114 
t3be Tlower (Brower 
November, 1919 
WAYSIDE RAMBLINGS 
NOTES ON PLANTING, OR BEST TIME 
TO PLANT. 
Mr. Auten took exceptions to my 
article on raising Gladioli where it said 
that early planting did not give much 
earlier blooms should the season be 
cold and backward. He said that it 
was necessary to plant early if one 
wished good spikes of bloom, or words 
to that effect. Early planting may 
give the best spikes in Missouri, but 
it is not that way here. I claim that 
it does not make any difference whether 
planted early in April or the middle 
of June for one will not get good 
spikes should the weather be hot and 
dry just as the spikes are showing. I 
planted a few bulbs this season the 
26th of June, and they grew good 
spikes. 
Another authority says that Delphin- 
iums and Peonies resent being dis- 
turbed when once well established. This 
is contrary to my experience for I have 
divided old clumps of both late in the 
fall with good success. 
A customer of mine wished me to 
hurry along his order of Irises for he 
had been reliably informed that they 
should be planted in July. I have 
planted them every month in the year 
but January and February, and if you 
lived in Minnesota you would under- 
stand why I did not plant them then, 
and I wish to say that I have had good 
success whenever planted. If we have 
success when we plant why should we 
worry about just when is the best time ? 
If it were necessary to plant all of my 
Irises in July it would be necessary to 
reduce my planting to a small acreage. 
It is not economical here, either, for no 
crop can be raised and removed in 
time for July planting. 
Mr. Auten says that the way he 
plants the tall bearded Irises is to lay 
them on the ground and set his foot 
on them. They will surely grow if 
planted that way for I have dropped 
them on the ground when planting in 
the fall, and have them grow. But 
now comes the wrong part of his 
method. I will say wrong in Minne- 
sota, at least. Weeds grow here, and 
it is necessary to cultivate, and culti- 
vate as close to the rows as possible, 
and if they were dropped on the 
ground, and simply stepped on with 
the foot wouldn’t many plants be 
pulled out of place before they became 
established ? 
The way I plant them is thus : I dig 
a shallow trench perpendicular on one 
side, and the plants are placed against 
the perpendicular side. I plant all 
plants this way, and if you try it once 
you will always plant that way. 
Practically all Peony growers prefer 
to plant Peonies in September for best 
results, and some claim that it is the 
only favorable time. I have planted 
them in the fall as late as December 
4th, and in the spring as late as the 
middle of June. Those planted in June 
were dug in the fall, and kept in sand 
in my storage cellar. 
One May I had a small piece of land 
that I wished to clear, and there were 
a few Peonies on it. Some of them 
had grown a foot, but I did not lose a 
plant. I have had good success when- 
ever planted, and what more can any- 
one ask ? 
Willis E. Fryer. 
A QUESTION OF SPELLING. 
Verbal criticism is always disagree- 
able, but, as people naturally expect 
in a magazine of the quality of The 
Flower Grower, correct informa- 
tion, I will call attention to what ap- 
pear to me some errors in spelling of 
names of varieties of Begonias in the 
very interesting article on these flow- 
ers in the October number. I may be 
mistaken in some cases. Recinafolia, 
on page 96, should be, I think, Ricini- 
folia ; Otto Heckor, unless the cata- 
logues have generally been wrong, 
should be Otto Hacker. The French 
spelling of the word for Glory is Gloire 
instead of Glorie — a very natural mis- 
take. I suspect Majeska is meant for 
the name of the celebrated Polish ac- 
tress, generally spelled Modjeska (?) 
Glaucaphylla is probably the printer’s 
substitute for Glaucophylla. 
To the excellent paragraph on the 
propagation of Rex Begonias I will add 
that I have seen these propagated by 
cutting through the large veins on the 
under side of the leaves and laying 
them down on the sand of the bench. 
Little plants will start from these cut 
places. I have also propagated the 
popular variety B. manicata aurea from 
single leaves inserted in the sand. One 
of the fine varieties for pot culture is 
Paul Bruant with large leaves, some- 
what in the palmate class, a fine tree- 
like habit, especially in young plants, 
rapidly grown, and large clusters 
of green-white-pink flowers towards 
spring. Very handsome specimens may 
be had of the old Melallica, grown with- 
out check from a single stem. Another 
popular old variety is called, I think, 
Hydrocotifolia (I am not sure of the spell- 
ing) named, apparently from its re- 
semblance to Hydrocotyl (?) Which last 
reminds me that the old race of real 
gardeners who knew the names of all 
sorts of plants, is running out, at least 
in this country. The florist’s business 
has so run to specialties that many 
young men who have worked for years 
in greenhouses know the names of only 
a few sorts of plants. There.is room for 
such men who, like Prof. L. H. Bailey, 
have begun at the bottom and become 
capable of editing a Cyclopedia of 
Horticulture. Speaking of tuberous 
Begonias reminds us again of the un- 
reasonableness of the recent quaran- 
tine order issued by the Federal Horti- 
cultural Board, which shuts out imports 
of tuberous Begonias and many other 
plants. Tuberous Begonias may be 
raised from seed but it is a delicate and 
long process. 
Geo. S. Woodruff. 
“ IS RED EMPEROR IDENTICAL WITH 
DOMINION ?” 
In the July number of The Flower 
Grower, K. Velthuys, Ltd., claims that 
Red Emperor is of Dutch origin. In a 
footnote to the article the editor says 
that evidence indicates that Red Em- 
peror and Dominion are the same. 
It is possible that an American va- 
riety Red Emperor is a synonym of Do- 
minion. However, there is a Dutch 
Red Emperor, as, according to Cornell 
Extension Bulletin II, Gladiolus Studies 
III, Varieties of Gladiolus, there is a 
variety Red Emperor of Holland origin, 
introduced by Vos as Meteor and later 
re named Red Emperor by the Haarlem 
Floral Committee. I suppose this 
change in name was made because 
there were already several varieties on 
the market called Meteor. At that, 
this Dutch Red Emperor may be a 
synonym of Dominion, or Dominion a 
synonym of Red Emperor, the priority 
of name to depend on date of introduc- 
tion. Then again the Dutch Red Em- ’ 
peror may be an entirely distinct va- 
riety. 
Chas. E. F. Gersdorff. 
(District Columbia.) 
PREVENTING GREEN FLY ON HOLLY- 
HOCKS. 
Dusting the leaves and stalks of 
Hollyhocks with pyrethrum powder or 
fine tobacco dust will exterminate the 
green lice or “ flies ” that sometimes j 
infest Hollyhocks. A simple home i 
remedy that usually proves quite effec- | 
tual is to sponge or spray the plants 
with warm soap-suds into which a very j 
little kerosene has been well stirred, 
say in the proportion of about one tea- ' 
spoonful to two gallons of suds. 
Bertha Berbert-Hammond. 
We are in receipt of a circular of 
Woman’s National Farm and Garden 
Association, 414 Madison Ave., New 
York City. Mrs. Francis King, of 
Alma, Mich., is President, and Miss 
Stella H. Webb, with offices at above 
address, is General Secretary. 
The association was founded in 1914 
as an organization devoting itself to 
the promotion of agricultural and 
horticultural work. It is a valuable 
assistant to those personally interested 
in the cultivation of flowers, and during 
the war it was a recognized factor in 
the increasing of food production. Its 
present aim is to continue this work 
by stimulating the farming and gar- 
dening activities of women. 
Active membership costs but $1.00 
per year. Branches of the association 
have been organized in different sec- 
tions. Information regarding branches, 
rules for forming new ones, etc., may 
be obtained from the national office, 
414 Madison Ave., New York City. 
Those who issue catalogues should 
not forget to say a good word for The 
Flower Grower. Mention of the 
name and address of the publisher and 
any words of commendation which the 
grower sees fit to make, will be helpful. 
The Flower Grower deserves all the 
assistance that you can give. 
