June, 1919 
Slower (Brower 
57 
MRS. AUSTIN’S TALKS 
i [ Written expressly for The Flower Gi 
-.MimillHIHIHiniHIIMIIIIIH 
June Activities. 
J UNE with its bewildering 
array of beauty is with 
us again, and many of 
the Peonies, whose 
growth was watched so 
carefully last month, are at 
their best now, and splen- 
didly imposing are the large 
blooms in the new, rich reds 
ranging to almost black, 
and the various shades of pink, cream, 
blush and white with dots and threads 
of carmine. Each a favorite until the 
gaze rests upon the next. What a 
privilege to gather them in great arm- 
fuls resting their heavy heads upon 
our shoulders. 
If we wish to share them with a dis- 
tant friend, cut while still in bud, wrap 
in paper and pack so they cannot 
bruise, and when received place the 
stems in cool, fresh water, having first 
cut a small piece from the ends so they 
can take up water well, and they will 
open fresh and beautiful. When cut- 
ting Peonies leave at least two leaves 
on the stalk, and when the plants are 
entirely through flowering do not cut 
away the foliage. It is important that 
it be left until late September or 
October. The seed pods and remains 
of flowers may be cut so as to leave the 
plants looking neat and trim and it 
certainly is surprising how ornamental 
well kept Peony plants may be during 
the summer. 
The Irises and Roses — ah, June Roses 
—are also at their best. How we love 
them and revel in their fragrant beauty, 
but we cannot linger when every in- 
sect foe and seedling weed is, in true 
Bolshevik fashion, threatening us with 
dire disaster if we relax our vigilance, 
and besides, the lure of the Gladiolus 
is upon us. We feel its call to the 
field where waving leaves in the long 
rows are beckoning a welcome to us. 
Their growth is strong, upright and 
free from weeds, thanks to our method 
of ridging and leveling. We suppose 
that all have a favorite way of plant- 
ing and weeding, but we have found 
our way to be so labor saving that we 
feel we must tell the new beginners 
and urge a trial in the June plantings. 
With the rows furrowed three to five 
inches deep, according to size of bulb, 
drop bulbs in and if large size, set them 
right side up, it will pay to do it. Small 
(ones do not need setting. When row 
lor plot is filled, cover and ridge the 
Jsoil well up over them. In a few days, 
when the little weeds make their ap- 
pearance, go over the ground with a 
weeder or rake and level the soil des- 
troying the network of weeds. When 
| the Gladiolus sprouts begin to show 
and the weeds again appear, use the 
cultivator again in ridging the row. 
I Weeds are so persistent that it will 
not be long before it will again be 
necessary to go through with the 
leveling process. This may be done 
until the leaves are five or six inches 
iiiiiiiinmiC 
high as they are tough and 
will bend without breaking. 
By tins method thousands 
of weeds are destroyed 
without hand work, very 
few survive and the occa- 
sional one that does may 
be easily pulled out. This 
kind of cultivation is not 
only good weed prevention 
but keeps the moisture from 
escaping. The b u 1 b 1 e t s 
should be treated in the same manner 
and be raked crosswise with a garden 
rake both to kill the weeds and to 
break up the soil between the plants. 
We anticipate the pleasure of seeing 
many new faces in our test garden 
this year, as we have quite a number 
of choice seedlings sent us by their 
originators. These will be carefully 
grown and comparisons made with 
standard as well as newer varieties, 
and it will be a pleasure to report on 
them as far as possible through the 
columns of The Flower Grower. 
Don’t forget that June is the time to 
plant for September bloom, and plant 
lavishly for there is nothing more beau- 
tiful in the fall than the Gladiolus 
bloom. The cool autumn days give 
the flowers a delicate tinting unknown 
in mid-summer. 
Mrs. A. H. Austin. 
Fifty Years Acquaint- 
ance with the Gladiolus. 
[ Written expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
BY HENRY C. ECKERT. 
\Continued from May issue.) 
In the period of 1881 to 1891, there 
were introduced two hybrid classes, 
one was the Lemoine, a new creation 
of Victor Lemoine, of Nancy, France; 
the other was the Childsi, it was origi- 
nated by crossing the species Saundersi 
on Gandavensis varieties, by Max 
Leichtlin of Baden-Baden, Germany, 
he selling the entire stock to an America 
firm. I obtained several named kinds 
of these, as soon as they were offered 
for sale. The flowers were large and 
very beautiful, but they were short 
lived, in a few years I lost them all. 
This refers only to the first productions, 
which Mr. Childs himself has, with a 
few exceptions, dropped from his cata- 
logues. Among the later introductions 
are some varieties equal to the best. 
Of the other hybrid Lemoini which was 
introduced at about the same period, 
I did not buy any named varieties at 
that time, but a few years later I re- 
ceived a good many in a lot of several 
hundred mixed varieties. All of them 
were rather small in plant and flower. 
The shape of the flower was more 
hooded than the Gandavensis and the 
plants were healthy and increased 
rapidly. 
In the year 1888 I received a cata- 
logue from Antoine Roozen & Son, 
Overveen, Holland, which surprised 
me by its wonderful descriptions of 
Lemoine’s new race of Gladioli, Nan- 
ceianus, claiming that some of them, 
particularly the one named President 
Carnot , have flowers from seven to 
eight inches in diameter, but as the 
prices were extremely high, $4.00 each, 
I did not order any of these hybrids. 1 
imported some of his Gandavensis va- 
rieties, and not one of them turned out 
to be anything extra. Of their won- 
derful Nanceianus listed in that cata- 
logue, not one of them is now found in 
the trade lists. They were short lived, 
lacking a vigorous constitution to with- 
stand our changeable climate. This 
also has no reference to the later in- 
troductions, which were found to be 
among the grandest and most vigorous 
Gladioli in commerce. As an example, 
Mrs. Francis King, introduced by Mr. 
Coblentz of Ohio, has a strong, vigor- 
ous constitution, with immense large 
flowers, and is now one of the com- 
mercial varieties, with America, the 
two great leaders in the American cut 
flower trade. 
Up to 1890 nearly all Gladiolus va- 
rieties introduced had a few years of 
popularity then they passed away to 
give room for new creations as they 
lacked the power to reproduce them- 
selves commercially. 
[ To be Continued. ] 
Poppies as Memorials. 
[Continued from page 53.] 
garden will make rapid growth and 
when it is warm enough to plant the 
seedlings out of doors, by not remov- 
ing from the shell (but merely crack- 
ing lightly so as to permit the roots to 
grow through) the plants may be set 
into the ground without being dis- 
turbed in their growth. The plants 
require little care though during pro- 
tracted dry weather they should be 
kept moist. When once well estab- 
lished the hardy Poppy increases in 
size and the flowers gain in beauty 
until they outrival even the gay Tulips 
in dazzling splendor. 
The memorial Poppy has come to 
stay and will henceforth flaunt its 
flaming flowers like triumphant ban- 
ners in memory of our soldier dead and 
constantly remind us that — 
“ Their honor lives 
Their love endures 
Their noble death 
The right assures." 
—Percival Allen. 
The editor has endeavored to secure 
information on the use of charcoal in 
connection with bulb planting, but has 
failed. Standard books on horticulture 
say nothing. The suggestion came 
from a well-known and experienced 
Gladiolus grower. We are trying out 
the scheme this year because we had 
the charcoal available. We have been 
using this in our 6 in. wide double row 
flat bottom trench at the rate of a 
12 quart pailful to about 75 ft. of row, 
scattered as evenly as possible and dug 
into and mixed with the soil of the bot- 
tom of the trench to the depth of about 
an inch. If soot is a good fertilizer we 
believe charcoal is, and surely charcoal 
must be a purifier and possibly will 
prevent disease to some extent. ' 
