THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
221 
Gentlemen:— 
Montreal, June 19, 1918. 
How are Tree Peonies propagated? 
F. A. 
Ans:—Tree Paeonies are propagated by grafting on 
herbaceous paeonia roots, preferably of Paeonia officin¬ 
alis. 
August is a good time. Select good clean, healthy 
pieces of stock roots about as thick as your thumb. The 
scions should be one to two joints long, with the major 
portion of the leaf surface cut away. Make a neat union 
with the stock by cleft grafting and bind with raffia, pot 
in 3 inch pots. Long Toms will be found the most ser¬ 
viceable, and plunge in soil in a frame or hot-bed, allow¬ 
ing the soil to cover up the scion a little way. Then 
water, shade and treat as you would for cuttings, after 
the union takes place gradually give more air. 
It is usually best to leave them undisturbed in the 
frame until planted out in spring. 
If you have big stock plants they may also be propa¬ 
gated by laying. 
CASTOR OIL THE BEST LUBRICANT FOR 
AEROPLANES 
Up to the present time Hull has been practically the 
only center in the United Kingdom where castor seed has 
been dealt with. Owing to castor oil having been found 
to be the best lubricant for aeroplanes because of its not 
freezing at high altitudes, this branch of the oil trade has 
been given prominence. It is reported that in 1917 the 
British Government released about 7,000 tons of the best 
grades to the United States to be used as seed in order 
to grow supplies for securing lubricating oil for the 
Liberty motors. 
Under date of June 19th, J. Hale Harrison, Harrisons’ 
Nurseries, Berlin, Md., writes:— 
We picked this morning the first peaches from our 
commercial orchards for shipment to the markets. The 
variety was the Mayflower. 
This is the earliest date for some years that we have 
had peaches ripe in our orchards that we could ship on 
a commercial scale. 
From the present prospects there is a good crop of 
Carman, Champion, Ray and Belle of Georgia peaches 
this season in our commercial orchards. The Elberta’s 
are rather light,—not possibly over 25% of a normal 
crop. Some of the other yellow varieties, such as Slap- 
pey, Brackett and Crawford’s Late, there will be about 
50% of a erop. 
About the first of August is the time the bulk of our 
peaches will be picked and shipped. 
Very truly yours, 
J. Hale Harrison, 
BOOK 
INJURIOUS INSECTS AND USEFUL BIRDS 
Another farm manual has been published by the J. B. 
Lippineott Co., of Philadelphia under the title of “In¬ 
jurious Insects and Useful Birds, Successful Control of 
Farm Pests,” by F. L. Wasburn, M. A. 
Professor Washburn is professor of Entomology at 
the University of Minnesota. This fact of itself is suf¬ 
ficient warranty that the author is master of his subject. 
The work was primarily intended as a text book foi‘ 
agricultural colleges, sufficiently technical to insure 
exactness, and yet intensely practical. 
The copious illustrations make it a splendid work for 
identification of the numerous pests with which the nur¬ 
seryman, farmer and gardener have to contend. 
A brief life history of each pest is given so as to 
enable effectiveness in combatting them. The methods 
of control are practical and are such that everyone can 
understand and apply them. In fact, we would not wish 
for a better work on the shelf to which the farmer, gar¬ 
dener and nurseryman could appeal for information 
when any of his crops are attacked by insects or other 
pests. 
Numerous as the diseases and pests are, it does not 
seem as if it were possible that the author has missed 
any. 
The chapters on birds and mammals form a splendid 
introduction to our friends and helpers in field and gar¬ 
den. The price of the work is $2.00 net. 
The trade will be interested in certain changes that 
have taken place in the Advertising Department of the 
Garden Magazine. 
Mr. J. J. Lane has responded to the Nation’s call and 
joined the anny. His work in the Advertising Depart¬ 
ment of the Garden Magazine is being carried on by 
Mr. Adolph Kruhm, who has been associated with the 
publication for some time past, and who before that was 
well known among the trade, particularly with the 
seedsmen. 
Mr. Kruhm is a seedsman by profession, and was for¬ 
merly associated with Burpee’s and Livingston’s. He 
specializes in horticultural advertising, and has done a 
great deal in his writings to bring about an understand¬ 
ing of the intricacies and simplicities of gardening by 
the average man, especially the amateur. He has re¬ 
cently published an excellent book on “Home Vegetable 
Gardening,” and in his hands horticultural advertising 
in Garden Magazine and Country Life should be well 
taken care of. 
Born June 18th to Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Estabrook, at 
their home in Germantown, Pa., a son, weighing 7^/4 
pounds. Mrs. Estabrook was formerly Miss Dorothy 
Perkins, of Newark, New York, daughter of George C. 
Perkins, and the namesake of the well known and pop¬ 
ular Dorothy Perkins rose. 
