24 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
SELECTED NOTES AND EXTRACTS. 
Are Ants Injuring Trees? 
Complaints concerning the injury done 
fruit trees by ants are very common, yet 
in about 99 cases out of 100 the ants are 
not doing the injury but niereh’ accom- 
pany other insects which do more or less 
harm. Almost always when ants are 
found on a tree, a careful inspection will 
show that it is infested with some kind 
of plant louse, psylla or scale insect. 
.All of these insects excrete a sweet, 
sticky fluid, known as honey dew, which 
forms a large item of food wdth the ants. 
In fact, the ants actually raise the }-oung 
plant lice and care for them, almo.st the 
same as we do cattle, so that later on 
they may secure the honey dew from 
them. This they secure by gently .strok- 
ing the plant lice with their antennae, 
when they readih- give up small drops of 
the coveted liquid. 
In the case of many plant lice, which 
live both on the roots and leaves of trees, 
the ants often may be found carrying the 
lice up onto the trunk, if ob.served early 
in the season, which I have noticed with 
the black peach aphis. Recently I met 
a man from Vermont who was complain- 
ing of ants injuring his pine trees. No 
doubt the pine trees were affected with a 
scale, which occurs very commonly on 
them, known as the pine kennes. This, 
iike many of the larger scales, gives off a 
similar secretion wdiile it is still young 
and before the scale becomes hardened, 
and is attended by ants for this rea.son. 
The plant lice and scales may be de.stroyed 
by spraying with kerosene emulsion or 
whale oil soap. — A. D. S., in Minnesota 
Uorticultnrisl . 
* -ii- * 
Woman Among the Flowers. 
One woman has a seed farm from 
which come special, choice things — 
notabl)' wonderful pansies of a glowing 
red shade, found nowhere else, says the 
New York Conunercial Advertiser. One 
woman who makes a specialty of petunias 
now enjoys the distinction of growing 
the fine.st petunias in the w’orld. She 
began her w'ork six years ago, and in 
that period has evolved from the dull- 
colored flo'ver of old-fashioned gardens 
blos.soms that rival orchids in their deli- 
cate beauty. Others are of such gorgeous 
tints that the}^ look like living flames_ 
She shades and blotches, and tints the 
flowers in her gardens with almost as 
much certaint)’ of results as if she w^ere 
using a brush and colors. The cosmos 
has been developed in another woman's 
garden from a tiny blos.som into a great, 
satiny flower four inches across, showing 
a wide range of colors. 
Pruning Briar Roses. 
.As a rule rose bushes out of doors are 
all pruned when Spring comes, and it is 
right to prune them, as the flowers are 
better for it. H3-brids need a moderate 
pruning, and teas and like partly tender 
sorts a closer one. But there are some 
kinds which need scarce!}' any, and the.se 
are the various kinds of briars. The yel- 
low briar, .sweetbriar and the prairie roses 
are in the list. The beautiful yellow 
briar, Rosa Ilarri.soni, is a lovely bush 
when left to grow as it will. The twigs 
spread in a way to .give a deal of natural 
beauty to it. And ju.st the same does the 
sweet briar. To prune these as other 
roses are done adds no perceptible size to 
the flowers, while destroying their native 
beauty and le.ssening the number of their 
flowers. It is better to let them entirely 
alone than to cut them too much, and 
mo.st decidedly so in the case of the 
beautiful yellow briar. Prairie roses need 
but little cutting. In the-way of pruning, 
in the .sense it is generally understood, 
they need none at all, because flowers 
come on shoots of the previous season. 
.All they need is to have about as much 
as a grapevine receives. The shoots need 
topping, if longer than are necessary, 
and here and there an old one wants cut- 
ting off quite low down, to cause a vigor- 
ous one to take its place, to give flowers 
the .seasson after. The Prairie Queen, 
Gem of the Prairies, Baltimore Belle and 
the common wild species, .setigera, are all 
of this kind. .And these remarks are ap- 
plicable to all sorts of roses that flower 
from shoots made the previous season. 
It is a .good thing to remember this when 
pruning any kind of a flowering bu.sh or 
you may prune awa}' the greater part of 
what would give the flowers . — Joseph 
Meehan in the Practical Farmer. 
* * » 
Clematises as Wall Climbers. 
The merits of this climber demand 
many more to be planted than is the case 
at present. For walls or stems of trees 
these climbers are unsurpassed. 
Clematises are more accomodating as 
to situation than many suppose. The 
variety Jackmanii, so well known for its 
nia.ss of violet-purple blos.sonis, will suc- 
ceed well on a northern aspect; coming 
into flower there later than it does on a 
south wall, the period of flowering is 
prolonged. This variety is well worth a 
place in the center of a flower bed, where 
it will annually give an immense crop of 
flowers if it is pruned to within an eye or 
two of the ground every 3’ear in February 
and its roots free!}- supplied with manute 
at the same time. The culture of the 
clematis as a wall climber is not at all 
difficult. 
Soil that is heav}’ and retentive of 
moisture is unsuitable for Clematises, be- 
cau.se it dela3’s growth in the spring too 
long. .A suitable compo.st would be turfy 
loam three parts, one part peat or leaf- 
mould, and one-sixth part of half-deca3'ed 
horse manure with a .sprinkle of road 
grit, sand or wood ashes to keep the 
whole porous. The middle of March is a 
good time to plant clematises; even a 
month later will do, as the plants are al- 
ways raised in pots, and the}' can be 
turned out of the pots, without injury to 
the roots. -After .should the weather be 
hot and dr}’ for a time, mulch the surface 
2 feet round with manure or leaves to 
prevent evaporation of the moisture. 
Mulching ensures a cool, moist rooting 
medium. AVhen the plants are growing 
freely, liquid manure copiou.sly given to 
the roots will promote vigorous leafage, 
which means a corresponding return in 
flower. 
Pruning Clematises is perhaps the 
only point about their cultivation that 
requires special treatment. The sections 
require separate treatment. 
As previously noted, that popular 
variety, Jackmanii, requires close annual 
pruning, as the blo.ssoms are produced 
upon the current year’s .shoots. The 
white form of Jackmanii requires then 
the same treatment, and .so do the follow- 
ing varieties: Star of India, reddish 
violet-purple, with red bars; Rubella, 
vel'v'ety claret; Lilacina floribunda, pale 
grey-lilac; Tunbridgensis, bluish-purple; 
and Flamanula, .small -white blo.ssoms. 
A’arieties of the lanuginosa .section 
produce their blooms from the previous 
seasons growth therefore require but little 
pruning. This section includes Alba 
magna, pure white, purplish-brown an- 
thers; Duche.ss of Teck, pure white, 
delicate mauve bar when first opening; 
Lady Caroline Nevill, blush, mauve bars; 
Grand Duchess, white flushed rose; 
Henryi, creamy white; Duchess of .Albany, 
bright pink, deeper down the center, 
softening to lilac pink round the margin 
of the petals; Mrs Hope, deep lavender; 
Mme. van Iloutte, white; Louis van Hout- 
te, deep violet-purple, with darker veins; 
Albert Victor deep lavender. 
The Florida and patens section should 
be left untouched. Amongst these are 
Duchess of lydinburgh, double white, free, 
vigorous, and fragrant; John Gould Veit- 
ch, lavender blue; Devoniensis, bright 
azure-blue; Miss Bateman, white, choco- 
late anthers; Sir garnet Wolsely, pale 
blue, plum red bar; Mrs Ouilter, pure 
white; Standishii, lavender blue; and 
Mrs S. C. Baker, pink . — The Garden. 
