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RECOMMENDED 
GARDEN BOOKS 
Send All Orders for Books to: 
HARRY FE. SAIER 
Dimondale, Michigan. 
AUSTRALIAN WILD FLOWERS 75¢ 
_ National Handbook 9; 32 pp. 23 illus. (16 
in full color). Melbourne, 1944. Gives 
notes on garden cultivation and _ identifi- 
cation lists of 106 wild flowers. 
PLANTS OF HAWAII NATIONAL PARK 
By Otto Degener Naturalist of Hawaii. 
A book of human interest emphasizing 
the culture of the ancient Hawaiians. As 
many of the plants growing in Hawaii 
grow likewise in other islands of the pac- 
ific and as many of the ancient Hawaiian 
customs are like the customs of present 
inhabitants of other Pacific Islands, this 
book is actually illustrative of plants and 
customs of the South Seas., 333 pgs.,pro- 
fusely illustrated with 101 full-page plates 
and 39 figs; paper cover. $2.50 
NATURALIST’S SOUTH PACIFIC EX- 
PEDITION. Otto Degener. ‘ 
A narrative based on the writer’s stay 
of eight months in the Fiji Islands as a 
member of the Anna Archbold ‘Cheng 
Ho” Expedition, illustrated with photo- 
graphs. $5.00 
VIOLETS for GARDEN and MARKET $2.25. 
79 pp., 13 pp. plates (5 in color) 8vo, 
cloth. (1950) New, in dust wrapper. 
A delightful little book covering the cul- 
ture of Violets. Mrs. Zambra writes as 
an expert as she and her husband have 
grown Violets commercially for many 
years. The last chapter is of interest to 
those looking for old fashioned recipes. 
She tellls how to make Violet syrup, honey 
of Violets, conserve of Violets and many 
other recipes. 
ROSES IN COLOR and CULTIVATION. 
T. C. Mansfield. 261 pp. of text, 80 color 
plates. 37 figures. Cr. 8vo, cloth, (1947) 
London, New, in dust wrappers. $5.00 
This book lists most of the roses now 
in cultivation (to 1947). Many are pict- 
ured in color. There are cultural notes, 
and long lists and descriptions of the 
varieties. 
CACTUS GROWING FOR BEGINNERS. 
V. Higgins and H. T. Marrable. 84 pp. 12 
pp. plates., 12mo, boards. London (1947) 
New. $1.00 
Clear concise directions for raising cact- 
us indoors in pots for beginners. 
THE GARDEN OF PLEASANT FLOWERS. 
E. G. Wheelwright. 190 pp., 7 pp. plates. 
12mo, cloih. London (1948). 51.75 
Mrs. Wheelwright takes us through the 
English garden at it’s best. A charming- 
ly written book, with intimate accounts 
of the plants in the garden. Very good 
garden advice, especially on unusual plants. 
AZALEAS and CAMELLIAS $1.73 
H. H. Hume. 86 pp.. of text, colored 
frontis, 6 pp. plates. 12 mo. cloth. New 
York, 1946. 
This is an older book by Mr. Hume, 
who has now written seperate books on 
Azaleas and Camellias. However, for those 
who do not wish to specialize. but who 
are looking for general cultural inform- 
ation, this little volumn can be of great 
value. 
CORSAGE CRAFT. $3.50 
G. Reusch and M. Noble. 148 pp. pro- 
fusely illus. 8vo, cloth. New York, 1951. 
For those who wish to learn the fund- 
amentals of corsage making, this book 
is ideal. Complete pictured instructions 
are given, plus many pictures of completed 
corsages to give one inspiration in design- 
ing corsages of one’s own. 
HORTICULTURAL COLOR CHART. $10.00 
This is the Horticultural Color Chart 
published jointly by the Royal Horticul- 
Council. The individual charts in two 
cloth cases. (2 vols.) 
A B.C. of the GREENHOUSE $1.50 
Shewell-Cooper, 320 pp., 4 col. plates 
9 gravure plates, 27 line illus. 12mo, cloth. 
London, 1949. 
A.B.C. of ROCK GARDEN and POOL $1.50 
Shewell-Cooper. 204 pp. illus. London 
1949. Quite comprehensive for its size, this 
book lists many plants usable for rock 
gardens and for pools. Gives cultural hints 
and tells you how to construct rock gard- 
ens and pools. 
PROPAGATION of HARDY TREES and 
SHRUBS. $1.75 
G. M. Taylor. 107 pp. 8 pp plates, Oxford, 
1947. 
A book designed to meet the needs of 
the amateur. Tells how to make cuttings, 
layers, grafting, etc. What shrubs and 
trees can be propagated from seed and 
how best to treat the seed in order to 
obtain the best results 
POPULAR ORCHID GROWING. $1.75 
This is of special interest to the amateur 
Orchid grower and covers the growing of 
these flowers completely. A more com- 
plete description will be given in the next 
book listing. 
SEED and POTTING COMPOSTS. $1.75 
By Lawrence and Newell. Rev. 4th edit- 
ion, 160 pp., 30 figs.. 122mo., cloth. London, 
1950. New in dust wrappers. 
The authors are the developers of the 
standardized John Innes composts. Their 
book shows how those remarkable com- 
posts save time, reduce the hazards of 
raising difficult plants from seed and simp- 
lify proper potting on the seedlings or cut- 
tings to maturity. Complete formulas and 
methods of preparation are given. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 
YEAR BOOKS. 
We can supply copies of the RHODO- 
DENDORN YEAR-BOOK; the DAFFODIL 
and TULIP YEAR-BOOK and the LILY 
YEAR-BOOK. (1951-52) Each $2.40 
It will take about six weeks for delivery. 
THE GARDEN FRAME. $1.59 
184 pp. 8 pp plates, 38 figs in text, London 
1947). ; 
eae start plants in the frame, winter- 
ing over, and all those problems connected 
with protecting plants and getting them 
started while thhe weather is still chilly. 
THE CACTUS GROWERS GUIDE. $1.75 
The knowledge and advice which Mrs. 
Higgns gives in this volumn, is backed by 
20 years experience in Cactus growing. 
Besides complete cultural notes, Mrs. Hig- 
gins gives a clear account of the relation- 
ship between various kinds of Cacti and 
Succulents and explains in simple lang- 
uage how these plants are classified. 
——_————— 
LIEBIG ON FOODS 
In one of Liebig’s books, he makes the 
statement, “Although many animals are en- 
tirely carnivorous, yet their primary nutri- 
ment must be derived from plants; for the 
animals upon which they subsist receive 
their nourishment from vegetable matter 
But plants find new nutritive material only 
in inorganic substances. Hence, one great 
end of vegetable life is to generate matter 
adapted for the nutrition of animals out of 
inorganic substances, which are not fitted 
for this purpose.” 
Thus, the fact that plants are primarily 
interested, so to speak, in transforming 
inorganic matter into compounds that are 
digestable by humans and animals, it seems 
that the matter of fertilizers is very import- 
ant. 
Food raised in your own garlen, where 
you can keep a well balanced soil and that 
is full of soil bacteria, will produce a food 
that will be more beneficial to health than 
many of the commercial foods commonly 
sold these days. 
263 
Excess of Salts 
in the Soil 
It is not uncommon to hear growers say 
their soil gets hard and plants are yellowish. 
This problem is usually found in green- 
house soils and in frames or garden beds 
that have received a similiar care as is 
given in the greenhouse. 
A test of these soils show an excess of 
salts. A very hard water will deposit large 
amounts of sulfates, carbonates and cal- 
cium while chemical fertilizers add nitrates 
and potash and to these two causes can be 
added the possibility of the soil being natur- 
ally “saline” and heavy in salts to start 
with. The latter cause makes it necessary 
to abandon this type of soil. A change in 
water, using rain or soft water and also 
using less chemical fertilizer. 
Working these soils up so as to leach, 
them is about the only thing that can be 
done. This is one of the advantages of 
making your potting soils for 1953 up now 
and by turning the pile over once or twice 
during the year, much excess salts will be 
eliminated, to say nothing about many other 
advantages gained. 
AN OLD EXPERIMENT 
Away back in 1845, there occured a pot- 
ato disease in Germany that we now know 
as the potato blight. Probably it was not 
a new disease, even then, but never the less 
it came upon them much like some of our 
“new” diseases and the people were not 
prepared with a remedy. One of the ex- 
periments worked out by the various experts 
they then had, seems to have a suggestion 
that would be of interest today and the 
writer intends trying it out in 1953 on his 
potatos. 
A Dr. Klotzsch made experiments on the 
pruning of the potato leaf. His method was 
to pinch off about half an inch from each 
stem, when the plani was 6-9 inches high, 
or during the 5th, 6th and 7th week after 
planting. 
His purpose was: (1) to increase the pow- 
er in the roots and (2) to check the trans- 
formation which occurs in the leaf. 
He says, “The consequence of this check 
to the development of the stem and branch- 
es, is a stimulous to the nutrient matter in 
the plant in the direction of the increase, 
both of roots and of the multiplication of 
the branches of the stem above ground, 
which not only favors the power of the 
root, but also strengthens the leaves and 
stalks to such a degree, that the matters 
prepared by the physiological action of 
these parts are increased and applied to the 
formation of tubers, while at the same time 
the direction of the sun’s rays on the soil is 
prevented by the thick foliage and thus, the 
drying up of the soil and its injurious con- 
sequenses are avoided.” 
By his treatment his yields as well as 
freedom from disease, were so much better 
over the unpruned plants that he was award- 
ed some $2,000 by the government. 
Our point here is mainly to suggest that 
those having small potatoe plantings this 
coming season, that they prune one row 
and check the results. Your experience will 
be of interest. 
What’s the use of knowing so much, when 
so much you know ain’t so. Josh Billings. 
Subscription price only $2.00 for 12 issues. 
