The Garden Magazine, February, 1924 
331 
patient of heat, a temperature just above actual freezing suits 
them better than anything above 40°. On clear mornings spray 
lightly overhead. 
Calla Lilies need frequent feeding to keep on producing first class 
blooms with long stems. Liquid cow manure is best, and twice 
a week is not too often; the soil must not be dry when the liquid 
manure is applied or burning of the roots may result. 
Keep Genistas cool in a temperature that does not greatly exceed 43°, 
giving plenty of water; and liquid manure once a week. 
With increased sun heat and longer days Orchids will show signs of 
active growth. Before the new growths of Cattleyas get too big is 
the best time to repot them, or give a top-dressing. Adequate 
drainage is an essential as is firm potting. Water with care at this 
time. Ventilation without cold drafts is important. As spring 
approaches a little shade is necessary. 
Clumps of hardy Perennials lifted last fall and wintered in coldframes 
may be brought into a temperature of 45°. 
Give Stevia stock plants a light place in a'cool house. 
Cuttings for a Headstart 
Clean out old sand from the propagating bench and start with a new 
supply; or saturate the old sand thoroughly with boiling hot water 
before inserting cuttings. 
Bouvardia root-cuttings to go into the propagating bench. Make the 
cuttings about an inch long; shade bench until top growth begins, 
then expose to full sunlight. 
Select the best and sturdiest side growth from the Violets; thev 
root readily in bench used for propagating Carnations. When 
rooted, box up and set in a light position in the Violet house until 
planted outdoors. 
Put old plants of Lemon Verbena into a warm house to make growths 
which may be rooted readily in a warm propagating bench. 
Take cuttings of double Petunias. 
Stock plants of Salvias need temperature of 55-58° at night to produce 
material for cuttings; sow in a temperature of 50°. 
Cuttings of Coleus. Achyranthes and all plants needed for bedding 
purposes to be propagated as material is available. 
BEARBERRY AS AN EVERGREEN GROUND COVER 
Editors’ Note: “One of the best methods of protecting and preserving our native plants is to bring them into cultivation” says Dr. Edgar T. Wherry (Pres¬ 
ident of the W ashington, D. C., Chapter of the W ild Flower Preservation Society of America) in his foreword to a recently published book by Mr. Herbert Durand. 
“Successful wild (lower gardening, however, requires the application of different methods from those used in ordinary gardening and no one should undertake the 
cultivation of the rarer wild flowers unless he is ready to supply their simple but imperative needs; for otherwise his experiments are likely to result in wild flower 
destruction rather than protection.” 
Sentiments to be heartily endorsed by all who care for plants and for the welfare of the human race so dependent upon plants, not alone for their free gifts of beauty 
and aesthetic satisfaction but ultimately for the sheer necessities of existence. Thoughtful perusal of Mr. Durand’s timely and friendly little volume, '' Faming the 
Wildings” (see page 359), will do much to obviate failures and make for successes in this type of gardening. 
of the most beautiful native evergreen ground plants we 
gym/pM have, Bearberry (Arctostaphvlos uva-ursi) effectively covers 
WifljJfl dry sandy places and dry rocky ones. It has a wide range, 
a PP arent| y encircling the globe in the northern half of the 
northern hemisphere. It is common in many localities in 
the Eastern states, being particularly abundant in the Cape Cod 
region of Massachusetts, and on Long Island. It is seldom to be seen 
in cultivation, however, possibly because it is a little bit difficult to 
transplant. People sometimes are misled apparently with the belief 
that, growing naturally under such dry and sterile conditions, it can’t 
be killed anyway, so that there is no need of taking precautions 
about it. 
In the garden at Nethermuir, Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, a 
fair-sized area of it has been thoroughly established. This was done 
simply by taking up sods of it, about a foot square, and planting them. 
The sods were laid so that they did not quite touch each other. The 
tops were not cut back. There was, however, in this case one rather 
unusually favorable condition, in that the wild area from which the 
sods were taken had, apparently, been burnt over less than a year 
previous, so that the growths were short and stubby, hardly six inches 
long. This would tend to make certain, in digging a sod, that the roots 
in that particular sod belonged to the top on that same sod. When 
growing vigorously the Bearberrv sends out fairly long runners which 
interlock and mat. If a sod is cut out of a rather young nest of this 
kind, there are apt not to be enough roots in it to enable it to stand the 
shock of transplanting, the vital, necessary roots being perhaps four or 
five feet away. 
However, having had a hand in establishing a number of areas of 
Bearberrv, I am quite sure that the unusually favorable condition 
described above is not necessary if a little care is exercised in digging 
the sods and cutting back the growths (giving them a hair cut as it 
were) if they are long. In fact, it is quite probable that dug up with 
bare roots, cut back to a stub, and planted it would grow. Nurserymen 
occasionally offer small pot-plants. If they are well established they 
give very good results. However, there never has been a steady 
supply of these nursery plants, so to depend upon getting them, is apt 
to lead to disappointment. A mistake often made in the treatment 
after transplanting is in not watering on the theory that, because 
it grows in dry places, it does not need water. It should be given a 
good soaking immediately after transplanting and occasionally there¬ 
after until well established. 
The Bearberry positively will not thrive in wet or even moist situa¬ 
tions. It does not absolutely demand a situation as dried out as it 
frequently occupies when growing wild, but it must in no case be 
attempted under wetter conditions than ordinarily found in a well- 
drained garden in a light, rather sandy, soil.— Hans Koehler. 
FERTILIZERS FOR THE VEGETABLE GROWER 
In these formulas the figures refer to percentages of available nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in that order. 
^HERE mixed fertilizers are purchased for vegetables, the N. Y. 
State College at Ithaca says, the grower will make no mistake 
in selecting one of “high five.” The 5-10-5 is the best all- 
’round mixture for vegetables on upland soil; and the 4-8-10 
and 0-10-10 for muck areas. Where vegetables are manured, 
the 4-12-4 should be used, except under field conditions where acid 
phosphate may suffice. The 6-8-4 is for sandy soils or others very low 
in nitrogen and organic matter where manure is not being applied. 
What sort of land it is, even more than what is to be planted, de¬ 
termines the fertilizer it will pay to use. A man who studies the 
texture, color, and lime-content of his soil often saves himself the pur¬ 
chase price of the wrong fertilizer. Texture, meaning fineness or 
coarseness, runs all the way from fine clays to coarse sands. I n general, 
sand needs more fertilizer than clay, but less potash. Clays generally 
have considerable potash already. 
Dark land, in general, is rich in nitrogen; light-colored land lacks 
in this. Soils in between, particularly grayish ones, underlain by a 
bluish-gray subsoil, need drainage more than anything else. Once air 
gets into them, the gray will oxidize into the natural yellows or reds of 
productive clay land. 
Most red soils have plenty of nitrogen, and generally enough carbon¬ 
ate of lime. Yellow land is usually well-drained. The greatest limit¬ 
ing factor in the productiveness of some soils, as that of Ohio* for in¬ 
stance, is acidity, which can be corrected only by limestone applica¬ 
tions. This, in addition, liberates other plant food elements, now 
bound up chemically with acid. Nitrogen, particularly, may be thus 
set free. 
*A circular, written in plain language, giving hints on fitting fertilizers to soils 
has just been issued by the College of Agriculture, Columbus, Ohio. 
