74 
House 
& Garden 
111 
Exhibition 
of 
150 Old English 
Mantel Pieces 
CHARLES of LONDON 
718 FIFTH AVENUE 
CORNER 56th STREET 
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SATINOVER GALLERIES 
By BARTOLOMEO VIVARINI 
Importers of SELECTED OLD MASTERS 
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No. 3 West 56th Street 
Arbutus, Blueb 
e r r i e s 
E t A 1 
(Continued from page 54) 
"'ill be developed about the old. The rest period during the winter. This may 
following directions by Professor Coville be done by placing the plants outside 
indicate how to get a start, if one wishes in a coldframe where they can be given 
to try blueberries in a garden of small some protection but will not be "kept 
f™its: from frost. The best time for trans- 
“When blueberry culture is to be tried ferring potted plants to the field is in 
in a sandy or gravelly soil deficient in early autumn. At this time the con- 
peat or peatlike matter, the plants should ditions of soil moisture will be more 
be set in separate holes or trenches favorable. The blueberry, unlike most 
about 12" deep in a mixture of two to other plants, does not make the season's 
four parts of peat or half-rotted oak new growth until after the completion 
leaves to one part of clean sand. The of the flowering period and the forma- 
excavations should be wide enough to tion of new top growth. 
provide ample space for new growth of 
the roots, not less than 1" each way 
from the old root. In small planting 
if the materials for the mixture are arbutus 
easily available in quantity, an 8" bed months after the seed was sown, 
of it may be laid down 
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over the whole surface of 
the ground, and if a 
planting is to be tried on 
a soil wholly unsuited to 
the blueberry, especially 
a rich garden soil or a 
heavy soil affording poor 
drainage, the area may 
first be covered with a 6" 
layer of sand, the bed of 
peat and sand mixture be¬ 
ing then laid down on top 
of the sand layer. Wher¬ 
ever used, the peat and 
sand mixture should be 
thoroughly manipulated, 
so as to give it a uni¬ 
form texture before the 
plants are set out in it, 
for in a soil in which 
layers of peat alternate 
with layers of sand the 
capillary connection of 
the two is usually im¬ 
perfect, and a plant 
rooted in the peat may 
suffer severely from 
drought, although the 
neighboring sand has 
water to spare. For a 
similar reason it is im¬ 
portant that when the 
plant is first set out, the 
peat and sand mixture 
should be very tightly 
Hybrid blueberries 
1" in diameter have 
been grown by Pro¬ 
fessor Coville 
Arbutus in Bloom from Seed 
The photograph of a small plant pf 
in a pot was taken eighteen 
And 
yet five years ago no 
botanist knew, or at least 
none had tried to know, 
how the arbutus seed was 
borne, much less how to 
grow the plant after the 
seed had been procured. 
The berry or fruit of the 
arbutus is fleshy and 
juicy like that of the 
strawberry, but of small¬ 
er size and protected by 
enclosing petals. When 
the fruit matures, it 
opens up, exposing the 
seed which in Dame Na¬ 
ture’s scheme of opera¬ 
tions is usually dis¬ 
tributed by the ant which 
eats the pulp of the fruit. 
The fruits do not mature 
until a long time after 
the flowering period. 
They are to be found just 
about the time wild 
strawberries are getting 
ripe. The skin of the 
berry is semi-transparent 
and the seed when rip¬ 
ened can be seen inside 
the fruit. They may be 
gathered shortly before 
they open up, and saved. 
Experiments so far 
have shown that the best 
time to plant the seed is 
NEW YORK CITY 
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pressed and packed about all sides of shortly after it is gathered. Soil pre- 
the old root ball.” pared in the same way as that described 
A “potting soil” mixture for blueber- for starting blueberry seeds should be 
ries and plants of similar requirements used, and the flat or pot placed in a 
can be made as follows: One part of sheltered shady place such as an impro- 
clean, gritty sand, three parts of crocks or vised frame that can be covered with 
broken clay flower pots, and nine parts light muslin, or something similar, lo- 
of rotted kalmia peat, prepared as al- cated on the north side of a building, 
ready described. Lime and manure The seed germinates in from four to 
which are good for most potting soils eight weeks. When the little seedlings 
should be studiously avoided. The are ready they are pricked off to 2" pots, 
crocks are important because they stimu- They should be shifted as they grow two 
late about them the formation of mats or three times, as necessary, and win- 
of roots similar to those formed about tered over in a tight frame outside, 
the outside of the root ball in a pot There will probably be some blossoms 
next to the inner surface of the latter, the second spring after planting. Two- 
Where no laurel thickets are available, year-old plants which have had no check 
the soil made up of decomposed leaves in growth will make crowns nearly 10" 
in a thicket of red oak may be used in diameter, and bearing some,two dozen 
instead. The turf should preferably be clusters of flowers. The crowns or ro- 
rotted in a heap or stack which is kept settes are quite symmetrical as compared 
moist for several months before being with those of the wild plants. 
broken up and used. 
Growing the Young Plants 
The plants grown in cultivation at 
Washington had much larger blooms 
than those grown in the wild, some of 
Potting may be done in the ordinary them being considerably over 
way after the plants have made a good diameter, and the whole appearance of 
start; but as moisture is essential at all the plant was quite distinct. Tlie foliage 
stages of growth great care must be is much more perfect, is even, and not 
taken that the flats to which the little rusted and despoiled by the ravages of 
seedlings are shifted are never allowed winter storms and snows, 
to dry out. They should be sunk up The soil used for growing the plants 
to the rim in sand, or when larger pots after the seedling stage should be 
have been reached, “double potted”— handled in the same way as described 
that is, a 4" pot is placed inside a 7" for potting up blueberries. The acid 
one with a layer of sphagnum moss soil plants will be greatly stimulated by 
between the two, which will keep the the recent discoveries in regard to their 
inner pot continually moist. Continu- characteristics and preferences—not im- 
ous rapid growth will result. probably the acid soil garden will find 
While seedlings have fruited within its place in some'special corner as the 
twelve months in the greenhouse, it is rock and alpine gardens have done on 
better to let them have their normal many a well planned place. 
