The Garden Magazine, June, 1923 
267 
But What About Carnations? 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
HAT article of Mr. Wenzel’s in the March number about the grow¬ 
ing of Commercial and Exhibition varieties of “’Mums” in the 
garden, surely was great news to me. I don’t know of ever reading 
anything quite so interesting. Now, if you can get someone who has 
had like experience in growing the commercial varieties of Carnations, 
it will be welcome to a number of your subscribers, I’m sure. The ar¬ 
ticles on the Rose, too, were good. The hint given to Americans to 
get busy at growing new seedling Roses, with the hopes of securing 
varieties better adapted to our American climatic conditions is cer¬ 
tainly worthy of consideration by American Rose growers. Mr. 
Payne’s letter also was stimulating. 
I would very much like to know whether the Tulip-tree (commonly 
called Yellow Poplar) can be propagated by cuttings or not, or whether 
it must be grown from seed?—S. C. Taylor, Columbia, South Dakota. 
Coaxing Wisteria To Bloom 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
NE of your correspondents asks, in the January number, what to 
do with a Wisteria that does not bloom. I want to suggest that, 
in addition to your advice to spur-prune the vine, she try what I have 
found a successful method in similar cases. 
In the fall dig holes with a sharp spade either side of the vine, near 
enough to accomplish a pruning of the roots; and fill these holes (which 
should be quite large) with well decayed stable manure, cover with soil, 
and await the coming spring with hope. 1 have had good results from 
this treatment. We all know the advantage of restraining the root- 
system of a Wisteria, particularly in its earlier years. Many people, 
when buying Wisterias, insist upon pot-grown plants of two or more 
years growth, for the very reason of insuring better bloom.— Edith Rip¬ 
ley Kennaday, Mendham, New Jersey. 
—I either read or was told, long ago, that as long as Wisteria could 
climb higher it would not bloom, and I believe it. Several years ago I 
planted layered plants in the spring. They were given to me then. 
They reached the top of the garden fence the first year and bloomed the 
next spring. One, 1 planted on a shed. When it quit climbing and ran 
along the shed roof it bloomed. One ran up an old tree and climbed 
for years, having begun to bloom only in the last year or two. 
Will Wisteria grow from a cutting? I am growing nearly everything 
I have from cuttings, and I do so want one of those wonderful white 
ones. Can get cuttings from a beautiful standard. Would you try 
spring or fall for cuttings?— L. N. McNeely, Martel, Tenn. 
—While the feat of propagation by cuttings of summer wood may 
possibly be accomplished by the aid of bottom heat it is not thought 
practicable. Mr. Judd, at the Arnold Arboretum has failed to root 
Wisterias from cuttings. In February or March they propagate 
readily enough by grafting on pieces of their own root and they can 
be layered quite easily.— Ed. 
Picking Pansies Out-of-doors in Midwinter 
To the Editors o/The Garden Magazine: 
WISH to report a discovery. Last fall half a dozen coldframe boxes 
were built and set over some new Delphiniums. They were covered 
with old storm windows, legacy of a former owner. Incidentally some 
of the boxes extended over some Stocks, Snapdragons, Pansies, etc. 
I could sometimes winter the Pansies with ordinary covering, but not 
usually the others. This winter on Feb. 8th, I found everything un¬ 
frozen and picked large, perfect Pansies; also a Christmas Rose (Helle- 
borus niger). This always winters, but freezing takes the white out 
of the flowers. 
The plants do not appear to have suffered at all, though Stocks have 
always frozen with any ordinary covering. The winter has not been 
very severe, though we have had zero temperature and it began very 
badly, with a big freeze-up some days before the snow came on Decem¬ 
ber 14th. Since that date the snow has covered the ground. The 
glass of the coldframes has not been covered by anything but snow and 
often not that, so that the one ordinary pane has made all the dif¬ 
ference between freezing to death and entirely escaping. 
I am sure many plant raisers have available window sashes and if my 
experience goes for anything it would be well to use them even yet this 
season for covering half-hardy perennials, as many plants stand the 
winter, only to perish in the rasping weather of early spring.— John 
W. Chamberlin, Buffalo, N. Y. 
What Really Is the Trouble with Paper Pots? 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
WAS interested in reading the letter from I. J. Godshalk in your 
March issue, as my experience with paper pots and bands last spring 
was precisely the same as his. 
Every year 1 raise five hundred or more seedlings of various varieties 
which are transplanted into flats and grown in the dwelling house 
windows until time for them to be set directly into the ground. With¬ 
out exception these have always done well, and anything transplanted 
from the seed-box to a flat I could count on as though it were already 
set in the garden. Of course, it is impossible to remove the plants from 
the flats, especially when they are of good size, without considerable 
damage to the roots, and to avoid this I started to use both bands and 
paper pots last spring. Without exception every plant transplanted 
into one of these receptacles either died after standing still about two 
weeks, or made a very stunted growth, and was only saved when I 
finally awoke to the fact that the paper containers were the cause of 
the trouble, by being transplanted back into an open flat. 
The earth used for both the pots and flats was the same—a rich sandy 
loam with the addition of considerable extra sand to ensure good 
drainage, and it is difficult to believe that drainage conditions were 
the sole cause of trouble, especially in the case of the bottomless bands 
which were set in the same flats that I always use and which have 
bottoms resembling a sieve. Furthermore, if the trouble is wholly 
one of drainage why should a Tomato plant do finely in a tin can with 
three or four nail holes punched in the bottom, when one standing 
beside it in a three-inch paper pot simply dies? 
1 . J. Godshalk’s conclusion that some people can use paper pots and 
some cannot, I have been forced to make my own, but it is an unsatis¬ 
factory way to leave the matter, especially as 1 want to use them.— 
Richard F. Barker, Bellows Falls, Vermont. 
Transplanting the Mayflower to the Pacific 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
NE of the loveliest wild flowers in the United States is the Trailing 
Arbutus, that shy, delicately colored flower that loves the shady 
woods of Eastern states. Though a native of Pennsylvania, and shar¬ 
ing the popular love for this sweet wild flower, I had never succeeded 
in coaxing it to grow in my home garden there. In fact several gar¬ 
deners told me it was impossible to domesticate the Arbutus, and many 
failures on the part of friends confirmed the statement. 
Several years ago I moved to California, and last year a friend, 
wishing to give me a happy surprise, sent me a few roots of Arbutus 
in bud, hoping they would bloom at Eastertime. But the buds refused 
to open spite of all care, so after a few days in a sunny room, they were 
planted out with all the moss tucked in about them, hoping against 
hope that they might take heart and grow in this alien Western soil. 
In a few weeks I noticed the leaves were being burnt by the hot after¬ 
noon sun. Driving in four stakes about three feet high to form a 
square, I tacked across the top a cover of burlap adding a curtain to 
fall at the sunny side. Keeping the soil damp, I made daily inspection 
of this little garden nook, but for a month or more the Arbutus never 
moved, still 1 had hopes so long as it did not wither away. Then one 
morning 1 noticed a very small new green leaf, which told as plainly as 
plant could tell that the stranger had found a home. Delightedly we 
watched it day by day until all of the old were replaced with fresh green 
leaves. We could hardly believe our eyes! The Trailing Arbutus that 
refused to grow in gardens so near its woodland home, had taken root 
in California, after a 3,000 mile journey and several days’ exhibition 
in the house, in addition to an inspector’s examination en route. 
—Mrs. M. D. Brown, San Mateo, Cal. 
Getting Rid of the Pestiferous White Fly 
To the Editors of The Garden Magazine: 
OR the benefit of those whojike myself, may be troubled with this 
most pestiferous of all insects, the small white fly (referred to in 
your February issue, page 324) in their conservatories, and are afraid to 
use hydrocyanic acid—which with all possible care is still dangerous— 
would advise that Black Flag powder is a sure cure. I speak from 
experience, having for three seasons unsuccessfully tried all known 
remedies except hydrocyanic acid. My course covered three weeks— 
first week three treatments—second week two treatments—third week 
one—in this way the hatching from eggs is taken care of. Treatment: 
spray plants thoroughly with water and apply powder with a powder 
gun. In addition to harm done to my conservatory, these pests escap¬ 
ing therefrom have played havoc in my garden, and I assure you ’tis a 
great relief to be rid of them.—B. H. Payne, IVebster Groves, Mo. 
