The Sauk Centre herald., 1936-03-05
THE GARDEN
DEPARTMENT
BY Ferdinand Wiener

We ought to remember the few
birds we occasionally see now and
kthen. 1t is a wonder how they do
keep alive with all the snow we've
had. Instead Of throwing scraps
of bread, suet, fat, cake, or any
other waste food into the garbage
can, it will be much appreciated
fby the little feathered friends If
it is placed where they can get it.
It will take a little time, little
work, and little trouble, but there
will be more satisfaction to the ef-
fort, than If the scraps are practi-
|cally thrown away. And 1t doesn't
take much to keep the birds alive.
Maybe you'll see the first robin one
Of these days.
A lot OF folks wonder sometimes
while looking through the peony
sections in the various catalogues,
what causes certain varieties to be
so high-priced. At the annual meet
ing of the Minnesota Peony and
Iris Society at the Commodore
Hotel, on Tuesday evening, January
14th, A. M. Brand, of Faribault,
made mention of the high prices of
new sorts of peonies. Mr.. brand
is well-known commercial grower
Of peonies, devoting many acres
to this excellent perennial.
Introducing several new varieties
this year, he stated that these were
the result of sowing of peony seed
made twenty-seven years ago.
Eighteen years ago, about 10000
seedlings were set out and in 1911,
the first blooms were secured, sell
ections were made from these ever
since. In other words, new vari-
eties must be tested for fully fif-
teen years before they are offered
to the public to insure that they
remain true to the type originally
shown in the seedlings. Mr..
Brand also stated that some new
varieties sold better at fifteen dol
lars per root than at five dollars.
He also expressed the wish that
more novices enter the competi-
ton at the annual peony shows.
Miss Gentry of the Brand Peony
Farms spoke on "The Peony". She
stated that If one is an amateur
with peonies that it was best not
to try Soulange, as this variety was
erratic in blooming. Edulih Super
ba in her opinion ought to be plant
ed more. That at present, no other
variety could take the place OF this
peony for richness of color and
other good qualities and that it
deserved a higher rating. Madame
de Vernville should also be planted
in more gardens in her opinion,
Marvel Of Perfection, late pink
was also considered as an out
standing variety.
Did you know that Minnesota has
1876 acres of gladiolas grown for
commercial purposes last season?
One grower harvested 70 acres OF
the corms.
Question: I wish to plant some
evergreens ~ to 2 feet high In
my windbreak. There is consider
able brush and sprouts from old
stumps. What is your advice?
Answer: I certainly would not
expect much from trees planted in
such manner. They might not die
but they would grow very slowly
However, if the brush and branches
were cleared away for a distance
of twelve to fourteen feet from
each individual tree, the ground
well prepared, the weeds kept
! down throughout the season, and
no other trees shading them, they
may make reasonable headway. 1t
would he very good plan to
mulch heavily after planting for
quite a distance about each ever
green to insure moisture and keep
down weeds. We have lot of snow
now, but it is still long ways un-
til next fall.
When the common garden hop
was introduced from Flanders into
England in 1924, it's cultivation was
met with violent opposition. Peti-
tions were presented to Parlia-
ment, in which it was stated that
it was a wicked weed that would
spoil the drink and endanger the
people" The botanic name Of the
plant is Humulus, taken from hui
mus, The ground, as it creeps along
the ground if not supported. The
common hop is Humulus lupulus
and was well-known by the Rom
ans. Pliny also mentioned the
plant. The Japanese hop, Humulus
japonicus, introduced from Japan
in 1886 is a similar plant. A rapid
climber, it Is useful for porches
trellises, etc.
Answer to last weeks question
Bamboo is really a genus Of giant
reed-like grasses, of which there
are about 100 species in Asia, 70 in
America, and 5 in Africa. They
range from sea-level to high alti-
tudes of 10000 feet in the Himal-
ava mountains. Some Of the species
will grow up to a height of 100 or
more feet, with a diameter of
eight inches near the ground. Some
will make a growth Of one foot in
a single day. John Hix in his
Strange but True" column, men
tions a species of bamboo with
wood so hard that sparks fly when
struck with hatchet. Certain spec
les will grow in climates where the
winter temperatures will reach
zero Fahrenheit, or occasionally
colder.
Who was David Douglas? See
next weeks answer.
Summary of 1886
Annual Bell Report