semi-double Delphinium for size 
and heartiness. Some of Kelways seed, planted in the fall of 
1919, won the first and second prizes here at our show where 
Delphinium is the specialty. It costs no more to raise good 
named varieties, land I urge you to start the fresh seed at once 
in the cold-frames (don't wait till spring for the seed 
deteriorates) letting them winter where sowti, and transplanting 
them next April to rows in the trial or vegetable garden, they 
should be in full bloom next September. I never have had any 
trouble with fresh seed germinating in seven days in the fall, 
but of the rest of the same packet saved till spring, hardly one 
comes up. 
Fresh soil, well limed, well drained, well sunned and 
frequent cultivating of the soil about their roots, is the "sine 
que non" of success. For fertilizer, bone meal in the early 
spring is the safest for the seedlings, but when you transplant 
them into their permanent places in the borders, they should 
have well rotted cow-manure and humus for at least a foot 
below them in the bottom of the holes. For Exhibition purposes 
I found liquid manure and soot given regularly twice a week 
for the month previous to showing, greatly enlarges the size of 
the blooms and leaves. 
39 
