110 
perhaps have but one extra fine stalk. In 
Boston we are fortunate in being able to co- 
operate with the Massachusetts Horticultural 
Society. Its equipment is of the finest and 
its management exceedingly cordial to such 
organizations as The American Iris Society. 
NOTES. 
I wish to thank the few members 
who have responded to our appeal for 
stock contributions to the trial plant- 
ings. Another month I hope that I 
may have many more members to so 
thank, but please remember that what 
we want are the lists of available stock. 
Specific requests will be made for the 
plants themselves. 
Owing to the reports of exhibitions 
there is little space to devote to the 
Annual Meeting this month. Appar- 
ently the complete list of officers has 
proved acceptable to all the members 
and they plan to continue the policy 
outlined in the January Flower Grow- 
er, a policy which has already brought 
together over 400 Iris enthusiasts in 
four months. Do your bit to help us 
continue this fine showing. 
Another month I hope for notes of 
more general interest but we should 
not begrudge acknowledgment to the 
many exhibitors who have made it 
possible to show hundreds of people 
what Irises and The American Iris So- 
ciety can do to make their gardens 
even more beautiful. 
R. S. Sturtevant, Secy. 
Cincinnati, Ohio, Show, May 27, ’20. 
Quality was a prime characteristic 
of the first Cincinnati Iris Show. 
Seventeen exhibitors brought their 
flowers to the show and many more 
would have had displays had they only 
been foresighted enough to join the 
American Iris Society. The vacant 
store in the Union Central Building 
made an ideal, centrally located place 
for staging the show. 
The guiding spirit of the show was 
Mrs. Samuel Taft, who won the Silver 
Medal offered by the American Iris 
Society for the most comprehensive 
display. Her varieties were choice, 
well grown and the arrangement was 
well handled. 
From Mechanicsburg, Ohio, the Wing 
Seed Company sent about one thou- 
sand spikes of bloom of the earliest 
varieties, these were exhibited by their 
local representative, Mr. W. A. Natorp, 
with an attractive background of 
palms, flowering plants and garden 
pottery. For this display, they re- 
ceived the Bronze Medal. 
AWARD OF PRIZES. 
Class 1— Collection of 30 varieties. First, Mrs. S. 
Taft ; 2nd. Wing Seed Co. 
Class 3 — 12 vases not less than 6 varieties. First. 
Mrs. J. F. Emigholz. 
Class 5— Collection of 6 varieties, self colored. 
First. W. J. Engle Co.. Dayton, Ohio ; 2nd, Mrs. J. F. 
Emigholz. 
Class 6 Collection of 6 varieties, bicolors. First. 
W. J. Engle Co. 
Class 7— Artistic arrangement of Irises with or 
without other flowers. First, Mrs. Samuel Taft ; 
2nd. Mrs. Luke Smith ; 3rd, Miss Neddie Gallaher. 
Class 8— Artistic arrangement of Irises in a vase 
with an opening of not over 5 inches. First and 2nd, 
Mrs. Taft ; 3rd, Miss Gallaher. 
Class 10— Collection of Irises not bearded. First, 
Mrs. L. Smith ; 2nd, Mrs. J. F. Emigholz. 
Class 11 -Specimen Stalk. First. Mrs. Taft with 
Ofye Slower (Brower 
Dominion ; 2nd, Mrs. Emigholz with Alcazar; 3rd, 
Mrs. Jacob Walters. 
Class 12- Collection of 3 varieties. First, Mrs. Taft ; 
2nd, W. J. Engle&Son. 
Class 13 — Collection of 3 varieties, lavender bicolors. 
First, Mrs. Silas Waters ; 2nd, Mrs. Taft. 
Class 14 Collection of 3 varieties, rose and lilac 
shades. First, Mrs. Taft ; 2nd, Mrs. Luke Smith. 
Class 16— Collection of 3 varieties with yellow stand- 
ards. First, Mrs. H. Hasemeier ; 2nd, Mrs. Taft. 
The show judges were : C C. Mick- 
ley, Herbert Greensmith, F. W. Barclay 
and A. C. Hottes. 
The show offered an opportunity for 
the Iris lovers to note the names of the 
varieties which they liked the best. 
There was much friendly discussion of 
varieties and a lively interest in stag- 
ing a better show next year. 
From the Cincinnati Times-Star, we 
quote the following comments on the 
show : 
“ Men like deep, strongly-colored flowers,” 
explained Charles Phillips, well-known Cin- 
cinnati man. “You can see it right here. 
The women will exclaim over delicate pastel 
shades, and the men — the men like a flower 
with a kick to it,” supplied Dean W. P. 
Burris the Teachers' college head. “ You 
are quite right about it. I like dark rich 
flowers best myself.” 
Since men, including professional 
growers, are largely included in the 
Iris society membership, it explained 
why, for instance, Dominion, a vivid 
hued, velvety purple Iris, in the col- 
lection of Mrs. Samuel Taft, attracted 
so much attention. Dominion was but 
one of perhaps fifty varieties shown by 
Mrs. Taft alone. 
“ How do you remember their 
names ?” she was asked. 
“ How do you remember the names 
of children ?” was the quick response. 
“ As I go among my flowers I am often 
tempted to greet each of them by 
name, to say, ‘Good morning, Queen oj 
May ; good morning, Lohengrin ; good 
morning, Pallida.' If you care for 
them, you soon know them all quite 
well.” 
Alfred C. Hottes, 
Ohio State University. 
The Rock Garden Retaining Wall 
and its Construction. 
Where gardens are formed in diversified 
country, walls of some description are neces- 
sary for supporting the banks of earth border- 
ing paths, and other various levels. Wherever 
playing-grounds or terraces are desired in 
hilly districts banksof this kind must be made, 
and these, if not of too great a depth, may be 
effectively supported by dry retaining walls, 
which, instead of the usual sharp, uninterest- 
ing, sloping bank, difficult at all times to 
mow and keep right, by careful planting and 
selection of the subjects used can be event- 
ually beautified with life and colour. In this 
district we are fortunate in being able to quarry 
our own blocks of sandstone, which for this 
purpose leave little to be desired, as, apart 
from its effective use as a support, it is easily 
worked, forms a most desirable home for 
choice alpine plants, and rapidly assumes a 
soft green Lichen-covered surface. These 
walls are easily built by an intelligent work- 
man, who will shape two sides of the stones 
only, leaving the outer surface rather rough 
in order to catch the rain and show the nat- 
ural beauty of the stone, laying the plants in 
between the layers of stone as the building 
proceeds. The stone of the district will gen- 
erally be found suitable for this purpose, al- 
though plants grow more luxuriantly when 
associated with lime or sandstone, or stone of 
July, 1920 
a porous character In placing the first layer 
of stone, which should be 9 inches to a foot 
deep, endeavour to bury the bottom edge an 
inch below the ground-level. This will pre- 
vent its moving when successive layers are 
added. As the work proceeds, take care that 
the stones fall slightly inwards, filling up the 
back and crevices tightly with good soil. On 
the first layer place only sufficient soil to pre- 
vent the stones rocking, as it is from the soil 
in the rear and not that between the layers 
that the plants derive their nourishment. 
Commence planting by laying flat on the 
stones the subjects desired, be it Gentian, 
Pasque Flower, Pink, or Hairbell and if a 
border joins the wall allow each subject to 
stream up through and lose itself in the bor- 
der above. 
The slightest sprinkling of soil is used ; then 
add the second layer of stone. In doing so, 
care must be taken to place stones an inch or 
so back from the face of the wall, thus form- 
ing a small ledge. It looks better, plants do 
better, and the work is more effective and 
lasting than when the stones are kept per- 
pendicular. This method should be carried 
out until the desired height has been reached, 
when the last— or top — plants may be inserted 
in the border. Many rare and beautiful sub- 
jects which are not easy to grow unless one 
possesses a large rock garden and not always 
then, will be found to succeed in this way. 
Many people place far too much soil be- 
tween the stones when erecting these walls, 
with fatal results, as holes occur, and drought 
reaches the vital parts of the plants. I have 
seen many such walls, once filled with choice 
alpine plants, in a few years occupied almost 
entirely with a few coarse things, such as 
Arabis and Alyssum, owing to the drought 
having got into the wall and destroyed the 
roots of the plants. Hosts of charming plants 
lend themselves to this treatment, including 
Gentians, Zauschneria, Plumbago Larpentae, 
the two latter creeping between and behind 
the stones in a delightful way, and, when 
established, appearing in pretty little colonies. 
Others well adapted for this purpose are, 
Onosmas, Helichrysum, Echeveria on walls 
facing south. Saxifrages, Thymes, Blue Bind- 
weed, Lithospermums, Edelweiss, Hairbells, 
alpine Wallflowers, Stonecrops, Erinus, 
Sedums, Tunica Saxifraga, Arenaria, Conan- 
dron, Ramondia, Haberlea, the three latter in 
cool, moist positions, Linarias, Tufted Pansies, 
Silene, Speedwell, alpine Phlox, Gypsophilas, 
Sweet Violets, tiny Hypericums, Polygala 
Chamaebuxus, Aubrietias, etc. To these may 
be added bulbous plants, such as Snowflake, 
Snowdrops, Triteleia, Scillas, Grape Hyacinth, 
Crocus (various), Hoop-petticoat Daffodil, 
Dog’s Tooth Violets, and Anemones, while 
many seeds may be sprinkled in the fissures 
of the stones, giving colour and variety to 
this attractive mode of gardening. — E. M. in 
Gardening Illustrated. (English; 
Lime a Universal Fertilizer. 
While the soil chemists of the ex- 
periment stations are not willing to 
make very positive statements with 
reference to the use of lime in connec- 
tion with growing crops, yet there is 
no doubt but that lime, especially in 
the form of ground limestone, can be 
used to advantage most anywhere. 
Lime is an element which is very much 
of a “mixer” and it is detrimental to 
but few crops, and when used in the 
form of ground limestone it is probable 
that it could be used almost indiscrim- 
inately. Lime can be mixed with other 
fertilizing materials safely with the 
single exception of bone meal. Even 
when no lime is required, if used in the 
form of ground limestone, no damage 
can be done. 
