PARK AND CEMETERY. 
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$, Selected Notes and Extracts. « 
Disturbing Nature's Balance. 
The great and growing cost of the at- 
tempts of Massachusetts to exterminate 
the gypsy moth shows how serious may be 
the consequences to “the balance of na. 
ture” by the introduction of foreign in- 
sects or animals. A few of these moths 
were imported some years ago by an en- 
tomologist living near Boston, says the 
New York Times. Several of the captives 
escaped from custody, and the state has 
spent $450,000 in the last four years in a 
vain attempt to exterminate their des- 
cendants. It is now estimated that at 
least $1,575,000 will be required, and that 
the appropriation for five years to come 
should be $200,000 per annum. On the 
other hand, a perpetual appropriation of 
$100,000 per annum would serve to confine 
the moths to the district in which they are 
now found. The problem resembles that 
which has taxed the resources of the Aus. 
tralian colonies since the progeny of half 
a dozen rabbits, imported from England, 
became so numerous that the maintenance 
of agricultural industries was menaced by 
their depredations. 
Australia has expended millions in rab- 
bit-proof fences and in devices for killing 
off the rabbits. But, although bacteriol- 
ogists have endeavored to remove them by 
disseminating the germs of fatal disease, 
the colonists have so far been able to do no 
more than hold the animals in check. In 
Florida several rivers have recently be. 
come choked by the rapid growth of a kind 
of hyacinth imported a few years ago, and 
considerable expenditure will be required 
to keep the streams open for navigation. 
An imported insect called the black scale 
menaced the fruit industry in California 
until the state procured from Australia 
and introduced in the orchards a little 
beetle which ate the obnoxious insects, 
and thus brought relief. 
These and other instances which might 
be cited show that the utmost caution 
should be observed with respect to the 
introduction into any country of insects 
or plants for which nature has made no 
preparations there, and the growth of 
which may not be restrained by natural 
enemies and checks with which they must 
contend in the countries from which they 
are brought . — New Englind Florist. 
* * * 
Bed for Rhododendrons. 
The rhododendron, when grown suc- 
cessfully, is one of the most beautiful of 
all ornamental flowering shrubs, but under 
unfavorable conditions it is exceedingly 
disappointing. It frequently occurs that 
sufficient care and forethought are not 
giver, to the preparation of the beds to re- 
ceive it. The rhododendron possesses 
numerous small, hair- like fibers — in fact, 
it has no strong roots to speak of — and 
these small rootlets require air as well as 
moisture and nutrition. 
To prepare a bed such as the rhododer. 
dron will best flourish in, dig out the earth 
to a depth of three or four feet; fill the 
bottom with stones, to afford good drain- 
age, and thejbalance with good top soil, 
sand and well rotted cow or stable manure, 
all thoroughly mixed — about one- half soil 
and one fourth each of sand and manure. 
If the soil be partly or wholly of sod, it 
will be all the better with the addition of 
the sand. After the plants are set in the 
bed, the surface should l e covered with 
from about four to six inches of stable 
manure. This acts as a mulch, and serves 
to keep the roots of the plant cool and 
moist during the heat of summer and pre. 
vents frost from penetrating deeply in 
winter, both of which will result in in- 
creasing the health and vigor of the plants. 
Azaleas, Kalmias, Heaths, Andromedas, 
and, in fact, all ericaceous plants, delight 
in a light, porous soil, and in planting 
them, says Meehan's Monthly , which is 
authority for the foregoing, the beds should 
be prepared in the same manner as for 
rhododendrons. 
* * x 
Pruning Flowering Shrubs. 
The pruning of any flowering shrub 
should never be undertaken without a 
knowledge of its flowering character. 
The averagejobbinggardenertrims shrubs 
like the barber does hair— grasps the tools, 
shuts one eye, and makes a clean even cut 
of every piece that stands out further than 
the rest beyond a determined height. 
This is done in winter, and if the subject 
be a hydrangea or an althaea, no absolute 
harm is done, while any early flow'ering 
shrub, like the lilac, deulzia or mock or- 
ange, is at least partly relieved of flower- 
ing wood. 
To get the best flowering results and 
clean growth from shrubs, they should be 
pruned annually from the time they are 
set out. The early flowering kinds should 
have all two year old wood removed dur- 
ing the winter, as the next summer’s 
flowers are to be produced on the one-year- 
old or past season’s growth. Just how to 
distinguish old from new wood is best 
learned by examination. Among easy 
ones to distinguish are the deutzia and 
mock orange, the new wood of which is 
bright and smooth, while the old is dull in 
color and rough, and in the case of the 
deutzia, lilac and weigela, the old flower 
stalks remain. These old shoots should 
not be just trimmed, but cut right out 
leaving only the new shoots and permit- 
ting entrance of air and light. 
227 
After blooming in the spring, the woop 
that has flowered may be pruned slightly 
to induce strong young shoots. This fre- 
quently gives a second crop of flowers in 
the fall. 
Besides those mentioned are the follow- 
ing that bloom early, and must be treated 
as described: forsythia, flowering almond, 
sweet shrub, cornelian cherry, kerria, l’y- 
rus japonica, halesia, bush honeysuckle, 
snowball, etc. On the other hand, fall, 
blooming shrubs should be cut in closely 
during winter, to induce an abundance of 
heavy new wood on which the flowers 
will be borne. The althaea, hydrangea, 
chaste shrub, hypericum, caryopteris, etc., 
are to be treated in this manner. The 
closer they can possibly be pruned, the 
better the growth and larger the flowers. 
As an example of the benefit of this prun- 
ing, take two plants of hardy hydrangea, 
trim one closely and do not touch the 
other. The immense panicles on the 
pruned one will quickly show which is the 
best method . — S. Mend cl son Meehan in 
the Florists' Exchange. 
* * * 
The Clematis. 
The clematis, in its many varieties, is 
one of the most desirable of climbers, 
being capable of use in a great variety of 
places. The small white flowering kn ds, 
like paniculata, Flammutaand Virginica, 
bloom in great profusion and the flowers 
are fragrant, the last two blot ming about 
midsummer and paniculata in September. 
The larger flowered varieties continue to 
bloom over a longer season, in fact, all 
summer. Clematis Jackmanni. with vio- 
let purple flowers, is a large flowered va- 
riety that has been most planted, for the 
reason that it has proved to be the most 
vigorous and free blooming. C. Henryi 
is the best of the large white flowering 
kinds, but there are numerous varieties, of 
diflerent colors that are desirable, and 
these are gradually finding their way into 
our gardens. All varieties of clematis need 
some kind of support to be kept upright, 
otherwise they run over the ground, or 
rocks and bushes and fences. A wii e trel- 
lis suits them admirably when trained by 
a porch or at the side of. a walk, the leaf 
stems, coiling around the wires, taking a 
firm hold. Some varieties of clematis, 
those of most continuous bloom, have been 
employed with much satisfaction for bed- 
ding, running on the ground or over beds 
of rocks. Some of the best effects with 
clematis on porches or walls may be pro- 
duced by planting colored or white vari- 
eties together, allow ing the stems to inter- 
lace and mingling their flowers naturally 
C. Jackmanni planted with Japan Honey - 
suckle, Lonicera Halleana, is productive 
of a fine effect, as both bloom together 
all through summer. — Vick's Magazine. 
