PARK AND CEMETERY, 
267 
SELECTED NOTES AND EXTRACTS. 
Vines and Old Trees. 
In tlie rambling dooryards of the farm- 
houses of the laud there is often to be 
seen a patriarchal apple tree, or a number 
of them, for, a century ago, our ancestors 
had to be utilitarians, and the apple trees 
not only furnished them with shade, but 
with fruit and flowers. But these old 
trees that have for so many years held 
aloft their yearly burden of fragrance 
and fruition are in the decadence, and 
every season there are less of them; it is, 
however, a pretty fashion when one 
breaks off, or has to be cut, to let it form 
its own monument, by leaving the stump, 
and if possible, a small section of branch, 
and planting with some fresh earth a 
clematis or Virginia creeper at the foot, 
and placing a pretty bird house on top. 
Especially as it is not always convenient 
to have it dug out by the roots and as it 
often leaves a space where^one would 
prefer to have'^ something growing. — 
Vick's Magazine. 
• • — 
Hardy Flowers for Cutting. 
While there is an abundance of flower- 
ing perennials for general purposes, it 
frequently occurs that for .something par- 
ticular, the available plants are not nu- 
merons’nor easily thought of. 
In this connection, an inquiry reveals 
the fact that early^summer pink or white 
flowers suitable for cutting do not make 
a large list. 
The following desirable hardy plants 
are mentioned for the purpose, and our 
readers may do.ubtless recall a few addi- 
tional which may be suggested for the 
benefit of others: 
Acliillea Millefolium rubra. 
Achillea Ptarmica plena, 
"The Pearl." 
Armeria maritima. 
Armenia planta^inea. 
Dicentra spectabilis. 
Gypsophila paniculata. 
Hesperis njatronalis. 
Heuchera sanguinea alba. 
Iris Florentina. 
Iris laevigata. 
Liatris spicata. 
* 
Liiium canJidum. 
Lilium specosium album. 
Lilium var. roseum. 
Paeonies. 
Pentslemon Digitalis. 
Perennial Phlox. 
Physostegia denticulata. 
Physostegia Virglnica. 
Pyrethrum roseum. 
Spiraea filipendula fl. pi* 
Spiraea Ulmaria alba pi. 
Spiraea venusta. 
Meehan s Monthly. 
Sowing Annuals in the Open Ground, 
ii'. IV. F. writing in The Garden of 
Eondon, on the subject of sowing the 
seed of annuals in the open ground in 
preference to raising the plants in 
warmth says: Far finer plants, of many 
varieties which are aUnost invariably 
jiropagated by heat, are obt.ii liable by 
the former method. The slight post- 
ponement of the blooming season is 
more than counterbalanced b}- increased 
vigor and floriferousness. One is con- 
tinually being struck by the unusual 
dimensions attained by annuals ihat have 
sprung from self-sown seed. A single 
self-sown seedling of blue cornflower was 
with me developed into a bushy plant 4 
feet high and three feet through starred 
with dozens of flowers. Shirley Poppies, 
arising in the same promiscuous manner, 
have assumed equall}- fine proportions, 
as have other self-grown annuals. Dur- 
ing the past summer I came across, in 
the garden of a farm cottage, two of the 
best beds of Godetias I have ever seen 
and found on enquiry that they were 
self-sown seedlings that had been dis- 
covered in a neighboring garden and 
transplanted, 18 inches apart, while yet 
young. The reason of the phenomenal 
strength possessed by such seedlings is 
naturally due to the fact that they spring 
from solitary seeds and thus are ham- 
pered by no compeers engaged in rajmc- 
iously extracting from the surrounding 
soil the identical nutriment that they 
themselves are in search of, a fact that is 
a practical sermon on the evils attend- 
ant on sowing too thichly. However 
quickly the seedlings are thinned out, 
sufficient time has elapsed for those re- 
moved to have abstracted from the soil 
valuable properties that would have 
aided in promoting the increased vigor 
of those selected to remain. It has been 
said that no one should thin out his owu 
seedlings. It is not in human nature to 
destroy without a pang d 07 .ens or hund- 
reds of lives that owe their being to the 
act of the sower — “if this and that and 
another are spared they will not be too 
thick!’’ — but the alien hand is presumed 
not to be troubled with such scruples. 
Again, it is not in human nature to sow 
thinly enough and for this there are 
many reasons. Some of the seed may 
fail to germinate; some seedlings may 
wither as soon as they appear, seme ma}' 
be destroyed bj slug, mole or mouse, 
and yet the remnant left may be suffi- 
cient to secure, ultimately the desired 
effect. But Nature is not troubled with 
these misgivings, and, as a consecjueuce, 
the wind-borne seed fall to earth to fash- 
ion, as the months roll by, a plant that 
will dwarf those members of its race that 
man has scdulcn-ly nurtured from Ihtir 
earliest da\s 
Susceptibility of Trees to Lightning. 
The overseers of nine forestry stations 
in the dukedom of Lippe,"in Germany, 
have made an examination of trees 
struck by lightning throughout an area 
of 45,000 acres, in order to ascertain for 
the German government the susceptibil- 
ity of various trees to lightning and its 
effects and occurrence in general. As a 
result of their observations it was found 
the oak tree was by far the most liable to 
lightning, in spite of the fact that they 
were not as frequent as other trees in the 
forest. The percentages of the various 
species were given as follows: Beech, 70 
percent; oak, ji; pines, 13 and firs, 6. 
During the several years through which 
the observations were made 276 frees 
were struck by lightning, and of these 
I59i or 58 per cent, were oaks; 59 or 21 
per cent, firs; 21 or S per cent., beeches, 
and 20 or 7 per cent, pines, the other 
varieties damaged being still less in 
number. — Exchant^c . 
* * * 
Transplanting Large Trees. 
Is it .safe and desirable to move large 
trees? Will they recover from the trans- 
planting, giving the desired < fleet in the 
end as (|uickly as would smaller ones? 
Many experienced persons will denv 
there is much benefit, if any. But does 
it not rest largely with the manner in 
which the trees are handled? Get prac- 
tically all the roots — especially the young 
feeding roots; pack the soil firmly around 
them as rapidly as it is filled in the 
holes; see that this soil is goed, wdth the 
holes ample size ; have the branches 
thinned out, not all stumped in, to cor- 
respond with the loss of support in root 
disturbance and a few broken roots and 
the effects from transplanting should be 
slight. The moving of trees in winter, 
carrying frozen balls of earth, is fre- 
quently unreasonable. There is a limit 
to the size ball that can be handled, and, 
in the case of the very large trees, it is 
reached before the ends of the roots are 
found and the most valuable portions of 
root are lest. The secret of success.Ail 
transplanting is, then, harm the tree as 
little as possible, giving it new conditions 
as nearly similar to what is previously 
enjoyed, if possible. I.arge trees should 
be held firml}^ in position, if necessary, 
by guy wires. Good planting usually 
renders sw'a)ing impossible. But the 
trunks should not be buried as an aid to 
a firm position. By such action, the 
roots are removed furtherfrem the source 
of air and water, both of which are neces- 
sities. — -S'. Mend clsm Meehan in Florists' 
]•' I change. 
