Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

Text from Pages 1 - 108 of the 1929 volume:

THE NEW DORMITORY WISE-ACRES VOLUME VIII 19 29 Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women Ambler, Pennsylvania M TO MISS L. K. HERRING Who, in years of pleasant association, has taught us to know plants with our hearts as well as our minds Table of Contents Board of Directors.................. Faculty ............................ Wise-Acres Staff.................... Seniors ............................ Undergraduates .............. ...... The New Dormitory.................... Making Our Wild Flowers Feel at Home Our Jersey Herd.......... ... Development of the Shasta Daisy Flowering Trees and Shrubs . . A City Garden................ History of the Pansy Pansies.................. All the Year in the Wild Garden Plant Hybridizing ........... To Bee or not to Bee Flowers For the Sick Room Our Vanishing Wild Flowers Planting Plans in Relation to Design ,$3.0.09 Ora Meadow Garden Louise Bush-Broum Helen Hebard and Elizabeth Ridgway . Martha Walter Bryant . Mary K. Piercy L. K. Herring...... . Auxlrey Hedge . ... Theresa Schindler Clara J. Simendinger Gisela A. Grimm . Leora Seeber ..... Joan Hogg.......... Edith Chambers George B. Kaiser Mrs. George Robbins E. Pauline Leibert Elizabeth Ackroyd Diary .............................. The Use of Lime Harold E. Davis Roses for Forcing . . Christina Kersey Intimate Glimpses ...........r.. . . . Raising Chickens in Confinement Rejuvenating the Old Apple Tree Some Bog Plants of the Jersey Pines The Diversification of Iris Some Helpful Gardening Books Boxwood................ As One Junior Sees It . The Cotswold Villages........... The Native Lilies of Oregon Alumnae Notes ............ Marian Baldwin Margaret A. Trimble Cicely C. Browne Elizabeth C. White . Clara Reed ........ L. K. Herring . Louise Bush-Bro wn Lois Woodward . Jaynes Bush-Bro wn .Julia E. Clark 7 8 9 10 14 15 17 21 23 24 28 29 33 35 39 41 45 47 49 52 55 56 60 61 63 66 70 73 76 78 84 87 89 92 Board of Directors—1929 President Miss Jane B. I-Iaines.............. . Germantown, Pa. Vice-Pres id ents Mr. Arthur Shrigley..................... Mrs. Frederick E. Stockwell Miss Jane Righter..................... Philadelphia, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. Greenwich, Conn. Miss Hilda Justice Secretary Chestnut Hill, Pa. T rea surer Mr. Edward M. Cheston............................... Ambler, Pa. Mrs. John Hampton Barnes MISS EM M A BLAKISTON Mrs. Benjamin Bullock Mrs. James Bush-Brown Mrs. C. Reed Cary Mrs. Charles Day........ Mrs. Carper W. Hacker Mrs. George L. Harrison Mrs. Joseph Head . . Miss Frances E. McIlvaine Mrs. Otiimar K. Marti Mrs. John S. Newbold Mr. George W. Norris Mrs. Robert H. Page Mrs. George Robbins Miss E. P. Stewardson Mrs. Edward A. Waters Miss Mary F. Wright Devon, Pa. Fort Washington, Pa. ..........Ardmore, Pa. ... ......Ambler, Pa. Germantown, Pa. . . . . Chestnut Hill, Pa. Bryn Mawr, Pa. . . St. David’s, Pa. Chestnut Hill, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. Haddonfield, N. J. Jenkintown, Pa. Philadelphia, Pa. ........Paoli, Pa. Ambler, Pa. Chestnut Hill, Pa. Woodmont, Pa. .... Ambler, Pa. Wise-Acres •M8' Faculty MRS. JAMES BUSH-BROWN, Director Horace Mann School, Teacher's College; Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women; George Peabody College. Subjects—Farm Crops, Farm Animals, Farm Management, Rural Economy. ♦MISS L. K. HERRING, Assistant Director Graduate of Swan ley College of Horticulture, England; National Diploma in Horticulture; B.Sc. University of London, Royal Horticultural Society, England. Subjects—Floriculture, Trees and Shrubs, Entomology, School Gardening, Greenhouse Construction. MISS THERESA SCHINDLER B.A. Mount Holyoke; M.S. and Ph.D. Cornell University. Subject—Floriculture. MR. HAROLD E. DAVIS B.Sc. Pennsylvania State College. Subjects—Fruit Growing, Vegetable Gardening, Soils, Bee Keeping MR. GEORGE KAISER University of Pennsylvania. Subjects—Botany, Woody Ornamentals. MR. JAMES BUSH-BROWN University of Pennsylvania, Harvard School of Landscape Architecture. Subject—Landscape Design. MR. H. GLEASON MATTOON B.Sc. Massachusetts Agricultural College. Subject—Trees and Shrubs. MR. R. G. SCHMIEDER Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Subject—Entomology. MRS. ELSIE SCHEDIN Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Columbia. Su b j ect—Po u ltry. MR. GEORGE H. WIRT Chief Forest Fire Warden of Pennsylvania. Subject—Farm Forestry. STAFF MISS KATHERINE E. BARBER, Matron MISS A DELE WALKER, Secretary ‘September to March. 41 School of Horticulture Wise-Acres Staff Editor Elizabeth Ridgway Assistant Editor Leora Seeber Literary Editor Cicely Browne Assistant Literary Editor Penelope Roberts Photograph Editor Mildred Hottle Assistant Photograph Editor An ABEL Jova Art Editor Martha Ludes Business Manager Idella Krause Assistant Business Manager Clara Reed School oj Horticulture SENIORS MARTHA WALTER BRYANT Carrsville, Virginia “Mike” After graduating from Carrsville High School in 1926, Mike attended Westhampton College, University of Richmond. In September, 1927, she entered the School of Horticulture. Poultry raising has been her great interest and she is most competent both in poultry work and in dairy management. Some day she will have her own poultry and dairy farm. GISELA ADELE GRIMM 238 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg “Gee” Time: June, 1927. Place: Gettysburg College. Scene: Commencement. Gisela received her Bachelor of Arts degree. Her care of the Woodland Garden and her interest in native plants is great. She spends hours pulling couch-grass so that her Aquilegias and Trilliums and Merten-sia will not be swamped. Some day she wishes to hybridize and experiment with native plants. Wise-Acres. JOAN HOGG Invercargill, New Zealand “Piglet” After attending Archerfield College, Dunedin, New Zealand, Piglet served a four and a half year apprenticeship in the Dunedin Botan-nical Gardens. She spent six months working with an apiarist. Her project is forcing flowers— annuals in the greenhouse. Two years, and we travel to New Zealand to And Piglet managing her own greenhouse and selling cut flowers to an exclusive clientele. MILDRED IIOTTLE 437 Hansberry Street Germantown, Pennsylvania “Jerry” Jerry graduated from Germantown High School and then did stenographic work for a year and a half. When she isn’t painting cactuses with a toothbrush she is working on her “Landscape.” Her desire is to enter a Landscape office. E. PAULINE LEIBERT 421 North New Street Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ‘‘Polly” After graduating from Wheaton College, Norton, Mass., in 1924, Polly taught a year and then was a laboratory technician for two years. Much of her time here is spent in the water garden with some time out for caressing inquisitive cows. She is also interested in the Rock Garden and spends tender care on Delphiniums. Soon she hopes to start her own nursery. I Vise-Acres ROSALIND VAN REWEN LINSON Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey In 1927 Westhampton College, University of Richmond, handed Rosalind her sheepskin. The passing motorist is apt to have the rare privilege of seeing Rosalind and her companion mud turtle wading around a so-called water garden or massaging a cow. Native plants in the Woodland Path have a fascination for her. After graduation she desires a situation with a firm of landscape architects—“I don’t care what or how,” says she! LUCILE ELIZABETH PORTER Alma, Nebraska “Lucile” Alma High School, experience as a bookkeeper and work in the School of Horticulture have made our “Lucile” a meticulous botanist and horticulturalist. There is no inch of space —no plant in the Rock Garden whose pedigree is unknown to her. Her interest in growing novelty annuals and perennials is also keen. She chooses that enticing work, and the making of planting plans and the after care of gardens. CLARA ELIZABETH REED Cortland, New York “Clarie” Clara graduated from Cortland High School and came here to improve her technique. She has accomplished a colossal piece of work in her Iris classification. She cared for her bulbs assiduously and there is little concerning propagation of perennials that she does not know. She is deeply interested in Commercial Floriculture and desires to have her own nursery and greenhouse. m 12� School oj Horticulture ELIZABETH POWELL RIDGWAY Mickleton, New Jersey “Betty” Betty graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls in June, 1927. Then came hard work at the School of Horticulture in September. Her principal interest is the growing of native plants requiring acid soil. She reigns supreme over a section in the WoodLand Path and even delves into bog plants whose tastes are acid. She hopes to be a consultant horticulturist. PENELOPE ROBERTS 137 West Twelfth Street New York City “Penny” Penny left Berkley Institute, New York City, to come to us. She is intensely interested in Landscape design and wishes to work with a Landscape firm. CLARA J. SIMENDINGER 144 Meadow Lane New Rochelle, New York “Rosebud” “Rosebud” graduated from the New Rochelle High School in June, 1927. Since then she has shown a great deal of interest in the forcing of cut flowers. This is only natural as she hopes to have her own nursery, greenhouse and florist shop after her graduation here. Cl 13 Undergraduates Front Row—Helen Ernst, Martha Lucies, Leora Seeber, Margaret Hazel, Mary Louise Davidson, Mollie Bunting. Second Row—Edith Chambers, Margaret Dawson, Elizabeth Ackroyd, Mary Piercy, Dorothy Atkins, Cicely Browne. Third Row—Anabel Jova, Christina Kersey, Gertraud Vieser, Virginia Leidenroth, Amy Pearce. Fourth Row—Marion Baldwin, Lois Woodward, Idella Krause, Audrey Hedge. B The New Dormitory Louise Bush-Brown The new dormitory which has been so long a dream of the future has become a reality. During the autumn of 1927 a committee was organized for the purpose of raising funds for the new building. An extensive survey of the School was made by the John Price Jones Corporation in order to determine, to some extent, the policy of future expansion, and after several months of preliminary work the active campaign was launched in the spring of 1928, under the able leadership of Mrs. John Hampton Barnes and Mrs. George L. Harrison, Jr. The members of the various Garden Clubs in the vicinity of Philadelphia and the many friends of the School responded most generously to the appeal for funds. Individual contributions ranged from one dollar to ten thousand dollars and by the first of July the sum of about seventy thousand was in hand. It was therefore decided to let the contract for the building, and on Commencement Day, July the 20th, 1928, ground was broken. At the close of the Commencement exercises everyone gathered upon the hill above the garden and after a few brief words Miss Haines, the President of the Board of Directors, turned the first spade-ful of earth. It was, indeed, a memorable occasion in the history of the School. During the months that followed, the Committee for Raising Funds Wise-Acres •♦+a ■■ ■ ■ worked zealously on in order to reach the desired goal, and those of us at the School watched with increasing interest the progress of the construction. The excavation of the cellar was begun on August the third and by the first of November the walls of the building were up and the shingling of the roof completed. Then came the exciting evening when the room charts were spread out on the big table in the class room and everyone drew for choice, Seniors drawing first and Juniors next. The contractors had promised that all workmen would be out of the building by Friday, March the first, and it was announced that on the following day students were to move their personal possessions to their new rooms. And such a day as it turned out to be! Cold and cheerless with a bleak drizzle turning into a wet, sloppy snow—one of the most utterly unpleasant days of the whole winter over-head and under-foot. The terrible condition of the road made it impossible to get anywhere near the building with a car and consequently the farm wagon and the two grays were pressed into service, along with old Jackson and the dump cart. It is, indeed, a pity that no one had time to take a snap-shot or two of the procession which passed back and forth that morning between the old dormitory and the new, but the scene is indelibly impressed upon the minds of those who witnessed it. The farm wagon piled high with bureaus, tables and chairs, the dump cart filled with everything from victrolas to typewriters, laundry baskets laden with the contents of closet shelves— such an orgy of moving as we had! By the middle of the afternoon, however, the old dormitory had been practically cleared and the students departed for the spring holidays. But for those who remained at School the process of moving continued for most of the following week and it seemed as if we would never come to the last pot and pan in the kitchen, the last bunch of catalogues in the office. By the time School opened after the holidays, however, we had begun to bring order out of chaos, and at length we were really settled. When one pauses to consider how much thought and effort have gone into the raising of the funds and the building and furnishing of the new dormitory, one cannot but feel a great debt of gratitude to those who have had such unfailing faith and have worked so earnestly for the benefit of the School. And surely we who are privileged to enjoy the results of their labors must do our utmost to justify their faith in Ambler. m i6 n School of Horticulture — — Making Our Wild Flowers Feel at Home Helen I lebard and Elizabeth Kid gw ay How often when roaming in the woods do you see a delicate flower and think how delightful it would be if it would only grow at home; and how often do you uproot this poor foundling and carry it home, only to have to die in unfamiliar surroundings? Most wildings are even more particular about their conditions than are garden flowers, and every care should be taken to supply their exact needs if you attempt to grow them. There is little material available on this subject, since interest in it is comparatively new. Mr. Durand is the only one I know of who treats it extensively. His books, “Wild Flowers and Ferns in Their Homes and in Our Gardens” (formerly published under the title, “Taming the Wild-lings”) and “My Wild Flower Garden” are both full of valuable material for those interested in this work. Dr. Wherry, of the United States Department of Agriculture, has made an extensive survey of soil reaction and has published an excellent bulletin on the subject (Soil Reaction in Relation to Horticulture—Bulletin Four of the American Horticultural Society, published May, 1926), which may still be available. This pamphlet contains a list of plants with their soil preferences, as well as much information on soil reaction. “The Book of Shrubs,” by Alfred Hottes, contains many facts which might be applied to wild flowers as well as shrubs. Some pointers might be gleaned also from the current books on rock gardening and from Gray and other botanical books. Then there are always the catalogues, whose enchanted pages can arouse the frenzy of the most languid gardener. Firms which deal especially in native plants, as Robbins, and Purdy, give some cultural directions in their catalogues, which may be followed. Aside from these sources, you have your own observation to guide you. A careful study of a plant’s natural surroundings may reveal its secret to you. Probably the most important things to notice are the neighboring trees. Oaks, hemlocks and others create an acid soil by the decay of their foliage. Other plants, as Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Kalmias may be accepted as an indicator of acid soil, as they will not thrive in any other type. Peaty bogs are essentially acid in reaction, and the familiar red cedar (Juniperus viryiniana) is another indication of acidity. Wherever more accurate knowledge is desirable soil should be taken from near the roots of a thriving specimen and tested by one of the methods described below. After soil reaction, probably the most important thing is soil texture; the shale of an outcropping ledge, the deep Wise-Acres •♦♦a • — ■ ■ humus of the woods and the sand of the barrens all have their characteristic inhabitants. The proper amount of sun or shade is also important if plants are to do their best. It is desirable to test soil, not only to determine a plant’s preferences, but also in the effort to satisfy that preference under artificial conditions. Several methods have been developed for testing the soil, which are suitable for this work. The sample to be tested should be carefully selected. If the test is to cover more than one spot, a portion of soil should be taken from various parts of the area, and the samples thoroughly mixed together before the test is made. The simplest test is made by the use of litmus paper, but this method cannot be accurate. In Dr. Wherry’s pamphlet, mentioned above, a Single Indicator method made by the use of bromo-cresol purple is described, the outfit for which may be secured from the Wild Flower Preservation Society. From this has been evolved the more accurate Multiple Indicator method. Bulletin 312 of Wisconsin Experiment Station describes the Truog Test, which is especially arranged for field use. The test set put out by the LaMotte Chemical Company, of Baltimore, is one of the simplest, and only takes a few minutes to operate. They also furnish a booklet which gives a valuable list of plants with their preferences. Another test is called the Kenney Indicator Field Set; there are also other sets put out by the various State Colleges. Having determined the plant’s preference in soil, it is necessary to produce artificial conditions as near the natural ones as possible. Where acid conditions are desirable, avoid a situation which has been recently limed, or fertilized with bone meal, wood ashes or manure, and especially avoid regions of limestone rock. To be sure that the soil has the proper reaction, it is best to test it by one of the methods previously mentioned. If the ground proves to be neutral or alkaline, there are a number of methods which may be employed to acidify it. The addition of peat moss or upland peat, which is formed by the decomposition of organic matter under acid conditions, is an excellent material to dig into (he soil. (Avoid the light peat imported from Europe, as it contains very little humus.) Decayed oak leaves may be applied in large quantities if they are available. Spent tan-bark and hard wood sawdust are also used sometimes. Both should be used with caution until the value of the available type is ascertained. Sawdust from certain trees—as pines— may be injurious when fresh. Both of these are best applied as a surface mulch. All these materials have the added value of increasing the humus supply in the soil, which is so often deficient under artificial conditions. Aluminum sulphate is a white powder which has an irritating habit of finding its way into the nose and throat but it is most valuable where extremely acid soil is desired. This may be applied at rates varying School of Horticulture ♦+n —� ■ from one quarter of a pound to three pounds per square yard, according to the degree of acidity desired, and the directions you happen to be following. Scatter it evenly over the surface of the ground and allow it to leach in. Hemlock extract and commercial tannic acid are both recommended at the rate of one part to fifty parts of water. Also sulphur dug into the soil is reputed to acidify it gradually. Where peat moss or other organic agents are available they are preferred because of the beneficial effect on the texture of the soil. Where expensive hauling makes these prohibitive, or when the acid thus applied becomes spent, aluminum sulphate and the others are valuable. Where some kind of fertilizer is desirable for acid soil plants, as in the case of Rhododendrons and other Ericaceous shrubs, ammonium sulphate, skimmed milk or buttermilk may be used as nitrogen carriers. Acid phosphate and sulphate of potash may be used to supply the other plant food requirements necessary. Care should be taken to balance the elements properly: a mixture of ten pounds cottonseed meal, four pounds acid phosphate, and two pounds of sulphate of potash at the rate of one eighth to one quarter of a pound is suggested by Mr. Hottes. When watering Ericaceous plants, and others which like acid soil, avoid the use of hard water, as it contains lime. If no other kind is available, one-half pound of aluminum sulphate may be dissolved in forty gallons of water to counteract the effect. In dealing with wild flowers, we rarely have difficulty with too acid soil, but if such an occasion should arise, there is always our old friend lime. If use of this would be too radical, the slower acting bone meal might be applied. If it is to be a woodland garden, and the soil is not already rich in humus, peat moss or partially decayed leaves will improve it wonderfully. Where the soil is heavy clay, sand should be dug in for most plants. Try to give each plant its natural place—in sun or shade; high or low, well drained or boggy ground; acid or neutral soil. If you succeed in doing this, plants cannot help but thrive. A set of terms to apply to various degrees of soil acidity has been developed which make it easy to divide the plant material into groups which require about the same care. The most acid group is referred to as Superacid (pH3.1—4.0). Sphagnum moss is about the only thing that will grow in this type of soil. Arbutus (Epigaea repens) thrives in Mediacidsoil (pH4.0—5.0), which is sometimes more popularly referred to as C. Most of our upland woods, as well as much of our meadows and marshes are Subacid (pH 5.0—6.0). Azaleas and Rhododendrons like soil of this type which is often termed B. Minimacid (pH 6.0—7.0) or A. soil is found in meado vs and w oods of limestone regions, and in gardens under standard cultivation. Only on limestone ledges, piles of manure and woods wrhere there is an accumulation of black leaf-mold is 19 Us Wise-Acres •♦«■■■ ■ - • —:gf- the soil Minimalkaline (pH 7.0—8.0). Circumneutral is the term generally applied to the two latter groups. Some of the loveliest flowers belong to group C. The moccasin flower (Cypripedium acaule) may be found either in hilly situations among dry pine needles, or in bogs among sphagnum moss. Linnaea borealis has fragile white flowers which are lined with pink. It is quite a hardy little plant, and forms a dainty contrast to its more robust looking neighbors. Iris verna, a dwarf species, is very attractive, and takes a sandy soil mixed with pine needles and oak leaves. Most wild flowers belong to group B., but only a few can be mentioned here. Viola pedata is a dainty little flower with its two upper petals lavender and three lower ones white in the bicolor form, while the type is solid lavender. Clintonia borealis has lovely blue berries, but unfortunately it is rather difficult to transplant. It likes moist places best. Most azaleas do well, and they always give a bright touch, enlivening the scene with their flowers in spring, while their foliage remains a glossy green until the fall. If by any chance a stream runs through the spot you are planting, the pink chelone (Chelone lyoni) or possibly the white one (Chelone r labra) would be an addition, as they bloom quite late, during August and September. And last, but far from least, if the Habenaria funbriata could be induced to grow you would have a treat. The flower spike varies from four to seven inches in length, and it is about two inches through. It is a lovely delicate purple which may vary from a very deep tone to a milky white. It is sweet scented, and on coming upon them suddenly one’s breath is fairly taken away, so perfect is their loveliness. One of the few wild flowers belonging to group A is Trillium (jrandiflorum. It is a lovely spring flower well worth cultivating. These are only a few of the plants which may brighten your garden if you have the patience and love to humor each one’s individual needs. € 20 B Our Jersey Herd Martha Walter Bryant To the left of our gardens and down a little slope we find an old stone barn. Red sheds are attached to both sides, and there is one at the end. A quaint little house is built away to the right, which serves as a milk house. This little group of so-called barns, sheds and quaint house is enclosed by a yard most naturally called a barn yard. It is not the group of buildings that I am particularly interested in, but the Jersey cows that are housed, fed and cared for inside. First I want to give credit to Financial’s Fairy Pet Martha. Martha is the mother of four daughters in our herd. She is six years old, and can well boast of her record during the past nine months that she has been fresh. We owe the fact to Martha that her good qualities have been passed on to her daughters. Fauvic’s Fairy Fern, Martha’s eldest daughter, is now the mother of the future sire of our herd—Fauvic’s Gamboge Trinity—sired by Sibil’s Gamboge Trinity. Fern is making a record which assures us that we have been wise in choosing her son for the herd sire. Fauvic’s Fern Maid Marion, full sister of Fern, has been fresh since April 22, 1928. This being her first year, she has not scored as her mother and sister, but is giving credit to her age. Raleigh’s Good Queen Bess and Lady Jane Grey are two younger daughters of Martha. We hope to have them step into the same high place that their mother and sisters occupy. We have another individual—in our herd—Golden Maid’s Gala Primrose, whose record has caught our eye: Wise-Acres •♦4SI YEAR’S RECORD (Age 10) Lbs. Milk Lbs. Fat Average (' ) Test Jan. 16-Feb. 1 532.9 32.5 6.1 February 1118.8 68.2 6.1 March ... 1136.3 63.6 5.6 April 1002.9 61.1 6.1 May . . 1062.5 57.3 5.4 June 954.6 55.3 5.8 July 780.1 42.9 5.5 August 664.0 36.5 5.5 September 539.1 34.0 6.3 October 581.4 37.8 6.5 November 470.9 31.0 6.6 December 426.4 27.7 6.5 Total 9269.9 547.9 6.0 Besides this record, Primrose has given us two daughters, Fauvic’s Noble Flo, sired by Fauvic’s Fern Noble, and Tinker Bell, sired by You’ll Do’s Young Count. Golden Tycoon’s Wonderheart was fresh January 21, 1929. She has started her record for the year with a 5' butterfat test. Wonder-heart has given us Heart of Gold, sired by You’ll Do’s Young Count. This offspring will be fresh in the fall, being bred to Sybil’s Gamboge Trinity. For the most part we raise our own feed. Corn and oats are sown on the farm and ground to feed the Jerseys. Cottonseed oil meal, linseed oil meal and gluten feed are bought to make the following ration: 300 lbs. corn 200 lbs. oats 200 lbs. cottonseed oil meal 100 lbs. linseed oil meal 100 lbs. gluten feed The herd is not large enough to make it profitable to run a silo, so mangels are planted every spring to supply the winter succulent. In summer the cows are turned on pasture. There is always a small acreage planted to corn, oats and field peas to be fed green to the cows to give a change from the summer dry condition of a pasture. Now that we know the correct name and the merits of each cow, and are fully aware that feed is both purchased and produced on the farm for their welfare, let us follow them through one day’s program and see what happens: Cf 22 School oj Horticulture - -------------------------------------------------- A.M. 5.30— Barn cleaned in preparation for milking 5.45— Both cows and young stock fed according to the milk production of cows and age of young stock 6.00— Cows milked 7.00— Milk cooled and put in cans and bottles for various delighted customers 7.15— In winter cows are fed hay. In summer go to pasture P.M. 4.30— Barn prepared for milking 4.45— Stock fed 5.00— Evening milking 6.00— Milk placed in cooler to wait for morning 6.15— Cows fed and bedded for the night Development of the Shasta Daisy Mary K. Picrcy The bright warming sun of a summer’s morning was casting its rays over the hills and flooding with warmth the valleys of Lancaster, Massachusetts. On a woodsy incline, sloping away from a rather complacent--looking house, a boy was kneeling on the ground examining a cluster of daisies. Perhaps you wonder why a lively boy should stop in his play to examine so common a plant as our hardy American daisy. But to this lad, Luther Burbank, whose pets were plants, not animals, we owe the development of that beautiful pure white flower called the Shasta Daisy. With an eye trained to variations in plant texture and coloring, Burbank could detect the most desirable qualities to be found in each of three types of daisies. These three types represent the three countries of England, Japan and the United States. The English daisy was singled out because of its remarkable size, while from the Japanese daisy, famed for its purity of color, was derived the whiteness of the Shasta. The common moon-penny daisy of United States contributed hardiness and profusion of bloom. Taking the pollen first from the English daisy, Burbank conveyed it on his watch crystal to the American daisy. Then followed a period of waiting for the two united flowers to ripen their seed. Next he carried pollen from the Japanese daisy to the new seedlings. From these he gathered the best seed, continuing for several years, until about 100,000 seedlings were collected in a space of about ten feet. Then when large Wise-Acres •♦+ ---- — ■ = :♦♦• enough they were transplanted outdoors for further development. All the time Burbank was protecting the plants from worms and diseases. For six months he observed these flowers, noticing the stems, leaves and bloom. There might be a stalk with a graceful flower head, but its color would not be a pure white, or an intensely white flower on a scrubby stalk. Thus from selection only the few that came nearest Burbank’s ideal were saved. For eight years Burbank worked patiently on. In spite of the fact that there were many measuring two feet in circumference and seven inches from tip to tip of petal, only the medium-sized plants were saved for seed, for Burbank’s purpose was to develop a daisy which would do well in all soils and climates; in Florida, Greenland and Italy. Thus we now have a daisy that will thrive north of the Arctic Circle and south to the Equator, bearing an abundance of pure white flowers on tall stems, the flowers being three to six inches in diameter with a large golden center. Burbank, in creating the Shasta, has produced a plant that will not seed itself; thus the bad habit of spreading which was characteristic of the daisy has been expelled. The Shasta, because of its size and blooming period lasting from five to seven months of the year, has become a rival for the chrysanthemum. As a result the Shasta is listed in many catalogues of seedsmen as Chrysanthemum maximum. The Shasta has been developed in three strains: the Westralia, Alaska and California. Burbank derived the name for this daisy from a snowy peak in northern California, called Shasta because of its whiteness. Flowering Trees and Shrubs L. K. Herring One of the great joys of American gardens is the wealth of blossom on flowering trees and shrubs in spring. After the long dead winter the bare twigs waken into life and beauty, giving an intensity of pleasure beyond expression in words. A drive through Chestnut Hill, a visit to the Morris estate, or, better still, to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, is a joy and also an education. A great many genera and species have been gathered together from all parts of the world to enrich these gardens, Mr. Wilson of the Arboretum having introduced a great number of shrubs from China into America, while others come from Japan or Europe. The winters in Northern United States are severe, but the strong gtj School o] Horticulture sunshine in summer seems to ripen the wood well, so that it can stand the frost and produce abundant flowers, whereas in warmer climes the wood is soft and winter-kills, or else does not flower so freely. I would not suggest that the same holds true of other flowering shrubs. We in England grow species of Cytisus, Berberis, Ceanothus, etc., that die here, and nothing could be more beautiful than some of our flowering trees and shrubs, but our joys are scattered over a longer period and are not quite so intoxicating. First and foremost, I think, stands the Flowering Dogwood, Cornua florida with its masses of white blossoms, which later give place to clusters of red berries. My first acquaintance with this shrub was at Kew Gardens, London, many years ago. There were four blossoms on it, naturally giving no idea of its real beauty. The pink form of the dogwood, C. . rubra, now grown in gardens is very lovely, and the leaves of both forms turn a beautiful red in autumn. The white one can be propagated from seeds. Sow one inch deep in fall, and just before the ground freezes cover with a heavy mulch of leaves, in fact, treat them as nature does. Another method is to stratify the seeds in sand over the winter and sow in the spring. Dogwoods transplant badly and should be moved carefully when young, in the spring. The Lilacs (Syringa), do not flourish so well here, but are still worth growing. They are so often allowed to get tall and straggly, so that the flowers are too high up to be seen from the ground. If the shoots are cut back every year directly after flowering, to a joint or bud, the bushes can be kept dwarf and compact without loss of future flower. I have often cut back large limbs, one to two inches in diameter, to a good branch, quite successfully, gradually getting the bush back to a more dwarf shape. At the Arnold Arboretum, in 1926, all the lilacs were cut to the ground, as they were getting too tall. In May, 1927, when I saw them, they were growing from the base and some were flowering, and I heard that in 1928 they had grown and flowered well, but I did not see them myself. Hedges can be made of lilac if it is pruned once a year, immediately after the flowers are shabby, and so treated they bloom every year. Keep dead heads cut off arid syringe in February or early March with an oil spray to check oyster scale. There are a great many species of Viburnum which are not at all difficult to grow. The flowers are cream or white, and many of them are followed by attractive red or black fruits. Viburnum opulus is the Guelder Rose and has an outer ring of sterile flowers with large petals, the inner ones being fertile with small petals. The flowers are followed by clusters of red juicy berries. Viburnum (opulus) sterile has all sterile flowers clustered as a snowball and, of course, has no berries. Viburnum tomentosum, is even more attractive with its long horizontal branches thickly studded with clusters of white sterile flowers. The Wtse-Acres - ----------------------------------------- —$+♦• most beautiful Viburnum to my mind is V. Carlesii with faint blush flowers, also in clusters and very sweet smelling. It is not a vigorous grower and needs no pruning as a rule. Unfortunately it is often grafted or budded on one of the strong growing common sorts, which soon swamp it, killing it entirely. It is best to propagate it from soft wood cuttings in summer. As a pot plant, gently forced to open its flowers a little earlier, it is most welcome. Viburnum Wrightii is very attractive in fruit, as they are bright red, small and hanging in clusters. Spireas are represented by many species, too, among the most popular of which is S. Van Houteii, and S'. thunbergi. The former is found in most gardens, as it will grow anywhere, and the white flower clusters are so numerous that they obscure the branches. It should be thinned out after flowering, cutting away the wood that has just blossomed. Spiraea prunifolia is a double form, the flowers being closely clustered on long upright slender branches. The leaf is like that of a plum, hence its name, and it is the true Bridal wreath. It has not an attractive habit of growth and if not pruned after flowering gets very thin and bare at the base. Spirea bumalda, Anthony Waterer, is a favorite. It is a dwarf, upright shrub bearing rose colored flowers in flat heads at the ends of the shoots in summer. There are two or three species of Hamamelis or witch-hazel, which flower when there are no other shrubs in bloom and when most trees have lost their leaves. Hamamelis virginiana will open as early as October, often before its own leaves have fallen, the golden, narrow petal led flowers and pale yellow leaves making a pleasing combination. It is native, as is also H. vernalis, which is less showy, but fragrant, flowering in winter. H. mollis comes from China, and H. japonica from Japan, and they both flower in February on bare wood, showing up well in a winter landscape. Among flowering trees the Crabs and Cherries stand first for beauty of blossom, some species of the former also being lovely in fruit. Malus floribunda is well named and makes a small tree with long slender branches, somewhat drooping and covered thickly in May with clusters of small pink flowers. M. f. atrosanguinea is a deeper color, but both get pale as they open more fully. The Bechtel crab, M. ioensis, makes a moderate sized, round-headed tree. It is one of the best, having large double pink flowers that seem like miniature roses. It is said to be a natural sport. Malus Scheideckeri bas a rather stiff habit of growth, with the flowers closely clustered on the stems. It is pink and semi-double, and small plants in pots are very attractive when gently forced for greenhouse decoration in spring. M. floribunda can be used in the same way. These crabs are not particular as to soil, and need no pruning beyond shaping the head when young and a little judicious thinning of the wood when older. We have planted the above varieties School oj Horticulture . - a� - in the garden here, as well as M. prunifolia, M. theifera, M. micromalus. The Japanese cherries are finding their way into American gardens and are hardy in this state; in fact, many of them are hardy as far north as Boston. One of the first to flower is Prunus subhirtella, the spring cherry of Japan. It has slender branches covered with pale pink blooms which fade to white. The weeping rosebud cherry, so popular in gardens, is P. subhirtella pendula, and no tree is more beautiful. Prunus yedoensis is the species that was presented by the Japanese to the United States Government, which planted them in Washington. When in flower they are a sight worth seeing and attract many visitors. Prunus subhirtella (Beni-higan) and P. yedoensis (Yoshina) have been planted in the spring and autumn gardens at Ambler and are growing nicely. Primus avium, the native European cherry, is not much grown here, but E. H. Wilson, of the Arnold Arboretum, reports it as hardy there, and speaks very highly of it. It makes a well-balanced tree with a rounded pyramidal top and bears pure white flowers in masses which almost obscure the branches. The double form is even more lovely. There are many more shrubs and trees as beautiful as those mentioned but space does not permit any further detailed description. A few remarks on propagation and general care may be useful. Any good garden soil will suit most shrubs, but it is worth while to double dig with manure or to prepare a deep hole for each. Spread the roots out well if the shrub is not balled and burlapped, trimming any jagged cuts with a sharp knife. Work the soil well among the roots and tread firmly. Before putting back the final layer of soil give a thorough soaking. During the first year watch closely and never allow to suffer from dryness. Soak frequently and thoroughly and mulch with well rotted manure. Pruning of ornamental shrubs is an operation that is often overlooked or badly done. It is not really difficult and can be reduced to a few quite simple principles. First, there are those as Weigela, Spirea, Viburnum, that flower in spring or early summer on the wood formed the previous year. They should be thinned directly after flowering, cutting out the shoots that have flowered to allow light and air into the bush to ripen the new wood for next year’s bloom. Pruning too hard may result in a spurt of soft sappy growth that does not ripen enough to stand the winter. Second are such as Buddleia, which flower late in summer at the ends of cuiTent year’s wood. Prune in early spring by cutting these shoots to two or three buds from their base. Shrubs bearing flowers and berries are a little harder to prune, but the best way is to thin out carefully in early spring after the berries have gone. The crabs and Japanese quince bear their flowers on spurs and need little beyond a light thinning after flowering or in early spring. Most flowering shrubs can be propagated by cuttings or layers. Wise-Acres •♦♦a Cuttings of soft green wood two to three inches long can be taken in summer and inserted in frames. They root more quickly if a hotbed of manure one inch thick is made under the sand. Keep the sashes on, syringe daily and shade with burlap. Hard wood cuttings six inches long can be made in autumn of new but ripe shoots, cutting at a joint or with a heel of older wood. Tie in bundles and bury in soil outdoors below frost line to callus. Take up in spring and plant three inches deep and three inches apart in nursery rows, outside. The cuttings can also be inserted in a propagating bench in the greenhouse in autumn. Layering should be more used as a method of propagation. Many shrubs with drooping branches root themselves into the soil around. Others can be induced to make roots by being simply pegged down into some good sandy loam mounded up around the plant, while it is necessary to cut a slit or tongue in some before pegging them into the soil. Layer in spring or autumn, keep moist, and leave for a year to make roots, then sever from the parent plant and put in nursery rows or permanent positions. A City Garden Audrey Hedge When you speak of your garden it is always taken for granted that you mean your garden in the country; for where else would you have one? The middle of New York City is one of the last places where one would expect to find a garden, but there are quite a few settlements hidden by the high walls of the city houses, which no one who had not seen behind those walls would dream existed. Turtle Bay Gardens, although not a true waterside colony like Sutton Place, was one of the first of its kind to be started by a group of literary and artistic people about nine years ago. The name seems to imply that it is on a river bank, but the lovely title originated from a rocky cove three blocks south on the East River. There, in the old days, famously large turtles were caught by the picnickers, and in the Colonial WTars the cove was frequently fortified and held by the British. The gardens are a block of twenty houses, back to back, between Second and Third Avenues, facing on Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Streets. They were remodeled from the typical tenement houses, with dingy back yards and high board fences, into houses of stucco, with one School of Horticulture •♦♦a - -. .. —: whole garden full of old trees, iron gateways, balconies and fountains, which give it the atmosphere of a very old Italian garden. Each house has its own individual plot of land bordered on three sides by a low stone wall. A narrow path leads out to the center public walk, ending in a small gate. The owners have an agreement always to keep their service quarters towards the street, and the dining and living rooms at the back overlooking the gardens. Every house is unique in itself, for no two are exactly alike. Some have balconies from the second-floor windows, and others bay windows from the first floor, and an addition of two rooms on the roof. The colors of the houses vary also. One is a lovely light green, and another is the usual reddish tan, with a large ship painted on it between the first and second floor. The four end houses each have a long porch out from the second floor, overlooking the gardens, while a high wall closes in the ends of the garden from the public eye. The History of the Pansy Theresa Schindler, Ph.D. The heartsease or wild pansy was first mentioned and described by O. Brunfels (1533) and by L. Fuchs (1542), both Germans. The latter wrote that the Herba Trinitatis, the name by which the pansy was then known, was found not only wild in Germany at that time, but also as an ornamental plant. He describes the upper petals as purple, the two side petals as white and the base petal as yellow. Viola lutea also was grown in gardens at this time. The name, pansy, as far as we can learn, was used for the first time in botanical literature in 1537, by the Frenchman, Ruellius, but in its Latin form, pensea. By 1597 the heartsease, or pansy, had found its way into Gerard’s Herbal and because of its three colors, “purple, yellow, white or blew,” it was called Viola tricolor. From all records it seems certain that this dainty flower was used as a garden subject during the latter part of the sixteenth century, in the Netherlands and in France, as well as in England, while the next century found it in the gardens, also, of Denmark, Poland, Sweden and Italy. All this time, however, even into the eighteenth century, these pansies resembled both in size and coloring those growing wild, and it was not until the nineteenth century that the lovely forms which we admire today resulted from hybridization and selection. WILD PANSY and CULTIVATED PANSY OF 1830 Prow “Pansies, Violas and Violets” By William Cuthbcrtson This improvement began in England and therefore this country is usually considered to be the home of the garden pansy. Two people became interested in this modest flower at about the same time, Lady Mary Bennett (later Lady Monk) and Lord Gambier, the former in 1810, the latter in 1813 or 1815. Soon their gardeners, Mr. Richardson and Mr. Thomson, respectively, became exceedingly interested, saved everything of merit from their own gardens, obtained new colors wherever they could, planted the seed of only the most beautiful and grew them in special soil. In a short time, due to this continual selection, and to the cross pollination brought about by insects, each garden contained a good collection. Others began to raise pansies. As they responded almost magically to garden treatment, they gained rapidly in favor. By 1835 there were four hundred named varieties on sale in England. In fact, so much of a favorite did the pansy become that it ranked with the rose itself, even, for popularity. Both distinguished amateurs and talented nurserymen devoted themselves to the cultivation of the pansy and gained surprising success. The English horticultural societies encouraged this competition by offering prizes for the finest flowers. Every nobleman, every owner of an estate wished to have his own special collection of pansies, and the. nurserymen, who were well rewarded, did everything they could to keep alive this interest of the public by constantly producing new varieties. In the middle of the thirties the price for new and good varieties was five shillings a plant and for especially excellent ones a much higher price was obtained. Ten pounds was offered for one seedling and refused. One of the largest private collections belonged to a Mr. W. Sydenham and contained in 1898 two million plants. This popularity increased to such an extent that several pansy, and pansy-and-viola societies were organized both in England and in Scotland. Two of these are still in existence today. The development of the flower in different countries is very inter- £f 30 School o] Horticulture esting. England preferred a perfectly round flat bloom, size being second in importance, and the colors clear and brilliant, either one solid color or only two. And by continual selection they did produce practically circular flowers. Fortunately for those at the present time who prefer their pansies ruffled, fluted and in all colors, the French, the Belgians and the Germans chose everything that was attractive both in color and in form. In time England and Scotland accepted these, also, for the monotony of the too symmetrically round flat pansies finally wearied the people. As a result, by the latter part of the nineteenth century there were several types and the colors were most varied, for they included the original colors, yellow, white, blue and purple as well as pink, red, rose, orange, salmon, mahogany, blended and mixed in the most beautiful and fantastic manner. Today there is scarcely any color or shade, with the exception of green, which is not represented in some variety. Some are of one solid color with only a few pencilings of a dark purple or a lighter blue, the solid color being white, yellow, red, violet, blue, brown or black while others are a combination of several colors. The colors most difficult for the pansy breeder to obtain are pure red and pure blue. There are now some fairly good blue pansies but very few clear fiery reds or blood-reds. However many do not consider the latter a disappointment for there is a decided clash between the red, henna or bronze pansies and the purple and deeper blue ones. These modern improved pansies are the result of constant selection and of the best methods of cultivation. It is not necessary to cross-polli-nate by artificial means as the bees make every cross imaginable. Therefore when new varieties are desired careful selection is made from seedlings and the plants chosen for seed breeding are isolated, in this case to prevent further crossing with other varieties. These, however, are not offered to the public until they have been subjected to rigorous testing for years in the gardens of the originator. Our pansies usually run in strains rather than in definite varieties for Americans seem to prefer a mixture. In Europe more named varieties are offered. Most of our best strains are of European origin for our breeders send abroad for everything good or new, test them out in their experimental fields and from these choose the best and develop strains of their own, selling them, then, under their own name. The chief points of merit in the modern high-bred pansy are size, brilliancy and arrangement of coloring. Seed should be bought each year from seedsmen, for in the hands of the amateur pansies quickly degenerate. The seed of the best strains is necessarily expensive for these high-bred pansies require a great deal of extra care in the growing, and the finer the strain, the fewer seed produced. The tufted pansies or violas had an entirely different origin from the ordinary garden pansy. Here the originators deliberately strove for Wise-Acres •♦4il ' - = Sf their ideal by crossing Viola cornuta of the Pyrenees with the garden pansies of their day. The resulting type was more perennial in character, often more tufted in habit, had smaller flowers and were generally more fragrant than the common pansy. If in this cross Viola cornuta is the mother, the resulting plants have more of the characteristics of this parent, that is are more perennial, more tufted in habit, and the flowers are long and narrow; if, on the other hand, the female parent is the garden pansy the offspring are straggling in their method of growth and the flowers are small round pansies. The name ‘‘viola” is really the name for a whole genus, and from species in this genus all pansies and violas have developed. It is a question as to why “viola” was made the name of merely a section, but the term remains. At first there was much discussion over the matter, for many preferred the title of “tufted pansies” but it was finally decided this would not do for often the plants are as straggling as any of the varities of the ordinary pansy. At present both terms are used. Viola cornuta was introduced from Spain into the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in 1776, but for nearly ninety years it remained in English gardens without having its peculiar merits discovered, and this too in spite of the fact that it was a color, pale mauve, wanted for a long time in their gardens. Credit for first bringing violas into prominence as a decorative bedding plant belongs to Mr. John Wills who first grew them in 1862, and to Mr. James Grieve, of Edinburgh, who began their cultivation about 1863. Many became interested and originated numerous varieties, among these being Mr. William Cuthbertson, now of Dobbie and Company, who also wrote a very worth-while book on “Pansies, Violas and Violets.” This book gives some delightful colored illustrations of violas, a few of which are a solid color without even a trace of any pencilings. Violas are so much more lovable than their large cousins, the pansies, that it is a pity we do not grow more of them in this country. There are several varieties whose dainty clear colors are most useful here and there among the edging plants of the perennial borders, tucked in odd corners of the rock garden, or for ground cover with the spring bulbs. Two very splendid violas originated in our neighboring state, New Jersey. Mr. T. A. Weston, one of the editors of the Florists’ Exchange, found one as a chance seedling among his violas in 1921. At first he thought it was just a G. Wermig but the next season he recognized its distinct individuality and began propagating from every bit of it. He named it Jersey Gem, although one firm in London sells it as Blue Gem. The plants form neat masses of glossy dark green foliage and bloom freely all through our hot summers. Since the flowers are more like large violets, a violet blue in color, and fragrant, they are often used by the florists in their place, especially where large quantities are needed. m 32 School o] Horticulture •♦+ ... . . Last year Totty offered the other Jerseyite for the first time. Mr. Weston, originator of this too, named it Jersey Jewel. He describes it as having a larger flower than Jersey Gem, more heat resistant and a reddish purple. To return to pansies: although we have loved them ever since we were children, we deplore their lack of hardiness. So far hybridizers have not been able to persuade them to adopt this characteristic, although they will sometimes go through a second winter and bloom the next summer. Hence if you wish to add your name to the interesting history of the pansy try your luck at making it perennial. And who knows! You may be the one to succeed! Pansies Clara J. Sintendinger There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts. No thought could be sweeter than the pansies with their bright sunny faces, which turn to the sun each day. Perhaps it is because of their funny faces that children love them so. It is the pansy which announces that spring is here and it is time to start work in the garden. Pansies are comparatively easy to grow. They will thrive in any good garden soil, but they produce larger flowers and have a longer flowering season when they have the proper soil, situation, moisture and cultural care. The pansy belongs to the Viola family. The small oval shaped flowers are generally called Violas and the larger flower types are known as pansies. This charming plant is very useful in the spring border where it can be used as a ground cover. If the flowers are removed and the plant not allowed to seed it will continue to bloom all through the summer. Often a blooming season of nine months can be obtained. The growing of pansies does not necessarily demand a greenhouse or even a frame. The seed may be sown outdoors in July or August. When the plants are a fair size transplant them to the place where they are to remain during the winter. In very open and exposed gardens it is often necessary to give them a light protection of twigs and leaves. The seed bed should be clean from weeds and well prepared with pulverized barn yard manure. Spread a layer of light turfy loam over the top of the bed and give a light rolling to make the bed smooth. Before sowing it is best to give the bed a thorough soaking, because if it is left until after the seed are sown many of the seed may be washed away unless it is done with a very fine hose. Keep the bed moist but Wise-Acres ■ m - • =«+ ♦• not soaking wet. During the summer months the seed will germinate in eight to ten days. After germination the plants should not be kept too wet as they damp off readily. In order to obtain a good percentage of germination and strong healthy, large flowering plants it is advisable to buy good seed from a reliable firm. Situation is another thing on which success with pansies depends. Pansies will not withstand a hot dry atmosphere. They prefer a cool partly shaded position. As for soil they will do reasonably well in any garden soil, but are best in a light rich loam that is mixed with well rotted leaf mold. Besides using pansies for the outdoor border the pansy is becoming more and more in demand as a cut flower during the winter and early spring. This, of course, is done with the aid of a greenhouse or hotbed. If neither of these are available they may be grown in a window box or in pots placed on a sunny window sill. For this purpose the seed is sown in the summer and the plants are treated as mentioned above. In November you can begin to bring them into the house. Keep them rather cool with plenty of moisture at first, then later bring them to a warmer room to bloom. Do not allow the plant to become too dry as they will quickly be infested with red spider. This process may be continued all through the winter. If the ground is frozen place the plants, which should be taken out with a large clump of soil, into a cool cellar where they will have a chance to thaw out. Gradually give them more moisture, warmth, and light. This method brings cheer into the house during the dreary winter days and more than pays for the time spent upon them. School of Horticulture All the Year in the Wild Garden Giscla A. Grimtn The charm of the wild garden need not be limited to a few months, if, when planting, care be taken to choose plants which are attractive at various times of the year. Among the flowers of each month there are a few which are especially appealing. In order to raise them successfully one must meet their requirements as to exposure, soil and moisture. Other than this they require little care. MARCH The Spicebush (Benzoin aestivate) is usually the first plant to bloom in the spring. In March its yellow blossoms brighten the woods. This plant prefers moist, slightly acid, or neutral soil. The pussy willow (Salix discolor) is a shrub which is seldom used in wild gardens because of the mistaken notion that it will grow only in moist situations. However, while preferring a place along a stream or in a swamp, the pussy willow will grow in a rather dry position. The trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is one of our wild flowers most in need of protection. The fragrant pink flowers, blooming at a time when one longs for an expression of spring, have almost doomed this little plant to extinction. Furthermore, it is extremely particular as to its soil. For these reasons the trailing arbutus should never be transplanted unless conditions are favorable. The soil must be very acid. As the plants are difficult to establish it is best to buy them as potted plants from dealers. In the acid soil of open pine woods arbutus is at its best, but provided the soil is of high acidity it will grow in either sun or shade. In late March the hepaticas or liverworts appear, hugging close to the ground to keep warm. The flowers range from white to purple, and vary much in the size and number of petals. Hepaticas prefer a subacid soil such as is usually found in open deciduous woods. They abound on moist, shady and rocky slopes. As a ground cover the hepatica is excellent, the leaves often surviving the winter. The marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) does well in the wild garden if given a home where it can dabble its toes in the water. APRIL April is a month of intense excitement in the wild garden. Each day the warming sun or gentle showers coax the flowers to awaken from their winter slumbers. Among them are the anemones, most graceful of flowers, the pure white blooms swaying airily atop their slender stems. The anemones like acid soil in moist open woods, a rich stony location being preferred. When planting it should be remem- ■ 35 §sl Wise-Acres ........ =� - bered that they are social in habit. The wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) bears but a single flower, while the rue anemone (Ane-monella thalictroides) has several, the central flower opening first, and then the side flowers. For this reason the plant remains in flower nearly two weeks. The Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virgimca) is one of the choicest wild flowers of spring. It grows best in low, moist, partially shaded places, in ordinary loam. After the seed has ripened, the foliage disappears, so it is best to interplant with something else that does not lose its foliage. On banks of streams where the soil is rich and moist, but not wet, in full or half shade, be sure to plant plenty of spring beauties (Clay-tonia virqinica). They should be given the same treatment as other bulbs. Wait until the leaves have begun to turn yellow or brown before replanting. Plant some blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) for a woodland ground cover. It likes subacid soil, and does best on rocky damp hills. Its pink cousin, Phlox subulata, does best on dry rocky hills and sandy banks. Both Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) and bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) grow in the subacid soil of moist open woods. They should be in every wild garden. MAY The pink azalea (Rhododendron nudiflorum) is one of the loveliest flowers of May. If given the right degree of acidity it is fairly indifferent as to exposure, moisture and situation. It does best in shade and in rich soil, but will also succeed moderately well in a sunny position. It is an ideal undershrub for an acid soil. In a shady place, in rich, moist, slightly acid soil, plant some dutch-man’s breeches. The little pink bulbs should be dug after the foliage has disappeared. Like Mertensia, it should be combined with some other flower which will cover the bare spots later in the season. Trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) also arise from bulbs, and should be treated accordingly. Plant them at the same depth as that from which they were taken, sometimes as much as fifteen inches. Trout lilies should be used in moist shaded places in subacid soil. The may apple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a good ground cover for damp, open woods and the edges of thickets. Its waxy white flowers and glossy green foliage are attractive, and the plant is easy to establish. I have found the wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense) growing both in moist oak woods and clustered about a pine stump in a rather open situation. Its main requirement is an acid soil. A station School oj Horticulture •♦•♦a can be prepared for it by mixing half decomposed pine or hemlock needles with the ordinary woods soil. This little flower is easily transplanted, as it can be taken up in large clumps. No wild garden is complete without a few clumps of wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). If given a slightly acid soil it will grow and bloom in almost any situation. I find it growing in rock crevices with colonies of polypodies, heuchera, and walking fern, having scarcely enough soil to cover its roots. How it manages to survive the droughts of summer and autumn is a mystery! A charming plant, and one but little known, is the fringed polygala (Poly gala pauciflora). Authorities say that it makes its home in moist woods, but I have also found it blooming freely in full sun. However, a light subacid soil, and a fair supply of moisture are essential for its happiness in its wild garden home. JUNE June is a month of rare beauty in the wild garden, especially if plenty of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) has been planted. This shrub is worth the trouble that its special requirements necessitate. Deep, rich, acid leaf mold, that is never allowed to become dry, is essential. If you do not have such leaf mold in your garden do not despair. Ordinary leaf mold may be made acid by watering it occasionally with a solution of commercial tannic acid, one part acid to forty parts of water, or aluminum sulphate crystals can be sprinkled evenly on the surface of the soil, using about half a pound to the square yard. Mountain laurel appreciates being mulched the year round with pine or hemlock needles or oak leaves. The bird’s-foot violet (Viola pedata) is often left to languish unhappily in our gardens because of ignorance concerning its soil requirements. Give it sandy, moderately acid soil, and see how it will thrive and bloom. It does best in full sun, but will thrive in shade. There is a bicolor, lavender and purple, which is lovely, and also a rare white kind. Every possessor of a wild garden longs for cypripediums or lady-slippers. The pink lady-slipper (Cypripedium acaide) will not grow in any soil unless it is of high acidity. The texture of the soil is of little importance, be it stiff clay, light sandy loam, or loose leaf mold. It will flourish in moist shady places or dry sunny spots, but the soil must be very acid. The showy lady-slipper (Cypripedium spectabile) is perhaps the most beautiful of the lady-slippers. It will grow in either sun or shade if given plenty of moisture. A rich non-acid bog peat is ideal. The yellow lady-slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum) and its larger variety, Cypripedium pubescens, are the best native orchids for cultiva- Wise-Acres ♦48 ' — • «� +• tion. They are fairly indifferent as to soil conditions, but do best in a moist, rich, stony situation in deciduous woods. JULY The red wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum) blooms in July. Plant four inches deep in subacid soil. It loves dry open woods, but also does well in the sun if its stems and roots are shaded. The orange-scarlet flowers, spotted with reddish-brown on the inside, are so brilliant that they are best used singly or in groups of two or three. They are especially beautiful if planted in this manner among ferns. The turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum), orange, spotted with dark purple, demands a moist situation in full sun. Plant the bulbs eight to ten inches deep in subacid soil. It is well to put a few handfuls of sand, mixed with a little acid leaf mold, beneath the bulb. AUGUST August is a month of brilliant color in flowers—scarlets, bright pinks, blues and orange. The cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinatis) lifts its glowing red torches along shaded streams and in sunny swamps. The blue lobelia (Lobelia syphilitica) will do well in moist rich soil in either sun or shade. Waste barren spots in full sun, where little else will grow, can be made bright by the gorgeous orange flowers of the butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). The color scheme of this flower is good, the leaves often having the same tawny hue as the flowers. SEPTEMBER September is the month of asters and goldenrods. In planting asters in the wild garden do not use sorts that are apt to become weedy and crowd out other plants. The following kinds are suitable: New England aster (Aster Novae-anglae), with bright purple flowers; the smooth aster (Aster laevis), with violet-blue flowers; the New York aster (Aster Novi-belgii), with lilac flowers; and the heath aster (Aster cricoides), with white flowers. No wild garden is complete without goldenrods. Solidago juncea blooms from July to September in an open sunny place. Solidago speciosa is the largest of the goldenrods. Plant it in open woods. Solidago caesia is another good kind that does best in deciduous woods. OCTOBER The golden-rods and asters linger until hard frost, but the gentians are the most appealing of October’s wild flowers. Do not attempt to raise the rare fringed gentian {Gentiana crinita) unless you wish to go to some trouble, for it is a biennial and will not bloom the first year from seed. The seed ripens in late fall and should be sown as soon as School of Horticulture •♦48 .. — possible, in moist, rich, preferably sandy soil. Mulch lightly with leaves or grass for winter protection. You can also sow the seed in a frame and transplant the little plants the next spring. The closed gentian (Gentiana Andrewsi) is of simpler culture. It is an easily established perennial, rich, moist soil being best. During November the witch-hazel (Hamamelis vir(jiniana) blooms in damp woods. Even during the winter months the wild garden need not be cheerless if one uses some evergreen plants. The partridge berry (MitcheUa repens) retains its green foliage and bright red berries through the winter. As a ground cover it is ideal, doing well in dry or moist soil in sun or shade. Its preference is for subacid soil. The pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) and the spotted winter-green (C. maculata) remain green the winter long. They do best in dry, sandy, subacid soil. Because of the long wiry roots the plants are hard to establish, and it is best to buy potted plants. Some of the ferns are evergreen, for example the polypody (Polypodium vulgare). This grows in dense mats on the rocks of sandy hillsides. Cut into sods and press them down firmly on rocks or logs, first placing a layer of rich woods soil underneath. The Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostiehoides) and the ebony Spleen wort (Asplenium platyneuron) are also satisfactory evergreen ferns. That odd little plant, the walking fern (Camptosorus rhizophyllus) will grow on shaded rocks, preferably limestone. As it is rather rare, it is best to purchase potted plants from dealers. The climbing bittersweet (Celastrus sccmdens) and the winterberry (Ilex vertieilldta) add color to the winter woods. Plant Hybridizing Leora Seeber Have you ever wondered how new varieties of plants are obtained? I have, so I decided to find out how it is done from a book on plant breeding, and this is what I learned: To obtain a new variety of plant the process of hybridization by cross pollination is used. Two or more plants are selected for artificial pollination. They each contain some desired characteristic which is wanted in the hybrid to be bred for. Not all plants will cross and the only way of knowing whether they will or not is by testing them before m 39 m Wise-Acres •t+a ■ � • using them. A general rule is that the nearer plants are related the more apt they are to cross, but there are many exceptions to this rule. The plants selected must ripen their pollen and stigmas at the same time. The pollen is ready when it is being shed by the anthers and the stigma when it excretes its nutrient solution for the pollen grains. The anthers are removed from the flower to be pollinated before they are mature enough to shed pollen. The flower bud is opened carefully and the anthers removed by cutting or pulling them out. The flower is then enclosed in a loose bag to prevent chance pollination. When the stigmas are mature the selected and shedding anthers are rubbed on the stigmas or transferred by a fine brush. The treated flowers are then again covered with the bag to prevent an access of undesirable pollen until fertilization has been accomplished. The seeds then form and are planted and the desirable plants are propagated. The important part of this work is to have a great many hybrids. Out of thousands of hybrids obtained by this method there is apt to be one or more showing the desired characteristics. If the desired hybrid can be reproduced vegetatively by tubers, bulbs, cuttings, grafts, etc., they breed true without further care and are the more valuable. If they must be reproduced by seeds they must be “fixed ’ which consists of self-pollination and careful selection of the most desirable individuals through several generations. This gives a good average, though all the plants will not breed true. There are many uses for hybrids—one of them being to secure disease resistant varieties of plants. Many of our domestic plants are killed off by plant diseases every year. By crossing them with a plant of the same species which is resistant to those diseases but is inferior in other ways, a hardy race may be obtained which contains the good qualities of both parents. Drought resistance is another much desired characteristic of many of our plants. Our domestic wheat is very subject to rust diseases. For many years there has been a search for the original wild wheat. It has now been found growing in Palestine and is both disease resistant and drought resistant but the heads are inferior to our wheat. By crossing the two a hardy race may be obtained which can be cultivated in our semi-arid West and Southwest. A well-advertised hybrid is Burbank’s spineless cactus. In the arid region in which the cactus grows it would be an advantage to be able to use as a forage plant but this is impossible because of the spines. All kinds of cactus produce individuals occasionally which are spineless but these varieties are not succulent. Burbank crossed the prickly pear which is succulent and has spines with one of the spineless plants and secured the spineless succulent cactus. In Florida great damage has been done to oranges and lemons by School o] Horticulture ♦♦a .... .............. frost. The plant breeders of the Department of Agriculture have taken this need in hand and have crossed the Japanese trifoliate orange, which has poor fruit but is hardy as far north as Philadelphia, with Florida oranges of good quality and secured hybrids that are hardy and of good quality. It used to be impossible to grow pears in the southern states but a hybrid resulting from a cross between the Chinese sand pear and the high grade pears has now made this possible. A man in Southern Illinois has recently obtained a peach that has a red skin, a small stone and orange pulp of an unusually rich and sweet flavor. Thirty-five per cent, of the peaches weigh one pound each. He sold the tree to a nursery for $2500 and a sprout for $500. This nursery took 10,000 buds from the tree to their nursery for propogation. The art of hybridizing requires a great deal of skill in cross pollination and a considerable knowledge of botany as well as a knowledge of the growth of plants. The Department of Plant Industry under the U. S. Department of Agriculture has done in the past and is now doing a great work along this line. They employ many plant breeders and their work is tested out in the various experiment stations and the reports are published and are available to everyone. ' To Bee or Not to Bee Joan l logg The word “beekeeping” promptly suggests a splendid hobby, or a good side-line to gardening, and to some, even, an excellent occupation for a delicate girl—to keep her outdoors, don’t you know? For six Wise-Acres - ■ ■ — months I worked for a man whose apiary alone meant his bread and butter, and while I will admit that six months is not very long, still, during that time I found that on a bee-farm hard work is not only possible, but necessary. I am only telling some facts that I have learned by observation, not writing a manual on how to keep bees. This subject can be studied in the book Starting Right with Bees, published by the A. I. Root Co., and the student will be aided also by bitter experience. Beekeeping is plain hard work, although it is interesting. It costs money to run the business, and on account of poor seasons, disease or bad management you will find that you need a reasonable capital behind you, or backing in some form or other. You cannot, if you are an amateur, expect to start out with full equipment and practically nothing else. It is best to begin on a small scale and learn, and this lakes time — very valuable time, if you are a gardener. Now what about your good side-line? What about your amusement for a delicate enthusiast, not to mention your hobby? They turn out to be hard work. Expensive? Yes, and more so if you don’t do most of the work yourself, and learn at a cost. A good working outfit consists of linen knickers and jacket, a bee-hat, rolled-up sleeves and no gloves. Bees hate gloves because they are clumsy, and so is the wearer. The advisability of rolled-up sleeves depends upon whether or not you can work better that way. For heavens’ sake do not wear anything wooly. Bees, for some unknown reason, dislike it, and will sting you through the “wool,” or at least try to, proclaiming their opinion of it loudly, if you take the trouble to notice, by a different tone of buzzing. Bees are very sensitive to smell. They detest scent, and literally abhor stale smelling clothes, so do not think that any old garments will do for the work. Particularly, if you should wear union-alls or coveralls, it is not well just to leave them lying around. Always use a smoker, and be sure that you have it carefully lit and working well before you sally forth to work among your bees, no matter how few you keep. For fuel, a good thing is well dried pieces of sacking or burlap, cut into small pieces. Some people will not use, or else do not believe in using, a smoker. I think that you should always have one, no matter how warm the day is, nor how peaceful the bees. When busy working, remember to watch your smoker, because at any moment you may need to use it in self-defence. One of the greatest problems of an amateur is that of being stung. Of course you get stung—you can’t avoid it—but very often it is entirely due to your own carelessness when handling the honey frames. After a sting, finish what you are doing by putting down your things quietly and quickly—do not jerk your hand away or make a sudden movement. fll'42 School of Horticulture ---- Use the blade of a pocket-knife, your hive tool, or edge of the super, drawing it across your hand or arm to remove the sting. Never pull a sting out with the fingers, as you only break it, and leave the poisonous part in the flesh. If you remove it quickly the place should not swell at all, or at least very little, but just feel a bit “burny” and tender for awhile. Those who find that getting stung poisons them and makes them feel ill had better leave bees alone. When handling bees or working around them, take your time, be deliberate and self-assured, and above all, do not be careless or jar them in any way. Like all sensitive creatures, they know perfectly well if you are afraid, and whether or not you like them and want to be a friend, but they are temperamental, and especially are they affected by weather conditions. This brings me to the point of the best time to handle bees, and particularly to open up and examine the hive. On cold, windy days, do not touch them unless it is imperative. Rainy days they loathe—again do not touch them: in other words, leave them alone in cold or wet weather. Choose a day or part of the day when it is mild—warm, if possible, and take advantage of the sunshine to do your work with the bees, using other times and weather to make all the very essential preparations. In summertime you find it easy, because in the heat of the day the honey-gatherers are out, and the housekeepers are too busy to take notice of you—that is, provided you show your consideration of them by being unobtrusive. If you have to disturb them, remember the rules of the game, and your manners as regards roughness when making necessary trouble. Bees need water. If there is no pool, stream or other supply of water around the place, you should provide it for them. Try to keep Italian bees; they are pleasanter to work with, being quieter than the others. They should be a golden color—not black—but it is almost impossible for an amateur to keep his bees from becoming hybridized, even if he does buy a beautiful Italian queen—and she is beautiful if she is real golden with no black, or at least very little, on her body. The black bees are little devils to work with, although very often they are splendid honey-gatherers. Disease is another of your troubles. Very often, no matter how careful you are, and how much time you spend in the study of correct methods and in keeping your hives clean, other people, even at a distance of several miles may also keep bees or “a bee”—that is, one or two neglected hives, and as is very often the case, your bees get disease, especially ‘‘foul brood,” from these places. What are you to do? That depends on you and, incidentally, how you approach the subject to the owners, as even bees can cause serious trouble with your neighbors if €43| Wise-Acres ■ w =� • they have hives themselves. Even if they do not, your swarms may become a pest. Help yourself to gain more information and experience by visiting other beekeepers. If you wish to be a success, you should be interested not so much in the honey gains or cash profit, but in the bees themselves. “It Does Not Pay Commercially” Mildred Hottle and Penelope Roberts With day dreams we are well supplied. To let the hours smoothly glide In peaceful contemplation Is not an art to man confined; We women also do not mind A little meditation. But sad to relate How tragic our fate It does not pay commercially! When pruning peaches in the cold The little Juniors we uphold In all their noble efforts; But sometimes when we’re not around The weighted branches reach the ground, Not broken down by zephyrs. O, sad to relate How tragic their fate It does not pay commercially! The’re lots of things we’d like to get, A derrick for the rock wall, yet; A little pool to swim in; A telephone for every room, A little automatic broom— All luxuries for women. But sad to relate How tragic our fate It does not pay commercially! €44 ft School o) Horticulture Flowers for the Sick Room Edith Chambers In speaking of the service of flowers in the little book “Whiff O’ the West,” Helen Owen Hutchins has said: “To man, our greatest friend and enemy we render noble service. ... To others we are silent messengers of sentiment, sympathy, unspoken love, and timely thoughts. To the sick and aged we bring cheerful greetings of hope, happiness and understanding, while in the marts of men we are studies in the color harmony used to brighten dark corners and dreary days. We, the flowers, are your friends and in our dainty cups we hold secrets of health and wealth for all the world.” And so a few flowers may turn a tired mind and spirit toward hope, fresh courage, happiness and recovery. Flowers may have an important psychological effect in illness. It is frequently unwise to give Bermuda lilies or Callas to a very ill person because of the association of these flowers with death. To obtain the best results one must consider the past associations, the personal likes and dislikes of each individual. If it is possible, give some favorite flower, or one with happy associations in the past. For one with high fever, soft, pale colors are better appreciated, such as Carnations, Snapdragons, pale Roses, various forms of Narcissi, Forget-me-nots, Sweet Peas, Phlox Drummondi, Mignonette, Belladonna Larkspur, Lupins, Nigella, or pale Dahlias. For a slow convalescence the cheeriness of Pseudonarcissi, Zinnias, Calendulas or bright Chrysanthemums is desirable. The pertness as well as cheeriness of Daffodils and Jonquils make these doubly welcome. In serious illness, flowers with a strong or heavy fragrance are undesirable, although for a convalescent those of a spicy odor—especially favorites, such as Chrysanthemums, Rose Geraniums, Mignonette, Wallflowers, Calendulas or Lemon Verbena are acceptable. For long illness or a chronic case, potted plants are popular because they last longer, and there is pleasure for a shut-in in watching a plant grow. Flowering plants are cheerful but ferns are also much in favor. From a physical point of view, flowers are a help in the sickroom during the day. While in the light, leaves take in carbon dioxide from the air; the plant uses the carbon and some oxygen, and gives back oxygen by its process of transpiration, thus enriching the atmosphere of the room. After dark this process is changed, and the plant instead of giving off oxygen, uses it all and gives off carbon dioxide as human beings do. For this reason flowers should be removed from the sick room at night. 3|45jg Wise-Acres •♦♦a =i� - Aside from the choice of blossoms, the arrangement is worth consideration. The water must be kept fresh and vases clean. Basket arrangements make this difficult. It is sometimes the case that flowers change slightly in color as they grow older, and ribbons on a basket which look well at first may not harmonize so well when the flowers are a few days old. Plain glass vases are successful with most flowers because the inconspicuousness of the vase tends to bring out to advantage the beauty of the blossoms. A plain unglazed green vase which harmonizes with the foliage serves better than glass. Most flowers keep better and longer if the foliage is completely stripped from that part of the stem which is below the water line, and an opaque vase does not show’ this as a clear glass one does. One method in helping to keep flowers fresh is to add a little salt to the water, about one teaspoonful to a pint of water. Sweet peas which fade soon, and whose stems decompose in water so rapidly may last longer if a few drops of formalin are added to prevent this. Woody stemmed flowers keep better than the soft stemmed ones. A selected vase should be of proper size and shape for the flowers. It must be large enough to allow plenty of water around the stems, and to permit a loose graceful arrangement of the flowers. In general contour the vase should follow that of the bouquet of flowers. Small blossoms are most enjoyed if placed near the bed to be seen at close range. Large arrangements are better at a little distance. They are often pretty in a window with light in the background. In many instances, however, it is very trying to the eyes to face a strong light and a patient does not obtain a full enjoyment of the flowers thus placed. If in front of a mirror the reflection increases the apparent size and beauty of the bunch, but care must be taken that light is not reflected from the mirror into the eyes of the patient. Children may become fascinated if someone can tell them of the raising and care of flowers; of the original wild form of the flower at hand, from what country it came, and of any folklore connected with it. School oj Horticulture Our Vanishing Wild Flowers George B. Kaiser HE encroachments of civilization have made great changes in the flora near all great cities, and the vicinity of Philadelphia has been no exception to the rule. It is curious to read in the botany of William Paul Crillon Barton, who was born and died in Philadelphia, living from 1786 to 1856, that we might then find the orchids Calopogon and Pogonia, and other rare flowers, growing “near Market Street bridge,” and at that time the Falls of Schuylkill was an excellent collecting ground for the student. Railway yards, factories, and great commercial enterprises occupy the greater part of these localities now, and about the only plants that the botanist may hope to find are fossils from the Paleozoic age, imbedded in the coal which feeds our vast industries. But to observe marked changes we need not go back to the days of Barton. Those of us who are “in the midway of this our mortal life” may easily remember when hepatica, bloodroot and anemones grew in almost every bit of woodland near our homes in Germantown or elsewhere near the city, and it was not remarkable to find the showy orchis —that charming plant of the spring, with fragrant lavender and white flowers rising between round, pale waxy-green leaves—and the columbine, dressed in red and yellow, gracing the crevices of rock along many of our streams. The trailing arbutus was abundant then along our Wissahickon Creek, and it was not difficult to pick a posy of it in a short while—indeed, so many posies were picked that this constant culling has been one of the important factors in bringing about its near extermination. The writer recalls finding Liparis liliifolia—a pretty orchid with a somewhat hyacinth-like raceme of purple-brown flowers — growing beside Rex Avenue in Chestnut Hill, while not far from there was the now very rare liliaceous plant, the devil’s bit—Chamaelirium carolinianum—with long wand-like spikes of white dioecious blossoms. It was a joy to see the profusion of pink azalea and dogwood so common in our woodlands then, so increasingly rare at the present time — again largely because the plant-vandal does not resist the impulse to break the branches. The neighborhood of Philadelphia has been, botanically, a peculiarly rich one. The stream valleys of the Neshaminy, Poquessing, Pennypack, Tacony, Cobbs, Darby, Crum, Ridley, and Chester Creeks have all been favorite regions for the lover of plants to enjoy a rich C|47| Wise-Acres •♦♦a ------- and varied flora. The increase of population, the spilling of the urban multitudes into the adjacent country, that is, the building of streets and houses for this surplus, have been the cause of most of the destruction of field and forest to further man’s occupatoin of the earth. However, if one goes a little further a-field, there are yet to be found choice spots where the nature lover may revel in lovely scenes, and now and then look upon a rarity in the world of wild flowers. We may still hope to find the pink lady’s-slipper, that charming denizen of the sandy woods, which blooms in May, and it might be considered a rare achievement if we discovered a station for the yellow one. The whorled Pogonia persists not far from Glenside, and not long ago, near Ambler, in a low meadow, we came across the strange brother of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, the green dragon—Arisaema dracontium. Until recently the blue cohosh—Cazdophyllum thalictroides—grew along the Wissahickon, near where you still find in abundance the yellow adder’s-tongue lily, dwarf ginseng, wild ginger, white baneberry, Jacob’s ladder, waterleaf and golden alexanders. Not so long ago we were astonished to find near Andorra Nurseries the American bugbane—Cimicifuga americana—a close relative of the familiar black cohosh. This American bugbane had not before been listed in this locality, and the discovery is merely cited as stimulus to those who possess the spirit of adventure, and cherish the hope of finding something new. The now rare pennywort of the gentian family—Obolaria virginica —used to grow in quantity near Swarthmore, and we may still search with a chance of finding it; and that other supremely beautiful member of the same family, the fringed gentian, is a glory of the autumn which is happily not yet exterminated. Once it grew along our beloved Wissahickon Creek—now we are not likely to find it much nearer than the Chester Valley. The Virginian lungwort, Mertensia virginica, still enhances the beauty of our Neshaminy, Perkiomen and Chester creeks, although the most royal field of it is along the Brandywine at Chadd’s Ford; the twinleaf, Jeffersoma diphylla, resembling the bloodroot, may yet be found by the very fortunate; there is a little of the rare goldseal, Hydrastis canadensis, here and there—that plant whose medicinal value was its undoing, for the mercenary greedily sought it for the value of its root. You may also chance upon a Trillium or other treasure which has well-nigh disappeared, but hasten, for the tocsin of man’s destructiveness, as the certain companion of his constructiveness, has sounded even unto the uttermost dell, and the frail, entrancing daughters of the warm seasons are being swept away. Let us be up and doing, then—active in trying in every way to aid in prolonging upon the earth the existence of those charming wild School of Horticulture •♦+ - flowers, which cannot be replaced. Among the rarer kinds let us pick not, break not, waste not; let us admire and pass on, so that others may admire, that our posterity may yet be blessed with the gift of natural floral loveliness; and though we may be discouraged in seeing that what we have spared has been destroyed by the ruthless, exterminated in the inevitable march of man in his preemption of the earth—dug up, blasted away, demolished—yet our conscience may remain clear; even though our share in the conservation may have been but a modest one, we may console ourselves just a little in knowing that, within our power, we have wrought to the best of our ability, that we have done all that it was possible for us to do in aiding to preserve our vanishing wild flowers. Planting Plans in Relation to Design Mrs. George Robbins Whatever may be the contemplated size or character of a garden, it is essential that some well-studied design be followed. The garden may be further changed in succeeding years by the introduction of new and more interesting combinations of plant materials, and, the general scheme having been determined, the next most important consideration is the planting plan. The large park-like gardens of France, which are planned on a very elaborate scale, greatly depend on the planting material for their effectiveness. After the general scheme, the species, size and quantity of trees and shrubs are made the focal points of interest, and because they hold such a secondary place even the parterres with their usually abominable color combinations do not detract from the general arrangement. It was Le Notre, the great French landscape architect, who more than any other appreciated to the full the value of the planting plan. In small informal gardens, where because of lack of space it is impossible to create an effect by a striking plan, the selection of plant materials is particularly important. The scheme of a small garden can be understood at a glance, and for this reason the selection of flowers and shrubs should be very carefully made. Much thought must be given to the scale of plants. A little garden will be ruined by the use of coarse-growing materials. The combination of cannas and aguilegias, because of their difference in scale would be disastrous, even though the colors might be excellent. Tall plants must always be placed at the back of a bed, and low ones at the front, so £ § 49 £ that every bloom may be equally effective. Columbine should be used with delphiniums or phlox, and in the vicinity some delicate and peacebringing Shirley poppies may be planted successfully. In spite of their fascinating charm, too many red flowers should be avoided. They are difficult to use and their positions should be carefully planned beforehand. All beds, even the seemingly least important, should be carefully studied, or better still, drawn to scale before beginning to plant them. In an all-year garden each group ought, if possible, to contain Spring, Summer and Autumn blooms, the dwarf and tall ones and those of large and small scale arranged in their proper positions. By improving the selection of plants from year to year, even a small plot of ground can be made to assume agreeable variations of form, scale, and color. Many effective designs can be secured by the use of foliage plants whose bloom is negligible. This kind is indispensable for shady places which may be made into spots that are charming instead of the hitherto hopeless bare ones. Ferns are particularly adaptable to shade; they are very decorative and many varieties thrive in our climate. But in spite of their qualities, they are used much less than they should be. Happily they are becoming more appreciated and will, some day, attain the popularity they deserve. In painting with oils, much of the drawing is accomplished by the Wise-Acres = ’ ■ application of colors to the canvas, and the full effect depends upon the manner in which these colors are used. The care of the artist may well be followed by the landscape designer when he chooses the materials by means of which he intends to produce satisfactory and pleasing effects. $39.09--Or a Meadow Garden E. Pauline Leibert Surely a herd of fine registered Jersey cows is an asset to cherish most assiduously. Extraordinary is the care that is lavished upon Fail vie Gamboge Trinity—a splendid herd sire he is destined to be. Fauvic’s Fairy Fern and Golden Maid’s Gala Primrose, too, hold their place among the nobility which frequents the pasture lot. A tiny stream meanders thru this lovely rolling meadow to furnish opportunity for us as well as for our cows. We encroach upon the meadow to fence a queerly shaped portion which will meet our requirements. We need a water garden. The cows will enjoy nibbling the delectable plants that will wander outside the somewhat tumbly fence. The topography of the situation is rather good, for all conditions are supplied—the densely shaded moist spot near the bridge, the well drained shady hillock directly under the linden tree, and then, on the other side of the creek, the house side, marshy soil, together with a well-drained bank in full sun. We are able to satisfy a large variety of plant material, according to their peculiarities and affinities. There is a subtle joy in taking a rough piece of meadow and converting it into an interesting feature. We dug the soil very thoroughly and, as it contained a bit too much clay, we carted sand to lighten it. Even supercilious Jack wiggled an interested ear when he pulled us— cart and sand—through the meadow to the site. Then we shoveled out the sand, having been too new in the carting profession to balance the cart so that we could dump it. Experience a teacher?—well, yes! Ask a Junior or two! The plan demonstrates the variety of plants we have selected. To attempt a detailed description of all the plants would only prove a bore, o we will choose some of the most intriguing ones and note the others below. No water garden would be complete without Iris. There is the lovely Iris versicolor (blue flag) native to North America, which raises its bloom two to four feet high in May. We intend to plant it in March School oj Horticulture •♦♦a Z=Z fr+- in a rather swampy situation. . pseud-acorns, native to Britain, will afford us a good touch of color, yellow, in May and June and its foliage will be attractive all the season. This also likes moisture. Strangely enough I. kaempferi, laevigata (Japanese flag) does not enjoy having its rhizomes under water here, as it does in its native country, so we decided to place it in a fairly well-drained position. Mertensia virginica (Virginian cowslip) is a charming flower native to North America. The buds are pink; as they open the flowers are purplish and as they age the color fades to a blue, so they serve a triple duty in their chameleonic activity. This plant prefers a sandy peat and loam soil mixture and partial shade. In May it is a joy to see a good group of them. The representatives of the Order Orchidaceae are strangely beautiful. The Calopogon pulchellus (grass pink orchis) is discovered in a damp, sheltered corner, where it will find a bed prepared for it with equal parts of loam and peat. In July it will be a source of interest when it climbs to eighteen inches and opens to astonish us with its perfection. Habenaria ciliaris (yellow fringed orchid) is planted in April, reaches a height of twenty inches and blooms in August. Habenaria psycodes (purple fringed orchid accompanies its yellow relative in time of bloom and both have a preference for well-drained soil containing leaf mold, peat, and loam, and thrive in shade. Great color contrast is afforded when we use the Lobelia family. There is Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), a glorious red. and also L. syphilitica, a good blue. These two bloom in August and will be a good accent. Heleniunx will be in its full beauty in September and then, too, the brown heads of Typha latifolia (cat tail) will resemble policeman's clubs. Each month will have its accent plants and every month Myosotis palustris semperflorens (forget-me-not) and Viola cucullata (blue marsh violet) will riot over the ground. SEVENTEEN School of Horticulture Ferns are tucked into places where their tastes will be respected. On the well-drained sunny bank are placed Osmunda Claytonia (Clayton's fern) and Asplenium filix foemina (Lady’s fern). In the moist, sunny margin of the stream are scattered the Dicksonia punctiloba (Tasmanian tree fern). Osmunda regalis (Royal fern) and Osmunda cin-namomea (cinnamon fern) prefer moist shade. We submit an order with a few cultural notes upon the plants and we quote prices of the various nurseries which are able to supply these plants. If during the spring of 1929 a motorist should pass the Water Garden of the School of Horticulture and see two students perched on m 52 ft Wise-Acres a fence rubbing a cow’s ear affectionately, we hope that said motorist will not conclude our interest lies in cows rather than in water gardens. The kinks resulting from gardening are best removed by a slow massage of the ear of a friendly cow. THE ORDER Botanic Name and Season of Common Name Color Height Bfoom Price Remarks Botanic Name and Season of Common Name Color Height Bloom Price Remarks A cor as columns Sweet flag green 2-3 ft. No Flower $1.50 for 10. Robbins. A risaema T riphyUu m Jack-in-the-Pulpit brown 1-3 ft. Spring $ .75 for 5. Robbins. Asti!be (irano rose 3-4 ft. June-August $1.50 for 3. Tricker. Bnttom ns urn hello, tus Flowering Rush pink 2-3 ft. Summer $1.50 for 3. Tricker. Calopoff n pulchellus Grass Pink Orchis pink 18 inches July $ .88 for 5. Robbins. C alt ha palustris yellow 1-2 ft. April $1.25 for 5. Robbins. Marsh Marigold Soil, moist rich. CI e m a t is virg in ia n a white vine Summer $1.08 for 5. Robbins. Virgin's Bower Soil well drained, rich, sun. Dicen tru Cucullaria Dutchman’s Breeches rose 8 inches Spring $1.00 for 10. Gillett. Habenaria ciliaris psycodcs yellow To 20 in. August $1.50 for 5. Robbins. Orchid purple To 18 in. August $1.25 for 5. Robbins. Heleniurn autumnale Sneezewort yellow 3-5 ft. Aug.-Sept. $ .75 for 5. Robbins. Hemerocallis flavu yellow 2-3 ft. June, July $1.00 for 6. Tricker. Day Lily Variety, Dr. Regel Soil, moist rich, sun or slight shade. 11ibiscns moscheutos white 5 ft. Summer $2.50 for 12. Tricker. Marshmallow rose Rich moist soil. Iris kaempfcri Japanese Flag various 4 ft. July $1.50 for 6. Tricker. . pseud-acorns Yellow Flag yellow 3 ft. May, June $2.00 for 12. Tricker. I. versicolor Blue Flag blue 2-3 ft. May $2.00 for 10. Robbins. €S 53 Wise-Acres •♦♦a m- Labelia ca rd ina 1 is Cardinal Flower red 3 ft. August $ .88 for 5. Robbins. L. syphilitica blue 3 ft. August $ .75 for 5. Robbins. Myosotis palustris blue 6 in. Summer $ .50 for % ounce of semper lorens seed. Burpee. Forget-me-not Saunirus cenmus white 2-3 ft. Summer $ .75 for 3. Tricker. Lizard’s Tail Margin of pools. Stenanthium robustus white 3-5 ft. August, Sept. $1.00 for 5. Robbins. Feather Fleece Damp rich soil. Typha 1 at i folia brown 5-6 ft. Summer $ .50 for 6. Tricker. Cat Tail Swamp, soil ordinary. Viola cucullatu blue 6-10 in. Summer $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Blue Marsh Violet Damp rich soil. Viola pedata blue 3-7 in. May $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Bird’s-foot Violet Sand, sun. Viola pedata bicolor blue purple 4-6 in. May $1.00 for 5. Robbins. Zizania aquatica green 5-10 ft. Summer $1.00 for 12. Tricker. Wild Rice Damp soil. A dianturn pedaturn green 1-3 ft. $ .75 for 5. Robbins. Maidenhair Fern Two parts of peat, 1 loam, 1 sand. Asplenimn filix-foemina 1-3 ft. $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Lady’s Fern Sun, well drained. Diclcsonia punctilobula 1-2 ft. $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Hay-scented Fern Open, shade. Sun, or shade. Osmandu claytoniana 2-3 ft. $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Interrupted Fern Osnntnda cin na momea 4-5 ft. $1.50 for 10. Robbins. Cinnamon Fern Osm a nda rcya I is 1-5 ft. $1.50 for 10. Robbins. CATALOGUES USED Gardens of the Blue Ridge, E. C. Robbins, Ashford, McDowell County, North Carolina. William Tricker, Water Lily Specialist, Arlington, New Jersey. Hardy Ferns and Flowers, Kenneth Gillet, Southwick, Massachusetts. Burpee’s Annual Garden Book of 1929. W. Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cl 54 � School of Horticulture Diary Elizabeth Ackroyd Nth day of Something-or-other. (One’s first day of poultry duty.) My dear, you must enter the poultry business. It is most thrilling lo finally find one’s self on the inside of a poultry house with the knowledge that all these trustful-eyed hens are depending on you to give them a fair deal. It seems that each chicken is trapped in her nest so that you may be sure which one laid an egg and that it is not merely the one with the strongest lungs. The trap-nesting system apparently would make fairness quite simple. As a matter of fact it is very lucky the hens are trusting, for, aside from trusting you, they do everything that they can to make the count wrong. Hens have a nasty little trick of slipping into an open or faulty trap nest which has an egg in it and proceeding to lay another in order to fool the uninitiated into thinking that they laid two eggs in one day. I was uninitiated, but people told me that it just is not done. The first trap-nest that I opened was just on a level with my eyes. I believe that has something to do with the vanishing point. I should have remembered, after all Mr. Bush-Brown has said. At any rate, I bravely pulled up the trap door. Hen, rushing out of the opening—“What do you mean by leaving me here so long after my daily egg has been laid?” Feathers, feathers, feathers. Feathers in the mouth, in the eyes, in the nose, in the ears, between the teeth. I did not return to the house until I had been fortified with the information that if a caustic reply is made to the hen to the effect that she would make a gorgeous Sunday dinner, and never laid eggs two days in.succession in her life, she will be so insulted that she will immediately get out of your sight. This proved very successful. The second thing I learned is that one can greatly improve one’s School of Horticulture production by feeding “Lay or Bust Mash” to the whole flock. It seems that the roosters are such proud creatures that they simply refuse to bust. I tested this myself and collected two eggs from the cockerel pen per day. I feel sure that all poultry men should know these facts before starting a poultry plant. The Use of Lime Harold E. Davis With the possible exception of a good supply of humus in the soil, lime in one form or another is the most important compound we have to deal with, as far as maintaining the fertility of the soil is concerned. We may have all three of the more important fertilizing elements—viz., nitrogen, phosphorus and potash, present in abundance in the soil, and will still observe that the addition of lime will bring on increased growth of the plant life. Going on, we will see just why this is so. Lime is a direct plant food. All forms of lime have the element calcium in their make-up, and this calcium is one of the ten essential elements necessary for plant growth. When added as lime, it is in a very available form for the plants to use. Lime acts also as an indirect fertilizer: the three most important elements named above are usually found in the soil in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements of the plants almost indefinitely, but the greater part of these compounds is locked up in almost wholly insoluble forms impossible for the plant roots to use. Lime, when added to the soil, combines to some extent with these compounds and changes part of them to some more soluble form which can be readily used by the plants. The reader must understand that applications of lime will not release all of the plant foods needed, but they reduce the amount of necessary fertilizer. Lime corrects toxic conditions of the soil. In some soils there are certain chemicals that are poisonous to plants. Calcium compounds tend to enter into combination with these, changing them into less harmful forms. Lime improves the physical condition of the soil. This applies chiefly to heavy clay soils that are lacking in organic matter. Such soils as these are inclined to puddle or bake when they have become soaked and then dried out. When plowed, this earth is turned up as large hard clumps or clods. By adding lime, this condition is corrected Wise-Acres •♦+: s� � � to a large extent. The lime tends to flocculate the soil or bring it together to form small flakes. An interesting experiment to prove this is as follows: Place a small portion of very line clay in a jar, add water and shake thoroughly. It will be found that the soil settles to the bottom in the original fine condition, after some time. Place some more of the same clay in another bottle, add water and shake as before, then add a small amount of quicklime or calcium oxide. The clay will immediately form small flakes and settle to the bottom almost at once. This action is an important one to consider in the management of fine soils, for it tends to make them more granular and thus easier to handle. Another important part played by lime in its “soil improvement program” is the action it has on organic matter in the soil. The bacteria that help break down the raw organic matter into humus are made to work much better and quicker in an alkaline medium than in a sour soil. The humus not only adds plant food to the soil, but improves the structure and water-holding capacity. Lime corrects soil acidity. Most of our farm crops require a distinctly alkaline soil, or else one that is neutral or free from acid. The presence of acids stops to some extent the action of the beneficial bacteria. The question now arises: how do we know that we are in need of lime? There are several ways of determining this and some methods will also give an idea of the amount of lime needed. Character of vegetation is a good indication of acidity. When such weeds as sorrel, paint brush and buckthorn are present to the exclusion of timothy or clover, you may be sure that your land is in need of lime. Where a seedling of red and alsike clover gives only alsike, the failure of the red clover may safely be blamed on the lack of lime, provided that the soil is well drained, and that red clover thrives in your vicinity. Likewise, where red top does better than timothy, and where Canada blue grass replaces Kentucky blue grass, a deficiency of lime is shown. A poor physical condition of the soil will sometimes indicate the need for lime. Clay soils that show a tendency to bake after a hard rain are often deficient in this as well as organic matter. Likewise, sandy soils deficient in lime will lack the cementing qualities necessary for the absorbtion of water. Lime in one of its various forms will to some extent tend to correct both conditions. The litmus paper test is one of the simplest to make for the detection of acid or sweet soils. Dig up a handful of soil from the field that you wish to test, moisten it slightly and roll into a compact ball. Break the ball open and place a piece of blue litmus paper between the halves, holding tightly for a minute or two. If, upon examining the paper, you find that it has turned red or slightly pink, you will know that the soil is acid and in need of lime. If the paper remains blue, no Wise-Acres lime is needed. If red litmus paper turns blue, the soil is decidedly alkaline in character. Other chemical tests for determining the lime needs of the soil are the “Richorpoor,” the Truog, and the Soiltex methods. All of these tests are based on the action of chemicals on the soil and comparing the resulting solution with a color chart furnished with each outfit. All of them are fairly accurate, and will give a good idea of how much lime is needed. When collecting samples of soil to be tested, be sure that a representative sample is taken. Get a shovelful of soil from several scattered portions of the field, mix them all together and take the sample from that. Another question that is often asked is: What kind of lime shall I buy? What kind is best for my particular purpose? This will depend upon various factors. There are so many varieties on the market that the buyer is hard put to it to know just which he needs. He may think that all limes answer the same purpose, and will buy from the salesman who has the best gift of gab. Or he may buy some form that is unsuitable for his purposes merely because it was a little cheaper than the other kind. Of the various forms that are on the market, let us discuss those that are the commonest. The list will include quicklime or calcium oxide, hydrated lime or calcium hydroxide, limestone or calcium carbonate, gypsum or land-plaster and by-products of some manufacturing concerns, called plant-lime, agricultural lime, etc. Of all these forms of lime, the calcium oxide, or burnt lime, is the quickest acting, and does the most efficient work per ton. Hydrated lime, limestone and gypsum are next in the order named. Since the value of any lime is dependent upon the amount of calcium oxide in it, fifty-six pounds of the burnt lime are worth as much as seventy-four pounds of hydrated lime, one hundred pounds of limestone and about two hundred pounds of gypsum. Or, to put it in another way, to furnish the amount of calcium contained in one hundred pounds of pure lime, one requires one hundred and thirty pounds of hydrated or slaked lime, one hundred and eighty pounds of limestone, or three hundred and ten pounds of gypsum. From these figures it can be seen that one hundred pounds of burnt lime is worth twenty-five per cent more than the same amount of slaked lime, forty-six per cent more than the limestone and about one hundred per cent more than the gypsum. If one has a soil inclined to be on the sandy side, limestone is undoubtedly the best form of lime to use. If the oxide or hydroxide are added, the open porous condition of the soil will permit too rapid “burning” of the lime, and a good bit of it will be wasted. Burnt lime will give quicker results on the heavier soils, and if quick action is wanted it would be wise to use this form. The residual value of quick- m 58 si School o] Horticulture lime is somewhat low on any soil because of this rapid action. It is sometimes a good plan to apply one or two tons of finely ground limestone at some time during the winter or early spring, then to add enough of the burnt lime just previous to planting to give the crop all it will need for its immediate use. By the time the burnt lime is used up, the limestone will come into availability. Distance from the source of supply is important to consider in making your choice of the form of lime you will use. If there is little difference in the price of the oxide and the carbonate, and the source is several hundred miles away, it would be better to buy the oxide, remembering that one ton of the oxide is equal to almost two tons of the carbonate. However, there is generally enough difference in the price to warrant buying the carbonate, unless the source is so far away as to make freight rates prohibitive. Unless it is made nearby; it hardly pays to buy the hydrated form, for one is paying freight on water as well as lime. Gypsum is one of the most expensive forms of lime to buy unless it can be obtained nearby at a low price. This will in time turn the soil acid, and if used at all should be applied sparingly. The by-products mentioned above will give fairly good results, but an analysis shows them to have the efficiency of only a fair grade of limestone. Their price is usually several dollars higher per ton. Of all these forms of lime the limestone is the most agreeable to apply. It does not have the caustic effect upon the skin that both the oxide and the hydroxide have, and generally goes through the drill in better shape. If limestone is applied, be sure that you get it on the ground in plenty of time to be used by the crop. By broadcasting it during the winter, it will be found that enough is decomposed by planting time to benefit the crops. When limestone is applied at this time, it should be put on with a lime drill, either as a top-dressing or over fall-plowed ground. Never plow lime under, for the roots cannot get the benefit of it when it is under plow’s depth. It is better to make two light applications during a regular four or five year rotation than to make one heavy one. Never apply lime with acid phosphate or directly on manure. One is apt to lose one or more plant food elements by doing this. If lime and fertilizers are to be applied the same year, spread the lime first, and give it a chance to become incorporated with the soil before adding the fertilizer. Cl 59 School of Horticulture •♦♦a Roses for Forcing Christine Kersey This is the hey-day of biography in literature and of flower-growing as a hobby, so why is there not place for some biographical notes on the Queen of Flowers, the rose? It would be impossible to treat fully so widely traveled and diversely figured a flower, however, so but a few facts about it can be given. A visit to the E. Gurney Hill Greenhouses in Richmond, Indiana, would be sure to set aflame even the slightest interest in the subject of forcing roses. Mr. Hill is the “Grand Old Man of Roses” in this country, and our leading rosarian. Born in England, but coming to America at a very early age, he settled in Richmond in 1865 and there has spent his life growing and developing new varieties of roses. His charm, interest and kindliness at eighty-two years of age would recommend his profession, if nothing else would. He is credited with being the father, so-called, of nearly fifty of the most popular roses grown under glass today, many of which are good garden roses as well. Among his introductions are Ophelia, Columbia, Premier, General MacArthur, Mme. Butterfly, America and Richmond. In fact, it is said that his roses are the ancestors of 90 per cent of the forcing roses of the present time. In this case quality and quantity go hand in hand, for during the week before Christmas, 1928, between 250,000 and 275,000 blooms were shipped from the Hill Greenhouses. The roses are all budded on Odorata or Manetti stock, imported into this country from China. These stocks have been found to be practically non-resting, being dormant for less than two months each year. They are received as matted, dry, brown tangles, packed in huge boxes. First they are sorted into three sizes, small, medium and large, and then cut back sharply and potted into 2! -in. pots. Potted and well-soaked in the afternoon, they are ready for the grafting the next morning. Splice grafting and budding are the methods usually used. Then follow shading and watering, naturally, and in six weeks they will have struck. This procedure is, of course, the usual routine. The fascinating part is the selection of the new varieties to be developed. In one of the houses hundreds of feet of bench space are filled with row after row of seedlings on trial. They range through every shade of colour known in roses, from the most rigid singleness to the fullest double, and with all degrees of vigour in both plant and blossom. Here the selection is made—unnamed seedlings with a particular virtue are crossed with old and well-known varieties, or perhaps with another seedling just as unknown, but prepossessing—with improvement ever in mind. Wise-Acres There is something cruel about the weeding-out process, but it is just this rigid care in selection that has made Mr. Hill's developments such leaders. There were 2,500 seedlings from Ophelia in 1914, which, in 1917, had been reduced to 15, to be held for further observation. For three seasons a selected plant is “tried” to make sure it will come up to standard. In fact, it usually requires eight years to get a rose on the market—from the original cross-pollinating until a sufficient stock is worked up to make possible its introduction. The seeds require up to eighteen months for germination. One short cut is the budding of new stock, high up on vigorous plants, keeping the new shoot carefully tagged and so getting a stock of buds more quickly than by the growth of a whole new plant. Possibly the most interesting rose that Mr. Hill has introduced is Ophelia. In 1912, he visited the houses of William Paul and Son, at Waltham Cross, Herts, England. There he saw Ophelia, and recognizing its possibilities, bought up the whole stock of it. No pedigree can be given for this rose, as it did not come from an artificially fertilized seed, but from a pod gathered in the nursery. It does, however, show a decided Antoine Rivoire strain. Lovely in itself, it has the added grace of “sporting” profusely. Of the seven roses registered with the American Rose Society in 1922, six were progeny of Ophelia and ranged in colour from creamy-white through clear yellow and rose pink to scarlet-crimson. Interesting to note also, is that these were grown in such diverse sections as Sumner, Washington. Queens, Long Island, and elsewhere. What a fascinating pursuit—the spreading of beauty in that manner! Intimate Glimpses Marion Baldwin Outside the potting shed is a sky which seems to be doing its duty halfway, for instead of a gently falling snow, a seemingly unneeded downpour or deluge is racing from the gray, dismal banks of ethereal unknowns. “Oh, yes!” one could say, “it’s a fine day to remain cozily in one’s home to stitch all the little ‘have to be mendeds’ on one’s old hose or best dancing frocks.” But things aren’t that way here—here, where girls resemble boys so much that one must scrutinize their facial expressions or even wait until they speak to ascertain their place in the world. Here, one lives in the greenhouses and sheds on dim days, Wise-Acres •♦♦a— ■ }� • apparently trying to see if one can’t outpour as much water as the sky seems to be venting forth. In the potting shed, water is being used from a faucet to wash various implements—yes—can one believe it, in the middle of this lockered room is a big galvanized washtub—the kind grandmother used to use—surrounded by a few rolled-up-sleeved, twitching mouthed smiling girls. But what is this small group doing? Why should they be taking such pains to be sure that all dirt is off the object of their labors? What? Why? These are simply dirty, red clay flower pots in which plants are grown for the convenience and enjoyment of the people, yes, and for the convenience and enjoyment of the plants themselves, for they like them. That is the reason for all this diligent labor. These brick red pots have been placed in the warm water, scrubbed thoroughly with brushes, so thoroughly indeed that much of the grime and slime has miraculously disappeared. The green moss has been brushed away and also the gray-white mold. Even new, spick and span ones are plunged in until all the dear, elusive air bubbles have ceased to agitate the water—this done only to create a better porosity. They have been cleaned well enough to be allowed to dry thoroughly on the hot pipes in the greenhouses. Still more questions arise—what is the result of all this expensive labor? People do not usually keep their pots so clean, nor dry them so well. No—people don’t, but flowers really benefit from this excessive output of energy, for, the dirt having been removed, the tiny air spaces or pores are free to take in air. This air, when having entered the pot, passes on to the soil, thus aerating it—that is, the spaces between the soil particles filled with life-giving air. The oxygen and other elements are assimilated by the little invisible root hairs, conducted through the roots, up the stems and thence out through the leaves. Here ends the journey, for all the elements which have not been used are discarded— transpired by the green leaves. My, what a great deal clean pots can do—yes they can, for they not only present a good appearance, but also check disease and the insects which were in the former soil and clinging to the pot have certainly been washed away by the use of our tubful of water. Is it any wonder that up-to-date, efficient growers see that their receptacles are thoroughly cleaned before placing new, undiseased plants in them? The pots are then dried thoroughly so that the soil will not become sour, as it certainly would if placed in wet pots. The hands of the clock have steadily swung around to keep up with the movements of the invisible sun, for surely he must be setting behind that bank of dampness, surely he must be smiling to think of the splendor he will bring tomorrow. And so, to help the deluge a € 62§g School o] Horticulture •♦«a: :sf- little, the now muddy tub-water is duly poured outside to help the plants. Many pots are now neatly arranged on their drying place— the hot water pipes. To brighten the girls’ aspects, piles of dirty pots are still piled confusedly outside, waiting to take their plunge in the cleansing water of the tub. Raising Chicks in Confinement Margaret A. Trimble The poultryman’s dream of a ten-acre tract with a wealth of succulent green growth, a running stream, and plenty of trees for shade, as ideal conditions for raising chickens, has been shattered by the ravages of disease and intestinal parasites (tape worms and round worms) coming from contaminated soil. Some have experienced mortality as high as 70 to 80 per cent in their growing stock. Such losses would soon put a man out of business; therefore the poultryman has turned to any system of management that offered to help him out of these difficulties. In order to keep the chicks away from this contaminated soil they are raised in the brooder house from the time they are a day old until housed for the winter in laying quarters. To give them the benefit of the ultra violet rays of the sun, a porch is built on the south side of the house. The floor may be of concrete, wood, or heavy wire, the latter involving less labor in cleaning, as the droppings will work through to the ground. If troubled with tape worms, it is advisable to enclose this porch with fly-screened frames to exclude flies, which are carriers of tape worms. A porch 6x8 ft. or 6x10 ft. is considered large enough to attach to a 10x12 ft. colony house. It is well to raise this porch at least six inches above the ground. If one is not troubled with tape worms and has plenty of acreage to work out a three-year rotation, good results may be had by practising partial confinement. The chicks are raised indoors until about eight weeks old, at which age they are less susceptible to disease, and are then moved out onto a clean range, which should be well fenced off from that used the year before and the one to be used the following year. They should also be prevented from mingling with the old stock which are likely to be disease carriers. Under this highly artificial system of management it is important to pay strict attention to details. For success, several points must be kept in mind. Perhaps the most important of these is to beware of School of Horticulture -----------------------------------------------------------------------Sf overcrowding. Birds that are checked in growth by overcrowding never develop into large bodied birds with the ability to give good production. The cockerels should be removed at as early an age as possible. If three hundred chicks are put into a 10x12 ft. house, the pullets should be thinned out at four months of age. By this time, culling of the old flock will probably make room to put some of these four months pullets into permanent winter quarters. This point of overcrowding cannot be over-stressed. The second in importance is to provide plenty of feed hoppers and watering devices. This year we are using, for three hundred chicks, four mash hoppers, three feet long, with feeding space on both sides. When about six to eight weeks old, more hoppers should be added. Both feed and water containers should be protected against contamination by the chicks. By providing roosts at four to five weeks of age, the chicks develop more rapidly and the floor can be kept in a dryer and more sanitary condition. On the under-side of these roosts, wire should be stretched to prevent the birds from coming into contact with the droppings. Efforts should be made to maintain good ventilation at all times. In hot weather, the houses should have ventilators in the rear over the roosts. It is also well to have a window in one or both sides of the house for cross ventilation during very hot days. The object of this confinement system is to raise healthy birds and this can be done only by strict sanitary practices. It necessitates frequent changing of the litter to keep the floor in a dry, clean state. Disease germs develop more rapidly under the moist, warm conditions found in poultry houses. Powdered lime spread on the floor before putting in new litter is an aid in promoting dryness. Shavings make excellent litter. Peat moss also helps maintain dryness, but is very dusty. Naturally, this system involves considerable labor, but perhaps had we paid as strict attention to sanitation on range as this confinement method demands, our troubles might not have been so great. Birds raised in this way may be fed the same as those on range, but the addition to the ration of 1 or 2 per cent of cod liver oil is necessary. Perhaps more attention should be given to the mineral content of the feed. A liberal daily feeding of green stuff is advisable, and it is best to raise this on ground that chickens have not used before. Grain should be fed in troughs, not in the litter, or it may be spread on top of the mash instead of providing separate receptacles for the purpose. A new system introduced into any line of work presents its difficulties, and so we have them with this method. Cannibalism is more difficult to control than to prevent. This takes the form of toe-picking, tail-picking, or feather pulling. As soon as blood is drawn, all the chicks in the flock will go for the afflicted one. In their world, when a chick is “down” he is “out.” This trouble is due to overcrowding, Wise-Acres — =)� ♦• failure to provide plenty of feeding and drinking space, and, in general, failure to furnish enough sources of amusement to keep them out of mischief. Cannibalism was thought to be due to a lack of sufficient protein in the ration, but it is now common knowledge that such is not the case. Hanging cabbages, beets, etc., on strings suspended from the ceiling and frequent feedings of green stuff throughout the day, will help to overcome this trouble. It is said that a change in the ration, such as using fish meal instead of meat meal, will stop the picking almost over night. Darkening the pen may also help. At first it was thought that confinement brooding would prevent coccidiosis, a dreaded disease in young chicks, often causing large numbers to die over night when badly infected. This is a disease of the intestinal tract, attacking chifly the cecae in young birds. These may be filled with a hard cheesy substance or clots of blood. The intestinal walls become highly irritated and inflamed, thereby preventing proper assimilation of the feed. Symptoms of this disease are sleepiness, drooping of the wings, paleness, an unthrifty appearance and, in severe cases, bloody droppings. The germs are carried by birds and pigeons, on feed and water receptacles, and on the attendant’s shoes; therefore it is well to have special utensils to use for the young stock, and a scraper and pan of shavings soaked with disinfectant to clean the shoes before entering the house. These germs, like the eggs of the round worm, are highly resistant to change in temperature, often living over in the soil for several years. They sporulate rapidly under moist, warm conditions and have a three-day cycle of infection. When first voided with the droppings they are harmless, but after three days’ exposure to the air, under ideal conditions for development, they become infective. Dryness helps to retard this sporulation. Chicks from the ages of three to ten weeks are very susceptible to attacks of this disease, and older birds may develop a chronic form. Overcrowding makes it more difficult to control. As soon as it appears, change the birds onto a mash containing 40 per cent of dried milk (10 lbs. bran, 30 lbs. ground corn, 20 lbs. rolled oats, 40 lbs. dried milk). Feed this for a week to ten days, then gradually change back to the original ration. This milk feeding will cause the droppings to be very moist, so that daily changing of the litter is advisable. The coccidia cannot live under the chemical conditions created by this heavy milk feeding. If plenty of liquid milk is available this may be given instead of water and the 40 per cent milk mash. Liberal feedings of semi-solid buttermilk also help to control this disease. However, a bird badly affected, although she may appear to recover and live through to the producing age, will not be able to stand up under the heavy production that she could give if she had never been sick. m es « School o] Horticulture •♦■vs — Coccidiosis is readily spread through the drinking water, therefore it should be protected from contamination by the birds. Early roosting helps to prevent overcrowding at night, and the dampness due to an accumulation of droppings from chicks huddled together on the floor. Those who have had trouble with attacks of coccidiosis year after year have tried raising the chicks, and with good results, on wire-covered frame set on the floor. This keeps the birds away from the droppings which are a source of infection. The advantages of confinement brooding are many. It permits careful supervision of the flock; early maturity, which is a great advantage when marketing broilers; protection against enemies, such as hawks; the practice of rigid sanitation; the more ready control of disease if it should break out; and freedom from intestinal worms. Rejuvenating “The Old Apple Tree” Cicely C. Browne In many sections of the country, especially in the East, may be found the remnants of old orchards which our great-grandfathers set out, or even trees which grew from seeds planted by “Apple-seed Johnny” on his pilgrimage from New England to the Middle West. Through neglect, ill-treatment, or merely the failure of their owners to realize the value of such trees under proper conditions, they have gradually died out or at least become so misshapen, gnarled, and full of disease that the fruit is appreciated only by birds, field mice and small boys. At the best, one can only, as one small girl said in reference to peaches from an old neglected tree, “cut ’em half in two an’ jar ’em up.” Contrary to the general belief, these trees can actually be brought into good bearing, and produce fruit equal in quality to that from thrifty young orchards. Naturally, the following mode of treatment is intended primarily for those who have a few old trees in their back yards, or even scattered on what is now the front lawn; commercial orchardists would probably prefer to get rid of them altogether and begin with new stock. However, provided that the trees are in a vigorous condition, as shown by thick foliage and numerous water-sprouts, and have not lost too many large branches, they may profitably be renewed at the age of forty or fifty years, and one writer says that even up to the age of one hundred they may not be absolutely hopeless. The first thing to be considered in renovating an old orchard is Wise-Acres •♦♦a - - —s++- pruning. If the trees are very thick, some of them may be removed altogether to allow a free circulation of air and plenty of sunlight for those remaining. The roots of most trees extend approximately the same distance from the trunk as do the branches, so if there is much crossing of branches one may be sure that the roots also are crowded and are having difficulty in finding sufficient food to support the tops. In pruning an old tree, the dead wood is the first to be taken out. After this is cleared, remove any diseased branches, and those which are badly infested with insects, such as the San Jose scale. In making these cuts, it is important not to leave a stub, but to cut back to an outside branch or bud, or in the case of a tree which is too spreading in habit, an upright branch may be selected. When it is necessary to leave a branch containing a diseased or decaying spot, the rotten wood should be cut out as far as possible, and the wound disinfected and painted with white lead. All wounds over three inches in diameter, even if clean, should be painted to prevent attack by bacteria or fungus. If the appearance of the white lead is objectionable, use a coat of shellac first, to protect the cambium layer, and then paint with any color desired. If the tree is very vigorous, this may be all that is done the first year, as too severe pruning will cause a heavy growth of water-sprouts, but in most cases some heading back may be done. The general rule is to prune weak trees rather heavily and stronger ones less severely. At any rate, it is seldom advisable in the first year to remove more than half the wood which is eventually to come out, and one third is better. Often a vigorous tree may be pruned lightly in the fall or winter, and then again after the first period of rapid growth is over, as this summer pruning does not have the same stimulating effect and tendency to produce water-sprouts as pruning when the tree is dormant. A low-headed tree is much the easiest to renovate, but unfortunately the majority of old orchards have been headed high, and as a result the fruit is now borne on long pole-like branches with little or no foliage in the centre of the tree, and is out of reach of anyone not equipped with a hook and ladder or a trained monkey. If the tree is in a healthy condition and well-shaped otherwise, the head may be lowered without seriously affecting the crop, by removing a few of the highest branches each year, saving any shoots which may develop below the main branches, or in places where old limbs have died or broken off. More often, however, dehorning must be resorted to. By this is meant the cutting off of large old limbs to the point where healthy young shoots may take their place. This may be done in winter, and the resulting water-sprouts thinned out the following summer, but too many should not be taken off at once, as the balance between the roots and top is disturbed, and exposure of the bark to Cl 67 || School oj Horticulture •♦•♦it ■ ■ - _ —....... ........... the hot summer sun is likely to result in sun-scald. If growth is weak, and dehorning the first year would leave the tree with insufficient foliage to utilize the plant food sent up by the roots, a severe pruning may be given, and the dehorning done the following season, after enough shoots have developed to preserve the equilibrium. Long horizontal limbs should also be cut back, to keep a good form. After two or three years the tree should be in moderately good shape, and require only the regular pruning which is given in younger orchards. Next in importance to pruning is feeding. Too often the ground has been allowed to grow up in tall grass or weeds, and after many years of neglect and failure to fertilize, the soil has been absolutely exhausted. A frequent practice, and a very natural one, when a farmer suddenly decides to “trim up” his old trees, is to prune them severely and then give them a heavy application of manure or nitrate of soda. On the contrary, a tree which has a well-developed root system and is suddenly deprived of a large proportion of its leaf surface, has no means of utilizing the sap sent up by the roots, and as a result develops a large crop of water-sprouts, or may even be killed. The first year after dehorning no nitrogenous fertilizer should be given at all, or at most a light dressing of barnyard manure. Potash and phosphoric acid should be applied, however, and it is difficult to give an excess of these two food elements. If the trees are in the back yard with vegetables planted between the rows, the fertilizer which is given to the other crops will, as a rule, do well enough in subsequent years. This method is not advisable in commercial orchards, but, where space is limited and it is not essential to get the greatest possible returns from his trees, the owner is perfectly justified in intercropping. Where no other crop is used, and the soil has not been cultivated for some years, it should be plowed. This first plowing should not be deep, as the roots are likely to be very near the surface. It may be easier to use a spike tooth harrow first, and follow with a plow, the depth of plowing being increased the next year. Fertilizer may be broadcast on the surface and harrowed in. So long as too many of the large ones are not damaged, the breaking of the roots is not very serious, as it helps the tree to regain its equilibrium which has been disturbed by the heavy pruning. Where the tree is on a lawn, or for some other reason it is undesirable to disturb the soil around the roots, holes about two feet deep may be dug with a crowbar, in a circle even with the outer tips of the branches, and the fertilizer put in there. A second circle is sometimes made inside the first. As a rule, orchards which have been neglected for a number of years are likely to be badly infested with disease and insects, especially San Jose scale. After the first pruning has been given, the trunks €| 68 Wise-Acres •♦♦it- - ■ - =� ♦■ should be scraped to remove all the old loose bark, as this makes an ideal harboring place for fungi and insect pests. The trees should then be sprayed with an oil spray, and this may be followed in the spring with a mixture of oil and lime-sulphur. After this, a regular spraying schedule, such as is sent out by the Pennsylvania State College, should be followed. Where many trees have died out, and it is desirable to plant new stock they should be chosen with reference to the use to which they are put. The small home orchard should contain varieties which extend over the longest possible season, and are of the finest quality, without necessarily being able to stand shipment or long storage. Whereas a commercial orchardist should keep to a few standard varieties, the amateur may have a larger assortment, and not only grow his own particular favorites, but even experiment with new ones. This is one of the chief joys of being an amateur, and, when there is added to it the superior quality of fruit which has been well chosen and carefully tended, there is good reason for the owner of a few of these “worthless old trees'’ to be proud of his inheritance. Some Bog Plants of the Jersey Pines Elizabeth C. White The great pear tree was full of bloom and bees and spicy fragrance that sunny afternoon years ago when grandfather Fenwick called his little granddaughter to see what he had brought her from “the bog.” There under the tree stood the bay horse hitched to the small, open wagon; and, wonder of wonders, in the wagon stood another horse as large as a Shetland pony, a wooden horse on rockers, beautifully modeled and covered with real white horse hide with long, flowing mane and tail. The saddle and trappings were of red and gold leather, and in grandfather’s hand was a bunch of the long-stemmed, dark red flowers of the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). These flowers came from “the bog” where Grandfather Fenwick had started in 1857 the culture of cranberries. Many were the treasures that came to that little granddaughter from “the bog”: great mats of Pixie Moss (Pyxidanthera barbulata) thickly dotted with pink buds which opened into starry, white flowers; spicy, red Tea Berries (Gaul-theria procumbent), a delight to the eye and so good to eat; a tiny turtle perhaps, or a beautiful stem of Tiger Lilies (Lilium superbum). When the child was ten she lost her grandfather and her father, Joseph J. White, took charge. He developed more and greater cranberry bogs and the place came to be known as “Whitesbog.” It was his daughter’s delight to share his plans and to associate with the lovely wild bog plants. There were the Sundews—Bros era filiformis, Drosera rotundi folia and Drosera longifolia. Filiformis is the most conspicuous of the three. The thread-like leaves uncoil ’till they stand erect six inches or more in height. They are tickly covered with red glandular hairs, each tipped with a tiny transparent drop of glutinous secretion which glistens in the sun like dew. By this small insects are caught, held and digested. The raceme of the flower buds is coiled like a fern frond. The stem unrolls until the lower bud is at the top of the arch, where it unfolds and for the sunny hours of one day spreads its rosy petals. By sunrise of the next day the stem has uncoiled just sufficiently to bring the second bud to the top of the arch, and so in turn for each fragile, Ci 70 £ School of Horticulture •♦♦a half-inch, carmine pink flower. When the last one has faded an erect spike of ripening seed pods remains. Three lovely bog Orchids are found at Whitesbog. The Grass Pink (Limodorum tuberosum) comes earliest with three or four orchid pink blossoms on a slender stem. Slightly later blooms the Rose Pogonia (Pogonia orphioglossoides) with its lovely, solitary, pink blooms, and early in August the white, fringed Orchis(Blepha riglottis blephariglottis) is found. Erect pale green stems from twelve to eighteen inches high carry the large heads of dainty, fringed, snow white flowers, as delicate and exquisite as any greenhouse exotic. Another charming herbaceous plant of the bogs is the Gold Crest (Lophiolo americana). The flower stems, with their many branched heads, are covered with a dense white wool, suggestive of the Edelweiss, from which peep out the tiny stars of vivid, orange yellow flowers, all fluffy with stamens. A rare plant of the bogs is the Pine Barren Gentian (Gentiana porphyrio). The day I first saw it is engraved in my memory as clearly as the day I first saw the Pitcher Plant flowers. A woman grown, I had been helping supervise the cranberry picking for several years. A freezing night made it necessary to protect the berries with water. In the morning the bogs were too wet to pick and I was free for a few hours. So father and I, in the buggy, behind plump, brown Daisy, started off to see how picking progressed with our neighbor a few miles away. The winding, sandy road wandered through a stretch of low ground where water stood in the ruts. On the two parallel ridges between the wheel tracks and that worn by horses’ hoofs were little hedges of all the native plants, rubbed to an even height by the occasional vehicles passing over them. Like the whole country, these little hedges were glorious with the maroon, crimson, green and gold which autumn brings to the bog country of the Jersey Pines. Slowly we went, taking easily the holes, the ups and downs of the wet road. Suddenly amid the green of dwarf Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) and Sand Myrtle (Dendrium buxifolium) and the crimson of the Huckleberry (Gaylus-sacia baccata) I spied a spot of bright blue. It was a gentian. We found five or six of them that morning, some a little to the side of the road, some growing right in the little hedges between the tracks. The wide, open flowers were two inches and more in diameter, with five petals spreading out from the morning-glory-like throat, and a fringed septum joining the pointed petals for about a third of their length. Years later I undertook to secure seed for Dr. Frederick V. Coville. It was too late in the season for flowers. Several hours’ search was rewarded by finding two seed capsules on their slender stems, growing from just such a little ridge in a winding, wet road as had held the roots Wise-Acres •♦♦a ■ of my first gentian above the water. Dr. Coville sent back to Whitesbog a number of the plants he raised from these seeds. They were the first inhabitants of my little garden of native plants. Every fall the original gentians each produce from fifteen to twenty of their lovely blue flowers, which sway lightly on slender stems through the sunny hours of September and October. The seed from these plants has furnished a source of supply for many more. There are many other beautiful little things, but the glory of bog country is chiefly bestowed by its woody shrubs; the pines and cedars furnishing a steadfast, green background. The Ink Berry {Ilex glabra) with its glossy, waxy, evergreen leaves makes beautiful, rounded clumps with strong, individual character, both winter and summer. The robins like the black berries. Last fall on their journey South a flock stopped at Whitesbog and in a few hours cleaned every berry from the bushes in the garden. They took all the Choke Berries (Aronia arbutifolia), too. We were so glad to have refreshments for them. The fragrant Swamp Azalea (Azalea viscosa) is abundant along the edges of the swamps. In winter the fat flower buds and the expanded, brown seed pods are delightfully decorative. There is great individuality in the different bushes, some being pure white in bud and blossom and others increasingly pink. Some plants bloom regularly the latter part of May, some not until August, with others coming in all the weeks between. The Swamp Magnolia {Magnolia virginiana), with its deliciously fragant, creamy white flowers grows to be a small tree. In the glory of autumn coloring it is one of the most distinctive plants. Its leaves remain a clear, apple green, till the leaves of other deciduous trees and shrubs have fallen. They are equally beautiful contrasted with the dark evergreens or with the crimson and gold of deciduous neighbors. Even if it had no exquisite, fragrant flowers, or crimson seed pods, with scarlet seeds pendant by white threads, it should be generally planted in gardens for its beautiful, apple green foliage. Though found wild in swamps, it grows readily and luxuriantly on high land. Another delightfully fragrant bush of the bogs is Cleihra alnifolia, with spires of creamy white flowers in August. One plant with flowers of apple blossom pink was found at Whitesbog some years ago and has been propagated there to a considerable extent. The color note of the Clethra foliage in the autumnal symphony is clear, golden yellow. Space forbids the mention of more, except a word about the blueberries which have been developed at Whitesbog. Their parents were the Swamp Huckleberries {Vaccinium corymbosum), which grow abundantly in the swamps, and about the edges of the cranberry bogs. ■ 4X School o] Horticulture The fruit has been valued from time immemorial, and the men and women who pick the wild berries for market often wade in waist deep. Yet strange as it may seem, good drainage is absolutely necessary for the well being of these plants under cultivation where they are expected to produce a good crop every year. The tiny seedlings in the wild get their best start in the moss on top of some old stump which acts as a wick to lift the moisture, while in the fluffy moss the rootlets And abundant air. If strong, healthy plants are set in soil saturated with water they promptly die. In cultivating for profit cranberries and blueberries, bog plants both, we have learned that it is essential to provide well aerated soil which does not dry out readily. In the little garden at Whitesbog the same need of good drainage has been found for other lovely bog plants gathered there. I have watched with interest for several years a luxuriant swamp magnolia growing on a bank by the side of a much-traveled highway in front of a modest home in a location where one would commonly expect a privet hedge. It is not difficult, therefore, to make lovely bog plants comfortable in your garden, especially now that peat moss with its moisture retentive qualities is so readily available. Peat moss and sand in various mixtures with perhaps a very small amount of commercial fertilizer, and a little care as to watering, will make these bog beauties happy in many a garden. Note—The botanical names in this paper were taken from “The Plants of Southern New Jersey, by Witmer Stone. The Diversification of Iris Clara Reed When one considers any flower to determine its merits there are three points of view from which it must be judged: the viewpoint of the landscape architect, that of the gardener, and that of the florist. Few are of equal value to all three. The florist’s roses are often valueless in the garden and of still less value in landscape planting. The iris follows an inverse ratio. Very few are of commercial value to the florist, nearly all are of prime importance to the gardener, and many are of value to the landscape gardener in naturalistic plantings. For florist value a flower must have qualities of petal and shape of bloom which facilitate shipping in a cut state and have moderate duration after sale. It must also have a season of bloom, either natural or forced, which will not encroach upon the established seasonal flowers. Wise-Acres •♦♦a- 1 ' The iris today does not meet these requirements. Its flowers are of very delicate substance, and with very few exceptions easily spoiled even with the most delicate handling. With few exceptions it blooms naturally when the market is glutted with bloom, and is forced with difficulty. There are notable exceptions in the Spanish or Dutch iris (Iris tingitana, a noteworthy ally), which, if forced moderately, yields excellent flowers for cutting purposes. The flowers can be cut when the color shows in the bud and shipped for a great distance before the petals unfold. Other irises can be used for cutting and decorations if grown and used locally, but commercially they are scarcely worth the effort of production. In the garden, however, the story is different. Here there are few flowers which yield so lavish a return for so small an effort. In the mixed border the iris furnishes the most important climax after the spring bulbs. In nearly all localities they follow closely after the Darwin and May flowering tulips, the last of the tulips often combining most charmingly with the earliest irises. The plants should be spaced in the border so that they can develop into clumps strong enough to carry 8 to 10 talks of bloom. It is absolutely essential that the plants surrounding them should not grow over them after the blooming season, as shade about the rhizomes prevents the proper ripening of growth and results in the curtailing of bloom the next year. The flower buds for the following year are formed in late summer or early autumn and develop best when the plant is otherwise inactive, save for root growth. For this reason it is better to do any transplanting and dividing immediately after flowering. As to arrangement of varieties, much must be left to the personal taste. It is well to remember that better effects are often times secured by the gradation of colors than by alternations of contrasting hues. That is, gradations from white through pale yellow to darker yellows and bronzes, through pale lavenders to dark purples, or through pale pinks to dark red-violets are likely to be more pleasing than a sequence of white, purple, yellow, pink and so on. Nevertheless, in mass plantings of either light or dark sorts it is well to introduce occasional clumps of contrasting varieties merely to give accent to the mass. At other times it is better to secure this by means of some other plant than iris, such as hemerocallis or early-flowering peonies. Hemerocallis blooms in their shades of pale yellow and orange combine very effectively with the lavender and purple irises, whereas peonies in white and light pink are better with irises of pink or mauve shades or of pale blue-lavenders. The clear pinks often give the darker purples or violets a faded appearance. In planning garden borders with thought for color effect, remem- School of Horticulture ber also that certain colors carry rather differently than might be expected, while others do not carry at all. This must be guarded against, especially in varieties which are bicolors and blends of several tints. Rhein Nixie is an example of the former, having white standards and falls of light violet. The violet is too weak to carry far and the pure white is so conspicuous that it dominates the flower. Quaker Lady will serve as an illustration among the blended varieties. This charming iris is a mixture of buff, pink and violet with distinct yellow in the throat. In garden mass it tells as a warm pinkish buff of rather dull color which does not carry well unless set off by a background of dark green foliage or by some variety of clear light color. Although irises are among the most permanent and enduring of perennials, they are not capable of taking care of themselves indefinitely, especially if they are to furnish good annual bloom. The kinds chosen for naturalistic planting should be those which are most like wild species. This sort of planting is usually found on the shores of ponds or streams in broad, open meadows. Here irises may be planted by the hundred or the thousand with wonderful seasonal effect. For waterside plantings none are better than the yellow English flag ( . pseudacorus) and our native blue flag (7. versicolor). These are as nearly permanent as trees or shrubs, and once established they seed themselves indefinitely through the area. Both will succeed in actual marsh conditions and endure considerable freezing even in waterlogged soils. Almost equally strong are the Siberian and Orientalis hybrids of which “Snow Queen” and “Perry’s Blue” are noteworthy varieties. They should be planted well above the water line in marshland. In very old clumps there is a tendency to stop flowering and die from overcrowding. The Japanese irises ( . Kaempferi) are not valuable for extensive plantings of a semi-wild nature. They are strictly horticultural varieties and need garden care. If this can be given there is no more gorgeous sight than a great mass of these huge irises in bloom. They require rich soil, full sun, and an ample water supply, especially during the flowering season, and division every third or fourth year. The bearded irises have never been thoroughly tested for use in naturalistic plantings. The permanence of the common blue form of I. germanica in the dooryards of the country and the establishment of I. florentina and 7. albicans in the South would point to their successful use through many regions. It is probable, however, that one should be guided in this matter by the geographical planting and in colder regions use only such varieties as have their origin in the species or varieties of northern Europe (7. pallida and 7. variegata) ; leaving for the South those forms which have in them the blood of southern species (7. trojana and 7. mesopotamica). Wise-Acres --- Some Helpful Gardening Books L. K. Herring 1. Practical Plant Propagation, by Alfred Hottes. Published by De La Mare, New York. $2.00. An extremely useful book. In the first part are very clear descriptions of the various methods of propagation, while the second part is devoted to instructions as to how to propagate a very large number of plants. 2. The Book of Bulbs, by F. F. Rockwell. Macmillan Co., New York. $3.00. A very practical and instructive book on the culture of bulbs for various purposes. Many of the lesser known ones are included as well as some plants whose root systems are rhizomatous or tuberous rather than bulbous. 3. Principles of Floriculture, by Prof. White. Orange Judd Co. $3.50. A book for wholesale commercial florists. The first half of the book is devoted to greenhouses, their construction, management, soils, heating, and control of pests. The last half is given to the detailed culture of the most widely grown flower crops. 4. Commercial Floriculture, by Fritz Bahr. De La Mare. $5.50. An excellent book for the retail grower. The author gives a monthly calendar of practical operations, instructions for managing of greenhouse, suggestions for the important flower days, and an alphabetical list of the most useful plants with their culture. 5. The Practical Book of Outdoor Flowers, by Richardson Wright. Lippincott, Philadelphia. $7.50. Probably the most comprehensive book on outdoor flowers and the care and management of a flower garden. The book is well written and very readable, and, as the author speaks from his own personal experience, his information is really valuable and helpful. 6. Colour In My Garden, by Louise Beebe Wilder. Doubleday Doran. $3.50. Mrs. Wilder grows a very varied collection of plants in her garden. She knows them well and has studied their habits and needs. In this book she describes the series of color pictures ii« her garden through the year, thereby giving valuable suggestions for color combinations. 7. Irises, by F. F. Rockwell. Macmillan. $1.00. €« 76 $ School oj Horticulture An inexpensive but very clear instructive book on the culture of the various groups of Iris. 8. Evergreens, by Frank A. Schrepfer. Orange Judd. $1.25. A small inexpensive, but good book on conifers. There are chapters on propagation, planting, general care and uses, while at the end is a dictionary of those conifers commonly used in landscape planting. 9. Cultivated Evergreens, edited by L. H. Bailey. Macmillan. $3.00. A much larger book than the above and including also the broad leaved evergreens, though the major part is given to conifers. Different sections on soil, propagation, planting, insects and diseases are written by experts on each subject, and are very helpful. The classification and description of all the evergreens in cultivation occupy half the book and are excellent for reference. 10. The Book of Shrubs, by Alfred Hottes. De La Mare Co. $3.00. A most useful text book on flowering shrubs. The first chapters are devoted to propagation, planting, pruning and general care. The larger part of the book consists of an alphabetical list of shrubs with the description and culture of each given very clearly and concisely. 11. America's Greatest Garden, by E. H. Wilson. Stratford Publishing Co., Boston. $3.00. 12. Aristocrats of the Garden. $5.00. 13. More Aristocrats of the Garden. $5.00. The first book is the story of the trees and shrubs in the Arnold Arboretum, where Mr. Wilson is now Keeper. He has seen many of them growing in their native places, in China, Korea and Japan—in fact many he has introduced himself into America. The other two books are mainly about shrubs, but there are some notes on other plants, as roses and lilies. Mr. Wilson writes with an intimate knowledge of his plants, their habits, seasons and requirements. The books are all extremely interesting and instructive reading, though they are in no sense text books. 14. Adventures In My Garden and Rock Garden, by Louise Beebe Wilder. Doubleday Doran. $5.00. Another interesting book written by a woman who has actually made a beautiful garden herself and therefore knows her plants and their needs. 15. My Rock Garden, by Reginald Farrer. Edward Arnold and Co., London. $3.00. €1 77 Wise-Acres Mr. Farrer has hunted alpine plants in the Swiss Alps and in the Rockies and has then tried them in his own rock garden in England. This book is the story of his plant hunting and of his successes and failures with them. It is very good reading and is full of valuable hints and suggestions. 16. Our Trees—How To Know Them., by Arthur Emerson, Clarence Weed. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia. $3.50. A very helpful guide for beginners in the study of trees. The descriptions are clear and good pictures are given of leaves, flowers, fruit and bark. 17. American Rose Annual, published by the American Rose Society, Secretary, Robert Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. This is published in February every year and contains articles on all aspects of rose growing in all parts of the States. The subscription is $3.50 per annum. 18. Manual of Cultivated Plants, by L. H. Bailey. Macmillan. $7.00. A very useful book for the identification of the various species of plants that are grown in American gardens. They are arranged in their botanical families with keys and the book is a great help in tracking the numerous unknown plants that are constantly confronting one. Needless to say, some knowledge of plant orders is necessary. Beloved and cherished in the gardens of our ancestors, boxwood is again coming into its own. Within the past decade its popularity has increased with amazing rapidity. Today collectors are searching far and wide for fine old specimens, and nurserymen are setting out large areas of young boxwood in anticipation of future demands. School oj Horticulture •♦4a — ■ --- As the good qualities of boxwood have come to be more and more appreciated one finds that there is a desire on the part of many garden lovers to know more about its history, its propagation and care, and the characteristics of the numerous varieties which are listed in the nursery catalogues. History—Boxwood is a native of Southern Europe, parts of Asia, and of England. Ancient records tells us that it was planted in gardens centuries ago and that it was highly prized at the time of the old Roman civilization. Pliny’s garden at Laurentum, from which one looked out upon the Tuscan Sea, was famous for its box hedges and topiary forms. In Pliny’s own record of the garden he describes how the terrace was “embellished with various figures and bounded with a Box-hedge, from whence you descend by an easy slope, adorned with the representations of divers animals in box answering alternately to each other, into a lawn overspread with a soft Acanthus; this is surrounded by a walk enclosed with tree box, shaped into a variety of forms.’’ In these old Roman gardens there were usually three head gardeners—a villicus whose duty it was to superintend the weeding and the daily routine of garden work; a topiarus, who trimmed the box trees and hedges and shaped them into whatever forms were desired; and an aquarius who was responsible for the fountains and the watering. The earliest English gardens were those surrounding the monasteries which were planted and tended by the devout monks, and in old records of these gardens we find frequent mention of boxwood. One of these monastery gardens may be found today at Battle Abbey, which was the first great monastery founded in England after the Norman Conquest. Ever since these early days boxwood has played an important part in English landscape art. And it is because of its very general use in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that it was brought to America by the colonists who sought to establish gardens here similar to those which they had known and loved in the old world. The climate of Virginia, Maryland and Southeastern Pennsylvania was particularly favorable for the growing of boxwood, and it is in these sections that we find some of our most beautiful colonial gardens. Mt. Vernon stands today a glorious tribute to its builder. Little did George Washington dream, when, as a young man, he laid out and planned his garden, that in the days to come it would become a national shrine. Much of the boxwood at Mt. Vernon which is so glorious today was brought from England. A magnificent box hedge encloses the garden, and the intricate patterned beds are edged with box. West-over, Brandon and Shirley are other Virginia estates which are famous Wise-Acres •♦■♦a-- -- ■■ for their boxwood gardens, and throughout Maryland and the Caro-linas one finds fine old specimens. Uses—Boxwood is one of the most valuable plants for landscape purposes and it possesses many excellent qualities. Not only is it evergreen, but it retains its deep green color throughout the year, which is more than can be said of many other evergreens. When once well established it will thrive for many years, and it will endure considerable neglect. It withstands severe pruning better than almost any other plant known, and certain varieties may be kept at practically any desired height. It also has a delightfully pungent odor, which is an appealing characteristic. As an individual specimen plant it possesses great dignity, refinement and beauty, and for use as a hedge it is unsurpassed. It is not a voracious feeder and for this reason it is particularly well suited for the edging of garden beds, as it will not rob the plants of food or moisture. The wood is strong and very fine grained, and is used in the making of flutes, tablets for engravings and architects’ scales. Propagation—Boxwood is easily propagated by cuttings, and layering is also occasionally practiced. Cuttings may be taken at almost any time of the year. Most nurserymen prefer to take the cuttings from small unbranched shoots, measuring from four to eight inches in length. The leaves should be stripped off from the lower portion of the stem, and the cutting should then be inserted in the propagating frame. An excellent rule to follow is to insert the cutting to a depth of one-half its length—that is, if the cutting is six inches long remove the leaves from the stem for a distance of three inches and regulate its planting depth accordingly. The cuttings may be rooted in pure sand or in a light sandy-loam soil. A cold frame affords ideal conditions. The cuttings should be kept shaded until they have rooted, and the propagating bed should never be allowed to dry out. Cuttings may also be made from branched shoots. These larger shoots do not root as readily as the small, unbranched cuttings, but when once rooted they make more rapid growth and soon develop into sturdy little bushes which will give almost immediate effect as edging plants. One of the most successful growers I know makes a practice of rooting branched shoots of considerable size. He excavates his frames to a depth of two and one-half feet. In the bottom he places a nine-inch layer of fresh manure, which is firmly tamped. Four inches of good loam are then placed above this and a final six-inch layer of sand is added. The layer of manure supplies a mild bottom heat which greatly facilitates the rooting of the cuttings, and as the roots grow they strike down into the loam and gain added sustenance for the young plant. When this method is followed the cuttings should be left in the frame until they have made considerable growth, and they are then transplanted to the nursery rows. Young School o] Horticulture •♦♦a - = ;♦♦• plants require an abundance of moisture and should never be allowed to suffer from drought. Care and Culture—Boxwood prefers a good loam soil, with a gravelly sub-soil and it requires an abundant supply of moisture. It thrives best in a position where it has some protection from full sun. Although these are the conditions which are considered ideal, they are not absolutely essential, as boxwood will thrive under a wide variety of conditions and, when once well established, it will withstand considerable neglect. In old, deserted gardens one occasionally comes upon huge box bushes which have been left undisturbed for many years and yet are still healthy and vigorous. In fact, they are often all that remains to tell the story of a garden which existed long ago. The flowers, the pattern of the beds, the garden paths have long since vanished, but the sturdy and beautiful box bushes still stand, a precious heritage of the past. Boxwood has a shallow, fibrous and extremely compact root system. It may therefore be transplanted with great ease and this is a strong point in its favor. If proper methods are employed it is possible to move large specimens centuries old and even entire hedges have been transplanted practically intact. Where a boxwood hedge is to be trimmed and kept at the desired height the pruning should preferably be done in August. North of the latitude of Philadelphia it is wise to supply some winter protection and one should always guard against a heavy weight of snow resting upon a bush. A thick wall of corn stalks may easily be constructed and serves admirably as a winter protection. Varieties—Considerable confusion seems to exist regarding the numerous varieties of boxwood. Even nursery catalogues are not always to be depended upon, as their statements are sometimes inaccurate and misleading. Buxus Sempervirens. Common Box. Foliage dark green, leaves oval, somewhat pointed and more thinly set upon the branches than in most other types. Habit of growth rather open and bushy, pyramidal in form when left unclipped. Makes rapid growth, under normal conditions attaining about six inches of new growth in a season. It is particularly well suited to clipping and to various forms of topiary work and it may also be used for individual specimens and for hedges. It is one of the most hardy forms of boxwood. Buxus Sempervirens variety suffruticosa. True Dwarf Box. Foliage glossy, deep green; leaves small and round. Habit of growth extremely compact. When left unclipped it reaches a height of about ten feet with an almost equal spread. Slow €g81$ Wise-Acres •♦♦a ■ ■ ■ growing, attaining from one to three inches of new growth per season. It may be pruned annually and kept at any desired height. It is therefore of great value as an edging for garden beds. In beauty of form, in texture and in rich quality no other variety of box compares with the suffruticosa. It stands with out a peer. It is the variety which has reached such perfection in the colonial gardens of the South. For hedges, for individual specimens, for foundation plantings it is unsurpassed. Unfortunately it is not hardy north of the latitude of New York City unless it is given sufficient winter protection. Buxus Sempervirens variety arborescens. True Tree Box. Foliage very deep green. Habit of growth loose, open, graceful, and somewhat pendulous. The growth is very rapid when compared with other box and the ultimate height is something over thirty feet. This variety is rather difficult to propagate and is consequently not in very general use. It stands severe pruning well but is best when used as a specimen plant and allowed its free, natural habit of growth. Buxus Japonica. Japanese Box. Foliage light green with a yellowish tinge. Leaves broad and round. In habit of growth it differs from other varieties, the main branches being stiff and upright and the small branchlets somewhat pendulous. Growth fairly rapid. Insect Pests—Unfortunately boxwood is subject to the attack of various insect pests, the Boxwood Leaf Miner, the Boxwood Psylla, Oyster Shell Scale, and the Spider Mite being the most common. During the past decade some of our Agricultural Experiment Stations have been making an intensive study of these numerous pests and have given us much valuable data regarding the best measures of control. The Boxivood Leaf Miner is by far the most destructive of any of these pests and has brought consternation to the heart of many a gardener. In order to know how to combat it successfully it is well to know something of its life history. The adults of the boxwood leaf miner are little yellowish flies, slightly smaller than a mosquito. They may easily be distinguished from other insects by their definite coloring. The adults emerge from the pupa stage in late April or early May and within a few days the female fly deposits her eggs within the leaf, piercing through the epidermis on the under surface. The eggs hatch two or three weeks later and the small larvae feed within the tissues of the leaf during the summer and fall and the early spring of the following year. The full grown larvae are about one tenth of an inch long and yellowish white in color. In late March or early April the School oj Horticulture ■ vtr — • - larvae pass into the pupa stage. Three or four weeks later the adults emerge and the life cycle begins again. Box bushes which are infested with the box leaf miner lose many of their leaves and their vigor and beauty is greatly marred. The lower, more protected branches are usually the first to become infested. Measures of control should be taken as soon as any sign of infestation is detected. The most effective control is the use of a molasses-nicotine spray. This must be applied at the time the adults are emerging from the pupa stage. The average life of the adult fly is about two days and the emerging period for the entire brood extends over two or three weeks. The exact date when the first adult flies appear varies somewhat with the season. It is usually in the late April or early May. As a general rule one may expect to see the first box leaf miner flies about ten days after the dogwoods have come into bloom. It is imperative that the spray be applied at this time, as otherwise all one’s efforts will be entirely wasted. The spray formula recommended is one gallon of cheap stock-food molasses, four gallons of water and one teaspoonful of Black-leaf 40 to each gallon of the above mixture. This should be applied with a compressed air sprayer and care should be taken to see that all parts of the bush are covered, the lower branches, the innermost shoots and particularly the under sides of the leaves. The spray should be repeated every six or seven days for a period of three weeks. If in the interim heavy showers occur, extra applications must be given immediately after each rain. In order to avoid this added trouble, however, one may cover the bushes with muslin or canvas in order to prevent the spray from being washed off. The purpose of the spray is to make the foliage sticky in order to kill the adult flies as they emerge or as they alight to deposit their eggs. The Black-leaf 40 will destroy a large number of eggs and also some of the adults before they emerge from the pupa stage. If these directions are carefully followed the boxleaf miner may be kept under absolute control. The Boxwood Psylla was originally brought into this country from Holland and although up to the present time it has done little serious damage it is becoming more prevalent. Its presence may readily be detected by the characteristic curling of the leaves on the young, growing shoots. The adults appear in the spring and lay their eggs upon the tips of the terminal branches. The young nymphs hatch in a short time and feed upon the juices of the plant. They are small, being about an eighth of an inch long, of a greenish color, and they are covered with a white, waxy secretion. The insects cause injury by checking the terminal growth but unless they are present in great numbers the damage is usually not serious. The measure of control is practically the same as for the boxwood leaf miner. Many of the box- Wise-Acres •♦♦a. - ■ ■= � ♦• wood psylla nymphs are killed at the time the application is made of the molasses-nicotine spray. Oyster Shell Scale sometimes attacks box bushes and unless one is on the alert it is apt to gain considerable headway before it is noticed. The scales suck the juices of the plant and are usually found on the lower branches and inner twigs. They winter over in the egg stage and begin to hatch about the middle of May. These newly hatched scales are pale yellowish-white in color and have soft bodies. As they grow the scale-like covering is formed. The most effective measure of control is to spray with a fish-oil soap solution at the time the young are hatching or very shortly afterwards. An excellent spray formula is eight pounds of potash fish oil soap to fifty gallons of water. Care must be taken that all parts of the bush are thoroughly saturated with the solution. Two applications are advisable, the second to be made ten days or two weeks after the first one. Spider Mites are apt to be prevalent during a warm, dry season, and they are sometimes very destructive. The eggs are almost infinitesimal, round, pinkish dots and the mites themselves are minute reddish creatures. The winter is passed in the egg stage and the first brood hatches in April. They breed rapidly and four or five generations are produced during a single season. The mites suck the juices from the young, tender leaves of the new growth. Where box bushes are badly infested the leaves will first become mottled and will later take on a dull, grayish-brown appearance and will fall prematurely. The usual fresh color and vigor of the new growth will be entirely lacking. Many experiments have been conducted to find the best measure of control for the spider mite. Numerous preparations are recommended, but the consensus of opinion seems to be that a sulphur dust is the most effective remedy, as the fumes kill both the mite and the eggs. The dust should be applied to every portion of the bush. The number of applications necessary will depend upon the severity of the infestation. The dust may be applied with a small dust gun. As One Junior Sees It Lois Woodward Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! comes the clear even peal of an antiquated bell through a cold wintry morning, dark and still. In the surrounding buildings (commonly known as dormitory and cottages) many sleepy-looking girls lift their drowsy heads. The more courageous hop up, snap on the light, close the windows and proceed with their m 84 is Wise-Acres •♦♦5 £� ♦• toilets; while on the other hand, the poor unfortunates, who, it seems, have just gotten warm, hesitate a few seconds to enjoy that last cozy, comfortable feeling before making such a brave and frigid jump. Once more the same bell is heard—then a scuffle of feet toward the same edifice from which that familiar sound comes, and has come so often. This building also houses the office and the dining-room. It is in the latter place that the girls assemble for breakfast. This is the quietest of all meals, and nothing, as a rule, very interesting, enlightening, or exciting, happens. After Chapel, classes begin. The sessions at the School of Horticulture are most unusual, and very different from those which the girls have attended before—but the reader (if any) might be enlightened if he knew the body of students who comprise it. There are quite a few college graduates, some from boarding school or high school, and a few from foreign countries—all of whom are interested in the same curriculum—that of Horticulture. To proceed with the classes: they are instructive and at times most entertaining—whether they are lecture or practical work. The Junior class has not, as yet, fallen into such bad habits as the Seniors, but I suppose in their “Last Will and Testament” they will leave us some privileges, such as falling asleep in class, teasing the new Juniors, and snapping pictures of them while playing in the “sandpit.” All of this I suppose will come in time, and too much should not be anticipated. For the work of the morning, whether it be pruning or otherwise, there is great necessity for putting on many pairs of stockings, galoshes or boots, and several pairs of knickers, along with wind-breakers, lumberjacks and jerkins of some sort, to say nothing of berets and mittens. The wind whistles by, and when the bonfire seems to lose its heat, gradually, one by one, the class diminishes and leaves the orchard deserted once more. At this time all turn toward the same place— namely, the dining-room, where hot chocolate and a little sustenance is served, much to the delight of the students. Lecture usually follows and continues until the aforesaid bell tolls for dinner. At the mid-day meal there is much discussion of all the incidents of the morning. The general rule is followed, “Be good, sweet maid, and let who may be clever.” As there are plenty who are clever, very few are painfully good, and so goes the hilarious meal. Before classes begin again there is time to read a few chapters of a book or pen a note, but it is not long before the sound of the gong once more fills the air, and this time all turn towards the greenhouses. The Seniors are usually puttering around and “teasing the animals”— (but I must confess that I really don’t know what we’d do without them). The work for the Juniors is allotted to each group. Some may m se School oj Horticulture ■♦+a. - -■ — . — ■ make cuttings, plant bulbs or seeds, while the less fortunate are instructed in The Art of Pot Washing or even the science of applying “Wilson’s O. K. Solution” to plants infested with mealy bug. Nevertheless, whatever your lot may be it is changed in a short time to something more pleasant—maybe—or even to disbudding snapdragons. One never can tell, and there is always that lovely surprise of not knowing just what has been planned for your group. It isn’t long before most of the girls flock to the cottage for hot coffee and cakes, talking all the while of trivial and (generally) amusing subjects. Maybe in preference to this someone has decided to go for a canter with “Monty” over the open fields, or else in this interim has chosen ice skating. Nevertheless, wherever they may be or wherever they may have gone, all return to supper at the sound of the same bell. At this meal they have not their two pairs of knickers, shirts, et cetera, but are dressed once again as charming girls. The evenings are spent either by attending bridge club or reading club at home, theatre or opera in town, or perhaps some may actually be drawing a mechanical plate for the morrow’s Landscape Design Class, or planning a garden—who knows?—only the individual. Eventually all the lights go out, not to go on until the trusty old bell peals forth once again. This is the only place in the United States where such a wonderful life may be spent. Do you wonder why the girls who come from far and wide are all thrilled, charmed, and so in love with the spot? I don’t! The Cotswold Villages James Bush-Brown In the middle of England, between the valley of the Wye and the upper waters of the Thames, there is a gently rolling district known as the Cotswold Hills. Here, under the Tudor kings and Elizabeth’s eventful reign, there developed England’s great wool industry. The hills offered pasture lands: the fields were elaborately drained and cultivated in grain crops, and the streams which flow through lovely valleys turned the wheels of the grist mills. The products of this bounteous countryside made a living for the diligent yeomanry, and there grew up along with the new commerce a new class, the merchants, who made good fortunes in the wool trade. Such places as Bourton-on-the-Water, Burford, and Chipping-Campden became great market towns, centers of the growing wool industry. In these towns the merchants built comfortable stone and half-timber mansions, in greater elegance than had heretofore been possible for commoners. Each town had its guild hall or cloth hall, its inn and its parish church. These were the buildings on which the greatest skill and labor were expended. The herdsman, the farmer and the miller dwelt in small villages, but rarely in isolated houses upon the heath. In those days of outlawry the security of neighbors was valued, and the village was in a sense a mutual protective society. Thus between the villages were great stretches of open country and copses. These village homes were modest stone buildings often built in a solid row, close to the road. Their slate roofs came down to low eaves, and the small casement windows were divided into tiny panes by lead mullions. Because of their substantial materials and honest workmanship, because economic changes have been gradual, and because rural England clings tenaciously to custom, these mansions of the townsfolk and these village cottages have remained almost unchanged during the past three centuries. Indeed, several villages, notably Bibury-on-Coln and Stanton, have not known a new house since the seventeenth century. Add to this the fact that the houses are occupied by people of simple tastes and modest needs, and are owned by the adjoining manor, and we recognize some of the causes for the quiet charm which pervades these rural hamlets. Indeed, much of the countryside is a good present-day interpretation of the Elizabethan era. The universal hobby of rural England is gardening. It is everywhere apparent from the window-box geraniums of the cottage to the terraced gardens of the manor house. The little dooryards here pictured are examples of peasant garden craft to be seen upon every hand through the Cotswolds. They show the use of abundant bloom in very restricted areas. Phlox, Japanese anemones and geraniums were in 88 School of Horticulture •♦♦a. _ bloom in August. Climbing roses and creepers adorn the doors and eaves, while mosses and little herbs cling to the slate roofs. What makes these tiny front yards so effective is their sheer simplicity. The casual arrangements are in harmony with the informality of the architecture. Neatness, that prerequisite to good gardening, is a national habit, and gives an appearance of well-being and contentment. The abundance of well-grown flowers is a constant joy, fair weather or dull. Surely, such gardens as these attest the patient labor, skill and artistic instincts of the folk who make their homes in the Cotswold Hills. The Native Lilies of Oregon Julia E. Clark Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.—John Muir. Oregon’s place in the great outdoor laboratory of nature is just beginning to be realized by the people of America and by the citizens of her own State. The wonderful beauty of Mt. Hood, the grandeur of Crater Lake, the scenic beauty of the whole range of the Columbia river, with its many waterfalls, chief among them being Multnomah, is attracting thousands of visitors who are beginning to realize that to see America first is to love her best of all. Wise-Acres •♦♦a- ■ ■ ■ ■ =■ • But, as ever, the grandeur of these more outstanding beauties of nature seems to overshadow the lesser beauty of the streams and the flora of our land, unless, perchance, you can tarry long enough to become better acquainted with it. It is of this “lesser beauty” then, that I would speak—of the lilies of Oregon’s mountains and valleys and streams—lilies ranging from three to nine feet in height, from one to more than thirty blossoms to a bulb, and from the sober colored Lilium bolanderi and the white Lilium Washing tonianum, with its delightful fragrance, to the more gorgeous and arrogant Pardalinum. Up in the moist places about the springs and meadows on the slopes of the Siskiyou Mountains, in the Southern Oregon Cascades, and the divide between the Rogue and Umpqua valleys, we find this little Lilium bolanderi, known as the Thimble lily. It is a modest little flower, reddish purple in color, spotted with dark purple, blooming in June— one of the rarest of lilies. And there, also, you will find the tall plants of the yellow lily, Lilium Parryi, with its beautiful lemon-colored blossoms. This lily has been termed one of the finest of specimens—is quite easy to grow under cultivation, and any one with a garden may enjoy them. Lilium Columbianum, named after the Columbia River, near which it grows, is a slender luxuriantly growing golden yellow lily, spotted maroon; often with as many as twelve flowers to a stalk. In its native habitat, which includes almost the entire western portion of this State, it thrives in sandy, well-drained soil, among ferns and open woods. For many weeks it is a familiar sight along the Pacific Highway, from Canby to Portland. It takes kindly to lime. You will find this lily very lovable, particularly so if massed. One of the most attractive lilies of Oregon, and one that is destined to become a favorite in every garden where it is grown, is the fragrant Mt. Hood lily. In the open forests of Mt. Hood, but more often in the low shrubby undergrowth of slightly shaded slopes of ridges, in fact, in the entire cascade range, both in high and low altitude, is found this lovely Lilium washing tonianum. Washingtonianum purpureum is the one more often found in Oregon and is the variety more easily handled and without the tendency to rot. The stem grows to a height of from three to seven feet; the flower opens white, with purple dots spreading slowly over the whole surface, flushing the older flowers a deep purple. This is one of the finest of western lilies, very dainty, fragrant, and especially recommended for cutting. Rubescens, also found in Siskiyou Mountains, is allied to Lilium washingtonianum. Its tall, slender stalks, three to five feet high, delightfully fragrant flowers with a charming range of colors from the white of the bud on through the pink of the full, open flower, to the reddish purple of the fading blossoms is truly as Helen M. Fox, in her “Garden School of Horticulture •♦•♦a- Cinderellas,” calls it, “An exquisite lily—worth exercising all one’s skill to establish.” Pardalinwn, the Leopard lily!—doesn’t the very name bring to your mind the varied beauty of coloring, a bright green stem sustaining a pyramid of bright, orange-red blossoms, above the level of the surrounding vegetation, and in striking contrast to the dark green background? Its native haunts are damp places in the mountains, or shady stream banks of the Siskiyous, but it is to be found in the same wild territory as the Lilium bolanderi, like so many of our lilies. Roezlii has the same habitat and range as Pardalinwn. It blooms in June and July, clear brilliant orange blossoms dotted maroon. Helen M. Fox calls it “The loveliest of lilies.” The flowers are few, not more than twelve to a stalk, so mass them, when planting. Roezlii crimson is similar, but the flowers are a deep blood-red—lightly dotted maroon, with foliage long and very slender. Occidentalis, which flowers much like Pardalinum, is found in Coos and Curry counties, along moist stream banks. Its dark, green foliage is carried in whorls, with a dozen or so nodding flowers, varying from a medium to a dark glowing crimson orange base, turning red at tips, with a maroon spotted throat. It is a wonderfully attractive lily. And so on and on—I am told that we have in the neighborhood of twenty native lilies in Oregon, all of them capable of being cultivated in our own gardens, according to our climate and soil. Wise-Acres Alumna Notes Susan Arrington—Bryn Athyn, Pa. Consultant Horticulturist. Mrs. Frances Bennett (Angela Newbold)—117 South Illinois Avenue, Atlantic City, N. J. Florence Berterman—Box 206, Rosemont, Pa. Lydia Bloomfield—216 Court Road, Winthrop, Mass. Working with a florist in Boston. Elsa Borst—216 Orange Street, Media, Pa. Miss Borst is connected with the service department of Meehan’s nurseries in Mt. Airy. Hollis Brautigam—39 Benezet Street, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Doing job gardening. Mrs. Marshall Briggs (Lois Goss)—Montgomery Village, Quebec, Canada. “My first position after graduation was assistant farm manager of a 132-acre farm. There was a herd of Ayrshire cows, a large flock of hens, and a small orchard. Fresh butter and eggs were a specialty. “During the latter part of the World War I was captain of the community canning kitchen in my home town. I also had a garden from which I sold the vegetables to help the local Red Cross unit. “The fall and winter of 1919 I was assistant instructor at the school. Later in that year I worked in one of the large flower shops in Philadelphia. “Since my marriage I have had a vegetable and flower garden nearly every year.” Anna Brill—Merion, Pa. Marjorie Broadbent—1100 Dixwell Ave., New Haven, Conn. Consultant. Mrs. James Bush-Brown (Louise Carter)—Ambler, Pa. Director of the School of Horticulture. Martha Chadwick—805 North Second Street, Harrisburg, Pa. Consultant Horticulturist. Julia E. Clark—R. F. D., Canby, Oregon. Miss Clark is occupied at this time with growing lilies in Oregon. She has written an article on lilies which may be found printed elsewhere in this issue. Dorothy M. P. Cloud—Ardmore, Pa. Consultant in Landscape and Horticulture. Katherine M. P. Cloud—Ardmore, Pa. Consultant Landscape Gardener and Horticulturist. m 92 •♦♦a: School oj Horticulture Jessie T. Craven—Box 206, Rosemont, Pa. Elizabeth E. Crellin—1005 Vine Street, Scranton, Pa. “My chief horticultural activity is giving advice on every subject from growing ivy to planting a vineyard. I have a little garden about 20' x 20' at the side of our city house, which on Monday always blossoms with the week’s wash, but I am interested in seeing what can be done in that small space.” Esther Cummings—34 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield, Conn. Emily David—228 West Chelten Ave., Germantown, Pa. Mrs. William Dayman (Helen Tripner)—455 Rutherford Ave., Trenton, N. J. Mary Edith Diehl—Marion, Pa. Edith Dornbirer—Care of Mrs. M. Ellison, Ithan, Pa. In charge of Mrs. Walbaum’s estate. Dorothy Douglass—Arcady, Barrington, 111. Miss Douglass is rumored to be in the real estate business with Julia Otis. Dorothy Eastman — Workman Settlement, 756 South Front Street, Smethport, Pa. Miss Eastman is engaged this year in working in a settlement and studying drafting and landscape gardening on the side. Margaret England—Rich Neck Farm, Earlville, Md. Miss England and Miss Pannal are owners of a farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. They are gradually building up a very good diary herd, and among other things have started an orchard. Emily Exley, Wayne, Pa. Landscape designer and consultant horticulturist. Mrs. Donald Ferguson (Eleanor Fullerton)—Setauket, Long Island. Grows flowers and vegetables on Rainbow Ranch. Sarah Fogg—Greensburg, Pa. Job gardening. K. Irene Geiser—Cambridge School of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass. Adeline Greathead—132 Locust Street, Harrisburg, Pa. Secretary in a nursery. Elizabeth G. Hall—10 Dartmouth Rd„ Douglaston, Long Island. “In July, 1924, I graduated from Ambler, August 15th I began my job as Horticultural Occupational Therapist at the Pennsylvania Hospital for Mental and Nervous Diseases in Philadelphia. I remained there about a year. “In October, 1925, I took a position with the Riverside Branch of the New York Public Library, where I have been ever since. We have a Nature Club for boys and girls, which is a wonderful outlet for pent up horticultural feelings and emotions. W ise- Acres • m — ... =� ♦• “And so, you see, my vocation is ‘Books and my avocation is just what Ambler gave me—a love and interest for everything that grows.” Eleanor Hammond—R. F. D. No. 3, Dickerson Pike, Nashville, Tenn. Farming in Nashville. Frances Hawkins—West Laurance Park, Bronxville, N. Y. Consultant horticulturist. Mrs. Donald Hilsee (Ruth Gerhart)—Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Horticultural writing and lecturing. Anna Jelinek—Krisheim Lodge, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Miss Jelinek is in charge of Dr. Woodward’s estate at Chestnut Hill. Marie Ernst Kennedy—The Coronado, Philadelphia, Pa. A. Hortense Knudson—Industrial School for Women, Framingham, Massachusetts. Poultry Superintendent at the school. Ruth La Ganke—315 Everett Building, Akron, Ohio. Alice Legters—134 Runnymede Ave., Wayne, Pa. In charge of Mrs. George L. Harrison’s estate. Mrs. George McLean (Josephine Sharon)—Passaic, N. J. Mrs. Othmar Karl Marti (Beatrice George) —206 Cottage Avenue, Haddonfield, N. J. Mrs. Marti has done many things since she graduated from Ambler. At first she taught school gardening in Philadelphia, and then went to Tennessee, where she taught gardening and allied subjects in a colored industrial school. She took the four year course in landscape architecture at Cornell University, and after a year of study abroad she had three and a half years of practical experience in the offices of landscape architects. Since her marriage she has done a little lecture and advisory work. Elinor Mathews—Clark’s Green, Pa. Commercial nursery owner and manager. Marion M. Meredith—Groton, Mass. Teaching at Lowthorpe School. Mary B. Merry weather—88 Morningside Drive, N. Y. C. School o] Horticulture ♦+a - - — � +♦• Mrs. Thomas Miller (Marguerite MacCreight)—R. F. D., Lexington, North Carolina. Mrs. Charles Morse (Harriet Brown)—R. F. D., Southbridge, Mass. Helen Mowry—Emden, 111. Job gardening. Mrs. Raymond G. Mulcahey (Alice Rhoads)—Lakeview Terrace, Jack-son, Mich. Eleanor L. Mulcahy—R. F. D. No. 1, Mechanicsburg, Pa. Ruby Pannal—Rich Neck Farm, Earlville, Md. In partnership with Margaret England. Elizabeth Pedigo—Floyd, Va. Garden Superintendent in Industrial School for Women in New Jersey. Marion Peretti—33 E. Benezet St., Chestnut Hill, Pa. “I always had funny ideas about teaching; actually it’s lots of fun. I soon realized that planning ahead had its limit, and that there are a few things one’s younger assistants, if they are allowed to be termed as such, won’t do. My experimental teaching at Car-son College ended all too soon, although very little did I guess how involving my second and more permanent position would turn out to be. “To have the managing of a real garden is thrilling enough, but to find its owner all prepared to rearrange its contents, and best of all to find that you agree with her, is simply ideal. Followed by weeks of deep thought and some work. The result leaves much to be desired, but after all, perservance, in time, changes things miraculously.” Susan L. Reppard—Route A, Savannah, Georgia. Florist and consultant gardener. Jane Righter—Dublin Road, Greenwich, Conn. Irene Rogers—Care of Mrs. Samuel Bettle, Haverford, Pa. In charge of Mrs. Bettle’s estate. Mrs. P. H. Shedin—Ambler, Pa. Mrs. Shedin is in charge of the poultry department at the School of Horticulture. Frances Shinn—909 Clinton St., Philadelphia, Pa. Wise-Acres •♦♦n ■■ — • Amy R. Thurston—Litchfield, Conn. Owner of a commercial nursery and greenhouse. Eloise Torrens—South Orange, New Jersey. Consultant Horticulturist. Margaret A. Trimble—R. F. D. 5, Norristown, Pa. Owner of a commercial poultry plant. Martha Twining—Newtown, Pa. Managing her own farm. Mrs. David Wainhouse (Katherine Cohen)—Oxford, England. Nancy S. Webster—R. F. D., Aberdeen, Md. Studying at Cambridge School of Landscape Design. Theodora Wentz—520 Hansel Road, Wynwood, Pa. Anne Wertsner—79 East Herman Street, Germantown, Pa. Miss Wertsner is in charge of Mrs. Haughton’s rock garden in Paoli. During the winter she has been doing some writing and garden planning. Beatrice L. Williams—37 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Mass. Studying at Cambridge School of Landscape Design. Mrs. Lewis B. Willis (Lucy Lee Richardson)— Orange, Va. Amy L. Woodruff—800 Electric Ave., Scranton, Pa. Margaret Yocum—Orange, N. J. We are glad to hear from the alumnae at any time, and appreciate their co-operation in helping to make “Wise-Acres” a success—Ed. Note. Hinda Smith—5229 Jefferson St., Philadelphia, Pa. Temporary address—Convalescent Hospital, Broomall, Delaware County, Pa. Mrs. James Stewart (Louise Brooks)—Box 647, Easton, Md. Elizabeth R. Swing—156 Strode Ave., Coatesville, Pa. Commercial gardener and owner of a greenhouse. Lucy Parke Taylor—2001 Monument Ave., Richmond, Va. Owner and manager of a commercial nursery for boxwood. 96 § THE School of Horticulture FOR WOMEN AMBLER, PENN A. COURSES IN Floriculture, Landscape Design, Botany, Poultry, Bees, Vegetable Gardening, Fruit Growing, Farm Animals, ct cetera Two Year Diploma Course Short Summer Session Spring Course Lectures For Catalogue, Address Mrs. James Hush-Brown, Director, Box E, Ambler, Pa. GARDEN DEPARTMENT FRUIT DEPARTMENT Dr. T. E. Schindler, Manager School of Horticulture Perennial Plants H. E. Davis, Manager Annuals Fresh Fruits in Season Cut Flowers Strawberries, Peaches, Grapes, POULTRY DEPARTMENT Apples Specialty Boxes of choice apples attractively packed. School of Horticulture Mrs. P. II. Schedin, Manager Certified and Blood-Tested Flock FARM DEPARTMENT White Leghorns, Rhode Island School of Horticulture Reds, Plymouth Rocks, White C. J. Broughton, Manager Wyandottes. Certified Cockerels and Pullets Registered Jersey Herd for sale. Federal Accredited PHOTO-ENGRAVING in This Annual Done by the PHILADELPHIA PHOTO-ENGRAVING COMPANY, INC. 29 NORTH SIXTH STREET PH I LA D ELP111 A, PEN N SYLVAN 1A An Association of Skilled Craftsmen, Designers and Photo-Engravers —Rendering Superior Photo-Engraving Service Goldberg’s Quality Market House Groceries, Fruit, Fish and Oysters 309 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PENNA. LILY BULBS I.ONGIFLORUM TENAIFOLIUM CANDIDUM REGALE (large bulbs) Others in Limited Quantity JULIA E. CLARK Graduate 1924 CANBY, OREGON AMBLER DRUG CO. Imported and Domestic PERFUMES AND COSMETIQUES Smokers' Supplies—Soda Fountain — Prescriptions 510-512 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER Phone: Ambler 694 Vanderbilt 5780 General Builders Supply Corporation SUCCESSORS TO Rufus Darrows Son, Inc. James A. Farley Co., Inc. John P. Kane Company Knickerbocker-Masons Supply Company John A. Philbrick Bro., Inc. Theodore C. Wood, Inc. Executive Offices Bartholomew Building 205 EAST 42nd STREET New York City “QUALITY AS WELL AS QUANTITY” “The Gardeners’ Chronicle certainly has had some wonderful material in it this year. Its writer seem to take great care to supply quality as well as quantity, for the needs of the magazine. By their articles, they have placed the magazine far above other garden magazines.”—Voice from a Reader, Philadelphia, Pa. 7 MONTHLY VISITS, $1 Send us $1 for seven months’ trial subscription. Or send $2 for full year, plus the current issue, 13 months in all. (Stamps, money order, or check.) Gardeners’ Chronicle 522 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK CITY COMPLIMENTS OF A FRIEND Brenneman Sc Brady Inc. PHARMACISTS AMBLER, PA. Phone: Norristown 2170-R Bungalow Inn ridge PIKE Above Norristown A Cozy Place to Rest ami Dine The II os bach’s Hankin Chevrolet Co. Sales and Service AMBLER, PA. BUTLER AND RIDGE AVENUES Ambler 827 Call anti Deliver Bell Phone 918-W AMERICAN STAR TAILORING CO. Dry Cleaning, Pressing, Repairing SUITS MADE TO ORDER Open Evenings 5 SOUTH MAIN STREET AMBLER, PA. Thor Bell Phone: Ambler 322-J Appliances Kensington 75 Henry C. Deens and Brother Electrical Contra do rs 314 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PA. J. WALTER GREEN High Grade Coal Building Material Hollywood Building Blocks Bell Phone 189-M Keystone 79 AMBLER, PA. Bell Phone 707 Keystone 47 JOHN J. IJNKE QUALITY market Prime Meats and Fancy Groceries, Fruits and Vegetables Imported and Domestic Cheese 433 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PA. STORAGE WASHING Bell Telephone 53S YOST’S Yellow Cab Service Keystone 25 DAY PARKING ALEMITING “IVe always try to merit the continued patronage of the School of Horticulture NICE LYLE 315 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. RADIO, HARDWARE, PAINTS HOUSEFURNISHINGS Heiss’ Cash Department Store 303-305 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PA. Ye Happy Owl Tea House Limekiln Pike, Jarrettown, Pa. GUEST ROOMS E. W. Shoemaker Telephone: Ambler 60 J 3 The Ambler French Dry Cleaners and Dyers Clothing ami Tailoring A. SILVERMAN Opposite Ambler Theatre J. W. CRAFT SONS Wholesale and Retail Dealers in LUMBER, COAL, GRAIN, FEED FERTILIZERS, PLASTER, CEMENT “3 4 Ilolc Post and Rail Fence” AMBLER, PENNA. Benefit and Beautify with Pachysandra The Evergreen Plant that Grows in the Shade Landscape Architects and Arborists arc agreed that the planting of Ground Covers, under aged and undernourished Trees is extremely beneficial as well as beautiful Catalogs upon request HUGH B. BARCLAY Gr6wer of Ground-Cover Plants NARBERTH, PA. Lane’s Nurseries GROWERS OF Hardy Plants and Flowers Trees, Shrubs. Evergreens and Fruit Trees in Assortment ON THE LIMEKILN PIKE AT DRESHER, PA. Watches - Jewelry Diamonds R. W. KRAUT AMBLER And DOYLESTOWN PENNA. THE NATIONAL BANK OF BRYN MAWR was finished with cut stone supplied by JOHN J. BOLGER Cut Stone Contractor Limestone, Granite, Marble, Sandstone FORD LAFAYETTE STREETS NORRISTOWN, PA. Phone 2273 COMPLIMENTS OF A FRIEND DEPOSIT YOUR SAVINGS HERE; THEY ARE SAFE O U N D EC U RE THE FIRST' NATIONAL BANK AMBLER, PA. MICHELES SEEDS Everything for the Garden, Farm, Lawn and Greenhouse Catalog Free. 5I8'5I6MARKET StPHILA. The Many Services that a Trust Company is in a position to render to the public at large deserves your consideration. Ambler Trust Company COUNTRY ESTATES FARMS HOMES FINANCING, NOTARY PUBLIC, INSURANCE H. J. DAGER Realtor AMBLER, PA. Estab. 1904 Phone: Ambler 137 JOHNSON’S PRINTERS 9 S. MAIN STREET, AMBLER, PA. This is a small plant and the list of its patrons is not long. Hut because they arc feiv, each is a valued patron and is well served. The equipment is new and well eared for. It is possible that this small plant can be of service to you in the future. Linen Knickers and Jackets Tor the Outdoors ALSO Topcoats Dresses Suits ats IMPORTED FABRICS BEAUTIFULLY TAILORED, ORIGINAL STYLES MANN DILKS 1630 CHESTNUT STREET PHILADELPHIA NURSERYMEN SINCE 1767 MOON’S HARDY PLANTS FOR EVERY PLACE AND PURPOSE A complete assortment of well-grown Evergreens, Trees, Roses, Vines and Perennials including many rare and unusual varieties. Truck delivery to suburban Philadelphia and New York. Complete 64-page illustrated catalog, free if you mention “Wise Acres.” Moons’ Nurseries THE WM. H. MOON CO. MORRISVILLE, PA.