MussOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [BULLETIN VOLUME XVI WITH 44 PLATES 1928 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT JULY AND AUGUST, BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR SINGLE NUMBER TEN CENTS Wiesour: BoTaANicar GARDEN LIBRARY ‘Missouri Botanica. — ~Garpen BuLLetin © - — a JANUARY, 19288. ——sSWNow 1 CONTENTS ; ; Page -Thirty-ninth Annual Report of the Director . . . . 1 Statistical Information .°. 5/0. 2 se eg 84 Rl ca ae i. ST. LOUIS, MO. a ‘Sais | O25 * Published Monthly, Except July and August, by the Board of Trustees ; RRR eR ere nme ruta wd rR SAA Re ‘I pede Se. fol a ae Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin Vol. XVI JANUARY, 1928 No. 1 THIRTY-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR Gentlemen: I have the honor to submit herewith the thirty-ninth annual report of the Director. In the two immediately preceding annual reports attention was called to improvements and extensions which made these years notable ones in the development of the Garden. The year 1927 will be equally renowned but for quite a different reason, since such a succession of catastrophes visited the Garden as has never occurred in its previous history. The damage and destruction, affecting both greenhouses and plants, from the hailstorm of May 28 was recounted at length in the June number of the Garden BULLETIN and need not be related again. The wind storm early in May, together with the cyclone of September 29, destroyed or damaged between four and five hundred trees, and it will require the better part of a year to complete the necessary surgical work on those trees worth saving. The lapse of a half century at least will be necessary before some of the larger finer specimens can be replaced. On Christmas day the Garden, as well as the entire city of St. Louis, because of a peculiar combination of atmos- pherie conditions, was enveloped in a cloud of smoke such as has never before been experienced. At various times attention has been called to the destructive action of the poisons in the air due to the incomplete combustion of coal, and it has been recognized for a long time that plants could not be grown at the Garden as they could outside of the city. Never before, however, has there been such a striking demonstration at the (1) 2 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Garden of the effect of smoke on plants, and, because of the widespread interest in the subject and studies which are being earried on throughout the world on this phenomenon, a rather careful list has been prepared demonstrating the susceptibility or powers of resistance of a considerable number of plants to the action of smoke. While, of course, it is impossible at this time to state what the latent effect of the smoke cloud may be the following list indicates the immediate effeet and will give some idea of the seriousness of the problem to an in- stitution like the Garden. The damage manifested itself within twenty-four hours, and in some plants appeared either as burnings on the margins of the leaves or as irregular splotches producing a mosaic effect. Other plants were either completely defoliated or later lost the percentage of leaves indicated. Those showing immediate burnings with the percentage of leaves destroyed were: Water hyacinth, 80% Victoria regia, 90%, possibly Gerbera, 10% total loss. Primula obconica, 100% Geranium, 30% Jasminum, tips of leaves Cineraria, 50% Hydrangea, margins and partial Stevia, 100% defoliation Erlangea, 100% Ficus Carica, 95% Tetradenia, flowers, later 100% Adiantum, 50% Pomegranate, 50% Nephrolepis bostoniensis, 50% Cattleya Trianae, all flower Nephrolepis pectinata, total loss buds within sheaths Pteris, 50% Myosotis, 15% Primula malacoides, 25% Epiphyllum truncatum, open Tropical water-lilies, 80% flowers only The following collection of medicinal plants which was in one of the greenhouses showed immediate burning and con- sequent destruction of 50 per cent of the leaves, with the ex- ception of hound’s-tongue which was completely destroyed : Chicory Sweet basil Jacob’s ladder Tansy Hyssop Hound’s-tongue Lemon balm Red pepper Catnip Caraway Plantain Lobelia Belladonna Sage Quinine Digitalis Chamomile Beard-tongue Alum root ? PLATE EXAMPLE OF INJURY TO SPECIMEN TREE (GINKGO BILOBA) BY CYCLONE. Mo. Bot. Garp. Buuu., Vor. 16, 1928. PLATE 3. BURNING EFFECT OF SMOKE CLO P N’ CLOUD OF DECEMBER 25 ON CINERARIA ~T AND LEAVES (¢ U S OF VICTORIA REGIA. yi Sl oa Se it rh ee ie ae Se aa & Pee aie MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 3 The following showed immediate partial defoliation without obvious burning: Acalypha, 45% Begonia, 80% Coleus, 30% Eupatorium glabratum, 80%. Mimosa, 95% Tomatoes, 25% Eucalyptus, 50% Those partially defoliated within the following week, but showing no immediate effect were: Crotons, 40% Pycnostachys Dawei, 30% Citrus, 30% Asclepias Curassavica, 10% Jerusalem cherry, 50% Saintpaulia ionantha, 25% Poinciana regia, total Stocks, 50% Poinsettia, 80% Geraniums, 25% Dracaena, 75% Pelargonium, 25% Sterculia, 95% (trees 30ft. high) Polypodium aureum, 40% Duranta, 50% Polypodium Phyllitidis, 90%. Brunfelsia, 90% Platycerium, 30% Strobilanthes, 10% Aristolochia gigas, 30% Eranthemum, 10% Carica Papaya, 75% Alternanthera, 75% Ficus species, 30% All the plants in the economic house lost, within four or five days, at least thirty per cent of their leaves, and the few plants in the succulent house which possess leaves were de- foliated to the extent indicated below: Pereskia Bleo, 70% Euphorbia splendens, 100% Pereskia aculeata, 30% Crassula, 10% Pereskia Godseffiana, 80% Plate 3 graphically illustrates the immediate burning effect, the leaves of Victoria regia showing remarkably well the ac- tion of smoke on their tissues. In this connection, attention should be called to the striking improvement in the entire or- chid collection since it was removed from the city garden to the Gray Summit Extension. It is probable that the results are not entirely due to the more favorable atmosphere, since there is considerably more sunshine at Gray Summit than in the city and nothing but rain-water is used on these plants. The combination of these three favorable factors has resulted in an improvement in the orchid collection which is little short of phenomenal. Those who were familiar with the plants when growing in the city are scarcely able to believe that those now at Gray Summit are the same ones. Plate 4 shows the growth 4 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN attained while in the city contrasted with that which has taken place in twelve months at their new location. Construction and Repair Work.—Because of the destruction by the hailstorm of eighty per cent of the glass in the green- houses it was necessary to remove all of the undamaged glass and reglaze every house. Advantage was taken of the oppor- tunity to repaint all of the steel superstructure and much of the interior woodwork and to make all necessary repairs to the roofs at the same time. By substituting a heavier glass which permitted the transmission of more light than the ground glass formerly in use, it was possible to eliminate prac- tically all of the bent glass on the curves of the roof, replacing it with wooden sheathing and composition shingles. The lan- tern on top of the palm house, formerly of glass, was likewise equipped in this manner. The result has been most satis- factory. Not only is the lighting better but the tight roof over a part of the houses, together with the use of a newly devised bronze clip, has thus far prevented all slipping of glass and has resulted in a very considerable saving of heat. On two oceasions with an outside temperature of zero and an extremely high wind, the large conservatories were kept twelve degrees higher than was ever possible under similar condi- tions with the old type of roof construction. The hail not only damaged the glass houses but also prae- tically every roof in the Garden, and the slate and copper roofs on the museum, old residence, Cleveland Avenue house, and administration building have had to be extensively re- paired. Another very considerable item which it seemed advisable to undertake at the same time was replacing the old wooden cornice around that portion of the administra- tion building which was formerly Mr. Shaw’s city residence. This building, it will be recalled, was removed from the corner of Seventh and Locust streets to its present site in 1890, and the overhanging cornice which was of an elaborate pattern had decayed to such an extent that it was becoming dangerous. This has been replaced by a terra-cotta cornice, following in general the design of the old wooden cornice and being an exact replica of the terra-cotta cornice at the other end of the building. The copper guttering was likewise 4. PLATE Vor. 16, 1928, Be Bor. Garp. Mo. GRAY SUMMIT ae AL ee BY ARROW) CONTRASTED WITH PORTIONS OF ORCHID esi GROWN AT MALLER PARTS DEVELOPED AT TTY GARDEN MANAGER’S HOUSE BALBOA, AT TROPICAL CANAL ZONE. STATION, SUPERINTENDENT'S HOUSE AT SOUTHWEST CORNER OF GARDEN. ALI *¢ MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 5 replaced with new copper. While the cost of all these re- pairs has imposed a heavy burden upon the income of the Garden, it must be confessed that the improvements made, particularly in the greenhouses, offset to a certain extent the original damage done. It can be safely stated that the physical condition of the buildings at the Garden was never so satisfactory as at the close of the year 1927. Other items of repairs and construction include the re- painting of all the outside woodwork of the museum, Cleve- land Avenue house, and the old residence, as well as the interior walls of the rooms at the main entrance; the build- ing of eight large cement vases at the corners of the water- lily pools; the installation of a hot-water heating system at the main entrance; and various other items which, were it not for the extraordinary reconstruction incident to the hail storm, would seem of major importance. The desirability of having a house located near the south- west corner of the Garden in the vicinity of the lake, as an effective means of policing this region, has been recognized for some time. Advantage was accordingly taken of an opportunity to buy from the City of St. Louis one of the brick houses which stood upon the Payne Tract, recently ac- quired by the city for incorporation in Tower Grove Park. This house was successfully moved into the Garden and is now occupied by the Superintendent. Flower Shows.—Because of the condition of the road inci- dent to the construction of the concrete highway to the Gray Summit Extension, it was impossible to transport by truck the orchid plants necessary for the staging of the regular January orchid show. Instead, the experiment was tried of cutting the blossoms and displaying them behind glass. The stem of each flower was inserted in a tube containing water and the protection of a glass case prolonged the life of the blossoms, but the effect obtained was not as satisfactory as when the whole plant was exhibited. The chief advantage of this arrangement was to emphasize the great variation in blossoms of the same species of orchid, and for those who were familiar with the many varieties this proved of consid- erable interest. For the general public, however, nothing is so satisfactory as the display of blooming plants, and with 6 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN the completion of the concrete road there is no reason why the old type of show should not be restored. The orchid show was followed by a display of cinerarias. On March 23-28, for the first time the commercial florists and growers of St. Louis and vicinity held a show in the floral display house. There was a large attendance, and those con- cerned were gratified with the results. Great pains were taken to construct elaborate booths and display the best ma- terial, and the result was a great credit to the efforts of the St. Louis Flower Show Association, Inc., the St. Louis Florist Club, Ine., the Retail Florists’ Association of St. Louis, Ine., and the St. Louis Allied Florists’ Association, under whose auspices the show was held. It is believed that the success of this show will warrant its continuation during the coming years. In April a mixed display of roses, caleeolarias, begonias, ete., indoors, together with daffodils and tulips out of doors, made the Garden very attractive. On May 21 and 22 the eighth Annual Amateur Flower Show, under the auspices of the Garden Club of St. Louis, was held, and in October a dahlia show, which had been omitted for two years because of un- favorable growing weather, was again a feature, both ama- teur and commercial growers competing. The usual bouquet of orchids was presented to the Veiled Prophet Queen in October, to be displayed the following day at the Garden, and in November the annual chrysanthemum show was staged. Many of the best plants had been dam- aged by falling glass during the hailstorm, so that the num- ber of single-stem varieties was considerably less than usual. However, the bush plants grown outside during the summer were in excellent condition, and more than fifty thousand visitors attended the show. The December display consisted of poinsettias, both the pink and white varieties as well as the standard reds. Con- siderable attention was attracted by the new double reds, which were shown in quantity for the first time and which are to be found at the Garden only. New features deserving special mention in the out-of-doors plantations are the medicinal garden, noticed at length in the September and October numbers of the BuLLEerin; the MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 7 sample back yards constructed during the time of the Gar- den Club show, contrasting a neglected back yard with one beautified by simple and inexpensive care and planting; and a considerable increase in the test plots of various strains of bent grass, details of which were given in the November number of the BULLETIN. Gray Sumnut Extension.—A large amount of grading and other preliminary work incident to the construction of per- manent roadways has been accomplished at the Gray Sum- mit Extension during the past year. About nine acres of land immediately surrounding the lake where the future pinetum is to be established have been brought to grade and planted with grass seed. Because of the contour of this part of the property a great deal of earth had to be moved, about 8500 loads being handled. Nearly two miles of eighteen-foot roadway have been brought to final grade, and additional roads have been rough-graded. The first layer of gravel, obtained from our own gravel bed, has been applied to a considerable portion of this roadway. Outcroppings of rock at different places necessitated drilling and blasting, and, while much of this rock is too soft to be of use, some of it is valuable for roadbuilding and also will be used to construct a low stone wall along Manchester Road. The high bank along this boundary of the property has been leveled, the telephone poles lowered, and everything is now in readiness for the improvement of that part of the Extension abutting on the main highway. The road to the boiler house and coal- storage bin has been completed, including the installation of a twelve-inch drain with the necessary catch basins. The old brick house which may be regarded as something of a landmark, since it was constructed over fifty years ago from brick made on the place, is being repaired and reno- vated for use as an administration building. The porch on the south side of the house was removed and a new one erected which will serve as a more convenient entrance to the house. The cellar was enlarged for the installation of the heating plant which is now in operation, a bathroom built on the second floor, and a lavatory on the first floor. The water supply has been brought from the well in the 8 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN garage near the greenhouses, for which purpose a run of 2000 feet of 2-inch water pipe was laid. Various sheds in the vicinity of the brick house have been removed, and a start made toward improving the road to the house. One of the frame houses on the place has been put into livable condition for the farmer who formerly occupied the brick house. Besides digging a cellar in which to install a heating plant, a bathroom was built in, a combined pump house and garage constructed, and much general repair work and painting attended to. A new pump house has also been built at the cottage occupied by the engineer. A demonstration apple orchard covering an area of seven- teen acres was terraced and graded, and about six hundred trees are already established. This orchard includes only four or five of the best commercial varieties, but in addition a variety orchard to occupy about the same area is being established, where it is expected that every kind of apple that can be secured will be grown. These orchards are de- signed as demonstrations of what can be done with apples in this part of the country when the orchard is carefully planned and scientifically eared for. As different orehard- ing practices are undertaken notice will be given to surround- ing farmers, and opportunity to observe both the operations and results will be afforded. The growing of farm erops on the Extension has been practically discontinued, as it is desirable to get what was formerly farm land into grass as soon as possible. Only the grain actually needed for the small amount of stock on the place is being raised. In addition to the larger trees and shrubs which have been established in the nursery in the past few years, there are now developing thousands of seedlings, grown from seed ob- tained from this country, as well as China, Austria, and other foreign countries. The majority, however, are ever- greens not previously grown in the United States. These will be tested and eventually those which survive will be incorporated in the pinetum. In the greenhouses a considerable amount of painting and general repair work has been attended to. Additional heat- ing pipes were installed at the north end of six of the houses where difficulty had been experienced in maintaining the ee ee ee eee ee ge ee MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 9 proper temperature. A considerable number of the slat shades have been painted, and wherever necessary outside painting has also been done. The condition of the orchids in these houses is excellent, the growth, because of the re- moval from the city, previously referred to, far exceeding anything anticipated. Most satisfactory progress has been made in the growing of orchids from seed. A great number of crosses were made, although it was anticipated that but a small percentage would be successful. Out of some 285 attempts to hybridize these plants mature seed pods were collected from but 57. Some of the outstanding crosses of exceptional value which have been successfully made are as follows: YELLOW HYBRID FORMS: Cattleya Triumphans X Laeliocattleya Nelthorpe Beauclerk. Laeliocattleya Nelthorpe Beauclerk X Laeliocattleya The Bar- oness, F. C. 0. R. H. 8. Laeliocattleya Moonbeam X Laeliocattleya Haroldiana, variety Bronze King. DEEP MAUVE HYBRID FORMS WITH LARGE FIMBRIATED LABELLUMS: Brassocattleya Penelope X Lacliocattleya Serbia. Laeliocattleya Jacquinette X Brassocattleya Jupiter. DELICATELY COLORED HYBRID FORMS WITH COLORFUL LABELLUMS: Brassocattleya Albatross X Cattleya Clotho, variety General Pershing. Cattleya amabilis X Brassocattleya Oberon. ALBINO HYBRID FORMS WITH FIMBRIATED LABELLUMS: Brassocattleya Albion X Cattleya Gildinti alba. Cattleya gigas alba X Cattleya Gildinii alba. Seeds of the following genera have been successfully germinated: Cattleya Miltonia Brassocattleya Sobralia Laeliocattleya Stanhopea Cymbidium Epidendrum Dendrobium The number of seedlings old enough to be transplanted to one-inch pots is approximately 8000, while the number of seedlings in earlier stages of growth approximates 30,000. 10 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN In addition, a considerable number of experiments have been carried on in the laboratory, ealeulated to demonstrate the effect of sugars and other nutrients on the growth of seedlings. Tropical Station. — The plot of ground allotted by the Canal Zone Government for the new Tropical Station was cleared and ready for the reception of the orchids early in the year. Through the interest and diligence of Mr. C. W. Powell, the resident manager, the necessary staging, sheds, ete., together with a considerable amount of planting, was rapidly completed and within a short time the garden began to attract a number of visitors. The local paper, published in the Canal Zone, commenting on the completion of the orchid garden, remarked: ‘‘Formerly, visitors when they came to the Zone were asked if they had seen the ‘Big Ditch’; now the first inquiry is ‘Have you been to the new Tropical Station of the Missouri Botanical Garden?’’’ During the early part of the year, in addition to increasing to a minor ex- tent the collection of Panamanian orchids, there were received by exchange plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, the Glasnevin Gardens, Dublin, Ireland, as well as from Sanders of St. Albans, England, the Chandra Nursery of Sikkim, Bengal, and from Boutan State, India, from Hong- kong, and the Philippines. The Canal Zone granted the use of a plot of ground immediately across the street from the Gar- den for a manager’s house, and this house, of conerete and wood, was completed at a cost to the Garden of about $9000. Mr. Powell occupied it on the first of July, but unfortunately was destined to enjoy it but a brief six weeks, he having died suddenly on August 18. Mr. Powell was known throughout the world as a collector, student and lover of orchids and had many friends and admirers among those who either had met him personally or knew him through his world-wide eor- respondence. Details of his work, together with a deserip- tion of his gift of orchids to the Garden, have been frequently referred to in preceding numbers of the BuLLETIN. All that need be added here is to record the high esteem in which Mr. Powell was held by all of those who knew him at the Garden and to acknowledge again the indebtedness of the MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 11 Garden to him for making it possible to establish on the Canal Zone a tropical station, with his orchid collection as a nucleus. Mr. A. A. Hunter, who had frequently accompanied Mr. Powell on his collecting trips and who is thoroughly familiar with the Panamanian orchids, has been appointed Manager of the Tropical Station to succeed Mr. Powell. In March, Mr. Pring, Horticulturist to the Garden, made a trip to the Canal Zone in order to discuss with Mr. Powell the future development of the Tropical Station and also to attempt a collecting trip in the Chiriqui region for the purpose of add- ing to the Garden collection of Panamanian orchids. This trip was successfully made in company with Mr. Hunter, and a full account of the results was published in the May num- ber of the Buttetin. The St. Louis Star, commenting on this trip, published the following editorial: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS UP-TO-DATE, Marco Polo was responsible for the belief there were men with one eye in the middle of their forehead, others with the heads of dogs, and still other men with tails, in the neighbor- hood of Cipango and the Asiatic coast. Christopher Columbus prowled along what he thought was that coast in search of these monsters, but it was the coast of a new continent, Nicaragua and Panama, and the men he sent into the jungles failed to find what they were looking for. Almost four centuries later a St. Louis explorer of a different type crawls through these jungles looking for—not one-eyed men, but the Odontoglossum Powelli. The Powelli is an orchid, and specimens of it are wanted for the Missouri Botanical Garden’s collection. It is to the vegetable kingdom what Marco Polo’s freaks would have been to the animal kingdom, if they had existed. The St. Louisan, differing from Columbus, found what he sought—seventy-five individual specimens of Powelli, whereas only one living specimen was known to exist. Who says adventure and romance died with the twentieth century? Adventure and romance exist in whatever is being sought, whether it is orchids, germs, a graceful line in a statue, or a new shade in a window curtain fabric. Annual Bequests—The annual flower sermon, provided for in Henry Shaw’s will, to ‘‘commemorate the Goodness of God as revealed in flowers,’’ was preached on Sunday, May 15, at Christ Church Cathedral, by the Rev. Frank Du Moulin, D. D., of Philadelphia. The bequest of Mr. Shaw providing for prizes for flower g P 4 3 E. by 12 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN shows was used in part for the purchase of a large silver eup to be awarded as a sweepstakes prize to the retail exhibitor gaining most points at the St. Louis Spring Flower Show. The winner in 1927 was Joseph Witek. The cup must be won three times to become the permanent property of one firm. ATTENDANCE FOR THE YEAR 1927. Week-days Sundays Eg Ee nee eee 3,642 5,754 27) 8 a On eo 10,715 10,757 MEO yy takes eee eee eee 14,055 18,411 OUR sais s tal oiate Siete are a plea ois eee ed eee 10,222 15,350 Meee esietee ssa eet eis ee ee 10,892 14,357 BUREN api g ess cles cee ee hae teen eo ate 15,162 10,919 Se 6 sea cla sis s ee rere ee hes 15,914 10,717 ES cs Re CE egg ee ee Cen 20,755 10,433 BOESIYUIMAIIOE - 5 < 4:5 01s ss op 4 6/010'h\s'a.c's o a.od bbw becie oe 13,799 9,198 LOT ill ee a ae ee ea, Caner eee 11,120 9,296 November ....... ccc cece ccccccccccucceccece 22,375 27,866 MPIMOMEEMIOT 0 ou a.0/o8-a scans 6.05 ss oe aot eh becuse en 5,755 7,108 154,426 150,166 154,426 ROUSE NGI nrg ots taqce ae Bia ee ete ane ee ce ee 304,592 RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION The completion of the Charles Rebstock Biology Hall at Washington University has made possible the reorganization of the work formerly carried on in the graduate laboratory at the Garden, an arrangement which promises to be most satisfactory. The new laboratory, because of its modern equipment and the space available for various types of work, has made it possible to transfer practically all of the inves- tigations in physiology to the University. Undergraduate courses in physiology and economic botany were offered for the first time this fall, and graduate students majoring in these branches of botany will do their work in the new labora- tory in the future. An adequate laboratory for mycology is likewise available, and from now on this work will be con- ducted for the most part at the University rather than at the Garden. Dr. B. M. Duggar, Physiologist to the Garden and Profes- sor of Plant Physiology in Washington University, resigned, MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 13 September 1, to accept a position at the University of Wis- consin, and Dr. KE. 8. Reynolds was appointed Physiologist to the Garden and Associate Professor of Plant Physiology in Washington University. Professor W. W. Lepeschkin, formerly Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Kasan, Russia, now Profes- sor and Dean of the Department of Natural Sciences of the Russian Peoples University in Prague, who is widely known throughout the botanical world because of his books and various published articles on plant physiology, was appointed Visiting Physiologist to the Garden and Visiting Professor of Plant Physiology in Washington University for the first part of the college year. Professor Lepeschkin gave a course on the ‘‘Physiological Processes of Plants from the Physico- Chemical Standpoint,’’ in addition to conferences held with the graduate students. He delivered the address for the botanists at the dedication of Rebstock Biology Hall. Dr. J. M. Greenman, Curator of the Herbarium and Pro- fessor of Botany in Washington University, has been placed in charge of the graduate students. Dr. David H. Linder, who was appointed Mycologist and Instructor in Botany in 1926, but who was granted a leave of absence to accompany the Harvard tropical disease expe- dition to Africa, returned this fall and took up his duties at the Garden and University. As was noted in the September BuLLETIN, the Garden has been able, through the generosity of some of its friends, to establish a motion-picture department, and for the last six months of the year employed Mr. A. C. Pillsbury as oper- ator. An adequate studio, including dark room and _ print- ing room, was fitted up in the basement of the laboratory building, and four cameras have been in operation here for the past few months. The application of this work to fun- damental botanical research, particularly in the recording on the movie film plant activities observed under the microscope, is becoming more and more important. It is hoped that within a short time the Garden may be able to obtain im- proved apparatus for the purpose of carrying on more inten- sively this work which is closely associated not only with research but with elementary instruction in botany. 14 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Investigations in the various aspects of botany have been continued through the year along much the same lines as in the past, the particular fields being those of taxonomy, physi- ology and mycology. The results of the work accomplished continue to appear in the ANNaLs, the quarterly journal containing scientific contributions by members of the staff and graduate students of the Henry Shaw School of Botany. Published Articles—During the past year the four num- bers of Volume XIV of the ANNALS have been issued. The various articles are listed below: Larsen, Esther L. ‘‘A Revision of the Genus Townsendia.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 1-46. Epling, Carl C. ‘‘Studies on South American Labiatae. III. Synopsis of the Genus Satureia.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 47-86. Overholts, L. O. ‘‘A Monograph of the Genus Pholiota in the United States.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 87-210. Payson, E. B. ‘‘A Monograph of the Section Oreoearya of Cryptantha.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 211-358. Neal, David C. ‘‘Cotton Wilt: A Pathological and Physi- ological Investigation.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 359-424. Overholts, L. O. ‘‘Species of Cereospora on Smilax in the United States.’’ Vol. XIV, pp. 425-432. Besides the above, the following articles by members of the scientific and Garden staff have appeared in journals not supported by the Garden: Jensen, L. P. ‘‘Faseinating Old Books on Gardening. Gardeners’ Chronicle of America. February, 1927. Jensen, L. P. ‘‘Useful and Interesting Publications.”’ Parks and Recreation. January-February, 1927. Anderson, Edgar. ‘‘Iris versicolor in Northern Ontario.’’ American Iris Society Bulletin. March, 1927. Moore, George T. ‘‘Smoke.’’ Scientific American. May, 1927. Jensen, L. P. ‘‘A Retrospective View on Parks’’ and ‘‘More State Parks for Missouri.’’ Parks and Recreation. March-April, 1927. >? Scientific and Popular Lectures—B. M. Duggar, January, before the seminar of the department of botany, University MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 15 of Cincinnati, ‘‘Some Experimental Aspects of the Mosaic Disease Problem.”’ G. H. Pring, January 5, before the St. Louis Association of Gardeners, and February 10, before the Disabled Ameri- can Veterans, ‘‘Smoke.”’ G. H. Pring, January 13, before the Elks Club of Belle- ville, Illinois, January 14, before the Narcissus Club, Feb- ruary 2, at Michigan Agricultural College, East Lansing, February 8, before the Principia School, St. Louis, ‘‘Collect- ing Orchids in the Andes Mountains.’’ Hermann von Schrenk, February 2, before the Home Gar- den Club of Webster Groves, ‘‘Trees of the Pacific Coast.’’ Hermann von Schrenk, February 14, before the Kirkwood Garden Club, ‘‘Trees.’’ B. M. Duggar, March 1, before the Washington University Association, ‘‘The Significance of Certain Ultra-Microscopie Virus Studies in Relation to the Origin of Life.’’ Paul A. Kohl, March 8, before the Carondelet Improve- ment Association, ‘‘Plants, Shrubbery, Trees, Care of Yards, ete.’’ G. H. Pring, March 9, over Radio Station NBA, Balboa, Canal Zone, ‘‘The Orchid Collection at the Missouri Botanical Garden and Its Relation to the Tropical Station at Balboa.’’ Paul A. Kohl, Mareh 15, before the Garden Club of St. Louis, ‘‘Plant Propagation.’’ George T. Moore, March 16, before the science section of the Wednesday Club, ‘‘Some of the Experimental Work Conducted by the Missouri Botanical Garden.’’ George T. Moore, March 24, before the Women’s Round Table Club, ‘‘Sensations in Plants.’’ George T. Moore, March 31, before the garden department of the Springfield Art Association, Springfield, Illinois, ‘‘The Evolution of Gardens.’’ George T. Moore, April 6, before the St. Louis chapter of Phi Sigma, ‘‘Some Plant Reactions.’’ B. M. Duggar, April 7, under the auspices of Gamma Sigma Delta and Sigma Xi, at the University of Missouri, ‘‘Methods of Fundamental Research in Certain Virus Dis- eases’’; and ‘‘The Significance of Some Ultra-Microscopic Studies in Relation to the Nature and Origin of Life.’’ _ = 16 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Paul A. Kohl, April 8, before the Alton Women’s Council, ‘*Plant Propagation.’’ George T. Moore, April 10, before the Laymen’s Guild of the Church of the Messiah, ‘‘The Plant Commonwealth.’’ Hermann von Schrenk, April 27, before the Garden Club of East Orange, New Jersey, ‘‘Gardens.”’ George T. Moore, April 29, at the bicentenary celebration of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, ‘‘The New Tropical Station of the Missouri Botanical Garden, at Balboa, Canal Zone.’’ J. M. Greenman, April 29, before the Illinois Academy of Science, ‘‘ Karly Botanical Collections in Illinois.’’ George H. Pring, May 2, before the Parkview Improve- ment Association, ‘‘ Effect of Smoke Upon Plants.’’ George H. Pring, May 38, before the Men’s Club of the Clifton Heights Presbyterian Church, May 5, before the St. Louis Architectural Club, and May 11, before the Women’s Club of Belleville, Illinois, ‘‘Collecting Orchids in the Chi- riqui Region of Panama.’’ Paul A. Kohl, May 14, before the Matrons’ Literary Club of Madison, at Edwardsville, Illinois, ‘‘Iris and Roses.’’ Elinor Alberts, June 9, before the St. Louis Florists, ‘Growing Orchids from Seeds.’’ George T. Moore, June 9, before the graduating class of the St. Louis Country Day School, ‘‘The Evidence of Ex- perience.’’ George H. Pring, July 26-27, before the Chautauqua, Piasa, illinois, ‘‘ Collecting Orchids in the Andes Mountains,”’ and ‘‘Wild Flowers.’’ George H. Pring, August 4, before the Rotary Club of Edwardsville, Illinois, ‘‘Collecting Orehids in Panama.’’ George T. Moore, October 13, before the First National Fuels Meeting, ‘‘The Measurement of Atmospheric Smoke Pollution Visible and Invisible.’’ George T. Moore, October 18, before the Collinsville Study Club, ‘‘Sensations in Plants.’’ Edgar Anderson, October 25, before the Peoria Garden Club, Peoria, Illinois, ‘‘ Flower Families.”’ Edgar Anderson, November 4, before the Botany Club of Soldan High School, ‘‘Blue Flags.’’ MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 17 W. W. Lepeschkin, November 21, before the Washington University Association, ‘‘Physico-Chemical Causes of Death.”’ George H. Pring, November 21, before the botany section of the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, ‘‘Collecting Orchids in South America.’’ J. M. Greenman, December 28, before the systematic sec- tion of the Botanical Society of America, Nashville, ‘‘A New Senecio from Western Virginia and Eastern Tennessee.’’ Mildred E. Mathias, December 28, before the systematic section of the Botanical Society of America, Nashville, ‘‘A Taxonomic and Geographical Study of Glehnia, a Genus of Umbelliferae.”’ Robert E. Woodson, Jr., December 28, before the systematic section of the Botanical Society of America, Nashville, ‘‘A New Genus of Berberidaceae.’’ Edgar Anderson, December 29, before the general section of the Botanical Society of America, Nashville, ‘‘The Prob- lem of Species.’’ Edgar Anderson, December 30, before the American Na- ture Study Society, Nashville, ‘‘A Naturalist’s Pilgrimage to Canterbury.’’ School for Gardening—For a number of years there has been a demand from certain groups in St. Louis for instrue- tion along gardening lines but not ealling for the time or range of work required in the regular curriculum of the school. It is a question how far the school can go in meet- ing such demands and still maintain the schedule in the three years’ course as it has been offered in recent years. How- ever, in order to test to a certain extent the desirability of a change in policy, the facilities of the school were this fall offered to two groups of students—one, a class of twenty-two made up of cemetery superintendents, and the other, a class of twelve young women from the St. Louis School of Ocecu- pational Therapy. These two classes have spent from one to two afternoons a week at the Garden, studying such phases of landscape and gardening work as were deemed most help- ful in their respective professions. The apparent success of such classes would seem to indicate that it may be worth while to consider offering additional courses in definite phases of horticulture which can be completed in a compara- 18 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN tively short time and will appeal to the special needs of those interested. Of the students enrolled regularly for the three years’ course, Mr. Rist has transferred to Washington University as a candidate for the B. A. degree, and Mr. Layton has now registered in the School of Architecture, Washington Uni- versity. Mr. Waldbart and Mr. Gilmour continue their work at the Garden. HERBARIUM The year 1927 has been one of marked progress in the herbarium. The amount of new material acquired has been considerably in excess of that received during the previous year; and the greater part of it has been mounted and incor- porated in the organized herbarium. The new steel cases and special containers which were installed in 1926 have made it possible to expand a large portion of the herbarium and likewise to rearrange the mounted specimens in a man- ner effecting greater convenience for reference and study. Attention has been centered chiefly, as in previous years, on the flora of the southwestern part of the United States; although great care has been exercised in building up the collection as a whole, so that the Garden may have eventually a well-rounded herbarium illustrative of the world’s flora. With this aim in view several important exotic collections have been acquired during the year 1927. New Accessions.—Some of the more noteworthy collections obtained during the year are the following: Dr. E. Ander- son, 56 plants of Ontario, Canada, and 33 plants of Eng- land; Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 1677 plants of North America, collected by E. J. Palmer; Robert Bebb, 41 plants of the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; Botanischer Garten und Museum, Berlin, Germany, 150 plants of Bolivia, collected by J. Steinbach; Jardin et Musée Botaniques, Université de Cluj, by Professor Al. Borza, 100 plants of Roumania; W. E. Broadway, 91 plants of Trini- dad, B. W.I.; Mrs. Agnes Chase, 350 plants of Brazil; Hon. Joseph R. Churchill, 217 plants of North America; Conser- vatoire et Jardin Botaniques, Genéve, Switzerland, 560 plants of Savoy, France, collected by E. Perrier de la Bathie; Miss SR a MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 19 Edna L. Davis, 1634 plants of North Carolina, South Caro- lina, and Georgia, collected by the late Rev. John Davis; Professor J. A. Drushel, 128 plants of North America; D. Lewis Dutton, 100 plants of Connecticut; Dr. Carl C. Epling, 328 plants, mostly from Idaho; J. M. Grant, 715 fungi of Washington; Dr. J. M. Greenman, 275 plants of Missouri; A. A. Heller, 400 plants of North America; Dr. G. Herter, 436 plants of Uruguay; John M. Holzinger, 50 North Amer- ican mosses; Institut Botanique de l’Université Masaryk de Brno, by Dr. Joseph Podpéra, 200 plants of Czechoslovakia ; Iowa State College, by Professor L. H. Pammel, 498 plants of North America; J. H. Kellogg, 494 plants of Missouri; Joseph Kramer, 205 plants of Nebraska; Miss Esther L. Larsen, 583 plants, mostly from Montana; Miss Mildred EK, Mathias, 360 plants, mostly of Vermont and Missouri; G. K. Merrill, 50 lichens of North America and the West Indies; Dr. Hjalmar Médller, 186 plants of Brazil, collected by P. Dusén; Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, 400 plants of Sweden; New York Botanical Garden, 133 plants of South America; Rev. Hugh O’Neill, 237 plants of Florida; Dr. L. O. Overholts, 71 fungi of Missouri; E. J. Palmer, 332 planis of Missouri; M. P. Porsild, 110 plants of Greenland; F. C. Seymour, 100 plants of Massachusetts; Smithsonian Institu- tion, Washington, 341 plants of Haiti; Dr. F. L. Stevens, 740 fungi of South America, Central America, Hawaii, ete. ; H. Sydow, 200 fungi; U. S. National Museum, 599 plants, chiefly from North America; U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 27 fungi of Alabama; University of California, 125 plants of California; University of Montreal, by Bro. Marie-Victorin, 338 plants of Quebec, Canada; D. D. Wagner, 40 fungi of New York; Dr. E. Werdermann, 469 plants of Chile; P. Wil- son, 1,000 fungi of North America; Robert E. Woodson, Jr., 933 plants of North America. Numerous smaller collections have been received from correspondents and friends of the Garden, which have been recorded in current numbers of the BULLETIN. Mounting and Distribution—The mounting and distribu- tion of specimens have continued throughout the year; and "y i ~Ae . 's “¥ “i Pe et Wee Se Lie de ge tle 20 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN over 12,000 specimens have been incorporated in the organized herbarium during this period. Field Work.—A limited amount of field work has been earried on during the year, particularly in Missouri and Illinois. This work has resulted in supplementing our repre- sentation of the local flora, and in furnishing duplicates for exchange. Exchanges —The number of duplicate specimens sent to institutions and correspondents with whom the Garden has long maintained exchanges is considerably larger than in 1926. Many undistributed duplicates, however, are still on hand awaiting to be sorted into sets and labelled properly before being sent to correspondents. Use of the Herbarium by Outside Botanists, and Loans.—It is gratifying to state that each year there is an increasing number of botanists from various parts of the country, who visit the Garden to consult the herbarium and library. There has been, as in previous years, an interchange of herbarium material for the use of specialists and advanced graduate students engaged in taxonomic research and monographie work. Such interchange of herbarium specimens, when exer- cised judiciously, results in a mutual advantage to both parties concerned. Statistical Summary (For the year ending December 31, 1927). Number of specimens received on new accessions: By purchase....... 9,782 Oe LE ge ces 2,269 By exchange ...... 3,556 By field work..... 692 16,229 valued at $1,629.90 Number of specimens mounted and incor- porated .......... 12,051 valued at 2,410.20 Number of specimens discarded from the herbarium ........ 63 without value Number of specimens in organized her- roa 1 a a rn ....941,579 valued at $150,233.40 Number of specimens in unorganized OP OOTIOIN: ooo 5 4 cine aon vb ww sale ges 94,874 valued at 8,144.06 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 21 Wood specimens, etc., supplementing THE NEL DATIUM cicero oie osc ses a eterets valued at $280.00 MICTORCODIC BILGOS) o2e.6 oi0:8 oie eves es aes valued at 410.00 OER: VaALUAUl ON teiciccies: skiers) uso tees MR eee $159,067.46 LIBRARY The Missouri Botanical Garden library is primarily for the use of the students and staff of the Shaw School of Botany, who are allowed access to the shelves and the use of the books as long as they need them. During 1927 over 2,000 books were in circulation at the Garden. The public may use the library for reference purposes, but no books are loaned outside the building except as an interlibrary loan. One hundred and ten books were loaned to 23 libraries during the last year. No record of the books consulted by the public is kept, but the use of the library for reference purposes is constantly increasing. To cite a few instances: several re- quests for colored illustrations of certain plants have come from advertisers; a real-estate dealer used the government soil maps to help sell a farm in the Ozarks; a group of men interested in commercial fibers have compiled from the library a bibliography on the subject ; druggists have often asked the library to help them check scientific names of plants; and students from near-by institutions have made numerous trips to the Garden to consult the pre-Linnean and other early books on botany and related subjects. With the transfer of the work in plant physiology to Wash- ington University a majority of the books bearing on that branch of botany were deposited in the library of Rebstock Hall, as a loan. Considerable time of the library staff was devoted to checking over and compiling lists of these books and making the necessary notations in the library records. A much-needed improvement is the new reading room, the room formerly used as the physiologist’s office. The old read- ing room was never adequate, since it was used also as a wait- ing-room, folio room, current periodical room, and cataloguing room. In the new reading room special pigeon-holes for the current periodicals were built around the walls, and the most used publications placed on racks in the middle of the room. The dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference books are 22 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN also assembled here. The room is available for students and others wishing a quiet place in which to review the current botanical literature. The great need of the library at present is space. In some sections room ean not be found on the shelf for a new book, and it must either be laid on top of others or else all the books in less crowded cases shifted to make space for it. The re- moval of the books on plant physiology relieved somewhat the congestion in that section, but the condition on the first and second floors is very crowded, with practically no room for future expansion. New Accessions.—Although no collections were received by ‘the Garden library in 1927, the number of accessions was almost one-third again as large as in 1926. In fact, more books and pamphlets were catalogued during the year than ever before in the history of the library. Some of the most noteworthy purchases made during the year are the following: Bonnier, Flore Complete de France, Suisse, et Belgique, pts. 81-90; 20 missing volumes of Botanische Centralblatt; Cole, Practical Physiological Chemistry; Vols. 1-4 of Colloid Sym- posium Monographs; Contemporary Development in Chem- istry; Engler, Das Pflanzenreich, Heft 89; Engler & Drude, Vegetation der Erde, Vol. 9, pt. 5; Finnemore, The Essential Oils; Flora Batavia, pts. 426-429; Gaumann, Vergleichende Morphologie der Pilze; Gurwitsch, Das Problem der Zell- theilung; Henneberg, Handbuch der Gaerungsbakteriologie, 2 vols.; Korschelt, Regeneration und Transplantation, Vol. 1; Kostytsechew, Lehrbuch der Pflanzenphysiologie, Vol. 1; Lewis, The Anatomy of Science; Linnaeus, Natuurlijke Historie af Beschrijving der Dieren, Planten, en Mineraalen; McDougall, Plant Ecology; Meisel, A Bibliography of American Natural History, Vol. 2; Millais, Magnolias; Morse, Biochemistry ; Nordenskiold, Die Gesehicht der Biologie; Schlechter, Die Orchideen, new edition; Thaysen & Bunker, The Microbiology of Cellulose, Hemicelluloses, Pectin, and Gums; Waksman, Principles of Soil Microbiology; West, A Treatise on the British Fresh-water Algae, new edition; and Woleott, North American Wild Flowers, Vols. 2 and 38. Many valuable books and pamphlets are also sent as donations or in exchange for Garden publications. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 23 Garden Publications—Four numbers of the ANNALS were issued in 1927—Numbers 1-4 of Volume XIV. The volume contains 432 pages, 41 plates, and 175 text-figures. On ac- count of numerous requests for the ANNats, chiefly from foreign institutions who were on the exchange list before the war, a larger edition of Volume XIV was printed. Ten new institutions were added to the exchange list during the year, and four new subscriptions were received. Of these, three were from the United States, two each from Russia and Ger- many, and one each from England, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, and Turkey. The library now receives 1,500 serials on an exchange basis, some of which are in exchange for the BULLETIN. The work of editing and sending out these publications is done by the library staff. The BULLETIN continues to be in greater and greater de- mand and is evidently one of the most popular points of con- tact between the Garden and the general public. An effort is made to have all of the articles authoritative, which fre- quently entails the rather laborious rechecking of minor points. This, however, seems to be worth while, since at the Nashville meeting of the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science the article from the BULLETIN on Thomas Jefferson, was read in its entirety before one of the affiliating societies as a model of popular scientific writing. The ANNALS and BULLETIN are sold to subscribers. Dur- ing the year $1,890.90 were received from the sale of these two publications, together with reprints and Books of Views of the Garden. Statistical—There have been donated to the library or received in exchange during the year 670 books, valued at $1,517.55; and 3,508 pamphlets, valued at $617.50. Three hundred and ninety-seven books were bought at a cost of $2,547.13, and 229 pamphlets at a cost of $396.48. The library now contains 43,318 books and 63,556 pamphlets, a total of 106,874. There are also 331 manuscripts valued at $1,614.80 and 944,987 index ecards valued at $10,821.44, a total of 11,187 cards were added during the year, of which 809 i. 24 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN were written by Garden employes and 10,378 bought at a cost of $218.81. Three hundred and twenty-two books were bound. GrorGcE T. Moore, Director. STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR DECEMBER, 1927 GARDEN ATTENDANCE: Tatal Hnmber Of Visitors, 4645404 6isaeao ce Sewn teees .- 12,863 PLANT ACCESSIONS: Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts GG GFOCHANSS bass occas ok bate eee ee ele tones se eeeee ee eee 176 LIBRARY ACCESSIONS: Total number of books and pamphlets bought........... 52 Total number of books and pamphlets donated.......... 271 HERBARIUM ACCESSIONS: By Purchase— Palmer, E. J.—Plants of Missouri..................0000. 332 By Gift— Durham, O. C.—Hybrid specimen of Ambrosia from Mis- BATTEN ats oak ae nee ee as ee eae eens ae ee ‘ Grant, J. M.—Fungi of Washington...............0..000- 1 Hume, H. Harold—Arisaema Dracontium (L.) Schott from PACT ss wiara aie x whale ha ave wale ewe etaia alow aw Sica as eae Cee oe Greenman, J. M.—Plants of horticulture................. Kellogg, John H.—Plants of Missouri.............-..0008 19 Miss Mildred E. Mathias—Plants of Missouri............. Orpet, E. O.—Agave Shawii Engelmann from horticulture Orpet, E. O.—Photograph of Dracaena Draco L........... Powell, Paul—Specimens of Sedum from horticulture..... Pring, George H.—Fruiting specimen of Dioon edule Lindl. PPO Orc IC UIT buns eas vin ianin fee Ve aie ate eee By Exchange— Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques, Genéve, by Dr. John Briquet—Plants of Savoy collected by Baron E. Perrier Oe Ti ORC irc sale ses Heese wa eed Mecca eee ee eee 560 —_ | el od ll ool 4 a ee es ee, = <<; ee. , =, SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of its founder, and, while virtually a private garden, it was, except at certain stated times, always open to the public. By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self-perpetuating. By a further pro- vision of the will, the immediate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. The city Garden comprises about 75 acres. There is now in process of development a tract of land of over 1,500 acres outside the city limits which is to be devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees and shrubs, designed for showing either in- doors or outside, at the city Garden, thus avoiding the existing diffi- culties of growing plants in the city atmosphere; (2) gradually es- tablishing an arboretum as well as holding a certain area as a for- est reservation, with the idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new botanical garden. About 12,000 species of plants are growing in the Garden. The Garden is open to the public every day in the year, except New Year’s, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until one-half hour after sunset; Sundays from 10 a. m. until sunset. The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove ave- nue and Flora place, on the Vandeventer avenue car line. Transfer south from all intersecting lines. The Garden may also be reached by Bus Route No. 12, to which all other motorbus lines transfer. Tease M.: ogee Curator of Hegbarions ’ ~ Missouri BoraNICAL. - Garpen BULLETIN: Vol. XVI FEBRUARY, 1928. CONTEN a8 ; Page “Giowise Plante. frony Seedy 5505 oe, aeRO oP tes aS DE OREG iba ge POE Re a a Sh panel hh sees ae ES Statistical Information AN Sere RN in get eae eR Sy On ae WG Siac ce! ST. LOUIS, MO. . ; 1928 Published Monthly, Except July and August, by the Board of Trustees SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: “ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR ‘SINGLE COPIES TEN CENTS | BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MISSOURI BOTANIC AP GARDEN eo yk _THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE: DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’s WILL ; Maes “AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE AR Oo EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF PERPETUATING, ; : i ‘ “3 i ns he - President i, : we aie : é EDWARD ©. ELIOT. | pikes Neg! F ‘ 2 Mw ¥) phe Rew . Sn Vice-President! fs ; oe ga : me diet ce GRORGE'G: HITCHCOCK) cok Pie Bo eR "Second Vice-President Dis non: ae ‘. eo Sy ty ne > SAMUBL C, DAVIS. Be RES Pg Dae a 2S eDanren K) Carin,» 0) Arpeer v: PERKINS, | satay) ECR Se Mee nce . t , b } zy ‘ : ty a a 7 : ‘TioMmas S. Marrrrr. ' pane C: ‘Scanian, ‘ A. C. Fs Meyer. te Joun F. SHEpuey. 18 4 ” re “ \ NI . ( } ER A, eae be EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS | ' oy oo Vireo Tes Marinas Sythe hs ETS - Chaneellor- of Washington University Mayor of the City of St. Louis Xe 5 a > Pampertox F. JoHNsoN, - Groner ‘T: Moore, Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri Presidnat’al of The Academy of Scionce of | ‘ A) : < uis . BEN WEmLe. President of the Board of Education of St. Louis \ i" P My s y | i ‘ \ < Hn) 3 Danze. Breck, Secretary aN ." ( ae sft NS as : oy oe 2 wy / ‘ >} b Pa Sib BEL \ 9 ye Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VoL, 16, 1928. PLATE 6. COLDERAME. POTS, BONES, AND COVER-GLASSES. Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin Vol. XVI FEBRUARY, 1928 No. 2 GROWING PLANTS FROM SEED With the beginning of the year the new seed catalogues make their appearance, and advertisements in magazines in- vite those interested to send for, copies. Upon turning the pages of the catalogues the imagination of the gardener is excited, and he sees in his mind’s eye his beautiful garden the following summer. However, the gorgeous illustrations and the many glowing descriptions of plants often arouse higher expectations than he is able to achieve. So often he blames the seedsman for the poor quality of the seed when they fail to germinate, but the fault is really his in not knowing how to start the plants. It is true that old seed sometimes find their way to various stores where they are kept from year to year, but if bought from reliable firms or from racks where the seed are guaranteed to be fresh, failure to grow plants must be laid to ignorance of garden principles. The object of this article, with accompanying illustrations, is to help the home gardener with his problems in raising plants from seed. The seedsmen’s catalogues are improving every year, both in illustrations and descriptions. Some firms issue catalogues which contain much helpful information with each kind of plant listed ; others have instructions printed on the seed pack- ets, and still others include cultural leaflets with every ship- ment of seed. One small packet of a variety usually con- tains all the seed necessary for the average garden if they are started indoors. If the seed are sown directly outdoors allowance must be made for the many obstacles that often prevent the seedlings from getting a good start. Torrential rains frequently wash away seed before they have had a (25) > i is ai ell ell eae es ee a SS ~~ ee a ee elle ee ee 26 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN chance to germinate. If the soil is very heavy or has been poorly prepared the seedlings germinate, but lack the strength to develop further. Any one intending to raise annuals or perennials from seed will find the beginning stage the most interesting. However, he must curb his enthusiasm and not start the plants too early in the season, or they become stunted and crowded before it is time to plant them out. As there always is some danger of cold weather up to the early part of May, it is best not to start the quick-growing kinds until a month or six weeks before time for planting outdoors. That means that most of the seeds should be sown toward the end of March and the beginning of April. Most perennials and those annuals that require a long period for their development may be sown in February. Such annuals are lobelia, pennisetum, petunia, salvia, snapdragon, verbena, and vinea. Another reason for delaying planting of the seed is the cold weather in February and March, and if the gardener is entirely dependent upon the coldframe for raising his plants he will lose some of them if started too early. After the latter part of March the weather is generally warm enough for growing seedlings in a coldframe. Figure 1, plate 6, shows a small frame any one can build with little ef- fort. It is not necessary to have a coldframe sash. Second-hand window sash can be obtained from house-wrecking companies for a few dollars, and the frame can be built to the size of the sash. If the seed are sown in April a glass cover for the frame is not absolutely necessary. Oiled-cloth, cheesecloth or even boards can be used as a covering when protection is needed in colder weather. If seedlings are already growing in the coldframe and a sudden drop in temperature down to the freezing point or lower is indicated, boards, old blankets, sacks, etc., may be used as an extra cover until warmer weather returns. However, a glass cover is an advantage, since sunlight can be admitted on cold days. Naturally, the plants in the frame with the glass roof would benefit by the few extra days of light, while those in practically total dark- ness would suffer to a certain extent. In selecting a location for the frames in the garden a posi- tion should be chosen that is sheltered on the west and north MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 27 by a fence, building, or shrubbery. All frames should have a slope to carry off the rain, and this slope should be to the south. It is hardly necessary to state that the frame should be so placed that it is in the sunlight the greater part of the day. If near-by buildings shade the garden during a part of the day, a position receiving the morning rather than after- noon light should be chosen for the ecoldframes. Sunlight is essential to the growth of plants. Seed may be sown in boxes or pots and set on any window sill. How- ever, after the seedlings are up they must be placed in some window receiving sunlight. A southern window is best, but if this is not available one with an eastern or western exposure will do, the former being preferable. The temperature of the room should be between 60° and 70° F. When the sun shines through the window-pane the temperature mounts con- siderably, but this will be for only a few hours. A little fresh air during this time will greatly benefit the plants. After the seedlings are started they should be placed in a small frame outdoors if possible. Pots, boxes, etc.-—Tin cans, cigar, boxes, discarded granite ware, pots, and special boxes termed flats may be used in which to start seed (fig. 2, pl. 6). Convenient boxes may be made of various sizes, but if very large they are heavy to handle when filled with wet soil. Two convenient sizes are 12x15x3 inches and 15x20x3 inches. A depth of 3 inches is sufficient for the short time the plants are in the flats. Drainage——No matter what type of receptacle is used the bottom should have holes to let out the excess moisture. If the boxes are of wood the bottoms should have several holes bored in them or the boards should be spaced at least a quarter of an inch apart. If the boards that make up the bottom of the flat are placed too close together they will swell when moist and make the box water-tight. Any receptacle that does not permit the excess water to drain away will soon become water- logged. The soil then becomes sour and the plants die. Even though provision for drainage is made it is well to place some coarse material in the bottom of any receptacle to prevent the fine soil from clogging the holes or eracks. For this purpose 28 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN broken pieces of flower pots (termed crocks), gravel, stones, and cinders may be used. Flower pots come in various sizes, the size being measured by the diameter of the pot. A four-inch pot is about the smallest size that should be used for sowing seed. When only a very small quantity of seed is to be sown it is best to use a flower pot, the seed being broadcasted over the surface. If many kinds of seed are to be sown, most of which will germinate in about the same length of time, much space can be saved by sowing them in rows in boxes. Pots take up con- siderable space, while a small box can contain many rows of seedlings. Moreover, soil or sand in boxes will not dry out as rapidly as in pots. Sieves, tampers, dibbers, labels—Any one interested in growing plants from seed should secure some essential tools. They are all very simple and can be easily made. Sieves sim- plify the operation of sowing seed, especially fine seed, and onee they are used they become a necessity. A fine screen need not be more than six or eight inches square, but one with a coarser mesh for sieving large quantities of potting soil should be one by two feet or larger. The fine screen may be made by tacking a piece of window-screen wire cloth to a wooden frame. For coarser screens wire screening 14-, 14-, or 14-inch mesh is used, the size of the mesh depending upon the nature of the soil and the purpose for which it is wanted. It would not only take a very long time to sift through a fine sieve all the soil necessary for some zinnias, but also it would not be best for the plants. Finely sifted soil packs with re- peated watering, this excluding the air. The soil then be- comes sour and the plants grown in it become stunted. The sereen with the finest mesh is used only for small seed; for general use the sieve with a 14-inch mesh is the proper size ; for larger plants a coarser mesh should be used. Figure 1, plate 7, shows two tampers, a square and a round one. The square one is easily made from a piece of one or two-inch lumber, and may be about 3x6 inches or longer. An ordinary brick may serve for a tamper, but is too heavy to be used for any length of time. The round tamper is useful Mo. Bot. Garp. BULL., VoL. 16, 1928. PLATE: 7. SCREENS, TAMPERS, DIBBER AND LABELS. POTS OF SEED WATERED BY THE BUCKET AND THE CLOTH METHODS. Mo. Bor. Garb. Bt ‘ $ - — - i“ A . . ere ; " he ANTIRRHINUM 8 aA - 8 TWEI VE KINDS OF GARDEN SEED ot? VINCA 1LL., VOL. 16, 1928 PLATE 8 # 4 - Rh pe Fd eS e® e A= ae oe & ’ e@ @ ASTER EEGONIA CCOREOPSIS @ . 6 vy * , ®ee . - Ld a ° oe ee * “Ve ny eo ¢ .Y - aad DIANTHUS LOPELIA MIGNONETTE DIFFERENCES IN GERMINATION O DEPTILS Fr SERED SOWN AT VARIOUS MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 29 when sowing seed in pots, an empty flower pot answering the purpose. A dibber is a small stick about the size of a lead pencil. It is used when seedlings are transplanted. Wooden meat skewers make excellent dibbers. The name of the plant and the date of sowing the seed should always be written on a label. Later in the summer the plants blooming at the same time might fit into some par- ticular color scheme. This scheme could not be duplicated an- other season unless a record were kept of the time the plants were started. Moreover, many plants in the seedling stage look so much alike that confusion might result unless they were labeled. Watering cans and methods of watering seed pots and boxes.—The average sprinkling can that is sold in the stores throws a rather coarse stream of water. Extremely fine seed are barely pressed into the soil when sown and when watered with a heavy stream they are almost entirely washed away. Better types of cans may be purchased from seed stores and florists’ supply houses. With a little care and patience seedlings may be started without the use of a water- ing can or with one of the poorer types. Figure 2, plate 7, shows two methods of watering seed. Setting the pot ina bucket of water and allowing the water to come up through the hole in the bottom until the surface of the soil becomes moist is an excellent way. With this method there is abso- lutely no danger of disturbing fine seeds as would be the case if watered from the top. One is also certain that the soil is thoroughly saturated with water. After the surface soil is moist the pot is removed from the bucket and the surplus water allowed to drain off before replacing the pot in the win- dow or frame. In order to prevent too rapid evaporation from the surface, the pot is sometimes covered with a piece of glass or paper until the seed germinate. The sub-irrigation method will only have to be practised a few times before the seed are up. Another way to prevent the seed from being washed to the side of the pot or box when sprinkling with a can is shown in figure 2, plate 7. A piece of cloth is moistened and laid on the pot, and the sprinkling done through the cloth. The force of the water is broken by the cloth, and the mois- "essa Ai athe i i a ehh ol 30 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN ture oozes through to the soil. After enough water has passed through the cloth should be removed. Types and sizes of sced.—Seed vary a great deal in size, shape, and the length of time required for germination. Fig- ure 1, plate 8, gives a good idea of the sizes of some common flower seeds. It can easily be understood how difficult it is to raise some of these plants from seed when the essentials of germination are not understood. If the seeds of petunias and lobelias are covered with more than a quarter of an inch of soil failure to germinate may be expected, but if barely cov- ered with soil or lightly pressed into the soil more seedlings will come up than can be used. Seed that are sown on the surface of the soil indoors or in a frame where practically all conditions of soil, moisture, light, and heat can be controlled will germinate readily, but if this were done in the open fail- ure would result. There is a certain relation between the depth that seed are sown and their power to germinate. Seed are frequently sown too deeply. A seed that is covered with much soil does not get the proper amount of air and has the added burden of pushing up the layer of soil above it. Air (oxygen) is abso- lutely necessary for the germination of seeds. Sow a seed the proper way and watch it germinate, but place some of the seed in water, which contains very little air, and they will rot. Figure 2, plate 8, shows very clearly what happens to seed sown at various depths. Those near the surface were the first to germinate and grow, and while some of the others lower down have germinated, the odds against them are too great and they will finally succumb. Some of the seed planted deep have already rotted. When sowing seed the extremely small ones should be pressed into the soil after it has been watered, or the sub-irrigation bucket method used. All small seed should barely be covered, just enough fine soil or sand being passed through the sieve until they are no longer visible. In sieving soil or sand over small seed the sieve should be held not more than an inch or two above the surface of the soil. If held higher, the particles of sand or soil strik- ing the seeds will cause them to jump in all directions, with the result that some of them will immediately be covered and ca MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 31 the remainder will still be on the surface, or some will have a light covering and others a heavy one. This will result in uneven and many times poor germination. Larger seed, such as coreopsis, hollyhocks, asters, and cornflowers, may be sown somewhat deeper, being covered with about an eighth of an inch of soil. Sow medium in which to sow seed.—Most seed have been and probably always will be sown in soil. It is the eommon- est material available and gives good results. The best soil for the purpose is composed of about one part loam, one part leaf-mold, and one part sand. By loam is meant a soil that contains a liberal amount of vegetable matter in the form of decaying roots, leaves, ete. Sand is the most convenient material in which seed may be sown. However, if sand is used the seed require much closer watching. After a seedling has germinated and the roois are formed they begin searching for food. Sand is prac- tically devoid of any food material. Consequently as soon as the seedlings have germinated and are large enough for han- dling they should be transplanted to pots or boxes containing soil. If left in pure sand for a length of time they will re- main alive, but will be stunted. Sand dries out rapidly, and if not kept constantly moist the seedlings will be lost at the eritical time of germination. Seedlings that have germinated and whose roots extend down about an inch will not suffer if the surface sand becomes dry. However, extremely fine seed that are very near the surface might just be germinat- ing when the surface dries out, and if the sun is shining they will be lost in a short time. Aside from the two main objec- tions to sand as a germinating medium—lack of food and the rapidity with which it dries out—it has so many good qual- ities that it cannot be overlooked as a material in which to sow seed. Seedlings are always subject to the ravages of the damping- off disease. This disease can attack a crop of seedlings and destroy them over night. Figure 1, plate 13, gives a good illustration of the nature of the disease and its work. The thread-like structure of the parasite spreads over the surface of the soil and attacks the seedlings. The illustration referred 32 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN to shows zinnia seedlings in various stages of the attack. The first one has threads of the mycelium around its base; the sec- ond and third have already lost their roots; and the fourth seedling has completely collapsed. This disease is always asso- ciated with a great amount of humidity, and on that account seedlings or seed boxes in which the seed are just germinat- ing should never be watered toward evening. The surface of the pots or boxes should be dry at night, because it is at that time this disease is most active. If seed are sown in sand instead of soil there is much less danger from attacks of the damping-off disease. One of the chief reasons why sand is so much better than soil for sowing seed is that it does not re- tain as much moisture as soil, even though it is watered more frequently. Seedlings will be lost by the damping-off disease, even if sown in sand, if the seed are crowded or if the air about the seedlings is very humid. This humid condition can easily be created if the cover glass or paper is left on the bexes or pots after the seedlings are up. Seedlings germinate more uniformly in sand than in soil, and when they are pushing up the sand rolls to the side. Seed sown in soil and covered with a layer of soil often have diffi- culty in pushing up, or if the seedlings are close together a whole crust of soil is pushed up, much to their detriment. Seedlings are much more easily separated for transplanting when grown in sand than in soil. Because sand drains so readily it always warms up quicker and this hastens germina- tion. The better germination in sand is well illustrated by the tomato seedlings shown in figure 1, plate 10. One pot con- tained pure sand, the other soil, and the two pots were treated alike in all respects. If the sand is dirty, it should be washed, To do this a bucket is filled about half full of sand and water run in through a hose. The dirt, being lighter than sand, will float and will be carried over the top of the bucket. Moving the hose about will rapidly free the dirt, and when the water is clear the sand is clean. Sowing the seed.—Plate 9 shows the essential operations in the sowing of seed in boxes, and with few exceptions the same methods hold true if pots or any other receptacle are used. As previotisly mentioned, the box should have holes or cracks Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VOL. 16, 1928. PLATE 9. _SEED- BOX DRAINAGE LEVELING ne eer ae : ee ee eae mepeeie 3 “s » % Letual ae _ a _ * sath la ah! Da ee TAMPING MAKING ROWS SOWING S$ shee i. EEDS_ _ SIEVING - SEED-SOWING OPERATIONS. Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VOL. 16, 1928. PLATE 10 TOMATO SEED SOWN IN SAND AND SOIL, SHOWING MUCH BETTER AND OUICKER GERMINATION IN SAND SPROUTING SEEDLINGS. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 33 in the bottom. The first step is to cover these openings with broken crock, stones, ete. The box should then be filled to overflowing with sand or soil, leveled with a stick, and tamped lightly. The surface of the soil will then be about 34 of an inch below the top edge of the box. If the soil or sand is an inch below the top of the box much trouble may be antici- pated with the damping-off disease due to the poorer air cir- culation. After the soil is tamped, the rows are marked with a stick or plant label, the stick being pressed into the surface to the depth wanted for the seed. For fine seed the surface is barely marked, for large seed a deeper trench is required. Before making the rows the soil or sand must be moist, for if dry it immediately rolls back in the trench when the stick is withdrawn. After the rows are made the seed is ready for sowing, and for convenience one corner of the seed packet is torn off and the packet lightly tapped to secure an even dis- tribution of the seed along the rows. It is best to allow one row for each kind of seed, or at the most one-half row for a kind. In this way the label can be placed either at the begin-. ning or at the end of the row. If labels are placed in the rows they will interfere with the glass or paper cover. A mouse can do much damage in a pot or flat of seed in one night, so the pot or box should be covered with a sheet of glass or a board. After the seed have germinated and are growing there is seldom any danger from mice. While on the subject of losing seed by other means than the damping-off disease it might be well to warn against the cunning antics of ants if they are in the neighborhood of a box of seeds. Ants will carry away any seed that is not too large for them to handle. They prefer seed just as they are germinating, but will also carry away newly sown seed. As they are wont to lick anything, be it insect or seed, that exudes a sweet sub- stance, they supposedly carry the seed to their nests. It is very disheartening to discover that the fine seed that was so painstakingly sown the previous day has been and is being earried away by an army of ants. They will sometimes appear when least expected. If they are in the neighborhood of a box of seed it is well to place a water barrier between them and the seed box. One or more saucers of water in which 34 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN empty pots are inverted and on which the box of seed is set will prevent them from causing any trouble. If only a pot of seed is to be protected it may be stood on a half brick in a saucer or pan of water. If many pots or boxes are used they may be set on a platform supported by standing four bricks in water. After the seed are all sown sand is sieved over the rows. If some sand has been set aside to dry, it will run through the sieve very easily. The deeper rows containing the large seed should receive a heavier covering than the small seed in the shallow rows. After the seed are all covered the flat is wat- ered and then a pane of glass or a piece of paper or both are placed over the box. Moisture will accumulate on the glass and should be removed each morning. If the glass is carefully removed from the pot and held by one corner, the water will run off quickly. If the glass is carelessly removed the large drops of water will splash fine seed in all directions. When the seed begin germinating the glass or paper should be raised slightly at one side to admit air, and after the seedlings begin pushing through, the box should be uncovered. A great many seedlings will be lost if the cover is left on too long. The close atmosphere under the cover is ideal for the spread of fungous growths. In the last few years various preparations have been placed on the market that will check and prevent fungous diseases associated with germinating seedlings. Figure 2, plate 13, shows some of these materials. They may be used either dry or in liquid form. Eight operations in transplanting seedlings.—After the seedlings are up and are sufficiently large to handle they are ready for transplanting. Removing seedlings from their boxes should not be postponed too long. While seed should not be sown thickly they are always more or less crowded in the boxes or pots and should be separated from their neighbors as soon as possible. Plate 11 illustrates the various stages of transplanting seedlings. The majority of seedling plants are sufficiently large to be handled with the fingers. They either have a leaf large enough to act as a handle or are strong enough to be held by the stem. Whenever possible a seedling should $ ——— a ES a ee Cy. Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VOL. a _DINCHING ROOT = | PLANTING SEEDLING “FIRMING SOIL. FIRMING coat TRANSPLANTING OPERATIONS, "PLANTING SEEDLING Mo. Bor. GARD. BULL., VoL. 16, 1928. PLATE 12 CULTIVATING SEEDLINGS SEEDLING SNAPDRAGONS READY FOR POTTING. Ss MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 35 be held by a leaf, as then there is less danger of crushing the tender plant. Some seedlings, notably petunias, lobelias, begonias, ete., are so very small that it is impossible to handle them with the fingers. The last three figures of plate 11 show how minute seedlings are handled. The box into which the seedlings are to be transplanted should contain some drainage material and should then be filled up with a light soil. The box is leveled and tamped in the same manner as when the seed were sown. The surface should be finished with some finely sifted soil and tamped. If this is not done, especially when small seedlings are to be transplanted, the small lumps of soil will cause much annoy- ance. If the box of soil is very dry it should be watered before transplanting the seedlings and then set aside. A box of soil that is damp and needs no water is to be preferred to one that has been watered an hour before being used. Soggy soil is a nuisance. It clings to the dibble and the fingers. To remove the seedlings from the seed box, with the right hand insert a stick or plant label beneath the roots and gently raise a bunch of seedlings, at the same time grasping them with the left hand. Lay them on a piece of paper and bring them to the box of soil. Do not take all of the seedlings from the box at one time as they dry out very rapidly. Mark the rows on the surface of the soil with a straight-edged stick. Space the rows in the flat from one and a half to two or three inches apart, depending upon the size of the plants. Also space the plants the same distance in the rows. The size of the seedlings soon after germinating serves as a fair indica- tion of the distance apart to transplant them. The larger the seedling the more space it will occupy in a given time. With the dibber make a hole in the soil deep enough to receive the roots without crowding. Slightly turn the dibber back and forth as it is withdrawn from the hole to prevent any soil from rolling back. If the seedlings have unusually long tap- roots, pinch them back half way. This will do no harm and will cause the plantlet to send out lateral roots. After the seedling is placed in the hole the dibber is again thrust into the soil near the seedling and the soil firmly pushed against the roots. If an air pocket is left at the bottom of the hole the 36 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN roots cannot come in contact with the soil. Many seedlings poorly transplanted will survive, but in order that they may not be checked in growth the soil should be immediately brought in contact with their roots. Seedlings should be transplanted at about the same depth as they were in the seed box. However, when seedlings are very spindly and have a tendency to shoot up, they should be planted deeper in the hole. There are some kinds of seedlings, the delphinium being an example, in which the heart of the plant is quite low. In transplanting such seedlings one must be careful not to cover the center of the plant, lest it might rot. Again there are seedlings that produce robust plants that are quite large (lupines, castor beans, ete.). These should be immediately set into two or two and one-half-ineh pots. In order that minute seedlings may safely be transferred to flats of soil a small wooden fork made from a plant label or any piece of thin wood is used. With this fork the seedling is lifted and if it clings to some of the others they are sep- arated with the dibber. The dibber for transplanting tiny seedlings should have more of a point than the ordinary dib- ber. A collection of dibbers of various thicknesses for dif- ferent sizes of seedlings will prove most convenient. Holding the wooden fork with the left hand, lift the seedling to the seed box, barely make a depression in the soil, then lower the seed- ling and firm a little soil around it with the dibber. Tiny seedlings must be carefully watered until they produce enough roots to hold them in place. A watering pot with a fine-spray nozzle is essential to such work. If very small seedlings are set in a flower pot they can be watered by the sub-irrigation bucket method. After the flat is filled with plants it should be watered and placed in the frame or window. If the sun is shining brightly, shade the plants with paper the first and second days. Seedlings that have been crushed or broken in handling will wilt and die. If they are transplanted to a pot instead of a box, and this ean be done if only a few dozen of a kind are wanted, the surface of the soil should not be more than one-fourth inch below the top of the pot. Larger seedlings may be set deeper. Seedlings planted in flats will not dry out Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VoL. 16, 1928. PLATE 13, ZINNIA SEEDLINGS ATTACKED BY THE DAMPING-OFF FUNGUS. |! CHEMICAL PREPARATIONS THAT WILL, CONTROL, DAMPING-OFF DISEASES. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 37 as rapidly as those in pots, and more can be grown in a given space if planted in rows in flats than if grown in pots. After the seedlings are in the flats for a length of time the soil be- comes packed by repeated watering. Weed seeds will also have germinated and will begin to crowd the seedlings. Culti- vating the flats (fig. 1, pl. 12) will discourage the weeds and will benefit the plants. Seedlings that grow too rapidly and show no signs of branching should be pinched when they be- come two and three inches high. When the seedlings become crowded they should be transplanted to pots (fig. 2, pl. 12). If it is intended to leave the seedlings in the flats until time for planting directly into the garden, then they should have more space in the flats when they are transplanted from the seed-box. Seedlings that are to be transplanted to pots should be care- fully lifted with a spoon or plant label and should have as much soil adhering to the roots as possible. The plant is held in the center of the pot. Then the soil is added and firmed about the seedling. After transplanting to pots, water the seedlings thoroughly. One watering is usually not sufficient, especially when the potting soil is quite dry. On clear days shade the seedlings by laying newspapers over them. The larger the seedling at transplanting time the greater the dan- ger of wilting. This is due to the number of roots that are torn when removing the plants from the boxes. Several copious waterings and shade one or two days after the opera- tion will restore any plant to its former vigor. When warm weather has arrived and the flower beds are prepared the plants are taken out of the pots and set in their place. Plants whose roots have become matted due to the length of time in the pots should have the bottom roots loosened before planting. This will break up the distinct ball the roots have been forming and will cause them to strike out in all directions and take hold of the soil in the flower bed. Plants that have been planted in beds should receive a good watering as soon as possible after all are set. The same pre- cautions used when transplanted from boxes to pots must be taken against wilting when planting the seedlings in the flower beds. Cloudy weather is ideal for planting flowers outside. ia 38 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Late afternoon and evening is better than the morning for transplanting as the plants can revive during the night. Transplanting should not be done on extremely hot and windy days. A good gardener will find ways and means to overcome all the difficulties that will at times confront him. NOTES Mr. L. P. Jensen, Arboriculturist to the Garden, has been elected a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Horticultural Society. Mr. L. P. Jensen, Arboriculturist to the Garden, spoke be- fore the Methodist Church, at Gray Summit, Missouri, Jan- uary 27, on ‘‘Conservation of Native Plants.’’ Mr. George H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, re- turned from Panama, February 22, bringing with him. five eases of Panamanian orchids. Dr. George T. Moore spoke before the Rochester section of the American Chemical Society, at Rochester, New York, Jan- uary 9, on ‘‘Unnecessary Smoke: A Menace to Life, Property, and Pursuit of Happiness’’; and on February 2 gave an illus- trated lecture before the St. Louis Academy of Science, on “The Application of the Moving Picture to Scientifie Work.’’ Volume XIV, Number 4, of the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden has recently been issued with the following contents: ““Cotton Wilt: A Pathological and Physiological Investi- gation,’’? by David C, Neal. ‘*Species of Cercospora on Smilax in the United States,’’ by L. O. Overholts. Recent visitors to the Garden inelude Dr. E. M. East, Pro- fessor of Genetics, Harvard University; Dr. P. C. Mangels- dorf, Agronomist, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Dr. John Winthrop Sargent, of the American Geographic Society. Dr. J. S. Cooley, formerly a Lackland Fellow at the Gar- den, now in the Bureau of Plant Industry, United States De- partment of Agriculture, stopped over in St. Louis on his ey ae ee ee? ee MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 39 way to Hood River, Oregon, where he expects to make a study of the anthracnose of apples. Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, has been giving a series of radio talks over Station WIL. The fol- lowing subjects have been discussed: January 23, ‘‘The Missouri Botanical Garden’’; January 30, ‘‘Plant Explor- ers’’; February 6, ‘‘Plants and People’’; February 13, ‘‘ The Development of a New Spray’’; February 20, ‘‘ Botany and Business. ”’ The orchid show has continued throughout the month and has attracted an unusual amount of attention. The new hybrid cymbidiums were shown this year for the first time. Visitors who came during the early part of the show were sur- prised, when they returned a month later, to find the same flowers still on exhibit. As a matter of fact, it is nothing unusual for a cymbidium to remain in bloom for six weeks. In one ease a spike of flowers was shown at the London show, then taken to the continent to be exhibited, and finally brought to New York and displayed there. 40 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR JANUARY, 1928 GARDEN ATTENDANCE: OCH) NUMDST OF VIBILOTS. 5. occ cess p scenes oslanedha tale 16,771 PLANT ACCESSIONS: Total number of plants and seed packets received as gifts.. 24 LIBRARY ACCESSIONS: Total number of books and pamphlets bought............ 45 Total number of books and pamphlets donated............ 189 HERBARIUM ACCESSIONS: By Purchase— Bucholtz, A. F.—‘Fungi Rossici exsiccati,’ Fasc. I-IV and SERGE © Pi 5va eas is ka EN Seo OO OPES Neha oko 500 Weigel, Theodor Oswald—Miquel, W. “Kryptogamae Ger- maniae, Austriae et Helvetiae exsiccati,” Fase. XLI and XLII, Nos. 176-225; Fasc, XLIII and XLIV, Nos. 276-325.. 100 Weigel, Theodor Oswald—Jaap, Otto, ‘““Myxomycetes exsic- rs gaa <3 5 CT. So. ae ae ae ARE eA) ALA 12 By Gift— Brooks, Dr. S. C.—Berberis sp. from horticulture.......... 1 Kellogg, John H.—Plants of Missouri.................0005 324 La Garde, Dr. Roland—Primula sp. from horticulture...... 1 Pring, George H.—Cycnoches Warscewiczii Reichb. f. speci- Mi€G-TTOO? BOMUIGe Ore 5a ss bce bese eeseus cubes es uowas 1 Ridgway, Robert—Plants of Illinois....................... 68 Ruth, Albert—Plants of Texas............. cc cece cece eens 2 By Exchange— Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University—Plants of Kurope, the West Indies, and New Caledonia............ 329 Demaree, Professor Delzie—Plants of Arkansas............ 73 Field Museum of Natural History—Senecio sp. from Peru.. 1 Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, by Dr. F. W. Pennell—Plants of southern New Jersey................ 150 University of Montreal, by Brother Marie-Victorin—Plants Or Guenec, CB0aCe 2. 2s oc ces eS ce haces cbetome ewes 263 SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of its founder, and, while virtually a private garden, it was, except at certain stated times, always open to the public. By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self-perpetuating. By a further pro- vision of the will, the immediate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Garden receives no income from city or state, but is supported entirely from funds left by the founder. The city Garden comprises about 75 acres. There is now in process of development a tract of land of over 1,500 acres outside the city limits which is to be devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees and shrubs, designed for showing either in- doors or outside, at the city Garden, thus avoiding the existing diffi- culties of growing plants in the city atmosphere; (2) gradually es- tablishing an arboretum as well as holding a certain area as a for- est reservation, with the idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new botanical garden. About 12,000 species of plants are growing in the Garden. The Garden is open to the public every day in the year, except New Year’s, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until one-half hour after sunset; Sundays from 10 a. m. until sunset. The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove ave- nue and Flora place, on the Vandeventer avenue car line. Transfer south from all intersecting lines. The Garden may also be reached by Bus Route No, 12, to which all other motorbus lines transfer. be tags hy 2 —. % ae gitar ays x : “Neu C. HorneEr, 4G, Gompike, © |. cer at a TROPICAL STATION, BALBOA, ‘CANAL ZONE Sraagate § i nega A. A. Hounirer, | | | prey ; Groree T. Moors, } wetland: MICE e Karurrine H. Leien, Assistant to the Director “HERMANN von ScHRENK, ERNEST 8. “Hexnous,!. Pathologiat “Eihlolagt FX Jesse M, GReENMAN, - ~ Davin H, Lawper, Curator of Herbarium ape Meee ~ Epear ANDERSON, a he cena * 4 as iy “ Be > _ Research Asslatany i ; abe i eases aay ‘and Editor of is, Mul, anne apes ‘Groner H. PRuna, es Tay Wak ; “Superintendent. . Paun A, Kober: Res ¢ ; Bc as Biron Acne Orchidologist hy ew J. Curax, + OW. F. Lanean, - > Exotics Chief Engineer < i Ww. C. FAIRBANK, "J. Lanean, , Plant Recorder _ ; ‘ ; Assistant Engineer J. H, Kerioae, 3 A. PEARSON, 4 Herbaceous and Nursery Painter ) H. ‘VALLENTINE; Ctpenter GRAY SUMMIT EXTENSION. MF, i L. P JENsEN,, Sis a UOTE D. Mirae, . , Arboriculturist PO yp ; Orchids PN cok R. E. KIssecK,. " Farm A $; i ed } t} Vie ; t ‘p S spi seit ) ais ‘ y x t eae eh ‘ nN ne ee , t Manager - ROLaAnp Vv. L. Vathanie, . jas it ge + that TT hs ney Yan h eat. Rit 4 9, PG , fou ih 8 ny aos Dae | ¢ P | a Va ») } reg os Kale 4 vy hae Bed by Thi ree ie 4 5 hy nf, a 1 Vege x %; “ | taint 2 ¢ z \ Jit fe i 5 Wa. ee ts 4 rf AY, +t rf } 8 ; \ h tury ie nek ye ‘* vy b Nw A ane yt ¥ nif 4 ik ty - Missouri Botanica. — ARDEN [BULLETIN f ; 4 Vol. XVI - MARCH, 1928 ‘No.3 . CONTENTS ER ET Flowers for the Small Greenhouse. . 7°.) 3s ee 4 ; A New Ciass:of Tulips 3S cs Bes aie ae he oot “D. S. Brown,” A New Variety of Cattleya Trianaeé .. 48 ‘The National Flower and Garden Show. .0.). 2. 5 49 TR QCORS 6 ip eid oe ie Se tow) VR et en Meee cyt Statistical Information: Oe Pag AS I & Te ae , ST. LOUIS, MO, SBR! een Oy cage 7): STE. Rk y ; ~* Published Monthly, Except July and August, by the Board of Trustees ty Je r iS Z ; ‘SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: aie : ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR SINGLE COPIES TEN CENTS ~ BOARD OF 7 ISSOURI BC "THE ORIGINAL MEM | : Bee Casas Hen aA i 4 Aaa i oa te é s au Se % a . + BERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW'S é i HORG CHCOCK, | ce nes val ; ‘SAMUEL ©, DAVIS. oe - tox * Wak: 4 4 ES w | exORFICIO MEMBERS ‘Woshington University Mayor of the Gity oft. Louie ci P Py be $y Pa eek te Moone, ¢ Bourd of Bdutation of Si. Lobia See 7 A LAN oth a) “1OA ' SWEET CINERARIA ALYSSUM (SENECIO CRUENTUS) MARIGOLD ( NEMESIA ALENDULA OFFICINALIS OW Log ‘auyv’y TING “OT I “836 ILV' Iq I Missoun Botanical Garden Bulletin Vol. XVI MARCH, 1928 No. 3 FLOWERS FOR THE SMALL GREENHOUSE Every year sees an increase in the number of amateur gardeners with private greenhouses. With their needs in view the following list of dependable flowers for the home greenhouse has been prepared. It omits certain commonly grown bulbs, such as narcissi and tulips, whose culture has been described in previous issues of the BuLLETIN and with whose treatment most greenhouse owners are already familiar. It includes only those plants which repeated tests have shown to be thoroughly reliable. AMARYLLIS (Hippeastrum sp.) Large bulbs with strap-shaped leaves and red or white flowers in February and March. Flowers borne in clusters of 1 to 4 on a 2-foot stalk. Buy bulbs of flowering size, pot in the fall, and water occasionally. When signs of growth appear bring into a warm house. After plants have bloomed leave indoors until warm weather, then plunge pots flush with soil in cold-frame or other sheltered spot out of doors. Bring indoors before frost, lay pots on side, and keep comparatively dry, but not so dry that the bulbs shrivel. Repotting is not necessary every year and should not be done until the pot is well filled with roots. In any case never put a small bulb in a large pot. When plants are forced again they may be given a slight top dressing of very well-rotted manure. BEGONIA Begonias of the ‘‘Gloire de Lorraine’’ or of the ‘‘Glory of Cincinnati’’ strains will flower more or less continuously dur- (41) 42 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN ing the winter. Begonias are difficult to raise from seed, and the beginner will do well to buy his plants from the florist or from any of the growers who advertise in the trade papers. When they are being brought into flower they do best in a warm house (temperature not below 60° F. at night). After they have come into flower a lower, temperature will make the blooms last longer. CARNATION Buy rooted cuttings in early spring. Grow in field during the summer, pinching them back to produce stocky plants. About September plant them in the greenhouse in beds or pots. Keep the house cool, but above 50° F. As the flower shoots develop pinch off the lateral flower buds and support the flower shoots with stakes. Root cuttings in January and February for, next year’s crop. CINERARIA (Senecio cruentus) Large-leaved pot plants bearing enormous clusters of bril- liant daisy-like flowers. These may be grown from seed, but the beginner will do well to buy his plants from specialists who advertise in the trade papers. Plants are also handled by a few seedsmen. For a succession of flowers make sowings in early August, early September, and late September. Do not allow the plants to become pot-bound until they reach the 5- or 6-inch pots in which they are to be flowered. Those who object to the bril- liant ecerise and purple of the commoner varieties may find the salmon pink and terra-cotta shades, which may be pur- chased separately, more to their liking. CYCLAMEN Inasmuch as these plants take 18 months’ careful attention to bring into flower from seed, the small grower is advised to buy young plants. To keep down the cyclamen mite, spray once a week with nicotine in twice the customary strength. Grow in a cool house. FORGET-ME-NOT (Myosotis sp.) Winter-flowering types should be sown about August 1. Sown at this time they will flower from January to March. Mo. Bor. GARD. BULL., VOL. 16, 1928. PLATE 15. GERBERA JAMESONI STOCK (MATTHIOLA INCANA) Mo. Bor. GARD. BULL., VOL. 16, 1928 PLATE 16 \SPARAGUS PLUMOSUS, SANSEVIERIA, ASPIDISTRA, ASPARAGUS SPRENGERI PHILODIENDRON IVY, SHOWING METITOD OF TRAINING ON FRAALE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 43 Keep in a cool house. Several plants (3-4) in an 8-inch pot will make a better showing than one plant in a smaller pot. GERBERA (Gerbera Jamesont) Perennials with dandelion-like foliage and large flowers borne singly on graceful stems. Flowers in attractive shades of red, orange, and yellow. Excellent as cut flowers. Good seed is important. Sow in spring indoors, transplant- ing seedlings outdoors in May. Plants carefully lifted with roots intact and grown in either a cool or warm house will blossom indoors during the late fall and again in March if given a rest after their first flowering. Such plants may be kept for several years. HYACINTH Easily grown, requiring only a few weeks to force. Pot bulbs in October or November and store in cool cellar or cold-frame. Water thoroughly and occasionally inspect to see that they do not dry out. Protect from severe freezing and leave outdoors for at least 8 weeks. Bring indoors about Feb- ruary 1 and keep under bench for a week, watering twice a day. Remove to a cooler house and finish forcing on a shaded bench (4 to 5 weeks, depending upon the variety). Slow fore- ing gives firmer plants. MARGUERITE (Chrysanthemum frutescens) Grow from spring- or fall-rooted cuttings. Keep in cool house and pinch back to produce bushy plants. Spring-rooted plants are carried over the summer in pots plunged in a cold- frame. Both white and yellow-flowered varieties are known. Commonest white variety is ‘‘Paris Daisy.’’ ‘‘Mrs. F. San- ders’’ is an improved variety with larger flowers. ‘‘Boston Yellow’’ is a good yellow. MARIGOLD (Calendula officinalis) May be grown almost continuously throughout the winter if successive crops are planted. Plants started in September will bloom in March. Grow in a cool house (40-50° F.). Pinch back the first bud to make plants branch out. ‘‘Orange Prince’’ is the standard greenhouse variety. 44 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN NEMESIA (Nemesia sp.) Low-growing plants with numerous bright-colored flowers in various patterns of red, white, and pink. Plants started from seed in October will blossom in March. Grow in cool house. Several plants in a low pan give the best effect. LILy (Lilium longiflorum) Flowering plants need to be rooted on the stem as well as on the bulb. This may be accomplished in two ways: first, by starting the bulb in a small pot and transplanting it later into a 6- or 7-inch pot, setting it deep enough to give the stems a chance to send out roots; second, planting the bulb deep in a large pot, but adding soil only to just above the bulb. After the bulb has developed the pots may be filled to just below the rim, SCHIZANTHUS (Schizanthus sp.) Sometimes called ‘‘butterfly flower’’ or ‘‘poor man’s orchid’’. Sow at intervals from September to November. Plants started in October should flower in March. Keep greenhouse as cool as possible and pinch back young plants to produce bushy specimens. Pot-bound plants will start to flower, and a few may be left in small pots for early flower- ing. The remainder moved into larger pots will bloom later but produce finer plants. SNAPDRAGON (Antirrhinum sp.) Grown from cuttings or seeds. Grow in cool house. If bothered with rust keep water off the leaves. Support with light bamboo stakes. stocks (Matthiola incana) August-sown plants will flower in February and March. Finish in 6- or 7-inch pots. Ape EE Nici alg Be SAMUEL ©. DAVIS, ae Send ~ da é8. Se: Ae dyee £3 Mo 30T. GARD. BULL... Von. 16, 1928. PLATE 18 MR. C. W. POWELL AT THR ENTRANCE TO HIS GARDEN AO. Fae eine eee a bide Pan he ee Missoun Botanical Garden Bulletin Vol. XVI APRIL, 1928 No. 4 CHARLES W. POWELL At the request of Dr. George T. Moore, Director of the Garden, the following biography of Mr. C. W. Powell has been prepared by Mr. A. A. Hunter, who succeeded Mr. Powell as Manager of the Missouri Botanical Garden Tropical Station, Balboa, Canal Zone: ‘*Charles W. Powell was born November 5, 1854, at Rich- mond, Virginia. As a boy he was very fond of the water and was always found in its vicinity, despite the fact that his father was very much opposed to his being there. When Charles was only fourteen years old and his brother sixteen, the two boys ran away and tried to enlist in the Confederate Army. The commanding officer called a corporal of the guards and instructed him to take the two boys to the rear and administer a good spanking and send them home. This was as far as Charles participated in the activities of the war. ‘During the war, and afterwards, the family was often deprived of the necessities of life, so much so that its daily diet was reduced to sweet potatoes and cucumbers. In later years Mr. Powell left these articles entirely out of his menu. The father was desirous of making a Methodist minister of his son, but this plan was entirely contrary to the boy’s in- clinations, and when he was sent to a religious school he ran away. He was then about eighteen years old. He was gone about two years without communicating with his parents, during which time he was engaged in ranching. ‘‘At the age of twenty-one he moved to Memphis, Ten- nessee, and was employed in newspaper work. During his residence in Memphis he was married to Miss Adelaide Prince. Apart from his work he always found time for a hobby, his (53) ad ai i yee 54 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN first being stamp collecting. He secured a very complete col- lection. of Confederate stamps, which he later sold to a stamp dealer for $2,500.00, at that time an enormous price—this was in the days before the $100.00-stamps. ‘‘Tn 1885 he and his family, consisting of a wife and four daughters, moved to New Orleans. He was still in news- paper work, the particular branch being the accounting de- partment. A little later we find him engaged as a cotton planter, during which time his wife died. ‘During 1906 he decided that cotton planting was not to his liking, either financially or otherwise, and he set out on a journey to Guatemala on a visit to his daughter and son-in-law. It was while on this visit that he learned of the activities on the Isthmus of Panama where the work of building the Canal was just starting, and he set out for Panama. He disembarked from the old S. 8S. San Juan, of the Pacific Mail Line, at the old French town of La Boca. He was employed by the Isthmian Canal Commission as a quinine dispenser, stationed at the labor camp in old Gatun. From there he was transferred to Colon as hospital inspector, the duties of which position were to discover cases needing hos- pital treatment. To assist in this work he found it was neces- sary to understand the Spanish language, and so took up the study. In 1908 he was transferred to Porto Bello as dis- pensary assistant where he remained a little over a year. We find that his hobby has now changed to that of fishing. Without doubt his fishing hobby was at its height here, due partly to the fact of the favorable surroundings. ‘“‘Tt was here that I first became acquainted with Mr. Powell. A little pleasure party had gone to Porto Bello; we were on the American side of the Bay and wished to cross over to the old town of Pabello, of Morgan’s time. There were no native boatmen with their cayucas here at this par- ticular time, so that we were unable to get across until a row-boat was discovered near the dispensary. Upon inquiry we found that this boat belonged to Mr. Powell and he was willing for us to use it after giving implicit instructions to enable us to navigate the shallow water of the Bay. His instructions were so specific that we were unable to follow MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 55 them and we ran on to the coral reef—the very thing he had tried to prevent with his instructions. On our return we an- chored the boat below the dispensary and then, contrary to his instructions, lost the anchor. We had to dive into the water to secure the anchor, which was accomplished just as Mr. Powell came around the corner. ‘‘Early in 1910 Mr. Powell was transferred from Porto Bello to Gorgona as dispensary assistant. I had not met him since the boat incident. Inasmuch as I was a resi- dent of Gorgona I very soon became well acquainted with him and joined him in his fishing trips, a large per cent of which were in the Panama Bay. Mr. Powell’s prowess as a fisherman is best exemplified by his nickname which was given him by the local fishermen—‘Pescadore Grande’ (great fisherman). An experience on one of our first trips was in catching a blow fish, which was my first acquaintance with the ‘animal.’ 3 SOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN a Sgt’ tae ea of alk = % in ‘‘The whole passage,’’ says Cooper, ‘‘ruminating creatures, pelican, cypress spire and all—is a remarkable adaptation of a scene depictec the banks of alluded to, Bart whose fruitful securely dwell. sylvan elegance tant forests. 1 projecting pro! and sublimity. the cheering so filled with the sighted crane. tree, the solita utmost elevated sets himself ur kindred tribes. Nor is this p ‘A tinge of B: in the Stanza: ‘Castle of Ind part of The Pre spicuous exa follows Bartra1 characters is ev a portrait of C have reproduce L 2) Compare this young hero of > “There A mi With He b The And > f cial lowings of domestic herds. loud and shrill whooping of the wary sharp- 1 by the Quaker botanist, William Bartram, on the Altamaha in Georgia.’’ In the passage ram says: ‘‘I ascended this beautiful river on banks the generous and true sons of liberty My progress was rendered delightful by the of the groves, cheerful meadows, and high dis- he winding banks of the river, and the high nontories, unfolded fresh scenes of grandeur The deep forests and distant hills re-echoed The air was Behold, on yon decayed, defoliated cypress ry wood pelican, dejectedly perched upon its spire; he there, like an ancient venerable sage, as a mark of derision, for the safety of his ~~ assage from the ‘‘Prelude’’ a solitary example. rtram is visible in the lines There was a boy, written in my Pocket-Copy of Thomson’s lence,’ in She was a Phantom of Delight, in lude and The Recluse.’’ Perhaps the most con- le is Wordsworth’s “Ruth,” where he often m word for word, and where one of the chief idently described from Bartram’s frontispiece, hief Mico Chluceo of the Seminoles, which we d in plate 36. picture with Wordsworth’s description of the the poem. came a youth from Georgia’s shore— litary casque he wore, splendid feathers drest; rought them from the Cherokees; eathers nodded in the breeze, made a gallant crest.” + ae oe eer eer es Aree Se Treks As ee 2 — ee 2 a ee |. —_——— ee oe 120 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Furthermore, the whole poem is saturated in Bartram. The following comparisons are typical of many more that might be made. BARTRAM. “Gordonia lacianthus gradual- ly changing colour, from green to golden yellow, from that to a scarlet, from scarlet to crim- son, and lastly to brownish purple, so that it may be said to change its garments every morning.” “North and south almost end- WORDSWORTH. .... “He spake of plants that hourly change Their blossoms through a bound- less range Of intermingling hues; With budding, fading, faded flowers, They stand the wonder of the bowers From morn to evening dews.” The Youth of green savannahs less green plains and meadows, spake embellished with islands of high And many an endless, endless dark forest.” lake With all its fairy crowds of islands. In the ease of Coleridge the connection between the original readings and the poetry is more obscure. Bits from various sources are so fused and blended together that ‘‘all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put together the scat- tered fragments.’’ It is doubtful if Bartram’s influence could be traced at all, had not Coleridge himself left us the guide- book which will take us from his original reading, through the rich disordered maze of his mind, to the haunting music of ‘‘Christabel’’? and ‘‘Kubla Khan.’’ Lowes has told the story in his ‘‘Road to Xanadu.’’ *Tn the British Museum is a small manuscript volume of ninety leaves, which is one of the most illuminating human documents even in that vast treasure house. It is a note book kept by Coleridge, partly in pencil, partly in ink, and always with the most admired disorder. Its value is incaleulable, not only for the understanding of Coleridge, but also as a docu- *Note: Considerations of space have necessitated a severe abridg- ment of Dr. Lowes’ rich account. ewes ee S ee ee or, sitll te de , y i ee _ \ MIS ment in the ps} of art in the m: Shelley’s note | right side up, v and trees and happy-go-lucky birth-throes of eontain. Ther not the Colerid jotted down cha among books. some destined yet lying aban else in the worl patches of pho life and strange soil and out of aerial shapes. ‘* Without mc which the strar of a pit of poet comes without captivating ent The alligato not only shaki to tremble. . 20 feet lon tusked—eyes s Hartley fell and screaming caught his eye and the tears Some wilder by Man. The distant it like an echo ‘‘Now Coleri delightful book Bartram’s T'raa now the ecroecodi SOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Tt ‘chology of genius, and as a key to the secrets iking. It is the strangest medley that I know. 00ks written upside down, sidewise, and even vith their scribbled marginal sketches of boats human faces—these battered and stained and little volumes are a priceless record of the poetry. But it is chiefly poetry which they e are few notes of Shelley’s reading. But re Note Book. It is a catch-all for suggestions otically from Coleridge’s absorbing adventures It is a repository of waifs and strays of verse, to find a lodgment later in the poems, others toned where they fell. And it is like nothing d so much as a jungle, illuminated eerily with sphorescent light, and peopled with uncanny exotic flowers. But it is teeming and feeund it later rose, like exhalations, gleaming and re ado, then, let us plunge into the wilderness ge document before us exhibits. On the heels ized observation of snow curling in the breeze varning ‘the alligators’ terrible roar’ and the ry thus proceeds: rs’ terrible roar, like heavy distant thunder, ng the air and waters, but causing the earth > — lizard-shaped—, plated— head vulnerable— mall and sunk— down and hurt himself—I caught him up crying -——and ran out of doors with him. The Moon ——he ceased crying immediately—and his eyes in them, how they glittered in the Moonlight. ness-plot, green and fountainous and unviolated thunder sounds heavily—the crocodiles answer dge got his alligators from one of the most s which he or anybody every read, William sels. There is much more of the title, but just les and not Bartram hold the stage. Coleridge —— — ae Pes ye a, r i eh i al, le ee 122 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN wanted his alligators badly, but even his genius found them a trifle intractable as boon companions for moths in the moon- light, and in the strange and demon haunting setting to which he finally transferred them they stubbornly declined to stay. Poor little Hartley, sandwiched weeping between their layered ege-heaps and their, thundering roar, he extricated later in the closing lines of ‘The Nightingale.’ And the green and fountainous wilderness-plot belongs in the complicated his- tory of ‘Kubla Khan.’ ‘From the exciting domestic life of alligators Coleridge now passes to exotic plants: Describe— —the never-bloomless Furze— and then transi to the Gordonia Lasianthus. Its thick foliage of a dark green colour is flowered over with large milk-white fragrant blossoms on long slender elastic peduncles at the extremities of numerous branches . ‘‘The never-bloomless furze later found a modest place in ‘a green and silent spot, amid the hills’ where ‘Fears in Soli- tude’ was written. The Gordonia wasted its sweetness on the desert air as far as Coleridge is concerned, for he never used it, though Wordsworth, in a poem fairly steeped in Bartram, did.’’ And so on for entry after entry in the Note Book. Dr. Lowes’ scholarly work has shown how these fragments from Bartram and from many another corner, ‘‘things fantastic as the dicing of spectres on skeleton-barks, and ugly as the slimy spawn of rotting seas, and strange as a star astray within the moon’s bright tip, blend into patterns of new created beauty.’’ So even the journal of a botanical expedition emerged at last in: “And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.” > oe i i i i i ve ee MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 123 WINTER PROTECTION OF PLANTS FOR ST. LOUIS CONDITIONS Our Missouri climate is a capricious one, and bringing plants through the ike in good condition is more of an art than a science. Like so many phases of gardening, much that is written in the books on the subject is of little use under St. Louis conditions, and the St. Louis gardener must work out his own methods. e Missouri Botanical Garden has accordingly been experimenting for the past several seasons with different types of winter protection. Much still remains to be learned, but enough experience has been accumulated to make the former treatment of this subject (October, 1918, BULLETIN) quite out of date. The following general account of winter protection has therefore been prepared for the guidance of local gardeners. Unfortunately much of the winter protection given plants in this locality at phasors is time wasted and money thrown away. Attempts are made to winter tender plants that cannot stand our zero spells. Other plants are protected so heavily that they rot during warm wet spells or start growth too early in the spring and are frozen back. The function of a protective dressing lies chiefly in its reduc- tion of evaporation, which is excessive during dry cold weather when the ground is frozen hard. Being frozen, the roots can- not respond to the drain upon the plant’s system, and those parts of the plant exposed to the drying action of the air are consequently shriveled. A mulch serves another useful pur- pose in preventing the practice of alternate freezing and thaw- ing, which is particularly injurious when plants are in heavy soil, as it causes them to be heaved out of the ground. Also, excessive packing of the ground, through the action of ice and snow, is prevented and the tender bark is protected from the unscreened nay of the winter sun. For most trees and shrubs a mulch is not necessary unless they have just been planted. In that case 4-6 inches of well- rotted manure or straw are placed over the roots after plant- ing. If planting is not to be done until spring, the trees or shrubs may be ‘‘heeled in’’ over the winter; 7. e., the roots are 124 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN laid in a shallow trench, covered with well-drained soil, and later given a covering of straw. Native roses, as well as many of the hardy Chinese kinds, need no covering, but the various hybrid types, such as hybrid perpetuals, hybrid teas, teas, ete., will not stand our winters unless a measure of protection is afforded. The climbers, being largely the offspring of the hardy Wichuriana and multiflora types, are seldom injured except during unusually severe winters. Experience at the Garden has shown that the method of pegging down the flowering canes of these climbers and covering them with soil is not to be recommended for St. Louis. For our conditions, it is better to use loose straw, cornstalks, or the dried tops of tall ornamental grasses. They should be tied around the rose canes in such a manner as to break the foree of the wind and shut off the rays of the sun, but loosely enough to allow a good circulation of air. The tender bush roses should be protected by hilling loose soil around each plant to a depth of 6-8 inches and covering the entire bed with straw. Oak leaves may be used if they are covered with something that will shed the water, otherwise they will become too soggy during wet weather. However, straw is much better if it can be obtained. In the past it has been generally recommended that roses be mulched with a mixture of straw and well-rotted manure. Experience at the Garden has demonstrated that straw alone is much better for St. Louis conditions. It dries out quickly during the warm damp weather we occasionally get during the winter, whereas heavier materials hold the water and induce rot. Due to the way our winters vary from year to year, no abso- lute rule can be laid down as to when the rose garden should be given its winter overcoat. For hybrid teas, some time in the latter part of November is to be recommended. For herbaceous perennials, little mulching is required besides their natural covering of dead branches and leaves. Our worst trouble in this locality is the ‘‘heaving’’ which occurs on heavy clay soils, and to some extent on all of our loams. A light muleh 2-3 inches deep will help to prevent this. Young herbaceous per- ennials and pansies are best wintered over in cold-frames. ee MISSO During severe w straw mats. The order to keep the URI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 125 eather the frames should be protected with se should be removed during warm spells in plants from starting growth too soon. NOTES Dr. Edgar Anderson, Geneticist to the Garden, spoke be- fore the Kirkwood Garden Club, November 238, on ‘‘Irises for the Home Ga Dr. Edgar Anc for the Tree Finc A specimen of culent House, is spineless species Among those ” rden lerson served as examiner of the Girl Scouts ler Merit badges, November 20. Agave attenuata, in the west end of the Suc- now in bloom. This is one of the few of Agave. visiting the Garden recently were Prof. E. M. East, professor of plant genetics, Bussey Institution of Harvard Univers Thompson Institt president, Unive Nearly 25,000 the Floral Disp The conservator show, and on the over one thousan A half-dozen Strelitzia Regina rived at the Gard ity; Dr. L. O. Kunkel, pathologist, Boyce ite, Yonkers, N. Y.; and Dr. H. L. Shantz, sity of Arizona, Tueson. people viewed the Florists’ Show, held in ay House at the Garden, November 8-11. y was open in the evenings during this evening of November 11 the attendance was d. blossoms of the bird-of-paradise plant, e, shipped from Pasadena, California, ar- en on the opening day of the Florists’ Show, November 8. They were exhibited in the Floral Display House until November having lasted abc in a corrugated were wrapped i paper. 22, when they showed signs of withering, ut nineteen days. The flowers were shipped box without packing except that the stems 1 sphagnum moss and covered with oiled The 1928 Chrysanthemum Show has eclipsed all its pre- deeessors in its colors, and in the unique setting, in the skillful blending of perfection of the individual flowers. The en- tire Floral Display House was converted into a Japanese gar- den. Bamboo fen at the rear, small cing along the wall, a rush-thatched gateway ‘tori’’ gates at the front entrance, and an old sh a4 oe ee ee eee et 126 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN stone lantern served as stage properties. With these as a background and with the display arranged in many small beds the illusion of a garden was perfect. The colors were har- moniously blended, although they included everything from fire-red to pale pink. In the beds along the wall tawny red and yellow shades predominated, toning in well with the bamboo fencing and the dark stained wood of the gateways. Pale yellow and white in the adjacent beds served to lead the eye without a clash to the central beds where pink was the predominating color. The flowers themselves were in splendid condition. An unusually large number of hanging baskets and several large specimens displayed singly helped to give the air of a garden. » Be es | ell — - ie) ot A eee ee Oe MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 127 STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR OCTOBER, 1928 GARDEN ATTENDANCE: Total number DE -VAGILOLS < cic cis oe ene drt nee a ciate ee 38,352 LIBRARY ACCESSIONS: Total number Total number PLANT DISTRIBUTION: Total number of books and pamphlets bought............ 47 of books and pamphlets donated........... 677 of plants and seeds donated.............. 14 HERBARIUM ACCESSIONS: By Purchase— Broadway, W. E.—Plants of Trinidad and Tobago........ 100 ‘Mexia, Mrs. Ynez—Plants of Mexico..............-..+--. 697 Weigel, Theo. Oswald—Plants of Bolivia, collected by 1D yy, LOOM StI! Allee ree Ree ere aes cook cette 500 By Gift— Anderson, Dr. E.—Plants of Michigan, etc............... 34 Ashton, Miss Ruth E.—Ferns from the Rocky Mountain ea RII tr 6 oo oc ve he coe eee ceRE EEO eee aS Bettis, Mrs. James R.—Plant from Mississippi........... 1 Featherly, Prof. H. I.—Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt. from VOU STOMA cB oie crate: ood cigua's oils ape Siaare ete wlelere eo eeiehetpeienere 1 Hume, H. Harold—Plants of Florida.................... 2 Gilmour, Joseph—Plants of Ontario, Canada............. 10 Jerome, O. S. B., Father—Plants of Florida.............. 2 Johnson, Clinton G.—Specimen of Artemisia............ 1 Krebs, Mrs. einrich Friedrich—Plants of Ontario, Canada 18 Mathias, Miss Mildred—Plants of Missouri.............. 20 von Schrenk, Dr. Hermann— Actinomeris alternifolia Ca) ep Gee LTp I MISSOULA 3 sio:sie 2.0 sia eras sites a's te eieie's ee 1 By Exchange— Lillo, Dr. Miguel—Plants of South America............. 120 Merrill, Dr. E. D.—Plants of Mongolia, collected by Dr. ER VVC) ER LTD Vere elias ccs? o- a: asecet ohare ae as aieer ale afeseuatenerenaie 178 New York State Museum, by Dr. H. D. House—Plants of BIO a OMNI NA ETS Ma rei coterceic aye? a co assasvo-'n)'siva;-a7 0/ia se ie Catame ate puetenat ey simmer elever eres ei 129 University of Pennsylvania, collected by John M. Fogg, Jr.—Plants of eastern United States.................. 290 By Field Work— Greenman, Dr. J. M.—Plants of Illinois and Missouri.... 10 EIU DEL OmeaeMetoral ctenge cnet bucra cairo: Geiialis 10 Saracen cee et atavera enti er en eranens 2,117 s “— eee Se se ee ee ee ee ee en? OS es ee a Sle ee Pe es ee A ve SOME FACTS ABOUT THE GARDEN The Missouri Botanical Garden was opened to the public by Mr. Henry Shaw about 1860. From that date to the death of Mr. Shaw, in 1889, the Garden was maintained under the personal direction of its founder, and, while virtually a private garden, it was, except at certain stated times, always open to the public. By a provision of Mr. Shaw’s will the Garden passed at his death into the hands of a Board of Trustees. The original members of the Board were designated in the will, and the board so constituted, exclusive of certain ex-officio members, is self-perpetuating, By a further pro- vision of the will, the immediate direction of the Garden is vested in a Director, appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Garden . receives no income from city or state, but is supported entirely 3 from funds left by the founder, The city Garden comprises about 75 acres. There is now in process of development a tract of land of over 1,500 acres outside the city limits which is to be devoted to (1) the propagation and growing of plants, trees and shrubs, designed for showing either in- doors or outside, at the city Garden, thus avoiding the existing diffi- culties of growing plants in the city atmosphere; (2) gradually es- tablishing an arboretum as well as holding a certain area as a for- est reservation, with the idea that possibly at some future time this may become the new botanical garden. About 12,000 species of plants are growing in the Garden. | The Garden is open to the public every day in the year, except : New Year’s Day and Christmas—week days from 8:00 a. m. until one-half hour after sunseé; Sundays from 10 a. m. until sunset. The main entrance to the Garden is located at Tower Grove ave- nue and Flora place, on the Vandeventer avenue car line (No. 33). Transfer south from all intersecting lines. The Garden may also be reached by Bus Route No, 12, to which all other motorbus lines transfer. Bee © Director RNS Henares vor Scum, miarot i ry 4 a "ROLAND v. tis Ligaen, pa rRieenerchs Assistant / * Nea c. Horner, ans "Librarian and Editor of Publications, 4 o, > af biscuits H. PRING, ei Superintendent _ ay pak: Paut AD ‘Kout,_ % vind Surges ‘ELINor rey as Lixosn, _ Orchidologist _ I ee a See Ma ee ae " x ty ; J. iteeal Nitta: Assistant ener “A. D: Rec nkesren: “Plant Becorder GRAY SUMMIT EXTENSION D. Minn, ¥ > ae iy De lig eg Oe in ES 3 TROPICAL 8 STATION, BALBOA, | "sha! A. ae * Manager ia REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE se: /GuRNEY Wilson, RK L. Gah i" Sp at oe nae een ee er eye ISSOURI GARDEN ~ a vimentin ———— a Vol. XVI i : we — | DECEMBER, 1928 = = No.0 ce term SEER eh) C3 eG ‘ wit wa A ae BE ios | - CONTENTS | Creeping Bent for St. LouisLawns.. . . . i, 120 Notes . ¥ : ay ° * ° e . . . . x . . * ‘3 « 143. ? ; ABS Statistical Inf MARIOU se aa ae gt CO _.- Index to Illustrations of Volume XVI. 10. >... +145 ST. LOUIS, MO. . BS te Tx, 1928 : * Published Monthly, Except July and August. by the Board of Trustees ; Scie ee "|. | SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: “2 ~ _ ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR. SINGLE COPIES TEN CENTS BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS WERE DESIGNATED IN MR. SHAW’S WILL ; AND THE BOARD SO CONSTITUTED, EXCLUSIVE OF THE EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, IS SELF PERPETUATING President Uae GEORGE C. HITCHCOCK, eth ae - Viee-President ae ee SAMUEL ©, DAVIS. eS bs ie oS eee : Second Vice-President Be kr ce DANIEL K. CATLIN “See L. Ray Carrer. Pump C. SCANLAN, THomas 8S. Marrrrr. JouN F. SHEPLEY. ae ae - Atpert T. PeRKrns. Frep G. Zeretc. a8 ge ee EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS i : - _, Grorce R. THRooP, Victor J, MILLER, a ag eae Chancellor of Washington University Mayor of the City of St. Louis FrReperiok F'. JOHNSON, Groree T. Moors, Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri President of The Academy of Science of ; - ui Sess ARTHUR A, BLUMEYER. 3S REN President of the Board of Education of St. Louis DaNrieL Breck, Secretary hold cs id v * \ x rt em, es a4 ENPERIMENTAL SEPTEMBEK, PLOTS IN 1927, WITH \RE THE NURSERY. VIVIPAROLUS BEING CARRIED BENTS AND ON BETWEEN THE EIGHT PLOTS VARIOUS IN THE FOREGROUND PL GRASS SEED. PEG MARKERS. FERTILIZER AN TES ‘TI STS ‘OW. “LO ‘duv*s) Tr1Ing “LON “OL 61 G 8 Mi G. ssounl Botanical arden Bulletin Vol. XVI DECEMBER, 1928 No. 10 CREEPI In the BULLE article on ‘‘A ne this bulletin wa print for some t grow, however, ing information three years muc accumulated, an more elaborate t It is necessary this number of 1 complete, partic be obtained. The problem Louis has alway will be unless mc average individ the best combina region was a m times the additi tically the south will flourish, an lawns made up of the name. O grass grows in { cate is the balan our average sum NG BENT FOR ST. LOUIS LAWNS TIN for September, 1925, there appeared an w lawn grass for St. Louis.’? The demand for s unexpectedly large, and it has been out of ime. Interest in the subject has continued to ind numerous inquiries are received, request- on the use of creeping bent. During the past h additional information has been gradually d it would seem that the time has come for a reatment of the bent-grass lawn problem. y to reprint a part of the original article in he BULLETIN in order to make the discussion ularly since the earlier article can no longer of securing a satisfactory lawn grass in St. s been a perplexing one and probably always re money and effort are devoted to it than the nal is willing to spend. In the past about tion which has been devised for lawns in this ixture of blue grass and red top with some- on of white clover. St. Louis lies at prac- ern boundary of the zone in which blue grass d it is only during exceptional seasons that chiefly of this grass ean be said to be worthy ne has only to observe the way in which blue yartially shaded locations to realize how deli- ce between success and failure during one of ymers. Perfect stands of blue grass can fre- (129) 130 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN quently be found in St. Louis when they have been shaded during a part of the day by a tree or a building. At the Garden the outline of the shadow of a tree or shrubbery plan- tation is not infrequently marked by a beautiful patch of blue grass, whereas just beyond the shadow little or no blue grass ean be found. Because of the unsatisfactory results with blue grass and red top, the Garden undertook some years ago a series of experiments in the hope that possibly some more satisfactory lawn grass or combination of grasses might be obtained for St. Louis. It very soon became evident that certain of the so- called bent grasses were most promising, and, from our experi- ence up to the present time, there seems to be no question but that one of the special strains of creeping bent comes nearer to answering the requirements of a grass for St. Louis lawns than any other. What is creeping bent ?—The term ‘‘bent’’ has been applied variously to different species of grass of the genus Agrostis. While there are a large number of species in this genus, only three or four are of any importance from the standpoint of Cas Ve, | lawn making. Red top (Agrostis alba), Rhode Island a (Agrostis tenuis, sometimes called A. vulgaris); vet or brown bent (Agrostis canina) are all species more or less closely related to the true creeping bent, namely, Agrostis stolonifera. The seed which comes to this country as ‘‘Ger- man bent’’ or ‘‘ereeping bent’’ is more properly termed ’ “South German mixed bent,’’ since it usually contains two F to three kinds of Agrostis, together with various other grass seed. Some of these mixtures may contain a large percentage of red top or velvet bent and only a negligible quantity, if any, of the true creeping bent. Consequently, the use of this mixture will not result in a lawn of pure creeping bent. As a matter of fact, there is very little seed of the true creeping ; bent on the market, and the only way to secure a satisfactory 7 lawn of this grass is by the use of stolons or underground stems referred to later in this article. To complicate the mat- ter further there are something like a hundred varieties of the true creeping bent. Mainly through the activities of the GHA, le ¢ eT at ee eee? eet oA oe 4 ae Crm sacar AGA Or f Ver TEAL HV AAALO ALA Foss A Are CA. © - Arad i. , v4lt Rife Ant, Musenm POPE sy Bull 5d Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL., VoL, 16, 1928. PLate 38. i CRAB GRASS WASHINGTON GRASS FROM EXPERIMENTAL GRASS NURSE! ALW Iq 1G tc MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 131 Greens Committee of the United States Golf Association, in co-operation wit h the Department of Agriculture, there have been selected from this great number of varieties three or four which, because of their freedom from disease, resistance to ad- verse weather ¢ being the grasse varieties which in an effort to ¢ Preparation | creeping bent t onditions, and quality of turf, stand out as s best adapted for putting greens. It is these have been experimented with at the Garden evelop a suitable lawn grass. ‘or planting.—In order to create a lawn of he ground must be thoroughly prepared. If spade, taking on the land it should be removed with a rt of the soil so as to eliminate as much of grass is King pt the old grass and weed seed as possible. After thoroughly working the soil it should be raked level, and if of heavy clay a light dressing of well-rotted stable manure, in the propor- tion of one cubic yard to a thousand square feet, may be in- corporated in the upper six inches of the soil. The use of excessive amounts of stable manure should be avoided. In fact, the clay loam which abounds in this vicinity is well _adapted for creeping bent, since one point in favor of this grass is its ability to thrive under conditions which would not permit the growth of blue grass and similar lawn grasses. The only fertilizer which should be used is ammonium sul- phate. This chemical, applied at the rate of five pounds per thousand square feet before any planting is done, will assist in producing an acid condition of the soil. Planting of stolons.—A stolon is a creeping stem possessing a Series of joints from which new shoots and roots are de- veloped. Creep the surface of t having the abilit as it were, prod of the Washingt strains, may be f try which now n should be sure t assurance of the shipped in bags g bent spreads by these jointed stems along he ground and differs from most grasses in y to put out roots at these joints. Each joint, uces an independent plant. Chopped stolons ton strain of creeping bent, as well as other urchased from various nurseries in this coun- lake a specialty of supplying this grass. One o deal with a reliable firm able to give every genuineness of the strain. The stolons are ready for broadeasting over the prepared ee ee ae ery. 132 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN ground. If these stolons have dried out in transit they should be soaked in water before spreading, and if hot weather is prevalent the ground should be well watered before broad- casting them. The pieces of creeping stem should be dis- tributed as evenly as possible, and if immediate effects are desired there should be a piece for approximately every square inch of ground. This is at the rate of about one ten-quart bucket of chopped stolons to two hundred square feet of ground. They may be planted more sparingly than this, but much greater time is required to cover the area and a good deal more hand weeding will be necessary before the grass is thoroughly established. As soon as the stolons are spread they should be imme- diately covered with sereened soil. The object of this top dressing is not to bury the stolons, as one would a seed or root, but to hold the pieces in place and prevent their drying out. They would take root quickly and grow rapidly upon the surface of the soil without any covering whatsoever. Have portions of the stolons visible above the soil, since many of the shoots will not be strong enough to foree their way through a considerable thickness. From one-fourth to three-eighths inch of top dressing will be sufficient if the soil is dropped on, the top of the stolons and not thrown from the side so as to roll underneath them. After applying the top dressing the ground should be rolled and then watered. Watering with a fine spray is essential for the first two or three weeks, and until the roots are well established the ground should not be allowed to become dry. Plugging.—A ‘‘plug’’ consists of one or more plants with their roots, obtained by dividing sod into pieces two or three inches in diameter. The sod should be cut much thicker than when cut for stolons in order to preserve as many roots as possible for planting. Holes six to eight inches apart should be dug with a trowel, and the plugs of sod planted in them, just as any other plant, afterward pressing the soil firmly about the plug. The photograph (pl. 44, fig. 2) was taken September 25, the date of plugging, and two months later the growth had practically covered the surface of the ground. , ae ROOTS AND STOLONS AFTER REMOVAL OF SOD FROM ONE-HALF THE AREA, WHICH, IF TOP-DRESSED, WILL DEVELOP INTO A NEW LAWN Mo, Bor. Garp. I VoL, 16, 1928. PLATE 41. STOLONS READY FOR TOP-DRESSING Pee pe ee ee ON ite op ee baa a eiet oA Lat SEL 5 OE ' 5 t : ae Weer MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 133 The above method has been used at the Garden in repairing bare spots in the lawns, and it has been found that the work can be done much later both in the spring and fall than with stolons, since one is using a plant with roots and not cuttings of stems. The latest test was made on November 17, and the success of this will depend upon whether the plants will root sufficiently to overcome upheaval due to re- peated freezing and thawing during the winter. The use of ammonium sulphate —A peculiarity of creeping bent, as well as certain other bent grasses, is that it thrives in an acid soil rather than an alkaline one. Since most of the common lawn weeds will not grow in aeid soil, a well- established lawn of creeping bent automatically eliminates one of the chief difficulties in keeping a presentable lawn. Most of the soils in the vicinity of St. Louis are either neutral or alkaline, and in order to get the best effect with creeping bent it is necessary to change the reaction of the soil to acid. This is most easily accomplished by the use of ammonium sul- phate which acts as a fertilizer as well. To determine just when the soil has reached the right de- gree of acidity is not always easy, since the simple test some- times resorted to of blue litmus paper turning red is entirely too unreliable. The most accurate method and the one which should be used if ammonium sulphate is to be applied intelli- gently is the bromeresol purple test. Place about a teaspoon- ful of soil in a small jar and add to this about four teaspoon- fuls of clear rain water or distilled water. Ordinary city water which is strongly alkaline should not be used for any . purpose in this test; in fact, all the utensils must be care- fully rinsed with rain water or distilled water before using. Shake the soil and water thoroughly and then allow to settle for several hours. Rinse a white porcelain dish with distilled or rain water, and into this put five or ten drops of the clear watery soil solution. This sample should be removed with a glass rod or tube which has been thoroughly rinsed. One ounce of a 1 per cent solution of bromeresol purple, which should be obtained from the drug store, is now added, a drop at a time, to the water solution in the poreelain dish. If a 134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN elear bright yellow color results the soil is sufficiently acid to prevent the growth of common lawn weeds and at the same time is in the best condition for the creeping bent. Should the mixture assume a purplish or brownish color, however, the need for additional applications of ammonium sulphate is indicated. It is not necessary that the proper acid condition of the soil be obtained before the stolons are planted, although, as indicated above, a fairly liberal application of ammonium sul- phate at this time is an advantage. After the lawn is estab- lished an application of this chemical in the spring and fall is always beneficial and, aside from the fertilizing value, will tend to maintain the acid condition so necessary for perfect suecess. Ammonium sulphate should never be applied at a rate greater than five pounds per thousand square feet, and in hot dry weather its use should be discontinued. Experience would seem to show that there is little response from ammo- nium sulphate in the summer, and it is better not to attempt to use it at this time. The sulphate may be applied dry by simply sowing it over the ground, after which it may be washed in thoroughly by rain or the use of the garden hose. Such a method, however, is apt to result in very unequal distribution and may cause burning of the grass when the chemical is not thoroughly washed from the leaves. A much better way is to dissolve a pound of ammonium sulphate in ten gallons of water and apply this direct with a sprinkling ean or any one of the various devices on the market for distributing fertilizer with a hose. Another very satisfactory method is to incorporate ammonium sulphate with the top dressing of the soil, at the rate of one pound of the chemical to ten pounds of the soil. Diseases—About fifteen years ago the so-called ‘‘brown, patch’’ disease of creeping bent was first definitely recognized. Small brown spots, looking as though the grass had been sealded, appeared at irregular intervals and spread indefi- nitely. A cobweb-like growth can usually be detected upon the blades of grass. This is due to a fungus which attacks numerous species, to which, fortunately, the Washington and o Mo. Bot. Garp. BULL, Vou, 16, 1928. PLATE 42. ROLLING WATERING Mo. Bor. GARD. BuULL., VoL. 16, 1928. PLATE 43. CUTTING SROLONS FOR BROADCASTING PREPARING SOTL FOR TOP-DRESSING STOLONS MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 135 Virginia strains of creeping bent are not nearly so susceptible as the other strains of this grass. This is one reason for being sure that the proper strain is obtained when buying stolons. Should the fungus appear, however, it can usually be controlled by the use of Bordeaux mixture. For the aver- age individual the easiest way to apply this fungicide is to sprinkle the dry powder on the grass at the rate of one pound to 5000 square feet. The powder should lodge on the leaves and not on the roots; consequently it should be applied only when the dew is on the grass, or immediately after watering. A light top dressing of loam containing from one-half to cne pound of ammonium sulphate to a thousand square feet, fol- lowed by immediate watering, is sometimes efficacious, and in mild attacks liberal watering in the morning is sufficient to destroy the fungus. Another disease, known as ‘‘little brown patch,’’ in eon- trast to the large brown patch above referred to, sometimes attacks creeping bent. These small patches, about the size of a dollar, do not enlarge but may occur so abundantly as to affect seriously the appearance of the lawn. This disease, the cause of which is not definitely known, does not respond to the Bordeaux treatment. The only remedy which seems to be effective is one of the mereuriec compounds which are sold under the trade names of ‘‘Semisan,’’ ‘‘Uspulum,’’ and “*Calogreen.’’ These chemicals, dusted on at the rate of one pound to 6000 square feet, applied as soon as possible after the disease is discovered, usually produce the desired result. If a sprinkling method is preferred, one pound dissolved in fifty gallons of water, applied to 2000 square feet, followed by a light spray of water, may serve the purpose. Attention should be called to the fact that browning and discoloration produced by drought should not be mistaken for one or the other of the so-called ‘‘brown patch’’ diseases. Numerous cultures made from discolored patches appearing in the various tests carried on at the Garden have failed to reveal the fungus, and so far as the evidence goes there does not seem to have been an authenticated case of these diseases in any of the experimental plots or lawns thus far established. ye ee oe eas TS 136 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN Nematode worms have in a few instances proved to be re- sponsible for the browning of the grass, but in most cases dry hot weather is the cause. Experiments at the Garden.—In view of the importance of the lawn problem in the city of St. Louis a review of the various experiments carried on at the Garden may not be without interest. In 1918 the first experiments were started in two circles in the economic garden where twelve standard grass mixtures were sown in wedge-shaped plantings some- what suggesting a wheel and later referred to as the ‘‘wheel of grasses’’ by visitors. The dominant grass in all the sec- tions was the Kentucky blue, but a full account of the various mixtures with the purpose for which they were devised will be found in the Garden Butuetrin for April, 1918. In 1922 experiments on a larger seale were started west of the economic garden between the row of trees in the test nut orchard. The following year the number of plots was in- creased to thirty-five, embracing practically all the lawn grasses and mixtures at all likely to succeed in this climate, and for the first two years they were given unusual care as regards weeding, watering, fertilizing, etc. This rather com- prehensive test was decidedly in favor of the bent grasses, including creeping bent, Rhode Island bent, and colonial bent, the next best being the fescues. As a result, in 1924 this earden was abandoned for experiments with bent grass alone, the original thirty-five plots being left uncared for to await the survival of the fittest. For the past four years the only treatment of these plots has been the periodical cutting with a buck-eye mower. This fall a check of all the plots was made, and the only grasses still alive were: Plot 1, sheep fescue (very good); plot 3, hard fescue (very good); plot 4, red fescue (very good) ; plot 6, fine-leaved fescue (poor) ; plot 16, meadow grass (good); plot 18, German creeping bent (very good) ; plot 19, colonial bent (very good) ; plot 22, Kentucky blue (very good). All of the others were dead, including fescue, orchard grass, meadow foxtail, sweet vernal, rough- stalked meadow grass, Bermuda grass, Canada blue, red top, Mo. Bot. GARD. BULL, Vou. 16, 1928. PLATE 44. TOP-DRESSING STOLONS PLUGGING MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 137 Italian rye, Pacey’s rye, crested dog’s tail, white clover, and seven separate special lawn grass mixtures. This test, covering a period of from five to six years, sug- gests first, that ordinary grass mixtures are of short duration within the city. Second, that the various fescues stand up remarkably well, forming solid plots of green sod. Unfor- tunately, however, these grasses cannot be recommended for lawns because their tufted habit of growth produces such an uneven surface. Third, that the bent grasses, including creeping bent, colonial bent, and Rhode Island bent, stand out above all others tried as producing the best lawn under city conditions. It is interesting to note that Kentucky blue grass when allowed to go to seed and grow to a length which shades the young growth produces a fine sod, whereas all the other blue grass in the mixed plots disappeared, thus demon- strating what is a common observation—that the grass will thrive in St. Louis under partial shade and if not cut too often or too close. The outstanding success of the bent grasses suggested fur- ther trials as a Jawn grass. For this purpose the circle be- tween the old Shaw residence and the mausoleum was selected. On October 9, 1924 (see September, 1925, BuLLetin), the ground was cleared of all existing sod and thoroughly spaded one foot deep. Stolons of Washington bent were then broad- cast, using three bushels for an area of 2000 square feet. By the spring of 1925 the entire plot was well covered with young grass and by June a perfect sod was formed. In the latter part of June, what was thought to be brown patch ap- peared but the trouble soon proved to be due to army worms which were quickly eradicated by spraying with a solution of Paris green. After recovery from this attack the lawn remained so satisfactory throughout the summer that it was decided to plant with Washington bent the entire area be- tween the main gate and the large conservatories. This was accomplished during the latter part of September and early October, 1925, the supply of stolons being obtained from the old residence circle. After planting this area there were still enough stolons to plant a thousand square feet in the 138 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN nursery. The average quantity of stolons for broadcasting was one square foot of chopped sod to forty square feet of area. In May, 1927, the city was visited by a most destructive hailstorm which wrecked the greenhouses and caused much damage at the Garden. All available Garden help was re- quired for reconstruction, and consequently very little atten- tion could be given to the new bent-grass lawn. In spite of this very good results were obtained the first year. Occasional patches of dead grass caused by crab grass appeared in the fall, but these spots were replanted by plugging. The past season of 1928 the lawn was kept as free as possible from erab grass and, watered during dry weather. It is without doubt the best lawn area in the Garden and has attracted attention throughout the entire summer and fall. In June, 1927 (November, 1927, BuLLETIN), an experiment to determine the ability of bent grass to crowd out crab grass was started in the nursery. For this test a crab grass-infested area 75x75 feet was selected from which only the large weeds were removed. Small pieces of bent grass sod were plugged into the plot, very little subsequent attention being given. At first, weeding was attempted but this was soon abandoned as useless. In August the test seemed a failure, since to all appearances the ‘‘lawn’’ was 100 per cent crab grass. After the first frost, however, the bright green color of the bent began to show itself, and during September all bare spots. were again plugged with bent. By the following spring the entire area was covered with an almost perfect sod of bent grass and after a summer weeding the bent practically eliminated the erab grass. No plugging was necessary this fall. In September, 1927, further experiments were started in the nursery (November, 1927, BuLLETIN) from grasses re- ceived from the United States Department of Agriculture. The first shipment, on December 19, included sod of Highland Velvet bent, Metropolitan bent, Washington bent, and Vir- ginia bent. These were immediately planted in prepared plots 10x100 feet, with the exception of the Highland Velvet bent which is an extremely fine-leaved grass; this was sown ee esr Bes ode MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 139 in a plot 1x20 feet. On September 21 seeds of the following grasses were received and planted in the same-sized plots: Kentucky blue grass, red top, South German bent, Rhode Island bent, and creeping fescue. The four vegetative bents developed rapidly, and during December all the plots showed a uniform green surface, indicating good growth of both stolons and seed. During January repeated freezing and thawing had a disastrous effect upon the seed grasses but there was no indication of damage to the vegetative bent. By April all the vegetative bents showed 100 per cent sod ex- cept the fine-leaved Highland Velvet bent, of which 75 per cent was water-killed. The seed grasses showed: creeping fescue 30 per cent dead, Rhode Island bent 40 per cent dead, South German bent 50 per cent dead, red top 100 per cent dead, Kentucky blue grass 100 per cent dead. These beds were again prepared and sown with seed dur- ing April. Throughout the summer all plots were given the same attention as to weeding, watering, edging, ete. This fall all the plots sown with seed were heavily infested with crab grass and assumed the well-known appearance of the average St. Louis lawn. The Virginia strain of bent stood out as the best for lawn purposes, with the Highland Velvet bent the poorest. The latter, because of its slow growth, tufted habit, and being subject to winter killing, should never be used, at least in St. Louis. All of the vegetative bents, however, remained free from crab grass. The total grass area in creeping bent in the main garden and nursery now aggregates almost three acres, all of which was propagated from the original three bushels of stolons received and planted in October, 1924. An interesting fact worthy of note is that the removal of a bent sod averaging one inch in thickness does not necessarily mean total elimi- nation of this grass. Frequently the subterranean roots and stolons remain and immediately start to grow. If lightly top- dressed after cutting a good bent sod may ultimately develop from the bits left in the ground. This has been proved both en Tae ae ees ee es ee a es Oe! ed 7 - eli bel — a. + 5 Saws 140 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN in the nursery and in the original planting opposite the old residence. The most critical period for bent-grass lawns is during the extended dry spells in July and August. At this time (as with the blue grass lawns) it is necessary to water thoroughly in order to maintain a greensward. During August, 1927, a section 20x20 feet in the nursery showed browning, but ex- amination proved that the stolons were green. The area was given a very light top dressing with decomposed tea leaves and then thoroughly soaked. Within two weeks the ground had the appearance of a lawn freshly broadcast with cut sto- lons, and four weeks later a perfect sod had formed. The following summer (1928) this area was the best in the Gar- den. Similar results were obtained at Gray Summit Exten- sion where a test plot of some 1500 square feet was estab- lished. In August, 1927, considerable burning was evident, which was to be expected as no watering whatsoever was done throughout the summer. Here all top dressing had to be dis- pensed with, but despite this lack of attention the stolons made sufficient growth to produce a perfect sod the following spring. During the past year, due to frequent rains, less dis- coloration was observed, and at the present time this patch stands out as the best lawn on the place. Still another test was started in September, 1927, on the south lawn of the Superintendeut’s residence, at Magnolia and Alfred Avenues, the Virginia, Metropolitan, and Wash- ington strains being used. The only care given was cutting once a week and watering twice during the summer. Few dis- colorations or burnt spots occurred and at the present time these have disappeared. Of the three strains the Virginia bent stands out as the best, with the Metropolitan the least desirable. Contrary to the directions recommended for put- ting greens, which eall for several top dressings throughout the year, bent grass for lawn purposes needs no such treat- ment. The lawn at the Garden receives only a light dressing in December of decomposed tea leaves. Experience seems to prove that the expense of top dressing lawns is not necessary, except of course for burnt areas and at the time of broad- MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 141 casting stolons. Further, by not top dressing one reduces the danger of sowing ecrab-grass seed which is present in all St. Louis soil whether composted or otherwise. Soil piles at the Garden show crab-grass seed present several years after composting. Subsequent care——September is the best time to establish a lawn of creeping bent in St. Louis. If the ground is prepared and planted by September 15 a good growth sufficient to with- stand the alternate freezing and thawing during the winter will have been established by the middle of November. By the following May the stolons will have produced a mat solid enough to inhibit growth of a large percentage of the annual grasses. During January a light winter mulch is beneficial, using either decomposed tea leaves, rotted leaves in the form of leaf soil, or well-rotted stable manure. No top dressing other than a winter mulch has been given to any of the bent grass lawns or test plots in the Garden. The greatest growth of bent grass occurs in spring and fall, and at this time the lawn will need cutting twice as often as a blue grass lawn. During the summer exactly the reverse is true. As the creeping bent becomes established it will form a sod thick enough to overcome the growth of dandelions, plantains, chickweed, and to a lesser degree knotweed and erab grass. The first year after planting some annual grasses may be expected, since it is impossible to eliminate the seed left in the soil from the previous season. Even where erab grass appears it will be superimposed upon the bent, making removal easy by hand pulling, especially if a knife is used to cut the rooted center. The elimination of the annual grasses the first season is an important factor in the future success of a bent-grass lawn and should be started in early June. According to the experiments at the Garden there are nu- merous advantages of the Virginia or Washington strain of creeping bent over any other lawn grass tried for St. Louis, Not only will this grass, when properly treated, withstand satis- factorily the St. Louis summers, but when established in the fall it will better withstand the alternate freezing and thaw: ing of the winter than seeded lawns. The ability of bent 142 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN grass to thrive in an acid soil which is unfavorable to dande- lion, plantain, and chickweed, and to hold in check the annual grasses, has frequently been pointed out. On the. other hand, the treatment. recommended for a blue-grass or red-top lawn is unfortunately beneficial for the growth of lawn weeds as well. As was stated in the February, 1925, BULLETIN, in an, article on ‘‘Feeding of plants with special reference to lawns’’: ‘‘No stand of grass worthy of the name lawn can be obtained without the expenditure of care and money, and after being once established it cannot be neglected any more than a flower or vegetable garden.’’ If one is willing to follow the directions given and take the trouble to meet the require- ments of the plants used for a lawn, it is believed that a greater degree of success can be obtained in this vicinity by the use of creeping bent than any other grass known at the | present time. CONCLUSIONS Top dressing, other than a light winter mulch, is not nec- essary. The more a lawn is top-dressed with soil or compost, the greater the danger of infesting it with annual grasses. Cut bent grass no closer than blue grass. The closer bent grass is cut the greater the possibility of discoloration during dry weather. Remember it is a lawn not a putting green that is being made. Water thoroughly in dry weather. Bent grass does not root as deeply as blue grass, and will discolor or burn during drought sooner than blue grass. Start stolons in the fall. It is desirable to have good sod before spring so as to choke out the young plants of annual grasses. Remember stolons are the green unrooted picces of stems and will soon die unless kept moist. When applying ammonium sulphate, be sure to water im- mediately so as to avoid burning. Or better, apply in solu- tion, one pound to ten gallons of water. Application other than spring and fall is unnecessary. The beginner should become acquainted with the care and eulture of bent grass before undertaking too large a planting. MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 148 Purchase a small amount of stolons or sod the first season, enough to plant a small area. By the next season this will develop sufficiently to plant a much larger area. There are various bent-grass seeds sold by the seedsmen. Remember the vegetative bents rarely produce seed, and this is not generally on the market. Purchase stolons or sod of the Virginia or Washington strains for St. Louis Jawns. NOTES. Dr. D. T. MacDougal, Director of the Desert Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Tucson, Arizona, visited the Garden, December 5. The pupils of the Bryan-Mullanphy School decorated a holly tree in the Garden with all kinds of bird food as a Christmas tree for the birds. Mr. G. H. Pring, Superintendent of the Garden, gave a talk, illustrated with lantern slides, on ‘‘Orchid Exploration,”’ before the Men’s Club of the Florissant Methodist Church, December 20. Mr. L. P. Jensen, Arboriculturist to the Garden, spoke before the faculty of the St. Louis University Medical Col- lege, November 23, on ‘‘The Missouri Botanical Garden Ex- tension’’; before the Osage Hills Garden Club, November 24, on ‘‘Lawns and Ornamental Plantations’’; and before the St. Louis Horticultural Society, December 7, on ‘‘ Winter Gardening.”’ Dr. George T. Moore, Director of the Garden, has given the following talks recently: November 27, before the Garden Club of St. Louis, on ‘‘ The Most Unique Garden in England”’ ; December 3, before the Current Topies Club, ‘‘Morality in Plants’’; December 10, at the St. Louis Country Day School, ‘‘The Plant Commonwealth’’; December 12, at the annual dinner of the Phi Sigma Biological Society, ‘‘ Newspaper Science.”’ At the close of the annual chrysanthemum show, the flowers were distributed by the Book and Flower Guild to the follow- ing institutions: Memorial Home, Bethesda Home and Hos- pital, City Infirmary, Missouri Pacific Hospital, Central In- 144 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN stitute for the Deaf and Dumb, Shriners’ Hospital for Crip- pled Children, Good Samaritan Altenheim, McLain Ortho- pedie Sanitarium, Masonic Home, Christian Hospital, Mt. St. Rose Hospital, Veterans’ Hospital, Jefferson Barracks, Home of the Friendless, Kirkwood Old People’s Home, Kingdom House, Park View Old People’s Home, Missouri Home Society, Altenheim, Little Sisters of the Poor. The poinsettia show, which has occupied the Floral Display House since the first week in December, is larger than ever before and has been provided with an appropriate setting. Since poinsettias came originally from Mexico, the entire Floral Display House has been transformed into a Mexican court yard. Rough plaster walls and arched gateways in- close a central patio where the main display is staged in small beds. A wall fountain, set among palms, completes the picture, and the whole forms a perfect setting for the bril- liant flowers. The response of the public has been gratifying, and very complimentary notices have appeared in the St. Louis papers. The exhibit will remain in place until after the holidays, when it will be replaced by the annual orchid show. STATISTICAL INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER, 1928 GARDEN ATTENDANCE: Oth] TUMOR? Of VISILOTS 0.0006 ciesvecesctvecced oes eben 67,578 LIBRARY ACCESSIONS: Total number of books and pamphlets bought............ 29 Total number of books and pamphlets donated........... 318 PLANT DISTRIBUTION: Total number of plants and seed packets donated......... 15 HERBARIUM ACCESSIONS: By Purchase— Smith, Dr. H. R.—Specimens of Laboulbenia formicarium MED SS espe ahd bod Didiale wins wew,0ed-e-bb.d basa po S.0 os Se ee 2 Thompson, J. W.—Plants of Oregon.................0000. 2,000 By Gift— Dougan, Prof. L. M.—Verbesinia virginica L. from Mera- TOO TRUHCe FAT MIRBOULL ocicci sia se access pe Sees bene 1 Pring, George H.—Plants of horticulture.................. 2 By Field Work— Kellogg, John H.—Plants of Missouri.................... 201 ee MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 145 Index to Illustrations Page Main Gate, view from, showing construction of roof of lantern NEEM ECL TELA US Oi rack cio bso -< 02s! 0: sie eb eu, Sia ano Ree eetncs Abate. che sale elehe we oe 1 Injury to specimen tree (Ginkgo biloba) by cyclone, example of 2 Burning effect of smoke cloud of December 25 on cineraria plant HNOMEOVCHZOL V LOLOTIG: TOOT Onc. vincsts 01 som sus oie atepe ete telere eisuene ig eeavens 3 Orchid plant, portions of, grown at Gray Summit, contrasted with smalleriparts ‘developed at city warden ....n.0 stews csi ee at 4 Manager’s house at Tropical Station, Balboa, Canal Zone....... 5 Superintendent’s house at southwest corner of Garden.......... i GRAPE ING) reise vis teers cies 6 Sas 50) 2 baw a eleva Bearete eee wl eeel ee adcnene Gere cies 25 HOLS sDOXEN. ANG COVEl-SIASSES <4 ings ia ig ee eee IAC rie i sis et ee 25 Screens, tampers, dibber and labels: 3. .2...0...27.. 505 sie esa ee 28 Pots of seed watered by the bucket and the cloth methods...... 28 Garden’ seed. twelve Kinds Of. «:....2:cc0%. dwar cele ota caeste tas 29 Germination of seed sown at various depths, differences in...... 29 BIGCU-BOWINE .OPOLRUONS® fcc case cus s/5 ore ole 6.0)a bia teieins sieves eee ueur ate 32 (Loma to seed SOWLIMssHMG- and SOil: ..scncyeccarciceles: a usete oye sceheuiere 33 MNrOULEN ES, SSGCIIN SS: au. sie. scc, aco tiie saibsee cee tens Oe dEarpemeemny eames a Tomuano ec eeiee 33 TEFansplalitin's “ODeEratiOns) ke csr-s/<-k.e) ce alae nee Mteda wecsai ch teeece ee retre sets 34 Cultivating SGCCIIN SS is ore. ster. cue s.5 wcene ah caseetnnn ater eae emia eb rereashe lone 35 mecdling snapdrapons ready for POLCIME: ce cme late cscs viele cle ccs are 35 Zinnia seedlings attacked by the damping-off fungus............ 36 Damping-oif fungus, chemical preparations that will control.... 36 Sweet alyssum, cineraria (Senecio cruentus), nemesia, marigold EL EDETECILEEE “OT IECUTDGLUS) sce ai'5 stnaviacdveie buy p'perg. a) eatin e 4 Roa meah eaten aleve 41 Gerbera Jamesonii, stock (Matthiola incand) .......0.ceccceesce 42 Asparagus plumosus, sansevieria, aspidistra, Asparagus Spren- geri, philodendron, ivy showing method of training on frame... 43 CHLTLOU CE LILONGE 219. cEROWIY oon aha esaterateia mia ou laeiarea tke a eee 48 Mr. C. W. Powell at the entrance to his garden................. 53 Showy live-forever used in a perennial border.................. 58 Potato-tomato, one week after prafting.........csccceteseenves 59 Motato-tomato- cin feu wed <5 iis ace. viss oa aeeae Cahare wrettve oes ee @ ae atte cet ewe enetes 60 Garden of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene H. Angert—Scene in tulip ATC OME @ suctst tuauaranshd kena tiene Mie 0) Os Nala On Oe ee Pine eens 63 PRI LILOCCHOS SOTULLOLUG + ccocerenshaleretereie a oelayaue a o.ec eqs ale senahenes i enenelats terete 64 Garden of Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Angert—Path through wild garden 65 wo fae ee? 146 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN a ee ere are ee 79 memen OF Mr, Albert G. UWirieh.. soo. ccs ceccncascecacadvdesses 80 eee “Mine Albert” ici cacscccccknesskcdecssdaeebenemaven 81 pabana angularis, flowers of ..... 20... ccc scesseac de wedenavines 93 Sabatia angularis in its native habitat...................00000- 93 RUE CLAIRE. 555 s-:v § 8 065.00 viv 6600's 4.60 o'x'e'w 0 0la 0 64's Os Be ee 96 MMIC RSLS NUUUD. Sou cbrw Nis ba x ib dia:0s0 00.0 ps aces 9.0 Oe ke ONO Re 96 OTE E CHT UOUMEING ok 6 653 0.04058 006059 000 eeb.0a v's Spay teaees 97 Bryophyllum pinnatum, flowering plant of.................0000- 103 ET VOURULULIN DURNOTUM A. 6 ees cscs eee swe vdecesinns s@bicahaah en's 104 Purple grackle, nest of, in date palm...............cccececcees 105 Fall webworm, adult pupa and larvae of..............ccc ccc eeee 108 Fall webworm, relative prevalence of, in New Brunswick, from RNRICANS) SEU E a ec ia sco 6 0.05.09 6 00 cin give bobo do oo atela toe aes 108 Suryeantnemum show, 1928... 6... ccc iccccsccccccccccecsvcses 115 merirams “Travels,” frontispiece from. ....0s.6s060 ceaveseseees 118 Experimental bent-grass plots in the nursery..............see0: 129 Pree eon Ent. CLAD BIASES oa 6.6 ss cesses ce oe 0s be eee eee neds 130 PVRs ero Dent, JATEO SOd OF... 66s eewesy 606d ee severe s Gos baths 131 Roots and stolons of bent grass, after removal of sod............ 132 OE hor aa) ener aren ane ce roe 133 manne reads Tor tOp-CAresgine oe 9-0 6 0's 0-0-5 00 SHRR EEE es 134 Puctine «stolons for broadcasting... ........cccccccecsadosesboben 135 Preparing soil for top-dressing stolons...............eee ee eeees 135 IR RUUD Fos 6a ov 5b boars abs we ba Se od 8 bus 6 oR REO EE 136 NNER 2 ini oa Waih Winie a Gao. Ak GH Sa wee e Keg 8 80.) Ow db ele Meee 136 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 147 General Index Figures in italics refer to page numbers of plates and cuts. A Acineta chrysantha, 96, 97 Agave attenuata, 125 Agrostis alba, 130; canina, 130; stolonifera, 130; tenius, 130; vul- garis, 130. Alyssum, sweet, 41, 44 Amaryllis, 41, 82 American botanical English poetry, 115. Ammonium sulphate, 133 Anethum graveolens, 79 Angert, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene H., the garden of, 63, 63, 64, 65 Annual amateur flower show, 6 Annual bequests during 1927, 11 Annual flower sermon, 11 Annual report of the Director for 1927 (thirty-ninth), 1 Annuals, exhibit of, in summer, 99; raising, from seed, 26 Antirrhinum sp., 44 Ants, damage to seedlings by, 33 Apple orchard, demonstration, at Gray Summit Extension, 8 Asparagus plumosus, 43, 45; Spren- geri, 43, 45 Aspidistra, 43, 45 Asters, China, 99 Attendance, Garden, during 1927, 12 B Back yards, sample, 7 Bartram, John and William, 115 Bartram’s “Travels”, 115, 117; fron- tispiece from, 1/8 Bees’ nest at the Garden, 111 Begonia, 41 Bent, creeping, for St. Louis lawns, 129, 129-136; Highland Velvet, 138; Metropolitan, 138; test plots of various strains of, 7, 729, 138; gardens and Virginia, 138; Washington, 130, 180; 281 Blackbirds in the palm house, 105 Blue grass, 129 Botanical gardens, American, and English poetry, 115 Brassocattleya Digbyana- Mossiae, 80; Lotos, 79, 80 Brown patch disease of creeping bent, 134 Bryophyllum pinnatum, 103, 108; buds formed on leaf while still at- tached to the parent stem, 104; detached leaf showing leafy shoots and roots, 104; potted plant of, 104; proliferum, 103 Bulb show, 98 Bulbous plants, 82 Butterfly flower, 99 Cc Calendula officinalis. 41, 43. Canadian department of agriculture, work of, on fall webworm, 109 Caraway, 79 Cardinals, 106 Carnation, 42 Carum Carvi, 79 Caterpillars, 107 Cattleya Rex, 80; Trianae, 48; “D. S. Brown,” 48, 48 Celandine, 64 Check list of the ferns and flowering plants indigenous to the Missouri Botanical Garden Extension, Gray Summit, Missouri, 65, 83 Chelidonium majus, 64 Chestnut, flowering, 64, 64 Christmas show in 1928, 98, 144 Chrysanthemum show in 1927, 6; in 1928, 97, 115, 125 Chrysanthemum frutescens, 43 _ 2:2 0 NeLL C. Horner, * ‘Librarian and Editor of Publications Grorcre H. Prine, Superintendent ' Joun NOYES, Paur A. Kout, _ Landscape Designer Floriculturist 4 Exrnor ALBERTS -LINDER, Orchidologist J. CuraK, J. LANGAN, Exotics Assistant Engineer A. D; Forrester, ’ A, PEARSON, — ; Bee Sig 2 - Plant Recorder é Painter — ’ Y J. H. KEtxoeea, t : H. VALLENTINE, Herbacecus and Nursery Carpenter > W. F. Lanean, ~ Chief Engineer SS / GRAY SUMMIT EXTENSION L.. P. JENSEN, D. MILLER; Arboriculturist Orchids, G. GOEDEKE, ~ RE. Kissecr, ~ = SAL le Farm Engineer TROPICAL STATION, BALBOA, CANAL.ZONE A. A. HUNTER, Manager REPRESENTATIVE IN EUROPE | GuRNEY WItson, F, L. S.