251 
Flowers at Bad Pyrmont in Germany 
Our cover picture this month is of the 
gardens of the Bad Pyrmont, in Germany. 
There are three pictures altogether in this 
issue and we fear we will not do full just- 
ice in our printing on the beauty of the 
prints furnished us. Our object here is to 
draw out the difference in the use of flowers 
and beauty in the surroundings of the baths 
in Germany as compared with ours here. 
It may be claimed that the costs differ 
but this is not exactly correct. While the 
baths (we will take Hot Springs, Ark., as an 
example), are cheap so far as the costs are 
concerned, there is nothing else that can 
be claimed. 
There is no question but that much of 
the benefits derived from the various baths 
are mental and it seems that much stress 
is placed on this point in the German baths 
and at ours practically none are apparent. 
Bad Pyrmont is in northern Germany in 
a climate much the same as Michigan, so 
when you consider the palm garden as 
shown in one of the pictures, you can realize 
the importance they place on this part of 
the cures; all these large palms trees are in 
large containers and of course must be 
moved indoors during the winter! 
Music as well as flowers are a part of 
the treatments and Several acres are given 
cyer to landscaping and the effect that 
beautiful surroundings have mentally on 
those taking the baths. 
My own personal experience in taking 
the baths at Hot Springs is that the rest 
is of as much benefit as the baths themselves 
but after three weeks at Hot Springs, one 
is anxious to get back home. There is 
very little in the line of beautiful surround- 
ings, although many beautiful trees, shrubs 
and flowers can be grown in this section 
and that are new to many northern patients. 
One has to walk up the main street of Hot 
Springs, daily for his bath, pass the cheap 
auction stores, chain stores and other fam- 
iliar places of business he finds home; he 
The Palm Garden at Bad Pyrmont in Northern Germany 
‘takes’ his bath with a few colored attendents 
locking on and then goes back to his room. 
In this busy world of ours where so many 
things occur to upset the mental balance 
of the average person, all the worries, the 
uncertainities, it seems that we, too, should 
gve more attention to beauty and its effect 
on health. 
The Australian Flower Boronia Megastigma 
Boronia megastigma is one of our Aust- 
ralian most distinctive and popular native, 
flowers and is practically the only Boronia 
brought into commercial cultivation, due 
to its most unique, ditinctive and strong 
delicious perfume and also to its compar- 
atively easy cultivation, if reasonable care 
is taken. 
It is a native of the depressions in the Jar- 
rah Forests of south western Australia, an 
area where there is a well distributed rain 
fall. 
It is a small tufted plant, or a tall 
straggling shrub, according whether it is 
grown under conditions of light or shade, 
and is found growing in sandy, light, well 
drained soils of an acid nature. These 
- conditions give us a clue to its preferences. 
If the right conditions are made avail- 
able it is comparatively easy to grow and 
it lives for years, otherwise they are con- 
sidered difficult, and short lived-plants dy- 
ing out for no apparent reasons 
It is considered essential to provide the 
following conditions: Grow the plant in 
light sandy loam soil of an acid nature, 
which must be particularly well drained and 
free from all forms of lime, which they 
strongly resent (as wood ashes). No fresh, 
or artifical manure should be given to them. 
The roots must not on any account be dis- 
turbed in any way and the soil should not 
be dug up around plants. Further, the soil 
should be kept moist during summer and 
other hot spells and should never be allow1- 
ed to dry out Mulch the plants heavily, 
preferably with acid forming materials, 
as leaves, peat tan-bark, etc. This mulching 
By H. H. Craggs, Australia. 
automatically provides many essentials, as it 
normally discourages digging around the 
plants, keeps the roots cool in hot weather, 
provides food for the plant, prevents rapid 
drying out of the soil and keeps it moist 
during the summer. 
These plants. should be ~ grown in well 
sheltered positions and protected from very 
hot and cold winds which are fatal to them. 
Grow in light partial, or semi-shaded posit- 
ions. 
Again these plants must be heavily cut 
back after flowering remove 2/3 of the 
plant immediately flowers begin to fade, 
or as soon as possible afterwards, other 
wise plants are short lived. 
Generally all seeds are hard coated, and if 
so, such should be soaked in hot water for 
about four days (removing hot water each 
night) before sowing. 
Sow seed in light sandy peat loam, about 
3 parts sand to one part leaf mold or peat. 
Keep under shelter and lightly shaded in a 
cool place, temperature around 50 degrees 
Far. is generally recognized as best. When. 
enly 4% inch high, prick out into small pots) 
or tins and keep semi-shaded until grown 
then harden off before transplanting. In 
hot inland districts preferably sow seed 
in autumn, otherwise spring. At all times 
shade and protect seedlings from excessive: 
heat. 
* Few plants survive transplanting if al- 
lowed to grow to any size. Do not trans- 
plant plants that have reached or near 
reached flowering stage. 
It is essential to transplant to permanent 
positions when quite young, and when only 
inches high, and then without disturbing 
roots as much as possible. 
In dry areas it is an advantage to make 
an’ earthern ring approximately 2-3 feet in 
diameter around a plant. Fill this ring to 
a depth of several inches with partially de- 
composed leaves, peat, grass and _ such. 
Hard weed when necessary. To water, part- 
ly fill this earthern ring, say every 10 
days in dry weather. 
Although these plants aree often seen 
and do grow in the open and in heavy soils 
they generally are found to suddenly die 
cut or are short lived. A 
Generally all native plants should be, 
grown as in their natural state, and with 
the exception of desert plants, in semi or 
partial shade of some kind. 
Cypripedium acaule 
By Clair Phillips, Minn. 
I have grown Cypripedium acaule success- 
fully by planting them in soil made up of 
mostly decayed balsam fir needles with just 
a little sand added. Also, in decayed 
peat moss in which there was a large quant- 
ity of spruce and tamarack needles. 
I find many seedlings in the wild where 
the soil conditions are as above. I do 
think that the soil could be rich, provided 
a liberal quantity of evergreen needles or 
decayed acid peat is added. I want to 
experiment with this idea some time. 
My personal opinion is that this species 
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