12 
Jht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
January  6,  1923 
Horticultural  Notes 
Propagating  Magnolias 
A  friend  can  give  me  any  amount  of 
cuttings  of  Magnolia,  but  neither  she 
nor  I  know  which  would  root,  flow  is 
it  done?  n.  C.  H. 
Juliustown,  N.  J. 
Grafting  under  glass,  employing  stock 
growD  in  pots,  is  the  usual  method  of 
increasing  varieties  and  rare  species  of 
Magnolia:  Layers  are  easily  made  and 
certain,  and  we  would  advise  this  method. 
Bend  down  the  tip  of  a  branch  in  early 
Spring,  cutting  a  little  notch,  or  tongue, 
on  the  under  side,  and  peg  down  the 
branch  at  this  point.  Six  or  eight  inches 
of  the  tip  of  the  branch  should  be  left 
beyond  the  point  where  the  branch  is 
pegged  down.  A  little  earth  is  put  over 
the  branch  at  this  point.  Usually  such 
a  layer  becomes  well  furnished  with  roots 
the  first  season,  but  it  may  be  wise  to 
let  it  remain  until  the  following  Spring, 
when  the  layer,  with  its  roots,  is  cut 
from  the  parent  plant,  and  set  as  an 
individual.  This  gives  a  very  nice  young 
plant.  Magnolias  are  also  easily  raised 
from  seed,  which  must  not  be  allowed  to 
dry  out.  As  soon  as  cleansed  from  the 
pulp,  it  must  either  be  sown  at  once  in 
the  Fall,  or  stratified  with  layers  of  sand 
in  a  box  until  the  following  Spring,  when 
it  may  be  sown  in  rows  and  given  clean 
cultivation. 
Some  California  Products 
“Poems  are  made  by  fools  like  me, 
But  only  God  can  make  a  tree.” 
When  the  Spanish  fathers  settled  in 
California  they  established  a  chain  of 
missions  along  the  coast.  The  first  was 
at  San  Diego,  founded  by  Father  Juni- 
A  Fine  California  Palin 
pero  Serra  in  1769.  The  palm  tree  was 
planted  by  him,  and  unless  Florida  can 
produce  an  older  one,  is  the  oldest  palm 
tree  in  the  United  States. 
E.  N.-Y.  readers  who  have  a  rubber 
plant  in  a  sunny  window  will  doubtless 
be  surprised  to  see  how  large  they  grow 
in  California.  The  one  shown  is  in  the 
•town  of  San  Diego,  just  west  of  the  post 
office,  and  its  favorable  growth  is  due  to 
the  soil,  formed  of  silt,  and  an  abundance 
of  water.  R.  b.  crosby. 
California. 
Transplanting  Large  Apple  Trees 
I  have  an  orchard  of  Baldwins  filled 
in  with  Ben  Davis,  12  years  old.  Some 
of  the  Baldwins  are  gone.  Can  I  move 
some  of  the  Ben  Davis  to  take  their  place 
with  a  fair  chailee  of  their  living,  and 
then  graft  them?  R.  L.  K. 
Webster.  N.  Y. 
It  has  been  done,  and  some  of  our 
readers  say  the  job  is  an  easy  one,  but 
we  have  not  found  it  so.  Transplanting 
apple  trees  over  five  years  old  requires 
expert  work  in  pruning  and  handling. 
In  doing  it  we  plan  to  cut  off  one-third 
to  one-half  of  the  top  and  dig  out  a  ball 
of  dirt  3  ft.  in  diameter  around  the 
trunk.  A  hole  is  made  large  enough  to 
take  in  this  ball  of  soil  so  that  the  tree 
will  stand  about  3  in.  deeper  than  in  its 
original  place.  Several  buckets  of  water 
are  poured  in  after  the  tree  is  put  in  its 
new  place  and  the  soil  packed  firmly 
around  the  roots.  It  can  be  done,  but 
it  is  not  an  easy  job. 
Truth  About  the  Newtown  Pippin  Apple 
I  am  afraid  that  some  readers  have  in¬ 
ferred  that  I  unqualifiedly  recommend  the 
planting  of  the  Newtown  Pippin.  That 
is  a  thing  that  is  very  far  from  any 
stand  I  have  ever  taken.  I  really  do  not 
recommend  it  to  anyone.  The  most 
radical  position  I  have  taken  in  the  mat¬ 
ter  was  when  I  maintained  that  a  high 
quality  Newtown  could  be  grown  in  this 
section  of  the  Hudson  Valley.  For  me  it 
is  a  most  valuable  variety,  and  it  would 
seem  that  I  could  hardly  get  along  with¬ 
out  it.  It  prolongs  the  picking  season 
fully  two  weeks,  and  that  enables  me  to 
compete  with  any  of  the  big  growers  for 
services  of  the  best  pickers,  as  I  can 
offer  them  as  long  a  job  as  they  would 
have  with  the  large  growers.  I  call  it, 
and  so  it  has  always  proved  to  be,  my 
“sheet  anchor”  apple.  For  no  matter 
what  other  varieties  were  selling  for,  the 
Newtown  has  always  proved  highly  pro¬ 
fitable  in  the  British  markets.  Two 
years  ago  $7.66  net  was  the  lowest  price 
I  received  for  any  shipment,  though 
other  varieties  were  often  bringing  the 
shipper  in  debt. 
It  is  a  harder  tree  to  grow  than  many 
other  varieties,  requiring  more  sprayings, 
more  fertilization  and  more  cultivation 
than  most  of  the  standard  sorts.  -To  get 
the  best  tree  it  should  be  top-worked  on 
a  yearling  Spy,  Northwestern  or  Rhode 
Island  Greening,  or  some  such  robust, 
healthy  stock.  By  this  method,  with 
subsequent  good  care,  the  tree  can  be  got 
into  full  bearing  at  seven  years  old,  for 
in  its  bearing  habit  it  is  very  similar  to 
the  McIntosh,  in  that  when  it  does  begin 
to  bear  it  gets  right  down  to  business, 
doesn’t  straggle  along  for  five  or  six  years 
with  but  a  few  fruits  annually.  In  re¬ 
gard  to  the  soil,  with  us,  of  course,  it  is 
on  Hudson  sandy  loam,  but  a  few  miles 
nearer  the  river  it  is  on  Hudson  clay 
loam,  and  I  have  seen  it  do  well  on  some 
pretty  stiff  clay.  When  planted  on  clay 
soils  I  believe  the  best  results  in  fertiliz¬ 
ing  can  be  obtained  by  using  bonemeal  and 
muriate  of  potash,  or  wood  ashes  and  ma¬ 
nure  sparingly.  Too  much  humus  in  soil 
is  not  desirable  for  this  variety,  as  it  in¬ 
creases  the  amount  of  scab,  to  which  the 
Newtown  is  very  susceptible.  Yet  I  have 
found  scab  on  the  Newtown  easier  to 
control  than  in  the  ease  of  any  of  the 
scab  varieties.  This  year  my  Newtowns 
sold  themselves  and  carried  the  Bald¬ 
wins  along  with  them.  While  in  the 
number  of  trees  Newtowns  constitute  only 
one-tenth  of  my  orchard,  yet  somehow,  if 
I  didn’t  have  them,  I  would  feel  that  I 
only  had  about  half  an  orchard. 
I  see  I  have  forgotten  to  mention  two 
important  points  in  the  production  of  a 
high-grade  Newtown.  Secure  the  best 
“air  drainage”  possible,  and  for  this  pur¬ 
pose  the  hexagonal  method  of  planting  is 
extremely  desirable — there  is  fully  35  per 
cent  more  of  sunlight.  And  while  I  have 
picked  some  wonderfully  fine  specimens 
from  the  tops  of  Newtowns  over  100 
years  old,  yet  it  is  not  profitable  on  a 
commercial  scale.  Arrange  your  orchard 
so  that  your  Newtowns  can  always  be 
produced  on  trees  not  too  old. 
New  York.  harvey  losee. 
The  High  Bush  Cranberry 
I  am  told  that  farmers  in  Wisconsin 
grow  a  bush  cranberry  which  gives  a 
fruit  suitable  for  jelly  and  preserves. 
What  sort  of  a  plant  is  it?  s.  K. 
Without  doubt  S.  Iv.  has  in  mind 
Viburnum  opulus,  commonly  called  high 
bush  cranberry  in  many  localities,  espe¬ 
cially  in  our  Great  Lakes  region.  It  is 
also  known  as  arrow-wood.  It  in  no  way 
resembles  the  true  cranberry,  Vaccinium 
maeroearpon,  a  trailing  vine,  and  botani- 
cally  the  two  are  widely  separated. 
Both  the  common  and  the  Japanese 
snowballs  are  Viburnums.  Viburnum 
opulus  commonly  grows  to  a  height  of  10 
to  15  ft.,  and  the  fruit,  reddish  globular 
berries,  are  borne  in  compact  clusters, 
each  a  comfortable  handful.  The  fruit 
was  widely  used  by  the  pioneers  for  jelly 
and  jam.  V.  opulus  is  a  handsome  shrub 
and  is  highly  ornamental  in  September 
and  October,'  when  the  fruit  ripens.  It 
is  plentiful  along  streams  and  in  moist 
woodlands  in  Wisconsin.  Nurserymen  do 
not  feature  the  real  high  bush  cranberry, 
preferring  the  kinds  conspicuous  for  their 
bloom.  FREDERIC  CRANEFIELD. 
Care  of  Cemetery  Plot 
For  the  past  five  years  we  have  been 
paying  local  florists  to  take  care  of  ceme¬ 
tery  plot  now  having  three  graves,  but 
they  have  failed  to  live  up  to  contract, 
and  I  would  now  like  to  try  to  fix  up  this 
plot  myself  as  soon  the  weather  permits. 
Would'  you  advise  as  to  best  method  of 
getting  'grass  to  grow  there,  and  what 
rose  bushes  (one  for  each  corner  of  plot) 
best  to  plant ;  also  how  to  plant  creeping 
ivy  for  covering  each  grave?  G.  a. 
Ridgefield  Park,  N.  J. 
Usually  the  cemetery  authorities  will 
take  care  of  a  plot  for  a  fixed  charge,  and 
this  plan  seems  to  work  well.  Of  course 
extra  planting  is  done  by  other  labor.  It 
is  too  late  now  for  any  work  this  Winter, 
so  your  operations  must  begin  in  early 
Spring.  A  poor  stand  of  grass  is  doubt¬ 
less  due  to  dry,  poor  soil.  If  very  poor  it 
may  be  well  to  spade  up  the  whole  sur¬ 
face,  enriching  with  a  prepared  lawn 
dressing,  and  reseeding  with  one  of  the 
good  lawn  mixtures  prepared  by  a  seeds¬ 
man.  Most  seedsmen  have  special  seed 
mixtures,  adapted  to  dry  soil,  moist  soil, 
or  shade,  and  this  should  be  considered. 
If  it  is  not  desired  to  spade  the  whole 
surface,  it  may  be  scratched  over  with  a 
rake,  grass  seed  sown  in  the  thin  spots, 
fertilizer  applied,  and  the  whole  rolled. 
Bonemeal  is  usually  very  helpful. 
If  it  is  a  very  dry  place,  exposed  to  full 
sun,  English  ivy  is  not  likely  to  do  well, 
for  this  plant  prefers  rich,  moist  soil,  and 
a  somewhat  shaded  situation.  The  creep¬ 
ing  myrtle  or  periwinkle,  Vinca  minor, 
would  do  better  in  a  dry  soil,  or  the  Me¬ 
morial  rose,  Rosa  Wichuraiana,  which  will 
cover  the  grave  with  shining  dark  green 
foliage ;  the  pretty,  single  white  flowers 
are  followed  by  red  fruit.  It  is  very 
hardy  and  free-growing. 
In  planting  a  rose  bush  at  each  corner 
of  the  plot  you  want  a  hardy  variety 
that  is  attractive  when  not  in  bloom.  The 
old  Hybrid  China  rose,  Madame  Plantier, 
is  very  often  used  in  cemteries,  and  is  a 
mass  of  charming  white  flowers  early  in 
the  season,  but  the  foliage  gets  rather 
shabby  in  warm  weather.  Hybrid  varie¬ 
ties  of  the  Rugosa  rose  have  the  advan¬ 
tage  of  handsome  foliage  and  large  showy 
heps,  as  well  as  attractive  flowers,  and 
they  are  well  suited  to  cemetery  planting. 
Conrad  Ferdinand  Meyer  is  a  Rugosa 
with  large  double  silvery  pink  flowers, 
while  Blanc  Double  de  Coubert  is  a  very 
fine  double  white.  These  would  seem  to 
us  more  suitable  for  the  landscape  plant¬ 
ing  of  a  cemetery  than  Hybrid  Tea  or 
Hybrid  Remontant  roses. 
Culture  of  Ivy 
’Will  you  inform  me  how  and  when  ivy 
can  be  grown?  Also  as  to  watering. 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  w.  S. 
Ivy  grows  in  almost  any  soil,  but  pre¬ 
fers  a  somewhat  moist  and  rich  loam,  and 
a  shaded  position.  Propagation  is  by  cut¬ 
tings  of  half-ripened  wood  at  any  time  of 
the  year  in  the  greenhouse  or  in  frames. 
In  milder  climates  cuttings  may  be  set  in 
Fall  and  rooted  in  the  open  ground.  In 
this  latitude  English  ivy  is  often  badly 
sunscalded  or  even  killed  in  Winter,  so 
it  is  wise  to  give  protection  by  covering 
with  branches  or  litter  as  soon  as  hard 
freezing  begins.  Ivy  suffers  less  on  the 
north  side  of  a  building  than  when  plant¬ 
ed  in  an  open  sunny  situation.  As  a 
house  plant  the  English  ivy  is  of  the 
easiest  culture,  doing  especially  well  in 
a  north  window.  The  only  rule  as  to 
watering  is  the  same  as  applies  to  other 
house  plants;  water  when  needed.  The 
soil  should  not  become  dry  and  baked, 
but  give  a  good  soaking,  and  then  leave 
it  to  dry  out  naturally.  Many  house 
plants  suffer  from  frequent  small  appli¬ 
cations  of  water,  which  keep  the  surface 
sodden,  without  a  sufficient  application 
to  the  roots. 
Dormant  Budded  Trees 
I  think  you  did  not  properly  interpret 
the  question  of  F.  D.  S.,  Vermilion,  O., 
on  page  1366.  I  think  he  wants  to  know 
whether  it  would  be  all  right  to  plant  out 
peach  seedlings  in  the  Fall  or  Spring  that 
had  just  been  budded  the  previous  Au¬ 
gust,  but  had  not  yet  started  to  grow. 
In  other  words,  to  transplant  the  seed¬ 
lings  after  one  season’s  growth,  instead 
of  two,  as  under  our  present  system. 
Reading,  Pa.  4  J.  R. 
Trees  are  budded  in  the  Summer  and 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  same  location 
the  next  Spring  for  several  reasons.  In 
the  first  place,  as  much  growth  as  pos¬ 
sible  is  desired  the  first  season,  for  the 
head  is  formed  about  25  to  30  in.  above 
the  ground  by  cutting  back  the  whip 
growth  in  the  Fall.  If  a  poor  growth  is 
made  the  trees  would  not  be  high  enough 
to  head  back.  Now  if  the  trees  are  left 
in  the  same  position  all  the  food  stored 
in  the  roots  is  forced  up  through  the  scion 
bud  and  a  satisfactory  growth  results. 
If  the  trees  were  dug  before  the  bud 
started,  the  roots  would  have  to  become 
settled  in  the  new  soil,  and  the  chances 
would  be  against  a  satisfactory  growth. 
Then,  again,  the  buds  are  not  healed  any 
too  well  on  the  stock,  and  undoubtedly 
in  removing  the  trees  many  would  be 
broken  off,  rendering  the  tree  useless. 
The  idea  is  not  practical  in  any  case  ;  no 
advantage  would  be  secured,  for  the  tree 
is  set  back  whenever  it  is  transplanted. 
T.  II.  T. 
Pansy  Culture 
(Will  you  advise  me  how  they  grow 
pansies?'  Down  in  Connecticut,  between 
New  Haven  and  Bridgeport,  there  are 
two  or  three  pansy  farms.  I  think  such  a 
proposition  would  pay  here,  but  do  not 
know  how  they  are  grown.  H.  I.  B. 
Ames,  N.  Y. 
If  growing  pansies  for  special  purposes, 
separate  colors  should  be  used,  rather 
than  mixed  sorts.  The  seed  may  be  sown 
indoors  in  February  or  March,  in  the 
open  ground  in  April  and  May,  or  in  open 
beds  from  the  second  week  in  July  to  the 
latter  part  of  August.  These  Summer- 
sown  plants  are  wintered  over  and  pro¬ 
vide  early  flowering  plants  for  the  fol¬ 
lowing  Spring. 
Soil  for  pansies  should  be  well  culti¬ 
vated,  fiue  and  friable.  Ground  that  was 
well  manured  for  a  previous  crop,  or  that 
has  been  enriched  with  old  well-rotted 
cow  manure,  is  desirable.  Sow  the  seed 
in  drills.  3  in.  apart,  and  covering  only 
about  1/16  in.  The  soil  should  be  mois¬ 
tened,  and  germination  will  be  hastened 
by  covering  the  rows  with  sacking  or 
newspapers.  The  August-sown  beds  may 
be  watered  through  the  sacking,  so  that 
the  tiny  seedlings  are  not  dried  out.  In 
very  hot,  dry  weather,  shading  is  an  ad¬ 
vantage.  As  soon  as  the  seedlings  can  be 
pricked  out  they  should  be  transplanted  to 
a  distance  of  7  to  9  in.  apart,  and  given 
clean  cultivation.  Summer  plants  can  be 
carried  over  Winter  with  no  other  protec¬ 
tion  than  a  mulch,  put  on  after  the 
ground  is  frozen,  but  many  plants  are 
carried  over  commercially  in  cold  frames, 
so  as  to  have  them  in  bloom  or  bud  for 
early  sales.  Seed  sown  in  April  or  May 
will  give  plants  blooming  the  end  of  June, 
when  the  early  blooming  plants  are  over. 
In  your  locality  sow  from  July  10  to  20, 
for  Spring-blooming  plants.  If  trans¬ 
planted  the  first  time  into  the  place 
where  they  are  to  remain  permanently, 
larger  flowers  are  obtained  than  if  they 
are  moved  again  ;  further  disturbance  of 
the  roots  lessens  the  size  of  the  flowrers. 
When  left  in  open  beds  through  the  Win¬ 
ter  the  location  should  be  well  drained ; 
a  place  where  water  will  stand  at  the 
roots,  or  where  ice  will  form  over  the 
crowns,  is  very  detrimental  to  the  plants. 
If  the  pansy  plants  have  some  light 
material,  as  straw,  or  manure  composed 
largely  of  straw,  as  a  protection,  they 
should  be  in  fine  condition  for  sale  after 
growth  starts  in  the  Spring.  The  cover¬ 
ing  should  not  be  very  heavy  or  they  will 
be  injured.  The  proper  method  of  win¬ 
tering  pansies  for  early  Spring  sales  is 
to  plant  them  4x4  in.  in  a  cold  frame  and 
cover  with  sash  when  cold  weather  sets 
in.  Early  in  Spring,  when  the  sun  is 
very  bright,  the  frame  will  have  to  be 
ventilated.  Treated  in  this  manner,  they 
are  ready  for  the  market  much  earlier 
than  when  simply  planted  outdoors. 
Blooming  Lily  for  Easter;  Crape  Myrtle 
from  Seed 
1.  When  should  an  Easter  lily  be  plant¬ 
ed  to  have  it  bloom  at  Easter?  2.  I  have 
some  crape  myrtle  seeds.  Should  they 
A  California  Rubber  Tree 
be  planted?  Someone  told  me  if  crape 
myrtle  seeds  were  planted  they  would 
not  come  true  to  color.  Do  you  think 
this  is  so?  MRS.  A.  j.  G. 
Joelton,  Tenn. 
1.  If  the  lily  is  to  be  in  bloom  at  Easter 
you  have  to  take  into  account  the  date 
on  which  the  festival  occurs.  Florists 
ordinarily  allow  about  13  weeks  from 
the  time  the  plant  is  brought  to  the  light 
until  it  is  to  be  in  flower.  As  Easter  in 
1923  will  occur  on  April  1,  the  period 
will  be  calculated  from  the  last  week  in 
December,  when  the  lily  should  be 
brought  to  the  light.  However,  this  re¬ 
fers  to  a  greenhouse  where  a  regular 
temperature  of  60  degrees  is  maintained. 
In  the  house,  under  window  conditions, 
the  temperature  is  not  so  even,  and  it 
would  be  safer  to  bring  the  lily  to  the 
light  by  the  middle  of  December.  If  it 
comes  along  too  fast  it  can  be  retarded 
by  a  cooler  temperature.  If  the  season 
is  cold,  cloudy,  and  stormy,  it  will  be 
slow’er  in  blooming  than  if  there  is  a  fair 
amount  of  sun.  The  bulb  is  planted  about 
six  weeks  before  it  is  brought  to  the  light. 
2.  The  crape  myrtle  grows  very  readily 
from  seed,  which  may  be  sown  in  boxes 
in  Autumn ;  they  should  not  be  allowed 
to  dry  out.  The  plants  will  bloom  the 
first  year  from  seed.  The  usual  color  is 
pink,  and  most  of  the  seedlings  will  be  of 
this  tint,  but  there  are  some  variations 
of  shade,  which  show  in  seedlings,  while 
when  propagated  from  cuttings  the  flow¬ 
ers  are  just  the  same  as  the  parent  plant. 
The  United  States  is  among  the  lead¬ 
ing  nations  in  production,  but  not  in  con¬ 
sumption  or  exportation,  of  milk,  butter 
and  cheese,  the  Department  of  Agricul¬ 
ture  announces.  Sweden,  according  to 
the  department’s  figures,  uses  69  gallons 
of  whole  milk  per  capita  each  year,  com¬ 
pared  with  43  gallons  in  this  country, 
although  its  population  is  one-eighteenth 
and  its  cows  number  one-fourteenth  of 
those  in  the  United  States. 
