CARDEN AND PORES!
A JOURNAL OF
FORTICULTURE, LANDSCAPE ART AND FORESTRY
Conducted by
CHARLES S. SARGENT
Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Professor of Arboriculture in Harvard College, etc.
ILLUSTRATED
VoLume VIII. JANUARY TO DECEMBER, 1895
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a hOQMtAl [Sree =
aN Vai DONS
New York
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING Co.
1895
Copyright, 1895, by THE GARDEN AND Forest PuBLISHING Co.
All rights reserved.
INDEX: TO VOLUME-VIE.
r The asterisk (*) denotes thatthe sub- — Apricots in western New York..... 6 Begonia Evansiana ........-...--++ 435 Florida Sketch Book, the. Brad-
ject is illustrated. Russian SASS ease. a a) die) slarey on Hea stil... «<- +. 134 ford. Torney ssscsecece sicndtecs oe 119
Abelia floribunda . 273 Aquatics, wintering. . Froebelii......... - 504 Flowering Plants and Ferns of
Abies Cilicica.... 296 Aquilegia Canadensis. Gloire de Sceaux... #933 New South Wales, with special
Abutilon, Souvenir 387 7 ceerulea... Mrs. I. Heal...... ++ 483 reference to their economic
Acacia pubescens.....-. 25 Aquilegias, hybr Pan Bruantecne. 269
Acidanthera bicol 220 Aristolochias. ... + 418 winter-flowering. . 67 How to Know the Wild Flowers. —
Aconites ........- 366 Arnebia cornuta....... peters 305 Benson, John, article by. +. 458 Mrs. William Starr Dana....... 219
Aconitum Fisherii..... 406 Arnold Arboretum, additions to. 202 Berberis heteropoda.. - 454* In a2 Gloucestershire Garden. ~
Acorns, germination of. 105 -23 Bessey, Prof. Charles Les Orchidées Exotiques et leur
Adulteration of canned vegetables Asarum maximum... ++ 133 Betula, hybrid....... Culture. en Europe. Lucien
anq@’ fruits... 2... Shes se sceeraies 6g Asclepias obtusifoli + 203 lenta, oil of.... Linden, A. Coaniaux and G,
Eschynanthus Hildebrand tuberosa..... 290 pumila lenta - 243* Groans wacaisssascinaciaste ses 01190
Agave Huachucensis .... Ash, Green, in the west.. 32, 173 papyrifera... we 222 Lindenia. Lucien Linden....... 49
Utahensis........ —— the Sweet Mountain,......... 163 Betulas, American... 355% List of the Pteridophyta and
Agaves in Southern Californ Asimina triloba..............++ 75, 494* — Bevier, Louis, article by. -» 508 _ Spermatophyta growing with-
Aglaonema commutatum.... 3 Asparagus retrotractus arboreus... 114 Bignonia yenusta....... we Bd out cultivation in north-eastern
Dictumpeeceuseeeeceeace Sprenglei..........s0. 378 Billbergia Liboniana. oa 384 North America. Prepared by
Agricultural experiment stations... gox Asperula orientalis. ++ 256 rhodo-cyanea.... +» 376 the Committee of the American
Agriculture, codperative............ 4sx Aster Tartaricus.... - 256 —Bioletti, F. T., article by ++ 499 Association for the Advance-
elements of........... dasa 500 undulatus... -++ 450 Birch, oil of.......... + 303 ment of Science, from the
the year-book of the depart- Asters ....... fb nimeiasaveueie fare » 399 Birches, hybrid. 243% Memoirs of the Torrey Botani-
WGN Ol sand sac aaneancetensa scenes 421 _ Astilbe Japonica compacta se E57. - the American white... “355 cal Club, Voli; Vicwsitesconsiedee 179
Agropyrum repens. see pLO3 - floribunda. . + 157 Birds against injurious insects..... 350 Maladies des Plantes Agricoles,
= Vvuleare.:...- 103 Lemoinei.. onaan)e she 410 of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. I. Ed. Prillieux..:25.463.. 509
Ailanthus......... + 503 Astragalus crassicarpus.. 223 destruction of fruit by... : Manual of Forestry, a. iS
in the west . ... 122 Atkinson, C. L., death of. 480 Scarcity, ofs.cc.sccle die .. 189 Soitlichtstiveteterste setnaarsinis werets ole
Air drainage.. 306, 378 Atriplex hastata........ 213) Blackberries, cultivation of 310, 439 Medical Plants of
Akebia quinata. 2. 205 semibaccatum . 20 hardyse cise a5) 180) A. Gattinger..
Alberta magna...... 113 Aucuba Japonica... 359 profits from........- 7-59 Our Edible Toad
Albizzia occidentalis 479 Auriculas in England.. + 204 winter protection of.. a0. 420 rooms and How to Distinguish
‘Aletris farinosa..... -. 283 Autumn garden flowers +1307 > Bloodsrooty si. 2. 23 tomes ids .24* Them, W. Hamilton Gibson... 488
Allamanda Hendersonii........--.. 327 in the garden...... + 391 Blueberries ++ 193 Popular Treatise on the Physiol-
Allen, C. L., articles by. 438, 458 Ayres, H. B., article by - 128 — Bollea Schroederiana. 353 ogy of Plants, a. Dr. Paul
Alnus rugosa... + 493 Azalea amcena......... ++ 204 Boltonia latisquama.. 396 Sorauer. Translated by F, E.
Alocasia Johnston - 420 Indica ......... + 146 Bomarea Carderi.......... ... ++ 96 Weiss $027 49)
Alstrémeria aurantiaca - 288 Ledifolia + 264 Practical Flora for Schools and
Alstrémerias .........- 317 Azaleas at Brookline... 237 Colleges, a. Oliver R. Willis... 69
Althzea ficifolia. meena 403 flowering, for Easter. +++ 136 Books Reviewed : Silva of North America, the.
Alyord, William, article by eenege Indian .........++++ sete 177» 457 Agricultural Calendar for 1896. Charles Sprague Sargent...... 119
Alyssum saxatile......... SeOTy. NW Will nsansteecak Larmateltbe': 479 Soil, the: Its Nature, Relations
——— sweet... . a setr00 American Chrysanthemum Man- and Fundamental Principles of
Amaryllis, cultiva 56, 86 B ual, the. Michael Barker...... 399 Management. F. H. King...... 509
Ammophila arun wenqie American Woods. Romeyn B. | Story of the Plants, the. Grant
Anzctochilus Sanderianus + 454 Bactrisimajor:s-t3285 asssce eevee 466 HOUp eee oe saa stetsie ac inion a iettee 499 CAS rignppreree Don rgacr hh ont er 359
Ananassa sativa variegata......-.- 355 | Baden-Baden, notes from...... 188, 477 Among the Northern Hills. Wil- Sweet-scented Flowers and Fra-
André, Edouard F., sketch o -. 310 ~~ Bailey, Prof. L. H., articles by..34, 215, Ham) C Prime ssn aaissln states antea'tis 1230 grant Leayes. Donald McDonald 129
Androgynous flower-clusters. +. 229% 236, 248, 318, 418, 457, 487 Annual Report of the Director of Synoptical Flora of North Amer-
Andromeda Mariana. veqng4: Baillon, Henri, death of .. + 340 the Experimental Farms of Can- ica. Asa Gray and Sereno Wat-
speciosa.... Be ti Raines, Thomas, death of + 124 adasforr8o4 teens. dejo ctehlomchts 519 son; continued and edited by
Anemone blanda.... .-. 164 | Bamboos, cultivation of... 4, 357 Blackberries. Bulletin 99 of Cor- Benjamin Lincoln Robinson.... 429
Scythinica............ 188 | Banana, Ram Kela....... elas nell Experiment Station........ 439 Ten New England Blossoms, and
Japonica....136, 170, 229, 288, 487 Barker, M., articles by... 36, 64, 266 Book of the Rose, the. A. Foster- their Insect Visitors. Clarence
—— Lady Ardilaun.............. 85 Barron, A. F., sketch of .......- 455 Moores Weed.... 289
Through Glade and Mead. Joseph
JaelsSOns asiniers miss fis psiarajetaiclc esas
Timber-trees, Native and For-
«216 Barron, Leonard, article by.
- 216 Basswood for western planting .
nemorosa Robinsonia
sylvestris...
+ £09
122
Angreecum sesquipedale........... 86 Bauhinia Galpini...,..........-. +444
Annuals for the garden.....97. 106, 117, Bause, C. F., deathof.... + 450 219 Thomas Laslett...3..... 19
255, 256 Baxter, Sylvester, article by Retr} Chrysanthemums and their Cul- yside and Woodland Blossoms.
Antirrhinum majus, a variety. of... 120 Beach-grass planting..../. ....... 412 ture. Edwin Molyneux........ 399 Edward Step... +sseereeeseeeee 349
Aphelandra orientalis punctata.... 514 Beach, Prof. B A,, articles by ..128, 428 Contributions of the United States Wild Garden, the. W. Robinson, 109
Apple crop, western +». 478 Beal, Prof. W.J., articles by.148, 303, 322 National Herbarium. J. N. Woman’s Book, the..+.+s.++++++++ :
orchards of western New Beans, cultivation of . = 336 ROSE Lice e.clomtaneiate viccte Zateloie santa 189 Wonderful Wapentake, the.
WGIS oa Ce douDeMppabeAdennsE aeons dwarf Lima.. + 210 Country Month by Month, the. Pletcher nec. eeceris ils
-—— unproductive. LOTGING Wesel e cine siesuebereme es Od Spring. J. A. Owen and C. S. Bordeaux mixture, age of :
= Red Beitigheimer........ 390, 428 Bebb, Prof. M. S., articles by ..363, 372, Boul wera c welts tere s ciclo sata sists) and color tests.... -
Canada or Old None- 423, 473, 482 Dictionary of Orchid Hybrids. —— the preparation ot
EUG) actaodod cahose spdodescanorsed 10 death of......... 510 Bohn holresemicnswiesias ssa aid 209 Borers in Hickory-trees.......++
scab in Nebraska. iets) Beckwith, Prof, M. H., article by... 57 English Flower Garden, the. W. Poronia heterophy ‘
= Scott’s Winter . 200 Bedding plants....... . s Robinson} iewe2 os see megastigma. . ..
the Hibernal.. = 340 plants: foris.< iets: I 3 Familiar Flowers in eld and Boston, Chry santhemums in..
- the Senator... Apiseedsy Beech-tree in South Hingham, Mas- Garden. F. Schuyler Mathews. 249 rose and strawberry sho
Apples, best English =. 414 Sachusettsas is soe Ue er nee r21* Fleurs de Pleine Terre, les. Vil- spring flower show
color bands on. -. 439 Beetles, black blister. . 508 morin-Andrieux & Co....-. -.. 189 Botanic garden at Agricultural Col-
frost injuries to - 417. Begonia acuminata..... + 505 Flora of the Assyrian Monuments lege, Michigan..... .....-+++ 303, 322
good varieties - 428 B. Francois Gauli 96 and its Outcomes, the. E. Bo- —_— notes from the Har-
marketing..... Sey carminata tise. 2345 304 NAVIA. ce. se eeciinl eleceencecsciecs 338 VAC cece sceccicc tees cei eeceleeee ee 516
RN
Botanical Garden, Missouri, notes
From thes. vejc.ss100 sseuccesesene sions 497
the New York fa:
Bougainvillea glabra
splendens.. °
Boursault, Jean Francois. 3
Bouvardias for garden planting. « 116
B owling Green, ‘the proposed statue
AN sss cigcsstessasecees cvsaceosiees’ 251
Box Elder trees in the wes + 173» 502
Brachycome iberidifolia.. geet aid
Brandegee, T. S., article by. , 134
Brandis, Sir Dietrich, article by.... 499
3ravoa geminiflora Soctapeseay sunee 306
Bridge, an old, in Wrentham, Massa-
Chupeltssncssecsccenssstneawaees 42*
Britton, Prof. W. E. aruclee bis 443) 407
Brodizea UnihOTraeccssene= 44
Bromus secalinus..... 103
Brookline, Massachusett 5 notes
fVOM cess waalesc escd-sis viw'eessaiwicis’s 498
Broom-handles, consumption of
WOOOMORs -tcieuseser shes dieeleasecers 170
Browallia speciosa major. 358
Brown, Robert, death of.. 500
tion
Bulbocodium yernum....-. 158
Bulbophyllum grandiflorum. ++ 153
Bulbous plants...........-++ somseo
Bulbs for spring planting ...--..-- 106
greenhouse, for early epilng
flowering ....-+seseeeeeeee + . 167
spring-flowering.. v176, 497
Bull, Dr. Ephraim W., death of. nase 400
Burbank, Luther, article by.. +» 349
Burrill, Prof. T. J., article BS; +e 308
Bush, B. F., meets yeas bs 379, 463
Butternuts, the cultivation of.. = 20
Butz, Prof. George C., article by.... 448
c
Cabbage maggot, the remedy for... 520
Cabbages, disease of 284
Cabomba aquatica. . 334
Cacti, repotting.......-+.. 80
Cactus society, a national, i in n Eng-
Tani es ad-s bapewuise rece yah hale 623 . 284
versus Mamillaria Ag
113
Caladium argyrites. 368
Caladiums, fancy .. 297
for outdoor use .. 150
Calanthe, Baron Schroeder 04
Calceolaria Burbidgei..... s EE.k
Calendula fluyialis...... 106
California brook-side,a .. 142
experiment stations 62
forests, observations i 402
ATIUTS seers aasvneecwere Teves 512
Japanese vegetation in 302
Orange Qroves ssccceresensis 78
southern, garden notes from. 428
SPFinNg in. .cecccecsencrcecses 108
Calla, Snowflake. 50
Callas «.....
abnormal growth o
Callicarpa purpurea......
Callirrhoé involucrata.
Callistemon speciosa .
Calochorti in gardens.
Calochortus Benthami
Calopogon pulchellus .
Camellia theifera, cultivation of.... 24
Cameron, Robert, articles by ...77, 86,
117, 197, 216, 228, 255, 267, 277, 287, 307,
310, 365, 464, 508, 516
Camoénsia maxima......
Campanula Carpathica .
latifolia’ <2...
macrantha.
persicifolia ..
alba grandiflor a
Portenschlagiana ..
pumila Maresii...
Widaliicicssasecs: 323
Campanulas, some garden..,308, 313, 316,
0!
Candytufts, hardy ....s.sccesssseee Te6
Canna, Columbia.. re
John White.....ccscecevesens 505
Cannas. ..307, 348, 367, 398, 400, 407, 417
for Hasters.cseescncesesssces 136
in England.. 374
the best new..... . 116, 520
Cantaloup, the winter... 457
What is'asseds ess 183
Caragana arborescens .. 214
Card, Fred W., articles by.s.<7, one 223,
242 348, 388, 468
Caricas in California. .
Carnation, Ada Byron..
Alaskaic: . 57» 67
Pennsylvania, new hall
TOOTH Src eeuce tn desu evsinnceiatescies 340
annual report of the
Rovalvevsmescssis
«, 203
+ 359
+ 518
seeeee were 93
Horticulture, experiments in. go
principles of eee SII
schools of see e247 Ts 508
Hoskins, M.D., T. H., articles by.. 23.
96, 226, 236, 246, 266, 288, 306, 448
House-plants, flowering, for early
WANTED Sis caisioncieaies weeccext sees ees 98
Houstonia ccerulea....
Howardia Caraccasana. 24
Hoya Carn0sas sccisiecces = 216
Humulus Japonicus........ 117
Hunnemannia fumariztolia. 407
Hunnewell, H. H., article by. 209
Hutchins, W. T., article by......... 188
Hyacinthsand Grape Hyacinths... 169
Hyacinthus amethystinus.......... 169
CUIATIS sare sie eee 4465 454 463, 494
Pentachzta aurea......... - 256 Poplars for western planting 122 poisoning..172, 203, 239, 249, 268, Sassafras Sassafras... . 423
Pentstemon campanulatus etek (21) North geroline sisctemiie = 514 299, 359» 300, 368, 388, 398, 429, 478 Sauromatum ¢ euttatum- 508
Pentstemons.....+-+.++++ + 287 Poppies. . Salen 6 e Ribes aureum .... 2... - eee ee eeenee 1g0 Saxifraga cordifolia 197
Pepper-tree, the. + 502 oriental. Richardia A&thiopica . 136 crassifolia . ++ 198
Peppermint, oil of....- -- 430 Poppy, the Opium Elliottiana..... 34 peltata....... + 216
Perennials, early flowering. 148, 197. +Porcher, Francis Peyre, feet of... 490 Rehmanni.. a we. 7O pyramidalis. 264
hardy neeBoed 216, 267, 277» 297, 310 Portulacca, cultivation of. = r00 Riley, Charles V., death of.. - 380 Scabiosa Caucasica . 407
late sees Befeisinetsielstale 396, 406 = Potato scab, cause of..... +. 400 Roads and roadsides, country. 271 - alba.. 467
some Showy....--+++eeeee00+ 287 remedy for. ++ 410 plan for improving, in New Scale insects.. , 109
Persimmon, the..... BOZ* IMP OLAtOES csiccicsaicsesceeciecsessy ++ 474 Hampshire:.. 0. ices ciesessosers'es 430 Scenery, the d 8r
: cultivating the..... 75 a test for the quality of....... 155 in Rhode Island 430 | Schinus Molle 502*
Pest of fruit-trees, a new. 270 second crop of, inthe south.. 280 Robinia Pseudacacia..........-- 6: School-grounds -++49, 491
Petrzea volubilis 179 BGrG Baaniapacccnpesuccavons> 250 Robbins, Mrs. J. H., article by Schombur: gkia rhinodora Kimball-
Retunias)..2. 225... 106 sweet, cultivation of -57, 210 Robinson, William, article by.. daUa ee eege ou aiegea ses Perk onan en 3
Phacelia campanularia. 314 Potentilla Anserina...... 5 Se 12r3) Rock garden, the. 205, 249, Schools of horticulture 471
Phajus amabili +144 = tridentata... - 213 Romneya Coulteri Scilla. bifolia.. 164
Bernaysi Sb eo} Potting soil, sale of. 470) Rosa Carolina.. lingulata. 440
Cooksoniz . - 274 Powell, Edwin C., article by. <0 300 rubiginosa - multiflora... ee 370
grandifolius....... +s 117 Powell, E. P., articles by...107, 288, 377, rugosa .... Scillas in the garden..... 157
Bhaisesaaia, F. L., Ames. 54 387, 408 setigera aeteie Ha Scott, J. L., article by..... 477
intermedia Port tei.. 94 Powell, G. Harold, articles by. .368, 378, - spinosissima.. a Scott, William, articles by..7, 2 36, 67,
Ludde-violacea.. ++ 354 407) ep 439, 448, 498 Wichuraiana.. 875.97» 2275 138, 157, 188, 198, 208, 216,
Youngianum ....--.+-+-22+++ 94 Primroses, double Englis -. 167 Rose, Belle Siebrecht. 297, 318, 348, 407, 456, 496
Philadelphia, chrysanthemums in.. 458 Primula cortusoides Sieboldi 225 Captain Haywar Bees cints: “S27. Sculpture in garden art III
Philadelphus Falconeri.......-.+- “404 Genticulataesatcseastere BentO7, Clinger see at ieminsie . 148, 517 society, national exhibition
Zeyheri. : -—— imperialis. Clothilde Soupert........--- 200 OL THE? cesisis ciersecs eciotias stpa aha amine 199
Phlox, Carolina. rosea x Crimson Rambler...... 117, 166, Seacoast planting... 412
divaricata.. Sinensis 6 233) 250 ~— Sears, F. C., article by pisune sO cegee 519
on the prairies. Primulas....... Dawson, seedlings of the... 118 Seashore places, small, the treat-
—— Drummondii....-... Chinese.... Double de Coubert. ++ 263 MEN Of sce a ssedeeuseoaneso% ceases 341
maculata.... in England Gustave Piganeau.. 516 Seavey, Fanny Copley, articles by. 328,
paniculata. three ‘good er eennouae 133 Helen Keller....... «1370 418
— subulata.. . Pringle, C. G., article by.. e272 ——-J. Sharman Crawford . 370 Seeds, germination of.............+ 380
Phoenix Roebeler aeieetdlemis sts Protea cynaroides aialtia.o gle alstetetereratelorsse! 34* SAVE TANGEt. aesiseta dis ccistsi'elee 410 vitality of..... . 120
Phosphoric acid appropriated by Prunus Besseyii for western planting 123 Madame Georges Bruant.... 400 | Sedum spectabile.. ++ 366
plants Davidianasnsea-sies'c» 93 Ss Veitchii. BAAS 343
Chihuahuana.. . 22% Emoryi - maa} Soil, exhaustion of, by ‘trees 142
heterophylla Cubensis. ++ 222 Gambelii - 22 Sabbatia, the..... --s-ssessessssees 80 Solanum betaceum..:...... 30
Koraiensis......+++ + 306 —— grisea... - 92 Saccolabium Mooreanum 53 capsicastrum 517
latifolia ..... eesscceces 22% ———— mbricaria ..... Saffrons, the meadow..........++ « 430 Jamesii..-... 322
palustris, the hardiness of.. 217 Marilandica X velutina . Saguenay region, the ...... 183, 193, 213 tuberosum . 322
parviflora . Pere csteite venice ie + 306 Muhlenbergii ........- mete Saintpauliaionantha. . .406, A 487, 483 Wendlandi 87, 407
ponderosa ....-..++++ 163, 392* Phellos < rubra Salix alba & lucida . : . 423* Solidago Canadens 458, 499
Egeste in the west a+ 142 reticulata ......- Pameachiana . oes 42 Drummondii......2... secces 440
Pittosporum Tobira... eer3 50 Suber ... balsamifera ....... cen, 20 DUOrare sais bees 61s siete fae 2
Piqueria trinervia... + 516 Toumeyi-. Bebbiana ... 463 poisonous effect on horses... 477
undulatum,..,.. iz undulata.... Bonplandian: eae 304 SEMPETVIFENS ....-+- ee eee ++ 213
Plank, E.N., articles by 72, 193 —— Virginiana .....-.+seeseee ee Candida #,.23... Gere species of.. 213
Plantago maritima..... ae 203 cordata .. se+ 493 Solidagos for border’ pian 406
Plant-breeding..............318, 348, 390 — uted 5 chclnses ee 473 Sonchus arvensis ........-+ 2I4
at the experiment sta- —— Mackenziana . mee 473: Sophora Japonica . 349
ERE} sadadnonoaoudRSuap acme Rosado 292 Re flaveSCens .......sese Beer ye Souari nuts ...c..0. 000 + 509
pests, legislation against.... 41 fluviatalis ... 463 South Dakota, flora of . 493
variation ° 442 Raspberries, for evaporating and lasiandra . 2 372 trees of ..... 500
Plants, common, fon ornament + 299 Crying .....ceee cesses ee eeeee sistas ae5 10 —— alee ii 463 Orange nurseries. .... 228
‘for shady places.. 47 winter protection of. ++ 420 longifolia .. 13 Southwick, Dr. E. B., article . 308
shy wood.....-...- - 209 Raspberry, the oman pian: 107 lUteavece cre sis - 473 Sparaxis, outdoor cultivation of.... 177
Platycodons, cultivation of. . 316 Raupenheim........--+--- - 470 —— Missouriensis 1373) Sparrow, the European, in America 112
Pleroma macranthum... « 327 Raymondya Pyrenaica wee 256 Migtatencteatectee a ete! Spathiphyllum commutatum.
semidecandrum - 406 Red Bud, the .... ....+-+-- + 184 _— alba 423* Spherogyne speciosa
Pleurothallis scapha....-.--. - 54 Redfield, John H., death of. . 110 ——— < amygdaloides. . 3603 Spigelia specioga’......
Plumb, Prof. C. S., article by. . 162 Reidia glaucescens Meanie wee 488 INirttal litem sctelcine ve'sinicte - 463 Spiraea, Anthony eit: 3% 386, 467
Plumbago Capensis BBodoodp + 190 Reinwardtias, the........ ua els) occidentalis 2 363 palmata . 286
Plums, Japan, in Geers! --- 389 RenantheraImschootiana.........- 274 —— Piperi...... « 482 Thunbergi 83%, 435
122, 260, 378 Reservations, public, in New York. 151 taxifolia 372 Van Houttei..... eeeeeeaet
ase 7, Restio subverticillata ...........--- 385 Wardi ..... pee 303 Spirzeas, the herbaceou 136
Pogonia ophioglossoides. -+. 422 Rhamnus hybrida.. - 490 ~=Salyia Horminum. . 314 Spiranthes cernua ..... - 423
pendula........--- - 422 RU exXIAS we cectecicicaesice:™ . 362 patens\s.2.-.\. 348 gracilis .. « 42
Poinsettias, cultivation of........ vt 417 Rhinanthus Crista-galli...........- 213 Sambucus Canadensis.... . + 270 Sprague, Isaac, ideathi of. + 130
Poison Ivy........172, 203, 239, 249, 208, | Rhododendron, Anthony Koster... 234 origin of the name 1368 © Spray calendar, a......2..sse0eee es 100
299, 359, 360, 368, 388, 398, 429, 478 Keiskei ....- ccocseces cence 23 Sand Myrtle, the......... 493 pumps, kerosene attachment
Polemonium reptans. : - 228 maximum.. 284 Sanguinaria Canadensis . 254% for knapsack......++.+e00-+ 143% 186*
Polygalas in the Pines. . 363 Vaseyi - - 214 San-Jos€'scale:.......02006 60 Spraying by steam power........-. 497
ee Seay 403 viscosum. ; ae. 492 Santa Barbara, notes from 388 experiments in...... + 190
—lanigerum.. . 403. Rhododendrons ina hard winter.. 190, Sapindus utilis........... + 479 fruit-trees, effect of 69
‘ orientale. . « 403 209, 319 Saponaria ocymoides. 199, 208 in orchards 215
= Sachalinense sonuboonaacodhes 67 na natural wood .......... 252% Officinalis 16... sscce eens cesses 406 law in Michig< 350
Vu
Spraying with Bordeaux mixture... 79
Spring in California...... eeweee sion 108
Spruce, black, a monstrous form of
HG aso gnesae a TeetesiUh ose d PE eeaA ae
Squash, the Faxon -
Squashes, winter .
Stapelia gigantea.
Staphylea Colchica «
Statice Gmelenii ...
latifolia ..
Tartarica. . 4
Steganoptycha pinicolana, ravages
+ 454, 514*
hiaieste’ 157
- 406
on Larix Europea. ...-+.eeeeseee 238
Stellaria Holostea.. 225
Stenandrium Lindenii... 305
Stenomesson incarnatum . 253
eT A Fischeriana .. 144
Stewart, F. C.,-article-by ..........+ 269
au maphyllum ciliatum......6, 217, 305
ouis, Chrysanthemums in...... 478
Stoboes purpurea .. 406
Stocks, ‘en Weeks
Stones as a source of fer
Strawberries, cultivation of . 318
good varieties of... 288
—- in Wisconsin....... 298
winter protection of 200
Strawberry culture... 257
leat curl stan. 148
Parker Barlensssaess'es ste sss 10
a packing, for shipment 80
tevens’ Wonder .........-. 134
Triomphe de Gand . 140
Street-trees ...cecscesees 221
pruning 4.
Streptocarpus Dyeri . 5*
Streptocarpus, new hybri ++ 499
ie deat ie Jamesonii...... 8, 309
Strobilanthes anisophyllus Hee
Wyerlanusssss.cnsss 134, 348
isophyllus.......... .
Sturtevant, E. D., article by.
Styrax Americana .......
Subirrigation in greenhouses .
Sudworth, George B., article by.
Summer-flow ering plants
Sweet Cassava. ...ssess00
Ped, Cupid .ssccssese eu
Peas, deterioration of .. 380
—- double ..... Siete: 379
fall planting of... 188
potatoes, cultivation of ... 210
Sycamore for western planting .
Symplocos crateegoides..........++
Oyringas; Totes ONvsssmpsteeweemee
in the Arnold Arboretum.230, 238
i
Talauma, species Of.....+sseeseeees 33
Tanning properties ef three } North
American trees......
Tamarix, the ‘Amour..
Taplin, W. H,, articles by.....-. - 116,
157, 348, 417, 476
Taxus Cuspidata.....sscecesereeees 20
Tea, cultivation of, ‘in Bea a + 98
- of, in Russia. . = 25,
‘Tecoma Capensis Pamisitesaleee eae acts 490
A
Agave Huachucensis on the Hua-
chuea Toot-hillssccesaecsess bcctien’s 185
Utahensis in the
Canon of the Colorado...
Androgynous Flower-cluster:
Asimina triloba, fruit of
Beech-tree in South Lac gmine Mas-
sachusetts ......+...00- . esice 125
with Sn fy and flowers 433
Bridge in Wrentham, Massa-
chusetts, an old........ a aie 43
Cc
Carnation plant, with aérial roots... 158
Carpinus cordata...............0 0s 295
Cedar, a red, in Eastern Pennsyl-
WANIAY ofepis te Se Wisiun's aie e ciscsikia; sib hice 65
Cedars in Africa,...... 24835
Chameedorea glaucifolia. . 507
Chico Creek, Butte County, Cali-
fornia, VIEW ON yessjecee sais ciaisteis 145
Chrysanthemum, William Simpson 465
Goryliis rostrata esis cer sess cissvtiaiees R45
Cosmos sulphureus..... essdien sia OS!
dD
Diospyros Virginiana near Auburn,
Alabama ssi sscesdececscseceseuss 265
Index.
Tecophilzea cyanocrocus..
Ten Bosch, I., article by..
Texas, botanical notes from
Thalia dealbata.........++
Thermopsis Caroliniana..
Thomas, John J., death of..
Thompson, William, death of
Thunbergia erecta...........+
Tigridia Dugesii. . A
avonia and varieties.
‘AM. FLOUtELL ss .aiea0
Tigridias, cultivation o
Tilia Americana........ .
Tillage, the evolution of.
the science of..
Timber-culture in Kansas.........-- 5
Timber, young and old, strength of 467
Timothy, experiments with........ 370
Tisdale, > witkam F., articles by..78, 168,
Tomatoes on potato stocks..
the Ignotum......
Tomatoes, Cultivation of.
ripening green.
yellow- fruited .
Torenia Fournierii.. 76, 348
Toumey, Prof. J. W., * articles by 23;
22, 154) 324
Toxicophlcea spectabilis. . . 487
‘Trachelospermum jasminoide - 238
Tradescantia Reginz....... 33
Transplanting trees
Treat, Mrs. Mary, articles by.. 3, 103,
203, 262, 362, 452, 492
Tree-culture in Holland, an experi-
ment in
flora of the Chiricahua Moun-
HAW Seawan ged es Goer daesasd one TE’ I2, 22
leaves, charts .of.c <6 s~%s<0 0% 72
Trees and shrubs at Madison,
WISCONBIT cecavrewes (sees neces 7230
hardy, at Kew
4,
Da-
kota, list of native... Sibewease 200
instruction about 169
effect of bad seasons on the
RTOWINIOLS : csine cuiely ciciee'sGig'vs ores 89
exhaustion of soil by. - 142
four native, in the north-west 173
of minor importance for west-
ern planting. .........eseesereeeee 122
Pruning street.c.ccsssss
seasonable work smo
the winter aspect ot..
transplanting....
Tricker, Wm., articles
442
9
in South
PEPICYTHS! Hirta tosis saws Sashes euteiches 417
Trimble, Prof. Henry, articles by.. 293,
393
Triteleia uniflora
Tritomas, cultivation of 397
Troop, J., article by 75
Trollius, a hybrid. 230
Europeus auatienan 406
Tropzolum speciosum.. 364
Tulbaghia violacea.... . 508
Tulipa Kaufmanniana.. 176
sylvestris........ 196
Tulips, early, for forcing..
Species Of; 0.2... .
Dussock moth; thes cnsies sascae 308, 314*
Urceolina pendula........
Utility and landscape.
Utricularias, notes on
wv
Vaccinium corymbosum.. am ASA
Pennsylyanicum........ + 193
vacillans, white fruited. 503
Vitis Tdasa'i cine. caceis 193
Vacciniums in The Pines... 492
Vail, Anna Murray, articles by. 282,
312, 378
Vance, L. J., articles by....248, 278, 299,
337, 408, 438
Vanda:cceruleas.ss4cistes.d024 80354, 498
Kimballiana. . “54s 488
Vanilla, monogra h of ..
planifolia, the fruit of-.
Van Rensselaer, Mrs. Schuyler,
articles by. ..ic.esees 87 199, 308
Vaux, Calvert, death Me seiea eh cO
Vegetable fibres.. Ay sees 150
garden notes... UY 558, 257, 330,
aie 377, 416
trenching. In-xte. voce ae 448
Vegetables, adulteration of canned, 68
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Ee
Echinocactus Wislizeni, var., in Ari-
ZONA wivaictelsesue nea hue ; TS
Ephestia interpunctella.. + 324
gr
Forest of the Mount Atlas Cedar in
AI Reriatsesese (usual can keaeee ah E as 335
on the bottom-lands of White
RAVET; Indianame state os senescent 105
Forests on the Thompson River,
British Columbia........... Heres 285
Fothergilla Gardeni..........
Fraxinus velutina in Arizona.......
G
Gladiolus tristis concolor...........
Gunnera manicata in Cornwall,
Mn gland sicstseneversscsessecetses 59
psig
Hickory bark, showing galleries
made by borersiniecers mean 353
, Kx
Kalmia.cuneata iiseecassic, 0 cee stile sare 435
latifolia myrtifolia........... 317
i
Mm
Magnolia macrophylla at Volea esr
assachusetts ....--...+.006 165
—— for private gardens. 126
it WoW Sst apaiste's 223
- under glass.. < 64
Ventilation of glass houses 20
Ventura, gardens i 1D Sempacss +» 399
Veronica Buxbaum 198
longifolia. . « 406
subsess 37» 350
Wétch; Species Ofsseiicieacsacese ais 214
Viburnum cassinoides. + 244
dentatum...... aie ees
Lantana... 484, 518
lantanoides. 0+ 109
—— Opulus 385
rugosum... 193
Viburnums, notes or “245, 246, 404
Victoria regia.. + 333
Villa Lante, the. iaeturaeyayalatersia| ens fqete eae
Village improvement by women... rer,
450
Vinca rosea. ns 407
Vincetoxicum acum atum. 236
Vineyards, Lake Keuka.. 408
Viola odorata Lees Victoria 84
Schénbrunn.. 83
Violet; \Gzarseccce cups ee 107
Farquhar.....<..++- + 107
Lady Hume Campbell 107
Marie Louise ..... + 107
Princess Beatrice 134
Wellsiana 107
Violets: osc ss% bea 66, 87, 106, 506
native..... 217
Vitis coignetize 509
labrusca.. 299
Miltonia vexillaria, “‘ Fairy Queen,”
in Langwater Gardens, North
Easton, Massachusetts.........05 195
Mimulus Clevelandi.......... Petes ass
oO
Oak, the Live, at Drayton Hall,
South Carolina....0.sccesecessess 235
—— the Spanish oe TO4
Oaks in Sherwood Forest. 365
Opuntia fulgida in Arizona. 325
Orgyia leucostigma........+++.++++ 315
_
Palm Cafion in San Jacinto Moun-
tains .........0000-% 475
Pelargonium, Amey st pe 227
Papaw, theese snes eae seeee 405
Pepper-tree, branch ofiathachantess 505
Persimmon-tree near Auburn,
Alabama.......seeeeeeee oe 265
Philadelphus Falconer 497
Pine, Yellow, in Nebraska, diagram
of distribution Of....-...-+e+es e+ 103
Pinus Chihuahuana. 24
latifolia vceceecs cucemici ewer se 25
ponderosa in the Yosemite
Valley .....cceeeeeeceeeeceeeeeecs 395
Protea cynaroides 35
Q
Quercus digitata....... Beat
Toumeyi.. 505,
Virginiana at Drayton Ha 1,
South Carolina.... ...sssseeeeee 235
Ww
Wabash Valley, forests of the..
Walnut, the Black, in the west..
Walnuts, black, germination of. .
Water-garden, a winter..
lilies, Mexican.....
lily, a blue Mexican
Watson, B. M., articles by.....
Watson, W., articles by.....3, 5, 13, 23»
28, 33, 34, 53, 54s 73» 93, 113, 123, 133,
144, 153s 204, 224, 233, 253, 203, 273, 284,
294, 304, 313, 322, 333» 343» 354, 403, 413,
433) 444, 454) 473» 483, 503, 514
Waugh, Prof. I. A., articles by.... 138,
152, 183, 186, 230, 253, 4 478, Soe
Weed, Prof. Howard E., pee by.
Weed-seeds, distribution of . a
Weeds, and how to kill them.. 240
destruction of, by electricity. 310
extermination along roads... 350
Weigelia, Eva Rathke............. 467
Wellesley, Massachusetts, notes
frOMisvediieeseys 98, 217, 358, 417, 487
Western New York Horticultural
Society, meeting of..... 48, 58, 68, 79
West, future of the arid............ 260
Virginia, notes from.. 168, 18g, 198
Weyman, R. A., article by......... 8
Wight, Lathrop, article by....
Wilcox, Timothy E., article by. ary
Williams, Thomas A., article by. - 493
Willow, ‘the Diamond, in South
Dakota - A eee
Willows for Western planting. aie
names of some North Ameri-
CAN tLE€.... seen eeceescceaseseees 463
of North America, some
arborescent....363, 373, 423%, 473, 482
Winds. hot, of the prairies......... 331
Winter protection occ cee aceeces 5
Witches’ brooms on Cherry-trees... 269
Women in village improvement.... r2r
Wood in the Comstock mines, con-
sumption of.. ceteeeees 38
Woodlands in western New York... 342,
382
Woodpeckers and injurious insects 34y
Wright, Walter C., article by... ..... 108
x
Xanthoceros sorbifolia........-199, 497
WY
Yosemite valleys mismanagement
OF 1s ree uessecne es Sisscaems0e
Vucea elata.....-- 5
macrocarpa .
Whipplei.........
Zz
Zanthoriza apiifolia.
Zygadenus elegans.
R
Rhododendrons at Westbrook, Long
Island ... + 255
Rhus Michauxii 405
Rose, the Cherokee, a flowering
branch | of cece swas decteeesen saan 1I5
Belle Siebrecht. ebivicienieinistole’s e375
Ss E
Salix alba X lucida........ winerayetels + 424
nigra X alba... eel AZ)
Sanguinaria Canadensis........... 215
Schinus Molle, branch i
berries sceectesiee 2+ 505
Spireea Thunbergii . : 85
Bis hate knapsack, improved at-
tachment for using kerosene with 187
Spray-pump, improved air-cham-
entOnv sess. BREpernSsoEbinigdcs 143
with reservoirs for
water and kerosene
Spruce, Black, a monstrous form of 43
Stapelia gigantea .......esese eee 515
Streptocarpus Dyeri...........-.0-. 5
i be
Tussock moth, the white-marked... 315
Ww
Water-lily, a Blue Mexican......... 206
WY
Yucca macrocarpa......s.ss2e: 305
Whipplei in southern Cali-
fornia: J: oes eeaesecne seaealsiets 405
JANUARY 2, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
OrricE: TriBuNE Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted by « . ..% » » s « « « Professor C. S. Sarcenr.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Ye
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1894.
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EpirorraL ARTICLE :—The Forests of the National Domain..............+....24
Utility and Landscape ......sseeeeeee sense cess ee eeee eens Sylvester Baxter.
Christmas in the Pines.. ‘ -Mrs. Mary Treat.
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter-..... V. Watson.
New or LittLe-Known Piants :—Streptocarpus Dyeri. (With ‘figure.).. WoW,
IRIPANGRN OES foe apale(stelerels wictslslaiawwisieseielsis\s ,
Notes.
Branches of Tangerine oranges, each bearing a dozen fruits
in a setting of dark glossy foliage, now make one of the most
attractive features in the fruit-stores. The best of them come
from glass houses in southern New Jersey, and sell at the rate
of twenty-five cents for each orange.
10)
At the annual meeting of the Ohio Horticultural Society it
was said that the commercial cultivation of the Gladiolus was
carried on very extensively at Cuyahoga Falls, two growers
there having produced more than a million bulbs. One man
was reported as selling 300,coo bulbs in a single order for
enough money to pay for a small farm.
A California paper announces that a sawmill in Fresno
County has prepared a car-load of redwood blocks for ship-
ment to Germany, where they are to be used in making lead-
pencils. This is an interesting item, although the accompany-
ing announcement that California redwood will soon entirely
displace Florida cedar in this industry is perhaps premature.
The Farmers’ Advocate states that persons who have failed
to succeed with the Parker Earle Strawberry may have planted
it in soil that is too dry. All Strawberries do best in mod-
erately moist ground, and it may be added that weeds do the
best there also; but the Parker Earle, in-particular, never
seems to be at its best until its roots strike permanent mois-
ture.
In the report of the Executive Committee of the American
Forestry Association, at its meeting in Washington last week,
it was proposed to introduce into Congress bills to provide for
obligatory courses of instruction in forestry at the agricultural
colleges, as well as a course of lectures at West Point, a post-
graduate course at the Department of Agriculture, and scholar-
ships for students in forestry to be sent abroad.
Besides its great parks, London now has 198 open spaces of
less than ten acres in extent, with an aggregate area of three
hundred and fifty-four anda half acres. Most of these grounds
have been secured for public use in comparatively recent
time, and the Gardeners’ Chronicle well says that any one who
would have ventured to prophesy fifty years ago that there
would have been now nearly two hundred such places for
recreation and resort in the great city, would have been
laughed at as a dreamer.
Dr. Hoskins says that the Old Nonesuch Apple, which is
generally supposed to be of Massachusetts origin, is probably
from Canada, as is indicated by its synonym Red Canada, and
also by the fact that many old orchards of this variety now
exist in Canada. When well-grown upon good ground the
Red Canada, like the Fameuse, is a first-class commercial
fruit, and it has been shipped this winter to London from Mont-
real in cases with paste-board divisions which make a cell for
each apple, just as egg-boxes do for every egg. Shipped in
this way these apples brought from $5.00 to $7.00 a bushel as
an ornamental table fruit. Their medium and uniform size
and color give them great value for this purpose. No doubt,
there are other apples besides the Red Canada and the New-
town Pippin which might be shipped in this way at a profit,
and our own large cities would take choice fruit so marketed
ata good figure. Such apples should be uniform in appear-
ance, size and quality, and some of the earlier varieties like
Early Joe might be shipped and sold in this way, but they
would need much more intelligent handling than ordinary
market apples receive.
Christmas gifts supplied by florists this year consisted
almost entirely of boxes of cut flowers, violets and roses being
the favorites. Large, deep-colored Marie Louise violets, their
long stems allowing of loose, graceful arrangement, sold for as
much as five dollars a hundred. Roses cost from three dol-
lars to eighteen dollars a dozen, an extra quality of American
Beauty commanding the outside price of three dollars each.
Lilacs at twenty-five cents to fifty cents a spray, tulips at one
dollar a dozen, large showy heads of Poinsettia at twenty-five
cents each, and stevia at fifty cents for a small bunch, were
specialties of the holiday season. Carnations were plentiful
and cheap; some well-cultivated specimens of William Scott,
measuring two and a half inches across, brought the extreme
price of two dollars a dozen. The Orchid season is now fairly
begun, and cut blooms of Cattleya at nine dollarsa dozen, and
Cypripedium insigne at four dollars a dozen, were in good sup-
ply. Fruited plants of Ardisia crenulata and the Otaheite
orange were in some demand, and specimen plants of Cycla-
mens and of Chinese Primroses in ornamental baskets found
considerable favor. But the most beautiful and the most costly
were luxuriantly flowered plants of Heath, their foliage almost
hidden under the myriad of tiny bells, and a few extra early
pink and white Azaleas.
The vegetable supply in New York at this season is remarka-
bly varied, comprising the ordinary fall root-crops of our
northern fields, and of Canada and Europe, the more perish-
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 358.
able green crops held over in cold storage, new vegetables
from the Gulf states and from the Pacific coast, and choice
hot-house products from adjoining states. The principal sup-
plies of potatoes in our markets now come from Long Island
and interior sections of New York state, and from New Jersey,
Maine and Michigan. Cargoes have recently arrived from
Scotland, England, Germany and Belgium, and new potatoes
from Bermuda are already here. The best sweet-potatoes come
from Vineland, and West India yams, weighing from five to
eight pounds apiece, are occasionally seen. These are cut in
quantity to suit the purchaser and sell for fifteen centsa pound.
Winter turnips, from New Jersey and from Canada, are abundant
and cheap, while small and tender hot-house turnips cost five
cents each. Carrots grown under glass may be had for twenty
cents a dozen. Florida cucumbers, small and of irregular
form, sell at the rate of four for twenty-five cents, the smooth
and shapely hot-house product bringing twenty cents each.
These have more than their appearance to account for the
difference in price, since their crispness and delicate flavor is
most marked. Tomatoes from the southern states and from
California cost twenty-five to thirty cents a pound, the firm
flesh and rich color of hot-house tomatoes makingsales for them
at fifty to sixty cents apound. Small bunches of asparagus, from
St. Louis, are offered at thirty-five cents each, and slender
stalks of the same vegetable, from New Jersey greenhouses,
are luxuries which cost as much as $1.25 for two dozen tips.
New okra, from Havana, costs ten cents a dozen, arti-
chokes, from Louisiana, twenty-five cents each, and Florida
squashes tencents. Other vegetables from Florida are egg-
plants, Brussels sprouts, leeks, peas, string beans and lettuce.
Chicory and escarole come from New Orleans, and radishes,
spinach and kale from Norfolk. Dandelion grown in cold
frames on Long Island finds ready buyers at twenty cents a
quart, and the best mushrooms cost $1.25 a pound.
The so-called Vanilla Bean is not a bean at all, as is well
known, but the fruit of a climbing Orchid, Vanilla planifolia,
the capsule or pod of which is about three-eighths of an inch
in diameter and from six to ten inches long, and has a certain
resemblance to the so-called Catalpa Bean. The plant in its
native home, in Mexico and tropical America, climbs over
trees and shrubs by means of slender rootlets sent out from
the joints of the stem. It is not a true epiphyte, however,
but always maintains its connection with the soil. In its wild
state it climbs to a height of twenty feet, but in cultivation it
is kept within bounds, so that the unripe pods are not injured
when the others are gathered. A late number of Popular
Science News contains an interesting account of the method of
growing the Vanilla, in which it is stated that in Mexico the
plant is propagated by cuttings and then trained over some
rough-barked trellis-work in partial shade. When the plants
were first introduced into the West and East Indies they grew
vigorously and produced an abundance of flowers, but no
pods. It was discovered that the particular moth which fer-
tilized the flowers in Mexico was absent from its new home,
and artificial pollination was resorted to, after which the plants
produced abundantly. With a long splint of bamboo the lip of
the flower is lifted away and the pollen is transferred from the
pockets and applied to the stigma. The work is so easily done
that one person can fertilize a thousand flowers in a morning.
The pods require a month to reach full size and six months
more to ripen. The process of curing is long and compli-
cated, and the aroma of vanilla is said to be produced only by
fermentation. In the island of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean,
where the plant is grown extensively, the pods are placed ina
basket and plunged for half a minute in hot water, then placed
on a mat to drain and exposed between woolen blankets to the
sun for six or eight days, and kept in closed boxes during the
night to promote a slight fermentation. When the pods are
perfectly cured they are a dark chocolate color, pliable and
free from moisture. When finally prepared, the pods are tied
up in bundles, packed in air-tight boxes, and when in prime
condition they are covered with a frosting of needle-like crys-
tals of vanillic acid, which, when pressed between the fingers,
gives off the characteristic odor. The supply sent to New York
is produced in Mexico, and is regarded as of the highest
quality. The amount imported amounts to something like
150,000 pounds a year, while on our Pacific coast a portion of
the supply is derived from the island of Tahiti, although the
quality of this is much inferior. The supply of London comes
largely from Mauritius and Seychelles, and the greater part of
the vanilla imported into France comes from Réunion. Three
years ago more than 500,000 pounds were imported into France
from this island, which was twice the amount produced in all
the rest of the world.
JANUARY 9g, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
OrricE: TripuNnz Burtpinc, New York.
Conducted by . Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Yo
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1805.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
EDITORIAL ARTICLES :—Parks and Park-planting.....00.scccceseaseecescscececn IT
Seed Distribution by the Agricultural Department ................... 12
BlackiwWalnutin th eswWiestts. seigwccee.centeiates ces Professor Charles A. Keffer. 12
Notes on the Tree Flora of the Chiricahua Mountains.—I. (With figure.)
J. W. Toumey. 12
-W. Watson. 13
ForREIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter........-...-
FESPA MIN SEES Ware ermtetede niet aie le alelceia Sia teusle ein STetmcisieislsielaiasisindieise: esave-n.ne neve Sale aebecias 14
CuLTuRAL Dk&PARTMENT :—Epigzea repens.. wee ZG. Jack. 15
PATCH rrte De St Ui aerate falerece ate etcteyctalsvayatarstotetetaisisia\sietaiatusd < 3 uae 5.016% W, FE. Endicott. 16
INOteS OM TIES: cee scleccicssisiesies sieiseie siesta cic vee oi om .-/. H. Horsford. 17
ILzeibe) SIM H ENS roorsagepreceen dos 6 1554 eee ee E. O. Orpet. 17
Luculia gratissima, Euphorbia Jacquinizeflora, Bougainvillea glabra,
Plantsman. 17
Ghrysanthemums, Oldtand Newisrecu, waceintin e's cess sievece ae FN. Gerard. 18
CorRESPONDENCE :—A Winter Water-garden sheteawilt Dine
RECENT PUBLICATIONS ..0.s-esccecccesecece cesses ec cescesccnscensesseneenceees 19
ING@RNES cdess56 cau agnoodcOgonr cSenSon4 Shes SR on Sheen Oe emcee are arenas 20
Itiusrration :—Fraxinus velutina on the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona,
TOD aera eacssisizenisiensinaitisns a9 ceciesaceseieisases setcesasnsacsetesccens 15
Parks and Park-planting.
F the word “ park” in popular usage ever suggested a
group of well-defined ideas, it has in these later days
_lost its distinctiveness, so that to one man it may mean
a country fair-ground, and to another a forest, a game
preserve, a field for athletic sports, a race-track, an
arboretum or a military parade-ground; in fact, it is
applied in a confused way to any space that is not roofed
over. This is a misfortune, for, when we are discussing
questions of park design or park maintenance, or inquir-
ing what are the true functions of a park, or what should
be excluded from it as destructive of its value, we must
have a clear idea of what it is and what it is for. We have
always used the word to indicate primarily a place where
the mind and body are refreshed by rural scenery. Of
course, a park will also furnish fresh air and sunshine,
opportunities for bodily exercise and rest, but beyond
these, and more important than these, is the refreshment
of mind which comes from the influence of beautiful
natural scenery. The paths and roads are not, therefore,
merely places to walk in or drive over ; their fundamental
use is to make the scenery of the park available to persons
on foot or in carriages or on horseback, so that they may
find that relief and repose which natural beauty alone can
bring to city-wearied senses. The value of a city park,
therefore, for a city population is greater or less according
as the poetic charm of its scenery is preserved and devel-
oped. It seems to bean admitted fact also that quiet, pas-
toral prospects have the greatest intrinsic value in enabling
us to resist the wearing influence of city life and recover
wasted mental energy, and it, therefore, follows that the
best work is not one in which the architectural features
predominate, or in which the planting aims to be highly
ornamental or decorative. In a paper published during the
past year at Vienna, called Der Park, by Franz Graf, there
is an instructive discussion on the quality of landscape
beauty required for a park, part of which will be found in
a condensed form in the paragraphs which follow.
A park is more than mere woodland and field, but,
on the other hand, it is not a garden in the narrow
Garden and Forest. II
sense of the word. The designers of parks invariably
fall into errors of disposition and treatment when they
forget this distinction. A park is not a garden, al-
though its mere extent is not the distinctive mark of the
difference between the two. There are large gardens and
there are small parks, and the purpose of both is toawaken
pleasurable sensations. In achieving this end, however, a
garden is treated like a miniature painting. Flowers and
other materials which are in themselves minutely beautiful
receive loving attention in every detail. Such a garden
delights us with its color, enlivens us with its perfume, cools
us with its shade, but here itsservice ends. A park picture
is drawn with a bolder hand, so that delicate work on de-
tails is dissipated and wasted. It must have something
more than sensuous beauty—broader and grander features
which make appeal through the imagination to the nobler
faculties. Yearsagoourancestors caught theright idea when,
tired of the endless avenues and clipped trees of Lendtre,
they began in an imitative way to make copies of nature
in their English gardens by mingling grottoes and artificial
tuins and brightly colored dairy buildings with their
scenery. They aimed to simulate pastoral scenery, but
they overshot the mark, forgetting that a park is not a
mere imitation of woodland and field any more than it is
a series of formal flower-beds.
Of course, a park must be beautiful, for if it does not
speak to the eye like a picture it will not appeal to the
heart like a song; and if it shows no refinement of taste
it falls far below the rank of what a forest, or meadow, or
a vineyard may happen to be. It is a happy accident
when a forest, which is treated in strict accordance with
the foresters craft, chances also to be striking from a
pictorial point of view, or when a meadow or vineyard, by
reason of the fortunate dispositions of its hills and valleys,
its foliage and its water, is beautiful as well as useful.
But the first purpose of a park is to secure these results
which in the woods and the meadow are happy accidents.
Not only is beauty essential to a park; its whole value lies
in beauty. But it must be that serene and enduring beauty
which is embodied in its essential and permanent features,
and not merely the transient and superficial beauty of
floral embroidery. It must have dignity of expression,
and not mere prettiness.
Again, although a park must be beautiful, it may be bad
art to crowd it full of plants and’structures simply because
they are beautiful. We too often see a huddle of expensive
rarities which struggle with each other to reach the light,
and yet leave no reposeful spot for the eye to restupon. This
is why stretches of turf and simple wood borders are more
refreshing as a spectacle to the weary than any collection
of oddities which excite the eye, rather than rest it, by their
glowing colors and conspicuous forms. This does not
mean that a park should have no beauty of detail, but in
the hand of an artist who wishes to produce an effect upon
the imagination, a few beautiful things, harmoniously
adjusted, mean more beauty for the whole than beautiful
objects in such profusion that they cannot be grouped into
any quiet and consistent picture. And since we aim at
permanent beauty rather than any transient impression,
this consideration alone explains why tender exotics, which
seem to shudder in a cold climate, and imported novelties,
which drag out a homesick life in exile, are not to be com-
pared with native Oaks and Pines, which rejoice in the
vigor of health, and grow more beautiful through years,
and even through centuries.
This longevity of the noblest trees and their continued
growth in dignity and beauty suggest the thought that one
who creates a great park must plant for posterity. What
is called planting for immediate effect is usually a make-
shift, and, like other makeshifts, an expensive blunder.
Light is the life of plants, and as the whole plant is con-
demned to death if it gets no light, any part of it which the
sunbeams no longer reach is doomed. The advice to set
the sapling where it will have enough light when it be-
comes a tree is simple, but it is constantly disregarded.
12 Garden and Forest.
Even if we are planting to exclude some disagreeable ob-
ject from sight it is better to set the trees so that they can
have abundant room for their roots and light for their tops,
even though during a few years we must wait patiently for
the wall of foliage which is to do duty as ascreen. If we
plant this screen thickly the offensive object will be quickly
hidden, but it will be only a short time before the lower
branches give up their struggle for life, and there will
remain a roof of foliage with bare trunks which hardly
obstructs the view. A much more serious matter it is to
destroy a good tree thatis in the way. It requires firmness
of purpose to destroy an object which is beautiful in itself,
but it is much better to suffer a pang for such a loss than to
have the life-long vexation of knowing that a tree, though
noble in itself, is out of harmony and proportion with its
surroundings, or that it compels some inconvenient adjust-
ment of walks or drives, and that it will keep on doing this
forever. The proper way is to plan and plant for posterity,
and even ifthe removal of a tree leaves a wound which
can only be healed in fifty years, it should be remembered
that the sapling planted near it will not only fill its place,
but make a complete and satisfying picture which will give
unalloyed delight for centuries.
Ir is not worth while to restate here our often expressed
views on the subject of the distribution of seeds as it has
been conducted for years by the Federal Department of
Agriculture. We are glad to know that the matter was
brought before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
last month, and, on the motion of the Hon. Joseph R.
Leeson, seconded by Francis H. Appleton, Esq., the
following resolution was unanimously adopted, and copies
forwarded to the officials named in it. It is to be hoped
that agricultural societies and horticultural societies which
are now having their annual meetings will express their
views in a similar way, and give the authorities at Wash-
ington to understand that the people of the country are
tired.of this abuse and intend to have it abolished :
Whereas, more than half a century ago improved varieties
of seed were sent out by the official then in charge of that
work at Washington, to farmers and gardeners of the country,
in order that such seeds might be tested and their practical
value ascertained, either over others already in use, or as to
their value for introduction and cultivation,
And whereas, we recognize that the present distribution of
seeds from the Department of Agriculture does not meet the
original intention as herein indicated, and has grown to unrea-
sonable dimensions (and has become a gratuitous distribution
of seeds that the recipient is often unwilling to use), the cost
of such distribution in 1893 having been $160,000,
We, the members of the Massachusetts Horticultural So-
ciety, assembled by our representatives in our hall at Boston,
respectfully recommend to the Congress of the United States
that the present method of, and appropriation for, the distri-
bution of seeds be abolished; and that in its stead an appro-
priation be made of sufficient amount ($35,000 suggested), by
which the Department of Agriculture can distribute to the
experiment stations, now located in almost every state and
territory, such seeds as may to the said department seem wise,
and require a report upon the same from the stations, the sta-
tions to perform the required’ work under appropriations
already provided for annualiy ; and direct that the Secretary
send a copy of these expressions to each of our Senators and
Representatives and to the Secretary of the Department of
Agriculture at Washington.
Black Walnut in the West.
IKE the Catalpa, the Black Walnut can only be grown
_, successfully in a limited portion of the plains. It
reaches its greatest development in the rich bottom-lands
along the Ohio and Mississippi, and its northern limit is
Nicollet County, Minnesota. In the west it is found in the
eastern counties of Kansas and Nebraska, but I have not
heard of its being found anywhere in South Dakota. It
has been extensively planted in Kansas and Nebraska, more
than any hard-wood tree, except the Ash. In a moist rich
soil it grows quite as rapidly as the Ash, and usually more
[NUMBER 359.
so. On upland soils, especially where there is a stiff sub-
soil, as in most prairies, it does not succeed.
The Black Walnut is a light-demanding tree, and
should always be planted far apart among good shade-
makers. In this way it will grow tall and rid itself of
lateral branches, making a straight clean log, free from
faults. Even when planted pure, if set close, the Black
Walnut cleans its trunk. much better than the Catalpa. At
Farlington, Kansas, there are two plats of this tree—one
almost pure, and the other a mixture with Wild Cherry,
which is a good shade-maker while young. In the pure
plat, thirty-five measured trees averaged 3.8 inches in
diameter three feet from the ground, and were twenty-four
feet high, with laterals within six feet of the ground. In
the mixed plat, twenty-six measured trees averaged
4.1 inches in diameter and thirty feet high. They had
clean trunks to a height of fifteen or eighteen feet, with
very small crowns. ‘The trees in the pure plantation had
much larger crowns, and really contained more wood in
the aggregate, but since this was largely in branches
it was of no value. These trees were set in 1878 as year-
lings, and they were, therefore, sixteen or seventeen years
old when measured.
At the home of Professor Poponoe, of the Kansas
Agricultural College, Manhattan, there is a plat of about
two acres of close-planted Black Walnuts which are
making a strong and vigorous growth, and they are
shedding their lateral branches very well. This plat is
in deep soil adjacent to a never-failing spring-stream, soit
has abundance of moisture. At Hutchinson, Kansas, Judge
Honck planted Black Walnut seed in 1887 on half an acre
of sandy loam, with water within ten to fourteen feet of
the surface. Last fall about two hundred trees were found
on the plat, which averaged about twenty-five feet high,
and specimens eight inches in diameter three feet from the
ground, were found. In going from Omaha, Nebraska, to
Nebraska City I observed a very fine grove of Black Wal-
nuts, averaging fully forty feet high. Good specimens were
seen in Hastings and Red Cloud, Nebraska, but only on
low deep soil. The tree is doing very well on the farm of
the Nebraska State University at Lincoln.
In South Dakota, the Black Walnut is not a success. At
the Agricultural College of that state a few specimens re-
main in mixed plats, set in 1889, but they are weak. At
At the Colorado Agricultural College there is a plantation
of these trees of about an acre in extent, in which these
trees are set twelve to eighteen feet apart both ways, re-
sembling an orchard more than a forest-plat. The trees
are in vigorous condition, but they have short trunks and
large crowns. One of the best measured twenty-one feet
high and five inches in diameter three feet from the ground.
These trees were grown under irrigation.
Charles A. Keffer.
Washington.
Notes on the Tree Flora of the Chiricahua
Mountains.—I.
Y most people Arizona is thought of as the Sahara of
the New World—a land of broad mesas and rugged
mountains, where strange Cacti, tall Agaves and wide-
spreading Yuccas flourish, while trees and shrubs with
broad green leaves and shady foliage are unknown.
It is true that Arizona has unnumbered miles of broad
mesas and sand-blown plains, but even here many species
of shrubs, besides perennial and annual herbs, find a con-
genial home. Growing, as they do, where the rainfall is
light, where there is little dew or other moisture, where
the days are successions of bright sunshine, all the plants
of the plains have small leaves, or, frequently, none, a dense
pubescence, or thick epidermis. Nature, by lessening or
protecting the evaporating surface, enables plants inhabit-
ing these regions to withstand prolonged drought and the
scorching heat of an almost tropical sun. The deep green
of other regions here gives way to “ Arizona green,” a color
hard to describe—a sombre gray which harmonizes well
with the stretches of sand and rock-strewn hills.
JANUARY 9 18g5.|
Much has been written in regard to the gray vegetation
of the Arizona plains. Little has been said, however,
about our mountains and broad table-lands, which bear
another flora, with leaves as green, flowers as bright, and
shade.as deep as we find in any other portion of our
country.
In a two-months’ trip, from Tucson to the Grand Cafion
of the Colorado, and return, I have collected more than
eight hundred species of Pheenogamous plants. Dr. Wil-
cox has found between five and six hundred species in the
Huachuca Mountains. On a recent trip of twenty-one
days to the mountain ranges of south-eastern Arizona I
collected three hundred and twenty species. The large
and varied collections, made by botanists in different por-
tions of Arizona, amply testify to the great diversity in our
flora. Our plateaus and mountains give us a vegetation
similar to that of more northern climates, while our south-
ern mesas give us a peculiar and interesting one, charac-
teristic of the planes of Mexico.
Arizona has a greater number of forest-trees than any of
the other states or territories of equal area west of the Mis-
sissippi River; a greater number than Michigan or Califor-
nia, and nearly eighteen per cent. of the species of the
United States.
During July I was one of a party who made a trip by
wagon over a considerable portion of south-eastern Ari-
zona. We rode about four hundred miles and visited the
Santa Rita, Huachuca, Mule, Swisshelm, Chiricahua, Gal-
luro and Rincon mountain ranges. Of all these ranges, the
Chiricahuas are the least known, botanically. They have
an interesting and diverse vegetation, and especially is this
true in regard to the forest flora, since seventy per cent. of
all the trees of the state are growing on these mountains.
The Chiricahua Mountains may be termed the northern
prolongation of the Sierra Madre range of Sonora and Chi-
-huahua. They occupy a large area in Cochise County,
and, like the other ranges of south-eastern Arizona, extend
approximately north and south. All these ranges differ
considerably from each other as regards their geological
formation. Owing to this, and to the fact that they
are separated from each other by more or less broad
strips of mesa, each is quite different from its neighboring
ranges in the prominent features in its flora. A marked
distinction is also noticeable in the vegetation of the mesas,
when separated by mountains of considerable elevation.
Approaching the Chiricahua Mountains from the west, at
the north of the Swisshelm range, we entered White River
cafion, ascended this cafion to old Camp Rucker, thence
over the divide to San Simon Valley, skirted the eastern
border of the mountains to Fort Bowie, and ascended all
the important cafions on the east side. These canons are
all thickly wooded. In many places the trees and under-
brush are so dense that one can only get through after
much effort. The mostabundanttrees are Oaks, Pines and
Junipers. In the lower cafions are Cottonwood, Mesquit,
Desert Willow, Black Willow, Silky Willow, Mexican Elder,
Soapberry, Mulberry, Mexican Buckthorn, Ash, Box-elder,
Junco, Broad-leaved Yucca, Oaks and Acacias. Farther
up we find Walnut, Alder, Sycamore, Maple, Locust, Cherry,
Bearberry, Hackberry, Oaks, Pines and other conifers. In
the foot-hills and lower mountains are two species of Palo-
verde, the narrow-leaved Yucca, two Tree Opuntias andtwo
Acacias. On the mountain-sides, at a greater elevation,
we find Juniper, Cedar, Mountain Mahogany, Arbutus,
Aspen and several Oaks and Pines.
On a limestone cliff at the right, a few miles before
entering White River Cafion, are growing a number of
specimens of Bumelia spinosa, one of which measured
thirty feet high and eleven inches in diameter. Here were
also fine specimens of Morus celtidifolia and Quercus
grisea. A trunk of the latter species measured twelve
feet four inches in circumference. An interesting form of
Q. undulata, with very undulate leaves, was found grow-
ing on these rocks. This is the only form of this very
variable species, so far as I have observed, that approaches
Garden and Forest. I
2
o
a tree in size. Specimens were measured that were from
twenty-five to thirty feet high and eight inches in diameter,
and with a good clean trunk.
By the side of this cliff, along the wash from White River
Cafion, were abundant specimens of Chilopsis saligna,
Salix nigra venulosa and S. longifolia, var. The latter is a
beautiful tree with rather long drooping branches and small
silky leaves. A few specimens measured eighteen inches in
diameter ; most usually, however, this tree is much smaller.
Platanus Wrightii, Fraxinus velutina* (see page 15) and
Juglans rupestris were occasionally seen, but were not so
abundant as they were later. Juglans rupestris is more or
less abundant in all the mountain ranges of south-eastern
Arizona. It is most usually a small tree with white stiff
branches ; sometimes, however, it grows to a considerable
size. Specimens were measured in the Galluro Mountains
with trunks twelve feet eight inches in circumference, and
long wide-spreading branches. There is a great varia-
tion in the size of the nuts of this species ; sometimes they
are fully an inch and a quarter in diameter, and sometimes
they are not one-quarter of that size.
At the entrance of the cafion were a number of large
specimens of Juniperus pachyphloea, the most beautiful
and symmetrical of all our Junipers. One trunk measured
over thirteen feet in circumference. Growing with this
Juniper were J. occidentalis monosperma, Quercus Emoryi
and Alnus oblongifolia. Among ranchmen Juniperus
pachyphlcea is known as Juniper, while all the shreddy-
barked species are called Cedar. The Cedar is a much
more durable timber, and is used extensively throughout
this region in building fences and corrals.
Quercus Emoryi is the most abundant and widespread
of all the Oaks of Arizona. From a mere shrub on the
mountain-side it grows to great size in more favorable
localities. One of these Oaks at Rosemont, on the Santa Rita
Mountains, has a trunk fourteen feet nine inches in circum-
ference, and the magnificent spread of ninety-six feet.
The acorns of this species ripen as early as June, and
under the name “biotes” are used for food by Mexicans
and Indians. This, together with the small bunch of
pubescence at the union of leaf-blade to petiole, are impor-
tant characters in the identification of this species. Another
Black Oak, somewhat similar, but probably a new species,
was found on the mountains above Bisbee.
Tucson, Arizona. Js W. Toumey.
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
Begonia Socotrana.—One cannot easily say too much in
praise of this Begonia as a winter-flowering plant. It is
grown in quantity at Kew, where there are now many
specimens of it in flower. The finest examples of it, how-
ever, that I have ever seen are now flowering in the nur-
sery of Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans. They are
about eighteen inches high, with five or six stems, in a six-
inch pot, the leaves in some cases fully ten inches in diame-
ter, and the flowers very numerous in terminal racemes,
their color a most pleasing shade of rose-pink. Is there
not some mistake in the note on this plant on page 486,
vol. vii., where the flowers are said to be “fully four inches
across”? I have neverseen any that exceeded two inches.
Possibly American treatment may result in flowers twice as
large as can be obtained by the best English growers.
Here the tubers are started in August in a sunny moist
stove, and when the plants are in vigorous growth they are
placed near the glas$ in the sunniest possible position till
they flower.
*Fraxinus yelutina is a round-topped handsome tree, thirty or forty feet in
height, which ranges from the mountains of western as through southern
New Mexico and Arizona, southern Nevada and south-eastern Calitornia. It is
common in northern Mexico, and grows in Lower California. It is usually
found in the neighborhood of streams, in elevated cafions, and, occasionally, on
dry mesas, where the leaves are thick and leathery, and sometimes coated with a
dense velvety tomentum. It is often planted for the shade of its abundant leaves
in the towns of southern Arizona and northern Mexico, along the streets and on the
borders of irrigating ditches.
14
Brconia Rex Socotrana.—I lately saw a batch of
plants in flower of this interesting hybrid in the St. Albans
nurseries. They are likely to become favorites in the gar-
den because of their combining the characters of both
parents in a pleasing manner. The leaves are like those of
Begonia Rex in form, but shorter in the petiole and more
crowded on the plant, and they are prettily colored as in
that species. The flowers are borne in erect sturdy ra-
cemes, which stand well above the foliage, and have much
of the character of those of B. Socotrana, though they are
paler in color. Probably, if the hybrid were again crossed
with B. Socotrana a still better result would be obtained.
But there is much to admire in the hybrid as it stands.
Messrs. Sander & Co., the raisers, think very highly of it.
Apparently the plants are evergreen, as in B. Rex, and,
therefore, they may prove perpetual flowerers. Time will
show. The number of crosses in which B, Socotrana is
one of the parents far exceeds the offspring of any other
species of Begonia,
Brconta Rayjau.—There are thousands of this new species
of Begonia in the St. Albans nurseries, where it is planted
on rockeries in stoves, on the sides of stages or grown in
pots, and it is happy in every position. It was introduced
last year by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. from Singapore. The
species it most closely resembles is Begonia gogoensis,
also a native of Malaya, but this has peltate leaves, and is
not so pleasingly variegated. B. Rajah is dwarf, the
leaves about eight inches across, obliquely cordate, and
colored dark green, with large blotches of dark brown—
purple-brown some would call the color. The flowers are
small and whitish. It is only as a foliage-plant that this
Begonia will find favor, and in this character it is worthy
to be ranked with B. Rex, B. Thwaitesii, B. decora and B.
smaragdina. Messrs. F. Sander & Co. have crossed B,
Rajah with B. Socotrana, and the result is likely to be
something good ; indeed, no cross, so far as I know, in
which the last-named species has been used, has proved
other than good in a garden sense.
CatcroLaria Bursipcr1.—This is a handsome winter-
flowering shrub of great value for the conservatory. It is
grown in quantity at Kew, where there are bushes of it
varying from eighteen inches to six feet in height, well
branched, covered with leaves and bearing numerous large,
loose, elegant racemes of bright yellow flowers. Spring-
struck cuttings of it grown out-of-doors all summer and
potted on as they require, much the same as Chrysanthe-
mums, grow to a good size by autumn, and they will keep
on flowering from November to May, or even longer. The
plant is of hybrid origin, its parents being the large, some-
what coarse, Peruvian shrub, Calceolaria Pavonia, which is
hardy against a wall at Kew, and C. fuchsizfolia, also
Peruvian, and one of the most interesting of the cultivated
species from the fact that in foliage and habit it closely
mimics a Fuchsia, and in winter it produces its pretty yel-
low purses very freely. Here it is planted out in a bed of
good soil in June, lifted and potted in October, and kept in
a cool frame until it flowers. It is hardy in Cornwall.
Lourya campaNnuLata.—This plant was introduced into
France from Cochin China about seven years ago and was
described by Baillon, who named the genus in compliment
to the late curator of the Jardin des Plantes, Monsieur Loury.
It is closely related to Peliosanthes in Haemodoracee, resem-
bling that genus in habit, but it has broader foliage than
any of the Peliosanthes known to me. The flowers and
fruit are also like those of Peliosanthes, but larger. L. cam-
panulata has a root-stock like Aspidistra, from which
spring numerous leaves eighteen inches long, the petiole
six inches and the ovate lanceolate blade twelve inches by
four, bright shining green, the margins conspicuously
crimpled ; texture thin, with numerous raised parallel veins
running from base to apex. The flowers are borne on a
short erect raceme three inches long, and they are fleshy,
bell-shaped, half an inch in diameter, pale yellow, with a
black-purple disk-like centre. The fruits are three-quarters
of an inch long and of a bright china-blue color. The
Garden and Forest. .
[NUMBER 359.
plant requires stove treatment.
a foliage-plant.
Cyctea Burmanni.—The macerated leaves of this plant
when steeped in water form a jelly which is said to be
equal in flavor and as a food to calf’s-foot jelly. Dr. Mor-
ris recently stated in a lecture on plants which yield
It is likely to find favor as
extraordinary substances, that a few of the leaves when ~ :
crushed and placed in water would in a short time form a
thick mass of transparent jelly, and that a friend of his dur-
ing sickness was nourished forsome time by jelly thus
obtained. The plant is grown in one of the stoves at Kew,
but it does not seem to possess this property here. Itis a
native of Ceylon and Concan. At Kew it is a slender,
quick-growing climber, with peltate-oblong leaves four
inches long, hairy and dull green. The flowers are small,
greenish and borne in long drooping, branching panicles.
It is not a plant of any ornamental value, but its jelly-pro-
ducing proclivities, when grown in tropical sunshine, are
interesting and might be turned to account. The genus
belongs to the Menisperms and is related to Cissampelos.
Pornsettra,—Every one knows the value in midwinter of
this plant, and every one who has a stove grows it. But
while it is easy to grow plants to produce heads of crimson
leaves varying from nine inches to a foot in diameter, those
who can grow them to twice that size are, I opine, few in
number. Locality has something to do with it, affecting
the color, as it does in the case of’Calanthes, which are
paler when grown near big towns than when removed
from the bad influences of smoky fog. The finest Poin-
settias I have ever seen, however, arrived here a few days
ago from Madeira. They formed the packing for some
fine examples of the fruits of ‘‘Choco,” Sechium edule. The
rich crimson leaves (bracts) were of exceptional size, the
largest being eleven inches long by three and a quarter
inches wide, and the whole head was nearly two feet
through. Such magnificent heads may be possible in
Florida, for instance. They would make the fortune of an
English market-grower if he could produce them, or of a
flower-dealer if he could procure them fresh,
Naturav v. Unnaturat TRAINING FOR CHRYSANTHEMUMS.—
Perhaps I have not made myself clear in my criticism on
painfully trained specimen Chrysanthemums. I certainly
never intended to discredit skill when I wrote in favor of
less formal training, though “R. P.” suggests as much (see
p. 498, vol. vii.). In GarpEn anv Forest, vol. vi., p. 456, there is
a picture of what I mean bya naturally grown Chrysanthe-
mum, and I there said that the art of the skilled gardener
was needed for the production of such a specimen, though
in that case it was hidden. Training should never go in
the direction of distortion, unless there are very good rea-
sons for it. Weare compelled to use balloon-trellises for
Allamanda, Clematis, Bougainvillea and Gloriosa, if we
want to exhibit them, but not so in the case of the Chrys-
anthemum. The Rose is sometimes maltreated by exhib-
itors, who twist and bind the stems with wire in all sorts of
odd ways to produce a thing like an umbrella or a fan or
some such fancy. All this is in bad taste, and, therefore, is
bad gardening. Thesame narrow view condemns as bad
in habit all plants which do not form nice bushy speci-
mens. Anything ‘‘leggy” is considered an abomination!
London, W. Watson.
Plant Notes.
Rosa Carotina.—This native Swamp Rose is one of the
species which flower late, with the climbing Prairie Rose
and Rosa Wichuriana, which trails on the ground like a
Dewberry. Unlike these, it has an upright habit, and
reaches a height of six to seven feet, being the tallest of
our wild bush Roses. It is common by waysides and
woodsides, especially where the ground is moist, and its
flowers, which appear in the middle of July, often last until
the middle of August, since they do not open simultane-
ously, but follow, one another in succession. The indi-
vidual flowers are rather smaller than those of our other
ea ey ee ee a a ee
a
JANUARY 9, 1895.]
native Roses, but they grow in corymbose clusters, and they
have the special merit of possessing that typical wild-
rose fragrance which everybody enjoys. A single plant
will spread by underground shoots, so that in a few years
it will make a large clump, and it is very’ useful where
masses of shrubs of considerable size are wanted. We
are led to speak of the Swamp Rose at this time
because just now its corymbs of highly colored fruit make
a very effective showing above the snow in a few of the
shrub borders of Central Park, where it has found its way,
perhaps, by some natural means of distribution, although
itmay have been planted. This fruit is bright scarlet, and
it not only clings to the plant all winter, but it keeps its
color and remains sound and plump until some early-flow-
ering shrubs like the Japanese Witch Hazel are in full
bloom. Altogether, itis one of our native shrubs whose
value for park planting at different seasons ought to be
more generally known.
Garden and Forest. 15
but the variety Excelsum, or a special strain of this variety
called Harpur Crewe, which was introduced a few years
ago, seemed to give a new impulse to the cultivation of
various kinds of the Leopard’s Bane, which is the common
name of the genus. Doronicum Caucasicum, which was
known in the early part of this century, is itself an admira-
ble plant for cutting, and is now quite generally cultivated.
Of course, the true home of these plants is the outdoor
garden, for they are perfectly hardy and among the most
showy of border plants ; but if they are lifted with care in
autumn, potted and placed in a cool greenhouse they will
be now large enough to flower, and through February and
the early spring months they will bloom abundantly.
These large yellow flowers are not only beautiful, but they
last well when cut. The variety Excelsum blooms later,
since it grows to a height of four or five feet, and when at
its best it bears flowers three, or even four, inches across,
but D. Caucasicum will flower much earlier in five-inch
Fig. 2.—Fraxinus velutina on the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona.—See page 12.
Potypopium (GONIOPHLEBIUM) SUBAURICULATUM.—Although
this Fern is graceful even when young it never shows
its real decorative value until it is fully grown. Its
distinctive feature is the pendulous habit of its fronds,
which are pinnate and bright green. When placed
in a large tub and allowed to grow, these fronds, which are
produced in great abundance, will hang down on every
side to a length of ten or twelve feet. When placed ona
tall pedestal, a specimen four or five feet through and
draped to the ground with a dense curtain of green fronds
makes a very striking picture. This Fern was brought
from the Malayan Archipelago a great many years ago,
and is one of the most graceful of the family. The bright
yellow fruit-dots, like those of other Polypodiums, are
sunk so deeply in the fronds that they make a little pro-
-tuberance on the other side.
Doronicum PLANTAGINEUM.—This Composite plant from
southern Europe was introduced twenty-five years ago,
pots, and it rarely grows more than a foot tall. D. Clusii
also makes a good pot-plant, although it is not so sturdy a
plant for outdoor cultivation. All Doronicums do better in
a heavy soil which is retentive of moisture.
Cultural Department.
Epigzea repens.
PIGAZA REPENS, the Mayflower of some parts of New
England, the Ground Laurel or Trailing Arbutus of
various localities in eastern North America, has probably
excited as much interest as any other hardy plant. Many
efforts have been made to domesticate it, and few kinds of
plants have so often failed to flourish under artificial condi-
tions. In most cases where transplanting from its natural
home is attempted old plants are taken up with as many roots
as possible or convenient, and sometimes with earth. They
are too often rudely taken from the warm shelter of woods
and leaf-covered ground to some position quite different either
16 Garden and Forest.
in exposure, temperature, humidity or character of the soil.
The result is a check in growth, which is generally followed
by a degeneration of the plant, which may endure for several
years, but finally dies, and what appears like success for one
or two years after transplanting may prove a failure at the end
of five or six.
In transferring the wild plants from the woods the common
mistake is to select plants which are too old. Old plants may
be removed safely if an abundant mass of soil is moved with
them, so that the roots are not much disturbed, and if care is
taken that the new conditions do not differ too greatly from
the old. Wherever possible, it is always much the best plan
to collect small plants or seedlings, and grow them carefully
in a well-prepared bed, or cold frame, of sand, loam and peat
for a year or two before planting out permanently. They will,
of course, require proper shading and watering. It may be
supposed that seedlings are not always easily procured, and it
is true that few seedling plants are noticed if we look for
them among the heavy covering of leaves which often protect
the plants. The best places to procure seedlings will be found
along old paths and cart-tracks in the woods, along railroad
cuts and embankments where the species abounds, and in
other similar situations where the ground has been disturbed
or a clearing made. ;
After some careful observation the little plants may be easily
detected even when provided with only three or four small
leaves. With proper care these will become robust speci-
mens, and best adapted to thrive under conditions of culti-
vation,
In localities where the Epigzea is not indigenous the modes
of propagation employed are division of old plants, layering or
by cuttings ; but these methods are often slow and unsatisfac-
tory. It may naturally be asked, Why not procure seeds?
Fruits and seeds of Epigaea, however, are known to few peo-
ple, even among professional botanists, who are familiar with
the sweet, fragrant, shy little flowers. Probably no one has
ever procured seeds from a regular dealer. The dry little
fruits are not likely to be noticed on the stems of the plants
unless they are carefully looked for, and they may be found
more plentifully in sunny open places than in more shaded
ones. Doubtless, also, in some parts of the country the con-
ditions for seed-production are much more favorable than
others. Where seed can be precured it may be sown in pots,
boxes or beds of well-prepared and well-pulverized soil com-
posed of loam, peat and fine clean sand in about equal parts,
and the whole well drained beneath. The seed should be
sown on the surface of the soil and have a very slight cover-
ing of earth sifted over it, an amount of soil equal to the
diameter of the seed, or scarcely enough to cover it, being
quite sufficient. It may then be covered with fine sphagnum
or dead moss, and the whole gently and thoroughly watered,
and the sphagnum and surface of the soil should not be
allowed to become dry afterward. If in a greenhouse or
where there is warmth, the first seedlings may appear under
the sphagnum in two or three weeks, and soon afterward the
sphagnum must be carefully removed and a very slight sifting
of additional soil may be added to the surface. Until they are
well established the little plants should be shaded from the
direct rays of the sun, and the more humid the atmosphere
the better they will grow. As soon as they have produced one
or two little leaves the plants may be thickly transplanted to
pots or shallow boxes, care being taken not to let the delicate
roots dry for even a moment, and as they grow and crowd
they may be again transplanted and given additional room
until they are large enough to be placed in beds or permanent
places. Whenever practicable, it isa good plan to start the
seeds in a greenhouse, sowing them soon after collecting or
during the winter. After the first season the pots or boxes of
little plants may be wintered in a cold frame or pit covered
with leaves. Thus treated they should bloom in three or four
years after the seed is sown.
One cause which contributes largely to the scarcity of seed
is the fact that the Epigzea repens is practically dicecious—
having its pollen-bearing and fruit-producing flowers on dif-
ferent plants—a fact which is not commonly known, An
examination of the blossoms from many different plants will
show that on some the styles are long and surmounted by
perfect stigmas, on others the stigmas are perfect, but styles
short. Both of these forms have abortive stamens, inasmuch
as they either do not produce good anthers and pollen or the
stamens are very rudimentary or entirely absent. On other
plants will be found the male or pollen-producing flowers with
perfect stamens and abundant pollen, but imperfect stigmas,
incapable of being fertilized. Thus not more than half of the
plants can ever bear fruit, and cross-fertilization is absolutely
(NUMBER 359.
necessary in order to insure seed-production, and this cross-
fertilization is probably entirely dependent upon visits from a
very few kinds of insects.
As found growing in its native habitat much variation in the
size and color of the blossoms of Epigzea will always be noted.
A careful examination of different specimens will show that
there is a marked tendency toward larger size and whiter color
among the pollen-bearing flowers, while thoSe plants which
produce perfect stigmas and fruiting organs*have blossoms
which are smaller, but of a richer pink or rosy color,
The flower-buds are fully developed during the summer
and autumn preceding the spring blossoming, and in some
localities it is not very unusual to find plants in bloom in the
late autumn. The fully budded plants are sometimes taken
up and potted at the end of the growing season and the blos-
soms forced in the greenhouse during the winter. As these
plants are rarely used afterward, the practice must be regarded
as a destructive one, considering the meagre results generally
btained.
eee B x. G. Fack.
Arnold Arboretum.
Achimenes.—-IV.
“THERE is a group, consisting of seven varieties, which re-
mind us of those last mentioned, as far as colors and
manner of growth are concerned, as well as the flatness of the
flowers. They are all of medium size and all desirable ; Car-
minata is carmine, shaded salmon; Aurora is much like it,
but darker ; Firefly, carmine shading to purple and having an
orange eye; Purpurea multiflora is described by its name;
Williamsi is salmon-scarlet, with purple and orange eye and
fringed petals; Lady Littleton, rich crimson; Rose Queen,
rich rosy-lake, with a large orange spot. The last two are
extraordinarily fine.
Of the kinds which still remain to be described, Magnet, Frau
Brunnow and Madame de Rougemont are all precisely alike.
The flowers are flat, rosy-purple, with orange-spotted throats,
and the plant is very free-flowering and desirable under either
name. Alexandra is very much like it, but bears a trifle
darker flowers, and so may claim to be really distinct. Esche-
riana is small, flat, deep velvety-purple, with orange eye;
Hirsuta splendens is another name for the same kind; Mon-
sieur and Madame Miellez agree perfectly with each other—.
color, white with orange and purple eyes. Of the three Hof-
gartners, Mastrand, Neuner and Wendschuch, the first is ex-
ceedingly unlike any other kind, its flowers being of medium
size, trumpet-shaped, and of a beautiful lavender color, with
a conspicuous white throat thickly spotted with chocolate. Alto-
gether, this is one of the most desirable, but, unfortunately, not
easily to be found, for many dealers send out under this name
a reddish kind, much like Leopard, which has already been
described. The second, Neuner, is flat, small, reddish pur-
ple, with yellow eye; and the third, Wendschuch, is the same
in size and shape, but colored rose with violet shade. All
three are good, the first, perhaps, the best.
Amabilis bears an exceedingly pretty trumpet-shaped flower,
small, indeed, but very desirable for its lilac tint, a color very
unusual in Achimenes. Camille Brozzoni and Autumnalis
are worth having. Both are of medium size, the former flat
and pink, with white throat; the latter trumpet-shaped, very
deep violet, with white throat. Pink Perfection is a large flat
flower of a pinkish-purple color. Sir Treherne Thomas, also
large and flat, deep rose, with orange throat. Nisida is, to my
mind, one of the very best of all Achimenes; it is a long-
tubed, large, flat flower, lavender; shading to white at the cen-
tre, with a yellow, chocolate-dotted throat; its shape is exceed-
ingly graceful. The true A. hirsuta (Boz. Mag., t. 4144) and A.
pedunculata (Bot. Mag., t. 4077) are genuine species, differing
horticulturally in the color of the flowers, the latter being of an
orange cast where the others are rosy. Otherwise one descrip-
tion may serve for both: tall, strong plants, bearing in the axils
of the upper leaves large, trumpet-shaped flowers on long
flower-stalks, and, as the season advances, bulbillz of small size
but the same in shape as the subterranean ones. Both species
should be had. Skinneriis the sameas A. hirsuta. Reticulata
is flat, of medium size, lilac-purple, with dark veins and yellow
throat, very neat and pretty. Semilosse is tubular, deep
crimson, with something of an orange cast. Ignescens (syno-
nym, heterophylla) has almost no expanded limb, consisting
of a tube only, but of an unapproachable brilliancy, a fiery
orange at one end gradually changing to a blazing yellow at
the other. Chirita, which seems identical with Plectopoma
Gibsoni and Scheeria Mexicana of Van Houtte’s catalogue, is
the strongest grower in the genus, and will even do pretty
well out-of-doors. It grows about a foot or fifteen inches
er ee
oe
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JANUARY 9g, 1895.]
high, and its flowers are large, trumpet-shaped, and of a deep,
intense violet-blue, with white throat. Violacea semi-plena
is a poor, half-double sort, of which the less said the better.
Haageana and Ami Van Houtte belong to the Longiflora varie-
ties, but escaped my notice when I dealt with that group; the
first is simply the typical Longiflora, but the other is very dis-
tinct, with its deep yellow eye contrasting with its rich deep
purple surface. Dr. Buenzod is a flat flower, of a bluish-
purple cast, not very distinct ; no one need care forit. La
Belle Cracovienne is flat, purple, with white eye; not needed.
Unique is purple-magenta, with orange eye; superfluous.
Loveliness is much like the last and deserves the same ad-
jective.
This finishes my account, for, though I have many other
kinds, they are either not now in the catalogues or not yet
sufficiently described in my note-books. The lovely plant we
had twenty-five years ago under the name of Achimenes
picta, was a Tydea, and therefore does not belong here; the
same may be said of the two Dicyrtas, Candida and War-
scewiczii. If any reader of these notes can send me a
rhizome of the A. picta just mentioned, I shall be glad to send
in exchange any of the Achimenes I have named, except
Nisida and Ignescens, of which my stock is exceedingly
small.
W. E. Endicott.
Canton, Mass.
Notes on Lilies.
V HEN once fairly established, Lilium auratum, the Golden-
rayed Lily, is an easy plant to manage, and I believe it
may be made as permanent as any of the Lilies. It often hap-
pens, however, that it flowers but once after the bulb is set.
This is as much owing to the manner of planting as to any-
thing; if the bulb is perfectly free from rot, the soil well
spaded and enriched to a good depth beneath it, and nothing
but sand ora light loam is allowed to come in contact with it,
a good root-growth at its base is ordinarily assured. When
this is the case the plant will not only bloom the second year,
but will produce much larger flowers, and the bulb itself will
increase in size. I have seen bulbs which produced good
stalks and flowers whose root-growth beneath the bulb was
almost nothing. Above the bulb was a dense growth of roots
from the surface of the ground to the bulb, and these sus-
tained the stalk and Howers. The bulb, however, degenerated
instead of improving, and would not bloom the second year.
Not only should the soil be enriched beneath the bulbs, but
the surface should also be well fertilized, in order to feed the
many roots along the stem above the bulb. It is surprising
what an enormous root-growth one of these large healthy
bulbs will make if properly set ; and, compared with the ordi-
nary size, it is astonishing how large the plant may be made to
grow with extra care.
Lilium Philadelphicum, the Wild Orange-red Lily, though
usually found in very poor soil, responds to high fertilization
as quickly as any species, It requires, however, a light well-
drained soil, and it seems useless to attempt to grow it in clay,
When a light sand or loam is used it is as easy to grow as L.
Canadense. It is a very striking plant when it attains its maxi
mum size and is in full flower. Its height, under the most
favorable conditions, is more than double that of the ordinary
wild plant, and the number of flowers is greatly increased.
The new and rare Lilium Grayi of the southern Allegheny
Mountains is, I believe, destined to become a popular species,
if it ever becomes common enough to be sold at reasonable
rates. The bulbs more than double in size in the first sea-
son of cultivation. The best collected bulbs I have yet been
able to get were poor compared with those that had been cul-
tivated for one season. L. Grayi is a fine Lily, and grows two
or three feet high, with two or more dark orange-red flowers,
spotted inside. In shape and color the flower is not very
unlike L. Bolanderi, of Oregon, but it is larger ; the plant also
is much larger and is more easily grown. In size and shape a
good bulb of this species is very like that of an ordinary
Meadow Lily. It may be propagated from scales like the
Meadow Lily.
Few Lilies may be grown with as little care in the prepara-
tion of soil and other particulars as Lilium Wallacei. It is not
a tall species, seldom growing more than fifteen inches high,
but its erect salmon-colored flowers, three or four inches
across, are very showy. It seems to be one of the reliable
hardy kinds which every one should try. It increases fast, and
two or three bulbs soon form a mass of bulbs and stems.
Although it is easy to grow, it responds to extra treatment, and
a mulch of straw-manure in autumn is a good stimulant for it.
It likes a little heavier soil than some other species, and when
Garden and Forest. 7
set in sand is benefited by a mixture of clay and leaf-mold or
peat under the bulbs. It transplants well in spring or autumn.
Last spring I had twenty-five good bulbs, and the flower-buds
were well formed. The place in which they were planted was
not sufficiently well drained, so that it was necessary to trans-
plant them. They did not suffer in the least from this treat-
ment, but grew much faster, and were the best plants of L.
Wallacei in my collection.
Charlotte, Vt. F. H. Horsford.
Lelia autumnalis.
Vee ORCHIDS take kindly to our system of cultiva-
tion under glass. They flower freely, make satisfactory
progress each year, and in many instances the bulbs made
here are superior to those made in their native land. There
are but few exceptions to this rule, Cattleya citrina being, per-
haps, the most noticeable. Lelia autumnalis is one of our
best autumn-flowering Orchids, and, among Lelias, ranks
next in importance to the varieties of L. anceps. A few years
ago a white-flowered form of L. autumnalis was unknown,
but there is now a fine plant in thecollection of C. G. Roebling,
Esq., of Trenton, New Jersey, and as it appeared the other day
it is worth going a long distance to see. There were two
spikes bearing six flowers each, their color pure white, with no
tinge of pink. This collection is especially rich in white forms
of Cattleyas and Lelias, and no opportunity is lost to make it
as complete as possible. Perhaps the best of the colored
forms of Lelia autumnalis is the one known as L. atrorubens.
This is a rich carmine, and fades less than the commoner
kinds. They are all worth growing, since they last so long on
the plant, although when cut the flowers of L, autumnalis and
L. anceps keep poorly, presumably on account of the wiry
nature of their stems. When left on the plant they may be
enjoyed for three or four weeks.
Laelia Arnoldiana seems to be little more thana well-marked
form, probably geographical, of L. autumnalis, which it closely
resembles. It flowers at the same time of year. All of these
Lelias may be had in bloom at Christmas-time without any
trouble,
Mexican Lelias like plenty of light in the growing-season; a
very light coat of white lead, thinned with kerosene, and, if
desired, tinted with chrome-green, is a good shading medium,
as it comes off readily in the fall. A green-tinted shade is not
so conspicuous in the landscape as a white one. If shade has
to be provided early in the year, it is better to thin the white
lead with turpentine, as this dries rapidly, and is not liable to
be washed off by rain or evaporated moisture, as may hap-
pen when kerosene is used. In summer, when the kerosene
dries quickly, this objection to its use does not hold,
We use no material but Fern-root for these Mexican Orchids.
The resting period in winter, and the consequent drying out
of the material, soon kills moss, if it is used, and makes it
unfit for the roots, but if Fern-root alone is used, water
can be abundantly applied all through the growing season,
and with an airy house there is no trouble in growing these
Orchids and in producing bulbsas large as are made in Mexico,
EO. Orpet.
South Lancaster, Mass.
Luculia gratissima.—This is one of the oldest of garden-
plants, but, like many other beautiful greenhouse subjects, it
has been pushed to one side lately for some reason, possibly
owing to the rage for Orchids, It is the first exotic plant whose
name I mastered as a child, and I well remember how a speci-
men planted out in a warm house by my father used to fill the
house with the fragrance of its abundant flowers at Christmas-
time. For afew weeks past the Luculia has been a conspicu-
ously beautiful object here, and it isonly repeating what it has
done for several successive years. A correspondent tells me
how beautiful it is in the gardens of Mr. Sturtevant, in Califor-
nia, where it thrives in the open air. It would, no doubt,
prove a fine subject for outdoor planting in the climate of
Florida, wherever the Poinsettias live outdoors, as they do
in the Orange belt. It will endure any amount of sun-heat,
and will thrive here in the cool house in winter, so that Lucu-
lia will flourish wherever the Orange grows well. Itis a hand-
some plant for the greenhouse, and can be cut back after low-
ering every year so as to keep it in reasonable shape and
bounds. L. gratissima is hard to propagate, or at least bears
that reputation, but if cuttings are putin after the flowers have
been cut off, and rooted in a cool house, success is fairly certain,
In a warm propagating-house red spider is too likely to attack
the plants.
Euphorbia jacquinizflora is the older and best-known name
for a fine old winter-flowering plant now known as E, fulgens,
18
We always count on a fine lot of wreaths of scarlet bracts at
this period when choice flowers are scarce. Pot-culture is not
good treatment for this plant usually ; it is far better to plant it
out in a house similar to that in which Roses are grown, it will
stand all the sun in summer, and make fine growth that may
be trained up under the rafters, or at the ends of the house
where it will not interfere with the other occupants.
Bougainvillea glabra is now in full bloom, giving us our
winter crop of flowers that are really more useful than those
that come in summer, and better colored, too, for in summer
the house has to be shaded, and this lessens the intensity of
the color of the bright pink bracts. To get the Bougainvillea
in bloom at this season it is necessary to plant it out in a warm
house that is kept ata minimum of sixty-five degrees at night
in winter, and when this crop of bloom is cut off, the plant is
cut back and allowed to grow again. After flowering it is once
more cut backin late August, so that we get two crops of flow-
ers every year. Itisa mistake, when planting Bougainvillea
out, to give it unlimited root-room, the growth will be so lux-
uriant that it will not ower well, but if the roots are restricted
to a square yard of space, with soil two feet deep, the results
will be very satisfactory. Now that we have so fine a variety
of this old plant as that sent out recently by Sander, it is rea-
sonable to suppose that we shall see more of the Bougain-
villeas in gardens. They are beautiful greenhouse climbers,
doing equally well in a cool or a warm house, the long sprays
of bright pink flowers being admirably adapted for table-deco-
ration, and they show well under artificial light.
Boston, Mass. Plantsman.
Chrysanthemums, Old and New.—Before the Chrysanthemum
season passes entirely out of memory it may be worth while
to say a word about the yearly accounts of the great improve-
ments made in this flower. Now, it is true that the new
flowers which are so much in vogue are large and of great
substance, but in all that makes for beauty few of them have
any greater value than those which were grown ten years ago.
There have been occasional gains in new forms since that
time, as, for example, Mrs. Alpheus Hardy and Lillian Bird,
and there have been some additions which were noteworthy
for other features, as, for example, H. W. Lincoln, Viviand
Morel and a few others, but these are exceptional gains. No
effort has been made to secure varieties which were better for
cultivation in the open air, so that amateurs for the present
may as well confine themselves to old varieties, and especially
to those with thinner petals, as they are less liable to be injured
by frost. Years ago I cultivated the old Peter the Great, a
thin-petaled variety, which would endure a surprising degree
of cold. -
Elizabeth, N. J. F. N. Gerard.
Correspondence.
A Winter Water-garden.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—One of the most quaint and interesting remnants of an
old Dutch homestead in Flatbush, now an incorporated part
of the city of Brooklyn, is the roomy old mansion built to
replace one burned by the American soldiers to deprive the
British of its shelter during the Revolutionary War. The
white shingled sides are divided by many windows, with their
original small panes, and no fewer than seven doors open out
into the garden and grounds. This has for many years been
the residence of Mr. John McElvery, who is well known for
his success with aquatic plants, as well as in other branches of
horticulture. A lot, not above a half-acre in extent, provides
for trim lawn spaces, two open Water-lily tanks, and masses
of the best sorts of garden-flowers from March to November,
and this succession of flowers is accomplished by an amateur
grower, without any gardener and without any structure that
can be dignified by the name of a greenhouse. The human
and historic interest of this delightful home-garden is increased
by a corner set apart for colonies of bees and cotes of homing
pigeons, and by an old-time well, recently covered over, built,
as a stone near its curb records, in 1796, and which, until con-
nection was made with the town supply five years ago, fur-
nished all the water used on the place.
By an ingenious arrangement, the result of experiments
during the past five years, even winter is converted into a sea-
son of flowers, and on one of the coldest days last week I
found growing in what looked like a span-roofed cold frame,
abundant flowers and foliage of four varieties of tender Water-
lilies. In this long, low, glass-covered tank, in its setting of
snow frozen so hard that one could walk on its surface, were
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 359.
some thirty open flowers, pink, blue and white, and many
promising buds, A plant of Nymphza Zanzibarensis azurea
carried twelve flowers and buds, and several flowers of N.
dentata, each measured nine inches across their snowy petals.
Besides N. dentata there were in flower N. Devoniensis, N.
Zanzibarensis and N. Lotus, with its smaller and fuller flowers.
The leaves of the plants were healthy, and compared not un-
favorably with summer foliage, the larger ones being fourteen
inches across ; new ones continuously appear, so that some
have to be picked off from time to time to prevent their decay
from overlapping.
Mr. McElvery began with the idea of using the tanks fora
winter storage-house for tender and half-hardy varieties of
Water-lilies, but successive improvements have developed
this lowering winter-garden. The excavation, which measures
thirty-two feet in length and six feet in width, was dug three
feet deep and the sides and bottom lined with bricks set in
Portland cement. This has since been found to be too deep,
and a foot and a half of ordinary soil has been filled in; the
plants, which are all in pots, are thus brought nearer the sur-
face. The side walls are level with the surface of the ground,
above which is a twelve-inch plank an inch and a quarter
thick ; the water is kept about two inches below the top of the
wall. The ridge-pole along the centre supports sashes on
either side ; these are about fourteen inches above the water
at their lower end, with a pitch of eight inches trom the ridge-
pole. The sashes can. be lifted entirely, or, for ventilation,
may be pushed down from the top. In very cold weather
they are opened two or three inches during the middle of
each day, while in less rigorous weather more fresh air is
allowed. Itis practicable in almost any winter weather to lift
a sash fora short time to allow a better view of the flowers,
since there is a sufficient volume of warm, steaming air inside
to prevent a sudden chill. In very cold weather this rising
mist settles in the crevices and joints, and, being frozen, her-
metically seals the frame, so that, after a severe night, the
sashes cannot be lifted until the sun has thawed them out.
The heating of the tanks is arranged for at one end of the
frame, where a small pit, eight feet deep and reached by a
perpendicular ladder, contains standing space and a boiler-
room three and a half by four feet. The stove, as the arrange-
ments throughout, has developed under Mr. McElvery’s hands,
and beginning with a small, discarded heater which had made
the journey from Scotland years before, a self-feeding box was
arranged for coal above the fire-cylinder, which is encircled
with a boiler having a capacity of but three gallons. An inch
and a half supply-pipe of wrought iron enters the bottom of
the boiler, the connection of the hot-water pipe being made
at the top of the boiler, a foot above.
The tank was at first divided into four equal sections, each
eight feetlong, but the middle partition has been taken out, so
that there is now a centre section sixteen feet long, witha
section eight feet long at each end. Alargersurface was found
to be desirable to allow more room forthe leaves to spread,
and Mr. McElvery advises a width of nine feet instead of six,
for the same reason, and this wider stretch would still make it
easy to reach half-way across to remove the old leaves, The
central section and the smaller one nearest the furnace are
heated by hot-water pipes; the small section farthest removed
has no piping and is used only for wintering half-hardy aquat-
ics and for seedlings. The glass partition above the dividing
wall between the first and middle sections is omitted between
the middle and end sections, and considerable heat reaches
the storage-tank in this way. The first section is heated by a
return-pipe which extends through the middle of it, four inches
from the surface of the water. For the middle tank another
return-pipe is carried along the bottom of the first tank at the
side, where it is covered with asbestos and sealed in cement
to prevent escape of the heat until it passes into the large sec-
tion, through which it extends and returns to the boiler.
An expansion stand-pipe is provided in eachsection. Besides
these pipes, which have the necessary check cocks, a half-inch
pipe is arranged to carry fresh water. With but little care the
water is easily kept ata temperature of seventy-five to eighty de-
grees, which is the best suited to the health of the plants. Snails
are kept in check by raising the temperature to ninety degrees
once a week, and afterward turning ona spray of cold water,
which in winter averages sixty degrees, serving also to freshen
the tanks. A chance rise of temperature to I1o degrees did
not injure the plants, while an accidental increase to 130 de-
grees once killed N. Zanzibarensis and the hardier varieties.
In the cool section, at the remote end of the tank, are stored
Water Hyacinths and some plants of Nymphaea Mexicana,
which have not proved entirely hardy and have been lost in
the open ponds. Here the foliage keeps a bright green all the
JANUARY 9, 1895.]
winter. Nymphzea pygmea, the yellow N. helveola and
some seedlings of the Egyptian Lotus are also wintered in
this section. The latter, which usually flowers in two years,
have not yet bloomed here, though they are past three years
old.
During the recent cold wave the plants escaped any injury
in the sudden drop from thirty degrees to six degrees, and
after two weeks of freezing weather they continue to flower
luxuriantly. The sashes are, of course, very close to the
flowers, and the snow, after melting and freezing fast, cannot
well be removed without damage to the glass. Blankets were
thrown over the snowfall of a fortnight ago, and it thawed off
in two or three days, with no injury even to the buds. The
tops of the pots are from two to six inches below the surface
of the water, the older plants requiring sufficient depth of
water to float the leaves. The depth of water is not consid-
ered a material detail, and while Mr. McElvery uses pots, he
prefers pans for young plants. The soil in the pots is one-half
good garden-soil and one-half cow-manure. Better success is
had with fresh manure, although it causes a green scum, and
is likely to ferment and throw the bulbs out of the pots. The
scum is removed by overflow a few times at the beginning of
the season, when there is no further trouble. This is done by
laying a hose in the water, and thus gently floating the sur-
face, rather than playing a hose into the pond from above, with
the effect of dissipating the scum through the water.
Behind the ladder which leads into the furnace-pit, an ex-
cavation of thirty-six cubic feet gives room fora ton of coal,
and at the side of the furnace-pit a door opens into a glass-
covered cold pit, seven by ten feet. Here many garden-plants
are successfully wintered, and, among others, Amaryllis,
Imantophyllums and Azaleas come into flower. In a large
collection of the best Crinums, tender varieties, as C. Kirlxii,
C. ornatum and C. amabile, do especially well, and flower pro-
fusely in an average temperature of fifty degrees. The
entrance to the boiler-pit is covered with a trap-door, and an
extra, heavier door is provided for more complete exclusion of
cold and rain. The only other provision against weather
is a padding of straw along the sides of the tanks, which is
boxed in with boards.
The development of this successful winter pond has come
about through intelligent practical experiments, and no less
intelligent and affectionate interest in the plants themselves.
The expense of changes in piping, etc., has added considera-
bly to the cost of these frames as they now stand, but Mr.
McElvery estimates that with the digging, bricklaying and
cementing done by home-labor, the entire cost for frames of
similar size need not exceed $125.00. This includes the walls,
piping, sash and boiler. A ton of nut-coal lasts over two
months, and a water-garden on the south or south-west side
of a greenhouse, with connecting’ pipes from the greenhouse,
could be run at even less cost for fuel than is this separate
plant.
Altogether, this is a most instructive experiment, and it
shows how much can be done with a small expenditure of
money by one who really loves flowers. Mr. McElvery has
proved that it is just as easy to have choice Water-lilies in the
winter-time as any other flowers, and that they can be grown
quite as cheaply as any of the ordinary inhabitants of the
greenhouse. Indeed, they are grown at even less outlay, after
the first cost of the pond, than, perhaps, any other class of
flowering plants, and they practically take care of themselves,
the main work connected with their cultivation being to get
rid of the surplus plants. Mr. McElvery would doubtless give
further details relating to the arrangement of his tanks and
cultural directions to any one interested in the subject.
Brooklyn, N. Y. M. B.C.
Recent Publications.
Timber-trees, Native and Foreign. By the late Thomas
Laslett. Second edition, completely revised, with numerous
additions and illustrations, by H. Marshall Ward, Professor
of Botany in the Royal Indian Engineering College,
Cooper's Hall. Macmillan & Co., London and New York.
1894.
A number of trees in North America are popularly called
Pitch Pines, a common appellation in this country for all
the species with two or three leaves in a sheath, thick
ridged bark and coarse resinous wood. ‘The Pitch Pine of
New England and of the middle states on the Atlantic sea-
board is Pinus rigida, a common species at the north, but
in the south only found on some of the foot-hills of the
Garden and Forest.
19
Apalachian Mountains, reaching the extreme southern
limits of its range in northern Georgia. The wood of this
tree, except for fuel, has little value, although at the time
of the first settlement of the mountainous parts of the mid-
dle states, and before railroads made the transportation of
timber from one part of the country to another possible, the
trunks were sometimes hewn into sills and beams for
houses. In the first edition of Mr. Laslett’s work we are
told that this tree is found spread over a wide tract of coun-
try between the Penobscot and Mississippi rivers and that
the wood is chiefly employed in shipbuilding. The wood
is carefully described, and tables showing the results of
experiments undertaken to test its strength are published.
We are told, too, that the’southern states produce the best
spars for masts, timber and plank, and that these are
shipped to England from the ports of Savannah, Darien
and Pensacola. In the present edition this chapter is
reprinted without change, except that the editor tells us that
Pinus rigida must be distinguished from the very dif-
ferent Pinus australis, called Pitch Pine in the southern
states.
It is impossible to know, of course, whether the tables
relate to experiments made on the wood of Pinus rigida or
of Pinus australis ; presumedly, however, they relate to the
last species, for the wood of Pinus rigida probably rarely
reaches England, all the American pitch pine used in
Europe being the wood of Pinus palustris, of which Pinus
australis isa synonym. This confusion in the minds of
Europeans with regard to these two trees, one the most
valuable of all Pine-trees, and the other one of the least
valuable, is of ancient date, and year after year European
silviculturists import quantities of seeds of Pinus rigida
in the belief that they are to produce the trees that yield
the American pitch pine of commerce. Errors of this kind
die hard, but it was not to ‘have been expected that such a
palpable one which has been exposed over and over again
in standard American publications would be perpetuated in
a work of such scientific pretensions as this.
Timber and Timber-trees deals primarily with timbers of
the British colonies, although this hardly seems the reason
for dismissing Pinus palustris, one of the most valuable tim-
ber-trees of the world, with half adozen lines; but this short
paragraph enables the editor to insist, after having mixed
up this species with Pinus rigida, that ‘‘it must be distin-
guished from the northern Pinus rigida, etc., which is exported
under the same name.” Nor does it seem possible that
any work upon timbers could have been written in these
days without some allusion to the California Redwood, or to
the Port Orford Cedar of Oregon, or to those most valuable
Japanese woods produced by two species of Chamecy-
paris and by Zelkowa Keaki. It seems strange, with our
ideas of botanical geography, to read of Picea Engel-
manni as an inhabitant of Canada and the northern states,
although this Rocky Mountain species does reach in a
comparatively depauperate form some of the mountain
ranges of British Columbia.
Americans who have seen the great Live Oaks of the
south Atlantic coast region, with trunks six to eight feet in
diameter and immense limbs shooting out fora distance of
fifty or sixty feet, will be surprised to find this tree de-
scribed in a scientific work as a tree ‘of very moderate
dimensions when compared with the White Oak, its usual
height being only about thirty-five to forty-five feet, with a
diameter of twelve to eighteen inches.” No specimens of
this wood could be obtained in England large enough for
testing, but Mr. Laslett judged from its appearance that it
was stronger than that of any other known Oak, although
in reality the wood vf eight other species of North Ameri-
can Oaks is stronger. This has already been published
more than once; but, curiously enough, Professor Ward
appears to have overlooked the fact that the Government
of the United States instituted fifteen years ago a compre-
hensive series of tests to determine the value of the wood
of every North American tree, and that the results of these
tests were printed in elaborate tables in the ninth volume
20
of the Final Reports of the Tenth Census of the United
States.
The value of Zimber and Timber-irees, in its second edi-
tion, is greatly enhanced by Professor Ward’s introduction,
in which he discusses the nature of timber, with the different
ways of looking at it by different classes of individuals,
such as timber merchants, engineers and builders, carpen-
ters, chemists, physicists, botanists, foresters, etc., and he
has recast and brought down to date the chapters on the
growth and structure of trees, on their diseases, and on the
seasoning and preservation of timbers; and it is to be re-
gretted that that portion of the work devoted to the specific
account of the different timber-trees of the world and their
products has not been also brought up to the existing state
of our knowledge of the subject.
Notes.
The people of Baltimore have decided by vote to invest a
million dollars in another park. The ground selected is well
known as Clifton, the splendid estate of the late Johns Hop-
kins, and one of the many beautiful country homes that lie on
the outskirts of the city. The money for this park has been
accumulating for twenty-five years from annual taxes on the
gross revenue of the street-railway companies.
A new Peach called the Triumph, and originated in Georgia
- by Mr. J. D. Husted, is a freestone variety, which ripens as
early as the Alexander and other clingstones. Charles Down-
ing said that a freestone peach as large, early, handsome and
as good in quality as the Alexander would be worth millions
of dollars. Mr. J. H. Hale, who usually speaks with caution,
states his belief that the Triumph has all these good qualities.
The report of the legislative committee which was appointed
to investigate the charges of fraud in the administration of the
Minnesota Pine-lands seems to have discovered a great many
abuses, and it is believed that the state will be able to collect
many thousands of dollars as the result of their labors. It is
plain that immense amounts of timber have been dishonestly
taken and sold, and it is charged that the Hinckley forest-
fires, whch destroyed more than five hundred lives and mil-
lions of dollars’ worth of timber, were set by stumpage-thieves
to cover up their stealings of timber in the state lands.
The Dutchess County Horticultural Society was organized at
Poughkeepsie on the second of January, with the following
officers: President, James Blair, gardener to Ogden Mills;
Vice-President, M. J. Lynch, Poughkeepsie ; Treasurer, James
Sloan, Poughkeepsie ; Secretary, Wallace Gomersell, gardener
to Winthrop Sargent, Fishkill-on-Hudson. It is creditable to
the gardeners and florists of that section that they have formed
such a society, and it is to be hoped that they will have abun-
dant coéperation and sympathy, especially from the landed
proprietors in this favoredregion. There ought to be many
true friends of horticulture in Dutchess County outside of the
ranks of those who have made it the business of their lives.
In a bulletin recently published by Professor E. W. Hilgard,
of the University of California, it is stated that the Australian
Salt Bush, Atriplex semibaccatum, can be grown as success-
fully on the alkali lands of the San Joaquin valley and else-
where in that state as a forage-plant. Where the percentage
of alkali in the soil is very high this can be materially reduced
by planting the Salt Bush and removing each cutting from the
land. The yield is double that of either Oats, Barley or Wheat
hay and as much as that of Alfalfa, while its composition out-
side of the Ash makes it an excellent stock-food, and it seems
to be readily eaten by them. It is not definitely known whether
the large amount of saline ingredients would be harmless to
milch cows. Certainly they would not need any salt, and if no
purgative effects follow the eating of the plant no other disad-
vantages need be apprehended.
The Bushberg Catalogue, which we have again received, is
something more than a mere catalogue. Its full description
of the various kinds of Grapes cultivated in this country, makes
it very useful and convenient for reference, but the chapters
which precede this list also have a genuine and permanent
value. The notes on the classification of true Grapevines by
Dr. George Engelmann, the viticultural observations on our
native species by T. V. Munson, the chapter on fungous dis-
eases of the Grape and their treatment by Professor B. T. Gal-
loway, the account of insects injurious to the vine, as well as
Garden and Forest. |
[NUMBER 359.
those which are beneficial, by Professor C. V. Riley—all these
are the work of recognized experts, and besides these there
are practical notes on climate, soil, planting, cultivating, graft-
ing, training, packing, wine-making, etc., which are instructive
and helpful, so that the book can be commended asa _ useful
one to all those who grow grapes for market or for home use.
It is issued by Bush & Son & Meissner, Bushberg, Missouri, at
the price of fifty cents.
Now that a growing interest is manifest in the subject of
nut-culture, Dr. Hoskins observes that too little is said about
the Butternut, especially for growing in the cold north. In .
quality the meat of the butternut is rich, and, to some people,
it is more agreeable than that of the English walnut, but its
rough outside is not attractive and its shell is hard. Wenever
heard of any attempt at growing select varieties, although the
wild trees differ very much in the quality of their nuts. Per-
haps some varieties of value could be secured by crossing our
native Butternuts with the foreign species, and a seedling
Butternut will bear when it is quite young. Dr. Hoskins
planted a few butternuts in rows sixteen years ago, and the
trees from this seed have been bearing good nuts for several
years, and he finds that the best varieties can readily be
grafted on trees bearing inferior nuts. The whole business is
simple, and Dr. Hoskins has proved that growing butternuts
will pay, at least as well as growing apples.
Inan excellent paper on the Ventilation of Glass Houses,
read before the Society of Minnesota Florists, Mr. Lewis
Wilde argued against the common error of considering venti-
lation nothing more than an easy means of regulating temper-
ature. He explains how the change of the exhausted air of
the houses for the purer outside air supplles carbonic acid
gas, to be taken up by the leaves of plants, and especially how
ventilation regulates the moisture in the air which indirectly
influences the growing process of plants. Whenthe airin a
house is completely saturated with moisture no transpiration
from the leaves can take place, and, therefore, no water con-
taining diluted food is taken up by the roots, and consequently
the plants will grow feeble or die. This is the danger in cool
weather when the houses have been watered and syringed
without ventilation. When the ventilators are open, the mois-
ture-laden air is replaced by the drier air from without, the
leaves at once begin to evaporate moisture and root-action and
nutrition goes on in anormal way. The fact that as the air
grows warmer it is capable of taking up more vapor furnishes
a probable reason for the check of Roses under glass in the
autumn and spring when there is no fire-heat. During the day
the temperature will rise high and it will sink correspondingly
during the night and early morning. In the daytime a large
quantity of vapor is taken up, enough to completely saturate
the air when it cools down at night, and the Rose-leaves, not
being able to evaporate any moisture, will suffer a check as
soon as the rays of sun fall on them. In order to prevent this,
fresh air should be given during the night with fire-heat when
the temperature does not fall below sixty degrees.
Florida oranges, which have been wholesaling at about
$2.00 a box, have advanced to $4 00 and $5.00, with a prospect
of a still further advance for good fruit, if any can be secured.
The cold wave which visited Florida in the last days of De-
cember was the most disastrous known in the history of that
state. Ice formed an inch thick as far south as Lake Worth,
and in many other sheltered places where Orange-groves had
heretofore been safe, the fruit was frozen solid on the trees.
The loss to the fruit-growers, as well as the merchants, trans-
portation companies, the packers and all those in any way
connected with what promised to be a most profitable season,
has been almost as serious as if the state had been swept over
by fire. Owing to the drought of last summer the Orange-
trees bloomed late in the fall, and there was promise of a large
crop of late fruit. Of course, this is all destroyed, and the fruit-
buds for next year’s bloom are probably ruined. Many young
orchards are killed, and many of the old trees will be cut back
seriously. Thesalable oranges now arriving in this city are
those which had been picked and were in packing-houses be-
fore the cold wave. Some oranges which were caught by the
frost in transit bring little or nothing. Grape-fruit now sells at
$6.00 a box at wholesale, and the price is steadily advancing.
To meet the deficiency caused by the disaster in Florida, large
orders have been cabled for Messina and Palermo oranges,
and Sicilian fruit now here is commanding high prices.
Oranges are already selling in the groves in California at an
advance of $1.50 a box. Apples and other fruit have not yet
felt the effects of the scarcity of oranges, but all kinds of win-
ter fruit will probably be dearer as they are called upon to
supply the deficiency.
JANUARY 16, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
OrrFicE: Tripune Burtpinc, New York.
Gonducted iby) <-jes-s- ce. = Se) -s je ss Professor GC. 'S.. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Ye
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE,
EpiroriAL ARTICLE :—A Novel School of Horticulture................ccccceee ee 21
Notes on the Tree Flora of the Chiricahua Mountains.—lI. (With figures.)
F W. Toumey. 22
‘Ambindinmon in Gian: © Orie veins sicic clirieeslnecaiceie + ce we T. H. Hoskins, M.D. 23
ForEIGN CoRRESPONDENCE :—London Lelter....-..-++-+esseeeeeeee es W. Watson. 23
TWAIN LOTTE Seee ciepet ete etate sister taveielate state sain afetmaieisSaleicselsleis 3 0°86: as'sie.c pssieinin.c.«'sleciainiwssic'e’s 25
CutturaL DeparTMENT:—Notes on Carnations....W N. Crazg, T. D. Hatfield. 26
(Glos beacnacadocge tr cna adne. Sod gob Aone SoennSer rs Beare William Scott. 27
IMIS YO ONG jorarainlaelale sie, o Miayel= elsin= siatsi
Notes.
Following the example of the common garden Pea, a sport
of the Sweet Pea seems to have abandoned its climbing habit
and developed a dwarf variety which grows only five inches
high, making a low tuft of short branches, which bear white
flowers for an unusually long period, and in such quantities as
to cover the plant. The plant is named Cupid, and Burpee
90
& Co., of Philadelphia, announce that it will be distributed
next year.
A statue has recently been erected at Montpellier, in the
south of France, to commemorate the life and services of the
distinguished botanist, Gustave Planchon, to whom, after a
study of the phylloxera on American Grape-vines, was largely
due the rehabilitation of the Vines of France after they had
been ravaged by that insect. It is the work of the sculptor
Baussan, and represents a laborer offering a Vine-branch to
Planchon.
Small compact plants of Spiraea Thunbergii, of which we
have spoken on another page of this issue, have sometimes
been used for winter-forcing with good effect, and we have
lately seen some good branches of this plant which madea
fair show of flowers when placed in water. The buds are
fully formed in autumn, and its habit of early flowering is
often indicated by the white blossoms which it bears during
mild days in November.
Cos Lettuces have never been as popular in this country as
they are in Europe, although for flavor and tenderness the
best of them are superior. Of course, they form no head, but
if the leaves are gathered up and tied the inner ones will soon
become blanched and brittle. A correspondent of American
Gardening has found that a slender rubber band slipped over
the outside leaves of the plant will answer every purpose, and,
of course, this is much more expeditious than tying.
A bulletin from the Agricultural College of Texas, which
treats of fruits for that state, gives the information that native
Plums of the Wild Goose groupand of the Americana group do
not seem so well adapted to Texas as those of the Chickasaw
group. The European varieties have almost entirely failed.
Japanese varieties also seem to do well. The Kaki, or so-
called Japan Persimmon, is also promising, and thrives well in
Texas when budded on stock of the native wild Persimmon.
There seems to be no end to the problems which confront
workers in the higher branches of horticulture. Some men of
science in France have been making a study of plants grown
from the seeds produced on grafted plants, and they seem to
have demonstrated that the seedlings may partake of the
character of the stock as well as of the cion—that is, a seed-
ling from a graft may be, in a certain sense, a hybrid inherit-
ing the qualities both of the plant which is used as a cion and
the plant used as a stock. These experiments have been con-
fined to herbaceous plants, and they show that, for example,
when a Turnip is grafted on.a stock of Garlic Mustard, plants
from the seed showed a marked reversion to the wild type,
and when this Garlic Mustard was grafted on Cabbage the
seedlings showed a likeness to the Cabbage-plant, and had a
less marked smell of garlic than the wild plant, combined with
something of the odor of the cabbage-leaf. Of course, if this
is true, it is not improbable that the same law holds through-
out the vegetable kingdom, and when, for example, we cross
two varieties of grafted Apples the seedlings may show not
only the characteristics of the parent plants, but of the cions
upon which they grow. In this way a hybrid Apple may have
four parents, to each of which it is responsible for some of its
characters, not to speak of the qualities it may have inherited
from the numerous ancestors of each of these parents.
Dr. Hoskins has been giving instructions about planting
orchards in northern New England, and some of his advice,
while by no means new, cannot be too often repeated. Much
depends on getting first-rate trees to start with, and the stock
should be bought, therefore, of a trustworthy firm and not of
traveling peddlers, who too often supply poor trees of poor
varieties in poor condition. When taken from the nursery as
much of the roots should be taken as possible, and in an un-
mangled condition, but where their ends are bruised they
should be trimmed smoothly with an undercut with a sharp
knife. They should be planted as quickly as possible in their
natural position, with the roots sloping downward somewhat
from the trunk and with fine soil carefully worked in about
the fibres, and firmly set with a slight inclination toward the
southwest, otherwise the prevailing wind will bend them as
much the other way in a few years, and the hot sun will in-
jure the bark on that side of the tree. The first point in the
selection of a position for an orchard is to have good soil. An
Apple-tree has not only to grow, but it has to produce abun-
dant fruit if it will pay. The tree may appear to thrive when
it has not much nutriment fora while, but as it increases in
size it will demand more food, and if it does not get enough
it will have a scrubby growth, even before it comes into bear-
ing. Where land has been run down it must be enriched until
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 366.
it is good enough to give a crop of Corn, and unless a young
orchard makes an annual growth of, at least, a foot of
new wood every year, the ground should be manured
thoroughly.
In arecent address, Dr. E. H. Jenkins, of the Connecticut
Experiment Station, argued against the usual practice of esti-
mating the value of stable-manure simply from its contents of
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Stable-manure contains
elements of value to soils which chemical fertilizers cannot
supply, and without which they cannot produce their full
effect. These elements regulate the heat and moisture of the
soil, together with its powers of nitrification. This organic
matter produces the black mold which holds water, makes
leachy soils retentive of moisture and keeps other soils, in
which chemical fertilizers are used freely year after year, from
becoming hard and cloddy. This humusisa specially valua-
ble part of manure, because we do not get it in commercial
fertilizers, and we cannot get it in any other way in such good
condition as we can through the manure pile. These facts
emphasize the importance of a supply of litter in the stable,
not only as an article of comfort and cleanliness to animals,
but because it adds largely to the value of the manure decay-
ing along with it and performing an important use in the soil.
Stable-manure exposed to leaching and drainage will lose the
greater part of its value, and even in a tightly packed pile one-
quarter of its nitrogen and one-third of its organic matter may
be lost by fermentation in half a year. Kainit, where the
manure is to be used on sandy soil, and superphosphate gyp-
sum, where the manure is to be used on heavy soils, when
mixed with the manure pile, will entirely prevent the loss of
nitrogen and largely preserve the organic matter. A mixture,
in the proportion of four parts of dissolved phosphate rock
with three parts of plaster, should be used at the rate of one to
one anda half pounds a day for each head of stock, and when
kainit is used the proper amount is from one and a half to two
pounds aday.
But for the two disastrous periods of zero weather which deso-
lated the Orange groves of Florida the market here would now
have been well supplied with fruit from that state. Probably
the number of oranges destroyed in Florida would amount to
as many as the entire California crop, which is arriving under
the most favorable conditions for profit to the growers. The
great bulk of the supply from the West Indies is already here,
although these islands will provide limited quantities for a
month to come. The Valencia fruit has been injured by cold,
and the season for Sicily oranges will not be at its height until
the larger part of the California supply will have been mar-
keted. And yet choice fruit from California commands little
more than it does in ordinary seasons. A very limited supply
of hot-house strawberries and hot-house grapes can be dis-
posed of at fancy prices, but the great mass of buyers will only
pay reasonable rates for fruit for daily consumption, and they
will go without oranges rather than buy them at $5.00 a box,
however high their quality. It should be said, too, that the
California fruit is unusually good this year. There has been
no chilling weather on the Pacific coast, so that the oranges
are more juicy than they usually are, and the crop this year is
said to be the best in color and quality ever sent to the east.
Perhaps the dry and cottony quality of California oranges in
some former years has prejudiced New York buyers against
them, and the fact that frozen and, therefore, worthless fruit
from Florida has been sold to some extent, has also made
them cautious. However this may be, the best California
oranges are not realizing what they would naturally be sup-
posed to command under the present remarkable conditions.
Nevertheless, the oranges which are arriving here at the rate
of twenty to twenty-five car-loads a week, are all disposed of
at good prices, and the lower grades are selling for more
money than in ordinary years. Altogether, then, the Cali-
fornia fruit-growers have nothing to complain of, and it is
probable that if the Florida supply had been uninjured the
year would have been a disastrous one to them. Oranges
from Jamaica, Havana and Abaco, one of the Bahama Islands,
and from Sicily are selling well, but the fancy fruit of the sea-
son, no doubt, comes from California. A few heads of cauli-
flower which came from California with the first shipments of
oranges found a ready sale, and owing to the good quality and
the dearth of fresh vegetables from the south, cauliflower is
now coming across thecontinent by thecar-load. Large, bright
heads sell at retail for fifty cents each. Artichokes from
southern France and Algiers are in good supply, and sell at
twenty-five cents each. String-beans are coming from Ber-
muda, and all northern-grown hot-house vegetables are in
good demand and profitable to the growers.
Marcu 6, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: TripuNg Buitpinc, New York,
Gonducted by « . .°s « s « «+ » «» Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y-
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Epiror1aAL ARTICLE :—City Engineers and Public Parks
Notes on North American Oaks. (With figures
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter...-..-+.+
Piant Nores
CutTuRAL DeparTMENT :—Grapes in North-eastern Vermont. 7: H., Hoskins, M.D. 96
GT eves ete eines iar ented Bes se oisitra De eYalaislae vince v\e.0 sis.a%e wix'ss -William Scott. 97
Nelumbiums..... oa, Weicker. 97
A Few Annuals -. 3. N. Gerard. 097
CorRESPONDENCE :—The Cultivation of Tea in Americ «veil F Alwes, 98
Flowering House-plants for Early Winter . Lora S. La Mance. 98
Notes from Wellesley, Massachusetts, and its Vic inity Faiths W.N. Craig 98
MEETINGS OF Soci IES: :—American Carnation Society. . 99
RECENT. PUBLICATIONS .....0ccesscccecsscnesecsscecsccece 99
INOTES eesy cies «.ecereiciels , at least, before April 1st. More
frequent waterings will now be found necessary. Violets are
more often injured by too little than by too much water. A
little liquid-manure can advantageously be used; an applica-
tion once a week during the remainder of the flowering season
will be helpful. As the midday sun is now strong, some shade
should be given to the plants for a few hours every day.
Lath shadings are good for this purpose, but if these are not
at hand a light coating of lime-wash should be applied to the
glass. This shading keeps the plants cooler, and Violets dis-
like a high temperature. We find that the flowers come of a
deeper color and last much better when grown in shaded
frames than when exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Air
must be freely admitted, for no plant resents coddling more
than the Violet. Runners are now being produced quite
freely ; the best of these can be taken off and dibbled quite
thickly into boxes of sandy compost, care being taken to
secure stock from the healthiest and most vigorous plants.
Lady Hume Campbell is not a satisfactory winter bloomer in
cold frames with us, and it appears to require more heat than
Marie Louise, which blooms freely all winter long, and up till
March Ist had given ten times as many flowers to plants as
the Lady Campbell; the last-named sort is now flowering
abundantly. As grown by Mr. H. Nuebner, of Groton, Massa-
chusetts, this variety is superb, and with most growers it has
been a success. It cannot be called disease-proof, however,
as we have during the present winter seen two or three estab-
lishments where it had been quite wiped out by the leaf-curl.
Where Marie Louise can be grown well it is still ahead of
all its competitors. The new Farquhar promises to make a
strong bid for popular favor. Some three weeks ago I visited
the greenhouses of the Messrs. Farquhar, in Roslindale,
Massachusetts, to see the new variety at home, and looking
over the whole stock saw no trace of disease. Every plant
seemed in perfect health; the flowers were of good size and
borne on long stems. The color is similar to that of Marie
Louise, although the distributers of the plant claim that it
comes even darker. It more nearly resembles Marie Louise
than Lady Campbell, although it seems quite distinct from
both in habit when a batch of the two is seen together. Mr.
Farquhar pointed outa number of plants of their new kind
planted among the diseased stock, which were perfectly clean,
and yet we have no idea that it will be proof against disease,
Garden and Forest.
107
Among single Violets it is still hard to beat the Czar. One
or two other kinds produce a few more flowers, but they are
of greatly inferior quality. Wellsiana is a fine kind, but pro-
duces runners sparingly, hence is increased slowly. The new
California will be quite extensively planted next fall : so far as
we can judge from flowers on young plants received, itis very
similar to the Czar, but if it produces flower-stems of the size
and quality claimed and proves a satisfactory winter bloomer,
it may eventually supplant that good old variety.
W.N. Craig.
Taunton, Mass.
New Grapes.
HOSE who are looking for new grapes of high quality
may safely select the Alice, which keeps well in common
storage until March. It resembles Diana more closely than
any other grape I know, but the color is more like that of
Catawba. The flavor is sweet, and the skin lacks wholly the
unpleasant tang left by Catawba. In the size of cluster and
in general appearance Alice is much like Delaware, but the
berry is fully as large as that of Catawba. The skin is tough,
and dries like that of Diana, without rotting, and the grape is
sugary, gualities which suggest that it would make good
raisins. The seeds are small, and there are not many of them.
It ripens about September 20th to September 3oth. Growers
of this Grape report that the wood is hardy and matures well,
and that its foliage is heavy and the canes strong.
Mr. George C. Campbell, of Delaware, Ohio, the veteran
Grape-grower of the United States, has a seedling which
ripens early, the grapes being large and black. This new sort
has not yet been sent out, but one more really good Grape
may safely be counted upon.
Of the Concord seedlings and other recently introduced
early or late white sorts, Colerain seems to me the best. It is
one of the earliest, ripening about the last of August. It has
few seeds, and these are small, and medium-sized bunches of
good-sized berries. The color is greenish white, with a fine
bloom. The vine is.astrong grower, and it is altogether hardy.
Points which all new Grapes should include are short-jointed
wood, berries of good size, adherence to the stem after ripen-
ing, small and few seeds, uniformity in ripening. Of course,
quality and quantity will be demanded. An otherwise excel-
lent Grape, the Diamond, is lacking in uniformity of ripening,
and itis altogether uncertain whether it will mature by Sep-
tember roth or not until a month later. Many of Rogers’
seedlings are, like Lindley, too long-jointed.
Clinton, N.Y. PEW ER Ce
Early Flowers.—The winter season just closing was remark-
able in this locality for continued low temperature. From
Christmas until the end of February there was seldom even a
superficial softening of the ground on sunny days, and there
were no nights without a freezing temperature. Under these
conditions winter flowers made no progress, and Snowdrops,
which were showing color in the middle of December, made
no advances until the slightly rising temperature of the first
days of March allowed them to expand. Now Snowdrops are
daily becoming more plentiful, and the first of the Scillas are
showing color, while the earliest Crocuses are in bud.
The Snowdrops in flower at present are Galanthus imperati,
Atkins’ fine variety,and forms of G. Elwesii. The newer
forms, G. Aidin, G. Cassaba, G. globosus and G. unguicularis,
are as forward to flower as the type. The scorching cold
has burned foliage not affected in ordinary winters. The leaves
of Oriental Poppies have been cut off, and Primulas are mats
of brown leaves. Some of the early Irises have lost their
foliage, while others are fresh and untouched. The vagaries
of frost are past finding out.
Elizabeth, N, te 8 FIV, Gs
The Columbian Raspberry.—From my experience with the
Columbian Raspberry I have found thatthe stalk is sometimes
as large as a stout staff and the general growth is very luxu-
tiant. The fruit is more dry than that of the Schaffer, and will
both ship and can better. Itis more nearly a purple than a
red raspberry, butthe color is brighter than that of Schaffer in
the dried berries. The yield is enormous. It is unquestion-
ably a cross of Blackcap and Red Raspberry parents. My seed-
lings of Schaffer almost all came black, and they are subject
to the same disease that affects our black Raspberry—an an-
thracnose—the same disease which put an end to growing the
purple Rochelle and which threatens to kill out the Schaffer.
It is a mistaken prejudice with the majority of buyers to pre-
fer red raspberries for all uses, but for home use I think the
Columbian a decided acquisition.
Clinton, N. Y. q 1 aN ec? vise ss 4 ats.g/se,sarctsled ecient L. 167
Double English Primroses. .E. O. Orpet. 167
Cyrtopodium punctatum...... 0... .see cece eee eee e ee ee eee e eee ee eee O. 167
CoRRESPONDENCE :—The Olive and the Lemon in Southern California,
Wm, M. Tisdale. 168
Notesyirom! WestiVireiniavscaa ceceetsceeadton ces sisces Danske Dandridge. 168
Some Hyacinths and Grape Hyacinths. Ff. N. Gerard. 169
RecenT PUBLICATIONS ..
DN OLES socio atten screiceas 1
Ittustration :—Magnolia macrophylla, at Wellesley, Massachusetts, Fig. 26... 165
Magnolias as Garden Plants.
HE illustration on page 165 of this issue, made from
a photograph of a tree in Mr. Hunnewell’s garden at
Wellesley, in eastern Massachusetts, shows that this south-
ern plant is capable of flourishing in regions of far greater
cold than that which usually prevails in its native home.
Of all the Magnolias, a genus celebrated for its large and
handsome flowers and large leaves, this species produces
the largest flowers and leaves, and the flowers and leaves
of no other inhabitant of extra-tropical forests equal them
in size.
Magnolia macrophylla is a stately tree, with horizontal
wide-spreading branches, and in its native forests some-
times attains a height of fifty feet and produces a trunk
eighteen or twenty inches in diameter. The leaves, which
are Clustered at the ends of the stout branches, are bright
light green on the upper surface and silvery white on the
lower, often thirty inches long and nine or ten inches
broad, and form a splendid setting to the creamy-white
fragrant flowers which, when fully expanded, are often
twelve inches in diameter. Photographs or words cannot
express the beauty of one of these trees when it is in
bloom, or convey any idea of the solemnity of the great
flowers, which one cannot contemplate without a feeling
of reverence and awe and a sense of wonder that Nature
in her wisdom and for some good purpose has placed in
our forests of Oaks and Pines such a marvel of rich and
gorgeous beauty.
Magnolia macrophylla belongs to a region of luxuriant
and varied forest-growth, its home being at the base of the
southern Alleghany Mountains, where it is distributed from
western North Carolina and south-eastern Kentucky to
middle and western Florida and southern Alabama, extend-
ing also through northern Mississippi and inhabiting cen-
tral Arkansas. Known only in a few widely separated
stations in the Atlantic states, this tree is more abundant
west of the Alleghany Mountains, and seems to grow toits
largest size in some sheltered limestone valleys of northern
Alabama. Protection from the wind is essential to it, as
its great delicate leaves are easily torn to pieces and de-
Garden and Forest.
101
stroyed by the wind, and it is always found in small
groves in forest-glades or little valleys, surrounded and
often overshadowed by Swamp Chestnut Oaks, Dogwoods,
Hickories and Gum-trees. It is a century since the elder
Michaux, the French botanist and traveler who- explored
eastern North America under the auspices of the French
Government, discovered this tree near the town of Char-
lotte, in North Carolina, but it has never been much culti-
vated or become very well known in gardens. That it is
not more often seen in those of the northern states is cer-
tainly surprising, for, after its first years when young plants
are better for a little protection, it is very hardy and begins
to flower when only a few years old. In Europe, especially
in England, Magnolia macrophylla feels the want of the
hot summers and dry autumns of eastern America to ripen
its wood, and, like many other North American trees, does
not flower satisfactorily. This is true of most other Mag-
nolias, which, as a general rule, are more satisfactory gar-
den plants in the eastern United States and in China and
Japan than in other parts of the world—a fact that is ex-
plained by the distribution of the genus which is now
chiefly confined to eastern America and eastern Asia, al-
though four species extend into the forests of the tropical
eastern Himalaya.
Twenty Magnolias are known, although it is not im-
probable that others will yet be found in the almost unex-
plored forests that cover the mountains of south-western
China, where trees of various genera abound and where
one species of Magnolia is already known.
The Magnolias can be grouped into two sections. Those
of the first section produce flowers before the appearance
of the leaves, while in those of the second section the
flowers do not open until after the leaves have grown to
their full size. All the American Magnolias belong to the
second of these sections, the species with precocious flow-
ers being confined to Japan, China and India. To this
section belong the Chinese Yulan Magnolia, Magnolia con-
spicua, and its various hybrids and varieties; Magnolia
Kobus, a large tree of northern Japan; Magnolia salici-
folia, of northern Hondo, a small shrubby tree with fragrant
foliage, recently introduced into cultivation; the shrubby
Magnolia stellata, and Magnolia Campbellii, of Sikkim, a
stately tree with rose-colored or pink flowers. This tree,
which, unfortunately, is not hardy in the northern states,
has produced flowers in southern Ireland, and it may pos-
sibly thrive in our southern states, where its cultivation
certainly should be attempted.
Of exotic species of the first section Magnolia hypoleuca
is best worth cultivating in this country. It is a noble
tree, growing sometimes in the forests of Yezo to a height
of one hundred feet, with large leaves arranged in whorls
at the ends of the branches, and large flowers with white
sepals and petals, and prominent cones of bright red car-
pels. In foliage and flowers Magnolia hypoleuca resem-
bles our American Magnolia tripetala, but it 1s a larger and
handsomer tree and much hardier in the northern states.
In the great evergreen Magnolia of the southern states
the temperate countries of the world have the most beauti-
ful evergreen tree known in gardens. With its smaller but
more fragrant flowers and its lustrous leaves, deciduous at
the north and persistent at the south, the Swamp Bay, Mag-
nolia glauca, is an ornamental tree of peculiar charm and
beauty. These two and Magnolia macrophylla are the
most valuable of the American Magnolias among orna-
mental trees, but the other species have each their peculiar
beauty, and Magnolia acuminata is also an important
timber-tree. ss
We have desired, in writing these notes on Magnolias, to
call attention to the fact that our climate is specially suited
to the cultivation of these trees. All the American species,
with the exception of the evergreen Magnolia of the south,
are perfectly hardy as far north as eastern New England.
Magnolia hypoleuca and Magnolia Kobus are apparently
as hardy here as in their native forests of Yezo, and prom-
ise to grow here to a large size. Magnolia Watseni and
162
Magnolia parviflora, of China, deciduous-leaved species
with beautiful, fragrant, cup-shaped flowers, are both
hardy here and delightful garden-plants ; and all the pre-
cocious-flowered Yulan race grow and flourish here with
as much freedom as in the gardens of China and Japan,
spreading, when all deciduous-leaved trees are still bare of
foliage, marvelous clouds of snowy white or purple bloom.
Tue contributions to the Parkman memorial, of which we
spoke last week, have already been so liberal that the suc-
cess of the project is put beyond question. It is the desire
of the committee, however, that as large a number of peo-
ple as possible should be allowed to assist in this work.
Francis Parkman inspired his readers with feelings akin to
personal affection, and all who desire to manifest this sen-
timent of regard ought to be allowed to help in this com-
memorative work. Indeed, the committee have reached a
point where they would prefer to receive the contribution
of a single dollar, if it is given with enthusiasm and affec-
tion, rather than a much larger sum from one who sub-
scribes simply to be in the fashion. We repeat that contri-
butions of any amount can be sent to Mr. Henry L.
Higginson, 44 State Street, Boston.
Forestry and the Abandoned Farm.
N the “Descriptive Catalogue of Farms in Massachu-
setts, abandoned or partially abandoned,” issued by the
State Board of Agriculture, are descriptions of farms con-
taining considerable land growing up to forests. The
woodlands are referred to after this manner, in the list of
descriptions of farms: ‘‘It is estimated that there are sixty
tons of hemlock bark on the place.” ‘Estimated that there
are 200,000 feet of lumber on the place.” “I think there
is $2,000 worth of wood and timber on the place, princi-
pally pine and hemlock.” “Itis estimated that there are
over 2,000 cords of wood on the place.”
Believing that in the future, perhaps in my own time,
these cheap lands of New England may be valuable as
timber preserves, if nothing more, I entered into corre-
spondence with a person who advertised in the catalogue
referred to, a property of 330 acres in Berkshire County,
on which were 195 acres of woodland. I had simply a
forestry investment in mind. Last November, therefore,
having occasion to go to New England on other business,
I took the opportunity to visit this farm, which is only
about twenty-five miles from my birthplace. ;
The place was owned by aman who is now farming in
Kansas. Seven years ago he suddenly packed up his goods
and left his old home deserted, and went west. He was
prosperous in New England, and left his buildings in good
condition. Since then they have been untenanted. This
farm was first offered for sale at $1,200, and the price was
gradually reduced to $700, as no one would buy. There
are two houses on it and three barns, one house and two
barns being in fair condition. The buildings are located
on the summit of a magnificent hill, with a very easy ap-
proach, from which is obtained a mountain view of great
beauty. The buildings stand in the midst of a large amount
of smooth meadow and pasture land. The many acres of
grass land are unusually free of stone, and a mowing-ma-
chine can be used to advantage over it all.
Back from the pasture and tillable fields, surrounding the
entire property, is the forest of various stages of growth.
I spent the best part ofa day tramping through the woodland
and looking into its possibilities. The trees are mainly
White Ash, Yellow Birch and Sugar Maple. There is also
some Spruce and Hemlock. White Ash predominates, and
many trees have a diameter of six inches. The latest clear-
ing on the farm is growing up to Beech. Although not
specified in the description, there was an additional
wood lot of forty acres, and that was “thrown in” with-
out increasing the price.
This farm of 361 acres, containing over 225 acres of
woodland, I bought for $700, about $1.90 per acre, in-
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 374.
cluding five buildings, three of which can be put in good
repair with a slight expenditure of money. The woodland,
however, was the main consideration. Though believing
that this property might at least pay four per cent. on the
investment, before buying I discussed the wisdom of such
a purchase with two men who ought to be capable advisers.
One of these is a well-known farmer in a Massachusetts
town, and an old friend of mine, who has had large expe-
rience in woodland property in New Hampshire and Mas-
sachusetts. He expressed it as his opinion that such wood-
land would prove a good investment, and stated that he
already had bought and was holding some 200 acres of just
such property. His advice was to buy by all means. The
other person with whom I consulted was the Chief of the
Forestry Division of the United States Department of Agri-
culture, Mr. B. E. Fernow, and his opinion was also favor-
able to the purchase of the land. There is certainly no
great risk involved, inasmuch as one can easily get nearly
1,000 cords of wood from the property now.
Here is a farm, within four miles at its nearest point of
a station on the Boston and Albany Railroad, on a decent
highway, with a fair set of buildings, with plenty of good
arable land and excellent future timber resources, selling
at a lower price than land can be bought for anywhere in
the west to-day—and this in the very heart of civilization.
The scenery gives spacious views of the character well
known in Berkshire County. A beautiful mountain lake is
only half a mile away. Lenox and Stockbridge are each
less than fifteen miles distant.
Why has such a place lain vacant so long? So far as I
can ascertain there are only two serious objections against
this as a home. First, its isolation ; secondly, the snows
of winter. The post-office, church and railroad station are
four and a half miles away, and it is a mile to the nearest
neighbor and the school. In winter the snow accumu-
lates to a great depth, and sometimes it is difficult to travel
across country on account of the drifts.
But land can be bought here cheap, and it seems to me
that this is a good time to buy these woodlands when so
little invested will buy so much. Our forestry problems
are receiving more and more attention. Schools of forestry
will be established soon, and we shall have trained foresters
in America. Notwithstanding the fact that cord wood is
cheap in New England to-day, and the demand is weak in
places, the value of American timber must increase rather
than decrease in future years. It is my purpose to attempt
a systematic handling of this woodland in order to ascer-
tain whether an annual source of revenue cannot be derived
from it. As New England was the part of our country first
denuded of its forests it would seem appropriate that in
this region the first attempt should be made to establish a
forestry system. Itis true that some forest-planting has
been done on the sandy shores of Cape Cod, but the rocky
hills of western Massachusetts also offer a good field for
working out special forestry problems. The State Agricul-
tural College of Massachusetts is already giving increased
attention to forestry, and it is safe to assume that the time is
not far distant when, with greater facilities for education in
forestry, the woodlands of the state will be valued as a per-
ennial source of revenue. C Sop
Purdue University, La Fayette, Ind.
\ AST territories of the North American continent, such
as Northern Canada, British Columbia and Alaska,
comprising tracts as extensive as several European
kingdoms, are outside of the geographical range of the
common fruit-trees. No practical method has yet been
proposed for the acclimatization of fruit-trees in the high
north, and hitherto there has not been much prospect of
the discovery of any new fruit-tree especially adapted for
these cold regions.
Fortunately, we have a new fruit-tree now which is
suited to the gardens of the icy north, a tree that is abso-
lutely hardy and produces unfailing crops of delicious and
A Valuable Fruit-tree for the High North.
APRIL 24, 1895.]
fine fruit. It is the first fruit-tree for the coming orchard
of the high latitudes. I can write with much confidence
about the tree because it has been tried for several seasons
in the high latitudes of Europe above the limits of other
hardy fruit-trees.
The tree is a form of the Mountain Ash, Pyrus aucu-
paria.. The fruit, so far from being acid and rough, has
a deliciously sweet-sourish taste, and is twice as large as
that of the common type.
Ten years ago, I accidentally saw an account of this new
fruit-tree in an Austrian horticultural paper, and in the be-
lief that it would prove a desirable acquisition for the
Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland and Russia, where the
same cold climate prevails as in the northern countries of
the New World, I drew the attention of the Director of the
Horticultural Department of the Royal Swedish Academy
of Agriculture, Mr. Erik Lindgren, to this valuable novelty
and proposed its cultivation. The tree was introduced in
Sweden in 1885, and has proved to be absolutely hardy,
having ripened its fruit even as far north as Pitea in lati-
tude 66°, where no other fruit-trees can be cultivated.
The home of this fruit-tree is the high mountain region
of northern Machren, in Austria. The Mountain Ash isa
characteristic tree of the mountains of Machren and also of
Schleisen, and appears there in such masses that forests are
formed of these trees. About ninety years ago, some boys
who were watching cattle near the smali village of Peter-
wald discovered that a certain Mountain Ash in the forest
had unusually large and sweet fruit. A farmer, Christof
Harmuth, who had some knowledge of horticulture, made
an experiment and grafted this form upon a young wilding
near his farm. When the grafted tree had grown up and
produced fruit, he found, to his satisfaction, that it was even
larger and better than that of the mother tree. New grafts
from this improved form gave a still finer quality of fruit.
The new fruit-tree soon became popular in the neighbor-
hood of Peterwald, and trees were planted on nearly every
farm. The climate of Peterwald is very cold. The alti-
tude above the sea is nearly 2,300 feet. Oats and barley
can be cultivated only in the valleys, but often before the
harvest-time in September the oats are spoiled by the snow.
At the altitude of 1,750 feet the common fruit-trees fail to
give any regular crops, and at 2,000 feet only a kind of
Cherry-tree, Prunus Avium, ripens its fruit. Strangely
enough, ‘‘die siisse Eberesche,” or the Sweet Mountain
Ash, as the tree is called in Peterwald, has been confined
to this small place until quite recently. The real impor-
tance of the new fruit was perceived by Mr. Franz Kroetz]
in 1885, who described the tree and reported on it, with
the result that the Minister of Agriculture paid special sums
for two years for the propagation and spreading of the tree
among the inhabitants of the high mountain regions of
Austria. f
In Sweden the tree has been largely distributed by Mr.
Lindgren, who, in a report to the Swedish Academy of
Agriculture, writes: ‘‘ During 1892 several young trees of
the Mountain Ash have produced plenty of fruit, and I have
consequently had better opportunities than during previous
years totry it. I consider this fruit-tree as very valuable,
especially for the northern provinces, and it should be
grown in every district. The fruit, when slightly touched
by frost, has a delicious taste. Even persons that are rather
particular in matters of taste find this fruit very good. The
tree has also a more elegant appearance than the common
form, and the wood ripens earlier in the autumn.”
The Mountain Ash belongs as an indigenous tree to the
very coldest regions of the world, and this variety is un-
doubtedly as hardy as the type. In Europe the Mountain
Ash appears at the North Cape, on the coast of the Arctic
Ocean, although there only as a shrub; it is also to be seen
in Greenland and in America.
In the United States this fruit-tree will prove a valuable
acquisition to many large mining towns in the high allti-
tudes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Nevada, etc.
In the small gardens here, where only vegetables and
Garden and Forest.
163
flowers are now grown, whole orchards may be planted.
No improvement of the soil is needed for this fruit-tree, that
deserves attention for use even as an ornamental park-tree.
The light greenish tint of the leaves is always beautiful,
and the white flowers in the spring, as well as the large
clusters of brilliant red fruit in the fall, are very attractive.
The fruit will serve for the same purpose as the expensive
cranberries bought from the east. It can also be used as
a preserve, in pies, etc. Served as a dessert fruit it is
showy and attractive in glass, and it compares favorably
with many other small fruits.
Through continued culture and careful selection, still
finer varieties will undoubtedly be obtained from the
present form, as has been the case with all other fruits.
The fruits of the Sweet Mountain Ash are almost pear-
shaped ; the leaves are larger than those of the common
Swedish form, the segments longer and narrower.
C. V. Hartman.
Botanic Garden, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bull Pine in the West.
URING the period of most rapid settlement of the
states west of the Mississippi River, the only Pines
offered in quantity by the nurserymen were the Scotch,
Austrian and White Pines. Of these the two former have
been found much better adapted to the greater part of Kan-
sas, Nebraska and the Dakotas than the latter, but it is
believed that the Rocky Mountain form of the Bull Pine,
Pinus ponderosa, Douglas, will prove the most useful spe-
cies of the genus for planting on the plains, because of its
ability to withstand extreme drought. It is a distinctly
western species, ranging from the Pacific coast, where it
attains its greatest development in Washington and Ore-
gon, to the valley of the Niobrara River, in Nebraska, and
South Dakota. For cultivation in the Plains, seeds should
be secured from trees on the eastern slopes of the Rocky
Mountains, the western form of this, as of many other coni-
fers, not being hardy on this side of the continental divide.
I was especially interested in this species as it grows
along the Niobrara River (longitude about 99° 45’), and at
Fort Robinson, in north-western Nebraska. Ten miles
north of the town of Ainsworth, the Bull Pine is found on
the slopes and crests of gulches which break from the high
level of the prairie to the Niobrara valley. The soil is an
extremely fine, light-colored clay sand, with numerous
pockets of almost pure, rather coarse, sand. No rain had
fallen for months, but in all the “ pockets” facing north the
soil is moist within two inches of the surface, even near the
crest. The most vigorous trees are found in these pockets,
but isolated specimens stand in the driest, most exposed
southern slopes. The bottoms of the gulches are filled
with deciduous trees, mostly Box Elder and Green Ash. The
largest Pines seen were not more than eighteen inches
in diameter breast-high, and the tallest tree found meas-
ured fifty-five feet high. The gulches are fenced for pasture,
and no trees younger than five years were found. A very
few Pines were growing on the level prairie, but these were
near the crest of the gulch. This shows, however, that if
protection from fire and stock could be had, the Bull Pine
would seed the ground.
At Fort Robinson this Pine occupies the slopes and crests
of the ridges, and even the high buttes, with precipitous
sides, support a sturdy growth of the Pine on their tops.
A careful examination of the timber reservation at Fort
Robinson shows the urgent need of protection against
stock and fire. TheSsettlers in the vicinity are permitted
to use the reservation as grazing-land. The higher slopes,
rising 200 to 400 feet above the valley, are covered with
widely spaced Bull Pines in sufficient numbers to insure
complete seeding and a close stand if protection could be
secured. The soil is a very dry sandy clay, with coarse
gravel, and the herbage on the hills is scanty. The growth
in this dry region is necessarily slow, and it is to be hoped
the reservation, which was established to supply the ad-
joining fort with fuel, can be thoroughly protected, as it
164
affords a fine opportunity to test natural reforestation under
unfavorable climatic conditions.
The Bull Pine was planted in the Sand Hill experiment
referred to in the article on Banksian Pine, but a very poor
stand was secured. At Franklin, Nebraska, on the south
line of the state (longitude about ninety-nine degrees west),
the Bull Pine has been more thoroughly tested than any-
where else in the west. Notwithstanding the unprece-
dented drought of the past two years in that region, this
Pine is vigorous, far surpassing the Scotch and Austrian
Pines. I measured two trees that were nine years from the
seed which were over eight feet high. The growth of
Scotch Pine is somewhat more rapid, but less vigorous.
The soil at Franklin is the typical clay loam of the west,
and success there, coupled with the northern range of the
species, indicates its special fitness for forest purposes
throughout, at least, the northern part of the plains.
Washington, D. C. Charles A. Keffer.
Plant Notes.
DEUTZIA PARVIFLORA.—A correspondent writes that he has
seen this plant recommended, but that he does not find it
in the catalogues of some of the largest growers of
ornamental shrubs. There is no reason why so good
a plant should not be generally offered by nurserymen.
Deutzia parviflora was figured in GarDEN AND Forest as
long ago as 1888, and at that time we stated that it had
been cultivated for some years in the Arnold Arboretum,
having been received from the St. Petersburg Garden. It
is one of the most hardy and altogether desirable of Asiatic
shrubs which will grow in this climate, and it is the most
beautiful of the three or four Deutzias which are grown
here. A glance at the picture of a flowering branch of this
plant in vol. i., page 365, will show that it is altogether dif-
ferent in appearance from the other Deutzias. It grows to
a height of four or five feet, making a compact bush with
brownish yellow bark and dark green elliptical leaves.
The flowers are borne in corymbs, and appear in this lati-
tude the last of May or the first of June. They are pure
white, and borne in such numbers that they quite cover the
upper portions of the stems.
PuSCHKINIA SCILLOIDES, var. compacta.—This charming
little plant is now flowering in sheltered places. It is best
described as a light blue striped Squill. The groundwork
of the petals is white, a pale blue stripe running down the
centre and sides of the segments of the perianth. The
flowers are borne in spikes on stalks about six inches high,
and opeh with the development of the leaves. In the type
the flowers are few in number, but in this variety they are
abundant. It is perfectly hardy, and should be planted in
masses with Squills and the Chionodoxas. Like these
plants, they should be allowed to grow in the same place
for several years, at least, not being lifted until they be-
come crowded. It is a native of eastern Europe and
western Asia. Puschkinia libarotica is a synonym of the
type, which is inferior in every way to the variety described.
Scitita BrroLtA.—This is one of the early-blooming Scillas
or Squills, which is not so common here as S. Sibirica. It
is a native of southern Europe, is perfectly hardy, and,
although not so showy as the better-known S. Sibirica, is
well worthy of a place in every garden where it is desira-
ble to obtain variety. The flowers are of good size and
abundant; they are deep blue, almost purple, and some-
times have a reddish tinge. The leaves appear with the
flowers, and are generally two in number, hence the name.
They should be planted in masses in well-drained soil in a
sunny position, and not lifted and separated until this is
necessary. The Dutch Yellow Crocus, now known as the
Large Yellow Crocus, a variety of C. aureus, opens at the
same time with Scilla bifolia; the two planted together make
a pleasing contrast and a very bright spot in the garden in
the cold spring-time.
CHIONODOXA GIGANTEA,—This Chionodoxa is of recent in-
troduction, It is probably a variety of C. Lucilize, and is
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 374.
sometimes offered under the name of C. Lucilia, var.
grandiflora. It is, nevertheless, a most distinct plant, well
known and recognized by gardeners and dealers in bulbs.
The flowers are much larger than those of C. Lucilia, and
borne on short nodding scapes, two or three in number.
The color is a very pale delicate porcelain-blue, somewhat
reminding one of the Hyacinth Czar Peter. It is certainly
one of the best and most distinct of all the Glories of the
Snow, and should be more commonly planted. It is per-
fectly hardy, and succeeds admirably if cultivated in the
same way and in the same beds as ordinary Chionodoxas
and Squills. It is in bloom now, but is a trifle later in
flowering than C, Luciliae.
ANEMONE BLANDA.—This lovely little flower, one of the
earliest of its class, and much earlier than its relative, our
native Hepatica, is an inhabitant of mountain regions in
Syria, Greece and other parts of south-eastern Europe and
of south-western Asia. Transplanted to American soil, it
thrives remarkably well in suitable situations and is hardier
than would be supposed, considering its natural habitat. It
isa tuberous-rooted species, sending up slender, short stems
three or four or more inches high, bearing much-divided
leaves and solitary flowers. These blossoms, expanded,
measure from an inch and a half to two inches across and
are composed of numerous narrow petals, varying in color
from deep blue ora purplish tint to almost white in the
different varieties or forms. In mild weather these flowers
open in February and March, quite as early as the better-
known cheerful yellow-flowering Winter Aconite. The
plant requires a good light, warm, well-drained soil, one
composed of sand and loam being excellent ; a warm shel-
tered situation or southern exposure, protected from other
sides, is the best. A spot that is so hot and dry in summer
that scarcely anything will live on it seems more suitable
than a moist and richer one. The plants will thrive where
there are only three or four inches of soil on top of solid
rocks and which in summer often becomes dry and parched.
As the leaves ripen and dry off early in the season the roots
are dormant in the hot summer months. This species is
perfectly hardy without protection in a climate like that at
Boston, Massachusetts, where the mercury sometimes falls
many degrees below zero of Fahrenheit. In the warm
corner of a rockery, on the south side of a house close to
the foundation-walls and in other similar situations it will
thrive and take care of itself when once established and
kept free from encroaching weeds and other plants. The
tubers should be planted in the autumn a couple of inches
deep. ‘Their increase is usually slow.
HIpPEASTRUM VITTATA SUPERBA.—A remarkable specimen of
this plant was exhibited by Mr. H. H. Hunnewell in Hor-
ticultural Hall, Boston, two years ago, for which Mr.
Harris, his gardener, was awarded a silver medal. It is
again in splendid bloom. ‘This variety is one of the best
of the older sorts, and enters into the parentage of a large
percentage of recent kinds. Mr. Hunnewell’s plant carries
eighteen scapes almost two feet long, nearly all of which
bear four flowers from five and a half to six inches in
diameter. The name is due to the red and white stripes
running lengthwise through to segments of the perianth.
Hippeastrums, or Equestrian Star Lilies, have rapidly in-
creased in popularity during late years. For some reason,
until recent years, they have been very expensive and
scarcely within the reach of persons of moderate means.
There is little need to buy the high-priced varieties when
seedlings can be raised so easily. In three places near
Boston 600 seedlings were raised last year. The majority
of these will probably bloom next winter. Hippeastrums
need a resting season, though never to be thoroughly dry,
and they flower mostly in April. Growth commences with
some kinds early in the winter, and continues slowly.
They force easily, and, although their natural season for
flowering is April, they can easily be brought into bloom
a month earlier.
Boronta meGAstIGMA.—This plant, which is now rather
largely grown in London for house decoration, is only
APRIL 24, 1895.]
Garden and Forest.
Fig. 26.—Magnolia macrophylla, at Wellesley, Massachusetts.x—See page 161.
166
found in a few private gardens in the United States, and
commercial florists have not yet learned its value; or,
perhaps, its rarity here is due to the supposed difficulty of
cultivating hard-wooded Australian plants. This Boronia
is a delicate-branched shrub with small leaves, divided
into from three to five narrow rigid leaflets, and small
axillary subglobose flowers, maroon color on the outer
surface of the petals and yellow on the inner. The value
of the plant is in the delicate and delightful fragrance of
the flowers, a small specimen perfuming a whole house.
Plants are usually propagated from cuttings of half-ripened
wood, which must be carefully watered and shaded, as
they are extremely sensitive to bright sunlight or excessive
root or atmospheric moisture. Plants may also be raised
from seed, which can be obtained from German or Aus-
tralian seed dealers, large quantities being collected from
wild plants in the Australian bush. The most successful
cultivators here plant the young plants in the open ground
in summer, but are careful to shade them with lath frames
from the direct rays of the sun, and in winter grow them
in a low temperature, bringing them gradually forward in
greater heat when they are wanted to flower. They are
planted out again during the second summer, and, after
flowering again the following winter or spring, when the
plants should be about two feet high and as much through,
they are thrown away and replaced by younger speci-
mens. A plant placed in an ordinary living-room when
the flowers are opening should remain in good condition
for two or three weeks, filling it with a delicate fragrant
odor which is slightly pungent, like that of most other
flowers ot the Rue family, to which Boronia belongs.
London florists find their profit in selling bushy well-
flowered two-year-old plants for five shillings each, and
in this country many people, if they once knew this
Boronia, would gladly pay two or three times five shillings
for equally good plants.
Cultural Department.
Flower Garden Notes.
6 ee unusually late spring makes garden work a week or
two later than in ordinary seasons. Though planting can-
not be done now, the preparation of the soil can go on, and
when herbaceous plants show signs of activity changes can
then be quickly made. The delay caused by the late spring
enforces what has been advised before—that fall planting is
always preferable for this class of plants, since in most cases
one can judge better of the habits and height while the tops
are on the plants. We find each year that some kinds will
outdo themselves in vigor, and need to be moved further
back, divided or thinned. If there is doubt now as to how the
alterations should be carried out it is better to wait until
another year, and make careful note during the growing
period, so that the necessary changes may be made in the fall.
The planting of shrubs and conifers should be done now if
they have already been lifted to prevent an early start of the
buds, If this provision has been taken there need be no risk
in planting until a month later. When planting is well done
it is done for all time, and it is best to have the ground well
dug at least eighteen inches deep. This can be accomplished
by trenching or double digging the soil and mixing the manure
well into the bottom, for if the roots are encouraged to go well
down there is much less danger of injury from drought in hot
weather; besides, trees and shrubs take hold more quickly
and thrive better.
Magnolias should be planted in the spring. They are often
difficult to establish, but when well started are among the best
of flowering trees. It often happens that only small plants
are obtainable, especially of the rare forms. It is well to grow
these on in pots for a year until they are well rooted, and then
transfer them to the places assigned to them. The soil should
be good to a depth that will make future transplanting un-
necessary, for Magnolias are the most impatient of root-dis-
turbance of all our trees. Hot drying winds in exposed
places make sad work with newly moved trees.
Young trees or conifers planted in rows to grow on for later
use should be moved at least once in two years to insure a
good number of young fibrous roots in a compact mass.
Young stock grown in this way is worth twice as much as
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 374.
stock that has not been transplanted, and if the room can be
spared to shift them, the labor is not too great when the re-
sults are considered. We find that this biennial moving does
not in the least interfere with the season’s growth of ever-
greens. The check given to the growth of deciduous trees
and shrubs benefits them by making well-balanced heads, with
fewer strong shoots that have to be pruned out later on. Those
who wish to add to their collections new and interesting nov-
elties as they appear, realize the value of this reserve nursery,
and know, also, that newly purchased or rare trees are often
too small to plant at once in permanent positions. If these
are allowed a year or twoina temporary place, so as to become
acclimated and of larger size, an opportunity is meanwhile
afforded to select the best place for their permanent planting,
and the planting of a tree needs careful consideration with a
view to its maturity,
A reserve border of herbaceous plants is also desirable,
made up of kinds recently raised from seed, and which will
not flower for a year or more; of duplicates, others that are
on trial as to hardiness or desirability, and new and unknown
sorts, as a lot recently raised here from seeds received from
Asia Minor. These unfamiliar plants should be kept where
they are not likely to be rooted out by those unfamiliar with
their appearance when the borders are weeded. We have to
mourn the loss of many plants in this way, but a straight row
in the reserve border is comparatively free from this danger.
Such a border is useful, too, to fill up losses.
Narcissi are coming on better this year than usual, and we
shall soon be able to cut the first flowers from the borders.
Hardy Narcissi are more useful than is generally supposed.
They provide the first outdoor cut flowers; they have a
strength and beauty all their own, and last much longer than
those forced indoors, for the sorts that are best as hardy plants
are too valuable to be grown for forcing. They have also
more substance, with distinct contrasts in coloring. They are
for the most part of garden origin, the result of the hybridist’s
skill, and not mere wild forms, although the wild forms have
much to recommend them. The substance of Horsfieldii,
Empress, Emperor, M. Foster, Henry Irving and Golden
Spur constitutes the value these species have when cut for use
indoors. The continued cold of the past winter seems to have
suited the Narcissi well. There has been no early start, with
succeeding chills, such as occurred a year ago, and the tops
have none of the seared look that they took on then. A good
display of flowers is promised soon, and a healthy growth
of the bulbs afterward.
The newly introduced Spanish forms of Narcissi have dis-
appeared almost to a bulb; they proved unsuited to our
climate, while, as already stated, the garden hybrids have the
itution multiply most quickly,
best constitutions and ply quickly BOlGr7eb
South Lancaster, Mass.
A Few Desirable Plants.
A REMARKABLY handsome specimen of the Crimson
Rambler Rose is now in bloom in one of the greenhouses
belonging to H. H. Hunnewell, Esq., Wellesley, Massachu-
setts. There can be no doubt that this Rose is a de-
cided acquisition. It has been thoroughly tested during
the long and severe winter just past, and it has come through
in even better condition than the majority of hybrids. It
appears to belong to the robust Japanese form of Rosa mul-
tiflora, and is hardier than the Polyantha type. It is a
Rose of exceptional value as a pot-plant, judging from
the specimen grown here. It is trained in pyramidal form
and is completely covered with handsome clusters of deep
crimson flowers. Evidently the current season’s bloom is
produced on the previous year’s growths, which now are rap-
idly stretching out and promise to attain five or six feet in
length on an undeveloped specimen. Strong plants are said
to form shoots from ten to twelve feet long. On a pot-plant
these shoots will be far too rambling in character, and in order
to keep the plants in convenient shape for handling, they will
need a little training—say, into balloon, fan or pyramid form,
according to the grower’s fancy.
Another climbing Rose now competing for favor is the
Dawson Rose (R. multiflora, var. Japonica x General Jacque-
minot), raised by Mr. Jackson Dawson, of the Arnold Arbo-
retum, Boston. The flowers are deep pink, almost red, borne in
clusters, and a trifle larger than those of the Crimson Ram-
bler, to which it will be a fitting companion.
A few days ago I saw a plant of Muhlenbeckia complexa
used as a basket-plant in the conservatories belonging to F.
Simpson, Esq., of Saxonville, Massachusetts. I observed many
years ago a plant of M. complexa which grew along the house
APRIL 24, 1895.]
of Mr, J. C. Niven, curator in the old Botanic Gardens at Hull,
England. It was diffuse rather than climbing, and had to be
tied up to prevent its getting into the driveway. It madea
pleasing border, the long, black, slender, shining branches
spreading in all directions. Asa basket-plant it is unique. In
the specimen seen in Mr. Simpson’s conservatory the branches
drooped gracefully, and on the maturer side of the stems were
bunches of its peculiar glistening, wax-like flowers. In the
centre of the flower is a black trigynous seed-capsule, charac-
teristic of the Buckwheat family, to which it belongs. It is a
native of New Zealand.
A little more than a year ago I made reference in GARDEN
AND FOREST to a fine collection of some two hundred plants of
the large-flowered Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger maxi-
mus, growing in a set of cold frames at Mr. Powers’ place at
South Framingham. These are now in full bloom and make
a beautiful show. There can be no doubt that this is the most
satisfactory way to grow these plants. When treated as per-
fectly hardly plants they are a failure, and even if they endure
the winter they seldom bloom. As their natural blooming
season is early winter, any flower-buds which move, as they
will do during a spell of mild weather, will be sure to be
killed. Very little protection has been given these plants of
Mr. Powers. They have simply been kept from moving. The
foliage is perfect, and, being evergreen, it is essential that it
should be preserved. Our plants, exposed on the rock garden,
are cut down every year. Since no foliage holds over
to sustain the plants when making their spring growth they
simply go back more and more, making it only a question of
a year or two when they will die out entirely.
Wellesley, Mass. bf of 1. D. Hatfeld.
The Earliest Daffodils.
{pete first Daffodils appeared during Easter week. Always wel-
come flowers these, yet with their appearance there comes
the thought that the first flush of the resurrection of plant-
life is passed, for these blossoms mark the beginning ofa second
season and the flowering of the more showy plants than those
of the early year. Nature performs her operations on a grand
scale, and sometimes rather noisily, but there are none of her
changes more impressive than the annual awakening of plant-
life. A rare sight is the awakening, when one considers how
seldom it can be enjoyed during an ordinary lifetime. I think
it has been said that if Nature would usher in the spring-time
with a brass band or some such noise mankind would struggle
with each other to behold the sight.
Narcissi do not flower in constant order in my garden ; it is
partly a matter of location as to when they open. N. bicolor
and its variety, King Umberto, were the first this year, with
Henry Irving second. There are others—N. pallidus pracox,
N. obvallaris and N. nanus—in flower now. N. nanus is a
pretty little dwarf variety with long trumpets, which should
grow out of a carpet made by some low plant, or it might do
wellin grass. The minute N. triandrus has established itself
in the grass on one of my borders, and has not lately failed to
flower.
Elizabeth, N. J. F.N. Gerard.
Christmas Roses.
ELLEBORUS NIGER is the oldest and best known Christ-
mas Rose, but several other species and many garden
hybrids and varieties are now cultivated under this common
name. H. niger and its nearest allies bloom in late No-
vember and December in favorable seasons, but if there is
much dull and cold weather then, as there generally is, the
flowering is deferred until spring. Itis also true that, even
after a fairly good autumnal and early winter bloom, many
buds are lett which will open in early spring; this is most
likely to occur with old and well-established plants. Alto-
gether it is quite fair, in the average New England season, to
count the black Hellebores among our early spring-blooming
plants. Several fine specimens of the type and its progeny
are just now passing out of flower. They are not easy plants
to establish—just why it is difficult to tell; it is probable that
the trouble comes from our hot and dry summer weather.
The plants are received from foreign nurseries in Decem-
ber. They should be planted in pots of moderate size and
kept in a cool greenhouse during winter; here, if well
grown, they will flower. The growth begins after flow-
ering and continues into late spring and early summer ;
while growing they require plenty of water and a partially
shaded position. After growth stops they should be plunged
out-of-doors for the summer, still kept shaded during the
middle of the day and well supplied with water. With
Garden and Forest.
167
this treatment they make excellent plants for forcing, giv-
ing abundant flowers during November, December or Jan-
uary, in a cool greenhouse, pit or frame. This method of
handling, too, seems to be the best to secure good plants for
the open ground—that is, they arrive too late in the season for
fall planting, but by growing them a year in pots good speci-
mens are procured, which can be planted in September or
early October. In this way a larger proportion are likely
to live and continue in satisfactory condition. They
should be given good soil, a partly shady place, and
kept well watered in July and August; a rock-work, with a
northern exposure, is by no means a bad position. Almost
all the garden varieties are good, and give many shades
in color, from pure white to dull purplish red; none of
the reds are very bright. Propagation is effected by division
and by seeds; both these methods present difficulties not
easily overcome by the amateur ; it is best to import plants or
to procure newly imported plants from the dealers.
Jamaica Plain, Mass. B. M. Watson,
Pot Bulbs for Early Spring.
EaRLy TULIPS FOR FORCING.—It was once held that only
the early Tulips were suitable for forcing, but with me the
Bizarres and Byblcemens have proved well adapted to pot-
culture. There can be no question that the later ones, with
their long flower-stalks and large cup-like flowers, are much
the most effective as pot-plants. A litthe weak manure-water
applied once a week after the buds show induces even larger
and finer flowers than are borne on garden-grown plants,
while the characteristic feathering and flaking, that in the
later Tul'ps reaches perfection, make them especially beautiful.
Ix1as.—These plants, together with their allied compan‘ons,
Sparaxis and Babianas, are also admirable for late winter and
early spring flowers. Desirable as they are for lengthening
out the nearly spent season of bloom under glass, there is
considerable complaint that they are too uncertain in flower-
ing to be satisfactory. The foliage often turns sickly and yel-
low, and frequently the plants do not show a single bloom.
I am inclined to think that haste in forcing is the cause of
three-fourths of these failures. A judicious letting-alone dur-
ing the first few months of their growth is wholesome for
them. Under the benches or beneath a flower-shelf, where
they have fairly good light, but not enough to stimulate rapid
expansion, is a suitable place through early and midwinter.
Then, as the season of their flowering draws near they need to
be brought to the light and watered more freely than before.
Under this treatment they always give fine flowers and plenty
of them. i
Pineville, Mo. ae
Double English Primroses.—For several years we have grown
in the cold frames a few sashes of these flowers for early use
in spring, and have been much pleased with them. Bunched
like Violets with their own foliage, they are among the most
beautiful of early flowers, and would, doubtless, prove almost
hardy in sheltered places, though as yet we have not tried
them. There are a number of varieties of double Primrose,
but these are not to be classed with the Polyanthus, the former
having but one flower on a stem, and these double varieties
cannot be raised from seed as can the single kinds, but are
easily increased in autumn by division. There are many
double kinds cultivated in English gardens, all of which would
be appreciated here if better known. Hitherto we have only
grown the double white, but there are as many as ten or twelve
kinds altogether, most of them of very old garden origin, espe-
cially the old double Velvet Crimson, which was almost lost
to cultivation until recently. The treatment that suits the com-
mon single varieties of Polyanthus in summer will also suit the
double Primroses. They need a moist shady place in the hot
months, division in September in good soil, and protection in
winter, If put in adry place in summer the plants are liable
to be a prey to red spider.
South Lancaster, Mass.
E. O. Orpet.
Cyrtopodium punctatum,—This is one of the most useful of
the Orchids now if bloom, and it is so easily managed that no
one need hesitate to undertake its culture. Fibrous loam,
well-rotted manure and rough sand suit it exactly. The flower-
stalks are from two to two and a half feet high, with large
panicles of yellow flowers spotted with brown. The flower-
spikes and the new pseudo-bulbs begin growth simultane-
ously. In the fall, after the growths have become thoroughly
ripe, the plants should be allowed to rest until they show signs
of activity in the early spring. While making growth the plants
are much benefited by frequent doses of weak liquid-manure.
Washington, D. C.
168
Correspondence.
The Olive and the Lemon in Southern California.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—In California’s rapid development of fruit-production
during the past ten years, two articles of great and growing
consumption have been, until recently, almost entirely neg-
lected. These are the olive and the lemon. Their history
aptly illustrates the steps by which experience teaches the hor-
ticulturist ina new country the way to a profitable market. It
shows, also, that the mass of men who engage in fruit-grow-
ing in such a country as California are unenterprising tmita-
tors, and that the few who have the courage and the skill to
venture into a new field frequently reap almost incredible
rewards before their monopoly is disturbed by their slower
and less original rivals.
Fora long time Mr. G. W. Garcelon, of Riverside, madeasmall
fortune every year from lemons, while other growers made
nothing. His lemons were fine, even-sized, well-colored,
juicy, salable fruit. Other growers produced only a coarse,
half-cured, worthless article. Mr. Garcelon sold most of his
annual crop in San Francisco, frequently receiving five dollars
a box. As from five to ten boxes to the tree is by no means
an extraordinary yield, and seventy trees to the acre is a mod-
erate planting, it is clear that his profits were very large. He
was supposed to possess some secret and potent process of
curing. Individuals and the state tried for a long time, with-
out avail, to buy this secret, offering large sums for it. Two or
three years ago Mr. Garcelon voluntarily divulged it for the
good of the country, and since then more Lemon-trees have
been planted than in all the years before. The secret proved
to be only a very careful process of selecting, picking and
handling the fruit and curing it at an even temperature and
very slowly. The lemons remain in the curing-room from six
to ten months.
The history of the olive was similar. The Messrs. Kimball,
at National City, near San Diego, and Mr. Elwood Cooper, at
Santa Barbara, realized great profits from olives. They sold
the oil at from one dollar to two dollars per quart bottle. The
output of Mr. Cooper’s orchard of one hundred acres was, in
189t, 34,000 bottles. Yet, notwithstanding these reassuring
facts, the ratio of lemons to California’s entire orchard acre-
age, in 1892, was only one in forty. That of olives was even
less, being one in fifty. This ratio has been somewhat in-
creased by the plantings since 1892. The ratio of oranges, on
the other hand, was three in twenty, a proportion which has
decreased since 1892.
The Lemon is a more tender tree than the Orange, and
more susceptible to injury from frost. For this reason
sheltered, sunny locations must be sought forit. About San
Diego there are thousands of acres of mesa and valley lands
which are practically frostless. Many acres of these have
recently been planted to Lemons and Olives, and more would
have been planted had there been an adequate water-supply
assured. San Diego has progressed so far in this direction
that it has announced for this month the first Lemon Fair in
the history of the state. At this fair the results achieved by
the growers of San Diego County will be shown, and the latest
~ methods of curing the fruit will be illustrated. For this
purpose, certain enterprising growers have visited the lemon-
growing districts of the Mediterranean, and have studied the
curing methods in vogue there, which will be compared
with home methods. Next to San Diego County, the Ojai
Valley and other districts in Ventura and Santa Barbara
Counties, Pomona, in Los Angeles County, and portions of San
Bernardino County have been the principal centers of the
increase in olive and lemon growing. In the production of
olives they have gone ahead of San Diego.
The Lemon is, in a sense, a perennial bearer. The flowers
and the green and ripening fruit are all seen upon the tree at
the same time. The same statement has frequently but
falsely been made in reference to the Orange-tree. The prin-
cipal blossoming of the Lemon-tree, however, is in May, and
the fruit is ready for picking in November. It is now usually
kept in curing-rooms until the warm weather of the following
summer creates a market for it. In this respect, again, the
Lemon differs from the Orange, for the latter tree requires
nearly a year to mature its fruit. The principal varieties
grown in California are the Lisbon, the Eureka and the Villa-
franca, each of which has its advocates. The industry is yet
in its infancy. Its present status is illustrated by the results
from seventy trees owned by one of my friends, whose trees
are seven years old. They bore last year a crop averaging
five boxes to the tree, and the crop was sold at $1.15 per box,
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 374.
on the tree. This fruit was purchased by dealers from San
Diego, who shipped it to that city to be cured there for ship-
ment east. For the year ending with June, 1894, lemons to
the value of $4,285,000 were imported into the United States.
As compared with this total, the California product was an
infinitesimal quantity.
A great many varieties of Olives have been tried in Cali-
fornia, but the Mission, brought to the country by the Catholic
Padres more than a century ago, still holds the lead. It is
much smaller than the imported Queen olive, and it is per-
mitted to become nearly ripe before it is picked. Its flavor is
very different from that of the Queen, andat first is not usually
relished as well. One soon acquires a taste for it, however,
and in the local markets it is rapidly driving out the imported
article. These olives have brought, at wholesale, this season,
from sixty to eighty cents a gallon. Itis very difficult to esti-
mate the average product, but sixty gallons to the tree is not
unusual in mature orchards. :
The production of oil from the olive, whether on a large or
small scale, isa very simple and inexpensive process. The
essentials are a press of some sort, the more powerful the
better, and great attention to cleanliness. The question of
consumption of olive oil is largely influenced by the numer-
ous adulterations upon the market, which are very extensively
used. On account of their cheapness even druggists employ
them in the preparation of prescriptions. Recent state legis-
lation to prevent the sale of these imitations was easily evaded
by the dealers who labeled their wares salad oil. The taste
of the average consumer has been vitiated in this respect as in
everything else, and many prefer a half peanut or cotton-seed
oil to the pure olive. The hygienic value of the latter is very
great, and its increased use in the kitchen in the place of fat
compounds, would undoubtedly lessen the prevalence of
dyspepsia. Besides, as an article of diet it is clean and
refined. If these truths could be impressed upon the Ameri-
can people, there would be a market for all the olives and
olive oil that California could-possibly produce. As the
case stands to-day, the question of profit from olives is
disputed. ‘ Plant olives for your grandchildren” is an Italian
proverb frequently quoted in California. Yet, instances of an
average production of fifty pounds from five-year-old trees,
grown entirely without irrigation, have recently been reported.
From such instances some growers argue that the Olive will
grow upon any kind of soil and with but little care. Others
claim that it needs good soil and plenty of water and attention,
and that its slowness in coming into full production makes a
heavy drain upon the purse, and doubtless the latter view is
the safer, all things considered. Yet, when full grown, the
Olive is a very beautiful, hardy, long-lived and productive tree,
and an orchard of such trees would be no mean inheritance
for anybody’s grandchildren.
Redladde, Chin” Wm. M. Tisdale.
Notes from West Virginia.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Nothing that blooms at this season of the year is more
beautiful than the flowering fruit-trees. At Rose Brake these
are freely planted for ornament; here, a group of Flowering
Apples; there, Wild Cherries and the Japanese varieties ; over
yonder, a mass of Chinese and Japanese Cydonias, while close
to the house are planted Apricots, Nectarines and Hard-shell
Almonds,
But, perhaps, the most beautiful group is composed of
Flowering Peaches. The variety that is employed has large
double blossoms of a rich carmine color. These bloom late
in April or early in May. The Apricots, Nectarines and
Almonds, planted for ornament and to form a screen for some
outbuildings, are especially valuable because of their early
bloom. The Almonds are the first to flower, and then follow
the Apricots, Nectarines and Plums.
The pleasure-grounds during late April and May are thus
adorned with very many trees in bloom, and the effect of so
many fine groups is very beautiful. We prefer, for the most
part, to keep each class of plants by itself. Thus the different
varieties of Lilacs are all together in one shrubbery, and our
Magnolias have a choice place apart.
In the group of Flowering Plums we have Prunus Pissardii,
P. Simonii and P. spinosa, and several other varieties. Of
these the Chinese Double-flowering Plum is the last to bloom
in company with the dwarf Flowering Almonds, which it
slightly resembles.
Of all these charming trees, perhaps, our favorite is the
Japanese Weeping Cherry. It is so graceful in habit of growth,
picturesquely irregular at the same time, that it is symmetri-
cal, but not tamely so. It is unique among trees, and I do not
APRIL 24, 1895.]
wonder that it is the favorite weeping tree of Japan. Our sin-
gle specimen is about fifteen feet in height, and is now covered
with buds of a fine shade of deep carmine, which a day of
warm sunshine will develop into delicate pink bloom,
In a wild portion of the grounds ledges of limestone rock
adorn the sides and crown the summit of a little hill, and here
many Red Cedars have sprung up of their own accord. These
form a beautiful background tor the large-flowering Dogwood,
Cornus florida, and Red Bud, associated so generally in our
woods against just such a dark screen of evergreen foliage,
and surrounded, as here, by Columbine and lichen-covered
rocks. This is our natural rockery, and here we think culti-
vated plants would be out of place. This is the spot for Ferns
and our native wild flowers, such as Blood-root, Twin-leaf,
Hepaticas, Anemones, Dicentras and Violets. These are all
now in bloom. The only flower not found in our neighbor-
hood, which has here a place, is the single white, fragrant,
English Violet, and this is very charming, naturalized in the
grass, where it grows and increases rapidly.
Following upon three early springs, this April of 1895 seems
abnormally late, but is not really so. For a number of years
I have noted the time of flowering of many plants at Rose
Brake. To take, for instance, the Forsythias, I find in my note-
book, that they began to open their golden bells in 1888 on the
17th of April; in 1889 they commenced to bloom on the 16th;
in 1890 they bloomed on the 14th of April; in 1891 they were
beginning to flower on the 15th; in 1892 I found their first
flowers on the 8th ; in 1893 on the 7th, and in 1894, that excep-
tional and treacherous spring, they were in full bloom by the
24th of March! This year a few buds opened on the 13th of
April. At the date of this article, which is the 17th, they are
not yet in full bloom.
Chimonanthus fragrans is the first shrub to flower in our
garden. Only one bud ona bush about three feet high sur-
vived the terrible cold of the past winter. One solitary bloom
opened early in March. This is with us the first fragrant
flower of the opening year. Almost all the earliest flowers are
scentless, such as Jasminum nudiflorum, the Forsythias and
many bulbs. But Violets, Hyacinths and fragrant Narcissus
follow quickly in their train. However, the earliest Narcissus
that blooms here is scentless, and is a few days in advance of
the fragrant varieties. /I think it is N. princeps, and it blooms
a little later than the first Crocuses and Snowdrops. Chiono-
doxa Luciliz is now at its best, and so are many Hyacinths.
Peaches are venturing a few blossoms in this neighborhood,
but the nights are still cold, and we are not beyond the danger
of heavy frost. -
Rose Brake, W. Va. Danske Dandridge.
Some Hyacinths and Grape Hyacinths.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—It may help some of your readers to identify the plant
described in GARDEN AND FoREsT for April 1othas Hyacinthus
ciliatus (Muscari azureum), if they are reminded that it is more
commonly known in gardens as Hyacinthus azureus. It was
first described by Baker as Muscari lingulatum, under which
namie it has been previously described in GARDEN AND FOREST.
It has the habit of Muscari, with the campanulate flowers of
the Hyacinth, and is evidently one of the hybrids common in
the Lily family, and Baker, in the Yournal of the Linnean So-
ciety, vol. ii., page 427, named it H. azureus. It was figured
with a colored plate in The Garden, August 1oth, 1889. It
has been collected in the Caramanian and Cilician Taurus,
and is sometimes offered in trade-lists as Muscari azureum
(Fenzl.) While its effect is that of a rich azure blue Grape
Hyacinth, a slight examination will show that the individual
flowers are dissimilar. It Howers here with the second early
Snowdrops, and is valuable for its earliness as well as its rare
color. It usually produces seeds, and with these and offsets a
stock should be worked up to form a good colony, as it will
require a few score of plants to secure a good effect in the
border.
There is a beautiful blue Muscari, M. Scovitzianum, which
will not flower for several weeks, which is rather prettier than
Hyacinthus ciliatus. It hasalarger flowering spike, and the flow-
ers are light blue of the purest, daintiest shade. A collection of
Grape Hyacinths should always include the white variety of M.
botryoides, which now commences to expand its grape-like flow-
ers. It is difficult to separate the purple Muscari. A variety
from the Taurus, which has been established here a few years,
is very vigorous usually, and is an intense purple, shading to
a lighter color at the top of spike. It is generally a February
bloomer, but this season has flowered late and is much smaller
than usual,
Garden and Forest.
169:
Hyacinthus amethystinus scarcely flowers until June. Its
small bell-like flowers are borne sparsely on graceful scapes
about three inches long. They are of a light amethyst-
blue. This is altogether a most charming plant. From Mr.
Whittall a few years ago came a few stray bulbs of H. lineatus.
This seems to be the smallest member of the family. It has
two lanceolate leaves, two to three inches long, and a short
scape with a raceme of small blue flowers. A dainty plant
fora rockery, it would be easily lost in an ordinary garden. It
flowers in June.
Elizabeth, N. J. F. N. Gerard.
Recent Publications.
The Land Birds and Game Birds of New England, with
descriptions of the birds, their nests and eggs, their habits
and notes, with illustrations. By H. D. Minot. Second
edition, edited by William Brewster. Houghton, Mifflin
& Co. 1895. 8vo.
The new edition of Minot’s Zand and Game Birds of New
Lngland cannot fail to receive a warm welcome from all
students of our birds. The original edition appeared in
1877. Considered as the work of a lad of seventeen, it may
fairly be called a remarkable production. Although show-
ing at times immaturity of judgment, its value as a record
of original field observation was generally recognized at
the time of its appearance, and the appreciation of its
merits in this regard has, perhaps, increased with the lapse
of time. The character of the work is in the main careful
and accurate, and no small skill is frequently shown in
conveying the delicate impressions received from out-of-
door study. The truth of a passage like the following
must be felt by every bird-lover accustomed to afternoon
walks in winter :
From my acquaintance with the Tree Sparrows, I have almost
involuntarily learned to associate them with a winter's after-
noon drawing to its close, a clear sunset, with, perhaps, dark
clouds above, and a rising north-west wind which sweeps
across the fields to warn us of te-morrow’s cold. The almost
mournful chip of these birds, as they fly to their nightly rest,
has always seemed to me a fitting accompaniment for such
a scene.
A second edition was always contemplated by the au-
thor, and after his untimely death the preparation of it was
intrusted to our most accomplished field ornithologist, Mr.
William Brewster, who has brought to his task the good
taste and ripe judgment that have made his editorial work
a model of its kind. The original form of the text has been
carefully preserved, and embodied in the notes the reader
is put in possession of much information as to the general
distribution of the birds treated of, together with such addi-
tional knowledge of their habits, notes, etc., as has been
acquired since the time when the book was written. Such
annotations must ensure for the work a fresh career of
usefulness.
The book is handsomely printed. It is prefixed by an
excellent portrait of the author, together with a simple but
touching biographical notice by his father, and a judicious
introduction by the editor.
Notes.
_Among the plants in flower for Easter decoration in this
city were a few examples of Dicentra spectabilis, and very
graceful they were. ;
We have received from Mr. George Hanson, Jackson, Cali-
fornia, some flowers of the beautiful yellow Calochortus Ben-
thami, showing that On the foot-hills of the Sierras the flower-
Ing Season is much in advance of ours, as here the leaves of
these plants are just appearing.
During the months of May and June a series of lectures and
field-meetings will be conducted at the Arnold Arboretum by
Mr. J. G. Jack, for the purpose of giving popular instruction
concerning the trees and shrubs which grow in New England.
The instruction given is not technical, anda knowledge of de-
scriptive botany is not essential for students. Their purpose
is to indicate by comparison the easiest means of distinguish-
ing common native trees and shrubs and of recognizing for-
eign species, The different species and groups will be studied
170
as they come into flower, and the ornamental and useful prop-
erties, as wellas their habits of growth and other peculiarities,
will be considered. Any person who desires further informa-
tion in regard to these lectures may address Mr. J. G. Jack,
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
Mr. Joseph Meehan writes from Germantown, under date of
April 17th, that the conifers there have, asa rule, suffered very
little by the hard winter, the exception being the Hemlock
Spruce, which is terribly browned, Cephlotaxus and many of
the Yews, which are scorched. Deodar Cedars losta few
leaves on their upper branches, but they are already budding
out freely to the very tips of their shoots. The Cedar of Leba-
non is also quite unhurt. In sunny places Forsythia sus-
pensa was in full bloom, and so was Magnolia stellata. The
early-flowering Bush Honeysuckles, Cornus mas and Daphne
Mezereum, are everywhere in flower.
It is well known that the common evergreen Live Oak, of
California, Quercus agrifolia, is preyed upon in the neighbor-
hood of San Francisco Bay by caterpillars of the California
Processionary Moth, Clisiocampa Californica, which often de-
vour the leaves once and sometimes twice during the summer
and have given many of the trees an abnormal mushroom-
like shape by stunting their growth. Professor E, W. Hilgard,
of the University of California, calls our attention in a private
letter to the fact that the caterpillars of another moth, Phry-
gandia Californica, which also devour the leaves of Quercus
agrifolia, are defoliating the plants of the European Oak
planted at Berkeley, although they do not often attack the Cali-
fornia White Oak, OQ. lobata, which is botanically closely
related to the European species. Curiously enough, horses
and cattle never browse on the foliage of the California White
Oak, although the branches of this tree, which are pendent
and often sweep the ground, are very accessible to them,
but they will stand on their hind feet to devour the young
shoots of the European species.
Some interesting investigations have been made at the South
Dakota Experiment Station on the distribution of weed-seeds
by winter winds. For example, the contents of snow-drift on
plowed land two feet square, three inches deep and ten rods
from any standing weeds, were melted, and thirty-two weed-
seeds belonging to nine species were found init. Other tests
confirm the fact that seeds are carried great distances upon
the snow. Another test was made by pouring half-bushel
piles of oats and millet upon the snow-crust when the wind
was fifteen miles an hour. Both millet and oats passed a
point twenty rods from where they had been placed in forty
seconds. A twenty-five-mile wind was found to drift wheat-
grains thirty rods ina minute. Of course, when winds on the
plains keep blowing in one direction for days, seeds will travel
many miles. The moral of these investigations seems to be
that in the great western plains, at least, bare summer fal-
lowing and matured weeds in waste ground may help to scat-
ter seed during the winter over great areas, and they will be
buried in the soil when the snow melts.
In the April issue of Zhe Botanical Magazine a plate is de-
voted to Magnolia parviflora, one of the species introduced
into this country nearly a quarter of a century ago by the late
Thomas Hogg, and largely propagated at the Parsons’ Nursery
at Flushing, but apparently only recently known in Europe.
It is said in the description which accompanies the plate to be
a native ot the alpine regions of the Japanese Island of Nip-
pon, or, as the Japanese usually call it, Hondo, where it is said
to grow on the Hakone Mountains, on Hego-San, and at the
foot of the volcano of Wunyen, the two last being localities
we do not find in the gazetteers_or in Mr. Chamberlain’s ex-
cellent Guide Book of Fapan. The best Japanese botanists,
however, who have in recent years carefully explored the
forests of Hondo do not believe that this is a Japanese plant,
but, like M. conspicua, M. Watsoni and many other plants
which they only know in gardens, that it was introduced from
China, which, at the time of the introduction of the Buddhist
religion, sent to Japan most of the plants which they had been
cultivating in their gardens for nearly a thousand years,
Thereis buta small amount of wood in a broom, but so
many millions of these implements are used every year that
the consumption of wood for broom-handles isa considerable
item. Zhe Southern Lumberman states that while it would
have been almost impossible to sell a broom-handle made of
heavy hardwood a few years ago, at present the reverse is true,
The manufacturer prefers hardwood because it does not re-
quire so large a bolt, can be turned down smaller and yet
retain sufficient strength, and can be ornamented more cheaply
and artistically. Brooms with hardwood handles sell more
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 374.
readily and do not deteriorate in appearance like the soft wood
handles. Any kind of inexpensive hardwood, such as Beech,
Birch, Maple or Ash, makes acceptable handles, while springy
woods like the Elms are not salable, because one essential
feature of a good broom is a straight handle. The manufac-
ture of broom-handles can only be made profitable when the
timber runs largely clear. In the eastern states the timber
waste in making broom-handles exceeds fifty per cent., while
in the south-west it is usually less than twenty-five per cent.
There are four factories in Amsterdam, New York, one of
which has a capacity of 1,200 finished brooms aday. They
use hardwood handles from the south and west and get them
for less than the bolts ready for the lathe can be furnished
from native hardwood. The handles are turned green and
dried afterward. The large end on which the brush is wired
must be thoroughly dry or the broom will work loose. The
drying of the upper part of the handle is of less consequence,
except in the saving of freight.
Strawberries from Florida are scarce enough to make prices
high, and the best fruit, which is coming from the vicinity of
Lawtey, in that state, sold on Monday for sixty cents a quart. A
few strawberries have already been received from as far north
as Charleston. Mediterranean oranges are advancing in price,
but much of this fruit is still coming at a loss. Altogether,
110,000 boxes of Sicily oranges and lemons were sold here
during last week. Some California mandarins, small, but of
good flavor and quality, bring twenty-five cents a dozen, and
grape fruit from Jamaica costs ten to twenty-five cents apiece.
Fully 50,000 bunches of bananas were disposed of last week at
auction at high prices. Six cases of grapes from the Cape of
Good Hope, via England, were sold here last Wednesday ;
while they arrived overripe and not in the best condition for
want of proper packing, the experiment will again be made next
season. Nectarines and grapes from South Africa reach Eng-
land in perfect order, and peaches from the same remote
place have been sold in this city in midwinter at
$3.00 each, Above 150,000 bushels of Australian and
Tasmanian apples have been imported into England
this year, the season continuing for six weeks from the
first of March. The fruit is shipped in cases containing
one bushel. The original cost of these apples is eighty-seven
cents to a dollar a bushel, the freight for transportation cover-
ing 12,000 miles is $1.00 more, and, with other expenses added
the fruit stands at $2.12 to $2.25 a case when offered to whole-
sale buyers in the English market. With American apples,
these are considered the best apples imported into England.
The American export season for apples is almost ended, and
above 1,440,000 barrels have left this country for Europe since
last August.
Although the Japanese Anemone was introduced into Euro-
pean gardens fifty years ago, and the famous white sport
from its variety, Elegans, known as Honorine Jobert, was dis-
seminated as long ago as 1863, there have been few variations
from these old forms, owing to the fact that the plant, as we
know it, rarely, if ever, produces fertile seed. Mr. Emile
Lemoine, in an interesting letter to Ze Garden, once more
invites attention to the fact that the variety Lady Ardilaun is a
true seedling. This plant was raised by Mr. Campbell, gardener
to Lady Ardilaun, who, nine or ten years ago, observed a head
of seed on a plant of the white-flowered A. Japonica. This
seed was sown, and of the three seedlings thus produced one
was conspicuously better than the others, having pure white
flowers of great size and substance, a taller growth than Hono-
rine Jobert, thicker stems and larger leathery leaves. A
remarkable thing about this variety, which was called Lady
Ardilaun, is that it produces seed which ripens readily in the
open air. Mr. Lemoine sent out a seedling of this plant last
year, which bore a semi-double flower at the same time that
the American Anemone, Whirlwind, was sent out. He has
other seedlings now under observation, and since this sudden
change in the habit of the plant—that is, since it has become
fertile and seed-bearing—we may, without doubt, look for-
ward to a great many new varieties, single, double and semi-
double. Mr. Lemoine describes a plant exhibited last autumn
with stems as thick as a lead-pencil, perpendicular, and bear-
ing numerous flowers which stand erect on firm foot-stalks.
These flowers are formed of three or four rows of undulated
and hooded petals, looking like little cups. Sometimes there
are sixty of these petals in a single flower. The color of the
flower is creamy white, passing into pure white, and it is three
and three-quarter inches in diameter. Of course, where forms
are constantly changing we may look for some improve-
ments, although it would be difficult to imagine any flower
which can excel in purity of color and grace of bearing the
white-flowered Japanese Anemone as we know it.
May 1, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: TripuNE Burtpinc, New York.
Conducted by . 3... «ws» = Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
EprroriaAL ARTICLE :—The Metropolitan Parks of Boston.........6.....0.e0ee0e 171
Notes upon Poisonous Plants .......--+..+-.-- Professor Byron D. Halsted. 172
Four Native Trees in the North-west .......-..+2.eeseeeesees L. C. Corbett. 173
ForEIGN CoRRESPONDENCE :—Hippeastrums in England...... . George Nicholson. 173
New or LittLe-KNown Piants :—Rose, Belle Siebrecht. (With figure.) ........ 174
PrLant NOTES...... tebe teens eee e ee seeee eens eeenee ee Z ¥ bvece.b d'eiele cea ao. 174
Cu.turaL DeparRTMENT :—Spring-flowering Bulbs. 176
Wior Ol The 5 CASON ss Bacwmmeesinac oe cueiee ns nae i
Indian Azaleas......... T. D. Hatfield.
Notes on Carnations
Early Flowers.....-.-.-+++++-+
Greenhouse Plants in Blooms.
PG OnisivernaliS acs trsenceticn cee ce mm esemecs sess Castes Fe , g
CorRESPONDENCE :—The Hardiness of the Cherokee Rose..............- G.L. CG 179
Notes from the South-west. .......2 sseseeeeee cece Lora S. La Mance. 179
RECENT PUBLICATIONS ....-.-++++ a Eg eseiciasines.eslai=sleinsis.ocissiecis ces seesceaseernses 179
NOTES..0.. 002 cece es cceeeenecsececeee . weet tees sete te eee tent ete eee seeee 180
IEEUSTRATION :s—Rose, Belle Siebrecht, Pigs:27. ccciewsersecescvessesesssecseces ce 175
The Metropolitan Parks of Boston.
IKE the memorable preliminary report of 1893, the
second annual report of the Metropolitan Park Com-
mission of Boston forms a contribution to the literature of
public open spaces of ‘great general interest, as well as of
more immediate localconcern. The first regular report was
issued so soon after the creation of the commission that it
formed a document of but slight scope, although the
remarks of the landscape architects, Messrs. Olmsted,
Olmsted & Eliot, concerning some of the conditions
governing the establishment of public reservations, and
particularly the definition of their boundaries, were of
universal application. The present report is a work which
may well make the people of Boston realize what invalu-
able treasures they possess in the magnificent public
reservations that have already been established, as well as
quicken their appreciation of the possibilities for enlight-
ened municipal development that are contained within
their metropolitan territory.
The wealth of illustrative material enhances greatly the
value of this report. Besides a panoramic view of the vast
reach of landscape, looking easterly from the highest
eminence in the Blue Hills reservation—still called by its
commonplace modern designation of Great Blue Hill,
instead of its ancient historic name, Massachusetts Mount,
which by all means should be restored—there are a
number of beautiful photogravure plates, representing
various notable scenes in the various reservations, such as
the falls, the brook and the noble Oaks in the Beaver
Brook reservation ; a pleasant woodland interior showing
how some of the old “ wood-roads” in the Middlesex Fells
have been improved for temporary use; and scenes from
the borders of various pieces of water in the reservations,
including an exceptionally lovely prospect over the Stony
Brook Woods, across to the Blue Hills range, with Turtle
Pond nestling in the middle distance, amid a sylvan
setting. Then there are excellent maps of the several
reservations, a diagram showing the relations of the Blue
Hills and the Fells Parkways to the metropolitan district,
and a careful enumeration in an outline sketch of all the
Garden and Forest.
i710
landmarks visible in the panorama on every side from the
Great Blue Hill.
The commissioners report takings to a total extent of
6,070 acres in the four reservations, which they have thus
far laid out, while previous takings, amounting to about
1,600 acres, increase the total area in charge of the com-
mission to nearly 7;700 acres. Altogether the total open
space for recreative and water-supply uses in the Boston
metropolitan district now amounts to almost 14,000
acres. The commissioners discuss their important trust
in a conservative spirit that inspires confidence in their
capacity for its proper administration. Great activities,
yet scarcely entered upon, await them. These include
the complicated problem of Charles River, the contem-
plated taking of the grand stretch of ocean shore at Revere
Beach, and the providing of suitable facilities for access
to the various reservations by means of parkways and
boulevards. :
The discussion by the landscape architects of various
questions connected with the acquisition and develop-
ment of public reservations, is of such general application
and importance that it should be brought to the attention
of park commissions, city authorities and students of
municipal economy everywhere. Resuming the considera
tion of the boundary question, it is pointed out how it has
not been the habit of park commissions, speaking gener-
ally, to give much attention to the boundaries of public
reservations.
It is generally easier to acquire the whole of a given parcel
of real estate, though half of it is not really wanted, and then to
omit the purchase of any of the next parcel, though half of
that is sadly needed, than it is to acquire a part from this and
a part from that for the sake of obtaining what is essential
and omitting what is of less importance to the landscape of
the domain to be preserved. There are few public grounds
which are not grossly deformied by the impertections of their
boundaries. Almost everywhere the immediate saving of
time and trouble for the surveyor, the conveyancer and the
commission concerned has worked permanent injury to pub-
lic interests in public scenery.
It is pointed out that these large reservations have been
taken not for the sake of making an exhibition of fine
trees, economic forestry, model roads or any other special
thing or things, however desirable, but simply in order to
provide the metropolitan community with fine scenery ;
and consequently that all work done within the reserva-
tions ought to be directed solely to preserving, enhancing
or making available the charm, the beauty, or the impres-
siveness of that scenery.
The scenery of all the reservations thus far acquired is
essentially sylvan. Sylvan scenery is compounded of the shape
of the ground and vegetation. The variously sculptured or
modeled forms of the earth’s surface furnish the solid body
of landscape which man seldom finds time or strength to mar.
Vegetation, on the other hand, supplies the dress of living
green which man often changes, strips away or spoils, but
which he can generally restore if he so chooses.
Emphasis is laid on the necessity of régarding the
ancient wood-roads that have been opened up in the
reservations to serve pressing administrative needs as
merely temporary affairs. They do not and cannot be
made to exhibit the scenery as it ought to be and may be
exhibited. The report states that one may easily drive through
the whole length of the Blue Hills range by the present
service road and come away disappointed, and that, con-
trariwise, it is easily possible to imagine a road along the
range which, preseiNing one quiet or surprising picture after
another, could not fail to awaken admiration of scenery in
every observer. The reservations will not return to the
community that dividend of refreshment which is rightly
expected of them until roads and paths shall have been
built with special reference to the exhibition of the
scenery. Prolonged study, not only of the ground, but of
complete topographical maps, is shown to be essential to
the devising of such roads.
The opening or closing of vistas, and the modification
172
of vegetation for the sake of scenery, is work that is
greatly needed in the woodlands.
Excepting work directed to ponding or turning water, the
selection of high or low, evergreen or deciduous, crowded or
separated types of vegetation is practically the only work
which can be done for the enhancement of the beauty of
the landscape, and work of this kind, well handled, will be
productive of remarkable and important results. In general,
this work ought to be directed to the selection and encourage-
ment of those forms of vegetation which are characteristic of
each type of topography. Sameness of treatment, regardless
of site and exposure, is to be scrupulously avoided. On the
windy summits of the Blue Hills the dwarf growths native to
such hill-tops ought to be preserved or induced to take posses-
sion. On sunny crags and ledges, Pitch Pine, Cedar and
Juniper should be led to find place, while the Hemlock should
appear among shady rocks. At the bases of bold ledges now
concealed by dull curtains of stump-growth, large areas may
profitably be cleared and even pastured for the sake of exhibit-
ing the forms of the rocks and the grand distant prospects
discernible between them. In other places, where only short-
lived sprout-growth now exists, seedlings of long-lived trees
should be encouraged to start. On slopes of poor soil per-
manent thickets may be advisable, while some rich glade or
valley may be devoted to the development of soft turf and
broad-spreading trees. There is thus no limit to the variety
of sylvan types of scenery which may gradually be developed
within these broad reservations.
It is stated that the more delicate and difficult operations
of this art of enhancing the beauty of the vegetal element
in landscape must wait upon the building, or at least the
planning, of the permanent roads and paths. These roads,
it is stated, must be made to exhibit the scenery, and the
vegetal scenery must be improved with reference to the
roads.
Careful studies of the present conditions of the reserva-
tions have been wisely determined upon. For example,
groups of competent naturalists have volunteered their
services in the study of the flora and the fauna of the
several localities. Their notes and their collections will
be carefully preserved for reference, and will present invalu-
able means for comparison as time goes on and changes
gradually occur.
Notes upon Poisonous Plants.
ATAL cases of poisoning by eating roots of wild
plants, brought to our notice in the pages of the daily
prints, again remind us that much remains to be learned
by grown people, as well as children, concerning the very
active properties of many of our common plants.
It was probably not in the mind of Senator Hatch and
others in establishing departments of research in each state
that such should be in any direct sense life-saving stations.
If these experiment stations are to make life richer ina
fuller knowledge of methods of crop-growing they may
well find it a part of their work to make human life safer
by diffusing information concerning, for example, the poi-
sonous plants that surround us on every hand.
On account of appeals that have been made to the New
Jersey Station for facts concerning poisonous plants, and in
the face of the many fatal cases of poisoning that have
occurred about us, I have been led to look somewhat sys-
tematically into the subject, and as a result no less than
sixty-five species of plants have been listed and placed
upon the roll of suspects. Of these many are injurious
only to a slight degree, and that effect is not constant.
Some persons can work daily among the roots and fresh
leafy shoots of the Poison Ivy, Rhus Toxicodendron, without
injury, while on the other hand other persons cannot pass
near the plants without experiencing physical discomfort.
I shall not soon forget the time when both my eyes were
swollen to blindness by handling this plant. Many of the
plants upon the list are poisonous only when taken into
the system. In other words, the poisonous plants may, for
convenience, be divided into those poisonous to touch (by
contact) and those which are poisonous when eaten
(by assimilation). It is to the latter class that attention
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 375.
should be most emphatically drawn, for these do the most
injury.
Twice in the year there are outbreaks of poisoning. One
of these occurs in spring, when every one is longing for
some green thing, and most frequently the poison is taken
into the system in the form of roots. Boys and others
“eo aforaging,” and by accident or otherwise unearth
some large fleshy roots ; upon tasting them they are found
to be sweet, or, at least, not disagreeable, and the mischief
is begun, which ends in sickness, and sometimes death.
The chances are that the fleshy roots belong to some spe-
cies of plants of the Parsley family, some of the more com-
mon members of which are the Carrot, Parsnip and Celery,
all three grown largely for food in the gardens. Even
these well-bred plants are still somewhat poisonous. to
some persons. Thus there are cases of skin afflictions due
to the handling of Celery-foliage, and some gardeners need
to be protected against it if they work with these plants
continuously. In like manner the Carrot is unsuited to
some individuals as an article of diet, and when Parsnips
are left to run wild in waste places for a few generations, a
generation being two years in this plant, the root will be-
come somewhat reduced in size and elaborate a poisonous
principle that to many is positively harmless, and with
others has caused death. This is by no means the only
instance of culture holding the evil qualities in check.
When cases of fatal root-poisoning occur it is not unlikely
that they are due to the wiid Parsnip, Pastinaca sativa. A
more poisonous species of this Parsley family is the Poison
Hemlock, Conium maculatum, which has come to us from
Europe, and grows in waste places. This is a smooth,
much-branched herb, three feet high, the stems of which
are marked with purple specks, so that the name of Spotted
Parsley is sometimes given to this species. The leaves
consist of many leaflets and are ill-scented. A virulent
poison, conicine, abounds in all parts, and should not be
taken into the system.
A close relative of the Conium is the False Parsley, Cicuta
maculata, also called Spotted Cowbane, Water Hemlock
and Beaver Poison. This common species is a tall plant
with the stems streaked with purple, but not spotted as in
the Conium. Theroot is a deadly poison, and of all our
poisonous plants is the part that causes the greatest num-
ber of deaths. Other species of the same family that are
poisonous and have fleshy roots are the Water Parsnip,
Sium cicutefolium, growing in wet places, and the Cow
Parsnip, Heracleum lanatum, which is also a coarse plant
fond of the low ground.
It is difficult to lay down any rule, hard and fast, to serve
as an invariable guide and protection against these veno-
nrous plants. The danger of persons eating the herbage
to excess is not great, but, as before stated, the injury
usually comes from the fleshy roots, which are attractive
to the eye and not disagreeable to the taste. These, if eaten
in early spring, when they are gorged with the poisonous
qualities, are quite sure to lead to unpleasant, if not fatal,
results. Every one should be impressed with the fact that
some of these poisonous plants pass the winter chiefly as
large fleshy roots and are to be shunned. Nothing in the
form of wild plants should be eaten unless well known to
be harmless, and fleshy roots particularly should be
avoided. Most particularly of all let parents and school
teachers admonish children of the great danger of promis-
cuous foraging in fields and woodlands, especially in early
spring.
The second outbreak of poisonous cases comes with
the ingathering of toadstools during the summer. This
subject was fully treated in GaxpEN anp Forest by Dr.
Farlow, under “Notes for Mushroom Eaters,” about a
year ago.
There are a number of plants, particularly in the Heath
family, Ericaceze, that injure live stock, as, for example, the
Calf-kill, Leucothoé racemosa, and Lamb-kill, Kalmiaangus-
tifolia, as the common names strongly indicate.
Byron D. Halsted.
kutgers College.
©
May 1; 1895.|
Four Native Trees in the North-west.
HE importance of proper selection of species for forest-
planting was not realized by the early planters on the
north-western plains, and to-day the picture of the decay-
ing trees in these early groves is one of the greatest dis-
couragements to forest-planting. The Cottonwood is pre-
eminently a tree of bottom lands, and even here it is never
crowded into compact groves, but rather spread out into
an open belt of varying width, according to the character
of the soil and water-supply. Since it is rarely found on
the high prairies, one would hardly expect to make lasting
groves in such Situations, and yet this was the tree most
extensively planted at first, and it has proved a failure
everywhere except on the low plains. Its almost universal
use may be attributed to the facts that it was considered a
rapid-growing tree; that it was comparatively abundant
and was easily propagated. But when we compare the
growth of this species with that of some better native trees
one is inclined to dispute the general belief that it grows
much more rapidly than other trees.
In the college tree plats here on the high prairie, taking
the growth for every year since 1889, the average annual
growth of the Cottonwood has been 27.1 inches; that of
the Box Elder has been 24.2; of the White Elm, 24.1, and
of the Green Ash, 16 inches. It will be seen that the
annual growth of the Cottonwood has been only three
inches greater than that of the Box Elder and the White
Elm, which last tree is counted among those of compara-
tively slow growth. Of the trees planted in the spring of
1889 the tallest Cottonwood is eighteen feet eight inches
high and seventeen inches in circumference at the crown,
while the largest White Elm planted in the same year was
sixteen feet high and ten and a quarter inches in circum-
ference. A Box Elder of the same age was fifteen feet
high, and the best Green Ash was only ten feet and a half
high.
This shows some superiority in the Cottonwood in regard
to size, but when we examine the trees for hardiness or
vigor one of the plats shows that of 330 Cottonwood-trees
planted, only fifty-eight per cent. are living, while of 243
Box Elders, ninety-seven per cent. are living ; of 111 White
Elms, eighty-four per cent. are living, and of 121 Green
Ash-trees, eighty-five per cent. are living. Forty-two per
cent. loss in the case of the Cottonwood as compared with
fifteen per cent. loss in the case of the White Elm is
significant.
In addition, then, to the extensive failures of early plant-
ings of Cottonwood, this comparison shows the fruitless-
ness of using this tree on high prairies. It shows also that
although the Box Elder leads the White Elm in average
annual growth and in hardiness of constitution—that is, in
the percentage of trees that have survived the first six years
after planting—it must be remembered that when full-grown
the Box Elder is neither a shade-tree nor a timber-tree,
while the Elm is both. The Elm grows more rapidly than
‘the Ash, and, so far, it is less subject to insect pests, and,
therefore, deserves a higher rank, especially where shade
and protection is the object of the planter rather than valua-
ble timber. L. GC. Corbett,
State Agricultural College, Brookings, S. D.
Foreign Correspondence.
Hippeastrums in England.
T the present time the Hippeastrums are among the
most showy and valuable of greenhouse decorative
plants. Yesterday I had the pleasure of going through the
houses devoted to the cultivation of these plants at the
Chelsea establishment of Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, and
was much struck with their wonderful variety and beauty.
I gather from Bulletin No. 107 of the North Carolina Agri-
cultural Experiment Station that Hippeastrums, or, as they
are generally called in gardens, Amaryllis, are not grown
to any great extent in the United States. This seems to me
Garden and Forest.
3
a fact to be regretted, and I hope that some enterprising
grower will take up the subject seriously. I have little
doubt that success would follow a genuine effort to popu-
larize so gorgeous a flower, and one, moreover, which can
be well grown without too much trouble.
THE PaRENTAGE OF GaRDEN Hipprasrrums.—The race of
Hippeastrums, as itnow exists in England, is a creation of
quite modern date. Some of the wild species or forms
which have contributed to make the Hippeastrums what
they now are—I am speaking, of course, of the purely
artificial products of the gardener’s art—have been in culti-
vation in this country for upwards of a century. H. eques-
tre, from tropical America, and H. Reginz, from Mexico,
West Indies, etc. (introduced in 1728), have been the prin-
cipal factors in furnishing the rich, deep red and crimson
tints of the earlier hybrids ; their influence can even now
be discerned in some of the latest seedlings. H. aulicum,
from central Brazil—introduced in 1819—and H. vittatum,
an Andean species introduced in 1769, havealso played an
important part. H. Leopoldi, collected in the Peruvian
Andes by Pearce and sent by him to Messrs. Veitch in 1869,
and H. pardinum, also first discovered in the same regions
as the last named, by Pearce andsent by him to the Chelsea
nursery in 1867, have been largely used by Messrs. Veitch
in the production of their later seedlings, H. Leopoldi much
the more extensively of the two. H. reticulatum, intro-
duced from south Brazil in 1877, a rather small-flowered
species well marked by the crimson veinings and reticula-
tions of the segments, has given rise toa set of beautiful
autumn-flowering hybrids, to which sufficient attention has
not yet been paid. H. solandriflorum, a species introduced
from Brazil in 1820, is remarkable for its long-tubed green-
ish-white flowers, closely resembling those of some of the
Lilies of Japan, the Philippine Islands, etc.; this has given
rise to some interesting hybrids, but it has played no part
in the production of the regularly formed almost tubeless
flowers, which at present so attract the attention of the
horticultural public at the spring meetings of the Royal Hor-
ticultural Society in London. In fact, the Hippeastrum has
become a florist’s flower. The green bar in the centre of
each segment, perhaps derived from H. psittacinum, has
been eliminated, and even the base of the segments of
many of the dark-colored seedlings is altogether clear of
any trace of green. In the light-colored seedlings the green
is evident enough. What in England would be regarded
as a very great acquisition would be a race with white or
blush flowers of as good form and substance as the beauti-
ful rich red ones without the green eye which at present is
so conspicuous. Five years ago Mr. Harry Veitch read a
paper on the Hippeastrum at one of the meetings of the
Royal Horticultural Society, and any one wishing to take
up the cultivation of this beautiful genus should not fail to
consult this paper, published in full in the society’s jour-
nal. An extract of a few lines will show what has been
done from a gardening standpoint: ‘Comparing the latest
acquisitions with the original species in respect of size, we
find that the flowers of the latter range from two anda half
to five inches diameter, with segments from three-quarters
to one and one-fourth inches broad, and with tubes three
to four inches long; that of H. solandriflorum seven to
eight inches. long. Our bestrecent types have a diameter
of nine to eleven inches, with segments three and a half to
four inches broad, and the tube almost obsolete. As regards
color, scarlet and red prevail in some of the natural species,
crimson-scarlet veins, streaks and reticulations in others,
and all with a larger orsmaller green centre. We have
now an uninterrupted range of colors, from deep maroon-
crimson -through crimson, crimson-scarlet, pure scarlet,
orange-scarlet, carmine, rose and rose-pink, to almost pure
white, with striped and reticulated forms ofall these shades
of color.” The dimensions above given, I may say, are
now understated.
Cuttivation.—The plan adopted by Messrs. Veitch &
Sons is as follows : Two-thirds good fibrous loam and one-
third cow-manure are brought together about the end of
174
July, and turned over and well mixed about three months
later, taking care at all times to prevent the heap from get-
ting too wet. Just before potting, nearly a third in bulk of
sharp sand is added. Potting begins in mid-January, and
the bulbs flower eight or ten weeks later. After potting,
the pots are plunged; spent tan (stored for a year) from
the tan-yards is the material used both at Chelsea and at
Kew. No bottom-heat is applied at first, and if the soil is
damp when used no water is given. For three or four
weeks the temperature of the house is kept at fifty-five
degrees, Fahrenheit; then a little bottom-heat is given, and
the temperature is raised to sixty degrees. When in flower
the plants may be moved into a cool house, but very little
water will be needed unless the leaves are well developed.
More failures result from overwatering than from all other
causes combined. After flowering, the pot and half the
upper exposed part of the bulb should be plunged again in
tan and kept shaded during bright sunshine. A good
syringing daily is advisable during bright weather. Bot-
tom-heat, too, is beneficial. Growth is rapid, and the roots
run through and over the pots for some feet into the
plunging material. As soon as the foliage has attained full
size the bottom-heat can be done away.with; no shading
is necessary, and gradually all light and air possible is
allowed, and finally the pots are lifted out of the tan and
allowed to stand without water on the beds until the pot-
ting season again arrives, when the old soil is shaken
away and the dead roots removed. In good strong bulbs
there will always be a number of thick, fleshy, healthy,
living roots at potting-time, even after a drying of some
months.
Srepiines.—At Kew we flower numbers of these in less
than two years from sowing the seed. As soon as ripe,
say, in May, we sow the seeds in pans in a warm house.
When large enough to handle, the young plants are pricked
off into beds not too far from the glass, and are kept grow-
ing continuously until October of the following year.
They are then ripened off and potted in January or
February. We sow seeds every year, only allowing
those plants to seed which possess the color, form or
some other quality desired. By starting with a few good
parents a fine series of beautiful seedlings is soon procured.
Messrs. Veitch never use manure-water at all, and repot
every year. Others are equally successful by treatment
widely different—that is, by never shaking out the bulbs
at all, but repotting in slightly larger pots until the limit is
reached, and using manure-water carefully during season
of growth. A little crushed bone mixed with the soil is
beneficial. The way we manage the bottom-heat at Kew
is to have hot-water pipes—provided with valves, so as
to regulate heat or stop it altogether—underneath the plung-
ing-beds. The side walls which support the slabs on which
the plunging material is placed prevent the heat from
escaping laterally to any extent. By following such a
course of treatment failure is practically impossible, but I
am sure that in many parts of the United States really good
results could be obtained by growing in cold frames. It is
distinctly desirable to keep up a succession of seedlings, as
plants propagated only from offsets have not the vigor of
seedlings. Given good varieties to begin with, and cross-
fertilization practiced only with vigorous bright colored
or well-formed flowers, and all the resulting seedlings are
well worth growing.
Kew.
George Nicholson.
New or Little-known Plants.
Rose, Belle Siebrecht.
N illustration of this Rose, which is being distributed
this year for the first time by Messrs. Siebrecht &
Wadley, of this city, will be found on page 175 of this issue.
The plant has already proved valuable when grown under
glass. Its habit of constant bloom and the color of its flow-
ers, which is a solid deep shade of pink, quite novel in Roses
of this class, make it very useful for commercial florists. It is
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 375.
a vigorous grower and an abundant producer of good-sized
flowers ; the buds tapering and borne on long stout stems
well furnished with vigorous leaves. Another strong point
in its favor is the singular purity and richness of its color
as seen under artificial light, and it really shows up more
brilliantly under these conditions than any of the Roses
now grown for commercial purposes. We are assured that
the plants have proved perfectly hardy in the latitude of
New York for several years, and if it has a constitution to
endure our winters it will be a most welcome addition to
our hardy garden Roses, since we have so few which flower
the season through.
The plant is said to have originated with Messrs. Dickson
& Sons, of Newtownards, Ireland, and, under the name of
Mrs. W. J. Grant, it received the gold medal of the National
Rose Society at the Chester show in 1892. It is said to
be a cross between La France, which came from the
seed of a Tea Rose, and Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, which
is also a Hybrid Tea. This parentage will account for its
ever-blooming qualities and its delightful fragrance.
Plant Notes:
Linpera Benzory.—This hardy native Benzoin, Spice-
wood or Spice-bush, sometimes called Fever-bush or Ben-
jamin-bush, may be considered as familiar to comparatively
few people, either as a garden-plant or in its native habitat
in our woods, where it delights in moist rich soils or along
the courses of streams and rivulets. Under good condi-
tions it becomes a tall shrub six or eight to twelve or fifteen
feet high, and it is among the earliest, although it is not the
very earliest, of our indigenous species to blossom. In
flower it always attracts attention by its short axillary,
umbel-like clusters of small honey-yellow colored blossoms,
which appear thickly along the naked branches long before
there are any leaves visible. The Spice-bush is dicecious,
bearing its staminate or pollen flowers and its pistillate or
fruit-producing flowers on separate plants, and the usually
more numerous blossoms and the yellow anthers of the
male or staminate plants give them a generally brighter
aspect. The oval, smooth, shining bright red fruit, which
matures in the autumn, is more conspicuous than the flow-
ers, and remains on the plant until after the leaves fall, if
it is not previously eaten by birds, some kinds of which
seem very fond of it. In planting the Spice-bush for the
autumnal fruitage a majority of the plants selected should
be pistillate, but a few staminate plants should be placed .
among them, so as to insure fertilization. If, on the other
hand, it is desired to get the best effect from the not very
conspicuous early spring flowers the staminate plants
would prove somewhat the most attractive. In a natural
condition in shady places the plants commonly have a
thin and straggling appearance, but growing in good gar-
den-soil or by judicious pruning they form neat compact
bushes. Although in nature the Spice-bush is generally
found in moist situations, its free growth in ordinary shrub-
bery plantations or in garden cultivation shows that un-
usual moisture is not essential to its vigorous development.
The leaves change to a pretty soft yellow color before they
fall. All parts of the Spice-bush are richly spicy, aromatic,
but this quality is strongest in the bark and fruit. In some
parts of the country the people use an infusion or decoction
of the twigs or bark as a drink in fevers or as a vermifuge,
and the dried and powdered fruits were sometimes used as
a substitute for allspice during the Revolutionary War.
The benzoin of commerce is derived from an entirely dif-
ferent East Indian plant, or plants, belonging to another
family. The drug was early known as “Incense of Java,”
or by the Arab name, “Luban Jawi.” By leaving off the
two first letters of the first word it is said the name gradu-
ally became corrupted and changed until it got to Benja-
min, the product being sometimes known as Gum Benjamin,
and our Lindera getting its occasional name of Benjamin-
bush from some similarity in odor to the product from the
oriental tree.
May 1, 1895-] Garden and Forest. 175
Prunus Daviprana.—This fine, early-flowering Peach, or Plum, isa mass of white—not absolutely snow-white, how-
Plum, is now in full bloom in the Arnold Arboretum, Itis ever, fora slight tinge of color heightens the effect. This
almost wonderful to see this handsome tree, twelve to fifteen plant appears to be perfectly hardy, but early frosts some-
feet high, with its large white flowers, borne in the great- times destroy or diminish the bloom in this vicinity, which
Fig. 27.—Rose, Belle Siebrecht.—See page 174.
est abundance, at this season before Forsythia or Spiraea is quite natural under the circumstances and not a suffi-
Thunbergii even begins to show color. The flowers literally cient reason for discarding it from our collections; one
cover the tree; just as a little later, the familiar Peach, its favorable season out of three would justify its cultiva-
close relation, is clothed with pink, so now, this Peach, or tion. It demands the same sort of treatment given to the
176
Japanese Plums—that is, a well-drained soil, a sheltered
position and plenty of food. They paaeaeat jon is Bee grafting.
Eryturoniums.—Dog-tooth Violets are familiar wild flow-
ers in the states east of the Mississippi, where carpets of
their beautiful leaves are often seen in slightly shaded
places. While the flowers are abundant in some cases,
whole colonies of the plants will be found with few, if any,
flowers during their season. This is owing to lack of ma-
turity of the bulbs, and sometimes to their increase in
numbers. The root-action and habit of increase of Ery-
throniums are curious and interesting and have given rise
to much discussion. It occurred lately to one phone to
investigate the real facts, which he discovered by cultiva-
tion in glass-sided boxes, and Mr. Blodgett, in the Bovanical
Gazette, vol. xix., page 61, has given a very lucid account
of the reproduction of the species. The California Ery-
throniums are probably not much grown in eastern gar-
dens, though they are perfectly hardy in this latitude and of
the easiest culture. All the species are charming little
plants. Their leaves are usually richly spotted and marked
with colorations quite distinct from our eastern Adder's
Tongue. E. Howelli has pretty flowers, salmon-pink in
color. The leaves of this species are handsomely figured.
E. purpurascens is deeper in its shadings, and is a combi-
nation of yellow and reddish purple. EF. citrina has large
flowers of citron-yellow, with a lighter centre. E. grandi-
flora and E. Hendersonii have respectively he and dark
purple flowers. On strong bulbs the scapes will often bear
two flowers. The effect of all these species is very pleas-
ing and quite distinct from E. Americanum. They flower
here in April.
Tuvipa Kaurmanniana.—This beautiful Tulip is now in
full flower, while the Duc von Thol Tulips, in the same bor-
der, are hardly showing buds, much less color; it is cer-
tainly the best early Tulip we have. It is a native of cen-
tral Asia and has been in cultivation since 1877; it is
apparently slow in propagation, or its merits are not
widely known, for the bulbs are still difficult to obtain and
are high-priced. The perianth is a bright sulphur-yellow,
tinted >with red, and as large as Tulipa Gesneriana; the
peduncle is eight inches or more ites but varies some-
what, according to bad or favorable seasons ; the leaves
are large and glaucous. Taken altogether, it is a plant
deserving high commendation.
Iris orcHioipEs.—This Turkestan species is the second
yellow Iris of the season, being preceded by the little I.
Danfordize by a month or more usually. IL. orchioides is
one of the Juno section, and Mr. Gerard, after testing it
for three years, pronounces it reliably hardy here, and
rather more robust than I. Caucasica, I. persica and others
of the same section. Heavy soil and a sunny location
seem to suit it perfectly. It resembles I. Caucasica in
habit, though a taller plant. in having two rows of long
tapering lax leaves clasping the stem in opposite rows.
The stems are one and a half to two feet high. The flow-
ers are borne from the nodes on short stems, and are very
attractive, being of a rich deep yellow of great purity, with
only a small olive blotch on the fall. The flowers are
small, but, as there are three or four opened at once usually
on the same stem, a colony of this Iris is very attractive.
Its leaves commence to appear very early in the season,
and are sometimes touched by hard frosts. Curiously
enough they were not injured at all this year, though the
plants caught the early morning sun during the extremely
cold early year, a most severe test forany plant. There is
also a variety of this plant with lavender-colored flowers.
I. Caucasica, which flowers slightly earlier, might dispute
the place of thesecond early yellow Iris, butits colori isat best
a greenish yellow, and the typeisscarcely worth garden room.
“TrIs SINDIARENSIS, from Mount Sindjar, Mesopotamia, has
already been noted in GarDEN anpD Forest as a very hand-
some Juno Iris, with charming flowers of a light lavender
hue and pleasantly fragrant. This has a habit similar to
that of I. orchioides, though the stems are shorter, the
flowers less frequent, and the leaves a darker green. The
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 375.
flowers are also borne on shorter stems and are larger and
more effective from their broader falls. This has survived
two winters with Mr. Gerard, but does not seem as vigor-
ous as I. orchioides. It commences to grow just before
the end of November, _ I. Sindjarensis, I. orchioides and I.
Rosenbachiana are a trio of Irises of the same section
which snould please any grower of hardy plants.
NympaHa@a FLAMMEA.—F lowers of this Water-lily have been
sent us by Mr. J. Brydon, Yarmouthport, Massachusetts.
This is one of a valuable series of hybrids produced by
Monsieur Marliac, of which he gave an interesting account
last year. It seems that he succeeded in securing a
hybrid between a tropical Nymphzea and one of the hardy
species of the north, and this hybrid produces seeds
abundantly. Monsieur Marliac has in this way produced a
series of hybrids, ranging in color from white to intense
red. They generally bear medium or small-sized flowers ;
they are perfectly hardy and very free and continuous
bloomers. N. Laydekeri of this series is now well known
to growers of aquatics and is very satisfactory in cultiva-
tion. The flowers on first opening are a delicate pink,
changing later to cherry-red. N. flammea appears to be of
similar habit, size and character, but is much more intense
in color. In the old flower sent us the color approaches
that of N. rubra, but is not quite a self-color. Another
variety, N. ignea, is said to be more intense in color. The
new varieties, unlike N. Laydekeri, it is said, can be
propagated by division.
OcHNA MULTIFLORA,—A London nurseryman recently re-
introduced this stove evergreen, which was first brought to
England in 1820, but somehow became lost for a long time.
It is most attractive when in fruit. The flowers are some-
what like those of a yellow Potentilla. After the petals fade
the calyx and receptacle gradually change from a greenish
yellow to a rich vermilion; the receptacle enlarges consid-
erably, and on it are the carpels, about six in number, con-
taining the seed. The carpels, which are at first a pea green
color, change when ripe to a deep purple, and give the plant
a very odd appearance. It does well ina temperate house.
The seeds germinate freely ina few weeks after being sown.
Oxatis Bowrrt.—To be in flower at this season these
bulbs should be potted up and started in three-inch pots
about the beginning of January. Afterward three or four
of the plants may be massed in a wire basket and hung up
in a warm greenhouse near the roof. Perhaps no other
plant makes so pleasing a display of flowers and foliage for
such a small sum of money. Oxalis Bowiei can be brought
into flower at any time of the year by putting in the bulbs,
in winter-time, about two months ahead of the time they
are wanted in bloom, and in summer three or four weeks
ahead of the time will suffice. It is unsatisfactory to buy
mixed collections of Oxalis, since there are so many spe-
cies of litthe or no value, and scarcely any two of them
have the same habits. The flowers of O. Bowiei area light
rose color, and when well developed they are nearly two
inches in diameter. O. cuprea and O. versicolor are two
very good. kinds; they have yellow and white flowers
respectively.
Cultural Department.
Spring-flowering Bulbs.
Y custom is to uncover my bulb-beds during the first
week of April. This is early enough for this latitude ;
indeed, some would consider it too early, but I do not leave
the ground wholly bare. There will still be sharp frosts which
will nip the tender shoots which have started beneath the cov-
ering, and so a little hay or other material should be left where
it can be easily got when a chilly evening threatens. The
young sprouts will become hardened in ten days so as to stand
any cold which is likely to come. Ixiolirions will come up
under covering so colorless as to appear almost transparent,
and things as hardy as Alliums, when first exposed to the air,
are unable to endure any frost at all. Then, why not delay
two weeks longer? might be asked. For this reason: By the
middle of April many of the early-starting things would be
|
May 1, 1895.]
grown so lank and long that they would be unable to recover
their proper sturdiness. It is better to uncover too early than
too late. Although the winter was severe, I find nearly every-
thing has come through in good condition ; indeed, much to
my surprise, I find that some tubers of Bletia hyacinthine,
planted four inches deep and entirely unprotected by cover-
ing, are alive and sound. Some tubers of Smilax, also uncov-
ered, appear sound, but about them I ain not sure. Both of
these I have grown successfully out-of-doors with a few inches
of leaves over them, and it now seems that even that precau-
tion is not always necessary. Until three years ago I did not
care much for Ixias—not that I did not admire their beauty,
but it was too much trouble to grow them under glass; but of
late [ have grown them out-of-doors with complete success.
They should be planted very late, so that they shall not make
an autumnal growth (the end of November is a good time),
and should then be covered with several inches of some ma-
terial, the leaves of the Pine in preference. Over these I have
heretofore laid shutters to turn off the rain, but I find this not
really necessary ; the bulbs will do as well without it, but will
be a little later in starting. I planted last November a great
many Tritonias and Sparaxis with the Ixias; the former are
not yet up, but the Sparaxis are doing finely. S.(Dierama) pul-
cherrima is dead, I am sorry to say, and somewhat surprised
as well, for Mr. Putnam has wintered it in Salem, twenty miles
farther north than Canton.
The Snowdrops, of course, are past, but Erythronium albi-
dum, which began to blossom before they did, has still a
flower or two. The first Narcissus this year is Minimus, a
perfect gem, of the same shape as Emperor, and comparing
with it as David with Goliath. Scoticus, which usually takes
precedence, is, as yet, hardly showing bud. The flowers of all
varieties of Narcissi in my grounds are likely to be very few.
No Tulips are yet showing color, the most advanced at the
present time being White Pottebakker and Tulipa Greigi, the
latter being bulbs kept over winter in the cellar, and planted
out April ist. I tried the same plan last year both with that
Tulip and Iris Susiana, and found it perfectly successful.
Canton, Mass. W. E. Endicott.
Work of the Season.
Sees Gloxinias are now in eight-inch pots, and the
earliest have a good spread of leaves and promise to
bein bloom by the middle of May. A second batch, from
seeds sown late last summer, willcomein in July. They will
be our earliest next season. We find it better to raise a lot of
small bulbs each summer, as these always make much finer
plants than seedlings raised the current season, no matter how
early the seeds are sown, and, besides, it is easier to raise
them during the heat of summer. Of late years we have found
it better to keep the bulbs in the pots or boxes in which they
have grown, than to shake them out and store them in
sand. Whenever the bulbs shrivel, as they must when kept
in this way, a loss of vitality results, no matter if they plump
up when watered. . Our bulbs are kept under the greenhouse
benches, protected from the direct influence of hot-water pipes
by boards. They will need water two or three times during
the dormant season, but we always try them, and if firm they
are passed by. Despite the moderate temperature, growth
commences early in March, and as fast asa few leaves show
we bring them to the light. Our finest plants last season were
those which we did not repot. We grew them over, with the
aid of a little manure-water, when coming into flower. Success
with these does not depend so much on soil, although I used
to think it did. Proper location is more important. The best
structure to grow Gloxinias in is a low, close house, so venti-
lated that direct air does not strike them near the glass, but
yet screened by a light shading. These conditions are essen-
tial. For awhile our plants are kept on the dry side. In fact,
they are never thoroughly watered until considerable growth
has been made. Gloxinias are to a great extent surface-rooters,
and to wet the whole mass of earth means stagnation. Proper
aération of the soil is important. Whenever we find a plant
not doing well in a pot we can nearly always trace it to a defect
in this particular.
Seed of Chinese Primulas should be sown now for autumn
and winter blooming. I make no choice of the many strains
offered. If obtained from a reputable seedsman they should
be good. Free drainage and light soil are essential for these
in the earlier stages. When well-rooted and ready to go into
the flowering-pots late in August a little heavier soil may be
used. Opinions vary on this point, and I have seen first-class
Primulas grown all through the season in very light soil. The
plants will do better during thesummer months in cold frames
having an easterly exposure, with the sashes slightly shaded
Garden and Forest.
177
and well tilted to allow of free circulation of air, night and day.
As naturally the plants bloom early, only large specimens can
be had by taking out the flowering scapes as they appear until
within three or four weeks of the time they are required to
bloom, At thesame time any poor varieties can be weeded out.
It is probable that many of the large specimen plants of
Cyclamen Persicum exhibited in Horticultural Hall, Boston, at
the last spring show, were two-year-old bulbs. It is a com-
mon practice to raise seedlings the preceding summer, and
keep them growing for fifteen or eighteen months. For ordi-
nary decorative purposes plants in six-inch pots, with about
twenty-five flowers, are large enough, and usually can be
grown from seeds sown in December. In the early stages
light soil should be used. Some growers use dry sphagnum-
moss, chopped fine, and broken charcoal mixed with the
loam. Charcoal, as an auxiliary in draining and sweetening the
soil, is not as generally used as it should be. Heavier soil
may be used later. The summer treatment accorded Chinese
Primulas suits Cyclamens exactly. Cyclamens have not done
well with me of late years. I have been compelled to throw
away handsome-looking plants every year, through attacks of
the root-gall, presumably, nematodes of some kind. It is diffi-
cult to get loam free from them.
Looking months ahead, sometimes a whole season, we
divide up our last year’s stock of Astilbe Japonica for lifting
next autumn. Those forced this season need resting ; so also
with Deutzia gracilis. A few cuttings put in every year keeps
our stock replenished ; soft shoots taken now from plants in
bloom answer well. I can bear out Mr. Craig’s statement that
itis better to grow these plants altogether in pots, as I have
grown mine in this way now for three years. It is better to
propagate Marguerite Daisies and Stevias in June and grow
them in pots than to plant them out. Thus treated they are
more easily handled and kept in better shape than when
planted out. The little blue Paris Daisy, Agathzea ccelestis, is
an excellent winter bloomer. It is equally good in summer.
It seems to me it would make a good bedding-plant, although
I have never seen it tried. Cytisus of all kinds when small
should be grown in pots; large specimens, with a good ball of
earth, do better turned out. Indian Azaleas may safely be
planted out, and even Camellias, but care must be taken that
the surrounding soil is packed firmly to the ball of earth.
Wellesley, Mass.
Indian Azaleas.
vie people who have bought Indian Azaleas for Easter
decorations will hardly know what to do with their plants
when out of bloom. The majority, no doubt, were imported
plants, potted in indifferent soil, as a medium for forcing and
convenience in handling, rather than for growing them on
continuously in the pot. All dead flowers, with the seed-ves-
sels, should be picked off, and any soft growth, which often
comes with the blooms, should be cut away, so as to keep the
plant in neat bush shape. Ample time will be left for new and
more even growth to develop and properly ripen before the
autumn. It is customary in small towns to “board” the plants
until the next season with the neighboring florist. This is, no
doubt, a good plan for those who have no garden; but those
who have—and such people are, as a rule, interested in caring
for their plants themselves—will have no difficulty in growing
them. They will do well in any good garden-soil. A partly
shaded position is best suited for them, suchas might be given
on the north side of an Apple-tree or Pear-tree. In turning
the plants out of the pots it will be found that very few new
roots, if any, have been made. The original ball of earth
should be pricked, or, rather, scratched, over with a pointed
stick, so that the new soil will better adhere to it. The plant-
ing ought to be made in a slight depression or basin, with the
ball covered not more than an inch, and the soil packed firmly
about it, so that when water is given it should run through it
rather than between the sides and the new earth. This is
important. The planting out may be done any time after
danger of frost is past, and from then until the first of Septem-
ber abundance of water should be given—twicea day during dry
weather, and even a day ortwo after rain, although the soil may
appear moist enough, it would be safer to give water. After
the first of September less water will be needed, but it should
never be withheld long enough for the ball to get dry. Some
time in October the plants will need repotting, and as only a
few fine roots will be found on the outside of the original ball
a pot but little larger than the one in which it was flowered will
be large enough. Some fine sandy loam should be carefully
sifted in, so as to make sure there are no air-spaces left, and
the whole made still further firm with a lath jammed in along
the sides of the pot. .The flower-buds will be already set, and
178
may be felt in the leafy tips of the shoots. The object now
should be to keep the plants as dormant as possible. Very
little light will suffice, providing that the temperature of the
storage-place is low enough, say, forty degrees, Fahrenheit,
not to excite them into growth. They may be kept in first-rate
condition in an ordinary barn-cellar; even a house-cellar
would do if shut off from furnace-heat. Water might be
needed once a week or once a month ; it depends on whether
the place they are kept in is dry or moist. A month before
Easter is early enough to bring them out into warmth and
light, and they will bloom well in an ordinary house-window.
Wellesley, Mass. Z, 2D, Hatfield,
Notes on Carnations.
al eas time for planting young stock out-of-doors is now close
at hand and the plants should be gradually hardened off.
Ours are now in cold frames, where they are freely ventilated,
and some air is left on overnight, except when frost is threat-
ened. In this latitude we usually commence to plant out from
the 15th to the 20th of May. In some years there is a light
frost after these dates, and Coleus or other tender bedding-
plants are killed, but Carnations have not been damaged. We
allow our plants eighteen inches between the rows and place
them a foot apart in the rows. Between every fourth row we
leave a path two feet wide. The plants can be topped and
hoed from these paths and all weeds raked into them.
The soil best suited to most varieties of Carnations appears
to be a rather light, sandy loam well enriched with manure.
Certain varieties prefer a heavier soil, and the finest Grace
Wilders I have seen were grown ina heavy clayey loam. As
a general rule, however, we find that Carnations do best in a
sandy compost. They also lift with much better roots at
planting time.
Summer-blooming Carnation plants should now be nicely
rooted in three-inch pots. These should not be stopped after
this time if good flowers are desired by the middle of July.
Mrs. Fisher is still the best all-around variety in this class. It is
as satisfactory for summer flowers as it is unsatisfactory for win-
ter blooms. Nobscot is unexcelledas ascarlet. William Scott
and Daybreak are good bloomers of their respective shades of
pink, and F. Mangold does fairly well as a crimson. We
usually test a few plants of the newer varieties each season to
try their capabilities as outdoor bloomers; it is possible some
kinds, while not successes indoors, may prove’ useful
outside. Young stock to be grown along for next
winter's crop should be gone over at least once a week
and stopped before running up too much. As arule these
are grown in boxes; if in pots they will need very careful
attention in watering, as at this season they dry out rapidly.
If they are becoming pot bound they should be transferred to
a pot a size larger.
Carnation-houses will now need an abundance of ventilation.
In addition to opening the roof-ventilator, some side or bot-
tom air should be admitted daily on bright days unless a
cold wind prevails. A good crack of air should be left on
all night. Under no circumstances should ventilators be
closed tight after this season of the year. On the morning of
every clear day we give our plants a thorough good syringing ;
this is necessary to keep down that insidious foe, red spider,
which will quickly ruin a batch of plants if these precautionary
measures are not used.
Plants indoors are now giving an abundance of flowers.
The individual flowers are diminishing somewhat in size,
and as the beds are a mass of roots, abundant watering is
needed and slightly stronger stimulants. We have gone over
our plants recently, cleaned and tied them up for the last
time, and after slightly loosening the surface gave them a
mulching of well-rotted cow manure screened through a
one-inch sieve. The plants repay this attention. Quite a
number of growers do not stake their plants at all, andseldom
or never clean them, at this season of the year. Plants so
neglected show a marked contrast to those more carefully
looked after, Certainly no one who has once staked and
cleaned his plants will want to go back to the old careless and
slovenly method of growing them. We find that during
bright weather such as we are now having, our plants require
a good watering every other day, and once a week we use
stimulants. Some shade will now be needed on the glass.
We use a mixture of naphtha and common whiting to which
is added a little hard boiled linseed oil. The shade is applied
with a common whitewash brush; it need not be put on
thickly as yet.
Some Carnations which have not bloomed very freely during
winter are now giving fine crops of flowers. Among pink ones
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 375.
Ada Byron easily takes the lead with us. It is to be regretted
that this variety is not a satisfactory winter bloomer. It has a
beautifully fringed flower of good size and color, with a de-
lightful odor, and is borne on a dense stout stem ; we have
not seen a burst calyx. As a spring and summer bloomer it is
unsurpassed, Helen Keller, the best striped variety in com-
merce, is a grand sort grown as Messrs. Lonsdale and Daille-
douze showed it at the Boston Carnation Show. We find,
however, that it has a bad habit of ‘going sleepy” or fading
out its blooms instead of opening them properly. Fully half
the flowers on the small lot of plants we grew are useless, and
other growers near by say theirs are similarly affected. We
purpose trying ours in a heavier compost next season. Among
pink varieties, William Scott is far the most consistent bloomer,
and appears to give general satisfaction. Some growers still
cling to the old Grace Wilder, and two thousand of these flow-
ers which I saw recently were excellent, though in some in-
stances the calyx was burst. Fred Creighton, another pink
variety, almost discarded, was also noted in splendid condi-
tion. This variety gives a great spring crop of bloom, but
flowers only moderately in winter.
Some of the new varieties sent out during the present year
promise to be of first quality. Alaska, from Mr. Chitty, and
Storm King, from Mr. Ward, are very highly spoken of by all
who have seen them, and the Canadian variety, Bride of Erles-
cort, has many admirers. Meteor is bidding tor popular favor
as a crimson, while Mr. Dorner’s Bridesmaid, Mr. Simmons’
Rose Queen and Mr. Hunt's Peachblow are all promising pink
varieties. It is unfortunate that the new yellow, Dean Hole,
has been attacked by rust. There is much need of a good
yellow, since none of the kinds at present grown are very sat-
isfactory. A good scarlet which will bloom and grow as well
as Portia, with flowers the size of Hector, is much needed.
Hector is a fine scarlet, but it has defects in its lack of stem,
bursting of calyx and fading out of flower. It is, however, a
good Carnation, and the best one of its color now grown.
W. N. Craig.
Taunton, Mass.
Early Flowers.
S| ee are few prettier sights in the garden on a bright
sunny day of the early year than a bed of the little Anem-
one blanda or A. Apennina. I fear that there are few rarer
sights than a good colony of the first species unless more care
is taken of them than is usual in the average garden, for, like
all plants which die down, in the early year they offer special
opportunities to the destructive garden-helper. It will probably
be found to be the best practice to take up the tubers when
ripened and store them insand in the early autumn, when they
may be replanted. The small pieces of roots of this species
usually received make large strong tubers, even in our heavy
soil, and I think it is only the tidying up of the borders which
prevents their constant increase, for a lot of tubers planted
between Sedums and other plants, which are watered during
the summer, hold their own. My impression is that Anemone
blanda is adapting itself to to our climatic conditions in its
flowering period. Our winters are so variable that one can
only arrive at an accurate conclusion after many years’ expe-
rience, and this plant has been grown here only five seasons.
When first grown it flowered about the first of January, the
season being open. Since then the period of flowering has
varied greatly, but on the whole witha later tendency. This
year they are yet in flower at a time when A. Apennina is
usually expected.
Up to the present time the garden is dependent almost en-
tirely on bulbous plants for flowers, the few Saxifrages and
small alpine planis not making much effect, and, in fact, being
unreliable and uncertain here. As yet among the non-bulbous
plants flowers are only found on Hepaticas, hybrid Primroses,
Dondia epipactis and Arabis alpina, with the alpine Poppies
and Aubrietias just opening. Hepaticas being abundant in the
woods are too much neglected in gardens, where, ina suitable
location, they thrive and are a capital illustration of the rare
beauty of common things. I wish Primroses were as common
as their beauty deserves. They are plants so easily grown
and increase so rapidly that there seems no reason why they
should not be seen in every garden, andat this season they cover
themselves with lovely flowers, ranging in color from white,
through the yellows and reds. A well-grown Primrose, with
flowers on single stems, poised just over the lusty leaves, is a
very pleasing sight. Arabis is the best white-flowered plant
of the spring, as its prostrate growth is covered with sunny
bloom. It has a pleasing way of wandering around the garden
and showing at this time its flowers in new places.
_ Elizabeth, N. J. F. N. Gerard.
May 1, 1895.]
Greenhouse Plants in Bloom.—Among the noteworthy plants
in bloom here at the present time are several good old
things which are not so well known as they might be. Among
the climbers, Petraea volubilis is quite a pleasing sight. The
flowers are arranged in long racemes opposite each other ;
they are bright purple, both calyx and corolla being nearly of
thesame color. There is a white variety not very commonly
met with which isa pleasing companion to the purple one.
The Petrza, from its habit of growth, requires a position where
it can be planted out. Itis a quick grower, reaching a height
of about twelve feet before it makes much of a show.
Adenocalymna comosa, a beautiful yellow-flowered Bigno-
niaceous vine, is blooming for the second time this season. In
the large Palm-house it may be seen twinedin festoons from
Palm to Palm, and occasionally a long shoot hanging down,
beautifully laden with flowers. This is a good vine for a large
greenhouse ; it seems to do equally well in sun or shade. It
is propagated by means of cuttings taken off before the young
wood begins to push out. The cuttings will root either with
or without a heel. F
Botanic Garden, Washington. G. W, Oliver.
Adonis vernalis.—This thoroughly good plant is now in
bloom, the large yellow corolla, with its deeply cut leaf, re-
minding one of the earlier Winter Aconite, and makes a pleas-
ing successor, It isa native of southern Europe and is one
of the oldest garden-plants, although, strangely enough, it is
found in comparatively few American gardens. It is perfectly
hardy and thrives in almost any soil and situation ; it is a good
plant for the rock-work on the garden border. One caution
should be observed by those who try to cultivate it, and thatis
to avoid transplanting it too often ; it should be planted where
it is to stay and left undisturbed for years. With this treatment
a single plantsoon becomes a clump, bearing numerous flow-
ers and making a bright feature in the early spring garden.
The propagation is by division, but plants are so inexpensive
that it is much better to increase one’s stock by purchase. The
best time for planting is October or early ag ee
. MW,
Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Correspondence.
Notes from the South-west.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—We have just passed through the most severe winter
known here since the war. Gladioli and Montbretias by the hun-
dreds, Cannas and Dahlias by the score, that I have left for fifteen
years in the open ground over winter, are this spring but bits
of rotted pulp. Solanum jasminoides, Physianthus albens,
Antigonon Leptopus, Ipomcea Mexicana and Manettia cordi-
folia, all beautiful half-hardy vines that fora half-dozen years
have stood the winters unprotected, sheltered only by a lee of
the building, are dead as the proverbial nail this spring.
On the other hand, Peach-trees, the blossoms of which were
killed both last year and the year before, were remarkably full
of bloom this year, and I have never seen my Tea and Hybrid
Perpetual Roses with so little dead or unsound wood on them
at this season of the year. It is a matter of comment how full
of bloom all shrubs and trees are. It is worthy of notice, also,
that none of the hardier plants, Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocus, etc.,
were injured in the least.
The lesson is plain. We people of the south and south-west
must protect half-hardy bulbs and tubers over winter by heavy
mulching. To be sure, we may cover them ten times, and the
ground never freeze below a two-inch crust; but the eleventh
time an exceptional winter may come, and the ground freeze
to more than twice that depth, when the entire stock gathered
together through many a laborious year will be lost. If this
mulching is of rotted manure the labor need not be lost in any
event, for by spring it is more rotted and friable, and can then
be dug in the beds to enrich then. Some of our beds were
lightly covered with manure last fall. In these quite a number
of half-hardy bulbs survived. A deeper covering would have
saved them all.
One of our Pear-trees is showing a singular freak. It
is covered with extra-large flowers, each distinctly semi-double.
Each blossom has from ten to twelve broad, white petals, and
the large clusters are very ornamental.
Pineville, Mo.
The Hardiness of the Cherokee Rose.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
_Sir,—On page 114 it is said that the Cherokee Rose is tender,
and in the north suited only to the greenhouse.
Lora S. La Mance.
Garden and Forest.
179
Will you permit me, in the interest of the wider open-air
culture of this handsome Rose species, to say that a plant of
Rosa Sinica, obtained two years ago from Messrs. W. Paul &
Son, of Waltham Cross, England, has not only survived the
past winter here with absolutely no protection, but has now
broken vigorously into leaf almost to the tips of its spray-like
growth. Thirty-three degrees of frost were registered by the
thermometer in the screen and continued high winds pre-
vailed.
Salem, N. J. re
[The Cherokee Rose, as naturalized in this country, is not
hardy as far north as New Jersey. It will survive mild
winters in Washington, but is not reliably hardy there.
It is a noteworthy fact, therefore, that a plant of this species
has survived the late trying winter in Salem, New Jersey,
and it would be very interesting to know from what quar-
ter Messrs. Paul & Son received their stock. It is a well-
known fact that plants of the same species vary in their
ability to resist cold when taken from a more southern or
more northern part of their natural habitat. Thus, the so-
called Japanese Persimmon, or Kaki, is only known in this
country as a semi-tropical tree, while plants of appar-
ently the same species flourish in a climate as rigorous
as that of New England, and, no doubt, seedlings from
these trees would prove hardy in a much colder climate
than the Kaki as it is known in Florida and southern Cali-
fornia. It may well be that Messrs. Paul & Son have re-
ceived some plants or seed of Rosa Sinica from a more
northern region than that from which the original Cherokee
Rose was derived. It is to be hoped that the stock from
our correspondent'’s plant will be tried in still more northern
latitudes. —Ep. |
Recent Publications.
List of the Pleridophyta and Spermatophyta growing with-
out cultwation in north-eastern North America, prepared by
the committee of the Botanical Club of the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Science, from the Memoirs
of the Torrey Botanical Club. Volume V.
This book has grown out of the discussions of the princi-
ples of plant nomenclature which have been going on for
the last ten years in the United States with much activity,
and not always in the best taste. The matter was taken
up by the botanists of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science at their meeting held at Roches-
ter, in 1892, where a committee was appointed which
drafted the set of resolutions to govern the naming of
plants, which have been adopted in the preparation of this
report. It is unnecessary here to discuss the principles of
this code, as they are now well known, and are substan-
tially those adopted in this journal, and now by nearly all
the working botanists of the United States, and it is enough
to say, perhaps, that in most cases the catalogue appears to
have been well done, although an examination of some
groups will show that the compilers performed their work
carelessly, or were not supplied with all the literature on the
subject ; and in other groups species have been proposed
which can hardly be retained when the plants are studied
by monographers from the point of view of their characters,
and not merely of the names which botanists have applied
to them, as must have been the case in the preparation
of a catalogue of this kind in the short time that has been
devoted to it. The names of plants are important, of
course, to all working botanists, and it is well to have
those of north-eastern North America arranged here con-
veniently with their synonyms; but, after all, the name of
a plant is one of the least important things about it; cer-
tainly less important than its morphological characters,
relationship, distribution, properties and uses.
It is now eight years since Professor Asa Gray died, leav-
ing his Synoptical Flora of North America half-finished.
The task of completing this great work, in which it was pro-
posed to describe briefly all the plants in North America
north of Mexico, fell upon Mr. Sereno Watson. He died
three years ago, and since Professor Gray’s death not a
page of the Synopical Flora has appeared. Now, however,
180
that the question of the names of the plants in one part of
the country has been settled, or almost settled, perhaps the
long-felt want of a comprehensive Flora of North America
in compact form, and suitable for the use of students, may
be supplied for them. Such a work can never be final, but
it is absolutely needed, even if it is imperfect, to enable
students and collectors in all parts of the country to carry
on their investigations intelligently.
Notes.
Among the flowers for sale on the street-stands Marsh Mari-
golds, Caltha palustris, have been very abundant and popular
during the week past.
The so-called Lemon-scented Verbena, from the western
coast of South America, Lippia citriodora, is said to have been
among the earliest of the shrubs planted in the southern part of
California, where it is now one of the most popular plants, and
attains the proportions of a fair-sized tree.
This is the autumn of the year in South Africa, and fresh
grapes are now arriving in London from Cape Colony in good
condition and are selling by the box at one shilling a pound.
Boxes of Louise Bonne pears, each containing thirty fruits,
have sold at thirty shillings, at which price some one ought to
realize a handsome profit.
Would it not be more satisfactory if retail florists were more
particular in giving customers the true names of plants and
flowers which they admire? In one of the most aristocratic
shops of this city a beautiful plant of Andromeda speciosa at-
tracted much attention lately, and visitors who inquired
what it was were calmly informed that it was a Canterbury
Bell.
Mr. H. J. Hale writes to the Florists’ Exchange that in his
three-year-old Peach orchard, in Georgia, every one of the
hundred thousand trees is loaded with fruit, and some of
them now carry ten times too many peaches for a full crop.
Much of this fruit will drop about the time when the pits are
forming,:but, allowing for this, the indications are that the
trees will have to be hand-thinned and at least three times
as many peaches picked from them as are allowed to re-
main.
A correspondent of 7ke Garden writes that one of the great
attractions at the recent bulb show in Haarlem were some
groups of Tulip species. The very early and showy Tulipa
Kaufmanniana, mentioned in another column of this issue,
is said to have flowers resembling some of the Magnolia-flow-
ers while in bud, but opening white, yellowish toward the
centre, with a dash of red on the outside. T. violacea is also
very early, and has bright magenta-red flowers. _T. linifolia,
named for its narrow leaves, has flowers of a bright scarlet.
T. Batalini has a pure soft yellow flower, which is small, but
very pretty. The early Irises also were said to have attracted
great attention. The best of those which will flourish in this
country have been more or less mentioned,in these columns
by Mr. Gerard.
The first California cherries of this year reached New York
on April 24th, one week earlier than lastyear. These were
Black Tartarians. Since then small lots of the white cherry
Rockport Bigarreau have arrived, but the fruit is small and
unripe. Ten-pound boxes are offered at wholesale for $2.50.
Some extra large Porto Rico pineapples are offered at fifty to
seventy-five cents each. Easter Beurre pears of large size
bring $1.50 a dozen, and selected Newtown Pippins, from
Ulster County, in this state, sell for $1.50 a peck basket. Large
bunches of Almeria grapes sell at the rate of fifty cents a
pound, and Black Hamburg grapes, from Rhode Island, at
$3.00 to $3.50 a pound, Strawberries, from Charleston, of fine
color and flavor, said to be Hoffman’s Seedlings, sell for sixty
cents a quart.
Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry send us an extract from a letter
which one of their customers has written to say that small
plants of the Crimson Rambler Rose, in two and a half inch
pots, set out in the open border last autumn, have stood the
severe weather without any mulch, and are now beginning to
make a good growth. This was ina climate where the ther-
mometer fell to six degrees below zero during the winter, with
much alternate freezing and thawing, and this speaks well for
the hardiness of the Rose. On the other hand, we have a let-
ter from Herr Max Leichtlin, who states that at Baden-Baden,
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 375.
where the temperature once dropped to five degrees below
zero, and at another time to eight degrees, the wood of the
Crimson Rambler became brown, and the buds of these
shoots are not starting as well as they should. The fact that
strong shoots are coming up from the roots seems an addi-
tional proof that the exposed branches at the top had suffered
very much. Herr Leichtlin adds that it ought to be said in
favor of the Rose that last summer and autumn were ex-
tremely wet and cool, so that the wood did not ripen as well
as it would naturally be expected to do in our hot and dry
climate.
In the April number of 7%e Chautauguan, Mr. Sidney Wey-
man has an interesting article on the German Forest, in which
he points out that the value of the forest in its relation to
climate and health is more fully appreciated in the German
Empire and in Austria than in any other countries.in the world.
Its important place in the national economy is seen from the
fact that the forests give employment to a quarter ofa million
of persons, and yet, more remarkable still, is the sentiment of
affection and pride with which the people regard the forest as
the dominant feature of the country. The torest has always
played a great part in the history of the German people. In the
early centuries the Germans were born and bred in the woods,
and the forest still has a hold on the imagination of the people as
a place of refuge and shelter and a home, a sentiment which we
look for in vain among any of the Latin nations. The French-
man retires for rest to the water-side, but the German seeks
change of scene among picturesque forest sites, where the
pure air is supposed to bring health and relief from all bodily
ills. Week after week the nerve-racked German will spend
whole days from morning till sunset in the woods. Many of
the people have little taste for fashionable life and take their
holidays in out-of-the-way nooks and corners, living in soli-
tary forestinns and cottages for weeks together. Notwith-
standing the enormous growth of the German towns the na-
tional love of the forest seems to have become more inten-
sified. In the winter there are sleighing-parties in the woods, :
and at Easter and Whitsuntide the forests swarm with tour-
ists, and the school youth of Germany make long pedestrian
journeys through them in the spring. The rifle clubs and
singing clubs of every town meet in the nearest wood, and to
provide for these various festivities there are any number of
excellent inns scattered throughout the length and breadth of
the forests. Bismarck lives in the midst of an old Saxon
forest, and the Germans love to erect the monuments of their.
great men amid forest solitudes. A great portion of the poetry
and literature of the country is connected with the forest, and
from Schubert's songs to Wagner’s operas their music is sat-
urated with forest sentiment, their dramas are set in forest
scenery and deal primarily with forest life. :
Kale, spinach and lettuce comprised the principal greens of
the winter season, and these are still offered, with dandelion,
tarragon, sorrel, beet-tops, mint and clumps of chives. Large
quantities of radishes are coming from Norfolk, peas from
Charleston and Savannah, and string-beans from Florida.
Asparagus of excellent quality is being forwarded from points
between South Carolina and New Jersey. The grade from
Charleston known as Extra Fancy brings sixty cents a bunch,
and choice asparagus from southern New Jersey costs fifty
cents. New celery from New Orleans brings fifty cents for
three stalks. Egg-plants from Florida are rare, and small
ones command forty cents each, Crook-neck and green
squashes cost ten to fifteen cents each. New potatoes from”
Florida are somewhat higher than those from Bermuda, and
bring sixty cents a half-peck. Peppers from Cuba bring sev-
enty-five cents a dozen, and okra, from the same place, ten
cents a dozen. Hot-house beets from Boston cost twenty
cents a bunch, those from Florida and Bermuda bringing
nearly as much, Carrots, cauliflower and long English frame
cucumbers also come from northern hot-houses. Mushrooms
at eighty-five cents a pound, cranberries at twenty cents a
quart and French artichokes at twenty-five cents apiece are
among other staples on the best-stocked vegetable-stands.
The superiority of vegetables carefully grown under glass
over those which are grown out-of-doors in the south is seen
in the fact that cucumbers from Louisiana and Florida are
worth ten cents each, while those from Boston hot-houses
command fifteen cents each. Tomatoes from Cuba, Florida
and Bermuda are worth thirty-five cents a pound; those from
northern hot-houses command twice that amount. What with
modern skill in growing vegetables under glass, and in-
creased means of transportation, it is now possible to find
almost any vegetable in New York at any,season of the year,
with the exception of sweet corn, ;
May 8, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Trisung Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted'by » .. .. s « « « « » Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EprrortaL ARTICLE :—Nature and American Literature .....
Conifers in the West. .......sessesssescerseeees Professo: Charles
The Saguenay Region.—I
What is a Cantaloup?. Professor F. A. Waug ght.
New or LittLe-KNown PLaANts An “Arizona “Agave. (With heures) ase testa 184
Pranr Notes :—Cercis Canadensis...........-e2e cee se cere ee cence eee ee eeee ee 184
CutturRaL DeparTMENT :—The Munson Grape Trellis.... Professor F. A. Waugh. 186
Kerosene Attachment for Knapsack Spray Pumps. (With figure.)
Howard E, Weed 186
i. O. Or pet. 187
~F.N. Gerard 187
-- William Scott, 188
«Max Leichtlin, 188
5:
Insect Pests
About Daffodils . ate
Plants for Bedding........
Notes from Baden-Baden..........-sseseeeee8
CoRRESPONDENCE :—Fall Planting for Sweet Peas...
Notes from West Virginia .. peine
ReEcENT PUBLICATIONS
Notes...
ILLUSTRATIONS :—A
with Agave Huachucensis in the foreground, Fig. 28..........-2.--+++ 185
Improved attachment for using kerosene with Knapsack sprayers, Fig. 29. 187
Danske Dana?
Nature and American Literature.
ARLY in the year Messrs. Harper & Brothers
published a book, by George William Curtis, en-
titled Lilerary and Social Essays. These essays, gath-
ered by Mr. Curtis’s literary executors from the various
books and periodicals-in which they were first pub-
lished, extend over a period of nearly forty years. The
sketches relate chiefly to the group of great Americans
who were life-long friends of the distinguished author.
Though Mr. Curtis was with us only yesterday, his recol-
lections run back for half a century, and, therefore, in these
reminiscences, we are brought face to face with the noble
men who have given to American literature its chief dis-
tinction. And as under Mr. Curtis’s sympathetic present-
ment Irving, Bryant, Thoreau, Emerson, Holmes and Long-
fellow pass in review before us, each in his habit as he
lived, we cannot but feel that never didany group of men
more thoroughly exhibit the true sanity of genius. The
most pessimistic critic can find no trace of ‘aberration in
any of them, except in the unbroken spiritual solitariness
of Hawthorne, or in the rigid adherence to a noble but
somewhat impracticable ideal which set Thoreau forever
apart from his fellow-men. Strong in moral purpose, self-
reverent, self-controlled, these men have the rare distinc-
tion of having ennobled literature as much by their lives
as by their works, and Mr. Curtis is of their kin. He had the
same strong moral convictions, the same deep patriotism,
and though he lacked the creative faculty, his critical gift
was of a high order, and his literary style, even in his lighter
work, has that unmistakable accent of high breeding which
must be forever the despair of the mere dilettante in
literature.
It rarely comes within the scope of GarpEN AnD Forest
to take note of a book so purely literary in its quality as this.
But Mr. Curtis, in his interpretation of the work of his great
contemporaries, has so clearly, though perhaps uncon-
sciously, revealed the ennobling influence upon thought
and life, of a right love of nature, that we feel impelled to
add a word of comment on this special topic. In all these
men of New England birth, including Mr. Curtis himself,
we note that, combined with their stern moral rectitude,
Garden and Forest.
181
and having its root, perhaps, in the same source, was a
deep and genuine love of nature, in which we trace the
same earnest simplicity and sanity that marked their lives.
And, as our attention is forthe moment recalled tothe work
of these early interpreters of nature, we cannot but remark
that they struck a deeper and fuller note than is sounded
to-day by even the most sympathetic observers of the beauty
of our fields and woods. Unlike some of our modern
writers, who complacently accept the title of “ High-priest
of nature,” these sincere men did not seek her solitudes
primarily to make notes for a magazine article, or even for
simple rest or recreation, but for spiritual strength and sus-
tenance. Thus they always wrote with reverence of the
beauty of the outward world, and in their work there is no
trace of the petty egotism or of the restless craving for
sensation which mars many of the so-called nature-records
of this more flippant age.
This sensitiveness to the profounder influences of nature
and to what may be called its spiritual beauty is most
strongly marked in the men of Puritan descent, as if out of
the strong had come forth sweetness, and it is conspicuous
very early in the literature of the country. Mr. Curtis tells
us that the school readers of half a century ago contained
two poems which every boy and girl read ‘and remem-
bered. One of them was Bryant's “ “March,” the other was
Longfellow’s “April,” and though the curious reader may
find in the first a more vigorous ‘love of nature, and in the
other a more tender tone “of tranquil sentiment, both deal
with the sights and sounds and suggestions of the Ameri-
can landscape in the early spring, and the chord, so lightly
touched by the young poets, slowly swelled into rich. har-
mony in the imaginative prose of Emerson, Thoreau and
Hawthorne, the noblest of the group. In Thoreau this
enthusiasm for nature was combined with a stern moral
purity ; in Hawthorne, with a rich, though sombre, imagi-
nation, andin Emerson, witha noble and serene p hilosophy,
but in the moral fibre of all the three was the granite
strength of the New England hills, and to their inspired
imaginations the tranquil scenery about Concord was a
symbol of the repose and balance and harmony of the
universe.
In treating of Irving, Mr. Curtis brings us at once into a
lighter, but still a wholesome, atmosphere. Irving, true
son of the city that has always been cosmopolitan, cared
for nature chiefly in its relation to humanity, and, though
not indifferent to the grandeur and varied beauty of his
native land, loved best ‘the rippling landscape of England,
made exquisite through cultivation, and in America the
picturesque banks of “the Hudson, which he has forever
made his own by the right of the eminent domain of the
imagination. The charming legend of Rip Van Winkle is,
in Mr. Curtis’s view, the more remarkable and interesting,
in that, although the first American creation, it is not at
all characteristic of American life, but, on the whole, is a
quiet and delicate satire upon it. So, perhaps, it is to our
credit that we love the kindly vagabond who asserts “the
charm of loitering idleness in the sweet leisure of woods
and fields against the characteristic American excitement
of the overflowing crowd and the crushing competition of
the city.” Mr. Curtis, too, makes the acute observation that
it is to the author of the Ske/ch-book and Bracebridge
Hall that we owe the conception of rural England, w hose
charm yearly draws such hosts of American pilgrims to her
shores. Only an American could have seen England as he
described it, and invested it with an enchantment which the
mass of Englishmen had neither suspected nor perceived.
Mr. Curtis’ s own attitude toward nature can best be noted
in the essays which treat of Hawthorne and of Emerson.
In these papers he has given us a description of Concord
and its surrounding neighbor! hood, which is marked through-
out by exquisite poetic feeling and the most delicate appre-
ciation of its strangely tender beauty. Not only does he
manifest deep insight into the profound significance of
nature, of which its outward beauty is but the sign and
symbol, but his ear is quick to catch the true note wherever
182
it is sounded, and in the very year that Wa/den was pub-
lished he writes :
Thoreau's instinct is as sure toward the facts of nature as
the Witch Hazel toward treasure. If every quiet country town
in New England had a son who, with a lore like White of Sel-
borne’s and an eye like Buffon’s, had watched and studied its
landscape and history, and then published the result as Tho-
reau has done in a book as redolent of genuine and perceptive
sympathy with nature as a Clover-field of honey, New Eng-
land would seem as poetic and beautiful as Greece.
His interpretation of Emerson is, perhaps, even more
sympathetic :
The imagination of the man who roams the solitary pastures
of Concord, or floats dreaming down the river, will easily find
its landscape in Emerson's pages. His writings have no
imported air. If there be something oriental in his philoso-
phy and tropical in his imagination, they have yet the strong
flavor of his mother earth, the underived sweetness of the
open Concord sky and the spacious breadth of the Concord
horizon,
Conifers in the West.
HE only conifer that can be readily grown in the
west, in addition to the Pines already discussed in
this series, is the Red Cedar, Juniperus Virginiana. It is
found native along the Kansas, the Niobrara and other
western rivers, and thrives in the dry ledges that border
the streams. It is too slow a grower, however, to be an
attractive species to the western planter unless he desires
it to increase variety in his grove.
The European Larch was given a thorough trial at the
South Dakota Agricultural College, where trees three to six
inches high were grown for a year in nursery, and then set
with Box Elders. During the first three years they made
only a sprawling growth, the laterals being stronger than
the leader; then they began their upright growth, and in
the course of the next two years assumed their normal
shape. But last spring they were almost completely ruined
by alate frost. ‘The Larch leaves out very early, so that
when late frosts are apprehended it had best not be
planted. : :
The Red Pine, Pinus resinosa, ought to be as desirable a
tree for western planting, but it has not been given a fair
trial, probably because it is not commonly offered by
nurserymen,
The Arbor-vitae is not a success in the dry plains. A
hedge of it was planted along the front line of the Agricul-
tural College campus at Brookings, South Dakota, in 1887.
It was heavily mulched, and grew well the first year, but,
in spite of good care, it gradually failed, and now scarcely
a vestige of it remains. Last October I saw a small hedge
of it at Denver, Colorado, in fine condition, but it had been
thoroughly irrigated.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to assign the Spruces to
their proper places in western planting. The White Spruce,
Picea alba, is a native of the Black Hills, and specimens of
it pulled from the woods in that region and set in the forest-
plats at Brookings are now making a slow, but healthy,
growth. They were twelve to sixteen inches high when
planted in 1889, and the tallest is now three feet eight
inches high.
In several towns in central Kansas, such as Hutchinson
and Salina, one sees Norway Spruces on the lawns, but they
are not at allcommon. At the home of Secretary Morton,
at Nebraska City, Nebraska, a Norway Spruce of his plant-
ing is now about thirty feet high, and measures thirty-four
inches in circumference at three feet from the ground.
Douglas Spruce, Pseudotsuga taxifolia, and the Colorado
Blue Spruce, Picea pungens, have been extensively tested
at Franklin, Nebraska. They are grown until twelve to
eighteen inches high under shade, and are then trans-
planted into open nursery rows. The Douglas Spruce did not
stand the extreme drought well, not a single good speci-
men being seen during my visit in October. This Spruce
was also quite extensively planted in the Sand Hill experi-
ment of the Forestry Division in 1889. In inspecting these
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 376.
plats in October last,a very few Douglas Spruce were
found, but none looked as if they could survive another
ear.
The Blue Spruce has a much better record. Many sturdy
young trees of it can be seen at Franklin, and there are
remarkably fine specimens to be seen in the cemetery at
Nebraska City, and at Salina, Kansas, while it is the
most common ornamental tree in the lawns of Denver,
Colorado. It isa very slow growerin the plains. The trees
at Nebraska City are not more than one-third as high as a
White Pine on the same lot, and evidently planted at the
same time. The Denver trees have the advantage of irri-
gation. This Spruce varies greatly in color, specimens
having a heavy bloom on the foliage being counted partic-
ularly valuable for ornamental planting. a!
It may be that one of the Spruces. named may succeed
when plantedin the shade of Pines, as the species are shade-
enduring, and this probably accounts for their poor growth
in the intense light and heat and drought of the plains.
A few specimens of Balsam Fir, and very rarely, toward
the south, Silver Fir, complete the list of conifers seen in
the west. For general planting the Pines must take the
lead, and of these, Pinus ponderosa and the Scotch Pine are
robably the most promising. =
U Weshingoas res ee fc Charles A. Keffer.
The Saguenay Region.—I.
HE gorge through which the Saguenay River flows
is one of the natural wonders of the world. The deep
stream winds but little, and its appearance is much like
that of a narrow lake. The cliffs which wall it in are so
steep and lofty that one who steams over its surface rarely
catches even a glimpse of the country which stretches
away from their tops. Ninety miles from the mouth of
the river the gorge divides, the main part going on to
Chicoutimi, the other extending a few miles south-west
and forming Ha-ha Bay. At the head of the bay the rocky
barrier is broken or worn away, and a wooded and grassy
slope comes down from the higher land. Two rivers, the
Ha-ha and the Mars, rush down the slope with many rapids
and waterfalls, while smaller streams hurry into the bay
through narrow gorges. At the mouth of the Ha-hastands
the village of St. Alexis, or Grande Baie, and by the mouth
of the Mars, St. Alphonse, or Bagotville, the former names
being most in use with the French Canadians, St. Alphonse
is the principal landing-place for steamers, and is most
picturesque in situation and surroundings, the rocks rising
abruptly immediately behind the village. The heights
above offer delightful views of the bay, and command a
wide expanse which is bounded in the distance by low
mountains, with an opening down the river. This village
I selected as a place of rest and recreation in the month
of August, making excursions into the surrounding region
on foot, by boat, or by means of that universal vehicle of
the rough country, the buckboard wagon. A shorter stop
was made in the early part of September at Tadousac, near
the mouth of the river, with a brief stay at Chicoutimi.
Aside from the scenery, in which the sublime and the
beautiful are charmingly mingled, the region provides a
varied field for botanical work. Along the sides of the
bay the gneiss and granite rise in massive cliffsand ledges,
or form low ridges which stretch away from the shores.
Though frequently bare, many of them show characteristic
rock vegetation, while others are more or less abundantly
covered with Fir, Spruce and Pine. Back of these rocks,
and overlying them as they extend away from the river,
are clay lands, into which the streams have cut deep val-
leys, bordered with hills and bluffs along the watercourses.
The clays are subject to extensive landslides, which con-
siderably change the contour of the hills when of recent
occurrence. They provide a good soil, and where they
overlie the country is the principal farming region. Back
of these and at a higher level are sandy lands, interspersed
with Pine plains, with their characteristic plants. Only a
few miles away are numerous small lakes, abounding in
May 8, 1895.]
trout and aquatic vegetation. There are many swampy
areas, and springs are everywhere abundant.
The prevalence of Coniferous trees was to me the marked
feature of the forests. What remains of the woods on the
clay land is largely made up of deciduous trees, and this,
to some extent, is true of gravelly and sandy land. But
the Hemlock is commonly interspersed with them, with
Tamarack, Fir, White Cedar and Spruces occupying boggy
areas. The deciduous trees are chiefly the Canoe, the Yel-
low and the Cherry Birch, the White Elm, the two Poplars
(Populus tremuloides and P. grandidentata), the Black Ash,
the Red and the Sugar Maples. Among smaller trees are
the Mountain Ashes, Pyrus Americana and P. sambucifolia,
which, in rocky localities, are often reduced to shrubs,
fruiting at the height of four or five feet. The Alders are
among the most plentiful of shrubs, Alnus viridis growing
in the rocky woods and on the ridges, while the Speckled
Alder forms dense thickets by watercourses and in swamps,
sharing the ground with various Willows, the Sweet Gale
and different kinds of Cornel., The last are common in the
soils of all land adapted to their growth, as well as species
of Viburnum belonging to more northerly regions. The
Staghorn Sumach and the Beaked Hazel-nut were fre-
quently seen, bordering the woods or making clumps of
bushes in the open fields. The Striped and the Mountain
Maple bushes line the sides of ravines and hang over the
streams, or are interspersed among the trees which cover
the steep slopes.
The White and the Jack Pine were the only Pinés noticed.
They are mostly confined to the sandy or gravelly land, or
are scattered about on the rocky ridges. Pinus Banksiana
is abundant in the poorest soil, forming Pine Plains in the
sand. In such localities it is usually a low bushy tree,
becoming a mere shrub on the rocks, where it can root
in the scanty soil of some crevice or cling toa narrow shelf.
The Arbor-vita, growing in the thin soil of some of the
ledges, also forms a shrub of straggling habit, spreading
over the ground to a\distance of two or three feet from the
stem, and fruiting freely when but a foot or two high. In
the areas of rock by the shores of the bay the Coniferous
trees are often curiously intermingled. The water trickling
from seams and crevices has given rise to grow ths of
Sphagnum and other mosses, which furnish a soil in which
the different kinds take root. Here the White Pine, the
Larch, the Fir and the Spruce are in such close relations
that their branches touch each other. Their differing
shades of green are admirably shown by this proximity,
and offer a “picture that is always charming.
But little merchantable White Pine is left in the vicinity.
It has all been appropriated by the lumbermen or destroyed
by fire. The logs at the mill in St. Alexis, the only one
which remains in use on the bay, were all from quite small
trees, some barely eight inches in diameter. At Chicoutimi
I found large mills “supplied by the forests of the upper
Saguenay and its branches, and which furnished its prin-
cipal industry. Here many of the logs were larger, show-
ing more available material, though much smaller on the
average than those of the forests of the Great Lakes and
the Alleghanies. athe smaller logs were largely cut up
into “deals” and “battens,” planks four to six feet long
and six to eight inches wide. They were principally for
export to distant lands, many, I was told, going to Aus-
tralia. Being quite free from knots, they make good material
for all articles to which lumber of such small dimensionsis
adapted. ;
Gaeaes: Le. Vi Fill.
What is a Cantaloup ?
HERE is a dearth of distinctive terms at command
for the classification of ourrapidly multiplying varie-
ties of garden vegetables. Every effort should be made to
fix with | clear definitions the few which we do have, and to
discourage every tendency to their incorrect use. As new
vegetables appear they too often receive incongruous or
Garden and Forest.
183
unintelligible names, and the nomenclature of this class of
plants has become almost intolerable.
One of the good words, now badly mistreated, is the
term cantaloup, as applied to a group of muskmelons. As
used at present the term is of doubtful signification. In
the south it is applied generally to all muskmelons. Cer-
tain well-informed horticulturists of southern experiment
stations have issued bulletins on cantaloups, and they
include under this head all the varieties of muskmelons.
According to a limited acquaintance with southern people,
the term cantaloup, when applied more closely, means a
muskmelon of the Nutmeg class, small, globular, netted
and green-fleshed. In the north, cantaloup means dee the
opposite ; that is, a large, ovoid, rather smoother, yellow-
fleshed fruit. The varieties bearing the names Cantaloupe,
Improved Cantaloupe, etc., sent out every year from north-
ern seedsmen, are of the latter description.
Probably the term is incorrectly used in either case,
though its application to the small, netted, green-fleshed
melons, is doubtless farthest from propriety. Naudin,
whose work I do not have at hand, is quoted by Bailey *
as “the most excellent authority upon the cucurbits,”
and from him Bailey adopts the following definition of
Cantaloup (spelling it Cantalopé), placing this group first
among nine cultivated groups :
“Cantalopes, Cucumis Melo, var. Cantaloupensis, are
characterized, by hard and more or less warty, scaly or
rough skins, and they are often deeply furrowed or grooved.
The name is derived from Cantaluppi, a former country
seat of the Pope, near Rome, where these Melons were
early brought from Armenia.”
Vilmorin and Andrieuxf use the word with much the
same definition, but spell it Cantaloup. They say: ‘There
are numerous classifications of melons. Of these we shall
follow the simplest and most common one, which divides
them into two groups of the Netted and the Cantaloup or
Scabby-skinned melons.” Nicholson { says: “The Canta-
loup melon has a remarkably irregular surface, and both
the skin and flesh are irregular in color.” Funk and Wag-
nalls § give a definition which is clear enough, but some-
what confusing when considered with those cited: “A
variety of Muskmelon having a yellowish or pale green
skin and reddish flesh.” In connection with this definition
they give a quotation from F. 5. Cozzens || which bears
directly on the discussion in hand. He says: “ You call
all kinds of melons Cantelopes in Philadelphia, but permit
me to say that itis a local error.” The definition of Zhe
Century Dichonary is as follows: ‘A variety of Muskmelon
somewhat ellipsoidal in shape, ribbed, of a pale green or
yellow color, and of a delicate flavor.” The Internatonal
Dictionary says: “A Muskmelon of several varieties, hav-
ing when mature a vellowish skin and a flesh of reddish
orange color.” In Murray’ s New Lnglish Dichonary Canta-
loup is defined as “a small, round, ribbed variety ‘of musk-
melon of a very delicate flavor.”
Looking over these definitions one will be struck first by
the general uselessness for scientific purposes of those given
by the dictionaries. All of the dictionary definitions, espe-
cially that of The Century Dictionary, seem to lean to that
description of fruit spoken of as coming from the seeds of
northern seedsmen. On the other hand, the definitions of
Nicholson, Vilmorin and Bailey substantially agree that a
cantaloup is “a hard, and more or less warty, scaly or
rough-skinned melon, often deeply furrowed or grooved,”
and. quite definitely to be sepe hte from the netted varie-
ties of the Nutmeg type. It is worth remarking that these
concurring authorities represent France, England and
America. Unquestionably this definition ought to be ac-
cepted. Surely our horticulturists ought to agree on some-
thing and save to us this needful classific ational term.
* Bailey: Some Muskmelon Botany, Ayrerican Garde. » VO. xiv., p. 206.
+ The Vegetable Garden, English edition, p. 3
t Dictionary of Gardening, vol. ii, p. 350.
§ Standard Dictionary of the English Language.
- || Cozzens, “ Sparrowgrass Papers,” ch, x., p- 134
184
Regarding the spelling of this word there is also some
doubt. The following are given: Cantaloupe, cantaloup,
cantaleup, canteloup, canteloupe, cantalope, cantelope.
Nicholson, Vilmorin and De Candolle, who follows Nau-
din, agree in spelling it cantaloup, and the weight of
authority is certainly with this spelling. However, the
spelling is not of so much importance to us as the correct
use of the word. wk! Wek
Oklahoma Agricultural College.
New or Little-known Plants.
An Arizona Agave.
O group of North American plants, with the excep-
N tion, perhaps, of the Cacti, is more difficult than the
Agaves to understand from specimens preserved in her-
baria ; and not much light is thrown upon these plants by
the occasional isolated individuals which drag out a more
or less miserable existence in the confinement of northern
glass-houses. Much confusion naturally exists in the iden-
tification of plants which have been named for the most
part from half-grown and often flowerless individuals in
European gardens, and it is more than probable that the
same species often appears in books under numerous
names. There are no plants, however, that are so well
suited to produce certain effects in the garden, especially
in countries warm and dry enough to enable them to
flourish in the open ground; and it is desirable from the
horticultural as well as the botanical point of view that
they should be studied under the most favorable conditions.
These can only be found when all the forms of the genus
planted side by side in some favorable region carefully
selected for the purpose are studied by a competent botan-
ist in all their stages of development. This is the only
way the limits of the species can be determined and their
synonymy satisfactorily settled. The astronomical observ-
atories of some of our universities establish posts of ob-
servation in remote countries in order to study certain
phenomena of the heavens under the best possible condi-
tions, and the great scientific gardens of the world might
in the same way increase their usefulness by establishing
in regions of peculiar climates collections of certain groups
of plants which cannot be studied in herbaria, or under the
artificial conditions afforded by glass-houses. For example,
all the Agaves, Dasylirions, Beaucarnias, Yuccas, Nolinas
and Cacti would grow to perfection in a garden in southern
New Mexico or Arizona,and in such a garden a good
botanist would be able to learn, in the course of a few
years, more about these plants than has ever been learned
before. Agaves will never be known until this method is
adopted, and Cacti certainly will not, for a Cactus in a pot
rarely fruits, and often changes its appearance to a degree
that makes it unrecognizable. For the. satisfactory eluci-
dation, therefore, of the flora of northern Mexico and the
adjacent parts of the United States, where such plants are
the conspicuous and most interesting features of the vege-
tation, a well-equipped local station is essential, and we
hope some day to see this plan put into operation. In the
mean time, labor expended in herbaria on the study of the
plants we have mentioned is practically thrown away, as
it can only be partial and never final.
There are not many species of Agave that grow spon-
taneously in the territory of the United States, but some of
these are very beautiful. One of these species appears in
the illustration on page 185 of this issue, made from a pho-
tograph, for which we are indebted to the courtesy of Mr.
J. G. Lemmon, the well-known botanist of Oakland, Cali-
fornia, who secured it on the foot-hills of the Huachuca
Mountains, in southern Arizona, where this plant grows in
large masses, usually along the upper edge of the mesa
and below the forests of Live Oaks which clothe the lower
slopes of the mountains and appear in the background of
Mr. Lemmon’s picture. We suppose the species to be
Agave Huachucensis of Baker. It resembles, however, in
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 376.
many respects the Agave applanata of Lemaire, and is
not readily separable from Engelmann’s Agave Parryii,
which, in its young state at least. is not always distinguish-
able from the Agave Palmeri of the same author, or from
a species of western Texas into which, perhaps, this plant
also ranges. The name, however, is not important for our
purpose, which is to call attention to a very beautiful plant
which seems to be still little known in cultivation.
Plant Notes.
Cercis Canadensis.
HIS, our native Red Bud, is one of the most beautiful
of the small trees which enliven with brilliant flowers
the sylvan scenery of eastern North America. The flowers
of all the species of Cercis are rosy pink, and are produced
before the leaves in clusters or short racemes which cover
the branches, and sometimes appear also on the trunks, so
that when the trees are in flower they are masses of color.
West of the Mississippi River, especially in some parts of
Missouri, in the Indian Territory and southern Arkansas,
the Red Bud is so abundant that it lights up the whole land-
scape during the month of April, when a journey through
that region is a perfect delight for the lover of flowers. The
beauty of this tree, too, is often heightened by the contrast
of its rosy pink flowers with the pure white flowers of one
of the Hawthorns, Crataegus mollis, and with those of the
Flowering Dogwood, these trees frequently growing and
blooming together.
The Red Bud, although it does not grow north of the
valley of the Delaware River, in New Jersey, is perfectly
hardy in New England; it is, moreover, an admirable gar-
den-plant ; and it can be used with the best possible effect
against a dark background of conifers, which serves to
bring out the beauty of its fowers. Although under favor-
able conditions it sometimes becomes a tree fifty feet high,
the Red Bud begins to flower when only a few years old,
and in good soil it grows with great rapidity.
The Cercis Siliquastrum, of southern Europe, has rather
larger and more brilliant flowers, but, unfortunately, is not
hardy in the northern states. A Chinese species, Cercis
Chinensis, is a rather low shrub with large deep-colored
flowers, which is often cultivated in the neighborhood of
this city and Philadelphia, although farther north it is not
hardy. This plant is often found here under the name of
Cercis Japonica because it was first brought to this country
from Japan, where it has long been a favorite garden-
plant. The other species of Cercis, of which two are
American, one Texan and the other Californian, are not in
cultivation. But probably no other member of the genus
is as valuable in our gardens as the eastern American spe-
cies. It is one of a group of early-flowering small native
trees which ought to be generally planted in our parks and
large pleasure-grounds to brighten in early spring the bor-
ders of woods and give color and variety to the landscape
at the time when most deciduous-leaved trees are bare of .
foliage and flowers are most appreciated. The Flowering
Dogwood is one of these trees and the native Crab-apple is
another; all the Hawthorns and the arborescent Vibur-
nums can be used in this way.
All these trees harmonize perfectly when planted to-
gether, and never appear out of place in the composition
of an American park picture. They belong to our flora,
and so do not produce a discordant effect when they are
used in the foreground of an American landscape, while an
exotic plant equally beautiful in color and habit, like the
Lilac, for example, gives, when used in this way, an effect
of unrest and unsuitableness which, although difficult, per-
haps, to explain, is, nevertheless, real. Fortunately our
American flora is so rich and varied that the makers of
park landscape who may desire to produce natural sylvan
effects here are not obliged to have recourse to foreign
lands for their material. Our woods can supply them with
all the plants they need, and the best compositions for
May 8, 1895.]
study, and if they study Nature faithfully they should be
able to produce the best results that are obtainable in this
country. Exotic plants are often very beautiful, but the
best of them, whether they come from Japan or China,
Europe or the Orient, look strange and out of place ina
truly American sylvan scene such as the park-maker, who
makes the most of his opportunities, should try to produce
for the weary workers in American cities.
Salix canpipa.—As yet little attention seems to have
been paid to the cultivation of Willows for the commercial
value of their flowers. It is well known, however, that
bunches of Willow-catkins are sold in great quantities in
our cities every spring. The supply is usually drawn from
wild natural plants, but it is possible that a well-man-
aged plantation would yield a fair profit from soil that
would be otherwise of little value. The earliest-flowering
and largest and most showy-flowered varieties ought to be
selected, of course, and for this purpose Salix candida
Garden and Forest. -
185
white tomentum which covers the ovaries, the latter being
tipped by dark red stigmas. The twigs and the under sur-
face of the leaves, and the upper surface when young, are
covered by a dense white tomentum, giving the plant a
grayish or hoary aspect, on which account the common
name of Hoary Willow, or Sage Willow, has been given
to it.
ANDROMEDA SPECIOSA.—A few well-flowered examples of this
species were on sale in the leading florists’ establishments
of New York at Easter, and although these Andromedas
are native shrubs found on borders of ponds all through
the coast country, from Florida to North Carolina, they
were novelties to most people who saw them. A. spe-
ciosa certainly rivals many of the finest Heaths when
it is forced, with its pure white, bell-shaped flowers, some-
times half an inch long, borne on the naked branches
formed the year before. When plants have been once forced,
if they are kept in pots during the summer they will flower
more freely the next year than they did the first season
Fig. 23.—A View of the Foot-hills of the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, with Agave Huachucensis in the foreground.—See page 184.
. might not prove so profitable as some others, like S, dis-
color or 8. humilis, compared with which it is a very small
and much less vigorous plant. On account of the peculiar
beauty of its blossoms, however, it is worth having in any
collection of shrubs. Ordinarily, in its native cool bogs
and swamp ground, this Willow is a straggling-stemmed
plant from two to four or five feet high. Transferred
to the drier ordinary ground of gardens it thrives
very well, although not inclined to assume the neat,
compact, bushy habit desired by many planters. The
peculiar interest possessed by this species over its nu-
merous congeners lies in the pretty pink or rosy red
color of the stamens in the male plant. These sta-
mens are tipped by red anthers, which, as they open to
shed pollen, are changed to a bright light yellow color.
The catkins are from half an inch to an inch in length
and rather globose in outline when in full flower. On the
female plants the catkins are more slender and they have
a hoary white appearance, on account of the soft and dense
after they were taken from the open ground. But, although
the natural home of this plant is in the south, it will sur-
vive the winters as far north as New England. Since the
buds are formed in the autumn on the terminal shoots the
wood does not always get well oe in moist seasons,
and, therefore, it is wellin exposed situations to peg down
the branches and cover them up. It is practically hardy,
however, and one of the very best of our dwarf-flowering
shrubs. It grows from two to four feet high, has a neat
and compact habitNwith shining light green leav es, which
hold their color late into autumn, although they sometimes
change to yellow, brown or purple. It wasa popular plant in
England early in the century, and wesee complaints in the
English horticultural papers that it has of late years been
neglected, but it is doubtful whether it is any more rare in
England than it is here. There is a variety known as Pul-
verulenta, which is a still more dwarf plant and somewhat
neater, with bluish gray or chalky white leaves, which are
covered witha dense bloom. Although Andromedas are
185
Ericaceous plants, peat soil is not necessary for either the
species or the variety, and they will both do well in any
soil which is not too dry. They propagate slowly from
cuttings, the forced wood being best for this use ; or they
can be grown from seed, and the seedling plants will
flower the third year.
Nympua#a Marviacra 1GNEA.—This new Water-lily, to judge
from material sent by Mr. J. Brydon, is likely to be a first-
rate addition to our hardy Nympheeas. As noted in Gar-
pEN AnD Forest last week, it is one of Monsieur Marliac’s
new series, and the plants noted are flowered here for the
first time. It is superior to N. flammea and N. Laydekeri
in size of flower and foliage, which is only slightly mottled.
There is also a break away in the form of the flower and in
the more numerous petals. The petals are a rich, deep ma-
genta, self-colored, rather than a flame color or orange-red,
as the name would indicate. The stamens, however, as in
the other varieties, make a mass of orange. If the speci-
mens shown are a fair indication, this variety, Ignea, out-
classes Flammea in all respects, and would be the more
generally valued of the two varieties.
~ TrcopHiLea cyanocrocus.—This bright little bulbous plant,
which has survived several years in open borders near this
city, seems to have found the last winter too severe for it
in some gardens, for plants which were considered well-
established have not appeared this spring. If this so-called
Chilian Crocus has survived in the gardens of any of our
readers we should be pleased to know something about its
treatment. It has been classed among greenhouse bulbs,
but we still have hopes that it may be useful in outdoor
gardens with a little extra care. Perhaps it would be able
to endure the cold if the bulbs were dried out thoroughly
during the summer. The flower of Tecophilaea cyano-
crocus is charming, standing erect, something like a Crocus,
on a short scape, with six petals slightly spreading, about
two inches long, and of the deepest gentian blue with white
markings at the base. There are other species and garden
forms of the plant, but the species of which we speak is
hard to improve upon. Although introduced nearly twenty-
five years ago it remains comparatively rare.
Cultural Department.
The Munson Grape Trellis.
ne propriety of using this term, the Munson trellis, has
been questioned by a critic, who says that neither the
trellis nor the system of training is distinct from other sys-
tems; that they are all Kniffin systems; that, at best, what
goes by the name of the Munson system should be a variety
of the Kniffin. It seems clear to me that the trellis and the
training are distinct enough to bear special designations, and
that the use of Mr. Munson’s name is justified by the facts and
sufficiently authorized by its recognition in Professor Bailey's
American Grape Training and the last edition of the Bushberg
Catalogue. a f ]
It may be well to explain, for those not intimate with this
form of trellis, the construction used and advocated by Mr.
T. V. Munson. According to this method the posts are made
six feet high. At the top runs a cross-piece two feet long, at
each end of which is fastened one of the wires of the trellis.
Mr. Munson originally used two posts set in a V shape, with
the tops two feet apart. The result is the same either way.
Eight inches lower than the two side wires there is a third wire
fastened to the posts. This brings the three wires into a very
broad V shape. There are no other wires on the trellis.
The system of pruning, which forms a necessary part of the
scheme, provides that one or two stems be brought up to the
lower or middle wire, and that from these stems canes shall
be run each way along this wire. From these canes the bear-
ing shoots come at right angles, and naturally fall out over the
top wires. Renewals are most easily made by spurring at the
point on the lower wire, where the canes are given off from
the main stem, though it is often a very easy matter to renew
quite from the ground. ;
This system has been in use at the Oklahoma Experiment
Station from the first, though that is not very long, and has
given abundant satisfaction in most particulars, At the first
glance those who are familiar with our severe winds, but not
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 376.
with the working of this trellis, are much inclined to fear great
damage from the whipping of the shoots, but, as a matter of
fact, this serious difficulty is nearly overcome by the Munson
trellis. It is one of the most vexing problems in the ordinary
horizontal-arm training, but the increased height of the trellis
does not increase the trouble. On the other hand, the pecu-
liar position occupied by the growing wood gives it almost com-
plete immunity. The green shoot is supported in two places
near its base, while most of its length hangs free. Though it
may swing in the wind, there is nothing against which it may
strike, and so the damage is avoided.
Mr. Munson sets forth his ideas of the advantages of this
system in Professor Bailey’s American Grape Training, page
81. However, in our experience here, his summary is unsat-
isfactory. Some of the advantages which he claims do not
seem to be peculiar to this system of training. Others are of
slight importance. Those which are important ought to be
more emphasized. In our experience the chief advantages of
the system are (1) that it greatly reduces the damage from the
wind; (2) that it reduces damage by heat reflection from the
soil; (3) that it saves summer tying. The first of these advan-
tages has already been explained. Regarding the second, it
should be said that in this country, wherever bunches of fruit
hang near the ground, they are usually more or less dried out
by the excessive reflection of heat from the soil during hot
summer days. The loss amounts to a great deal. A conser-
vative estimate placed this loss at from ten to sixty per cent.
through this country last season, and in some exceptional
cases the crop was quite destroyed. With the fruit hanging
five or six feet from the ground and overshadowed by a
canopy of foliage at least two feet wide, this evil is evidently
much mitigated. The young shoots do not need to be tied at
all, but are left to swing freely from the support which is given
at their bases. In most other systems summer tying is a con-
siderable and expensive item. Some summer pruning usually
has to be done, but this is much facilitated and probably re-
duced in absolute quantity by the Munson training,
Certain weak-growing varieties, like the well known Dela-
ware, do not find this trellis adapted to their needs. Many
other circumstances may decide against its use ; but itis being
widely adopted through this country, and there are many favor-
able reports from it in other states, _
Oldahoma Agricultural College. Fes Fah Waugh.
Kerosene Attachment for Knapsack Spray Pumps.
eee article of Professor Goff in GARDEN AND ForREsT, April
loth, suggests a note on the improved form of a kero-
sene attachment to the knapsack sprayers which I have just
perfected. A full description of this new apparatus is pub-
lished in Bulletin No. 32 of the Mississippi Experiment Sta-
tion, to which the reader is referred for any further details.
Professor Goff made his first attachment to a Climax-pump,
and in September of 1893 this attachment was given a trial at
the station here. After ascertaining that the principle of the me-
chanical mixture of kerosene with water was correct, plans were
submitted to the manufacturers and an attachment was made
to the knapsack pumps.* For garden work, and, in fact, in
most cases where we wish a mechanical mixture, excepting
in orchards, the knapsack pump is undoubtedly superior to all
others, and for this reason the attachment was made to this
form of pump. The instrument reported upon by Mr. Marlatt,
at the last meeting of the Association of Economic Entomolo-
gists, was this attachment to the knapsack pump, and his lack
of success in no way affects the principle of the mechanical
mixture. Previous to Mr. Marlatt’s publication I had found
two objections to the attachment: (1) The mixing of the kero-
sene and water inthe pump when the stopcock is left open;
and (2) the lack of graduation in the stopcock, so that the pro-
portions in which the separate fluids were used could only be
ascertained by first pumping the mixture into a graduated
glass jar.
These objections, however, have been obviated in the new
apparatus shown in the figure (see page 187). By means of
two check valves at right angles to each other the kerosene
and water are both permitted to go into the pump, but neither
can go back, and so all possible mixture of the two liquids is
prevented, except in the pump when operating. A brass gauge
rod, which bends around to the side of the main tank, where
it fits into notches on a gauge plate, is connected with the stop-
cock, the spring of the rod holding it firmly in place until
charged by the operator. Each notch on the gauge-plate is
plainly marked, so as to indicate the proportion which will be
ar Bulletin No. 30, Mississippi Station,
May 8, 1895.]
pumped when the gauge-rod is placed in the different notches.
Beginningat the top the notchesread : js 1’ fay > lor ass o> glo O-
That is, when the rod is at the bottom notch the stopcock is
closed, and when at the top notch equal parts of kerosene
and water will be pumped, and so on. The gauge-rod can be
reached by the hand when operating, so that a change from
one proportion to another can be readily made. Thus we have
very nearly a perfect apparatus. Kerosene is a most valuable
insecticide, andis always obtainable. In spite, however, of the
oft-repeated statement that a perfect emulsion can be made by
any intelligent farmer, the fact remains that nine-tenths of our
farmers never really accomplish this, and this is why the emul-
sion has not been more generally successful.
We now know but little as to the number of injurious in-
sects which can be successfully held in check by this kerosene
attachment to the knapsack pump. Many entomologists
assure me that they will give it a thorough trial during the
coming season. For the benefit of any who wish to try this
attachment, I would state that it is now being manufactured
Fig. 29.—Improved Attachment-for using Kerosene with Knapsack Sprayers.
Insect Pests.
O one knows until he undertakes to cultivate the soil how
many evils plants are heir to, and these seem to be on
the increase. The insect pests, owing, presumably, to the sur-
vival of the fittest, seem to be more highly educated than of
old, and it is only by continued watchfulness that successful
crops can be grown. It seems to me, after a few years’ study
of this phase of garden routine, that insecticides are most
profitably used as preventives. The process of fumigation is
by no means the best method to adopt, especially with houses
of mixed plants, such as are generally grown for gardens that
exist for the pleasure of the owner, and not for commercial
purposes. In the use of tobacco in its various forms as an
insecticide we have a great advantage over European culti-
vators in that we can get an article good, cheap and pure in
tobacco-stems fresh from the factory. That they lose much of
their strength through keeping and exposure there is no doubt.
If fumigation is necessary these stems should not be used, for
there is too much heat generated for the amount of smoke
given off. A cheap grade of damaged leaf tobacco has been
found to be the best and cheapest for the purpose, for so little
smoke to kill that it rarely has density or heat enough to burn
delicate foliage. It is a long time now, however, since we
used the smoke-pot, and this is due entirely to the scattering
of the stems on the benches between the pots or on wire net-
ting placed on the heating pipes. If used in the latter way, and
damped occasionally, so as to give off a medicated vapor, hot
water is almost as good as steami pipes as a vaporizing me-
dium, and the stems will retain their strength for many weeks.
Those who have tried to grow Cinerarias and Calceolarias
know how liable these are to the attacks of aphides, and how
difficult it is to fumigate without damaging the plants. These
plants furnish a striking proof that fumigation is not the best
way to kill insect pests. It is barbarous to subject the plants
to such an ordeal, to say nothing of the operator, when a
sprinkling of stems around the pots, renewed two or three
times during the season of growth, will quite clear them of
insects, so that there is a real pleasure in growing the plants.
Garden and Forest.
137
We have always had a great deal of trouble with what is
known in common garden languageas the Orchid thrips, a little
white insect, barely visible to the naked eye, but which, before
it is discovered, does great damage to the young foliage of
plants. Cypripediums are happy hunting-grounds for these
thrips, and there is no insecticide that I know that will check
them except tobacco-stems liberally sprinkled between the
plants. If badly affected it is well to sponge the foliage with
an insecticide first to get rid of the older ones, and the young
insects will be killed off as they hatch out. It is said thatas the
tobacco-stems decay a large amount of ammonia is given off
into the atmosphere, producing a healthy green in the leaves,
more especially of Orchids. Iam of opinion that this is some-
thing more than a theory. By taking a bunch of tobacco-stems
and damping them it will be found after fermentation sets in
that a pronounced quantity of ammonia is given off into the
atmosphere for the plants to breathe. While it might be pos-
sible to overdo the matter in the use of too much of the to-
bacco-stems at a time, I have never had this occur. If their
use is not so plentiful as to causean untidy look on the benches
it is safe to say there need be no fear as to damage, and pre-
ventive measures are much cheaper than any others,
We have lately had for trial a new insecticide, known as
Lemon oil; itis a preparation similar to that called Fir-tree
oil, and acts in the same way when mixed with water, but we
find that itis not so liable to do damage as the latter, and is
of use for a greater variety of plants. There is no need to
wash off the mixture from the roots of plants as it is said to
be also a fertilizer of the soil.
Tobacco-dust is now put up by all dealers and is a most
effectual remedy for aphides. This also is a fertilizer, and if
it is necessary to give more than one dusting it will benefit the
roots as well as kill the insects. There seems to be a great
difference in the quality of this article as put up for sale. We
were induced to buy a barrel of it once, the price being low
when bought in bulk; this particular lot was practically worth-
less, and it is reasonable that pure tobacco-dust could not have
been sold at the price paid. I have found that the coarser
grades are the purest and the best to use.
A word should be said for that best of all insecticides, cold
water with a good force behind it. There are few insects that
can withstand this treatment, especially if the Stott sprayer is
used. We have four of them in steady use, and plant-growing
has been much simplified by this invention. When some
means is devised for mixing the various insecticides with the
water as it comes from the main, there will be little excuse for
unhealthy insect-ridden plants in the garden. White scale
insects on Orchids are usually very hard to eradicate, espe-
cially on Cattleyas, and these are often infested when brought
in from their native woods. The Stott sprayer makes clean
work, and does not injure even the young growing tips of the
roots if used carefully. Ifthe least trace of scale is noticed
it is best to apply this cure at once, for it is surprising how
rapidly this insect debilitates plants. It should, perhaps, be
said that our water-pressure is over one hundred pounds as it
comes from the main, but a much less force would be suffi-
cient, though how little would be enough I am unable to say.
E. O. Orpet.
South Lancaster, Mass.
About Daffodils.
T would be interesting to know which of the Spanish Dafio-
dils are referred to by Mr. Orpet as not reliable in Massa-
chusetts. The mountains of southern Europe, from Spain to
Italy, are rich in Daffodils of many forms, and it might be
expected that some of these would fail in other countries,
although the cause of the failure might be something besides
the rigor of our winters. Certainly Narcissus major and N.
minor are as hardy as anything in the family, and many of the
Ajax, or large trumpet section, which, though bearing fancy
names, are collected and selected bulbs, bear witness to the
general hardiness of the family. Outside of the Tazettas,
which come from the lowlands, and the Bulbocodiums, which
are mostly north African, the entire family is very hardy here
and I can see no distinction in that respect between the species
and the hybrids. hite Daffodils are credited with being
rather more delicate than the yellow kinds, but of these my
experience is limited, having grown only N. moschatus and
Mrs. J. B. Cannon, both of which hold their own with the other
varieties, and the little white N. triandrus is quite as hardy and
vigorous within its limits as N. Emperor. As the white of a
Narcissus-flower is not necessarily due to lack of vigor, like the
variegation of a leaf, there seems no reason why they should
be weaker than plants of other colors. In the case of white
Narcissi, which are not plentiful, and of other rare and expen-
sive kinds, the trouble comes from the anxiety to do the very
188
best, so that they are placed in too rich soil, or in some other
way they are coddled to death. A bad memory as to details
of cost is a good thing in the garden, and with such a memory
one is more likely to treat all his plants on rational principles,
which means leaving them alone and trusting much to nature.
I understand that a moderate amount of well-rotted cow
manure worked in the ground makes the best soil for Narcissi,
and it is well, though not absolutely necessary, to set each bulb
in an enveloping layer of sand. Owing to a lack of this or any
other nutriment my bulbs do not throw very long stems, but I
think the flowers are more purely colored than those which
are better fed. Purity of color is of more importance to me
than size or length of stem. Were space available I should
move my Narcissi every second or third year to new ground,
or to that on which some other plants had been grown, after
manuring. As a matter of fact, if closely planted, they require
such changes, if only to free them from crowded offsets. They
will, however, live for years with little fertilizing and crowded
to suffocation, and even among the roots of trees or plants
through which they can scarcely force their leaves. I once
found a colony of bulbs under a clump of perennial Phlox,
which was at least three or four years old, and whose roots
were so matted that it was necessary to cut them apart to ex-
tract the bulbs. They did not flower there, but as they were
the double Poeticus they would probably not have flowered
any way. This would indicate that plantings in the grass are
perfectly safe. They certainly lead to satisfactory results, as
the grass furnishes a charming foil at Howering-time. This
practice, however, is scarcely to be recommended for small
gardens. These, unfortunately, have their limitations, and
among their limitations is the very unfortunate one that every-
thing is too much in evidence or under one’s glance. Ina
small garden one cannot get nice effects, like a glow of gold
from Daffodils in the distance, or plant some of the little
treasures deftly, so that one always finds them when in flower
with a certain sense of discovery to heighten the pleasure. I
wonder how many large pleasure-grounds there are in the
United States which are planted with such natural art that the
weary owner could find interest and instruction in every tikely
nook, shady corner or sunny slope, everywhere restful pic-
tures, and nowhere any intrusion of work and evident expense.
The current landscape practice seems to be the planting of
masses of plants for great display of color, as if a person en-
joyed being gorged even with beautiful colors. Masses of
color have their uses if they are not too conspicuous or not so
numerous that they intrude upon one from every point of
view. But the charm of the garden is mostly found in the
more modest pictures produced by some happy combination
of form and coloring. Pictures there are often of which one
only catches a hurried glance, yet they fill the eye and satisfy
us with their beauty.
Elizabeth, N. J. ve NV. Gerard.
Plants for Bedding.
S the season for bedding out is now fast approaching there
is little time left for further propagation, but if the stock
of such plants as Coleus, Ageratum, Alternanthera and other
quickly rooting species is insufficient a few may yet be struck,
and these will be found useful in places where small plants are
required. Hardening off is a matter of the greatest importance
for all of these plants, although it is often neglected. The work
must be done gradually, or if the plants are suddenly exposed
to outdoor conditions after being nursed up in a warm green-
house they will receive a check from which it will take them
weeks to recover. Wherea house can be devoted to these
plants alone the work will be greatly facilitated, as the tem-
perature of the house can be gradually cooled down until full
air is left on night and day. Ifa-separate house is not possi-
ble, cold frames will have to be utilized. The plants will be
quite safe in these any time after the first of May with a slight
covering over the sashes on cold nights. One drawback to the
frames is that they are only suitable for the smaller classes of
plants. For large specimens, as Agaves, Yuccas, etc., space
must be found in a cool house fora few weeks previous to
their being set out, for, although seemingly robust, this class
of plants is as apt to receive a check as a tender Coleus. The
results of a chill, though not apparent at the time, would tell
afterward in the discoloring and dropping of the bottom leaves.
A sheltered corner should be selected, and all the plants
placed in the open air at least ten days before they are in-
tended to be planted, and some means devised whereby they
can be slightly protected should the nights prove to be too
cold. The time of planting must be regulated according to
the hardihood of the plants used. For the more tender spe-
cies, such as Coleus, Alternanthera, etc., the first of June is
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 376.
soon enough to trust them in the open ground in this vicinity,
but where a large amount of bedding has to be done it is often
necessary to commence a little earlier. =.
Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott.
Notes from Baden-Baden.
AMONG Snowdrops I beg to mention Galanthus Caucasicus
grandis as one of the very best; the color of the large
flowers is the purest white, and healthy robust plants grow in
any situation and any soil very evenly. Colchicum Szovitsi-
anum and C. luteum deserve praise among the earliest har-
bingers of spring ; the former has small bright pink flowers
growing in bunches up to the number of twelve, and the latter
is remarkable for its bright deep yellow flowers; I have raised
a fine variety of it, the flowers of which are twice the size of
the typical form. The early flowering Hyacinthus ciliatus
(Muscari azureum) comes from the heights of Asia Minor in
several distinct forms. Of these the varieties Robustus and
Amphibolis are stronger growers, and the best of all is the
variety Freynianus, the turquoise-blue of the spikes being
very showy. Chionodoxa Luciliz is now coming on with pink
and white flowered varieties, which are very pretty. A few
years ago | introduced a variety af Anemone blanda, which I
called Scythinica ; it is a very distinct plant, its flowers being
mostly of the purest white. It is quite a picture to see a clump
of this in sunshine. Fritillaria alpina is a small but lovely
species ; the chocolate bells have a bright yellow rim which
causes a beautiful contrast. All the above are quite hardy.
Baden-Baden, Max Leichtlin,
Correspondence.
Fall Planting for Sweet Peas.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Do you consider it safe or desirable to plant Sweet
Peas in the fall of the year? Will plants produced from
autumn-sown seed have any superiority in vigor or in the size
of the flowers over those planted in the spring? If autumn
planting is desirable, at what time should the planting be
made and how deep should the seed be planted ?
Cambridge, Mass. ? Sh
Whether Sweet Peas can be successfully planted in
autumn depends largely on the latitude. In the southern
states fall planting is a necessity, for this is the only way
to give the plants a cool soil in which to make a strong
early root-growth. Coming farther north, fall planting is
safe up to, perhaps, the latitude of Washington, where the
chances are about equal between planting in late autumn
and in February. In southern California Peas must be
brought into bloom as early as February, although the
nights are so cool there that they may be planted during
any month in the year. The rule observed by the large
seed-growers is to plant just ahead of the rainy season.
Indeed, they have acres of volunteer Sweet Peas—that is,
from seed which were scattered on the ground during the
harvest, and forty-five miles south of San Francisco these
volunteer plants are in bloom by the first of May, and often
early in April.
Speaking for the northern latitudes of this country, I will
say that I have never had or heard of any considerable
success with planting Sweet Peas where the winters are
severe. Certainly this practice has no advantage. Sweet
Peas do not take kindly to forcing under glass, although
the florists will get an apology for flowers considerably
ahead of the regular reason. My attempts at outdoor
forcing have not been encouraging. The month of May
has enough chill in the air to hold back the growth and
enable them to get strong roots.
It ought to be said that our Sweet Peas are not as hardy
as those our grandmothers had. In improving the flowers
the constitution of the plant has been refined a good deal.
And then the seed is nearly all grown under milder condi-
tions than our northern climate affords. California sends
us the great bulk of this seed, and the English and French
grown seed is, perhaps, less hardy still. ‘These two facts—
the higher development of the flower and the growing of
the seed in a milder climate—have, in a measure, detracted
from the old native hardiness of the plant, and, perhaps, it
May 8, 1895.]
accounts for the blight which now kills so many plants,
and for the need we now have of more skillful cultivation,
and both these conditions bear upon the subject of fall
planting. No doubt, a little ingenuity may bring a short
row into bloom a week earlier than the regular season, but
it does not seem to me worth while for the ordinary ama-
teur to pay for the extra effort. Fall planting will hasten
the flowers very little, but a warm southern exposure, a
break against the north wind, well-drained soil that will
work early, and fertilizing material well mixed through it
so as to be ready for immediate use, will help a great deal.
I had a respectable exhibit of Sweet Peas at the Springfield
Rose Show on the nineteenth of June last year, and my
plants were then beginning to bloom abundantly. This
was largely due to the preparation of the ground in autumn,
and to liberal annual manuring by which easily digested
food was ready for the plants as soon as they started. Iam
usually ready to exhibit Sweet Peas two or three weeks
before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society fixes the
date for the Sweet Pea Show.
I consider it a great advantage in Sweet Peas to grow
slowly during the month of May. They are naturally thrifty
plants and very easily take on a fast habit, in which case
they run into rank growth of vine without a bloom. Early
planting is a safeguard against this, so that the root-
growth is made in the cool soil, while the plant grows
slowly above ground all through May. Not until the first
of June do we want them to make a very perceptible
growth above ground, but then they ought to be pushing
up at least a foota week. Not until they make this rapid
start should liquid-manure or soapsuds be applied. They
are rank feeders and abundant drinkers, and after the tenth
of June it is a joy to see them grow straight up six feet
and send out a flower-stem at every joint of every
Dranete W. 7. Hutchins.
Indian Orchard, Mass.
Notes from West Virginia,
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST :
Sir,—Of a dozen varieties of Japan Quinces that we have
planted here the one called Mcertosii is the most beautiful.
Its softly shaded blossoms of a lively carmine remain in
bloom for many days after the flowers on the more common
red one have faded. But it does not seem as robust as some
other kinds, and last year, between the drought of summer
and the extreme cold of winter, it had a hard struggle for ex-
istence, dying nearly down to the ground. This spring it has
made good growth and sent up many shoots, but it will not
bloom. The common-flowered red type, on the contrary, is
blooming as profusely as usual. It is hard to get too many of
these Quinces. Their compact growth, beautiful healthy
foliage and profuse flowers make them useful in so many
ways, as screens, as hedges, as groups and as individual speci-
mens. A number of other garden. varieties besides Mcertosii
have not bloomed this year, but Maule’s Quince seems per-
fectly hardy. Jasminum nudiflorum has bloomed only on the
lower branches, and on the ends of its pendulous shoots
which sweep the ground, where a wind-heaped mass of Oak-
leaves protected the buds.
There is one feature of the present season which makes it
sadly different from any other spring in my memory, and this
is the scarcity of birds. Usually at this time the grove and
garden and the old orchard are jubilant with song from many
sparrows, flocks of robins, numbers of blackbirds and blue-
birds, redbirds, Carolina wrens and crested titmice. This year
we have seen but one pair of robins on the place, and the
other birds are proportionately few, except the blackbirds, and
these are here in undiminished force. They must be among
the hardiest of birds.
The extreme cold weather of the winter, which extended so
far southward, must have overtaken the songsters in their
winter retreats and slaughtered them by thousands. Even
English sparrows, which I had considered proof against cy-
clones and blizzards, seem to have succumbed to the cold, as
very few have ventured to invade our home-grounds this
spring. This morning only one song-sparrow sang his matins
under my window, and later a single white-throated sparrow
has rendered at intervals his sweet monotonous chant, which
seems to have more of pathos in it than usual.
Rose Brake, W. Va. Danske Dandridge.
Garden and Forest.
189
Recent Publications.
Les Hleurs de Pleine Terre.
Fourth edition. Paris, 1894.
More than thirty years have passed since the first edition
of this work appeared. From that time until the appear-
ance of this much enlarged edition the authors have lost
no opportunity toimprove and enlarge it, and in the fourth
edition will be found a manual of hardy plants indispensa-
ble to every one interested in their cultivation who is mas-
ter of the French language. The value of this work in its
present form is much increased by a number of plans of
gardens prepared for it by Monsieur Edward André, the
distinguished landscape-gardener. In this handsome vol-
ume, which covers nearly fourteen hundred pages and is
profusely and capitally illustrated, the student will find spe-
cific directions for raising annual and biennial plants and
their subsequent cultivation, and directions for the cultiva-
tion of aquatics and hardy perennials. By far the largest part
of the work, however, is devoted to an alphabetical list of
the best hardy annuals and perennials, with illustrations
of many of the most important species. An excellent and
most useful addition to this edition is found in the second
part in a calendar showing, first, the time when seeds of
different plants should be sown, and when they should be
transplanted into the garden, and their time of flowering
arranged month by month. :
Les Fleurs de Pleine Terre is not a mere compilation, like
so many books of its class. In it are recorded the careful
experiments and observations of a remarkable family of
scientific men who for three generations have labored to
elevate horticulture, and more, perhaps, than the members
of any other family, have raised it to its present position
among the arts. ;
Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co.
Part nine of the first volume of the Confributions of the
United States National Herbarium is devoted to a report
made by Mr. J. N. Rose on a collection of plants gathered
in the Mexican states of Sonora and Colima, by Dr. Ed-
ward Palmer in the years 1890-91. Dr. Palmer's collections
in these years contained no less than eighty-two unde-
scribed species, among them a Capparis from the moun-
tains near Manzanillo, a compact shrub eight feet high; a
new Crateera, a tree forty feet high, with a trunk fourteen
inches in diameter; an arborescent Morisonia; a new
arborescent Forchhammeria, a photograph of which serves
as the frontispiece to this report ; an arborescent Zylosma,
a tree thirty feet high ; a new Zizyphus, which Mr. Rose pro-
poses to call Zizyphus Mexicana. ‘The fruits of this tree
are gathered by the Mexicans and sold in the markets,
being used as a substitute for soap and specially valued
for washing woolens. Veatchia discolor, first collected in
Lower California and described by Bentham in the Pofany
of the Voyage of the Sulphur, was found by Dr. Palmer
at Angeles Bay, where it is called Torate Blanco. The bark
is shipped to Europe and is said to have valuable dyeing
and tanning properties.
The collection contains two new species of Coccolobis,
one of which, curiously enough, was found on the moun-
tain sides near Manzanillo, the species of this genus being
usually littoral plants growing very frequently with their
roots in brackish water.
A Palm, doubtfully referred to Cocos, found on the shores
across the bay from Manzanillo, is described as a tree one
hundred feet high, with large and pinnate leaves. The nuts
are used in making soap.
These recent collections of Dr. Palmer's only serve to
emphasize the richness of the Mexican flora, which seems
practically inexhaustible in undescribed species and still
offers a most inviting field for the searchers of botanical
novelties. Mr. Rose’s report, which is illustrated with a
number of plates of his new species, is one of the most
important of recent contributions to descriptive botany
made in the United States.
190
Notes.
Monsieur Edward André, the distinguished landscape-gar-
dener, editor of the Revue Horticole and Chevalier of the Order
of the Crown of Italy, has recently been promoted to the
grade of officer in that Order in recognition of his services in
improving and enlarging the public gardens of Rome,
For covering the walls of a lean-to greenhouse there are few
things prettier than the blue and white Plumbagos, P. capen-
sis and P. capensis alba. They look best when trained on wires
strung about three or four inches from the wall, and if in fairly
rich soil and otherwise encouraged to grow, they will soon
make a most brilliant display of bloom.
Daffodils and early-flowering Tulips have just passed their
best, and every one who has a garden should now determine
to have an abundant supply of them another year. A dozen
varieties of Narcissi will give examples of all the leading types,
and they are now so cheap that for a few dollars one can have
enough to cut an armful any morning and hardly miss them
from the general outdoor display.
The Missouri Currant, Ribes aureum, which is found in all
old gardens, has a rather straggling habit, but it is among the
earliest shrubs to show its flowers, and these are of a singu-
larly clear yellow color. The great value of this plant, how-
ever, lies in the delicious fragrance of its flowers. No other
shrub at this season has an odor at once so pleasing and so
penetrating, and it is well worth planting for this quality
alone.
The proceedings of the American Carnation Society at its
fourth annual meeeting have been published in a neat pam-
phlet of eighty pages, which contains not only the papers and
discussions, the essential parts of which we published at the
time, but it includes the valuable report of the nomenclature
committee, which gives the names of all the leading varieties
of Carnations, new and old, together with such information as
to the quality of each as could be gleaned from the replies to
a thousand Circulars of inquiry sent out to the leading grow-
ers of the country by the committee,
So far the spring auction sales of plants in this city have
been very brisk, and an unusual variety of plants have been
offered. Indeed, all the ordinary staple herbaceous plants can
be had for glass houses or open ground with shrubs and
climbers, both- tender and hardy, and trees for orchards and
for ornamental planting. A comparatively novel feature is the
offering of small lots of plants packed in baskets, so that they
can be carried away by hand. This enables persons who
only want a few plants to buy directly, so that practically a
retail trade is carried on at auction.
The taste for the cultivation of Orchids is shown by the
works devoted to these plants, which are constantly appearing.
The last to reach us is entitled Les Orchidées Exotiques et leur
Culture en Europe, a book of a thousand pages and nearly
one hundred and fiffy illustrations, by Lucien Linden, assisted
by A. Coaniaux and G. Grignan, Botanical classification, the
physiology of Orchids, their natural habitat, their cultivation
under glass, importations and hybridization, are some of the
subjects treated in this voluminous and comprehensive work.
Some idea of the importance of Orchids as garden-plants can
be obtained from the chapter devoted to their bibliography,
which, without probably aiming to be exhaustive, occupies
seven closely printed pages.
The Rhododendrons and other broad-leaved evergreens in
the parks of this city and Brooklyn suffered very seriously
from the trying winter. More than four hundred Rhododen-
drons were killed outright in Prospect Park, and in Central
Park the destruction was almost as great, but the great mass
of these plants in the extreme northern end of the park on
a cold rocky slope facing the north came through without any
injury whatever. The beauty and healthfulness of this group
is a good illustration of the fact that these plants are not so
much injured by cold as they are by the sun. Among the
coniferous evergreens the Retinisporas were most badly
damaged.
Two or three unusually warm days have had the effect of
hurrying forward the flowers of the Sugar Maple, and fora
few days past these trees have been the most conspicuous and
beautiful objects in the landscape near this city. Whether
standing alone or in a wood where the other trees show few
signs of flowers or foliage, each separate tree looks like a
soft cloud of lightest yellow, which is fairly luminous in full
sunshine. In years when the weather is comparatively cool at
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 376.
flowering-time these trees do not make such a striking dis-
play, because, when the flowers appear more slowly, they are
accompanied by the leaves of the tree, and, although they are
always beautiful, the effect is heavier, or, at least, it is not so
airy as when the flowers appear alone.
More apples were exported in the season just ended than in
any previous year, not excepting the banner season of 1891-92,
when 1,450,336 barrels left this country for European ports.
Nearly two million, or about 1,946,139, barrels of apples were
forwarded to Europe from Canada and the United States this
season. Prices abroad have been satisfactory to the shippers
throughout the entire season, which began earlier than usual,
owing to the failure of European apple crops. Golden Russets
of good quality recently brought $4.25 to $4.75 at the wholesale
auction sales in Liverpool for a barrel holding 140 pounds, and
California Newtown Pippins, $3.00 a box of forty pounds, net
weight. There are but few apples in the wholesale markets
in this city, the entire receipts for last week being quoted
as 3,719 barrels. Since September 502,879 barrels have
been sold here, against 225,221 barrels during the same term
a year ago. The few Baldwins now offered command $3.75 to
$4.50 a barrel ; Northern Spies, which are even more scarce,
$3.00 to $5.00, and Ben Davis $4.50 to $5.00 A few barrels of
Newtown Pippins are coming from the Hudson River district,
and Golden and Roxbury Russets, the latter costing as much
as $4.25 a barrel, make up the bulk of the stock on hand.
The literature of spraying has received another addition in
a bulletin prepared by Mr. E. G. Lodeman, of the Cornell Ex-
periment Station, which gives a report of experiments with
apples, quinces and plums, but, after all that has been said,
very little that is absolutely new can be expected. It seems to
be established that the arsenites and the copper compounds
will often save crops of fruit from insects and fungi when they
are properly applied. The fact is also emphasized in this bul-
letin that spraying sometimes does little good, which means
that orchards suffer from other causes than disease and insect
pests. Spraying will not bring a crop of fruit when there is no
food for the trees or when it is not in a form that is available.
This means that fruit-growers should be as persistent in apply-
ing fertilizers and cultivating the soil as they are in the use of
remedies against insects and fungi. Some of the results set
forth in Mr. Lodeman’s bulletin are that power sprayers are
unsatisfactory with large trees because they do not throw the
liquid far enough or enough of it, and, therefore, hand pumps
must be relied upon in orchards, while power sprayers can be
used to advantage in vineyards and among low-growing plants.
Three gallons of Bordeaux mixture are needed to a tree
twenty-five years old. To be effective against the coddling
moth Paris green must be applied immediately after the blos-
soms fall. Leaf-spot and cracking of the quince, the apple-
scab, the shot-hole fungus of plums and cherries, and the
fruit rot of plums and peaches, can all be held in check by the
proper use of the Bordeaux mixture.
The Black Tartarian cherries now coming from California
are larger and of a deeper color than those seen here a week
ago, but they are not yet perfectly colored nor of full size.
They come in box lots, without ice, and bear the journey of
three thousand miles and the changes of weather on the road
very well. It is expected that cherries will arrive by the car-
load in refrigerator cars by the end of this week. As many as
one hundred car-loads of California oranges, mostly seedlings,
will reach eastern markets during this week. California grape-
fruits of large size are offered at $6.00 a box by wholesale deal-
ers, but find slow sale, since they are light and comparatively
juiceless. The smaller and thinner-skinned Jamaica pome-
los of really excellent quality bring $7.50 a box. The Jamaica
orange season is now ended, though a limited quantity of new
fruit known as the spring cutting will come from that island a
little later on. The last Havana oranges have arrived, and the
stock of this fruit still on hand is bringing $3.50 a barrel.
More than 16,o00 barrels of pineapples were landed here
during last week, and on Monday alone some 14,000 barrels of
this fruit were unloaded on the docks. The season for Cuba
pineapples is now at its height, and in a fortnight they will
come from the Bahamas and Key West. The Florida supply
will be hardly a third as large as last year, nearly all the
plants in the central part of the state having been frozen. Prices
at wholesale range from $4.00 to $16.00a hundred. A few
boxes of wild oranges from Jamaica, known in the trade as
Bitter Fruit, are seen in the wholesale stores. These are used
solely for marmalade, and sell to canners at $2.00 a box.
Catawba grapes, held over winter in cold storage, are still
occasionally seen, a box containing two and a half pounds
costing thirty-five cents.
May 15, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Tripune Burtpinc, New York.
Conducted by ...... «© « « « « Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Yeo
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY ts, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE,
EprroriAL ArtTiIcLE :—American Forest-trees in Spring. .... 0.6.0.0... cece seen ee 191
Parks, Parkways and Pleasure-grounds.—]l..... Frederick Law Olmsted. 192
weeek. MN. Plank. 193
- Rev. BE. ¥. Hill. 193
vy Queen.” (With
.- William Robinson. 194
Botanical Notes from Texas.—XXV.........
The Saguenay Region.—lI
New or Litr_e-KNOwN PLANTS :
figure.}......+
PLANT NOTES s.00000 sects senscescccaserecssioce cere: Ie teeS cy esse Nese recs nats 194
Cutturat Drrartment :—Chrysanthemums for Specimen Plants. 7. D. Hat/ield. 196
Mower GarclenUNOteSinsceccceteieis camineelsiniels pvces c's cess eecicns W. N. Craig. 197
Early-flowering Hardy Perennials...... eee seeeee te Cameron. 197
Begonias for Bedding Purpose3......seeeeeeeeererreeeceenes G. W. Oliver. 198
Bedding Out. ..-..s.c-sceeneesees -. William Scott, 198
Nympheea Laydekeri.rosea.... «1.2.2 sees ees eeee serene ee G. W. Oliver. 198
CorrESPONDENCE :—Notes from a West Virginia Garden..... Danske Dandridge. 198
The Exhibition of the National Sculpture Society...47. (. Van Rensselaer. 199
IN ODES esate ice cctols sieania elec swiaeioc ne seis ee cenin thes. vv.cese ruc: Sd.ce bassin 25510151200
ILLusrrRaTIoN :—Miltonia vexillaria, ‘Fairy Queen,” in Langwater Gardens,
North MastoniViassaCnusetts Mima Ole tise 22.6 ci soas mice asec see eess st 195
American Forest-trees in Spring.
HIS is the season when we especially realize how
inadequate ordinary botanical descriptions are to
give any distinct idea of the appearance of our forest-trees.
Even when good figures of the flowers and the leaves are
presented, and when we have access to dried specimens,
there is nothing to indicate the wonderful transformation
which takes place every day in early spring as soon as
growth begins. Even in coniferous evergreens with the
first genial weather the leaves warm into a deeper color,
the surfaces become more smooth and reflect more light,
the bud-scales take on tints of pink and brown, and the
“new shoots have a gray and silvery appearance which
entirely changes the general aspect of the tree. But the
variation in color and form manifested by our deciduous
trees is much greater. The autumn colors of our woods
have long been celebrated, but asa matter of fact our forest-
trees in May take on a wider range of color than they do
in autumn, tints which are not so striking and gorgeous,
but which are more delicate and refined.
The display of soft color begins even before the buds
have noticeably swollen. The bark of the Birch-twigs
turns to a richer brown, the Willow glows with a clearer yel-
low, and as the spray of each tree swells with the rising sap,
‘its peculiar tint is intensified, so that long before a leaf is seen
the trees are enveloped with a delicately tinted and elusive
mist, which cannot be described in words, but which is the
visible prophecy of approaching spring to every observing
eye. Indeed, this spring halo hovers over every forest and
thicket as one of the most mysterious and beautiful specta-
cles of all the year, although it is evanescent and almost
spiritual in quality. But when the buds begin to open and
release the unfolding leaves the entire aspect of the woods
changes every day, and as these transformations follow
each other all through the month of May, our northern
forests display a matchless variety of form and of harmo-
nious color.
The scarlet flowers and fruits of the Red Maple, the
snowy blossoms of the Amelanchiers, the pink of the Red
Buds, and a little later on the blossoms of Dogwood, Plums
and Wild Apples, are what we first think of as the con-
spicuous features of our spring forests. But, while these
occasional masses of flowers help to emphasize the beauty
Garden and Forest.
1gI
of the woods, it is the variety and richness of the foliage
which furnish their highest charm. Besides the rich tints
of the young leaves, the scales of the leaf-buds in many
trees assume bright colors, and in some cases, as in that of
the Hickories, they grow to the size of full-grown leaves
before they fall. The leaf-buds of the Amelanchier, for
instance, though not as striking as the flowers, are quite as
beautiful. The bright bud-scales of the Beech, whose rich
color is intensified by the contrast of the delicate green of
its young leaves, are as handsome as any flower could be.
The long yellow-green catkins of the Birches, the bright
red of the young growth of the Stag-horn Sumachs, the airy
grace of the first foliage of the Hornbeams, not to speak of
the tints of the Sassafras, the Wild Cherry and many other
trees, make combinations which can hardly be appreciated
by those who live in countries where the forests are made
up of half a dozen species. And when, in addition to this
richness and variety of color, we recall the fact that this
panorama changes entirely every day and that each tree
takes on a new aspect as its leaves thicken and its colors
vary, we then realize how rich and multiform is the beauty
of our forests in the early year.
This marvel of variety is better appreciated if we ex-
amine one particular class of trees. The Oaks, for example,
are especially interesting because they form so large a por-
tion of our forests, and they show such a wide range in
color and in habit at this season. About a year ago we
published an article by Mr. E. J. Hill, which gave, in some
detail, an account of the expression of a dozen species of
Oaks which are indigenous to the vicinity of Chicago,
and this record of a careful observer is of uncommon in-
terest, as it sets forth the fact that almost every tree has a
marked individuality. This is not only because the young
leaves have different colors, those of the Black Oak, for
example, being red, and some of them nearly scarlet, while
the young leaves of the Scarlet Oak are at first quite
purple, changing to light green, and those of the White Oak
stained with purple and pink. The leaves vary quite as
much in texture; some of them are whitened with a
dense, though pale, tomentum ; others are smooth or only
slightly hairy, while others still are quite smooth and glossy.
In some species the young leaves are so deeply cut as
to give them a feathery look; in others the leaves are
crowded at the ends of the branchlets in tufts ; in some the
petioles are long and flexible, so that the pendent leaves
are easily stirred inthe wind; in others they are shorter
and more sturdy, so that the leaves stand out stiffly from
the ends of the branches. In the different species the twigs
are stained with different colors and covered with more or
less down, which ranges in tint from dark russet to light
gray ; in some these twigs are short and stubby, and in
others they quickly grow out long and slender, which gives
an entirely different aspect to the tree as it is stirred by the
wind. In every case the shape, and color, and attitude,
and texture of the leaf are quite distinct, so that each tree
has its own special appearance in sunshine and in shade,
enabling any one who is familiar with them to distinguish
the species quite readily at a distance in the season when
they are putting forth their leaves.
The purpose of this article, however, is not to attempt
an elaborate description of the appearance of any one of
our forest-trees or any class of them, but rather to direct atten-
tion to one phase of the beauty of our American landscape
which has been comparatively neglected. Every autumn
the railroad and steamship companies of this city advertise
excursions up the Nudson and to various points in neigh-
boring states, in order to give an opportunity for see-
ing the glowing colors of our forests at that season.
But one who spends half a day in early May in Cen-
tral Park or in Prospect Park will see a_ picture
equally rich in color and of even more varied inter-
est. At every season our forests present spectacles of
great diversity owing to the large number of tree spe-
cies which they contain, but since every one of these
trees changes its appearance every day as the leaves
192
unfold, there is an endless number of combinations for
those who are on the alert to watch them. At this sea-
son, too, the air is full of an opaline haze which softens
every color and smooths every rugged line, so that the
prospect from any eminence which commands a forest-
view is one to be studied and remembered. One who fails
to note these daily transformations in our individual trees
and in our woodlands loses every year one of the most
characteristic and impressive phases of American land-
scape beauty.
°
Parks, Parkways and Pleasure-grounds.—I.
HIS is the title of an instructive paper in the May
number of the Lngineering Magazine, by Mr. Fred-
erick Law Olmsted, who has had a more varied experience
in designing municipal pleasure-grounds than any man in
America, and, perhaps, than any man in the world. Of
course, different kinds of recreation call for different types of
public pleasure-grounds, and Mr. Olmstednames the plaza or
tormal tree-shaded promenade as the simplest. Such works
are practically out-of-door halls, where the people may meet
in a social way, and their use is better understood in
southern Europe and Spanish America than in our country.
More necessary still are open-air nurseries or playgrounds,
which ought to be provided in every crowded neighbor-
hood, where mothers and small children may find oppor-
tunity to rest and sleep and play in the open air. Play-
grounds for youth or open-air gymnasia can be more
remote from the crowded wards of the city. Then there
are luxuries, like flower gardens, which the city ought to
provide, but not until after the more essential kinds of
public grounds have been secured. Of course, all these
promenades, concert-grounds, nurseries, playgrounds and
gardens can be combined in one way or another, and they
need take a comparatively small space of the city area.
But, besides these is the park proper, which is intended to
provide rural scenery as a source of refreshment for towns-
people. The wealthy seek change of scene in travel, but
those who cannot afford this ought to have available
natural scenery, and to furnish this a considerable area
of land is needed. In our large cities it requires too much
time to get into the country, and entrance to the fields is
forbidden when it is reached, and, therefore, it becomes
necessary for every large city to secure for the use and
enjoyment of its people such neighboring fields and woods,
pond-sides and river-banks, valleys and hills as may be
made to present fine scenery of one kind or another.
On the subject of governing parks of this kind, Mr.
Olmsted says :
The providing and managing of reservations of scenery is
the highest function and most difficult task of the commis-
sioners or directors of park works. Public squares, gardens,
playgrounds and promenades may be well or badly con-
structed, but no questions are likely to arise in connection
therewith which are beyond the comprehension of the ordi-
nary man of affairs. If scenic parks, on the other hand, are to
be well placed, well bounded, well arranged, and, above all,
well preserved, the directors of the work need to be more than
ordinary men. Real-estate dealers must, necessarily, be ex-
cluded from the management; politicians, also, if the work is
to run smoothly. The work is not purely executive, like the
work of directing sewer construction or street cleaning, which
may best be done by single responsible chiefs. The direction
of park works may probably best rest with a small body of
cultivated men, public-spirited enough to serve without pay,
who should regard themselves and be regarded as a board of
trustees, and who, as such, should make it their first duty to
hand down unharmed from one generation to the next the
treasure of scenery which the city has placed in their care.
Public libraries and public art museums are created and man-
aged by boards of trustees. For similar reasons public parks
should be similarly governed.
A landscape park requires, more than most works of men,
continuity of management. Its perfecting is a slow process. Its
directors must thoroughly apprehend the fact that the beauty of
its landscape is all that justifies the existence of a large public
open space in the midst, or even on the immediate borders, of
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 377.
a town; and they must see to it that each newly-appointed
member of the governing body shall be grounded in this truth.
Holding to the supreme value of fine scenery, they will take
pains to subordinate every necessary construction, and to per-
fect the essence of the park, which is its landscape, before
elaborating details or accessories, such as sculptured gates or
gilded fountains, however appropriately or beautifully they
may be designed. As trustees of park scenery they will be
especially watchful to prevent injury thereto from the intru-
sion of incongruous or obstrusive structures, statues, gardens
(whether floral, botanic or zodélogic), speedways or any other
instruments of special modes of recreation, however desirable
such may be in their proper place. If men can be found to
thus serve cities as trustees of scenic or rural parks they will
assuredly be entirely competent to serve at the same time as
providers and guardians of those smaller and more numerous
urban spaces in which every means of recreation, excepting
scenery, may best be provided.
In selecting park sites and boundaries the first problem
usually is to choose from the lands sufficiently vacant or cheap
to be considered, (1) those reasonably accessible and moder-
ately large tracts which are capable of presenting agreeable
secluded scenery, and (2) those easily accessible or intervening
small tracts which may most cheaply be adapted to serve as
local playgrounds or the like. A visit and report from a
professional park designer will prove valuable, even at this
earliest stage of operations. Grounds of the local playground
class may safely be selected in accordance with considerations
of cheapness and a reasonably equitable distribution, but the
wise selection of even small landscape-parks requires much
careful study. It is desirable that a city’s parks of this class
should present scenery of differing types. It is desirable that
the boundaries of each should be so placed as to include all
essential elements of the local scenery and to produce the
utmost possible seclusion and sense of indefinite extent, as
well as to make it possible to build boundary roads or streets
upon good lines and fair grades. Public grounds of every
class are best bounded by streets ; otherwise, there is no means
of insuring the desirable fronting of buildings toward the
public domain. In spite of a common popular prejudice to
the contrary, it will generally be found that concave, rather
than convex, portions of the earth’s surface are to be preferred
for park sites. If the course of brooks, streams or rivers can
be included in parks, or in strips of public land connecting
park with park, or park with town, several advantages will be
secured at one stroke. The natural surface-drainage channeis
will be retained under public control where they belong ; they
will be surely defended from pollution ; their banks will offer
agreeable public promenades ; while the adjacent boundary
roads, one on either hand, will furnish the contiguous building
land with an attractive frontage. Where such stream-including
strips are broad enough to permit the opening ofa distinctively
pleasure drive entirely separate from the boundary roads,
the ground should be classed as a parlt.. Where the boundary
roads are the only roads, the whole strip is properly called a
parkway; and this name is retained even when the space
between the boundary roads is reduced to lowest terms and
becomes nothing more than a shaded green ribbon, devoted,
perhaps, to the separate use of the otherwise dangerous electric
cars. In other words, parkways, like parks, may be absolutely
formal or strikingly picturesque, according to circumstances.
Both will generally be formal when they occupy confined
urban spaces bounded by dominating buildings. Both will
generally become picturesque as soon as, or wherever, oppor-
tunity offers.
After adequate squares and playgrounds, two or three local
landscape parks, and the most necessary connecting parkways
shall have been provided, it may next be advisable to secure
one or more large parks, or even one or more reservations of
remoter and wilder lands. Ina city of five hundred thousand
inhabitants a park of five hundred acres, however judiciously
located, is soon so much frequented as necessarily to lose
much of its rurality ; in other words, much of its special power
to refresh and charm. The necessarily broad roads, the nu-
merous footways, the swarms of carriages and people, all call
to mind the town, and in a measure offset the good effect of
the park scenery. Itis then that it becomes advisable to go
still further afield, in order to acquire and hold in reserve
additional domains of scenery, such as Boston has lately ac-
quired in the Blue Hills and the Middlesex Fells. In selecting
such domains, however, no new principles come into play.
As in selecting sites for parks, so here it is always to be borne
in mind that provision and preservation of scenery is the pur-
pose held in view, and that demarcation of acquired lands is
to be determined accordingly.
MAy 15, 1895.]
Botanical Notes from Texas.—X XV.
WaysipE Frowrrs.—The spreading Senebiera didyma is
certainly entitled to this name. In the cities of the state,
and as far north as Little Rock, Arkansas, it is very com-
mon everywhere, underfoot along the streets and often
attempting to climb the exposed brick walls of buildings.
The species may readily be detected by its variously cut
leaves, the strong and almost fetid volatile oil which it ex-
hales, and by the twin pods which justify its individual
name.
The East Indian Strawberry, Fragaria Indica, now com-
monly introduced into the more eastern Gulf states, is
often to be seen in the streets of Texas cities. Ithasa large
foliaceous calyx, yellow flowers, and bears insipid dark red
fruit. In riding through southern Arkansas, I heard at a rail-
way Station enterprising boys shouting “fine ripe strawber-
ries”; they were selling this species for the genuine article.
After the boys had received their ten cents a box for the
berries and the train had moved on, the profanity of the
travelers who tested the fruit did the sellers no harm. All
the Texas species of Tissa delight to be literally in the
way and where they are most liable to be trodden upon.
We have several other small Pinks which delight in human
society, and they are more common in cities than in the
country. Mollugo verticillata, Carpet-weed, is far more
abundant along railways and wagon-roads and in streets
than elsewhere. Its more rare relative, M. Cerviana, is
sure to develop the same living ways.
Monolepis chenopodioides is another plant which, though
called a desert plant, is common by the wayside in many
of the cities of Texas, from Galveston northward and west-
ward. It belongs to the Chenopods, most of which are
denizens of towns and cultivated fields, as much as is the
species once thought to be peculiar in that respect, and so
named Chenopodium urbicum. C. ambrosioides, Mexican
Tea, and its variety, Anthelminticum, Wormseed, are seldom
to be seen outside of towns and cities. The so far as known
exclusively Texan Galactia, G. heterophylla, wherever I
have seen it, takes readily to town life, or clings with
tenacity to its old ways of living in spite of town building.
Hundreds of plants of this species grow in Llano in the
streets, close to the wagon tracks, and often on the ridges
between the tracks.
The misnamed California ‘‘Clovers,” Medics, humble
yellow-flowered relatives of Alfalfa, are oftener found in
cities and along railways than elsewhere. The species
with purple-spotted leaves is rarer than that with unmarked
and smaller leaflets. Both species may, in fruit, be easily
distinguished from true Clovers by their tightly coiled
bristly pods. The Geranium-like Erodium cicutarium,
Alfilaria, Pin Clover, another misnomer, is cultivated some-
times for forage. I have only seen it between the ties on
railways. E. macrophyllum grows at Austin: in the state-
house grounds. E, Texanum is common south-westward,
especially around San Marcos.
Some Grasses have assumed the same ways of living as
their supposed higher and more aristocratic plant neigh-
bors. Common Buffalo Grass is not so near extinction as
some of its botanical friends have intimated. The paucity
of the seed-bearing form may largely tend to keep the spe-
cies from literal dissemination, but the stoloniferous way
of growing that both forms possess will keep it common.
It is creeping along railways everywhere within its ex-
tended range, from Galveston Island to Manitoba, and from
eastern Kansas to the mountains. The species is more
liable to become a sharp competitor of Bermuda Grass
than to become exterminated. The handsome Oplismenus
setarius shows the same tendency as Buffalo Grass, and
leaves woods for railways when an opportunity presents
itself. This grass is sometimes utilized for ‘‘ hanging bas-
ket” culture, for which it is well adapted. Its stems may
become three to four feet long. It grows from Louisiana
to San Antonio Springs, and nearly across eastern Texas
from the Gulf to the Red River, so it is easily attainable.
‘
Garden and Forest.
193
The philosophy of the ways of living that town and way-
side plants have adopted may rest in the fact that most of
these are creeping or, at least, prostrate plants. Pressing
them in close contact with the ground would enable them
to root more readily, and so to grow and spread more rap-
idly. The so-called introduced useful plants are more com-
mon in cities, as they usually have their seeds first scattered
there. Botanists soon learn that towns, cemeteries, and
especially railways, afford excellent fields for the study and
collection of plants. The broken ground there, the seeds
scattered by human beings or live stock as they ride along,
and the usually fenced condition of railways, allow plants
to remain there in security, while they are destroyed in the
pastures. There also introduced plants find lodgment and
tection.
protection E. N. Plank.
Corsicana, Tex.
The Saguenay Region.—II.
UGUST is the month for the ripening of blueberries in
this latitude. They grow in the greatest profusion
on the rocky ridges and in the Pine-lands. Two kinds
were noticed, the Dwarf Blueberry, Vaccinium Pennsyl-
vanicum, and the Canada Blueberry. Both mature here at
essentially the same time, though the two differ in this
respect by several weeks farther south. In the vicinity of
Cnicago the Dwarf Blueberry is the earliest of all, ripen-
ing the last of June, and the Canada Blueberry comes on
three or four weeks afterward. This difference in time
lessens as we go northward. The berries were large and
of the best quality. They hang upon the bushes till all are
ripe, and remain plump and fresh until the early frost over-
takes them. The two kinds were frequently so intermingled
as to make it difficult to decide whether there was any
choice of soil or habitat by either species, as is generally
the case in other localities where I have seen them, the
Dwarf Blueberry taking to dry and rocky land, and the
Canada Blueberry to damper conditions. The blueberry
season makes a kind of harvest-time for the farmers and
villagers, who go out to gather them, the entire household
often taking part in the work. Few but French Canadians
live here permanently, and they are mostly poor or with
small holdings. The sale of the Bluets, as they call the
berries, supplements their scanty incomes, although they
dispose of them at one cent a quart. A lady who had been
at St. Alphonse for some seasons said that it was looked
upon as unprecedented when thirty cents were obtained
for twenty-five quarts. The great abundance of the ber-
ries and comparative absence of green fruit enable the
pickers to gather them with rapidity, and a skillful hand
will take from one to two bushels a day. They are partly
sold to canning establishments, run by persons who come
in for the season, and are partly sent away in boxes. As
they chiefly grow on land useless for tillage, and the sup-
ply is so great that a large percentage of the berries must
annually go to waste, they provide a source of revenue for
an indefinite time to come.
Another plant of the Heath family furnishes a product
for home consumption, the Cowberry, or Mountain Cran-
berry, Vaccinium Vitis-Idea. It is used like the common
cranberry. Before I had found them in the fields some
were handed me by a farmer in whose house I happened
to be. Finding they were not the common cranberry, I
inquired where they grew, and subsequently came across
them on the rocks. The shining leaves and bright red
berries, borne a little above the surface of the ground on
short stems, weré always an attractive sight. The fair
round fruit suggested the propriety of one of the common
names they have among the French Canadians, Pommes
de Terre, Earth Apples, which seems even more appropriate
than when applied to the common potato. They are also
known to the people by the same name they bear among
the French of the Old World, Aigrelles ponctuées, or Dotted
Bilberries, since the under surface of the leaves is sprinkled
with blackish points. The Cowberry was sometimes asso-
ciated with another slender vine or prostrate shrub, the
194
Crowberry, Empetrum nigrum. I found this in the greatest
quantities on the rocks along the St. Lawrence and the Sa-
guenay in the vicinity of Tadousac. The blackberries con-
trast strongly in color with the red globes of the cowberry,
and patches of the two growing together on the rocks
formed charming little fruit gardens. The berries, which
the Canadians call Camarines, are used in the same way as
the cowberries, although they seem less serviceable and
rather seedy with their eight or nine hard nutlets, though
the flesh has an agreeable acid taste. Still another low
plant was sometimes found in the same localities, or even
mixed with these where there is a thin bed of peat-mold in
the hollows of the rocks. I refer to Comandra livida. Its
leaves resemble those of our common C. umbellata, but are
generally larger. The fruit looks quite different, and is
rather handsome. The woody roots or stems creep among
the moss, sending up herbaceous stems about six inches
high, which bear one or more red berries in the axils of the
leaves. These are very ornamental when seen among the
smooth and thickish oval leaves.
These peat mosses on the rocks, or nearly up to the
summit of some of the ridges, were a frequent cause of
surprise. They brought plants of very different habits into
close proximity. A hollow space to catch the rainfall, or
into which water ran from neighboring rocks a little higher,
seemed all that was needful tor Sphagnum and its charac-
teristic plants. It was but a step from a barren, glaciated
surface of rock, or one sprinkled with a few plants, to one
of these beds of peat, where one would be in the midst of
Cassandra calyculata, Ledum or some kindred growth.
The moist air and frequent showers or fogs did not often
permit the hollows to become entirely dry, and the spongy
sphagnum well served its purpose of a mulch for such
plants as root in the soil formed by its decay.
Ledum latifolium and Kalmia latifolia were not confined
to such places, but were common in sandy land. Though
mostly found in fruit, some were seen in flower as late as
the end of August. Cornus Canadensis was not infrequent
in flower but a few days before. Besides the Ericaceous
plants that have been mentioned, the other more noticeable
ones were Epigzea repens, Chimaphila umbellata, Gaul-
theria procumbens, Pyrola elliptica and P.secunda. Mono-
tropa Hypopitis was frequent in the Hemlock woods at
Tadousac. ‘Trailing over the ground in the deep shade of
evergreens was the slender Linnzea borealis. A familiar
shrub, common about the Great Lakes-in the sand, Shep-
herdia Canadensis, here grew upon the rocks. In the peat
bogs and Tamarack swamps the persistent calyces and
expanded style of the Pitcher-plant were still conspicuous,
simulating some deep purple flower.
The rocks were often enlivened by the presence of the
blue bells of Campanula rotundifolia, which sprang from
any bit of soil where it could gain a foothold. It usually
appeared under that form which gives it its specific name,
with plenty of roundish leaves growing at the base ot
stems. Though the taller form with linear leaves, the
variety Langsdorffiana, is the one most frequently seen in
the vicinity of Chicago, the typical form with the round
leaves grows upon the steep sides of sand-hills in the Pine-
barrens. Similar conditions of growth have brought about
quite the same results, and produced the features which
are more habitual to it in its rocky home, for it seems to
make but little difference whether it roots in the scanty
soil of some rock crevice or in rock that has been ground
to fine silicious sand and piled by the wind into a dune,
and fixed in place by a scanty growth of shrubs and trees.
This is a feature shown by several plants which have
gained a lodgment on the dunes, but are in other places
known as denizens of the rocks. One of these is the Pale
Corydalis, C. glauca. It needs a more generous supply of
soil than the Harebell, being a plant of larger growth. It
was specially frequent on the rocky inclines facing Ha-ha
Bay, where its smooth glaucous stems and yellow-tipped
purplish petals formed a dainty combination amid the gen-
eral barrenness. The usual wild Strawberry of the region
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 377.
was Fragaria vesca, well marked by long conical berries,
shaped like a sugar-loaf, and by its superficial akenes.
Here, as well as in other places where I have met with it,
the plant seems most at home in its typical form among
the rocks, and more common in the northern latitudes.
POE VEHIE
Chicago, Ill.
New or Little-known Plants.
Miltonia vexillaria, “Fairy Queen.”
HIS chaste and beautiful variety has now been in flower
for three weeks, and the photograph, which was taken
a fortnight ago and is reproduced on page 195, does not do
it justice. The plant is growing in a seven-inch pan, hav-
ing four leading growths, carrying nine spikes and fifty-
three flowers, each flower measuring more than three and
a half inches in length by three inches in breadth. The
lip is of the purest white, with a rich lemon crest; the
sepals and petals are broad and overlapping—sepals white.
and the petals white slightly and faintly tinged with pink
at the base on their first opening, but gradually becoming
pure white. Several forms of so-called white Miltonias
have been introduced, such as Cobbiana, Albescens, Alba,
etc., but “Fairy Queen” stands to-day unquestioned, and
justly so, as the only pure form yet introduced.
This plant was secured four years ago, having at that
time two bulbs and one lead. It has been grown with our
other Miltonias in a temperature of sixty degrees by
day and fifty-five degrees at night, but during very severe
weather we allow the temperature to fallatritle lower. We
grow them at the west end of our Odontoglossum-house
all the year round, and every Miltonia is just as perfect as
the one shown in the illustration. ‘After the flowering sea-
son we keep them partially at a so-called rest, not giving
them so much water at the roots, but maintaining plenty
of atmospheric moisture. When they commence to grow
and young roots are emitted from the base of the growth
they are overhauled and such plants as require repotting
are attended to. The best potting material is made of equal
parts of good fibrous peat or Fern root, with the fine part
sifted out, and fresh sphagnum picked in small pieces,
with finely sifted dry cow-manure sprinkled through the
whole. The pots are filled toa little less than two-thirds of
their capacity with clean, broken crocks, and these are cov-
ered with sphagnum to insure perfect drainage. In potting,
care must be taken to set the plant firmly, keeping its base
about an inch above the rim of the pot. The plant should be
kept moist, although water should be given cautiously until
the roots are moving actively in the new material and the
growths are developing. When the bulbs begin to form,
water must be given freely; in fact, they must never be
allowed to get dry until they have developed their flowers.
‘The greatest enemies to Miltonias are yellow thrips,
which must be exterminated as soon as they appear ;
sponging with tobacco-water and fumigating constantly
will keep them down. The appearance of spider and thrips
is a sure sign of too high temperature and dry atmosphere.
Langwater Gardens, North Easton, Mass. William Robinson.
Plant Notes.
Prunus peNpuLA.—This fine, early-flowering Cherry was
in full bloom here a fortnight ago. The plant comes
to us from Japan, and, although introduced many years
ago, as yet it is comparatively rare in gardens. It is a
tree of pendulous habit and covered, before the opening
of the leaves, with pink flowers, profusely borne on the
old wood and on that of the previous season’s growth. The
great abundance, the charming color of the flowers and the
graceful habits of growth give it a very distinguished ap-
pearance among our early-blooming plants. It is perfectly
hardy and succeeds in any good soil and fairly sheltered
situation. The only drawback is that occasionally the
May 15, 1895.]
flower-buds are partially destroyed by late frosts. It is
propagated by grafting, using Prunus Mahaleb or P. Myro-
balana for stock. There is some confusion in names
among the nurserymen in regard to this plant ; sometimes
it appears among shrubs, sometimes among the trees; at
times it is a Cerasus, at others it is a Prunus; generally the
species is given as Rosea pendula, but Japonica or Sinensis
pendula is also used. P. Miqueliana is also in bloom
now, and for garden use it resembles P. pendula in every-
thing apparently, except the color of the flowers. They
are almost white. Both these trees have been figured in
GARDEN AND Forest, vol. i., pp. 198, 199. An illustration of
Garden and Forest.
195
inscrutable disease which has been called ‘‘ Japanese-chic-
back.” It should be given a sheltered position, and the
planter must wait patiently for his reward. The flowers
are lively rose-pink, which is deeper on the outer portions
of the petals, shading to the centre, and their effect is much
heightened by the presence of stamens and pistils, which
impart a lightness and airiness to the flower wholly
lacking in the double form. The propagation is by
grafting with P. Myrobalana as the stock. The plant
is not, probably, in the hands of every nurseryman as
yet, but it would not be difficult to work up a stock.
Maeno_ta sTELLATA.—This is the earliest of the Magnolias
,
Fig. 30.—Miltonia vexillaria, “ Fairy Queen,’
an old and large specimen of P. pendula was also published
in vol. ii., p. 487.
Prunus tritosa.—Another beautiful plant now in flower
is the comparatively rare single form of the well-known
Prunus triloba flore plena. This plant has been grown in the
Arnold Arboretum for some time, and this year it has
bloomed much more abundantly than it usually does. It
is a shrub of moderate height and branching habit,
resembling the doublekindin foliage and growth, and requir-
ing nearly the same general treatment. It seems, however,
a trifle more tender, and perhapsa little more subject to that
in Langwater Gardens, North Easton, Massachusetts.—See page 194.
to flower, and it has conspicuous merit. The flowers are
white and borne Nn great abundance. It comes into
bloom a week earlier than the Yulan Magnolias, and, with
the exception of M. Kobus, is the hardiest of that division
of the genus which flowers before the leaves expand.
Although it begins to bloom when young in years and
small in stature, it, nevertheless, attains good size. A
plant in a garden on Jersey City Heights is more than
twelve feet high and of equal diameter, and produces
annually thousands of blossoms. In congenial soil the
growth is good, but by no means as rapid as that of other
190.205
members of the family. Time is needed to produce a
large plant, but, as nothing is lost by winter-killing, the
grand result is, upon the whole, favorable when compared
with that of M. conspicua, M. Lennei or M. Soulangeana.
The plant needs a deep, rich soil, and, after it is well estab-
lished, should have plenty of manure. Protect at first with a
mulch of leaves in winter, and with evergreen boughs.
The mulching of leaves should always be given, as it
sometimes serves to retard the time of blooming, which
is very desirable in our uncertain northern climate. It
is a good plan to water well during the hot July and
August weather—not a little sprinkling every day, but
water by bucketsful once or twice a week. ‘The propa-
gation is by layers and by grafts, the last method pro-
ducing the best plants. M. stellata was one of the plants
sent to the Parsons’ Nurseries twenty-five years ago by
Dr. Hall, after whom it is sometimes called M. Halleana.
Tuvipa sytvestris.—This is the common Wild Tulip and
is sometimes called by bulb-dealers Tulipa fragrans and T.
Florentina odorata. It is one of the most beautiful and
graceful of all the Tulip species, and deserves a place in
every garden where herbaceous plants are cherished. It
is now in bloom, coming a little later than the so-called
early Tulips, a week or more later than the Duc van Tholls.
It is a native of Europe, and has been long in cultivation.
The flowers are large and bright yellow ; they are fragrant,
this quality being sufficiently well marked to have given
the plant the synonyms quoted above. The great beauty
of the plant is the graceful form of the perianth and the
pleasing way in which the flowers are borne on the stalks
without any trace of the stiffness which so often mars gar-
den Tulips. The segments of the perianth are long and
narrow, and the flower buds upon its stem ; occasionally
two flowers are produced upon the same peduncle. No
difficulty attends its cultivation ; a deep mellow loam, well
drained, and plenty of well-rotted manure are the only re-
quirements. In fact, it grows so easily that it sometimes
establishes itself in gardens as a veritable Wild Tulip, the
only care required under these circumstances being not to
disturb the bulbs. Omit the annual lifting and curing, and
let them grow on with the Crocus and Daffodils, disturbing
them only when they become crowded. The bulbs are
inexpensive and easily obtainable.
TRITELEIA UNIFLORA.—The. ‘‘Spring Star Flower” is still
in bloom, although it begins to flower with the early hardy
bulbs. In ordinary seasons it flowers in this latitude in
March, and it is quite ashowy plant when grown in mod-
erately large clumps. The star-like flowers are for the
most part white, with a faint marking round the segments
and throat of pale lilac, or they are a delicate lilac as they
open and quickly fade to white on the upper surface. The
leaves are about six inches long and quite narrow. This
species is a native of Buenos Ayres, and there isa large-
flowered variety of it called Conspicua, which is even
prettier than the type. To have the plants in flower as
early as possible they should be given, of course, a sunny
and well-drained situation. This Triteleia makes a fine
pot plant in late winter for a cool house, if about a dozen
bulbs are set in a six-inch pot in September and kept in a
cold frame until about a fortnight before they are wanted
to flower.
Parpavek Atprinum.—Among all the beautiful plants and
flowers of the season there are none more dainty and at-
tractive in leaf and flower than the Alpine Poppies. The
neat little mound of finely cut glabrous foliage is alone
beautiful, but when above this many flowers of dainty
tissue spring in air on slender stems the picture is one great
charm. The usual colors of Alpine Poppies are yellow,
white and light pinks. These are also often in combina-
tions, as, for instance, a yellow edging on a white ground.
P. nudicaule, which is botanically almost identical with
P. Alpinum, has leaves less finely cut, and among these
may be found beautiful orange-scarlet flowers, and it seems
to be most frequently grown in gardens. The cultivation
of Alpine Poppies is very simple. ‘The seed may be sown
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 377.
either in seed-beds or in the borders, preferably early in the
year. The young plants require some care in transplant-
ing, but can be successfully moved at any time. Early-
sown seeds will make flowering plants the same season,
but will be at their best the second year. While true per-
ennials, these plants are apt to go off from excessive flow-
ering and dampness. Their requirements are perfectly
drained places where no water will lodge at their base and
a top-dressing over their roots in early spring, as the frosts
sometimes are apt to lift them in the early year.
IRIs RUBRO-MARGINATA.—The flowering season of the rhi-
zomatous Irises commences here in April with the flowering
of this little Central Asia Minor Iris. I. rubro-marginata is
allied to I. pumila, which is very familiar in gardens as a
dwarf border-plant, usually flowering in May. The leaves
of this species are falcate, two to four inches high, mar-
gined usually with red. The rhizomes are short and short-
creeping. The flowers are small, of beautiful compact
form, with large standards and of a peculiar vinous color,
with metallic reflections. They are borne in profusion,
and the plants at flowering-time are quietly, rather than
strikingly, handsome,
Cultural Department.
Chrysanthemums for Specimen Plants.
HRYSANTHEMUM-PLANTS intended for exhibition
should now be well established in six or seven inch pots.
If they have been judiciously stopped they will be compact,
well-balanced plants. It is important we have a good founda-
tion to begin with. Even at this stage the practiced eye can
pick out those best suited for specimens. A poor plant now
will make a poor specimen. We should not, however, judge
by size only. Asa rule, varieties inclined to be tall and rather
coarse, even though they may be the largest plants now, do
not make the best specimens. In the exhibition. height is dis-
counted. There are also many novelties received late in the
season, which have all the qualities required to make good
plants, although they may now be a stage behind. Portia,
Tora, White Louis Boehmer and Minerva, novelties of last year,
were among the largest and handsomest of specimens at the
exhibitions. Among novelties of this year which look promis-
ing and worth a trial are Burt Eddy, Nellie Elverson, Esther
Heacock, Mrs. Henry Robinson, Miss Gladys Spaulding, Miss
Maggie Blenkiron, Vice-President Calvat, Nemesis, Radiance,
Nyanza and Monsieur R. Dean.
When we look over our plants we shall find that some of
the choicest ones have gone prematurely to bloom. This is
unsatisfactory. ‘hese rarely make good specimens, It is as
if they had to start over again. Often, however, they will
break out anew, as did Cullingfordii, G. W. Childs, Ivory and
Louis Boehmer one season. At this time these were essential
in my collection for color-effect, and, having no choice, I had
to persevere with them. Whenever I can afford it I always
discard such plants, and when I know of this tendency I
always fortify myself with duplicates enough for choice.
For large specimens intended for exhibition we use twelve-
inch pots. These are really too large; but as the horticultural
societies allow this size, it is not likely that exhibitors will run
the risk of losing a premium by stint of pot-room. A specimen
plant six feet in diameter, and from eight to nine feet over, is
far too unwieldly, and the labor of tying out two dozen of such
plants can only be comprehended by those who have tried it.
Our soil is light and moderately rich. We use about one-
fifth well-decomposed manure; some of us have profited by
the mistake of using more. We prefer to feed the plants later,
and stimulants can be applied as needed, much depending
upon the condition of the plants with regard to health. Lime
in some form should be an ingredient of the soil. Bone-meal,
if composted a month, at least, before being used, is probably
the best fertilizer. It should not be put in freshly. Lime rub-
bish, or even coal-ashes, will answer quite well for present
purposes. The drainage must be thorough. We pot lightly
to avoid the risk of overwatering—a misfortune that befalls
some of the most promising plants in their earlier stages. Two
inches or more is left for water, and an additional dressing of
good soil later.
After being potted, our plants are returned to frames for a
week or two, and the sashes are kept on—although abundance
of air is given—more as a precaution against heavy rain than
anything. When nicely rooted in the new soil the plants are
May 15, 1895.]
gradually hardened, and finally placed out-of-doors about the
end of May. In the mean time, we continue stopping the
shoots. We go over them every day, watchful to take the tips
out of any shoots which are making unusual headway. It is
important that we keep them closely headed in, Soft shoots
break much better than those which have been allowed to
make from five to six inches of growth before being topped.
We always find room for two or three dozen small speci-
mens which we grow in six-inch pots from May-struck cut-
tings, stopping them only once or twice, allowing from ten to
twelve blooms to each. Compact-growing varieties, needing
few stakes, are best suited for this purpose.
Our stock plants for specimen blooms, cut over in March,
have now a good crop of cuttings which should be taken at
once for'exhibition blooms. For general decorative purpose
nearly a month later will be early enough.
The cuttings should be inserted as quickly as possible after
being taken, as if wilted to any extent they take a longer time
to root, as well as suffer a constitutional loss. Abundance of
water will be required for the first few days, and the plants
should be shaded when the sun shines. As the rooting goes
on, less and less water and shading will be needed, and at the
end of three weeks all should be rooted and hardened enough
to be potted off or boxed, according to the convenience of the
rower.
B Wellesley, Mass. eld; Hatfield,
Flower Garden Notes.
Mest of the ornamental-leaved and flowering plants for
bedding out can be planted out from the middle to the
end of the present month. In this latitude Geraniums can be set
out with perfect safety by May 15th, but we prefer to wait until
the 2oth, so that all the plants may be sufficiently hardened off
and that the planting may be doneas quickly as possible. Gera-
niums, Ageratums, Tuberous Begonias and other moderately
hardy plants are now in cold frames; the sashes are thrown
off, except during cold nights. Begonias dislike direct sun-
shine, and we run a lath shading over them during the middle
of the day. Coleus, Alternanthera, Cannas and other more
delicate plants are now in a cool house and will be placed in
frames about the middle of the month. From this time copi-
ous supplies of water will be needed by all plants in pots or
boxes, and special care should always be taken at planting out
time to have the balls of earth thoroughly wet. Neglect in this
particular is the cause of many plants doing so unsatisfactorily.
If a plant is thoroughly pot-bound and dry at the root in addi-
tion when set out, no ordinary waterings or rains will pene-
trate the ball of earth, and a small hollow space should be left
around each plant to catch the water.
Among flowering plants Geraniums stiJl hold a leading place,
and will, nodoubt, always do so. They become rather straggly
by August, and heavy showers of rain give them a disheveled
appearance. To restrict the growth somewhat, it is the cus-
tom with certain growers to plunge the plants out in the pots.
This is done in the Public Gardens in Boston, and may be a
good plan where a good water-supply is at hand. If plants
have no special care, however, after being placed in the beds,
this plan would not besuccessful. I have never been specially
struck by the beauty of the Geranium beds in the Boston Pub-
lic Gardens, and if they are a fair sample of what may be ex-
pected from pot-plunged plants, I prefer to stick to the old
system. Cannas now occupy a front rank as flowering plants,
and deservedly so ; for large circular beds and wide borders
_ they are unexcelled. Tuberous Begonias, where heavy or even
partial shade can be obtained, are worthy of more extensive
cultivation. We have tried them in full sunshine, but even
when well watered and mulched they grew unsatisfactorily and
burned badly. Begonias love a rich compost and abundant
waterings during dry weather. Treated thus they are superior
to Zonal Pelargoniums in every way, and the ease with which
they are raised and can be kept over winter should commend
them to all flower-lovers.
There are many plants now looking a little leggy and un-
gainly in the greenhouses which can be put to good uses in
mixed-borders. Among these are Abutilons in variety, Hibis-
cus, Datura suaveolens and D. cornucopia, Plumbagos and
others. Begonias of the fibrous-rooted section will all do well
on a partially shaded border, and a mixed assortment of these
was as attractive as anything we had last summer. Those of
the Rex section are good in rockeries or in any other situation
which is rather heavily shaded. Crotons, Pandanus, Cala-
diums, Dieffenbachias, etc., cannot be exposed here before the
middle of June, and the season for them is so short that very
few care to go to the trouble of placing them outdoors. Aca-
Garden and Forest.
197
lyphas, however, prove excellent bedders, and are being used
in increasing numbers,
Our early sowings of Stocks and Asters are usually planted
out about May toth; of the first-named, Boston Florist, and of
the latter, Queen of the Market, are the earliest. We continue
to sow these at intervals of a fortnight until the middle of
June for successional crops. Marguerite Carnations, Dian-
thus, Gaillardias, Verbenas, etc., are planted about the same
time as Stocks and Asters. Zinnias, Phlox Drummondi,
Cockscombs, Torenias, Salvias and others are left ten days
later. A good number of these are dotted in perennial bor-
ders to brighten them up from the end of July onward, when
otherwise these borders would present a decidedly unattrac-
tive appearance. Seedlings of perennials should now be
planted out in nursery-rows and transferred to permanent
quarters in the fall. Perennial borders will require hoeing
and raking to keep them neat; few plants will yet require
staking.
The past winter proved a destructive one here; Helianthus
in variety were killed outright in some situations, something
which has not happened for years before. This damage is
due to the light protection of snow we had all winter long. On
the other hand, Tritonias, Pyrethrums, double and single, and
Anemone Japonica have come through unscathed, and,
although usually these are considered tender, they withstood
a temperature of ten degrees below zero, with no snow or
other covering to protect them. Roses are now breaking
nicely. Wegive these a mulching of good cow-manure all
over the beds during this month. This keeps the roots cooler
and retains moisture, very essential things in the cultivation
of hardy Roses in America.
Grass verges have all been gone over with the edging-iron
recently, and the verges will require clipping weekly from this
time onward. Nothing so much adds to the appearance of a
place as good lawns and well-kept verges, yet even in some of
our leading parks the edges of the flower-beds do not seem to
have had an edging-iron or pair of shears over them during
the whole season; no matter how well a bed may be planted,
if its verges are slovenly kept it is something of an eyesore to
those who have been properly trained in their profession.
Taunton, Mass. WN. Craig.
Early-flowering Hardy Perennials.
if Bee se are few hardy herbaceous plants in early spring that
give as much pleasure and produce such showy flowers
as a good strong, healthy specimen of Adonis vernalis.
The ground is hardly free from frost when it begins to push
up its stems, and very soon the stems are crowned with large,
yellow, anemone-like flowers. I have had several complaints
about this plant from people who say they find it rather difficult
to grow and flower successfully. It does admirably here, and
the treatment given to itis very simple. It is grown ina bor-
der where it gets the full benefit of the sun all day. . Care is
taken, when planting, that it is not put beside any large plants
that will shade it or rob it of its nourishment. Every third
year the plants, are taken up carefully and the border is double
dug andenriched with manure. It is not beneficial to disturb
the plant oftener than this. Small plants are not as satisfac-
tory as large ones. The small plants only bloom for a short
time in April; but large, strong plants bloom well into May.
Hence the reason for not dividing them too much. Although
this plant comes from southern Europe, it is one of our har-
diest of perennials. It never needs protection of any kind in
our very severest winters.
The Hepaticas are among our earliest flowers, and most of
them are over now. Under the shade of a Hemlock-tree, a
few flowers still linger on Hepatica angulosa, the best of all of
them. It isa beautiful plant, and its lovely sky-blue flowers
are much larger and showier than those of H. triloba or
H. acutiloba. It is quite hardy and delights in a rather shady
position with deep, rich, moist soil.
Primula denticulata makes a good rock garden, and a large
mass of plants are flowering well at this time. The flowers
are produced in dense round heads on stems six to eight
inches high; they are of a deep lilac color. The plant comes
from India, but is quite hardy here. It thrives in moderately
moist soil, and the flowers last longer if they are slightly
shaded,
The large-leaved section of the genus Saxifraga is quite
conspicuous in the herbaceous border now. In early spring,
in exposed positions, the large evergreen leaves are rather
unsightly after our severe winters ; but the young leaves soon
expand, and are almost full grown, if planted in a warm posi-
tion, before the plants are in full bloom. S. cordifolia has
193
large heart-shaped leaves six to ten inches across. Its rose-
colored flowers are produced in large panicles on stout stems
nearly a foot long. S. crassifolia is also in bloom, and is closely
allied to the above. It has large, leathery, oblong leaves. The
flowers are of a reddish color, and are also produced in large
panicles on thick stalks eight to ten inches high. Both of the
above plants come from Siberia and are very hardy. They
are desirable for the rock garden, and if they have partial
shade their large bold leaves are notso much destroyed in
winter. The soil they thrive best in is a light rich one, where
they make large healthy leaves, which are attractive when the
plants are not in bloom.
The White Rock Cress, Arabis albida, is at its best now. We
use it in the front row of the herbaceous border, where its ra-
cemes of white fragrant flowers are seen to the best advantage.
Phlox subulata, the Moss-pink of old-fashioned gardens, is
so full of bloom at this time that its leaves can hardly be seen.
It is an exceptionally good plant for a dry sunny border, and
seems to grow the best in the dry summer weather.
Cambridge, Mass. R, Cameron,
Begonias for Bedding Purposes.
PART from the tuberous-rooted Begonias there are sev-
eral species and varieties which, on account of their
handsome flowers and foliage are very suitable for the out-
door garden during the warm months. B. Evansiana, from
eastern Asia, is quite hardy in Washington, having stood out
in the Botanic Garden for the past thirty years. The roots, of
course, die out, but the little bulbils which form around the
axils of the leaves come up thickly in the spring and form nice
blooming plants in a few weeks. B. Evansiana is valuable
both for its leaves and flowers. The best of those valued for
their flowers alone is the old B. coccinea; it stands the sun
well; in fact, the more sun it gets the better it likes it. The
flowers are produced in large pendulous clusters, and, as the
specific name denotes, they are red ; the female flowersare the
showiest, lasting a long time in perfection. This species revels
in very rich soil; large plants insmall tubs when in flower—and
you scarcely ever see them without flowers—are very desirable
to place on lawns around a dwelling. The best manure is that
from the poultry-yard. Mix it up with equal parts ofloam and
leaf-soil several weeks in advance of the time when it will be
required for use, spread it outand let the sun dry it thoroughly ;
this makes the plants put on a strong growth, producing a
wealth of bloom that is remarkable.
The hybrid called President Carnot is a stronger grower,
standing the sun equally well; itmakes larger trusses of flowers
than Begonia coccinea, but not so many ot them, and itis more
serviceable as a winter bloomer. B. caroliniafolia, a species
forming a thick succulent stem, is good for its old palmate
leaves. B. Weltoniensis and B. Dregei are free bloomers when
planted in partial shade ; they need open soil and must be kept
watered. B. Vernon sometimes does admirably, but it is an
erratic grower here. This variety comes true from seed, the
seedlings blooming when only a few weeks old.
Begonia Erfordiz is by far the best of the recent introduc-
tions for bedding, andit has proved itselfa first-rate acquisition
during the two seasons I have tried it; there are two colors
among plants of it raised from seed, a clear pink and a creamy
white ; the pink is the most valuable, as there are other whites
superior to this. B. Erfordiae may be said to flower itself to
death, as cuttings of the flowering wood are next to useless ;
they continue flowering without making side-shoots. It seeds
freely, however, and should be included among the plants for
spring sales by those who grow bedding-plants. B. Wettsteinii
has coccinea blood in it, although it is a more fragile grower.
B. Diadema, in a slightly shaded place, makes a nice display
with its white spotted leaves, and B. alba-picta is good for the
same purpose. Among the creeping varieties, B. scandens
does well when grown in good’soiland kept watered ; the flow-
ers of this species are snow-white, very small, but they appear
in great numbers. ;
Botanic Garden, Washington. G. W. Oliver.
Bedding Out.—Where much summer bedding is done the
planting-out season is always a busy time, and much time is
saved by having the designs and planting plans all ready before-
hand. The principal points to be observed are the tasteful
blending of colors and the most agreeable contrasts. The
selection of plants will be largely determined by the location
and size of the beds and borders. If the borders and beds, for
example, have a background, or if they are situated so that the
plants are intended to forma screen to break an undesirable
view, the plants for the back row should be tall. The best
effect would then undoubtedly be obtained by planting in lines
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 377.
lowering gradually toward the front. If the borders are near
the margin of a lawn where the view should not be obstructed,
a better effect is obtained by having a groundwork of one kind
of plants with other sorts planted through it in masses. Plants
of the medium dwarf sorts may be used instead of regular
carpet-bedding kinds, which are apt to look too squatty in a
border.
Beds must also be filled with plants corresponding to their
size and position. Those at a distance in prominent positions
require something large and showy, and for this purpose
Cannas are most admirably adapted. A mass of the scarlet
Madame Crozy, with a border of Caladium esculentum gives a
good effect, while for those nearer the walks low-growing plants
should be chosen, It sometimes happens that beds are placed
in a shady position, in which case soft-wooded or flowering
plants would be far from satisfactory, but such plants as
Yuccas and Agaves should be used, the tallest plants. being
placed in the centre, and the others graduating to the edge,
finished with a border of low-growing Echeverias. —
‘Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott.
Nympheza Laydekeri rosea.—This is one of the best of
the small-flowering Water-lilies for general use either as
an ornamental plant or for cut flowers. While it grows as
freely as any of the other kinds, it has baffled all attempts at
propagation, so far as known. The plant keeps on growing
from the same crown, forming a thick succulent stem, the
lower part of which is continually decaying as the top makes
new growths. I have tried to increase it in various ways, but
never have succeeded in even starting a lateral growth, and
the worst of it is, the plant usually dies if it is disturbed too
much. I have killed four plants already, and am as far from
a solution of the problem as ever. Several other people have
tried to propagate it, with like results. It sometimes produces
seeds, but they do not come true. I am inclined to believe
that the best way to raise it is to cross-fertilize the two parents
every time seed is wanted, and thereby renew it in the same
manner in which it was originally produced. Its parents are
said to be the Chinese Nvmphza pygmea, fertilized with pol-
len from the pink variety of N. alba. I am the more inclined
to believe these to be its parents, because, for want of the
flowers of the last-named kind, I have tried pollen of a dark
form of N. odorata rosea on flowers of N. pygmea with suc-
cessful results. The flowers of this hybrid are nearly of the
same color as those of N. Laydekeri rosea; there are more
petals to the flower and the shape is more star-like.
G. W, Oliver.
Botanic Garden, Washington,
Correspondence.
Notes from a West Virginia Garden.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir.—Among many shrubs now in bloom at Rose Brake,
Xanthoceros sorbifolia (see GARDEN AND FOREST, vol. vi., p.
285) is the most beautiful. It is now a compact bush, five feet in
height and is covered with its deijicate blossoms, as large as
those of the Weigelia. They are pure white, with centres of a
pale greenish lemon color when they first open, and gradually
deepening to a peculiar shade of deep red. The Xanthroceros
remains in blooma week or ten days, according to the weather,
and is a very showy and striking acquisition to our list of hardy
shrubs. The foliage is well developed at present only on the
lower limbs. It resembles that of the Mountain Ash, as its
specific name indicates, but is darker and more glossy. The
habit of the shrub is graceful and compact, so that it is attrac-
tive at all seasons and should have a place of honor in the
garden. I wish some one would give ita prettier name.
The wild garden and the rockery are now most interesting.
Two varieties of Senecio are flowering, both native to
our woods. These are the interesting S. aureus (Squaw-
weed), with its beautiful purple-lined leaves and heads of
showy yellow composite flowers and its taller variety, obova-
tus. Phlox subulata is still flowering, and P. divaricata is
very pretty now in the woods, but, though easy to transplant,
it does not flourish in the heavy clay soil of our garden. It is
not an aggressive plant and is easily discouraged by the en-
croachments of grass or perennials of strong growth, Itseems
to require the rich loam, partial shade and leaf-mulching of
open woodlands for its best development. It is such a charm-
ing plant that it isa pity we cannot give it the conditions it
requires. It seems to me the most refined and pleasing of all
the Phloxes. (P. divaricata was figured in GARDEN AND FOREST,
vol. vii., p. 256.—ED.)
Veronica Buxbaumi is a bright-eyed, cheerful little plant,
May 15, 1895.]
which has wandered here from Europe and is desirable for
the rockery because of its hardiness, its very early and pro-
fuse bloom, and the extraordinary duration of its time of
flowering. How it came here is a mystery, but it suddenly
appeared one spring in a neglected border and _ has held its
own ever since. Itbegins to bloom in March and thrives on
scanty soil. Saponaria ocymoides is a showy little trailer, also
from Europe, just beginning to open its small pink flowers. It
is useful and pretty when planted ina crevice of the rocks,
which it curtains with its delicate bloom. It is one of the little
plants to which we become greatly attached. Its near neigh-
bor, S. Japonica, does not bloom until! July.
Mertensia Virginica is now beginning to fade. This is an
admirable plant for massing. Onecan hardly have too much
of it in the wild garden, where its sheets of sky-blue are very
effective at a time when so few herbaceous perennials are yet
in bloom. We have planted large clumps of it at the foot of
the rocks, and here the wild Columbine nods to it from the
cracks and crannies above, contrasting its red and yellow blos-
soms with the dainty azure of the Mertensia, and forming a
beautiful picture such as may often be seen in our native
woods.
To-day, May the seventh, I plucked the first Rose from a
bush of Rosacinnamomea, the Rose Tangle, among the rocks.
Shepherdstown, W. Va. Danske Dandridge.
The Exhibition of the National Sculpture Society.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—The exhibition of works of sculpture in connection
with gardening art, now open in the Fine Arts Building, on
Fifty-seventh Street, is much more genuinely successful than
could have been expected. For one thing, less has been
attempted than we were led to believe would be the case by
the anticipatory circular issued some weeks ago and then
commented upon in the editorial columns of GARDEN AND
Forest. No effort has been made to show, or even to sug-
gest, schemes of landscape-gardening, or even of naturalistic
gardening ona small scale; and, of course, these were the
schemes least well adapted for treatment in a restricted and
covered space, with such plants as could be supplied in pots,
and without the possibility of using expanses of grass. And,
in the second place, in treating the formal gardening ideas
which alone have been attempted, architectural elements of a
more important and effective sort have been achieved than
one might have thought would be attempted for so transitory
a purpose.
As deputies of the National Sculpture Society, the first care
of the projectors was for their own art. They wanted to
show, not the possibilities and the attractions of formal gar-
dening as such, but the essential service it can render as a
setting for works of sculpture and the architectural ele-
ments which are their natural, and often their indispensable,
accompaniments. They wanted to convince the public that
all kinds of statuary suitable for outdoor use might be more
artistically and effectively used than any of them are to-day in
this country, and especially that, with proper surroundings,
works of an ideal character come into this category to a much
greater degree than we now realize. :
From this point of view, the fact that they had to make their
exhibition indoors was not as great a drawback as may be
thought. A circular which they have recently issued says
that this exhibition ought to suggest to the public “ the possi-
bility of creating a purely American conservatory garden
which will be a real home forsculpture ..... a garden which
could be kept covered with glass during five months of win-
ter by means of sections of glass frames, thus forming a con-
servatory, and which would be uncovered during the other
months of the year, thus forming an open-air garden. Hith-
erto it has been argued that the severity of our climate made
the placing in gardens and parks of marble statues a useless
waste of money ; but this argument willno longer hold good.”
And, indeed, the present exhibition shows what a delightful
place might be created in this manner, while it suggests possi-
bilities of more extensive treatment on a larger scale out-of-
doors, when works in bronze, capable of resisting the effects of
our winter weather, might be employed, or roofed alcoves and
colonnades might protect more perishable materials.
In the first gallery, which runs all across the breadth of the
Fine Arts Building, a series of clipped hedges, well disposed
in variously curving lines, cut off the corners of the rooms,
and supply niches and alcoves where statues are effectively
set. The steps which, opposite the entrance door, lead up
from this room into the small central apartment, are now
masked by a temporary balcony, with a handsome balustrade
Garden and Forest.
aS)
and flights of steps leading up to it from either side; and in
front of this balcony 1s a large flower-bed, of complex but
symmetrical outline, which offers an excellent suggestion in
regard to the way that the effect of the porches and piazzas of
our country-houses might be improved by some semi-formal
transition between them and the lawn.
Standing on the balcony and looking through the central
room (where no gardenesque work has been attempted) we get
a beautiful view into the big Vanderbilt Gallery, which has
been utterly transformed from its usual aspect. This great
Square room is now divided into three unequal parts (the
largest being the middle portion) by high walls, seemingly ot
marble, which run from the entrance nearly to the opposite
wall of the room, where they are connected by a tall Ionic
colonnade. The walls are some eight feet in height, with sev-
eral massive piers which rise higher and are surmounted by
ornamental plants (chiefly Palms) in huge pots and vases. On
each side the wall retreats into a circular niche, filled by a
fountain of running water, over which presides a statue of a
child, appropriate in character to its place; and in front of
each wall, likewise leading the eye toward the colonnade, runs
a row of Tree-ferns, fifteen feet high, growing, of course, in
tubs. Through the colonnade, the entablature of which is
formed by a beautiful bas-relief by Mr. Herbert Adams, des-
tined to adorn the Baptist Church on Washington Square, we
see a lofty hedge of green, and against this stand three white
Statues, each opposite to one of the intercolumniations
and being thus effectively enframed to the eye; and these
statues have been carefully selected for their simple dignity of
outline—for a sort of semi architectonic character thoroughly
appropriate to the use to which they are put as complements
of the architectural scheme,
All the architectural elements are constructed of white plas-
ter, in the same way, I suppose, that the work of building the
Chicago Fair was done; but they look solid and marble-like,
and they are so handsome in themselves, alike in their propor-
tions and their simple details, and so well adapted in scale to
the room in which they stand, that I found that people who had
not previously seen the room supposed, of course, that they
were permanent features. The success achieved in this direc-
tion seems all the more remarkable when we remember that
the organizers of the exhibition had possession of the galleries
for less than a week before the opening day. The work was
directed, I understand, and the designs made, by Mr. Thomas
Hastings, of the architectural firm of Carrére & Hastings, as-
sisted, of course, by the counsels, the taste and the practical
help of many other members of the Sculpture Society.
Messrs. Pitcher & Manda have lavishly aided these gentle-
men by supplying them with the plants needed for the carrying
out of their scheme. Of course, its horticultural elements
must not be too strictly judged for the quality of appropriate-
ness, either as regards the special service to which some of
them are put or their effect as a whole. Under such condi-
tions, not the best possible, but only the best available, plants
could be utilized, and this must be borne in mind when esti-
mating the result. The many hedges, some of which are very
tall, are not growing, but manufactured, hedges, composed of
branches of the Red Cedar, Juniperus Virginiana. But these
have been so skilfully set and supported and bound together
that the deception is not apparent even when they stand in
such a way that both of their sides are visible. The Tree-
ferns, which form, as it were, a natural colonnade, leading the
eye up to the marble one, are beautiful specimens, nearly alike
in height; and many of the Palms and similar plants which fill
the great pots and vases on the piers of the wall and of the
balcony balustrade in the first room deserve equal praise,
while the pots and vases themselves are often very beautiful.
Among them one fancies that he recognizes individuals that
figured upon the New York Building at the Chicago Fair,
which, it will be remembered, was decorated with such plant
receptacles, specially imported by Mr. McKim, from Sicily, if I
am not mistaken.
The beds of hardy herbaceous plants contain interesting
specimens in flower, and, although they are grouped as har-
moniously as is pos8ible under the conditions, tew of them
can be considered appropriate settings for the works ot
art they support. Some small deciduous trees, just com-
ing into leaf, add a touch of refinement to the general eftect,
although they do not accord very well in character with their
tropical neighbors. Some collections of Orchids, massed on
shelves in the corners of the rooms behind the hedges, are
even less well suited to their places, although they are well
worth examination on their own account. Other specimens
of Orchids have been suspended from the trunks of the trees,
and Stag-horn Ferns and Pitcher-plants have been attractively
200
used in the adornment of the fountain-niches. The large bed
which lies in front of the balcony in the first room is edged
with Box, but filled with tropical plants too high for their posi-
tions. It should never be forgotten that such beds as these,
however beautiful their design may look on paper, are never
effective in actuality unless one can recognize the patterns
they make at a glance; and this, of course, is impossible, ex-
cept from an elevated position, unless they are filled with very
low-growing plants. : ;
This is not the place in which to speak in detail of the works
of sculpture which were the raison d’étre for the exhibition. I
can only say that there are many very good ones among them,
and that, as a whole, they will probably give the public a truer
idea of the development of this art in America than it has
hitherto conceived. Moreover, it is now enabled to form
some judgment with regard to the kinds of work which are
best fitted for outdoor display, while even our sculptors them-
selves ought to learn much in regard to the necessity for
placing their outdoor figures with care. The beautiful effect
of white stone against green backgrounds is not the only point
made plain. We realize that a work of a scale too small to
look well if stationed quite “in the open” may look admirably
out-of-doors if it forms an adjunct to some architectural mo-
tive or is set in some verdant corner where it will not be pal-
pably out of scale with its environment. And also that, when
a statue or group is not equally beautiful on all its sides, it 1s
as possible as desirable, out-of-doors no less than indoors, so
to place it that only those sides which are most satisfactory
shall be visible.
On the whole the executives of the Sculpture Society deserve
high praise for the originality, the energy and the good taste
they have shown in organizing and arranging this exhibition.
So pretty and attractive is the general effect of these galleries
just now that even persons possessed of no distinct artistic or
horticultural tastes ought to find much delight in visiting them.
New York. M. G. Van Rensselaer.
Notes.
A writer in The Strawberry Culturist has been testing dif-
ferent varieties of strawberries for fruiting under glass, and he
finds that the comparatively new Brandywine yields the greatest
amount of good fruit.
A grower of strawberries in Maine finds boughs or small
trees of Spruce or Pine the best material for covering the
plants in winter. These collect and hold the snow, which is
the best non-conductor of heat, while permitting, at the same
time, a sufficient circulation of air.
European orders are arriving in California for considerable
quantities of redwood, to be used in the making of lead-pen-
cils. This timber varies a good deal in the quality of its grain,
but the best of itis found to be an acceptable substitute for
Florida cedar, which is becoming rare.
Texas did not escape the cold weather which visited other
southern states, and snow two feet deep fell along the coast in
February. The season was, therefore, unusually late, and
such plants as Dog-tooth Violets and Bluets, which usually
flower in February, did not appear until the middle of March.
Daphne Cneorum, always an uncertain little evergreen here,
seems to have come through the winter unusually well, and is
now covered with its fragrant pink blossoms, and there is
nothing better than this trailing shrub for rock-work. Flow-
ering at the same time, but a good deal more hardy and trust-
worthy, are the half-shrubby perennial Candytufts. The flowers
of these Candytufts are as white as snow, and since the plants
resemble the Daphne in habit the two make admirable com-
panions.
Mr. J. H. Hale writes to the Florists’ Exchange that, although
the Fay Currant has been introduced more than ten years, and
has been propagated ever since by all the nurserymen of the
country, it still commands a higher price than the older
varieties of Currants. It seems strange that when this is
known to be the case that the stock of the country is invaria-
bly sold out every year before the end of the season's trade.
Perhaps one reason for this is that this variety does not root
readily from cuttings, and that when it does root it never
makes as strong a growth as the Victoria, the Cherry or the
White Grape, so that from an equally-sized block of plants at
least one-third more salable bushes of other varieties can be
dug than of the Fay. Ofall Currants the North Star is the
easiest to grow and propagate, and under ordinary conditions
it has grown to a height of four feet from cuttings in a single
season.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 377.
Writing to the American Agriculturist, Mr. John N. May
advises any one who can afford to buy only one Rose-plant to
select Clothilde Soupert. This Rose belongs to the Polyantha
class; itis perfectly hardy and blooms until frost; the flowers
are a beautiful soft pink when they first open, changing toa
pearly white as they get older; they are of excellent form and
sweet-scented. After Clothilde Soupert, Mr. May recommends
Mrs. Degraw, a Rose of the Bourbon class, glossy pink, and
continuously in bloom; Souvenir de la Malmaison, another
Bourbon, large, flesh-colored ; La France, a Hybrid Tea, clear
soft pink; General Jacqueminot, a Hybrid Perpetual, crim-
son; Duchess of Albany, another Hybrid Tea, a sport from
La France, deep pink in color; and Dinsmore, a Hybrid Per-
petual, coral-red. To these can be added Empress Augusta
Victoria, white ; Papa Gontier, bright red; Etoile de Lyon, yel-
low—Tea Roses which are not quite hardy, but which can exist
through ordinary winters with good protection.
The very warm weather of the past two weeks has hurried
forward large supplies of southern vegetables, the crops that
were planted in Florida after the February freeze having be-
come marketable at the same time with vegetables from North
Carolina and Virginia. Asparagus, for example, on Friday of
last week sold at wholesale for as little as thirty to seventy-five
cents for a dozen large bunches. Hundreds of crates of beans
and peas from Florida were left unclaimed on the docks by
consignees, since they could not be disposed of at prices which
covered the expenses for freight, and these perishable vegeta-
bles were carted away and destroyed at an additional expense
to the steamship companies. French artichokes from New
Orleans, much smaller than those which have been coming
from Algiers, bring seventy-five cents a dozen. New Brussels
sprouts from Bermuda cost twenty-five cents a quart, and
celery from the same islands twenty-five cents a bunch. Straw-
berries are plentiful, and those from Norfolk bring as much
as thirty cents a quart retail for the choicest. The Maryland
crop is expected to arrive during the current week.
California oranges, both Navel and seedling, are still arriv-
ing in large quanties, ten car-loads of this fruit having been
sold at auction in this city on Monday. Prices are low, and the
cost of shipment is hardly covered. Bananas are bringing
extreme prices, the best grade from Aspinwall, Banes and
Sama realizing from $1.75 to $2.00 a bunch by the truck-load
on the docks. About 23,000 barrels of pineapples came into
this port from Cuba during last week, and schooners from the
Bahama Islands are bringing large quantities in bulk, The
shipments from Nassau will continue until about the middle
of July, or a month later than those from Havana. Much of
the Bahama fruit was canned at home last season, but the
experiment seems to have been unsatisfactory. The decay in
pineapples is a very considerable item in determining prices
tor the sound fruit. The first pineapples of the season are
naturally rather green, and they carry better because they are
more firm than riper fruit. The percentage of decay in the
green fruit amounts generally to ten or fifteen per cent.,
though the average decay in the riper Havana fruit reaches
thirty-five or forty per cent., and the loss sometimes amounts
to as much as ninety per cent. The weather is largely respon-
sible for decay, especially in the loose cargo lots, the moisture
from rains in the green tops occasioning fermentation.
According to Dr. T. H. Hoskins, the Apple known as Scott's
Winter is practically the only valuable native variety which
will thrive in his climate on Lake Memphramagog and in the
Clyde River valley and yield fruit that will keep all winter.
This fruit is not at its best until about the first of April,
and it will keep well a good month longer. All through
the north-west, as well as in northern Vermont, especially
in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, it is considered the
best apple for the late winter market. No other variety so
productive of such handsome fruit will grow north of the
point where the Baldwin fails to endure the cold. A fence-
corner seedling, it was introduced by Dr. Hoskins some twenty
years ago and named for the owner of the farm where it origi-
nated on the west shore of Lake Memphramagog, less than a
mile from the Canada line. The original tree is said to be
in good condition still. Dr. Hoskins is propagating another
late winter Apple-tree from Russia, which bears what he re-
gards a better dessert fruit than Scott's Winter. A specimen
of this apple sent to this office is of fair size, a beautiful color
and pleasant aroma. The flesh is firm in texture and fine in
grain. The flavor is hardly sprightly enough to suit an edu-
cated taste, but for the cold north, where few good kinds will
grow, the hardiness of the tree and the admirable keeping
qualities of the fruit ought to make it a most desirable variety.
May 22, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
OrrFicz: Trisune Buitpinc, New York.
Professor C. S. SARGENT.
Gonducted@by 4s = «5s 65 = 8 i ven
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y-
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
EprroriaL Article :—Popular Books about Flowers.....--..e.ee sees eee ee eeee es 207
Parks, Parkways and Pleasure-grounds.—Il..... /yederick Law Olmsted.
When is Rhus toxicodendron Most Active ?.
Rte PINES Gis eels ace es: alses cine: ara aieaid-a vie giainlatalets)=
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—Primulas.
SPAN TS IN ODES sictie'syeisisteiclels sislelerstere\els
New or LittrLe-KNown eae
ASULS.) coseecscas
CuLtTuRAL DRPARTMENT:
About Tulips......0..sesesssenseseeesces
Narcissus Notes.......
-.- Dr. V. Havard. 203
Mrs. Mary Treat. 203
eeeee- WW. Watson. 204
.. Professor ae W. Rose. 205
eee ss T. D. Hatfield. 205
.- FN. Gerard 207
nde O. Orpet. 207
Coreopsis grandiflora.. ”. N. Craig. 208
Dioncea muscipula r wy ‘ities Scott. 208
Saponaria ocymoides, Fritillaria imperialis 2 aureo- ymarginata.. -G. W, O. 208
CorRESPONDENCE :— Winter Storage for Tender Evergreens,
Francis Blake, E. O. O. 208
Wayside Shrubbery......sses cece eee eee ete ee ence eee tees tees eeeeeees M. 209
Rhododendrons in a Hard Winter..... - H. H. Hunnewell. 209
Shy Wood Plants: . -- Fohn Chamberlin.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS .
NOTES.......5 .
Intustration :—A Blue Mexican Water-lily, Fig. 37.
Popular Books about Flowers.
NE of the noteworthy features of current popular
literature is the large number of publications on the
subject of our native wild flowers. Most of these books
have had a large sale, and the natural inference from this
would be that there is.a growing interest in botanical
science. Itis possible, however, that the plan of doling
out information in unrelated scraps and bits is not the true
way to impart scientific knowledge. The teacher who
does no more than fill up the minds of his pupils with frag-
ments of truth really renders him little assistance and may
inflict upon him a genuine injury. One who imagines that
he is improving his mind when he is simply memorizing
facts which others have discovered makes a fatal mistake.
The real educational advantage derived from the study of
a science is not so much the truth that is acquired as the
habits of personal and self-reliant observation which are
gained. Most of the books, however, to which we have
alluded make no pretense of being scientific. Indeed, it
is often announced as one of their conspicuous merits that
they are cumbered with no science and with as little scien-
tific language as possible. They set out with the assump-
tion that systematic botany is a forbidding subject, and
they aim. therefore, to impart information about plants in
an attractive way, and this apparently means in an unsys-
tematic and desultory way which is supposed to make
moderate demands on the attention of the reader. What
they propose primarily is to enable the reader to find the
name ofa plant by some method which will not require
any effort. Sometimes the lists of flowers are arranged
according to their color, or again according to their season
of bloom, but they are never grouped or classified accord-
ing to their structural affinities, which would seem to be
the most natural way for people who have eyes and the
power of association and comparison.
Two reasons are assigned for preparing treatises of this
sort. One is the notion, and a silly one it is, although it
has been put forward by men who ought to know better,
that scientific knowledge destroys all sentiment and poetic
feeling, and that the more one knows of the structure
and vital processes of plants the less he is alive to their
Garden and Forest.
ZO
beauty. If one should claim that an acquaintance with
geological science destroys all appreciation of the grandeur
of mountain scenery, and that a knowledge of astronomy
renders its possessor blind to the splendors of the starry
heavens, the natural reply would be that only those who
realize the vast periods of geologic time during which the
earth has been molded into its present form, and the illim-
itable space through which the heavenly bodies are wheel-
ing, as revealed by astronomical science, can receive any
adequate impression of the sublimity of the earth and skies.
Just so one who studies with microscopic care the structure
of a flower, with its adjustments and relationships, feels
more of its true poetry than the casual observer, who notes
only its exterior graces of form and color. The second rea-
son offered is that the scientific names of plants are repul-
sive, and that still more so are the names applied to their
different organs and the processes of theirdevelopment. But,
as we have explained before, the difficulty in both cases is
exaggerated. The botanical names of plants, it is true, are
not always what they should be, but most of them mean
something, and, asarule, they are as easy to acquire as the
common names, many of which are applied to half a dozen
different species, while almost every ordinary plant has, at
least, as many common names. It is the universal testi-
mony of all who have made any serious study of botanical
science that these plant names are not half as formidable
as they seem, and that they invariably help, rather than
hinder. Of course, as soon as one examines a plant or
anything else carefully, and wishes to distinguish its various
parts, some name must be invented, and we must talk of
petals and pistils and stamens, and all the rest, as soon as
we begin to separate the plant into its component parts.
As soon as we learn to distinguish things we must have
names to represent them, and ‘it is impossible to write or
speak intelligently of plants without using new terms unless
we adopt clumsy circumlocutions. It is not objected to the
study of elementary arithmetic that a boy must learn the
meaning of dividend and subtrahend ; it is simply the ne-
cessity of supplying a word to represent accurately a new
idea.
Now, it is not to be inferred from all this, that we object
to what is called the popularization of science. The real
danger from these books is that they have a tendency to
vitiate the popular idea of what real science is. One who
has been helped by the means of pictures and other assist-
ance to apply the proper names to one hundred and fifty
different plants has the advantage of just that amount of
mental furniture. When he hears one of these names he
knows what plant is referred to, and he is certainly better
off than one who does not know this much, but, of course,
this knowledge gives him no title to the possession of any
real botanical science, and the danger is that young people
who are helped to such a trivial amount of information will
be prevented from an effort to acquire more, and will be
deprived of enjoying the fruits of genuine personal appli-
cation. It is quite as easy for young people to begin right.
It is not to be expected or hoped that many of them will
make any great progress in the intricacies of this science,
but, as far as they go, their knowledge can be accu-
rate and systematic, “and they can have the advantage
of their training powers of attention and comparison.
They may get no farther than the very rudiments of the
science, but, as far as they go, it will be true science, and
they will have not only the mental improvement, but the
sense of power as well as the pleasure which comes from
orderly study and the attainment of knowledge by the ex-
ercise of their proper faculties. What the student gains by
his own investigation is not only useful knowledge, but it
helps him to acquire other know iedge. It is not the facts
that are so much needed by the student as the development
of the habit of systematic observation.
The real work of this kind must all be done by the stu-
dent, although, of course, this work will be much more
effective under the sympathetic guidance of a skilled in-
structor. Instead of waiting till he can find a flower and
202
carry it to the book to hunt up its picture he can begin with
the first leaf he sees. and note its outlines and appendages
and peculiarities of position. One of the great botanists of
the age has said that when a child with the plants in his
hand learns to discriminate, by his own observation, be-
tween such parts as the simple, heart-shaped, opposite stalked
leaves of a Lilac, and the compound, alternate, stipulate
leaves of a Rose, he is gaining the habit of acquiring
knowledge which is not at all measured by the amount or
the kind of information received. It is not a matter of
much moment whether he learns such trivial facts as those
mentioned, but it is of the highest importance that he should
be taught how to obtain knowledge by such direct observa-
tion and comparison. Of course, his studies should com-
mence with the observations of the simple external forms
of plants with the more obvious roots and stems, leaves,
tendrils, veins, flowers, etc., but such a beginning forms a
habit which will surely carry him forward to more difficult
fields.
The word science has a formidable sound to many ears,
but it really means nothing but systematic knowledge.
Every child during the earlier years of its life is engaged
almost continually in what is practically scientific study.
He is examining every phenomenon that presents itself to
his senses ; he observes things, he compares them, he nat-
urally forms some idea of their alliances and classifies them
by their prominent characters. The best thing that a
teacher can do is to encourage him in just this sort of work
instead of giving him a book to tell him what some one
else has found out. Of all the natural sciences botany is
the most convenient for training the eye to see and the
mind to note relations with alertness. Material fér this
study is at hand everywhere and at every season. These
popular books are all flower-books, but the flower is only
a part, anda small part, of the plant. Every tree invites
investigation —-its general form, the ramification of its
branches, its bark, its winter buds, all open wide fields for
delightful study as the student's mind improves and he be-
comes more able to draw conclusions from what he sees.
There are lessons in every window-plant in winter, and
even in the dried stalk of every wayside weed. Professor
Marshall Ward, whom we have already quoted, has well
said that a Hyacinth bulb, when compared with a Potato
tuber, makes a most interesting object of study, and so
does every nut and apple and orange which a child eats.
All this means that science can only be acquired by
study, and not by reading popular flower-books. Butstudy,
so far from being drudgery, is delightful occupation. Stu-
dious habits are easily acquired by the young, and botanical
science, when properly prosecuted, is one of the best ways
of training the eye and the mindto habits of attention.
Besides this, it is a study which brings one into close con-
tact with nature, and stimulates a love for natural objects,
which will increase with years and prove a life-long joy
and solace.
Parks, Parkways and Pleasure-grounds.—lI.
N our last issue we quoted from the Lugineering Maga-
gine portions of an article on this subject by Mr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, which discuss the government
of parks and the points to be considered in choosing their
sites and boundaries. The selections which follow in-
clude the greater part of what Mr. Olmsted says in relation
to the plans or designs of parks and to the construction of
parks:
In order to be able to devise a consistent plan, such as may
be followed during a long period of years with surety that the
result will be both useful and beautiful, it is necessary, in the
first place, to define as accurately as possible the ends or pur-
poses to be achieved. As already remarked, these ends or
purposes are as numerous as are the various modes of recrea-
tion in the open air, Thus,asmall tract of harbor-side land at
the north end of Boston has been acquired by the Park Com-
mission in order to supply the inhabitants of a poor and
crowded quarter with a pleasant resting-place overlooking the
Garden and Forest.
(NUMBER 378.
water, and with opportunities for boating and bathing. Ac-
cordingly, the plan provides a formal elevated stone terrace,
connecting by a bridge spanning an intervening traffic street
with a double-decked pleasure-pier, which in turn forms a
breakwater enclosing a little port, the shore of which will bea
bathing beach. In the adjacent city of Cambridge a rectangu-
lar, level and street-bounded open space has been ordered to
be arranged to serve as a general meeting-place or promenade,
a concert-ground, a boys’ playground, and an outdoor nursery.
Accordingly, the adopted plan suggests a centrally placed
building which will serve as a shelter from showers and as a
house of public convenience, in which the boys will find lock-
ers and the babies a room of their own, from which also the
head-keeper of the ground shall be able to command the whole
scene. South ot the house a broad, but shaded, gravel space
will provide room for such crowds as may gather when the
band plays on a platform attached to the veranda of the build-
ing. Beyond this concert-ground is placed the ball-field,
which, because of the impossibility of maintaining good turf,
will be of fine gravel, firmly compacted. Surrounding the
ball-ground and the whole public domain is a_ broad, formal
and shaded mall. At one end of the central building is found
room for a shrub-surrounded playground and sand-court for
babies and small children. At the other end of the house is a
similarly secluded outdoor gymnasium for girls, Lastly, be-
tween the administration house and the northern mall and
street, there will be found an open lawn, shut off from the
malls by banks of shrubbery and surrounded by a path with
seats where mothers, nurses and the public generally may
find a pleasant resting-place.
Plans for those larger public domains, in which scenery is
the main object of pursuit, need to be devised with similarly
strict attention to the loftier purpose in view. The type of
scenery to be preserved or created ought to be that which is
developed naturally from the local circumstances of each case.
Rocky or steep slopes suggest tangled thickets or forests.
Smooth hollows otf good soil hint at open or “park-like”
scenery. Swamps and an abundant water-supply suggest
ponds, pools or lagoons. If distant views of regions outside
the park are likely to be permanently attractive, the beauty ~
thereof may be enhanced by supplying stronger foregrounds ;
and, conversely, all ugly or town-like surroundings ought, if
possible, to be ‘planted out.” The paths and roads of land-
scape parks are to be regarded simply as instruments by which
the scenery is made accessible and enjoyable. They may not
be needed at first, but, when the people visiting a park become
so numerous that the trampling of their feet destroys the
beauty of the ground cover, it becomes necessary to confine
them to the use of chosen lines and spots. These lines ought,
obviously, to be determined with careful reference to the most
advantageous exhibition of the available scenery. The scenery
also should be developed with reference to the views thereof
to be obtained from these lines. This point may be illustrated
by assuming the simplest possible case, namely, that of a land-
scape park to be created upon a parallelogram of level prairie.
To conceal the formality of the boundaries, as well as to shut
out the view of surrounding buildings, an informal ‘border
plantation” will be required. Within this irregular frame or
screen the broader the unbroken meadow or field may be, the
more restful and impressive will be the landscape. To obtain
the broadest and finest views of this central meadow, as well
as to avoid shattering its unity, roads and paths should obvi-
ously be placed near the edges of the framing woods. In the
typical case a “circuit road” results. It is wholly impossible
to frame rules for the planning of rural parks ; local circum-
stances ought to guide and govern the designer in every case;
but it may be remarked that there are few situations in which
the principle of unity will not call for something, at least, of
the “border plantation” and something of the ‘circuit road.”
Within large rural parks economy sometimes demands that
provision should be made for some of those modes of recrea-
tion which small spaces are capable of supplying. Special
playgrounds for children, ball or tennis grounds, even formal
arrangements such as are most suitable for concert grounds
and decorative gardens, may each and all find place within the
rural park, provided they are so devised as not to conflict with
or detract from the breadth and quietness of the general land-
scape. If boating can be provided, a suitable boating-house
will be desirable ; the same house will serve for the use of
skaters in winter. In small parks economy of administration
demands that one building should serve all purposes and sup-
ply accommodations tor boating parties, skaters, tennis-play-
ers, ball-players and all other visitors, as well as administra-
tive offices. In large parks separate buildings, serving as res-
taurants, boat-houses, bathing-houses and the like, may be
MAY 22, 1895.]
allowable. It is most important, however, to remember that
these buildings, like the roads and paths, are only subsidiary,
though necessary, adjuncts to the park scenery; and, conse-
quently, that they should not be placed or designed so as to
be obtrusive or conspicuous. Large public buildings, such as
museums, concert halls, schools and the like, may best find
place in town streets or squares. They may wisely, perhaps,
be placed near, or facing upon, the park, but to place them
within it is simply to defeat the highest service which the park
can render the community. Large and conspicuous build-
ings, as well as statues and other monuments, are completely
subversive of that rural quality of landscape the presentation
and preservation of which is the one justifying purpose of the
undertaking by a town of a large public park.
That the man who thinks out the general plan of a park
ought to have daily supervision of the working out of that plan
is undoubtedly theoretically true. It is impossible to represent
in drawings all the nice details of good work in grading and
planting, and yet no work is more dependent for its effect
upon finishing touches.
On the other hand, however desirable the constant oversight
of the landscape-architect may be, it is impracticable under
modern conditions. The education of a designer of parks
consumes so much time, strength and money that no existing
American park commission, unless it be that of New York,
can as yet afford to engage the whole time of a competent
man. Consequently it is the usual practice for the landscape-
architect to present his design in the form of a drawing or
drawings, and to supplement the drawings by occasional visits
for conference with those in immediate charge, by descriptive
reports and by correspondence.
The prime requisite in the resident superintendent of park
work is efficiency. Naturally enough, most of the superin-
tendents of parks in the United States have been trained
either as horticulturists or as engineers, but it is not necessary,
or even desirable, that such should be the case. Probably the
best results will be achieved by men who, possessing the or-
ganizing faculty and a realizing sense of the importance of
their work, shall, with the assistance of an engineer and a
plantsman, labor to execute faithfully designs which they
thoroughly understand and approve.
Most men of specialized training, such as architects, en-
gineers and all grades of horticulturists, stand in need of an
awakening before they are really competent to have to do with
park work. Each has tolearn that his building, his bridge or
road, his tree or flower, which he has been accustomed to
think of as an end in itself, is, in the park, only a means
auxiliary and contributive to a larger end—namely, the gen-
eral landscape. It is hard for most gardeners to forego the
use of plants which, however lovely or marvelous they may
be as individuals, are only blots in landscape. It is hard for
most engineers to conform their ideas of straightforward con-
struction to a due regard for appearance and the preservation
of the charm of scenery. Neatness of finish in slopes adjacent
to roads is not sufficient ; such slopes must be contrived so as
to avoid formality and all likeness to railroad cuts or fills.
Road lines and grades which may be practicable in the ordi-
nary world are to be avoided in the park, because the pleasure
of the visitor is the one object held in view. Roads, walls,
bridges, water-supply, drainage and grading—such of these
works as may be necessary are to be executed with all techni-
cal skill, as in the outer world; but the engineer in charge
should be a man who will see to it that the work is done with
constant regard to the object of a park as distinguished from
the object of a city street or square or railroad.
Similarly, the park planter should be a man capable of hold-
ing fast to the idea that the value of a rural park consists in
landscape, and not in gardening or the exhibition of specimen
plants. Guided by this idea, he will avoid such absurd traces
of formality as the too common practice of planting trees in
rows beside curving driveways. In devising necessary plan-
tations he will give preference to native plants, without avoid-
ing exotics of kinds which blend easily. Thus, where a
Banana would be out of place, the equally foreign Barberry,
Privet or Buckthorn may be admissible and useful. Influ-
enced by the same principle, he will confine flower-garden-
ing to the secluded garden for which space may, perhaps, be
found in some corner of the park.
Nothing, at first thought, would appear easier than to ar-
range a few trees in a beautiful group, yet experience has
taught us that the generality of persons, in their first essays in
ornamental planting, almost invariably crowd their trees into a
close, regular clump, which has a most formal and unsightly
appearance, as different as possible from the easy-Howing
outline of a natural group.—Downing.
Garden and Forest.
203
When is Rhus toxicodendron Most Active?
BELIEVE it is generally assumed that the most active
part of Poison Ivy is the leaves ; at least, they are the
only officinal part of the pharmacopeeia, and it is from them
that Professor Maisch obtained the volatile toxicodendric
acid, supposed to be the poisonous principle. One would,
therefore, hardly expect cases of poisoning in the early
spring or before the leaves are well developed.
The plant abounds on this island. On April 2gth a young
soldier of this garrison presented himself with well-marked
symptoms of dermatitis venenata affecting the arms and
face ; I could hardly believe that at this early date poison-
ing by Rhus was possible, and, therefore, inquired into the
circumstances. I found that the patient had, with several
comrades, been hunting snakes under rocks covered with
the Rhus-vine, and that two of these comrades were simi-
larly affected. Two or three days later a little girl who had
been playing in the vicinity of the same rocks developed
the usual characteristic eczematous rash, and doubt was no
longer possible. At the time these cases were contracted
the vine was (and is mostly still at this writing) perfectly
bare; no leaf was visible and the buds were only just
beginning to swell. We are, therefore, forced to the conclu-
sion that the poisoning was produced by the stem—that is,
by the active principle, presumably, contained in the young
sap exuding or evaporating through the bark. The little
girl mentioned above was much exposed to the Rhus during
the whole of last summer without ever being poisoned.
Does it follow, therefore, that it is more active in the early
spring than later in the season, and that the poisonous
principle is, at least, as much in the stem as in the leaves?
As this question can only be solved by the comparison of
many experiences, I submit it to the readers of GARDEN
AND Forest in the hope that they will make a record of
their own observations in its columns. =
Davids Island, N. Y. V. Havard.
In the Pines.
OR more than a quarter of a century vegetation has
never been so backward in the Pines as it is this year.
The birds, too, were very tardy in coming, but they are all
here now in full force. Both the Baltimore and Orchard
orioles are specially abundant. We almost despaired of
our catbirds, for not until the 6th of May did they make
their appearance in our neighborhood. The thrushes,
vireos, wrens, orioles and many others were all here before
them, which is very unusual. The winter birds, too, were
slow to depart. The whitethroats were still with us the
first week in May, and I saw now and then a junco linger-
ing with them after the main body of these birds had gone.
On the roth of May Apple-irees were still in bloom, but
everything is now pushing so rapidly that by the first of
June no marked difference in the season of our fruits and
flowers will be noticed.
The Pines are beautiful now with Andromedas and the
various Huckleberries, and the Sassafras is in full flower
and giving a delicious spicy fragrance, together with the
Bayberry, which is crowded with fertile catkins, and the
fragrant new leaves are rising above a setting of old ones,
which seem loath to give up their hold to this new genera-
tion. I see no appreciable etfects of the severe winter on
any of the evergreen plants, shrubs or trees in the Pines.
This, no doubt, is largely due to the protective snow which
was unusually deep during the coldest weather. The
foliage of our charming Pyxie and the Arbutus is both
more luxuriant and fresher looking than usual; they are
out of flower, but the little Wind Anemoneis still in bloom,
and also numerous Violets. The Wild Strawberry almost
carpets the ground with white in some places.
Large clumps of Euphorbia Ipecacuanhe are showy in
white sandy places, with dense masses of purple foliage
and greenish flowers. The wild Columbine is swaying its
graceful flowers on its slender stems, and the wild Lupine,
with its straight, upright spikes of blue flowers, is in strik-
ing contrast.
204
Almost every year the Pines are invaded by some wan-
dering plant from foreign parts, which settles down and
makes itself at home among the old inhabitants. This
spring, for the first time, I see the Sherardia arvensis has
become a fixture on our roadsides. It is welcome, as it is
a little delicate thing with whorls of six small leaves around
the square stems, and small blue flowers surrounded by a
thick involucre. This pretty plant can never become a
pest, like its European relative, Galium Mollugo.
Pyrus arbutifolia is in flower, as well as some belated
specimens of Amelanchier, but the latter is mostly in fruit,
and promises an abundant harvest. The Swamp Maples
are handsome with thick clusters of flaming red keys, and
it will not be long before the brilliant Laurel and the Mag-
nolia and Xerophyllum, with many other attractive flowers,
will amply repay excursions in the Pines.
In the garden a white single Rose, one of the Rugosa
type, commenced blooming on the roth of May, and is
now white with large beautiful roses. This is one of Mr.
Dawson's plants. Other single white Roses in the garden
are from two to three weeks later than this.
Great clumps of the German Iris are making a good dis-
play in the border, and some of the more choice Colum- .
bines are very attractive. But for brilliant color there is
nothing better than a mass of scarlet Poppies, which are
now in all their glory.
Vineland, N. J. Mary Trea.
Foreign Correspondence.
Primulas.
HE genus Primula has a special fascination for horti-
culturists, a large number of species being included
in our popular plants for the Alpine garden, while others
are valued as pot-plants for cultivation in the conservatory.
The Royal Horticultural Society holds a special exhibition
of Primulas every year, accompanied by the reading of
papers and discussions by specialists, which are of suffi-
cient interest and importance to be called a Conference.
At the exhibition this year a large number of plants were
shown in flower, and papers were read by Mr. Baker,
F.R.S., and others. Although the season has been most
unpropitious for plants of the nature of alpine Primulas,
yet the collections shown were almost, if not quite, equal
to those of previous years. The Auriculas were well rep-
resented, and, as usual, received a large share of attention
from the laity, who are, as a rule, uncertain whether they
ought to admire or be amused by such quaintly colored
flowers. Polyanthuses are not popular in English gardens
nowadays, and yet there are few herbaceous plants that
will produce such an effective display of brightly colored
flowers as these do in spring under the most ordinary treat-
ment. But after all, the species, true and undefiled, are the
élite of Primulas. Mr. Douglas showed a first-prize collec-
tion of twelve, which were a delightful picture ; they were
P. mollis, P. Japonica, P. rosea, P. denticulata, P. verticil-
lata, P. Cashmeriana, P. floribunda, P. Auricula, P. obconica,
P. amcena, P. intermedia and P. decora. These are all
first-class garden-plants. One of the most charming cor-
ners in the rock-garden at Kew just now is a peat-bog of
about four square yards filled with tufts of P. rosea, all in
full flower, and as brightin its rose coloras the Chionodoxa
was in its blue a few weeks ago.
A list of the species of Primula in cultivation in English
gardens would comprise at least fifty. There were thirty
in flower in the Alpine house at Kew a few days ago. Mr.
Baker, in his interesting remarks on the botany of the
Primula, said that whereas twenty years ago the number
of species known was between seventy and eighty, we
now know about one hundred and fifty. The increase is
largely due to discoveries in India and China. To quote
Mr. Baker’s own words: “We have now about one hun-
dred and fifty species, of which, in round numbers, fifty
are Chinese and Japanese, fifty are Himalayan and the
other fifty are spread through Europe, northern Asia and
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 378.
America.” ‘There are some distinct and handsome plants
among the new discoveries in western China, which, how-
ever, have still to be introduced into cultivation. It would
be worth the while of some enterprising nurseryman to
send a collector into the districts madé botanically famous
by the missionaries, David and Delavay, and by Dr. Henry,
many of the plants collected in Yun-nan, etc., by them
being such as would find general favor with horticulturists.
A paper by Mr. Self-Leonard, an enthusiastic trade-
grower of Alpine plants of all kinds, ‘dealt with the culti-
vation of Primulas. He divided them into three classes:
(1) Species for the greenhouse, comprising P. obconica,
P. Sinensis, P. mollis, P. verticillata, etc.; (2) large, strong-
growing, hardy species, generally of the easiest culture,
and comprising such noble garden-plants as P. denticulata,
P. Japonica (an excellent plant for massing under trees),
P. capitata, P. Sikkimensis, P. Stuartii, etc.; (3) the smaller
and choicer Alpine species. For these he claimed a style
of beauty altogether their own, which made their separa-
tion from their coarser brethren, both in the garden and in
the exhibition hall, essential.
The cultural requirements of the plants of the third class
were not, in Mr. Self-Leonard’s opinion, of a special char-
acter, but, broadly speaking, they thrive under the same
treatment as the Auricula, except that they do not require
so complete a rest in midwinter, and at other times they do
not need the continuous care and studied culture necessary
to produce good Auriculas. Protection from the excessive
wet in winter and spring rather than from cold is needed,
most of them enjoying the low winter temperature if kept
dry. On the other hand, many of them are all the better
for protection from summer heat. The cooler climate of
northern Europe always suits Primulas better than that of
the south ; for instance, they grow better in Scotland than
in most parts of England.
The soil recommended was loam with alittle sand, rather
heavy than light, and an avoidance of peat in every case.
A chalk soil is not, in his opinion, essential to the culture of
any Primula and is poisonous to some of them. ‘“Expe-
rience conclusively proves that those alpine Primulas,
which, in nature, are only found on calcareous soils, can
be easily grown in our gardens without a particle of chalk
or lime in the soil.” Mr. Self-Leonard, like all experienced
cultivators, attaches comparatively little importance to the
soil. He condemns “nostrums” and commends an intel-
ligent interpretation of nature’s teaching by the light of the
cultivator’s experience.
A third paper by Mr. Douglas on the Auricula dealt
chiefly with their cultural requirements if intended to win
prizes at exhibitions. He condemns indiscriminate cross-
ing, especially between plants of the different sections, a
bastard, inferior in all respects to its parents, being gen-
erally the result. The Auricula has had its devotees in
England for about three hundred years, but only during
the last century have the show varieties been classified
according to the variegation or coloration of the flowers.
Thus now we have (1) green-edged varieties which have
white centres, black or blackish maroon zones and a mar-
gin of dark green; none of the plants in this class have
powdered leaves; (2) gray-edged varieties, characterized
by a thick coating of white farina on the outer margin,
through which the ground color partially shows ; (3) white-
edged varieties, in which the powder on the margin is
thick and uniformly white; (4) selfs, which have white
eye-like centres and an unshaded margin of blackish ma-
roon, purplish blue or red; in fact, any color that can be
obtained, but it must be clear and unshaded. The meali-
ness of the foliage in some of the varieties is so excessive
that they are known in some localities as the “ Dusty Mil-
ler.” Mr. Douglas exhibited a fine specimen pan of Pri-
mula auricula grown from a little plant collected on the
Swiss Alps fifteen years ago, and which he has had under
garden-culture in rich soil ever since. Although, as he
says, it had increased a hundredfold, it had not altered in
the slightest in the size, form or color of the flowers. In
MAY 22, 1895.]
breeding new sorts, Mr. Douglas, after carefully selecting
his breeders, considered himself lucky to get one seedling
in a hundred that was worth growing for further trial.
This applies only to the show or edged Auriculas, seed-
lings of the alpine varieties being generally of good quality
and far less variable. Of course, all the named varieties
are propagated by offsets and division. The seed should
be sown as soon as ripe, usually about midsummer, and
kept in a cool shady place. It germinates freely in the fol-
lowing spring, and the seedlings are pricked off as soon as
they are large enough to be handled with safety. They are
again potted into single pots, flowering, as a rule, in the
second year from the sowing of the seeds. As arule,a
full-sized plant can be grown in one year from the seed-
pot or from an offset. The offsets are planted in small pots
and kept under shaded hand-lights till well rooted. The
right season for repotting is May, the soil to use is good
loam, and the position for the plants during the summer is
in an airy frame on the shaded or north side of a building
or wall. Mr. Horner has said that many people failed with
Auriculas because they would set them out under garden-
hedges, much to the enjoyment of snails and caterpillars,
or keep them in cold damp pits or even down in areas.
The successful grower has cool, light, airy houses or frames
for them, and with these conditions, plus an intelligent
knowledge of the nature of the plants, no department of
floriculture yields greater or more lasting pleasure than that
of Auricula growing.
London. 2 W. Watson.
Plant Notes.
AKEBIA QUINATA.—This vigorous twining plant is generally
used for the covering of fences, arbors and the like, and
-it will quickly spread over large surfaces. But while
it is most useful for that kind of work, it is also interest-
ing when trained as an upright bush on a border or
lawn, or when allowed to ramble over some shrub which
is of little value. The prettily shaped leaves, which are
digitate, are unlike those of most other vines, and they
hold their shape and color well into the winter. The
flowers, while lasting only a short time, are exceedingly
pretty; the female flowers open first, and are more
showy than the male flowers, being of a rich claret color,
and two or three times as large as the others. They pos-
sess the additional merit of being very sweetly scented.
A good way to train the plant to a bush form is to stick a
few good stout tree branches in the ground; it will soon
ramble over them and make a most beautiful object. The
reason that this vine does not ripen fruit more frequently
is probably owing to the fact that it flowers so early in
the year, and that it produces the female flowers first, and
these are nearly past before the males have had time to
ripen their pollen. Occasionally, however, individual
plants in this country and Europe produce fruit. In
Japan its long, slender, pliable shoots, which are of
uniform size throughout, are much used for wicker-work
and even for baskets, trays and sun hats. Cuttings of the
ripened wood put in a cold frame about the beginning of
September will root quickly. The plants need considera-
ble sunlight for their best development.
ExocHoRDA GRANDIFLORA.—This Pearl Bush, as it has been
aptly called, is now altogether the most striking shrub in
Central Park, although most of the specimens there have
been allowed to grow into disagreeable open shape, which,
together with thin foliage, makes a rather unattractive
plant when out of flower. In New England this is not a
long-lived shrub, and rarely attains a height of more than
six or eight feet. South of this it becomes a small tree, or
a shrub from fifteen to twenty feet in height. If cut in hard
after it flowers every year it can be held to something like
a compact shape, but if left to itself it has a better effect
with some lower-growing shrubs massed in front of it to
hide its naked stems. This is by no means a new shrub,
having been known to cultivation for nearly halfa century,
Garden and Forest.
205
but for some reason it has never become as common as its
near relatives, the shrubby Spirceas. Its great beauty con-
sists in its large flowers, which appear with the leaves in
long axillary racemes. They are borne in great abundance
and are of a dazzling white. Large plants in this latitude
produce seed freely, so that the plant is readily propagated
in this way.
Lity or THE VALLEY, Fortin’s Varrety.—This is a variety
of French origin, and though it was distributed a few years
ago by Peter Henderson & Co., and perhaps others, it does
not seem to have created much of a stir, and it isnot much
grown in American gardens. It is a noble variety, much
more vigorous and larger in all its parts than Convallaria
majalis. The stem is tall and is clothed with flowers over
twice the size produced by the ordinary variety under the
same treatment. The bells are of the purest white.
Iris STATELL#.—This is a Sicilian variety of Iris lutescens
and is one of the most attractive Irises, of medium height,
which flowers at this time. It has large prominent stand-
ards, tongue-shaped and smaller reflexing falls. The flow-
ers are of a pearly-white color, of very fine form and most
distinct. It is a fine garden variety and excellent for
decoration.
New or Little-known Plants.
A Blue Water-lily from Mexico.
iS ee handsome Water-lily * figured on page 206 was
collected by Mr. T. S. Brandegee near Mazatlan,
Mexico, in November, 1893. The flowers, which vary
somewhat in size, are sometimes fully six inches in diame-
ter and are of a pale blue color. The stamens are yellow,
with long anthers and minute tips. The leaves are nearly
orbicular, with few teeth, greenish above, with a few
blotches, and of a dark purple beneath. The flowers were
obtained froma small pond in an enclosed pasture con-
taining about a hundred plants. Although those were the
only specimens seen, the plant was reported to grow in
abundance about the neighboring river. I am not quite
sure of the species, but it appears to be nearest Nymphea
elegans of Hooker, which was figured in the Bofanical
Magazine in 1851, table 4604. Mr. Brandegee’s specimens
agree almost exactly with this figure, except that the flow-
ers are considerably larger. N. elegans has until recently
been one of our rarest species, and for nearly forty years
remained uncollected (Bui. Torrey Bot. Club, xv.: 14). In
late years it has been frequently sent in by such well-known
collectors as Mr. C. G. Pringle, Mr.G.C. Nealley and Mr. jE.
Bodin. The original specimens of N. elegans are said to
have come from New Mexico, but all our recent collections
have been made from Texas. The species has not been
reported from the west coast of Mexico, and this fact, taken
in connection with the difference in size of the flowers,
leaves some doubt as to above reference of these speci-
mens. It certainly belongs to no other Mexican species
with which I am familiar. *
Department of Agriculture, Washington. J. W. Rose.
Cultural Department.
The Rock Garden.
HE winter, just past, proved to be one of the most trying
of recent years for vegetation on rock-work. On the first
of May the plants seemed two weeks behind time, but the dry,
hot weather of the past week has hurried all spring flowers
into bloom, so that @verything has caugbt up. We cannot
complain of many specific losses, but much injury has been
* Castalia elegans (Hook.), Greene, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, xv.:85 (1888).—Nym-
phzea elegans, Hook., Bot. Mag., t 4604 (1859). ?
Leaves nearly orbicular, a little longer than broad
radiating nerves on each side of the m
75 filaments broad, yellow ; anthers longer and narrower than the filaments, yellow-
ish ; the prolonged connective a mere tip, at most 114 lines long.
2059
done to many fine plants which have usually come through in
good condition. It was apparently during the ice storms in
February when the greatest damage was done, rather than by
severely cold weather at any time, though low temperature
was continuous. All the Moss Pinks, Phlox subulata, in ex-
posed situations, were much burned. Many European species
of Dianthus, D. alpinus, D. neglectus, D. glacialis, D. subcau-
lescens, D. plumarius and D. armulatus (Cyclops) are dead
entirely. D. arenarius, D. ccesius and D. deltoides appear to
be the only ones which have come through uninjured. Silene
Schafta is among the lost. Primula rosea has stood uninjured
for twoseasons. Now onlya few seedlings remain, which evi-
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 378.
canes of this handsome trailing Rose sixteen feet long and
twined them about the trunk of a young Walnut-tree. These
stems are now breaking freely more than six feet away from
the ground. No better testimony to the extreme hardiness of
this beautiful Rose could be desired. We have it trailing over
rocks on a rather steep slope. It is appropriately placed, but
the space devoted to it is limited. It is clearly a subject for a
sunny bank in the wild garden, where it can roam unmolested.
Bushes of Andromeda Japonica, which from some reason or
other have never bloomed before, are flowering well this spring.
They have always been protected with loose litter, and every
autumn they have been well set with drooping racemes of
Fig. 31.—A Blue Mexican Water-lily.—See page 205.
dently have been protected by other low-growing plants among
which the seeds had been scattered. Of the Megasea section
of the genus Saxifraga, M. purpurascens, is badly burned,
while M. cordifolia is scarcely touched ; the immunity of the
latter may be due in part to a more protected location. Many
plants belonging to the mossy group of Saxifrages are missing,
and what are left are considerably browned.
On the other hand, bushes of the Dawson Rose, with canes
from eight to ten feet long and arching upward from two to
three feet, are not at all touched. Stout plants of the Japanese
form of Rosa multiflora are green to the ends of the branches.
Rosa Wichuraiana looks as fresh as it did last autumn, I found
flower-buds. This is indeed a handsome shrub for planting
where it can have protection trom the direct rays of the mid-
day sun. Several bushes of the Polyantha Roses, White Pet
Mignonette and Clothilde Soupert, are growing in recesses be-
tween the rocks. It may be they are not appropriate subjects for
the rock garden, but they have always done well here and
have plenty of good green wood eighteen inches or more
above ground, while those in a bed especially prepared for
them and protected every winter with litter, are killed to the
ground. Ramondia Pyrenaica came through better even
than it did last season. White Asphodelus lutea, never sup-
posed to be hardy, is throwing up a strong flower-spike. Sal-
MAY 22, 1895.]
via argentea is making a good spread of its handsome silky
foliage for the third year, and is thus proving a good perennial.
Nearly all the Narcissi are over. Jonquils and the old form
of N. poeticus are all that remain in bloom. The variety
Ornatus comes and goes with Horsfieldii, Emperor and Sir
Watkin. Usually the Poets’ Daffodil stays with us until the
end of the month, when large quantities are used in the cere-
monies of Decoration Day. Siberian Squills, Chionodoxas and
Snowdrops, Galanthus, all low-growing, early-flowering bulbs,
and splendid for massing, are now forming their seed-capsules.
It might be worthy of note that all these early spring bulbs
can be easily increased from seeds. Thecapsules will be ready
to gather in about three weeks, just as soon as the seeds turn
black. If left longer they burst, scattering the seeds all about.
They should be sown at once, but will not germinate until the
following spring. The young bulbs should be allowed to grow
one season in the seedling-box, and transplanted after the
ripening process in August. After another season’s growth
they will be ready for permanent quarters. By being let
alone—that is, being simply weeded, instead of hoed—our
Siberian Squills have increased fourfold during the last five
years, seedlings coming up every spring, outside the original
patch, in batches like young Onions.
Admirers of alpine plants, who can find time to weed instead
of hoe, will find their work quite full of interest. It will, how-
ever, often be our duty to weed out some beautiful plants.
We soon lose all affection and admiration fora plant, how-
ever beautiful, when once it becomes aggressive. Years
ago we had several species of Potentillas. All had handsome
Strawberry-like leaves and yellow or brown, saucer-shaped
flowers, but they spread so extensively that we have been
weeding them ever since. Alyssum saxatile and Dianthus
deltoides are other plants which need to be thinned considera-
bly to be kept within bounds. Viola cucullata, in white, purple
and striped, rapidly spreads. Whatever we find inspiring we
allow to bloom when they do not interfere with other plants,
and pull them out when summer comes, On the contrary,
there are others we can scarcely have too many of. Mertensia
Virginica is one of these. Just now its nodding cymes of in-
comparable blue are springing up everywhere between the
rocks and along the paths, where really they ought not to be.
The rock garden must not be artificial, so we leave them.
Periwinkles, now in splendid bloom, are growing out into the
paths, compelling one \to make a detour; most of us would
rather do this than cut it away. Campanula Carpathica, C.
turbinata and C. czspitosa are other plants which come up in
all sorts of places, and we are loth to disturb them. C*‘nothera
Missouriensis, once planted on the higher levels, is spreading,
step by step, down the slope. It is a handsome trailer, and
ought to grow so as to overhang a ledge, where it can be seen
from below. The Japanese form of the Chinese Bell-flower,
Campanula pumila Maresii, whose clear blue flowers associate
so well with the dwarf Golden-rods in autumn, is another de-
sirable plant which we like to see spreading itself. Alpineand
Iceland Poppies, now hybridized, and with double forms, ap-
pear in the clear gravel paths, and grow there as vigorously as
anywhere. Our native Columbine, Aquilegia Canadensis,
though rather intrusive, is, nevertheless, one of the most wel-
come spring-blooming plants. Occasionally purple forms ap-
pear, showing that some late-blooming plant of the species
has been hybridized by some of the earlier-flowering plants of
A. ccerulea. I do not, however, think any beauty comes from
this cross, and feel disposed to weed them out, lest in time too
many of them appear. A. Skinneri takes care of itself fairly
well, but the Siberian, A. glandulosa, makes no headway, and
dies out after a year or two.
Wellesley, Mass. Tends Hatfield,
About Tulips.
age ruin of the Tulips in flower last week by a few days of
hot weather, followed by rains, is a thing to be expected
any year. The conditions should serve as a warning against
growing only one class of Tulips or those which flower at the
same time. Those who are tempted into making barbaric
masses of color by planting a bed of Tulips, all of which are
certain to flower at once, are apt to secure a short-lived, if
vivid, pleasure. When one has Tulips of all sections he not
only has a display extending over a number of weeks, but a
storm or hot wave has onlya temporary effect, and the pleasure
is never brought to a sudden stop by bad weather.
According to the Tulip fanciers’ standards there are very
many with bad form and worse color, but if one is not versed
in points, and simply enjoys color, there are not many very
ugly Tulips, though there seem to be many of flimsy texture.
Except Tulipa Greigii, which stands alone for beauty and dis-
Garden and Forest.
207
tinctness, the original species are not as handsome as many of
the Dutch hybrids, yet there is a character and distinction
about most of the species which makes them attractive and
pleasing garden-plants, and they often serve as a foil to the
regularity and formality of the hybrids. Of course, one must
except the Parrot Tulips from the formal ones. Asa rule, I
think it will be found that the species, except, possibly, T.
Greigii, are more reliable and regular in flowering from year
to year than the hybrids, which, under rude treatment, soon
run out. One often finds Dutch hybrids with distinct traces of
T. sylvestris, but this species for a mass of yellow is unsur-
passed. It is of a good rich color, is pleasantly fragrant and of
rapid increase. An Italian form of this sent out by Dammann
last year was very good. T. Schamki is a beautiful Tulip,
white flushed rose, which gives one the earliest flowers, though
it is said by Nicholson to be a synonym of T. Gisneriana, which
“is evidently the original stock of most of the late-flowering
kinds.”
Other species there are in the garden, but none so distinct
from the ordinary kinds as the small low-growing Asiatics,
which are so suitable for a rockery. These have small flowers
of various colors, sometimes with short scapes and broad
leaves, as in Tulipa ciliatula, and again taller scapes and nar-
row leaves, as in some forms lately collected by Mr. Whittall
on the Madcan and Naz Daghs. It is now the season of the
late-flowering Bybloems, Bizarres, etc., the old favorite garden
Tulips, which possess dignity of stature and richness of color-
ing of a quiet character. Mr. P. Burr has lately been busily
collecting some forms of these from old English gardens,
remnants mostly of English seedlings. A collection of these
at present in flower contains many fine forms; on the whole,
rather brighter than the Dutch kinds, though among these are
colors which can be spared.
Elizabeth, N. J. F. N. Gerard.
Narcissus Notes.
6 ie flowering season of Narcissus is nearly past now, and
only the midseason and late varieties of N. poeticus re-
main to bloom. The experience of this year has not added to
the knowledge of the various kinds in cultivation. One thing
is certain, however, in this country, that if the climate or soil
does not suit any particular kind of Daffodil it will be surely
apparent the spring following the first summer’s growth in a
weak start and sparse flowering, while hardly a trace of the
plants will be left the next vear. Of those that have disap-
peared I cannot call to mind a single kind that I would care to
have again, and the best sorts thrive and increase ata sur-
prising rate. Mr. Gerard said, in his last notes on this subject,
that a bad memory is a good thing to carry at times in the gar-
den, and this is forcibly brought home to meat times when
near the Daffodil beds. It has often been noted in these
columns that during summer these beds are filled with an-
nuals such as Asters, Mignonette and others, and last fall when
these were past a workman was instructed to clear off the
remains, and in his anxiety to clear away everything he pulled
up about seventy Narcissus labels. This will explain why a
detailed list of losses cannot be given. The better-known and
larger-flowered varieties can, of course, be identified, but the
bulbs belonging to the Burbidgei, Leedsi and incomparabilis
sections had better be lifted and naturalized in the Grass, as
has been done with surplus stock of the Poets’ Narcissus. In
places where many spring-flowering bulbs are used there is
abundant room for planting the cheaper kinds in the sod
where the grass is not cut until midsummer. We have tried
this plan with success in an orchard under the Apple-trees.
No care was taken to prepare the soil or even disturb the sod ;
a spade was thrust into the soil and a bulb put in each place,
and I am inclined to believe that if the newer Spanish kinds
had been treated in this way they would have lived longer and
flowered well, while under the treatment given to the stronger-
growing garden varieties they soon died; perhaps from cold,
as we never cover the beds in fall unless the bulbs are planted
late; it may have been from too generous treatment, as has
been suggested.
We have been particularly fortunate in having the so-called
white varieties live and do well. Albicans, Colleen Bawn,
Moschatus, Leda, Mrs. J. B. M. Camm, William Goldring,
have all done well and flowered each year, but we take care
not to manure them in fall as we do the others that are grown
for cut flowers.
One of the gems of the border is the Irish form of the
double Jonquil, with the astonishing name of Narcissus odorus
plenus Hibernicus. We have had it four years, and it never
fails to bloom, and increases each year. On the contrary, N.
capax plenus has disappeared. N. biflorus is another of the
208
uncommon kinds that do well. It is very late in blooming, and
resembles the Tazetta section in general appearance, having
several flowers to each stem, and these fragrant. Muticus,
the last of the Trumpet Daffodils, has taken longer to die than
any other, and there are still a few left. These were evidently
collected bulbs, as no two were alike, but they did not take
kindly to cultivation. We have now a fine reserve stock of
bulbs to dig from to grow in pots in winter. Home-grown
stock is far preferable to any that can be imported, and after
flowering these are replanted in among the shrubs, and in two
years are as good as ever. Those who intend to plant Daffo-
dils will do well to make outa plan of the bed after the work
is completed, and keep it for reference. Had this been done
in our case the loss of our labels would have been less of a
disaster. No one can go amiss in planting such kinds as
Emperor, Empress, Horsfieldii, M. Foster, Grandee, Countess
of Annesley, Princeps, Golden Spur, Obvallaris, Sir Waticin and
Henry Irving. Maximus and Ard Righ have not done so well
as we anticipated, and have now almost died out.
Border culture has one disadvantage in that after every
April shower the purity of the flowers is marred by the earth
that has been splashed over them, and there seems to be no
way of preventing this except by planting in the grass; this we
shall try on a much more extensive way next fall. Regular
masses should be avoided, or the effect would be more or less
artificial. I have seen acres of the common kind growing wild
in pastures in the southern counties of England, and cattle do
not seem to eat the foliage, or these wild Daffodils would have
ong
been extinct long ago. E. 0. Orpet.
South Lancaster, Mass.
Coreopsis grandiflora.—For cut-flower purposes or for a bor-
der plant there is nothing which bears yellow flowers to equal
Coreopsis lanceolata and C. grandiflora. I was never aware of
its value as a pot-plant until this year. We wintered a few
plants in a cold frame in five-inch pots and brought them in-
doors about the middle of January, and a shift was given them
to eight-inch pots about the middle of April, when the flower-
stems were well advanced. Since the last week in April our
plants have been loaded with flowers some three inches in
diameter, borne on fine stems eighteen to twenty-four inches
long. For cutting this Coreopsis is much superior to any other
variety, and its easy cultivation should ensure its wider use as
a pot-plant. We sow our seed in the open ground the last
week in July, and those required for indoor use should be
dotted about the end of October. .
Taunton, Mass. W, N. Cratg,
Dioncea muscipula—This little plant, popularly known as
Venus’ Fly Trap, well deserves a place in the greenhouse.
The ordinary observer may look on it only as a curiosity, but
to the plant-lover it has a beauty all its own. The upper por-
tion of the leaf, which constitutes the trap, is dilated into a
two-lobed irritable limb, furnished at the margin with a row
ot long stiff bristle-like teeth. When a fly or other insect
alights on the inner side of this portion it immediately folds
up and holds the insect while it makes the least motion, but
gradually assumes its normal position again after the insect is
killed and ceases to struggle. It is of easy cultivation and
does well ina greenhouse temperature and should be placed
in a position where it will be shaded from direct sunlight, but
at the same time have abundance of light and air. First place
the plants in small pots half filled with crocks, using live
sphagnum moss as potting material, then place the pots about
six ina ten-inch pan, and pack them firmly around with sphag-
num, place the panin a saucer and keep this all the time filled
with water. ,
Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott.
Saponaria ocymoides, a dwarf-growing perennial Soapwort,
from the south of Europe, is one of the few really good rock-
work plants which stand our hot summers; it has very pretty
pink or red flowers, produced in such great profusion as
almost to cover the foliage from view. Seed sown in the fall
will give flowering plants for the following spring. Cuttings
root well enough in a cold frame, but seedlings are preferable,
as they form more bushy plants than those from cuttings.
Fritillaria imperialis aureo-marginata.—The variegated Crown
Imperial is a most striking object now in the herbaceous bor-
der. The common kinds are handsome when well developed,
but this form has, in addition to its Howers, beautitully varie-
gated foliage. The Crown Imperials ought to have a place
where they can remain undisturbed during the summer, as
after flowering they soon die down to the ground. It is well
to have the places where they are planted indicated by a good
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 378.
stout label. As it is an early bloomer, this species is very liable
to get hurt from cold winds, therefore a sheltered position is
desirable,
G. W. O.
Botanic Garden, Washington.
Correspondence.
Winter Storage for Tender Evergreens.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Two years ago I imported from England about a hun-
dred tub plants for the decoration of my terraced garden.
The invoice included Cephalotaxus Fortunii, Cupressus Law-
soniana and several garden forms, Taxus elegantissima, T.
baccata, etc.; Ilex crenata, Evonymus, Box, Portugal Laurel,
Holly and Retinospora.
This spring more than half of the plants are dead or dying,
owing, I think, to faulty management during the winter. I
shall esteem it a favor if some of your correspondents will
enlighten me as to the best methods of winter storage and
care of such plants. My storage-house is of brick, fifty feet by
twenty on the floor and eighteen feet high, with perfect means
of controlling light and temperature. Tbe questions I should .
like to have answered are: Can the above-named plants be
satisfactorily wintered incommon? If yes, what should be the
light and temperature of the storage-house, and the arrange-
ment of plants with reference to sources of light and ventila-
tion, and how much watering should they receive ?
Weston, Mass. francis Blake.
[The above inquiry invites attention to the fact that there
are many beautiful evergreens which cannot endure the
outdoor rigors of a New England winter, but which in suit-
able quarters can be easily carried through the trying sea-
son, and then be most useful plants for decorating lawns
and terraces in summer. The variegated Hollies, Evony-
mus, Yews and various forms of Cupressus, Retinospora,
Laurel, Sweet Bay are all in this class. It should be un-
derstood at the outset that all these plants will stand a
large amount of cold, and in the moister climate of Great
Britain they very frequently go through periods when the
temperature ranges very near the zero line. Owing to the
better maturing of the growth here in fall there is no reason
to doubt that the evergreens named above would endure
even more cold here than in Great Britain ; but our cold
weather js often accompanied by winds of high velocity,
while the sun is as high in our skies during February and
March as it is in Great Britain in May and June. This
combination of hardships is too formidable for these choice
evergreens which have been developed under more equa-
ble conditions of climate. An illustrative case is that of the
common English Ivy, which is fairly hardy even here in
Massachusetts if planted on a north exposure, but a south-
ern aspect is sure death to it the first winter. Taking it for
eranted, then, that a frost-proof structure is not essential to
these plants, the matter of providing a place of storage for
them is much simplified. Ours are placed in the cellar
under the coach-barn, where it freezes every winter soon
after the advent of really cold nights; but once frozen,
there is no thawing out until the month of March,
and there is never any need of watering until after
the plants are taken out-of-doors. As long as this com-
plete rest is obtained without admitting air by means
of ventilators, all goes well, but should the structure be
actually frost-proof, it will be necessary to give air enough
to bring down the temperature to from twenty-five to
thirty degrees ; it may go lower than the first, but never
higher than the last-named figure until the time arrives to
prepare to get them out in spring. Pure air is, of course,
essential; asphyxia and dyspepsia are as common symp-
toms in the vegetable as in the animal world. If a cellar
is used, perfect drainage must be secured and no delete-
rious gases that the plants cannot breathe should be ad-
mitted. An excess of ammonia from adjacent horse-stables,
for example, might be fatal. The soil should be made
porous by good drainage, and the admixture of charcoal
and lime refuse with it is advisable on account of the puri-
fying action of both these substances.
Tubs are the best receptacles for these plants, as the -
MAY 22, 1895.]
wood is a good non-conductor; slate or earthenware will
heat in the sun sufficiently to damage the roots in hot
weather. Greatcare is necessary in the culture of plants
in tubs to prevent the ingress of earth-worms. If the tubs
be placed on the ground the moisture will attract them for
a great distance, and the drainage will soon become clogged
and ill health will follow. Wherever it is possible, as, for
example, on terraces, it is best to place the tubs on ma-
sonry. If not, they should be elevated on bricks to give a
circulation of air, and if earth-worms have already made
an entrance they may be driven out by the application of
clear lime water; it is possible to use the same lime to
make several applications of lime water, as water will
hold only a certain quantity of lime before becoming satu-
rated. Of course, Ericaceous plants cannot be treated in
this way. Lime water would be fatal to Rhododendrons,
Kalmias, Andromedas, Leucothoés, and all plants that have
the fine hair-like roots characteristic of the Ericacee.
If the foregoing essentials are carefully regarded there
should be no difficulty in wintering any of the shrubs
named by your correspondent. It is possible that some
one of these, either in construction or treatment, has been
lacking, and if it is supplied no further trouble will be expe-
rienced. For terraced gardens these shrubs are almost
indispensable, and in some locations terraced gardens are
indispensable. E. 0. 0.)
Wayside Shrubbery.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—I have just returned from a drive, rather more than
half a mile of which was on a byroad, which means a narrow
strip of wheelway somewhere between stone fences, which,
by the law of the state, are set two rods apart. There is little
travel on this cross-road, and, therefore, the roadmaster has
kindly allowed its borders to take care of themselves for two
or three years past. When the wayside shrubbery gets too
aggressive he will go in some fine June morning with his axe
and cut down some of the most vigorous trees and shrubs and
burn them, but in a yearior so the place will be as wild as ever,
In this thicket the wild Plums have gone out of bloom, but the
young Apple-trees which the birds have planted are still in
flower, and the Scarlet Fruited Thorns are at their best. There
are great masses of bright Pinxter-flowers, and the graceful
racemes of the Choke Cherry are unusually abundant,
Of course, the leaves at this season are quite as beautiful as
the flowers, and from the deep red of the young seedlings of
Swamp Maples to the gray of the Dwart Willows and the
light yellow of the Sassafras there are tints without num- ~
ber. Wild flowers smile all along the sides of the road;
Violets and Anemonellas, Mandrakes, and, most beautiful of
all, the Columbines, unite with the shrubberies to make pic-
tures of rich and varied beauty, and new ones greet the way-
farer at every step.
No doubt the “inescapable joy of spring” makes everything
look beautiful at this season, but this byroad will continue
beautiful all summer long, and have fresh attractions every
day in the way of foliage, flowers and fruit. I am writing of
this simply to say that all through the hilly parts of our eastern
states every road can be made just as beautiful if the margin
of it is only left to take care of itself. Why should not socie-
ties similar to Village Improvement Societies be organized in
townships to protect all this beauty instead of paying roadmas-
ters for devastating every roadside? How many people are
there who really believe if their attention is once called to the
matter that naked stubs and stones and ground burned black
is more beautiful than a natural growth of a wayside vege-
tation ?
Denville, N. J. M.
. Rhododendrons in a Hard Winter.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—In reply to your inquiry as to the effect of the past win-
teron my Rhododendrons, I would say that they have not
_ suffered to any considerable extent. The winter was not un-
usually severe here, the lowest record being ten degrees below
zero, and yet itis true that in this vicinity many collections
have suffered rather seriously. Every year my faith is
strengthened in the theory that Rhododendrons are more apt
to suffer in this country from drought in summer than from
coldin winter. We do have a winter occasionally in which
Garden and Forest.
209
plants are injured, but this is not always from serious cold ;
during the past year, for example, a large portion of the dam-
age showed itself in the latter part of the winter, and it, there-
fore, seems probable that our bright sun in March sometimes
scalds the foliage when it is covered with frozen sleet. For
this reason I have made most of my plantation on the north
side of a belt of evergreen trees, and I have found that these
always suffered less than plants which havea southern expo-
sure; and this is especially true of such varieties as are gen-
erally considered half-hardy. This year I noticed that large
healthy plants of Album grandiflorum, for example, in a sunny
and sheltered border have been quite killed, while varieties as
tender as J. Walter and Kate Waterer, planted in the shade
and only a few feet distant, are all right. I enclose a memo-
randum of some of the best varieties which I have been grow-
ing for the last few years, nearly all of which have not. suf-
fered in the least during the past winter, although a few of
them have been slightly touched: A. Adie, Blue Bell, Hamlet,
C. S, Sargent, Mrs. C. S. Sargent, F. L. Ames, F. L. Olmsted,
James McIntosh, Sefton, P. Simon, Princess Mary of Cam-
bridge, Silvio, Vatiban, Duke of Teck, J. H. Agnew, Mrs.
Heywood, Lady Grey Egerton, Bacchus, Lothair, J. Marshall
Brooks, J. Walter, Kate Waterer, Mrs. John Clutton, Ralph
Sanders, Mrs. Shuttleworth, Duchess of Sutherland, J. D. God-
man, Pelopidas, Countess of Normanton.
Wellesley, Mass. Al. H. Hunnewell.
Shy Wood Plants.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—In an illustrated article sometime ago on Phiox divari-
cata, GARDEN AND FOREST speaks of it as somewhat.-rare, and
though I find it quite common in the woods here i am at a
loss to know how sucha shy plant can hold its own for any
length of time anywhere. It is never found except in part
shade and in soil made almost entirely of leaf-mold, so light
that in exposed places it would require the leaf and root fibers
to keep it from blowing away. It lives the most precarious
life in semi-cultivation, and I have always lost every specimen
after two or three years. The partiality the garden-slugs have
for Phlox has something to do with its disappearance, but it
must be classed as tender, or perhaps uncertain is the better
word, along with Bee Balm, Claytonia, Hepatica, and not a few
others which cling to the woods, not probably from choice,
but because one needs the winter protection and another the
light soil afforded there, and also the freedom from the sod
that drives them all from the fields. :
Nearly all wood plants are obliged to flower in the early
spring before the trees put out their leaves and live a semi-
torpid life the rest of the season. Cannot some evolutionist
show us how the rise of the sod-producing Grasses has not
only driven them to the woods, but also, changed their time of
flowering toaccommodate them to their condition of enforced
seclusion ?
Buffalo, N. Y. Fohn Chamberlin.
Recent Publications.
Dictionary of Orchid Hybrids. By FE. Bohnhof.
Octave Doin.
This little manual contains a list of all artificial hybrids
among Orchids which were known up to the beginning of
the present year, with the name of their introducer and the
date of their appearance. The plants supposed to be natu-
ral hybrids are also placed in the list, and tables are added
to indicate the seedlings which have been obtained from
each species. This will be a useful list for all who wish
information as to the origin of hybrid Orchids, and those
who are engaged in hybridizing will find it serviceable by
showing in a compact form what has been accomplished
with each species. It is proposed to publish a new edition
of this dictionary every two years, so that the list can be
kept as nearly up to date as possible.
Paris?
Notes.
There is no more showy flower just now in the border of
hardy perennials than the cut-leaved Pzeony, Peonia tenui-
folia, which blooms several days earlier than the ordinary gar-
den varieties of P. officinalis and P. albiflora. The single-
flowered variety, with its solitary dark crimson cup-shaped
flowers on stems a foot and a half high, is much more rare
210
and rather more handsome than the double-flowered form,
although the latter is very beautiful. These plants need noth-
ing but fairly rich and deep soil and they will continue to flower
year after year.
During the first week in May two hundred and twenty-four
car-loads, amounting to nearly 64,000 boxes, of oranges, were
sent from Riverside, in southern California. Itis estimated
that the value of the entire orange crop of the section which
ships fruit from this town will sell for $750,000.
The first small shipment of Peen-to peaches, from Florida,
arrived last Friday, and regular supplies are expected this
week and hereafter during the season. Fine Early Alexander
peaches, grown under glass in Massachusetts, bring fifty cents
each, and hot-house melons cost a dollar and a half apiece.
The finest Porto Rico pineapples retail for one dollar each.
Muscat grapes, from Cape Colony, are still coming in limited
quantities, but the clusters are small, and persons whoare will-
ing to pay for grapes at this season preter the more showy
products of the hot-house.
In a paper on Cannas, read by Mr. James I. Donlan before
the New York Florists’ Club last week, he speaks of the
American seedling Columbia as being of a new and distinct
type and altogether a noble plant. It grows only from two to
three feet high and is of a stocky habit, with large dark green
foliage of leathery texture. The flower-spike often branches
so as to give the effect of three or four trusses of bloom at
once, each of these appearing as a separate spike. The color
is a rich cardinal-red with a scarlet gloss toward the end of the
segments, and the immense trusses of red flowers borne on
plum-colored stalks give the plant a very distinguished ap-
pearance.
The first sweet corn of the season came from Bermuda by
Monday's steamer, and was offered by Mr. Kelly, the leading
dealer in Washington Market, at seventy-five cents a dozen.
It was well grown, and after the voyage of thirty-six hours the
husks and kernels looked as fresh as they usually do in warmer
weather when coming from neighboring gardens. Parsnips,
sweet potatoes and other winter vegetables of good quality
may still be had, and, besides fresh products from the south,
kohl-rabi and most delicate cauliflower are brought in from
neighboring hot-houses. All early spring vegetables are now
in good supply, but the best asparagus, green peas and wax
beans, with new squashes and cabbage from Florida, still com-
mand high prices.
The second annual exhibition of native flowers collected by
“the Science Class of the Normal College of this city, was made
in the library of this institution during three days of last week.
The collection was tastefully arranged on a half-dozen long
tables, many species and varieties of wild howers from eighty-
two different genera being represented. The display of flow-
ers was not only beautiful in itself, but it was also interesting
and instructive in the scientific accuracy with which the flow-
ers were arranged, each order being grouped by itself and
each specimen being carefully named. Not the least interest-
ing table was the one bearing specimens of Grasses, Mosses,
Ferns and branches of trees in blossom. The exhibit was
altogether creditable, and, besides its value to the students and
collectors, showed to the visitors, what many of them had
never realized before, the beauty and great variety of the native
flowers now in bloom in this locality. Most of the specimens
came from Pelhamville and Staten Island. An admission fee
of fifteen cents was charged and this was to be for the benefit
of the Alumne Kindergarten.
On the sidewalks the itinerant dealers are busy selling
branches of Pinxter-flower, Dogwood and Black Haw, and
even the expensive flower-shopsare decorated with Mandrake,
Podophyllum peltatum, Commercial flowers are very abun-
dant, but they are ef poor quality, and it is hard to get first-
class roses and carnations, The best Madame Cusin roses
bring only $1.00 a dozen; Brides and Bridesmaids, $1.50 a
dozen; American Beauty, $1.00 to $5.00; Baroness Rothschild
and its white sport, Mabel Morrison, $3.00 to $4.00; Ulrich
Brunner, $3.00 to $5 00, and General Jacqueminot, which are
more scarce than some other sorts, $2.40 to $4.00 ; Moss rose-
buds are seen in most of the best stores, and these cost $2.00
a dozen. Well-grown carnations of the Helen Keller, Dean
Hole and Albertina varieties bring seventy-five cents a dozen,
but the average price for good flowers of other varieties is
fifty cents, and fairly good carnations may be bought on the
street for thirty-five cents a dozen. A few pwonies have come,
and some forced gladioli. Of Dutch bulbous plants a few
Parrot tulips and late Poets’ Narcissus are all that are left.
One of the prettiest flowers now sold is the yellow Sweet Sul-
Garden ‘and Forest.
[NuMBER 378.
tan. Sweet peas and lily-of-the-valley are favorites, and in
special demand at this season, and lilacs are offered at prices
that are merely nominal.
A Farmers’ Bulletin, just issued by the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, gives many interesting facts about
the cultivation and use of Sweet Potatoes. The most northerly
state where this crop is extensively cultivated is New Jersey,
although crops have matured at the experiment stations in
_Lincoln, Nebraska, and Geneva, New York. The Sweet Po-
tato is most commonly propagated by means of buds from
roots planted in hot-beds, and the shoots as they develop are
planted in the field. Cuttings from these vines are often rooted
and transplanted for the main crop. The plant rarely matures
seed in the United States. Ninety days after the sets are trans-
planted early varieties will be ready to dig for use. The best
growth is made in warm, sandy, well-drained, and even dry,
soil. The greatest care in harvesting is necessary to prevent
bruising the roots in handling, for the skin is very’ tender
and wounded roots are sure to decay, They are best preserved
by being kept in a temperature of seventy-five degrees for a
fortnight after digging, and then lowering the temperature and
keeping it during the winter at from fifty to sixty degrees ina
dry atmosphere. Rather more than two-thirds of the weight
ot the Sweet Potato root is water. Three pounds of the roots
afford as much dry matter as one pound of corn, but only
about half as much protein. On sandy soil, however, more
dry matter to the acre can be secured with a crop of Sweet
Potatoes than with a crop of Corn. The young leaves and
tender sprouts of the plant are sometimes prepared and eaten
like spinach, and the vines, although they are usually left to
decay in the field, can be profitably used as food for cattle.
They are better fed green than cured into hay, and they cannot
be successfully made into ensilage.
In Bulletin No. 87 of the Cornell Experiment Station, Profes-
sor Bailey presents a study of the Dwarf Lima Beans which
have become so popular. These Beans have been derived
from three types of the Pole Lima. The first of these types
is the so-called Sieva or Bushel Bean, Phaseolus lunatus.
Henderson's Dwarf Lima is a sport from this, the original
plant having been found more than twenty years ago bya
negro along a Virginia roadside. The Lima Bean of American
horticultural literature comes from the variety macrocarpus of
P. lunatus. There are two types of this Bean, the one known
as the Potato Lima, with tumid or nearly spherical seed, the
other as the Flat Lima, with large, soft, veiny seeds, tall growth
and late maturity. The Thorburn, Kumerle or Dreer Dwarf
isaform of the Potato Lima, and the Burpee came froma
dwarf plant of the large White or Flat Lima. There is a fourth
Dwarf, the Barteldes, from Colorado, which has little to recom-
mend it for cultivation here. It is derived from P. multiflorus,
the Scarlet Runner or Painted Lady, which is cultivated gen-
erally as an ornamental plant here, although the young pods
and ripe beans are excellent for the table. These dwart Limas
are all valuable, since they are from two weeks to a month
earlier than the Pole varieties. They are so productive that in
the north it is possible to secure a greater total yield per acre
from them than from the old varieties, since the plants require
less room. We have often spoken of the relative value of
these Beans. Henderson’s is the earliest. The plant is com-
pact, the most productive, and continues the longest in bearing,
and the small, flat, clear white beans are of as good quality as
any Sieva Bean, though not so rich and buttery as the true
Lima. The pods also escape the mildew, which is often se-
rious upon the late thick-podded sorts, and its combination
ot merits insures a place for it in every garden. Another Dwarf
known as Jackson’s Wonder is also of the Sieva type, differing
trom Henderson's in having the beans brown-speckled, the
plant being rather less dwarf and compact and a trifle later.
The Thorburn, Kumerle or Dreer Dwarf is a bush-plant with
no tendency whatever to climb, only moderately productive,
and rather late, its white tumid beans having the excellent
qualities of the Potato Lima, which by many people is consid-
ered superior even to the large white Lima from which Burpee's
Bush Lima is descended. This last is a true Lima, somewhat
taller than the Thorburn, occasionally reaching a height of two
teet, the flat seed as large as those of the Pole Lima; season
medium to late, or about three weeks later than the Hender-
son, and about the same as that of the Burpee, and rather
more productive than that variety. Mr. T. Greiner considers
the Dreer Bush Lima as the best bean in quality, but he
notices as a drawback to the usefulness of the plant that the
pods grow so closely together and so near the ground that they
are in danger of becoming soiled and rotted before the beans
are fit to use.
MAY 29, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO,
Orrick: Trispung Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted by Professor C. S, SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1895.
TABLE. OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
EpitorraL ARTICLE :—The Debt of America to A. J. Downing................... 211
'° 212
213
214
CutturaL Department :—Orchard Notes from Western New York,
Professor L. I, Bailey. 215
Hardy Cypripediums:....0..csccssspecscéeressscsccsesecss F. N. Gerard. 216
-Robert Cameron. 216
- William Scott. 216
--W.N. Graig. 217
Some Hardy Perennials..........
Some Useful Greenhouse Climbers
Cyperus alternifolius............4-
NV ELLER VALCO Let etm taatereictetate ete oietelautteie(e ct eaclereietst= = 415.915 a'ss0-a:e.sis'x, s'e's.a.s G. W. O. 217
CorRESPONDENCE :—The Hardiness of Pinus palustris. . Joseph Meehan. 217
Notesarom! Wellesley eset ccisisis sees cbse dentieniwsi cab eces oe T. D. Hatfield. 217
eC WASLACOIVIV Ec a me eameieit ger (eineyaatne otra © ¢, 5
Notes on Bedding Plants.
Cauliflower for Winter. .
Rosa rugosa.....-
CorRESPONDENCE :—Peach- “growing in Nebraska..
Plant-breeding
Plant-breeding Once More
Rev. E. F. Hill. 342
-. W. Watson. 343
. WH, Taplin. 348
-- William Scott. 348
MV. R. 348
yofessor Fred W. Card. 348
ashe Luther Burbank. 3
P,
The Treatment of Small Seashore Places.
E recently said that more intelligence and self-
restraint should be shown in planting the grounds
of summer villas and cottages ; and that, when these quali-
ties are generally developed, our small places will be much
more beautiful, as exemplifying the fundamental virtues of
simplicity and fitness. Nowhere will this truth be more
conspicuously shown than in the aspect of our seashore
villas ; for nowhere is local character more marked than in
seacoast localities, and fitness, therefore, more imperatively
demanded in the work of man; and, as a rule, nowhere is
simplicity more sure to be the quality most desired.
Of course, seashore situations vary much among them-
selves. There aresome, as on the sandbanks of Nantucket,
where the rough, wind-swept, semi-barren natural aspect
of the spot could hardly be entirely overcome by art even
with a vast expenditure of pains and money. Here, a sim-
plicity so great that it need hardly be called art at all seems
prescribed. Here it is best to do as little as possible—
to aim chiefly ata moderate degree of neatness, to plant
only a few hardy vines to relieve the nakedness of the
house itself, and to content one’s love for beauty with the
splendid panorama of the ocean itself. From situations
like this the range is wide, up to those beautiful, varied,
rocky and tree-clad regions, rough as compared with valley
countries, yet rich in luxuriant undergrowths of shrubs,
creepers and flowers, which forma great part of the north-
ern New England shore, and to those others, lying along
more sheltered coasts, like those of Long Island Sound,
which may have almost, yet not quite, the same character
as though they were not near the salt water at all.
In each of these good taste decrees that the local lead-
ings of Nature should be followed by man in his attempts
at improvement. Where Nature’s plantations are luxuriant,
luxuriance may be the planter’s ideal ; where she is parsi-
monious he should content himself with adding a little more,
and not endeavor to make his place look as though he
would have preferred to live where she had worked in
quite a different mood. Even if, in such situations, he
succeeds in growing garden trees and flowers better
than might have been expected, and even if, intrinsi-
cally considered, they are well disposed, still he may not
Garden and Forest.
341
achieve genuine success ; for even pretty plantations may
look as inappropriate and inartistic, in a region naturally
devoid of much vegetation, as would a treeless place in the
Connecticut valley. If a planter protests that he loves
luxuriant vegetation, cannot live comfortably without
much shade and many garden flowers, and dislikes the
open, airy, empty look characteristic of many stretches of
seashore, then the only answer is that he had better settle
in some other spot. The real lover of Nature sees that
these breezy seashore stretches have a beauty of their own
which can easily be spoiled by man’s tampering hand,
but cannot really be transformed into beauty of another
kind. And it is pleasant, once in a while, to find an in-
stance where this beauty has been perceived, respected and
enhanced, instead of being denied and spoiled, by the
owner of a summer house.
We have in mind just now two summer villas of an ex-
pensive class which stand next one another on a beautiful
reach of seacoast near one of our largest New England
watering-places. The outlook is south-easterly, and the
coast line is formed by long, smooth, sloping shelves of
reddish rock, strewn with picturesque bowlders, over
which the waves break in magnificent masses. Where the
adjoining soil has not yet been improved it shows stretches
of flat meadow, or of old pasture-land bearing scattered
rocks and growths of low shrubs and vines. Where it has
been improved, many varieties of taste are revealed, many
differences in treatment may be noted. But the two con-
tiguous places to which we especially refer exhibit the
extremes of intelligent self-restraint and of unintelligent
self-indulgence, in both architectural and gardening art.
In one, the house, which stands quite close to the rocks,
is very large, but long and low, as it should be to harmo-
nize with the level lines of ocean and shore, and is devoid
of the strongly accentuated features which are over-con-
spicuous in such situations ; its roofs are red and its walls
are of gray weather-colored shingles; and it is covered
with vines, chiefly Japanese Ivy and Honeysuckle, and
set closely about with shrubs, to a degree which suffices to
bind it agreeably to the soil and prevent any look of bare-
ness, and yet does not destroy its architectural character or
give it the air of being smothered in foliage. With this
exception nothing has been done to the place (which con-
tains some twelve or fifteen acres) except to plant vines
also along the low stone wall that divides it from the high-
way, and to cover its slightly rolling expanse, here and
there broken by low masses of rock, with well-kept grass.
No result could be more simple; but in such a situation
it is beautiful. It shows as plainly as the most elaborate
plantations the careful guardianship of man, and it satisfies
the mind as well as the eye, proving that those who
wrought it appreciated the chief attractions that Nature
had bestowed upon the spot—its magnificent outlook over
the sea, and its openness to refreshing breezes, so temper-
ing the sunshine that the shade of trees is not required.
Adjoining this we find a place rather larger in ex-
tent, where the ground is much more broken and rocky,
and where, in consequence, a still higher, because more
picturesque, degree of beauty might have been attained by
a suitable method of treatment. But here the house is
lofty as well as large, and is contorted with eccentric fea-
tures. Every part of the place is cut up with paths and
shrubberies, clumps of trees, flower-beds and small archi-
tectural constructions. and even the stable looks as though
it had tried to be a little medieval castle. Not far from
the highroad rises a huge rounded rock; by its base
runs the approach to the house, and on the other side
of this a stone turret has been built, which assists the rock
itself to support an ornamental iron gate. Moreover, a
stairway climbs around the turret, and a bridge has been
thrown across, above the gate, from the turret to the rock,
thus producing a purposeless structure as ugly in effect as
it is aimless in conception. And between this structure
and the highroad, along both sides of the driveway, are
crowded plantations of hardy flowering plants—a flower
342
garden just where it should not be, away from the house,
exposed to the dust of the roads and to the easy depreda-
tions of any passer-by. An immense amount of money
must: have been spent upon this place—many times as
much as has been expended next door. But it has all
been spent in doing what ought not to have been done.
The result is far less pleasing than if the spot had been
left in its natural roughness, for now it has no dignity and
no consistency with its surroundings. Over-elaboration
and trumpery adornment are always out of place, but they
appear especially feeble and petty and vapid in the pres-
ence of the strength and sublimity of the sea.
The Social Use of Gardens.
HY do we not have more garden parties; or, rather,
why do we not have more gardens where parties
worthy of the name can be held? During our warm
American weather all other entertainments seem insignifi-
cant beside the elegance and beauty of an open-air recep-
tion with gardenesque surroundings of fitting character.
Attractive people may successfully entertain their friends
in a bare lot, but they will find it easier, and appear them-
selves to even better advantage, with surroundings of shade
trees, soft lawns, flower-scented air, sun-lighted fountains
and beds of blossoms. Accompaniments of this sort help
to inspire and develop the thought and sentiment suited to
festive occasions. ‘There is no limit to the richness of the
setting that can be given to outdoor entertainment. Music
is never sweeter than in the open air, and the histrionic art
is never more effective—as has been proved from the days
of Grecian poets to those of our own actors—than it is with
a greenwood background.
Gardens for entertaining must be gardens in a broad and
true sense, not mere collections of planis. They must be
fitted for human enjoyment rather than for the production
of crops of flowers. The most elaborate of temporary
decorations appear commonplace beside the living verdure
and fragrance of a well-ordered garden; no tapestry or
embroidered hangings can compare in grace with vine
garlands and banks of foliage, and the shade of a silk
pavilion is vulgar when compared with that of a noble
ancestral tree.
The formal style of gardening is in many respects well
adapted to social festivity, but it is not essential. Gardens
for such a purpose need not be of great size, for we cannot
hope to rival Versailles or Hampton Court, but we can have
open spaces of grass, broad walks shaded by trees and bor-
dered by masses of shrubbery and flowers. Only the very
wealthy can afford grounds which rival in splendor those
of royal villas. It is not possible for all of us to have noble
avenues, broad terraces and elaborate gardens, but all
who have gardens of any kind can so arrange them that
they will be pleasant places for receiving our friends.
With our varying seasons we should live in the open air
whenever it is possible, and when it is pleasant no country
on the earth has more bracing weather than the eastern
United States. For an impromptu party a delightful day is
often the only excuse needed, but elaborate functions,
where invitations must go forth some time before, may be
marred by capricious weather. ‘To afford shelter from
showers and for various other reasons garden structures
should have an important place in garden plans, These
structures may range all the way from rustic arbors to
elaborate banqueting halls with all the charms of architec-
ture and furniture that designers can create, but the most
desirable for American homes, it seems to me, is the old-
fashioned summer-house, built in a style to correspond
with the main structure, but detached and set in some
pleasant part of the grounds in such a way as to have the
charm of a separate place. Perhaps, the most useful ser-
vice these have rendered from colonial times until now is
as summer-parlors, where the family can enjoy the society
of friends amid surroundings that enhance the delights of
summer more than our winter quarters can do. As they
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 302.
are likely to be used more continuously than any apart-
ment in the dwelling while warm weather lasts, there
seems no good reason why thought and labor and money
should not be expended upon them according to the ability
of the owner. A musical family would naturally give such
a place somewhat the character of their tastes, and musical
instruments would become a permanent belonging. Those
who love to entertain at luncheon would like it more of a
dining-room, and the five o’clock tea would rarely be taken
elsewhere. An abundance of seats to accommodate the
company, large or small, is essential, and furnishings in-
tended for permanent garden use are more in favor than
those brought out for a temporary occasion.
Even now no places are more attractive than our many
gardens, from the first profusion of roses in June until the
rich autumn colors fade into the gray of November. If
our lives become more intimately associated with our gar-
dens the benefits to each will be mutual, and the results
will have a noticeable bearing on the social habits of the
try.
“New York, 7 _ John De Wolf.
Notes on Western New York Woodlands.—I.
HE changes made in the amount and character of the
forest covering of western New York within the past
fifty years have been very marked. ‘Though the section
was old in the middle of the century when compared with
the regions farther west, it still retained much woodland
which has since been cleared. The land had mostly gone
into the hands of settlers in the first quarter of the century,
and the rapid removal of the timber had ceased, except in
the Pine-lands of the hills which form the northern termi-
nus of the Alleghanies. The pioneers and the children
who generally succeeded to their fathers’ estates, grew
tired of their long struggle to subdue the wilderness, or
deemed a generous supply of timber necessary for the
farm. Hence there came a lull in the clearing process
when trees enough had been removed to suit the imme-
diate demands of agriculture.
The region generally is one of hills and valleys, and few
farms were devoid of swampy land. Though the soil of
the swamps was rich, it was costly work to drain them.
The timber of the swamps was extra large and heavy, and
this made it more toilsome to clear them, so the trees in
the swamps were spared longer than those on the drier
uplands or on the hills. Then a good amount of swamp-
land was required for the oak and black ash it fur-
nished for fence timber, for the old-time rail fence made
liberal demands upon the forest. The timber of the upland
in the best agricultural sections was largely beech and
maple, which made the best of firewood, and an abun-
dance was left for this purpose. The fire-place was still
used extensively, and it demanded more wood than the
stove that was supplanting it. Nearly every farm, too, had
its sugar-bush, whose annual tapping was a matter of ne-
cessity, for the sugar for the household principally came
from the Maples, and this fact protected the trees. As the
Muscovado and the white sugars became cheaper, how-
ever, and labor more costly, less maple sugar was made,
and many sugar-bushes were cut down. The increase in
the price of maple sugar has of late rather stimulated its
production, and where trees enough are left it has become
a matter of profit once more, and the destruction of the
Sugar Maple is again checked. The use of wire for fenc-
ing has decreased the demand for timber, except for posts,
and even iron is taking the place of these in many cases.
So the preservation of trees for rail timber has nearly
ceased, although oak and chestnut are still required for
posts.
As the cities and villages sprang up there came an in-
creased demand for firewood and charcoal, and the forests left
by the pioneer were more and more curtailed. With much
of the labor done in the winter, the coal-pit and the cutting
and marketing of wood became profitable to the farmer.
This continued till mineral coal checked, and has finally
AuGusT 28, 1895.]
largely supplanted, wood as fuel. The price of wood did
not increase, and the greater cost of labor lessened the
profitso much that it checked further clearing. Though
an occasional piece of woodland may now be cleared, the
limited call for wood is generally met by cutting the older
trees and by thinning the woodlands.
Still another cause has worked unfavorably to the forests,
and somewhat curiously shows the operation of economic
forces. As the children of the farmer grew up, many of
the sons left their homes for the cities, or sought their for-
tunes in the west; many farms were therefore sold, since
they could not be profitably worked by hired help alone,
and the proceeds of the sale generally furnished a compe-
tence to the owner. They were mostly sold subject to a
mortgage, often a heavy one. Under such conditions
much timber was cut and sold to pay the debt or to bring
more of the land under cultivation. Farms with a large
amount of woodland were purposely bought with this end
in view. Some, on which fifty years ago the proportion of
forest to cleared land was from a fourth to a third, have
been nearly stripped of timber, so that now nota tenth part
is woodland. It was at times a fruitless struggle on the
part of the debtor, and the farm came back to the mort-
gagee with its condition greatly changed. It is safe to say
that the forest-covering has been reduced to one-fourth the
area it had fifty years ago. This is taken as a point of
departure for comparison, partly because the land was at
that time largely in the hands of the first settlers or their
children, and partly because my observation goes back to
about that time. Account has not been taken of forest
fires, although local damage has often been occasioned by
them. The timbered areas are too circumscribed and the
population too dense for fires to gain much headway. The
worst fires to deal with are those which get established in
peaty swamps in a time of drought, which slowly eat their
way along and usually persist till they are drowned out by
fall rains or smothered by a covering of snow. Nor is
account taken of pasturing the woods. The damage from
these two causes results more in the thinning of the forest-
covering than in the reduction of its area. :
Chicago, Ill. Les J. Eiill,
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
CRINUM PURPURASCENS.—According to information recently
received at Kew, this Crinum is practically aquatic in its
habits. It grows in rivers and lagoons near the mouth of
the Niger River, on the west coast of Africa, the Leek-
like bulbs buried in mud often three feet below the sur-
face of the water, and the long strap-shaped, partially sub-
merged leaves are so altered in character as to resemble
certain sea-weeds. This species was first introduced into
cultivation in 1877, when it flowered at Kew, and was
figured in Zhe Botanical Magazine, t. 6525. It continued to
be an exceedingly rare plant in gasdens until about five
years ago, when the late Mr. F. Horsman, of Colchester,
introduced a quantity of it. At Kew it is grown in pots in
a stove and treated the same as any ordinary Crinum,
except that a saucer holding water is placed under the pot
while the plant is in active growth. Now, however, it is
to be tested as an aquatic. It has crowded umbels of stel-
late flowers about six inches across, white, tinged with
rose, and very fragrant. It blooms all through the summer,
Hamantuus Karnertna.—This is a magnificent green-
house bulb easy of cultivation, and producing annually
umbels of rosy scarlet flowers as large as a child’s head,
and lasting about a month. Iam certain that if some en-
terprising nurseryman in the southern states were to grow
this plant by the thousand he would find as ready and
large a market for it as the Bermuda Lily has now. It can
be multiplied by means of bulb-scales in the same manner
as Hyacinths, and it produces seeds freely. There are
three large heads of the flowers in the Cape-house at Kew
now, and I am surprised at the large number of horticul-
Garden and Forest.
343
turists who are unacquainted with it. They in their turn
are astonished when informed that the plant has been in
cultivation in England nearly twenty years (it was intro-
duced from Natal by Kew in 1877), and that it is one of the
handsomest and most manageable of all the fine bulbous
plants which we owe to south Africa.
DenpDropium PuHaLmnoprsis.—So far this plant has been
practically a perpetual flowerer. We have never been
without its blooms since it was first introduced in quantity.
Whether this is due to the plants having been obtained
from various importations received at different times of the
year I cannot say, but, at any rate, its behavior so far has
been quite exceptional for a Dendrobium. Our plants are
grown in the hottest and moistest house we have, and they
are placed on a shelf close to the highest part of the roof-
glass, where they get comparatively little shade. Here
they grow well, forming pseudo-bulbs from a foot to
eighteen inches high, which flower as soon as they are
mature, and not resting for a time as most of the Dendro-
biums do. After the flowers fade the plants are not watered
for a few weeks, when new growth appears, and the hot
moist treatment is repeated. We have no tropical Orchid
that will keep on flowering like this. May one again ap-
peal to growers to drop the name Schroederianum for this
plant? Itis simply D. Phalaenopsis, a variable species, as
we now know it, but requiring no third name, exceptin the
case of individual varieties, such as album,etc. ‘Thereare
more plants of this Dendrobium in cultivation now than of
any other species, except, perhaps, D. nobile.
SospratiA Vertcuit.—This is a hybrid raised last year by
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons from Sobralia macrantha, crossed
with S. xantholeuca. The flowers are as large as those of
the latter species, white, tinged with lilac, the lip more
deeply shaded with lilac, with a blotch of yellow in the
throat. A plant now flowering at Kew, and obtained as 5S.
xantholeuca, is practically identical with the hybrid raised
by Messrs. Veitch, and as the two parents are found grow-
ing together wild, there is no reason why nature should
not have anticipated the nurserymen and made the same
cross. I believe there are more species of Sobralia ad-
mitted than is warrantable, some of them having no other
distinguishing character than mere flower color. A plant
of S. xantholeuca now flowering at Kew differs from the
type in having brownish red blotches on the front of the
lip, a difference which was looked upon bya distinguished
orchidist as “almost sufficient to constitute a new species.”
There are many such among Orchids.
Two nope Beppine Prants.—One of the most beautiful
pictures to be seen out-of-doors at Kew this year is a round
bed twenty feet in diameter, filled with Galtonia candicans
and Gladiolus Brenchleyensis. The bed is in an open
position on one of the lawns close to one of the principal
entrances, no other flowers being near it. The Galtonia
spikes are about three feet high, the Gladiolus a little
shorter, and they are so thick that no soil can be seen,
nothing but a great mass of bright scarlet and nodding
bells of white. The production of such an excellent effect
is very easy ; asovereign, about, would purchase the bulbs,
which should be planted early in the spring in good soil,
but notin strong manure, which is often fatal to bulbous
plants, especially of the Gladiolus kind.
PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS is a grand plant to use for subtropi-
cal gardening. At Kew it is planted in a very large oblong
bed, on a lawn sheltered by a shrubbery on the north side
and exposed to full sunshine on the south. The plants,
which are aboutthree years old, were cut down to within
six inches of the ground in early spring, and when they
started to grow all the buds except one on each plant were
removed. Watered in dry weather and mulched with
manure, they have grown to a height of four feet, and the
beautiful palmately lobed leaves are each from a foot to
eighteen inches in diameter. It is impossible to have any-
thing more effective as a foliage-plant when seen in the
mass than this. Ferdinanda eminens, Castor Oil, big-
leaved Solanums, Wigandia Caracasana and similar large-
344
leaved plants, used for the same purpose, are not equal to
this. Of course, the leaves are much smaller when the plants
are allowed to grow up into trees; it is only when treated
as above that they produce such large leaves. I have
heard of plants thus treated which produced leaves two
and a half feet across.
Senecio Jaronicus.—A few weeks ago I told you of a very
striking species of Senecio grown in the open air at Kew,
namely, S. macrophyllus, a Caucasian plant. Almost as
striking, and at the same time of totally different habit, is
S. Japonicus, or rather a giant form of it, which is grown
at Kew by the side ofthe type. The variety has pedately
divided leaf-blades eighteen inches across, elevated on stout
erect cylindrical petioles three feet high, the whole leaf
being remarkably similar to the leaf of a gigantic Arisaema.
The stems, which bear smaller leaves, rise erect to a height
of six feet and bear terminal clusters of orange-yellow
flowers, each about three inches across. The flowers be-
gan to expand three weeks ago and there is still a fine dis-
play. I suspect that this plant would attain to still larger
proportions if grown as a subaquatic. It is perennial, quite
hardy, and was introduced from Japan in 1866. Another
name for it is Erythrochcete palmatitida.
Daturas.—Some of the annual species of this genus are
handsome enough to use forsummer bedding, in large gar-
dens and parks at any rate. At Kew two species are thus
grown, namely, Datura meteloides and D. fastuosa. The
former, which is a native of California, here grows about
two feet high and bears white flowers, sometimes tinged
with purple and larger than the flowers of the well-known
greenhouse D. suaveolens. By removing some of the
leaves the flowers are well exposed, and in sunny weather
the beds are crowded with the big white trumpets. D. fas-
tuosa is a most variable plant, and all its varieties are
beautiful. The so-called new D. Cornucopia is merely a
form of this. All the double or hose-in-hose varieties are
worth growing, and they come true from seeds. We find
it advisable to sow the seeds in March ina frame and grow
the plants in pots till June, when they are put out in the
beds. A cold, wet summer is against their good behavior,
but such a hot, dry season as we have had here has been in
their favor. W. Watson.
London.
Plant Notes.
The Hazels.
NLY two distinct species of Hazels, or the genus
Corylus, have been generally recognized as native in
North America north of Mexico; but Dr. J. N. Rose has
recently pointed out (GARDEN aNnpD Forest, Viil., 263) dis-
tinctions which he considers are sufficient to establish a
separate species heretofore regarded as a west coast variety
of C. rostrata, and known as C. rostrata, var. Californica.
The Beaked Hazel, C. rostrata, is common over a wide terri-
tory in the eastern United States and Canada. Growing
over much of the same region, but apparently not extend-
ing so far north, is found the other American species, C.
Americana. This, in fruit, is readily recognized by the
broad leafy, more or less glandular hairy husk or invo-
lucre which incloses the nut; and without fruit it may
generally be known by its glandular bristly young twigs,
its broader, rather thicker, rougher and coarser leaves,
which often have some short glandular hairs on the upper
surface and on the veins beneath; by its larger and stiffer
and coarser habit of growth, and in winter by its much
longer, stalked, nodding or pendulous male catkins. C.
rostrata, in fruit, is at once recognized by the densely
bristly, more or less tubular husk or involucre which
crows over and above the nut. When fruit is not present
for identification the plant may be known by its thinner,
narrower, more pointed leaves ; its more slender branches
and general habit of growth; by its young twigs, which
are either glabrous or nearly glabrous, or are thinly cov-
ered with soft, more or less appressed glandless hairs. In
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 302.
winter the plant may be distinguished by its short, nearly
sessile or stalkless, erect catkins. It appears to be hardier
and to grow farther north than the other.
As Dr. Rose has given a technical description of Corylus
rostrata in the article referred to, it is unnecessary to add
more here in description of the species or explanation of
the drawing (see page 345) made by Mr. C. E. Faxon.
The figure shows some of the variations which may be
found in the shape and appearance of the fruit as it grows
in New England. Occasionally plants are found with the
husks much split, exposing the nuts. The sweet edible
nuts also vary somewhat in size and shape. They are
often collected for eating, but the dense covering of slen-
der, rigid, deciduous bristles by which the involucre is pro-
tected renders the collecting of the fruit a disarray
work, as the bristles easily penetrate the skin.
In the large Oak family, or Cupuliferee, in which the
Hazels have. usually been classed, they appear to have
closer affinities with the Hornbeams, Carpinus, and the
Hop-Hornbeams, Ostrya, than any other familiar genera.
The analogies will be noticed more particularly in a com-
parative study of the flowers and fruit. The male or stami-
nate flower-buds in the form of catkins are exposed and
conspicuous on the Hazels during winter, while the female
or pistillate flowers are concealed within axillary scaly
buds. The female flowers are mostly, but not always, in
buds nearer the apex of the branch than the male blos-
soms. At least, this is true with Corylus rostrata and C.
Americana, but the latter commonly has a cluster of male
catkins at the apex of a twig, with female flowers inter-
vening between the male blossoms lower on the branch.
They may, however, be more or less intermixed, and on
some foreign species female flower-buds may be found
growing on the base of the stalks of male aments.
With the first warm days in spring the male catkins elon-
gate and mature pollen, and from the female flower-buds
there are protruded a number of short thread-like dark red
styles which receive the pollen that eventually fertilizes the
ovules. After flowering, the plant seems to remain nearly
dormant for a considerable period, sometimes two or three
weeks, after which more evident growth is developed.
Watching the progress of the buds and young growths it
will be found that the some-time fertilized female flowers
are carried out on the tips of new leafy shoots, and the
shoots are well grown before the female flowers or young
fruit make any visible development or become at all no-
ticeable on the extremities. It is unusual among our trees
and shrubs to have blossoms produced from axillary buds
on old shoots so early in the season, and have these buds
afterward develop into leafy branches several inches long,
bearing the fruit on the apex. Carpinus and Ostrya are
somewhat analogous, but in these the young twigs have
burst from their buds and have made some growth and
produced leaves before the flowers are fertilized.
In most trees with which we are familiar the flowers and
fruit are either produced on the old wood or on new
growths, the flowers developing with or after the new
branches. Little that might be called an ovary and no
ovules can be detected in the Hazels until long after the
plants have flowered or until the foliage has become well
grown.
The development of the flower and fruit of the Hazel is
interesting and well worth attention. The male catkin is
composed of numerous flowers inserted on the under side
of overlapping bractlets, each bractlet bearing a single
flower composed of about four divided stamens which ap-
pear to bear eight anthers, but these are generally assumed
to represent half anthers which have become separated.
Each scaly bud producing pistillate or female flowers bears
from two to half a dozen or more blossoms, forming what
may really be regarded as a densely crowded head or
spike. Each flowering scale, in the female cluster, bears
two flowers side by side on the inner surface, each blos-
som bearing two styles. The flowering scale or bract
is more or less accrescent and may be found much
Aucust 28, 1895.]
enlarged and leaf-like at the base of the mature fruit. What
finally forms the leafy husk or involucre around the nut
exists around the young ovary as a little girdle or two tiny
scales with laciniate edges.
Garden and Forest.
345
developed nut and involucre attached to the same bract ;
or both flowers may be abortive, their place being indi-
cated in late summer by the enlarged bract and involucres
crowded among the fully developed fruits.
ee rite,
Ze a
pw 4
VY
tty
Fig. 48.—Corylus rostrata.—See page 344.
1. Flowering branch. 2. Scale from male ament. ~ 3. Stamen.
branch,
Very often one of the two flowers on the bract is not fer-
tilized or does not develop, but the involucre grows consid-
erably and may be found crowded near the base of its
companion flower and ovary, which has grown into a fully
4. Bud with female flowers.
8,9, 10, 11. Different forms of fruit.
5. Scale with two female flowers. 6.
12. Winter branchlet.
Pistil. 7. Fruiting
Among many interesting Japanese plants which are
identical with or nearly related to our eastern American
species, there is a Beaked Hazel very similar to ours, and
which the botanist Maximowicz regarded asa variety of it,
346
naming it Corylus rostrata, var. Sieboldiana. It has the
long tubular beaked, bristly fruit of the Beaked Hazel, and
herbarium specimens show that it is nearly like ours in
twig and leaf, but some specimens show both appressed
simple hairs and erect glandular hairs on leaf-stalks and
young twigs. J-Gi Taek,
Arnold Arboretum.
CELTIS OCCIDENTALIS. — This tree, which is variously
known as the Hackberry, the Sugar-berry and the Nettle-
tree, extends across the continent from the St. Lawrence
to eastern Washington, and from Florida to northern Mex-
ico. Like the Red Cedar and other trees of almost conti-
nental distribution, it varies greatly in habit. In southern
Indiana and other points of the valley of the lower Ohio,
it reaches a height of one hundred and thirty feet, with
a straight, slender, smooth-barked shaft, which is often
eighty feet high to the first limb. In some places it is
reduced to a low shrubby form; in others it has a short
stout trunk and widely spreading and pendulous branches.
In New England it is a comparatively low, broad, round-
headed tree, with branches sometimes pendulous, and as
it appears in Hudson County, New Jersey, just across the
river from this city, it has usually a broad flat top, with
branches arranged in horizontal strata. Some account of
the variations of this tree can be found in vol. ili., page 39,
of this journal, where it is described and figured. At this
season, when the leaves of so many trees are browned by
fungi or eaten by insects, the light green foliage and airy
habit of the Hackberry make it conspicuously beautiful.
In large places, where a variety of arboreal growth is de-
sired, it should not by any means be neglected, for it grows
rapidly and endures well the trials of our frequent midsum-
merdroughts. Theleavesremain late in the autumnandturn
to a light yellow before they fall, and it is altogether a cheer-
ful-looking tree. Celtis Mississippiensis is another species
of Hackberry found from southern Illinois southward.
Where it is associated with C. occidentalis in the lower
basin of the Ohio River it is the smaller tree, but its good
habit and rapid growth make it desirable for ornament in
those parts of the country where it flourishes, and it is
now very generally planted as a street tree in the towns
and cities of central and western Texas.
Hyprricums.—Shrubs of this genus, although they are
somewhat stiff in form, vary in habit from erect to pros-
trate, while their bright flowers, which continue to appear
for a long time, make them a most useful and interesting
class of plants at this season, when comparatively few
other shrubs are in bloom. Of our native species Hyperi-
cum prolificum and H. Kalmianum are about equal in or-
namental value, the latter having golden-yellow flowers an
inch across, while those of H. prolificum are smaller,
though more abundant. H. prolificum is rather the more
graceful of the two and more graceful in habit than H. au-
reum, which bears large flowers one anda half to two inches
across, with orange-yellow petals, and keeps in bloom
throughout late July and August. H. densiflorum is closely
allied to H. prolificum, and has fine foliage and bears com-
paratively small flowers in great profusion. H. gallioides
and H. adpressum are practically herbaceous plants,
although woody at the base. Mr. Jackson Dawson sug-
gests that H. adpressum is admirably adapted to work
in with the shrubby species, as it will form a low
dense carpet covered with small golden-yellow flowers.
A group of shrubby Hypericums, with H. adpressum
closely occupying the space between them to a height
of six inches, would make a novel and attractive fore-
ground for large park shrubberies. Of the foreign spe-
cies the half-woody H. calycinum is most satisfactory,
for, although the low stems are killed back every winter,
flowering shoots come up from the creeping root-stalks.
H. hircinum is nearly two feet high and blooms in mid-
summer. H. patulum and H. oblongifolium are Asiatic
species which are quite hardy in the middle states. The
new hybrid H. Moserianum, which was obtained by cross-
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 392.
ing H. calycinum and H. patulum, has been found hardy
enough to winter in sheltered positions in this latitude if it
is protected with some light litter. It grows to a height of
about two feet and bears in great abundance flowers which
are three inches in diameter and of a clear yellow color
through the summer and autumn months.
Loxicera sempervirens. —The Trumpet Honeysuckle is
one of the prettiest of our native twining shrubs, and one
of the handsomest of all the climbing Honeysuckles. It is
in flower now, as it has been since early June, and will
continue to be until frost. The well-known trumpet-
shaped flowers are nearly two inches in length, bright red
on the outside, yellow within; quite a number of them are
produced in whorled clusters from the axils of the leaves.
The plant requires a little attention to make it do its best,
and the situation it seems to delight in especially is against
a wall or fence facing south. A rich porous soil to a
depth of about two feet and plenty of water in the growing
season will be found to suit it exactly. Its name indicates
that the foliage is evergreen, but this is only true in the
southern states, and it is deciduous in this latitude. The
bright red or orange-colored berries are distinct additions
to the beauty of the plant. It may be increased at this
time of the year either from cuttings or by layers.
Darune Inpica.—This plant is well known for its value
in decorating conservatories, and, although its habit is not
of the best, it is indispensable for the beauty and fragrance
of its flowers, as they serve long and well when cut. Mr.
Oliver writes that the shrub has endured the winter out-of-
doors in the vicinity of Washington, where the mercury
often falls below zero. He knows of plants which have
stood out without protection for five or six years, and they
are not only thoroughly at home, but they bear flowers
much more abundantly than the specimens usually found
in greenhouses. The plants, which are of both the white-
flowered and red-flowered varieties, grow near the top of
an elevated piece of ground on a southerly slope and ina
sandy loam, where the drainage is perfect. It would be
interesting to know just how far north this plant will
flourish out-of-doors, for, wherever it will survive, it will
be a splendid addition to our shrubberies.
DizRAMA (SPARAXIS) PULCHERRIMA.—This plant, like most
of the other species in this section of the Irideze, is a south
African plant, and is figured in Zhe Botanical Magazine, t.
5555, as Sparaxis pulcherrima. It is an evergreen bulbous
plant, and is said to prefer wet places in its wild condition.
Its leaves are two or three feet long, robust, stiff and leath-
ery, and the flower-stalks are six feet high. Mr. Edmund D,
Sturtevant writes that the plant flowered with him in Los
Angeles, California, during the month of July, and it pleased
him exceedingly. It is growing in rich black loam, and is
never dried off. As it grows in California the bell-shaped
flowers are suspended from almost invisible thread-like
stems along the upper portion of the stalks. There are
several on each stem, and they open in succession. They
are rich deep pink, sometimes shaded with crimson, and
have a grace which can hardly be described.
Cultural Department.
Fighting the Elm-leaf Beetle.
HILE it is possible to destroy the larve of the imported
Elm-leaf beetle with a hand-spraying pump, a powerful
one is needed-to reach the tops of high trees, and it is a
good deal of trouble to get the discharge-pipe lifted high
enough by any device so that the spray can be directed effec-
tively to every part of the tree. Much more powerful appli-
ances are needed where many large trees are to be cared for,
anda recent bulletin of the New Haven experiment station
confers a public service by describing an outfit constructed by
Stephen Hoyt’s Sons, of New Canaan, Connecticut, where it
has been used for two seasons with success.
A portable steam-engine of eight or more horse-power, with
a double-acting force-pump anda tank holding two hundred
and fifty gallons or more, are mounted ona stout wagon with
a platform large enough to accommodate an engineer. An
AuGusT 28, 1895.]
indicator connected with the force-pump shows the water-
pressure, and a number of outlets, four, six or eight, are con-
nected with as many lines of hose as may be practicable.
Hose guaranteed to stand two hundred pounds pressure to
the inch can be had of the Mineralized Rubber Company of
this city, at twelve cents a foot. The McGowan nozzle, made
at Ithaca, New York, and costing $1.10, is the best for produc-
ing a fine spray, and with 180 pounds of steam-pressure it
throws a shower vertically for thirty feet or more. Some form
of agitator should be used to keep the materials forming the
poison-drench uniformly mixed in the tank. Besides the
horses needed to bring this apparatus into position, a driver
who can operate the agitator, an engineer and four or more,
sometimes as many as eight men, to manage as many lines of
hose, with an assistant to charge the tank, constitute an effec-
tive force. A man with creepers ascends a tree, carrying a
stout cord, and choosing a good position in a crotch hauls up a
line of hose and fastens it to the limb so that by holding the
hose near the end he can direct the nozzle on every side.
When the power is applied, the poison-spray, by skillful hand-
ling of the nozzle, is quickly applied to all parts of the foliage.
To avoid waste of material the nozzle is held only a moment
toward any one point, and two or three minutes at the most
are required to finish the work of a large tree. While two or
more men are directing the spray into as many trees, the same
number are climbing adjacent ones, so that the engine and its
attendants are fully occupied.
The first spraying should be made in May as soon as the
leaves are half-grown, to destroy the beetles before they de-
posit their eggs; the second in June, when it is seen that the
eggs which have been laid are hatching out. This is the most
effective method of combating this pest, and it should be kept
up for several years. Trees which lose even more than half
of their sound leaf-surface may survive the attack for one year,
but they will be destroyed beyond remedy by the beetles and
worms that will attack them next year unless a well-organized
campaign for their suppression is undertaken early next spring.
If the spraying of the trees is impracticable, efforts must be
made to destroy the pupz on or beneath the trees. This is
done by sprinkling the kerosene emulsion over the ground
under the trees through a watering-pot. The application does
not injure the grass, and it should be made in sufficient quan-
tity to saturate the soil where the pupe exist. By examining
the ground, the grass, the falling leaves, etc., under the trees
the pupe can be found, and the proper time for applying the
emulsion, as wellas the extent of ground which demands treat-
ment, can be ascertained. The soft yellow pupz in this lati-
tude will be found on the ground from the middle of June to
the middle of July or later. The application should be made
as soon as they are observed, and repeated, if necessary, to
destroy them. To be thoroughly effective this method should
be practiced every year. The rough outer bark of the tree for
some distance from the ground should be scraped, as many
pupee are likely to be concealed in the crevices, and the scrap-
ings should be burned or drenched with kerosene. Many as-
cending worms can be intercepted by a band of hay an inch
thick and eight inches wide secured to a scraped trunk ata
convenient height from the ground by the aid of a six-inch
girth of cheap cotton cloth, which is first tacked by one end to
the bark, and, after packing the hay under it around the tree,
is fastened at the other end by pins. As often as the hay be-
comes stocked with larve and pupe the band (not the naked
bark) is hammered with a mallet, which crushes most of the
vermin. The hay, with any live insects, is then burned and
replaced by a new band. 5 4
New Haven, Conn.
Transplanting Kalmia latifolia.
eo move plants of Kalmia latifolia from their native woods
and use them for beautifying public grounds has been
considered a difficult operation, and, undoubtedly, it is, unless
proper care be exercised in the work. At Twin Oaks, the
estate of Gardiner Hubbard, Esq., during the past winter the
gardener, Peter Bisset, has been successful in moving about
four thousand plants from the surrounding woods and placing
them along drives and walks among such plants as Rhodo-
dendrons, Indian Azaleas and Japanese Conifers. The Kalmias
at the time of lifting were from a foot to eighteen inches high.
The work was done, as weather would permit, from the mid-
dle of November to the end of December. During all of that
time the ground was wet, many of the plants being moved
when the snow was on the ground. Care was taken to have
the soil in which they were planted as much resembling that
in which they were growing as possible; if a hard stony patch
was struck, the holes were prepared beforehand with soil con-
Garden and Forest.
5
347
taining a large amount of vegetable humus. All of the plants
were moved with as large roots as possible. Notwithstanding
the hot dry spells of the past few months, there have been only
a few dozen deaths among the plants; the remainder are ina
wonderfully good state of health, having made growths which
compare very favorably with those of plants growing naturally.
All the flower-buds were nipped off just as soon as they could
be gotat. Mr. W. R. Smith, of the Botanic Gardens, has also
successfully moved a lot of Kalmias from their native wilds, but
the plants in this instance were smaller. As soon as received
they were potted into four and five inch pots and plunged ina
cool frame for a year, where they have made a good growth,
filled the pots with roots, and are now in good condition for
planting out this fall.
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. GW. 0:
The Coral-trees.
‘THE Erythrinas, or Coral-trees, unfortunately so seldom
4 seen in our gardens, are among the most showy flowering
plants of their order. They are chiefly subtropical trees and
shrubs with large trifoliate leaves and long terminal or axillary
racemes or spilxes of scarlet flowers of various size and shade.
Of course, none, except, perhaps, the beautiful Cherokee
Bean, Erythrina herbacea, is hardy in any of the northern
states, but a few of the exotic species may be successfully
grown for summer decoration in the garden, either for the
sake of. the rich glossy foliage or because of their gorgeous
flowers. The best of these and the easiest to cultivate suc-
cesstully is E. Crista-galli, a species with herbaceous shoots,
flowering during the summer or early autumn months, accord-
ing to treatment and location.
The Coral-trees are widely different in growth and habit.
Some are arborescent species, indigenous to the Cape, the
East Indies and the South Sea Islands; others are frutescent
or herbaceous. These latter are common in the West Indies,
and are represented in the United States by the above-men-
tioned Erythrina herbacea, a small and delicately beautiful
plant common in the Pine-lands of the south from Florida to
Carolina and Virginia.
The herbaceous forms, which annually throw up strong, suc-
culent shoots terminating in a long and brilliant raceme of
flowers, should be stored in a dry, cool place during winter
until the frosts are over, when they may either be simply
planted out in a very rich and well-dug border in a sunny posi-
tion, or they may be potted and started in a greenhouse in
moderate heat, to be planted out as early as the weather will
permit. After planting in the open air these kinds will gen-
erally take care of themselves and flower profusely in season,
provided the soil is rich and the plants are not suffering for
want of water. In France, where Erythrina Crista-galli and
especially E. Bidwillii are largely grown for the market, the
plants are started in gentle heat and planted out quite early in
beds which are mulched with a deep layer of well-decayed
horse-manure, Here they are cared for during the summer,
watered profusely during dry spells, and the shoots are tied to
neat sticks so as to render the plant even and uniform. From
three to five shoots are allowed oneach plant. The plantsare
lifted and potted in September or October before the flowers
expand, and when established are sold inthe open markets and
by florists for window decoration.
The woody species produce their flowers from the young
wood of the previous year, and care should be taken not to
prune the plants until the flowering season is over. When
the season’s growth is finished, the plants are gradually dried
off and allowed to lose their leaves. In this dormant state
they are stored in a cool, dry place until early in the season
when they are looked over, cleaned, and potted if necessary.
They should be started in a moist atmosphere and about
seventy degrees of heat. Watering must be plentiful, and the
plants require all the sunlight that can be had so early in the
season. The beautiful flowers soon develop, in advance of
the leaves. After flowering, the young shoots are trimmed
back to a couple of eyes, which will develop strong flowering
shoots for the following year. In the mean time, the leathery,
glossy leaves make the plants quite ornamental without flow-
ers. Erythrina corallodendron is the chief species treated in this
manner. E. Indica is an evergreen tree chiefly grown in
botanical gardens. The variety Parcellii has variegated foli-
age and is very ornamental. These are grown on without
interruption the whole year.
All Erythrinas require rich soil, an abundance of water dur-
ing the growing season and a warm, sunny position. They
are propagated by means of herbaceous cuttings, which are
taken with a heel and rooted in bottom-heat.
348
The best varieties for outdoor use, besides Erythrina her-
bacea, are E, Crista-galli and E. Bidwillii, an intermediate form.
For conservatory use, E. corallodendron, E, Humei and E.
Indica Parcellii can be recommended. The whole genus is
strikingly beautiful and deserves to be represented in every
garden.
eee Hills, N. J N. F. Rose.
Notes on Bedding Plants.
HIS is a good time to make an estimate of the value of
certain plants for bedding—a judgment which will be
found useful when future plans are to be considered.
The improved Cannas have, no doubt, been largely instru-
mental in the brighter appearance of many gardens, and the
improvement of these plants still continues in some directions
at least. The flowers of several of the later varieties are
larger and of better form than those of their predecessors,
although the foliage of many is scarcely equal to that of some
of the varieties of fifteen or more years ago. Prominent
among the newer Cannas are Queen Charlotte and Columbia,
the former of the Madame Crozy type, though with a wider
edging of yellow to the petals, and the latter of a richer and
brighter color than Alphonse Bouvier, and also more dwarf
in habit. Both these varieties seem to be good growers and
bear an abundance of large flowers in trusses, which continue
in good condition foralong time. Several new varieties in the
style of Captain Suzzoni and Florence Vaughan—that is, hav-
ing yellow flowers, more or less marked with red—are also
promising.
Strobilanthes Dyerianus seems to endure the full sunshine
well and keeps in fairly good color. The purplish sheen of its
foliage is valuable as a contrast with other plants, though the
habit of the plant is somewhat weedy when compared with
Acalypha.
In the Croton-beds some of the richest colors are found just
now in the following varieties: Queen Victoria, Dayspring,
Hillianum, Evansianum, Veitchii and pictum ; but many others
may be equally gorgeous during the coming month,
Begonia Vernon is useful either in sunny or in shaded loca-
tions, though I think the contrast between its flowers and
foliage is more pleasing when the plants are in partial shade,
for, under such conditions, the leaves are less bronzy and the
flowers are larger.
The new silver-leaved Geranium, known as Mrs. Parker, is
a plant of much promise, and will probably be extensively
planted hereafter. Its variegation seems as good as that of the
famous old Mountain of Snow, but the plant is more dwarf,
stands the sun admirably, and has the additional advantage of
bearing on short stems very compact trusses of bright pink
double flowers.
Torrenia Fournierii makes a good plant for a partly shaded
border, giving an abundance of bright flowers from June until
frost, but, being an annual, it is useless to go to the trouble of
taking cuttings in the fall, as one may do with T. Asiatica, for
either of these can be readily raised from seed sown in early
spring in a warm house,
Salvia patens is particularly effective in a mixed border with
its abundant and graceful spikes of bright blue flowers at a
time when flowers of this color are not overplentiful.
Holmesburg, Pa. W. Taplin.
Cauliflower for Winter.
]*2 supply of this vegetable is wanted about the holiday
season the seed should be sown no later than the first
week in September. We prefer to sow it in flats and prick the
seedlings out, either singly in three-inch pots, or into flats
again about three inches apart. Some sow the seeds thinly
in cold frames and transplant into the benches when large
enough ; either way will answer, provided the plants have
plenty of room, with sufficient light and air to prevent them
from becoming drawn.
A forcing pit, with the benches two to three feet from the
glass and wherea night temperature of fifty-five degrees can
be maintained, will be found a suitable place to mature the
crop. The soil, good sod earth, with a fair dash of well-
rotted manure, should be got together a few months before it
is required for use, and turned over at least twice, and a
sprinkling of lime worked through it at the last turning to
discourage worms and insects. The benches should be deep
enough to allow one inch of drainage and five of soil. The
latter should be packed moderately firm when the plants are
putin. Water should be applied sparingly at first, and only
around the plants, until the roots have taken good hold of the
soil, after which a more plentiful supply can be given; but
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 392.
overwatering must be carefully guarded against, as the plants
are sure to become inactive if the soil is allowed to become in
any way soured. Air should be admitted both at top and bot-
tom on all favorabie occasions so as to maintain a day tem-
perature of about seventy degrees, and the atmosphere of the
house should be kept moderately dry, especially when the
heads are nearing maturity. Aphides are the most trouble-
some enemies, but they can be kept in check by having a few
tobacco stems spread over the surface of the soil. Itis a good
plan to make a successional sowing of seeds about six weeks
after the first and have them in pots so they can be planted in
where the others are taken out, thus keeping up a supply for
several weeks from the same bed. This later crop will need
to be strengthened by occasional applications of liquid-
manure,
As to varieties, we have seen nothing to surpass Hender-
son’s Early Snowball, which produces good-sized, well-formed
heads, is excellent in color and flavor, and of a dwarf, com-
pact habit. From a desire to make the greatest possible use
of the space at command one is often tempted to plant a little
too close, but crowding is always injurious, and we consider
fourteen inches each way quite close enough to mature good-
sized heads. aye
‘Tarrytown, N. Y. William Scott.
Rosa rugosa.—I never saw this shrub fruit so freely as it has
been doing this year, and its bright scarlet hips clustered
thickly among the shining dark green leaves make the plant
just now as beautiful an object as when it is covered with
flowers in June. In the groups of shrubbery by seaside cot-
tages and hotels it seems to be especially useful, and it endures
the salt winds with the utmost cheerfulness. In large parks
and gardens, where it can be left to itself, it sometimes
reaches a height of eight or ten feet, and it is then most pic-
turesque and effective, but it is rather more floriferous when
kept dwarf by annual pruning. Altogether, this is one of the
very best of the shrubs which have come to us from Japan.
Madison, N. J. AV, Te
Correspondence.
Peach-growing in Nebraska.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Nebraska is not in the Peach belt, and cannot be con-
sidered a peach-growing state; yet, perhaps, it can furnish as
good an example of success in this line as many other states
apparently much more favorably situated. One of the lead-
ing features of the summer meeting of the State Horticultural
Society this year was a visit to the orchards of J. M. Russell &
Son, who have about 150 acres devoted to this fruit near
Wymore, in the south-eastern part of the state, close to the
Kansas line. This isa favorable location both as to general
climate and also because the land here is quite rolling and the
advantage of a higher elevation can be secured. It is equally
true that.there are hundreds of other farms in the state quite
as well adapted to the growth of peaches, and success in this
instance only serves to demonstrate what can be done by stu-
dious, systematic attention to one given line of work. Messrs.
Russell & Son occupy the position of pioneers in this industry,
and, like Hale Brothers, of Connecticut, have shown the pos-
sibilities of their own region. Their planting began in 1880,
and has gradually increased till the present time. Their first
crop was harvested in 1887, but consisted of only 140 bushels.
The trees were old enough to bear four years earlier, but had
been killed by hard winters, so that the beginning of the un-
dertaking was not altogether promising. From that time for-
ward, however, they have secured a crop every other year, the
largest one being in 1891, when they harvested a little over
6,000 bushels. The present crop, though good, is not a heavy
one. Much of their work has been of necessity experimental,
as there were no precedents for guidance, and the early
results were not as good as they can confidently expect the
future ones to be with their present knowledge. Many of
the varieties planted proved wholly unsatisfactory in this
climate, even though they give the best of satisfaction in other
places.
As a first early variety, Alexander has proved the most
profitable. It is too perishable and ripens too unevenly to ship
well, but for the home-market it is excellent. Following this
come Hale’s Early and Early Rivers, the latter a large white
peach, not equal to some others in quality and appearance,
but the fruit is of good flavor and the tree is a reliable bearer.
Hale’s Early is more satisfactory here than in many sections
of the east, because in this dry climate there is little difficulty
AucusT 28, 1895.]
from the fruit-rot. This is one of the worst varieties to
rot whenever that disease is present. Coolidge’s Favorite is
one of the best of the free-stones. Itincreases in size rapidly
just at the ripening period. Hill’s Chili is another most relia-
ble kind. When asked to recommend one variety likely to
succeed over the widest area and under the most varying
conditions, Mr. Russell named the Wright, but he adds that it
is late and rather poor in quality. This isa seedling obtained
from W. F. Wright, of Johnson County, Nebraska. It comes
true to name from the seed in nearly every case. Many well-
known varieties, such as Crawford and Mixon, though hardy
in wood, are tender in bud and prove a failure in this climate.
The firm is testing a number of seedlings, some of which are
very promising. One of these, known as Russell’s No. 1, is
the first free-stone toripen. It is a seedling of Hill’s Chili,
grown next to Alexander. It closely resembles Alexander, but
ripens about four weeks later.
The orchards receive the best of cultivation up to the mid-
dle of August. Not a weed is to be seen anywhere. The
method of training would very likely be the first thing to attract
the attention of an eastern grower. The trees are allowed to
branch right at the ground, and are headed back moderately at
the annual pruning, so that they are not over twelve or fifteen
feet high, and in most cases the lower limbs lie directly on the
ground, or at least partially rest on it. This thoroughly pro-
tects the trunk of the tree or does away with it altogether, and
no serious injury comes to these limbs in cultivation, as a
~ casual observer would expect.
The fruit is marketed in ten-pound grape baskets with raised
covers, and at the time of the visit—July 25th—it was retailing
at fifty cents a basket. Fred W. Card.
Agricultural College, Lincoln, Neb.
Plant-breeding.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Opinions may differ as to the best work for the experi-
ment stations, and while having the utmost admiration and
respect for Professor Bailey’s horticultural views, yet his reply
to Professor Goff’s plea for more attention to plant-breeding
by the stations (see page 318 of your current volume) should
not go unchallenged. My claim is that there is fully as much
scientific exactness required in breeding plants as in breeding
animals, and that the analogy between the two is not super-
ficial.
Professor Bailey’s failure to succeed in the combination and
fixation of the characters of Squashes, Gourds and Tomatoes,
so that they will continue to reproduce themselves from seed,
is no criterion for the production of new varieties in perennial
species ; for these, when produced by intelligent combining
and selecting, can be multiplied practically without further
variation. The tendency in all plants is to vary when placed
under new and strange conditions. The best results of these
variations, when selected and combined in one individual
plant—which is readily accomplished in most cases—may
prove of inestimable value ; and in the perennial we have the
transcendent advantage that the improved variety may be
multiplied by division a million times, each part retaining the
unimpaired qualities of the original.
It may be true that our eyes are dazzled by the reports of cre-
ations in plants ‘‘ through the foresight of the operator,” and
that ‘time will discover the merits of all pretensions,” but does
any one believe that the Munson Grapes, the Carmanand Daw-
son Roses, the various hybrid Orchids anda thousand other new
flowers and fruits were produced in any other way except by
“the foresight of the operator,” just as truly as in the case of
any mechanical or chemical combination? True, most of the
processes of Nature are slow, quiet and unobtrusive, but not
necessarily so. An intelligent combination of several forces
in one useful direction will often produce immediate results
which never could have been obtained otherwise.
A kernel of corn—if the right variety has been selected—
when placed under the proper conditions of heat and agita-
tion, is not very slow to unfold into a greatly changed product.
Unless, however, we have some knowledge of the proper
combinations, the desired result would be very uncertain ;
exactly the same rules apply to the creation of new forms
throughout the vegetable kingdom. Not only can distinct
varieties of superlative value be produced “by the foresight
of the operator,” but, asI believe, distinct and permanent new
species which will reproduce themselves from seed, genera-
tion after generation, with as little variation as is the case with
original wild ones.* A careful study of the matter, combined
* For a more complete elucidation of the subject, see paper on ‘‘ New Fruits and
Flowers,” read at the last meeting of the American Pomological Society.
Garden and Forest.
349
with field practice, will convince the operator that there are
fixed laws in the breeding of plants as in other natural forces,
and that the more we learn of these laws the more certainly
we can control results.
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Luther Burbank.
Plant-breeding Once More.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Professor Bailey, in some comments on an aarticle of
mine (page 318), says that ‘‘man does not have it in his power
to summarily produce a new variety with any degree of cer-
tainty.” In dealing with wild plants in which we have no well-
marked varieties to begin with it is true that we must wait
patiently for chance variations; but in plants of which we
already have more or less distinct varieties, I believe it is pos-
sible, by making use of the same kind of tact employed by the
breeders of animals, to produce varieties possessing special
qualities. I have done this in two instances myself. In both
cases I had a definite idea at the outset of what I desired to
accomplish, and though the immediate results of the crosses
made were far from what I aimed at, continued planting and
selection through several years have developed the varieties
T sought with as much of fixity as the average vegetable
variety possesses.
Itseems to me that Professor Bailey’s plea, “we must make
more of the varieties we have,” is really a plea for more plant-
breeding. Ofcourse, we ought to develop and improve the
varieties we already have, but if we “make the most” of them
we must also form new combinations of desirable qualities
through cross-fertilization. Itis my conviction that some of
our experiment station workers can do much better service
for horticulture in this line than in the simple testing of the
varieties already in our catalogues. :
Experiment Station, Madison, Wis. oe Goff.
Recent Publications.
Wayside and Woodland Blossoms. By Edward Step.
Frederick Warne & Co., London and New York.
This isa pocket guide to British wild flowers, constructed
somewhat on the plan of Mrs. Dana’s popular manual. It
contains descriptions of about four hundred species, and
colored figures of one hundred and seventy-five species.
Neither drawing nor coloring is in the highest style of art,
but the pictures will certainly serve to identify the plants
described, and the text is rather more accurate, and con-
tains less irrelevant matter than that of many books of this
kind which have been published on this side of the water.
Americans with little knowledge of botany will probably
find this a helpful guide when they wander through the
mother country if they wish to know the names of the
wild flowers they encounter. They may be surprised to
find that many flowers with which they are familiar at
home, such as the Marsh Marigold, the Wood Sorrel and
the Harebell, are figured in this little book as inhabitants of
Great Britain also, and it ought to interest them to know
that many of our commonest weeds, such as Shepherd's
Purse, Chickweed, Ox-eye Daisy and Bittersweet, which
are also figured among British wild flowers, are not natives
of America, but emigrants from Europe.
Notes.
Mr. William Scott, of Buffalo, was elected President of the
Society of American Florists at its late meeting in Pittsburg
last week.
All the blossoms dropped from the trees of Osbeck’s Su-
mach, Rhus semialata, var. Osbeckii, hereabouts ten days or
a fortnight ago, but many of the Sophora trees in Central
Park are still covered with flowers, although they came into
bloom before the Sumachs did. This long season of flower-
ing is a strong point in favor of the Sophora.
Mr. J. H. Hale writes to the Fruit Trade Fournal that there
are more than half a million fruiting Peach-trees in Connec-
ticut this year, and since this has been a favorable season for
northern orchards the output in that state will reach three-
quarters of a million baskets of fancy fruit, and one-third of
this is enough to supply the local demand. A few peaches of
the Mountain Rose variety are now ready for market, Early
Crawfords are just ripening, but the great bull of Oldmixon,
350
Late Crawfords, Stump and the like will be at their best in
Connecticut during the first half of September.
A good many of the hardy Speedwells have little ornamental
value, but, as the season of its Howering has come around, we
once more call attention to Veronica longifolia, var. subsessilis,
which is altogether the most showy of the herbaceous kinds
and one of the best of summer flowers. It is more compact
and robust than the species and surpasses it in the color of its
flowers. It grows two or more feet high, is bushy, and bears
bright amethyst-blue flowers in terminal and axillary spikes
six or eight inches long. Like other Veronicas, this plant
enjoys a warm and sunny place and rich soil. Even in small
gardens, where there is room for only the best plants, a space
should be kept for this Veronica.
The Trumpet-weed or Joe Pye-weed (Eupatorium pur-
pureum) is one of those sturdy composites which make an
important feature in our late summer scenery along water
borders and in moist woodland glades. Under favorable con-
ditions it grows ten feet high or more, with a compound
corymb of flowers often two feet long and almost as thick
through. These immense heads, with their purplish scales
and flesh-colored flowers on the tall stems, several of which
grow from a single root so as to form large masses, make
altogether an impressive picture. Although so large, this can
hardly be called a coarse plant, as it is pleasing in appearance
even when examined close at hand.
A law has been enacted in Michigan which compels the
owners of fruit-trees and vines to spray them with appropriate
insecticides and fungicides under penalty ofa fine not exceeding
fifty dollars, or imprisonment not to exceed sixty days, or both.
The evident purpose of this law is to compel negligent farm-
ers to do their full share in suppressing injurious insects and
plant-diseases, a work which can only be done by coéperation.
Three commissioners appointed by the selectmen of any town-
ship are authorized to notify farmers whenever insect or fun-
gous pests are found in their orchards or vineyards, and if
farmers fail to spray their trees or vines the commissioners
are to do the work at the expense of the town, which can
recover costs from the owner.
There is a law in Ohio which directs the superintendents of
county or township roads to cut Thistles, Wild Parsnips, Bur-
docks and other noxious weeds that are growing along the
highways between the fifteenth and thirtieth days of June,
the first and fifteenth days of August, and the fifteenth and
thirtieth days of September each year. The experiment sta-
tion of that state has recently sent out a bulletin for the
especial use of road officers in order to secure information as
to the condition of the borders of roads and railroads, and to
ascertain to what extent the law is enforced which provides
for the early and repeated cutting of noxious plants. Enact-
ments of similar character have been passed in many of the
states, but we never yet have seen such a law enforced over
any considerable area.
All persons who care to inform themselves as to the amount
of protection against injurious insects which is given to our
fruit-trees by birds, ought to read the bulletin of Mr. E. H.
Forbes, lately published by the Massachusetts Board of Agri-
culture. Itis very plainly shown here that birds doa very
useful work in destroying the eggs of many kinds of insects,
and that the most dangerous pests of orchards, like canker-
worms, bark-scale lice and tent caterpillars, are largely held in
check by our common song birds, and that one of the best
ways to secure a fruit crop is to encourage birds to live in our
orchards. Itis very evident that the winter birds which eat
the eggs of insects ought always to be encouraged to inhabit
our fruit orchards, and that the summer birds which feed upon
larve are also of great value, and they should be protected
and fostered until they become abundant.
The gardens of New Jersey and Long Island are now fur-
nishing most of the vegetables that the markets of this city
demand, and, owing to exceptionally favorable weather, the
supply is so ample that buyers can usually get what they want
at their own figures. A few choice products like well-grown
Brussels sprouts command fancy prices, but a dozen bunches
of the best new carrots sell for twenty-five cents at retail;
extra cauliflower, from ten to twenty cents a head ; Romaine
lettuce, five cents a head, and Boston lettuce, fifty cents a
dozen; egg-plants, five to ten cents each; red cabbage, ten
cents a head ; okra, thirty cents a hundred; Lima beans and
green peas, Sixty cents a peck; Hackensack melons, $1.50 a
dozen, and so on through the list. The fruit season is also at
its height, and the markets and street stands never looked
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 392.
more beautiful. California is sending late Crawford peaches,
Heath Clings, Orange Clings and McDevitts, while high-grade
red and yellow kinds are coming from Maryland, Delaware and
New Jersey. The Hudson River vineyards are supplying
Delaware, Niagara and Worden grapes. Virginia is still send-
ing some fine Concords, and the Ives is already ripe in New
Jersey. A few Damsons and Reine Claude plums are coming
from western New York, but beautiful Bradshaws, Kelseys,
Burbanks, Fellenbergs, Columbias and Coe’s Late, from Cali-
fornia, make the great bulk of plums now sold. Of the dozen
kinds of apples in the market the highest prices are brought
by Alexanders, followed in order by Duchess of Oldenburg and
Gravensteins. Great numbers of pears are coming into the
city, but prices for the better kinds rule high because many of
them are going into cold storage.
The woodpeckers have been subjected to much adverse
criticism by farmers and fruit-growers, and Professor Beal,
assistant ornithologist of the Department of Agriculture, who
has been studying them, has recently published a preliminary
report on the food of these birds, from which it appears that
some of the species, at least, destroy many injurious insects.
From an examination of the stomachs of 679 of these birds of
seven species it was found that three-quarters of the food of
the downy wocdpecker consists of insects, few of which are
useful, while it eats practically no grain. The hairy wood-
pecker also eats a trifling amount of grain, but it eats many
beetles and caterpillars. The flicker, more commonly called
the high-holder in the middle states, is a great destroyer of
ants, and, although it eats some fruit, a great proportion of this
is wild berries. Altogether, it would be hard to find three
other species among our common birds with fewer harmful
qualities, and they should be protected in every way. Every
farmer and landholder should especially try to preserve the
flicker, which species is most liable to destruction. The red-
headed woodpecker consumes more beetles in proportion
than any of the others, but some of these are of the predaceous
species, and this should be set down against the bird. It has
a taste for corn, too, and for fruit. The red-bellied wood-
pecker does damage to oranges in certain localities in Florida,
but eats quantities of ants and beetles. One bad trait of the
yellow-bellied woodpecker is its fondness for the sap and
inner bark of trees, butit is not probable that forest-trees are ex-
tensively injured ; the bird, however, hasa taste for Apple-trees,
too, and it might do much harm to orchards. The pileated
woodpecker is more exclusively a forest bird than any other,
and its food is mainly of forest products, such as the larve of
wood-boring beetles and the wild fruits. It is emphatically a
conservator of the woods.
The Hale Orchard Company planted more than a hun-
dred thousand Peach-trees on six hundred acres of land, near
Fort Valley, Georgia, in the autumn of i891 and the spring
of 1892, and the resident superintendent, with thirty or forty
negro assistants and sixteen mules, has kept the orchard
thoroughly cultivated for three years. The early frost of 1894
destroyed the prospects of fruit at the first blossoming, and
this year about fifty men were employed during April and
May thinning out the surplus fruit. By the 2oth of June
three hundred and fifty hands and sixty mules were kept
employed in picking, packing and moving four thousand crates
every day. Owing to the destruction of the orange crop in
Florida last winter, numbers of extra workers on fruits applied
for labor, so that there was an abundance of the best kind of
help. In the marketing season something like three hundred
bushels of overripe, ill-shapen and scarred fruit are rejected
every day, and the perfect peaches are graded by women and
girls and packed in four-quart baskets, six of which fill a car-
rier. The crates when labeled are hauled to the railroad in
spring wagons with canvas covering to protect them from dust
and rain, and at the station they are loaded into refrigerator
cars which hold from §25 to 600 crates each. The cost of pick-
ing, packing, freight, etc., amounts to $500 a car, so that the
eighty carloads of fruit sent north from this one orchard
during the season cost for marketing $40,000. Mr. J. H. Hale,
who gives these figures in the American Agriculturist, says that
the leading peach in that section is the Elberta, but extra-early
sorts like Alexander are also largely grown. The first really
good peach to ripen is the Tillotson, which comes on about
the middle of June. After this the best peaches are St. John,
Mountain Rose, Lady Ingold, Elberta, Belle of Georgia and
Late Crawford, which rounds out the season about the first of
August. The peach crop of Houston County alone gives
employment to three thousand people, and all the roads lead-
ing to the railroad-stations are lined during the picking season
every day with wagons of every sort hauling fruit to market,
SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orricz: Trisune Burtpinc, New York,
Conducted-by < . ss. 6 « ses ris: s 9Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
EprroriaL ArticLe :—The Architectural Attack on Rural Parks............0005 351
Why Certain Hickories Died. (With figure.).... Professor Fohn B. Smith. 352
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—Notes on Orchids ............. 2.00005 W. Watson. 354
New or LitrLE-KNowN PLants :—The American White Birches. (With figure.)
Cosa
OTEAUN MIN COIL Sete etatetetets farstatitetatetajale(s eiclave ce! alors stetalajetalnye:s,0/e\e:e.vvein's, o:diecsreis adele ais, coe.aisie 355
CutturaL DkepARTMENT :—Carnation Notes.......- WN, Craig. 357
The Garden in Late Summer............ ¥. N. Gerard. 35
Rosa Wichuraiana......... : G. W. Oliver. 358
The Faxon Squash .......... scdvenGrelen B50
Two Blue-flowered Annuals .......52...2.c002+- .G. W. O. 352
CorrESPONDENCE :—The Flower Garden at Wellesley............. D. Hatfield. 358
RSH Seo IS ONIN premectae te aceie, Naicislarstalajerhemiee ei: »D. P. Penhallow. 359
ReEcENT PUBLICATIONS .....
NOTES eeumeriailcit raise ns v steisiasies steiaisinlausiatsie
IctusrRraTions :—Section of bark of Hicko’
Qeecseere on
pulifolia >
Fig. 4 sees wee ee
Betula po { papyrif
The Architectural Attack on Rural Parks.
HE dedication of the Battle Monument in Prospect
Park, Brooklyn, last week, recalls a letter to the Park
Commissioner of that city by Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted,
the official landscape-architect of the Brooklyn parks. The
views expressed are of such general importance that we
quote a part of the letter :
We can hardly avoid the feeling that there is an unfortunate
tendency to crowd Prospect Park too much with statues,
monuments and other architectural structures, which are
introduced more because they are interesting or desirable in
themselves than because they make the landscapes of the park
more beautiful or more natural and refreshing. It is difficult
to object very strongly in any particular case, because the in-
jury done to the landscape is not very great. It is not easy to
make people understand why it is a disadvantage to the park
to introduce interesting and, perhaps, handsome works of
art, but you can readily see that if the tendency continues, and
more and more monuments and architectural features are
introduced, the time will come when the beautiful, quiet, rural
landscape of the park will be to a great extent marred, and the
park made to resemble a confused and fussy-looking garden,
or the best of our rural cemeteries. Certainly it would seem
to be a wise policy for a park commissioner to discourage,
rather than encourage, the introduction into the landscapes of
a beautiful rural or semi-rural park of such architectural and
sculptural decorations. Appropriate sites could be found for
any number of monuments in the public squares and small
parks -of the city, where they would appear to advantage,
would enrich formal or garden-like grounds, and would not
injure broad landscapes.
Mr. Olmsted goes on to state that an appreciation and
love of the broad and simple landscapes of Prospect
Park has been developed in the minds of intelligent
citizens of Brooklyn, and many of them realize that,
although bridges and roads and walks are necessary, they
are, nevertheless, real intrusions on the scenery, and exist
for the sole purpose of making the scenery available. Others
who enjoy the landscapes have not analyzed their feelings
to discover the foundation reasons for their delight in
the park, and, therefore, their sensibilities are not shocked
when it is proposed to introduce monuments or statues or
architectural decorations which really detract from the
beauty of the landscape. They make no protest because
Garden and Forest.
351
they do not realize what destruction is threatened, and this
is why Mr. Olmsted is absolutely correct when he states
that his most important duty as professional adviser is to
protect the landscape of the park from injury and en-
croachment.
As to the special case referred to, if the monument erected
to commemorate the valor of the Maryland troops in the
Battle of Long Island adds to the beauty of Outlook Hill,
and if the surroundings of the monument add to its impres-
siveness, there can be no objection to its location. But since
the ground on which it stands does not seem to be in any
way identified with the part which the Maryland soldiers
took in the battle, the site of the monument is not justified
by any historical association. The argument, that the
event celebrated was one of such importance that the charm
of the most conspicuous portion of the park could justly be
sacrificed to secure some worthy memorial of it, is utterly
fallacious. No monument has a right to exist anywhere
unless it is a creditable work of art, and the noblest work
of art is misplaced if it is destructive of the natural beauty
which the people have inherited. There is no essential
conflict between the two, and any lesson of patriotism
which the shaft is intended to teach could be delivered with
greater force if it stood where it would harmonize with its
surroundings.
But it is not any particular act or work which we wish to
criticise, but rather tospeak of the tendency against which
Mr. Olmsted makes such strong protest. When Central
Park was designed, some of the original commissioners
insisted that a broad avenue should enter the park at the
middle of its southern boundary and be carried straight
through to the reservoir, and many of the newspapers ad-
vocated the scheme. The idea was to construct some
festal gathering-place like a Spanish alameda, or a spacious
formal promenade like those in southern Europe, where
there can be no turf and where natural scenery is made
subordinate to stately architectural effects. The projectors
of this scheme were inspired by a feeling that the proper
field for the recreation of a city population should be a
place where urban art was intensified and aggrandized,
and not a place where scenery of a rural or pastoral char-
acter prevailed ; and there is a certain reasonableness in
such an idea. A pastoral park is restful because it offers
the direct antithesis of the conditions furnished by the rigid
lines of city streets. But throngs of men and women in
holiday mood and holiday attire on some spacious plaza—
the recognized place for public greeting—is also a refresh-
ing change from jostling crowds on business streets, where
each man is absorbed in his daily work. But there is no
excuse for any vacillating compromise between these two
leading motives. We can conceive of a park in which the
chief features are architectural, but we cannot impose such
features upon a park naturally treated without detracting
from their effectiveness and destroying the original charm
of the place. And yet it is pretty evident that there is a
school of artists in this country—artists, too, who are stren-
uous, and even fanatical, in their views—who have little
appreciation of natural scenery, and who, therefore, feel
disposed to transform all the city parks which have been
planned with regard to their natural beauty into a field for
architectural display. Some of these men are distinctly hos-
tile to the motives upon which our pastoral parks have been
designed, and they are constantly aiming to modify them
on principles that are at war with those that prevailed
when they were laid out. There are so-called architects
who would evén now be willing to take such a park
as Franklin Park, in Boston, and Prospect Park, in Brooklyn,
and transform them into meaningless incongruities—
hybrids between what was originally aimed at and what
a French architect early in this century would have
essayed, introducing some sentimental passages to mimic
nature, and making these mere interludes to effects like
those produced at Versailles. These men, as we have
said, are strong in conviction, confident, enthusiastic, and
that they are able to accomplish much is seen by the readi-
352
ness with which commissioners who fall under their influ-
ence are induced to expend money for walls, balustrades,
columns and statues, and how slow they are to spend
even niggardly amounts to fertilize the soil or to improve
the turf and trees.
It is to guard against such tendencies as this that the
counsel of Mr. Olmsted should be taken to heart by every
one who has charge of urban parks. A broad-minded
artist in landscape understands the value of architectural
features as well as the natural ones in public parks. He
appreciates the fact that there may be cases and places
where plazas of dignified architectural character are prefera-
ble to woods and meadows. Even in natural parks he
recognizes the fact that there are situations where the arti-
ficial elements necessary for convenience should be empha-
sized and displayed. But behind and beneath all this is
the strong and wholesome northern love of the elemental
beauty of the natural world instead of the cockney or
Parisian contempt for everything essentially rural. . These
architectural attacks upon rural parks spring from minds
with a narrow range of artistic sympathies. The threatened
danger does not come from art, but from bad art, and against
this we must offer good art by precept and example.
Sound art, high art, in our spacious city parks means es-
sentially the development of every possible poetic charm
in their natural scenery and the exclusion of every element
which conflicts with this purpose.
Why Certain Hickories Died.
URING July, 1894, Mr. J. D. Gallagher wrote me for
remedies against certain borers that seemed to be
killing Hickories on his grounds at Glen Ridge, a pretty
little village near Newark, New Jersey, where there are
many handsome trees along the roadsides and in the well-
kept grounds bordering them. In reply to the letter I gave
a little general information as to methods of treating in-
fested trees, and hinted that it was not often possible to get
satisfactory results in cases of this kind. In truth, I did
not intend to encourage much hope of saving the trees,
because I had seen so many similar cases, always brought
to my attention when the doom of the patient was already
sealed.
But Mr. Gallagher was persistent, and on July 30th he
gave the history of the trees as follows :
In 1891 one of the most vigorous Hickories on my place, a
tree twelve inches in diameter, showed a withering of the
leaves, as if they had been stung by some insect. They did
not all fall, however, and in 1892 the tree came out in full
leaf and had apparently suffered no. damage, In the spring
of 1893 the tree came out in leaf again, and shortly after-
ward the leaves showed the old symptoms of 1891; but
this time they all withered up and fell in midsummer. This
year (1894) the tree put forth no leaves, although it is trying to
throw out some sprouts near the ground. Last September
another Hickory on my place, twenty feet from the first, a
double tree, united close to the ground, showed in one of its
halves a withering of the leaves, which fell off shortly after-
ward. The other half showed no symptoms of disease, but
remained in full leaf, and the leaves fell in the natural course
in the fall; this also was a large, strong, healthy tree. This
spring the lastnamed tree and another standing beside it,
which also had shown no signs of disease last year, failed to
put forth leaves, except on some few branches, and these soon
fell off. Standing near these trees is another tall, apparently
healthy Hickory, about eight inches in diameter, which this
spring put forth its leaves in the usual way, showing no signs
of disease, but within the last ten days the leaves on its lower
branches have begun to wither, and it is apparently dying.
None of these trees to the eye had the slightest appearance of
being sick until last fall, except the first one which I have men-
tioned. The loss of these fine trees in front of my door is a
serious one to me for many reasons.
In response to this letter I visited the trees, and found
matters much as Mr. Gallagher had stated them. The
trunks of almost all the trees showed the somewhat oval
holes due to the issuance of certain Buprestid beetles, and
several specimens of Dicerca divaricata were captured
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 393.
while parading up and down the trunk, apparently seeking
good places to oviposit. Beneath the bark the flat-headed
Buprestid larvee themselves were found. A small number
of round holes about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter
were found, and attributed to a species of long horned
beetle, which I could not get at without an axe; or, possi-
bly, the Pigeon Tremex may have been concerned in the
work. Most numerous of all were the small round holes
I had seen so often, and which I at once charged to Scoly-
tus 4-spinosus, well known for just such injury. Except,
possibly, the Longicorn (or Tremex), I considered the in-
sects not as primary causes of the condition of the trees,
but as results—that is, they took advantage of a weakened
condition induced by other causes. And these causes were
not far to seek. The trees were situated on a broad well-
kept lawn sloping from the house to the street so as to
secure rapid and perfect drainage, and so high that the
deepest root-level must have been considerably above the
street-level. The thick grass on the lawn made a perfect
covering. For many years past this condition of affairs
had existed ; all the fallen leaves had been systematically
gathered as soon as they dropped, and light top-dressings
of manure had been applied each year—just enough to
keep the grass in good condition. In other words, the
trees rested in soil with only a small amount of moisture,
and on the surface was an excellent trap which captured
and assimilated every particle of plant-food, and at the
most critical times absorbed every particle of moisture
which fell upon it. Under such circumstances no tree
could long maintain its vigor. My diagnosis was starva-
tion, followed by borers ; prognosis, extremely unfavora-
ble. The only treatment that could be suggested was to
stimulate the trees actively by an abundance of readily
available plant-food. Trees frequently outgrow even se-
vere injury, and it was only a question whether there
remained a sufficient power of recuperation in the trees to
enable them to take advantage of the help.
On this subject a letter from Mr. Gallagher, dated June
25th of this year, will prove instructive to your readers,
although I can only give a brief abstract of it:
Under the infected trees I spread last summer 600 pounds of
Mapes’ fruit and vine manure, and washed itin with a hose
and sprinkler. Result, a fine crop of grass, but no apparent
effect on the trees. This spring 4,000 pounds of the same fer-
tilizer were spread over my lawns, 1,000 pounds being put
under the diseased trees. Result, an extra fine lawn, but no
effect on the trees, and one tree dead that showed no signs of
attack last year. -On the first of June, none of the eight trees
showing any signs of life, I had them all cut downand burned.
I hoped that this heavy fertilizing had so strengthened the
other Hickories that the pest would not overcome them, and
they all looked strong this spring. The other day I founda
tree behind my house dying at the top, and this, on examina-
tion, showed the holes of the borers. To-day Iam having all
the top limbs cut off this tree, and am having all Hickory-
trees on the place dug around ten feet or more from the tree
in each direction, and am putting fifty pounds of fertilizer
around each tree on the raw earth and am washing it in witha
sprinkler, giving the earth in each case all the water it will
take, intending to repeat the watering every three or four
days. I send specimens of beetles dug out of the limbs cut
from the trees.
This was not particularly encouraging, but I was com-
pelled to acknowledge that I could offer nothing more. — It
was not a question of keeping out borers ; not a question
of checking a threatened or recent attack, but rather a
question of reviving trees that had given up the struggle
and were yielding to the horde of pests lying in wait to
finish the weak and dying. The beetles sent me were
Scolytus 4-spinosus, and their injury (see fig. 49, page 353)
consists in making between bark and wood a central ver-
tical gallery one to one a half inches in length, from which
lateral galleries are made by the larve in all directions, so
that the progeny from one pair of beetles may easily de-
stroy the remaining vitality of an area three inches in
diameter. No tree can survive for any length of time when
generally infested by this insect. It bores in branches
SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.] Garden and Forest. 353
large and small as well as in the trunks, and
for food, shelter, or in sheer wantonness, the
beetle sometimes eats into twigs just below
the growing shoots, causing the latter to wilt,
wither and die.
The next letter, dated July 11th, was more
encouraging in tone:
I have been carefully over the branches of
the diseased tree that I am treating and cut out
about twenty borers of the kind I sent you.
Formerly my trees were first attacked low on
the trunk and they died all over at once. The
attack this spring has been solely on the upper
branches, the result being that these branches
only:Have lost their leaves. I argue from this
thatvas the tree has been stimulated by rich
: fertilization, the trunk and larger branches have
-begome. strong enough to repel the attack.
Ifthis deduction has any foundation in fact, it is
encouraging. I notice a much more luxuriant
‘growth of foliage with deeper color, and the
trees are, many of them, throwing out shoots
on the trunk, which seems to me to indicate
that they are gathering strength.
Besides soaking the upturned earth after it
was fertilized, I have drenched the ground with
the washings from my stable yard. I propose,
about the first of August, to slightly disturb the
surface again of these dug-up places and put on
more fertilizer, thoroughly wash it in, and the
first of September I propose to dig up around
every tree, Hickories and others, and apply
about. two hundred pounds of bone meal, my
idea being that the meal will slowly decompose
and furnish fertilizer for the trees for some
time to come. In addition to that shall top-
dress my lawn early each spring.
In reply to this I indorsed the measures
taken and proposed, and a note dated July
31st reports that no more trees seem to be
affected. I have offered the record of this
case, at this time, because it is by no means
an uncommon one, and because instances of
this kind are likely to increase rather than
otherwise. It is too often forgotten that
forest-trees on well-kept lawns are in an un-
natural condition, and that their surround-
ings, so far as moisture and food-supply is
concerned, are distinctly unfavorable, com-
pared with the normal situations. Insects
are thus given an advantage which they are
not slow to seize upon, and though the trees
make a gallant fight, of which they may
show no traces for years, yet in some un-
usually dry or otherwise unfavorable year
they become discouraged and suddenly give
up.
The lesson is plain and should be heeded
by those interested as owners of trees gen-
erally, for it applies not to Hickories alone.
Borers in large trees are difficult to contend
with, and when once a tree becomes gen-
erally infested we are helpless. But if we
notice promptly a slight attack we can
usually save the patient. In the first place
make sure that a sufficient supply of food
and moisture is provided, and then smear
the trunk, at least to the large branches,
with ‘“‘insect lime” or “dendrolene.” These
are petroleum products which make a viscid
coating of great lasting power, which no in-
sect can penetrate and through which no
eggs will be laid. The result will be the pro-
tection of the trunk from new attacks and the
destruction of the insects then working in it,
by preventing their issuance. The tree thus
gets a new chance and will usually respond
and repair damages.
New Brunswick, N. J.
Fig. 49.—Section of bark of Hickory, showing galleries made by borers.—See page 352.
John B,. Smith.
Foreign Correspondence.
Notes on Orchids.
OpontocLossum Wattianum.—Messrs. F. Sander & Co. ex-
hibited a fine example of this plant at the last meeting of
the Royal Horticultural Society, when it was awarded a
first-class certificate. It was first described by Mr. Rolfe
in 1890, when it flowered for the first time at St. Albans.
Mr. Rolfe supposed it to be a natural hybrid between Odon-
toglossum luteo-purpureum and O. Lindleyanum, but it
may with just as much reason be called a sport from the
former, which it resembles in general characters, differing
mainly in the shape of the lip, which is nearly two inches
long, elongated, the margin fringed and the color creamy
white, with a central blotch and numerous small spots of
rose-purple; the petals and sepals are deep yellow, with
bars and blotches of chocolate-brown. The plant shown
bore a spike of fourteen fine flowers. Whether it be ac-
cepted as a species or a hybrid, or a variety, it is a hand-
some Orchid and fully deserved the distinction conferred
upon it by the Royal Horticultural Society.
CattLrya Eros.—This is a new hybrid of Veitchian origin,
its parents being Cattleya Walkeriana and C. Mossiz, be-
tween which it is remarkably intermediate. A plant of it
was exhibited last week and obtained a first-class certifi-
cate. The pseudo-bulbs are short and plump, and the
flowers are as large as those of an ordinary C. Mossiee, and
similar in color, except in the purplish maroon marking on
the lip and the almost total absence of gold veins, so promi-
nent a character in C. Mossiz. The lip also resembles
C. Walkeriana in its spreading, almost flattened form.
CattLeyA FowLeri.—A new hybrid raised by Messrs. F.
Sander & Co. and named by Dr. Kranzlin in compliment to
Mr. G. Gurney Fowler, who is now its owner, and who
exhibited it last week, when it obtained a first-class certifi-
cate. Itis the result of crossing Cattleya Hardyana with
C. Leopoldii. In pseudo-bulbs and leaf it resembles Leclia
elegans, while the flowers are as large as those of C. Har-
dyana, their color being mauve-purple, the broad wavy
lip being intense violet-purple. It is a distinct and hand-
some addition to hybrid Cattleyas.
PuHaLenopsis Luppr-viotacea.—This is another addition to
the hybrid Phalaenopsis raised by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons,
its parents, indicated by the name, being P. Luddemanni-
ana and P. violacea. It was shown last month at a meet-
ing of the Royal Horticultural Society, who awarded it a
first-class certificate. In habit and foliage it resembles the
first-named species, while the flowers, although like that
species in shape, are larger, and colored rose-purple, barred
with a darker shade, the lip being yellow at the base, deep
crimson in front, and more like that of P. violacea. It is
not as attractive as some of the Veitchian hybrids in this
genus, the best of which, so far, is that named F. L.
Ames.
MicrostyLIs MACROCHILA.A—Some of the many species of
this genus have a place among garden Orchids because of
the pretty colors of their leaves. One of the best of them
is Microstylis Scottii, a Malayan species, figured and de-
scribed by Sir Joseph Hooker in 7he Botanical Magazine, t.
7268, but a better even than it is M. macrochila, which was
introduced to Kew and elsewhere as M. Scottii, from
which, however, it differs in having larger leaves colored
yellow-brown, with a paler margin, and in its much larger
flowers, and especially in its large, flat, red-purple, shining
lip. It is easily grown in a tropical house.
DENDROBIUM BRACTEOSUM.—This is an attractive species,
not large in hower, but exceptional in the distinctness of
its colors. It is a native of New Guinea, whence it was
introduced about five years ago, when it was called Den-
drobium chrysolabrum by Mr. Rolfe in ignorance of the
fact that Reichenbach had described it the year before
under the above name. It has roundish pseudo-bulbs a
foot long, leaves after the style of D. Lowii, and flowers in
short crowded racemes produced from the nodes on the
mature leafless pseudo-bulbs. There are about twenty
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 393.
flowers in each raceme, and each flower consists of five
equal lanceolate segments three-quarters of an inch long,
and colored rosy mauve; the lip is small, erect, folded
over the column at the base, and colored bright orange.
A plant of it has been in flower at Kew for a month or
more, and is still quite fresh. There are three racemes of
flowers upon one of the pseudo-bulbs. It is more like
some of the Erias than the general run of Dendrobi-
ums.
DenprosiuM PHALENoPSIS HOLOLEUCA.—A pure white
variety of D. Phalenopsis was certificated under the
above name at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural
Society, when a small plant bearing a four-flowered spike
was shown by an amateur residing in Bath. It differs
from the variety alba in having absolutely no color of any
shade beyond a tinge of bulf at the base of the column,
whereas in alba the lip is lined with rose-purple. It is
surprising how great a range of variation this species of
Dendrobium has revealed, both in the size and form of its
pseudo-bulbs and in the size and coloration of the flowers ;
in the latter there is every gradation from the purest
white to the darkest maroon crimson.
DeNDROBIUM CRUENTUM was described by Reichenbach in
1884 from a plant flowered by Messrs. Sander & Co., who
have again recently imported it from the Malay peninsula.
It is now in flower at Kew. The pseudo-bulbs and leaves
resemble those of D. Lowianum, while the flowers are like
those of Cymbidium giganteum in shape, but only about half
the size; they are greenish-yellow, except the large reflexed
lip, which is white with a wart-like crest and lines and
spots of bright red. It is worth a place among the purely
interesting, not showy, garden Orchids.
Sopratia Lown.—A plant of this elegant little species is
now in flower at Kew. It was first introduced about five
years ago by Messrs. H. Low & Co., Clapton, and it has
since become a favorite with growers of Sobralias. It
belongs to the same group as 5S. sessilis, the stems being
only about a foot long, clothed with elegant dark green
recurved lanceolate leaves of rather leathery texture, and
bearing flowers quite as large as those of S. sessilis, and
colored uniform bright purple. It is a native of New
Granada.
Cypripepium MassaIanum superbum. —This is an improve-
ment upon the hybrid raised by Messrs, Sander & Co. from
C. superciliare and C. Rothschildianum, and named by
them in 1893 C. Massaianum simply. The new form has
larger flowers and is more attractive in color. It partakes
much of the character of C. Rothschildianum, but the
dorsal sepal is white and green with purple lines, and the
petals are broad and hairy, while the lip is of a bronzy
purple color. It was shown by Messrs. Sander & Co. last
week, and obtained a first-class certificate.
VANDA C@H&RULEA.—This is one of the most variable of
Orchids in the size and shade of color of its flowers. One
of the largest known is one which was shown at the last
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. Gurney
Fowler, and obtained a first-class certificate. It was a
grand specimen, bearing four spikes and_ thirty-seven
flowers, each of which measured four and a half inches in
diameter, the color being an exceptionally clear azure-blue,
with paler marbling, and the lip a rich violet-blue. The
usual size of the flowers is about three inches in diameter.
A peculiar character observable in this Vanda is the
increase in the size of the flowers and change in the color
which take place after they have opened; thus, a flower
which on first expanding measured an inch and a half
across and was colored lilac-rose, would, when finally
developed, be three inches across and of a clear blue
color, the purple hue being confined to the small lip.
Although an old garden Orchid, this is still far from com-
mon in collections, as it does not always thrive under
ordinary cultivation. It likes plenty of water, light and
air in an intermediate house while growing, that is from
February to October, its usual time of flowering.
W. Watson.
London,
SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.]
New or Little-known Plants.
The American White Birches.
HE two American white-barked Birches, Betula populi-
folia and Betula papyrifera, are readily distinguished :
the first by the viscid resinous glands which roughen its
young branchlets, by its nearly triangular long-pointed
leaves, broad and truncate, abruptly wedge-shaped or
slightly obcordate at the base, dark green and lustrous, and
roughened, especially early in the season, by small pale
glands in the axils of the conspicuous reticulate veinlets on
the upper surface, with few obscure primary veins and red
petioles, by its usually solitary aments of staminate flowers,
and short cylindrical short-stalked strobiles which are
nearly upright and only about three-quarters of an inch in
length, with puberulous scales ; the second by its slightly
viscid, but not gland-roughened branchlets, by its ovate
acuminate short-pointed leaves, usually rounded or
slightly cordate at the base, dull dark green and usually
glandless on the upper surface, with numerous promi-
nent primary veins and yellow petioles, by its clustered
aments of staminate flowers and thick drooping strobiles
usually an inch and a half long, with glabrous scales.
‘Betula populifolia is asmall tree, rarely more than thirty
feet high, with dull chalky white bark, and is mostly con-
fined to the Atlantic seaboard, where it ranges from Nova
Scotia to Delaware, but extends through northern New
England and New York to the shores of Lake Ontario,
Betula papyrifera is usually seventy or eighty feet tall,
although on the north-west coast it occasionally attains a
height of one hundred and fifty feet, with lustrous bark
slightly tinged with orange; it grows within the Arctic Circle
and ranges from the-shores of the Atlantic to those of the
Pacific, and southward to Long Island, the mountains of
northern Pennsylvania, central Michigan and Minnesota,
northern Nebraska, Montana and north-western Wash-
ington,
In Plymouth and Warren, New Hampshire, and in Ar-
lington, Massachusetts, the Messrs. Faxon have, at different
times, found individual trees which vary in a greater or
less degree from either of these two types and show, per-
haps, what might be expected, that these species intercross.
On page 356 of this issue, a branch of one of these trees
found this summer by Mr. Walter Faxon at Arlington, is
figured, as well as typical leaves of trees of the two White
Birches growing with it. It will be seen that the leaves of
this peculiar tree are nearly intermediate in shape between
those of the two species; like the leaves of Betula popu-
lifolia, they are lustrous on the upper surface, their remote
primary veins are rather more prominent than those of that
tree, the petioles are only slightly flushed with red, and they
are nearly glandless; the aments of staminate flowers
are in pairs, and the strobiles, although rather smaller, resem-
ble in shape and general appearance those of Betula papy-
rifera, while the scales are pubescent.
Betula papyrifera, as is natural with a species of such
wide range, shows a greater tendency to variation than the
other American Birches, and it is as possible that these
peculiar trees represent one of its extreme forms as that
they are natural hybrids. Their extreme rarity, however,
and the fact that they are only found growing with indi-
viduals of the two species, certainly suggest hybrid origin
—a view which is strengthened by the fact that other hybrids
in this genus are known (see GaRDEN AND Forest, Viii., 243).
GS:
Plant Notes.
Tit1a Amertcana.—Our native Basswoods have been less
frequently planted than some of the species of west-
ern Europe, and yet they are most desirable trees for
streets and parks. In good soil they grow rapidly and
attain large size ; their foliage is abundant and rich, deep
green in color; their flowers are delightfully fragrant, and
much sought by bees, and they suffer less from insects
Garden and Forest.
is ols,
than the foreign kinds. A Washington correspondent
writes that the trying weather of the past summer has also
demonstrated the superiority of Tilia Americana over the
European species for street shade-trees. While all have suf-
fered more or less from the drought, the European species
lost many of their leaves before the weather began to tell
on the native one. Besides this, it was scarcely touched by
caterpillars in that city, while the others have suffered very
considerably. The southern species, T. heterophylla, is
rather smaller, a graceful tree with a pyramidal head, with
larger flowers than those of T. Americana, while its leaves,
which are silvery white beneath, give it a singular beauty.
It is perfectly hardy here.
Hisiscus Syriacus.—The Althea, or, as it is often called
in England, the Shrubby Mallow, is an inhabitant of every
old garden in the country, and owing to its formal appear-
ance and the rather unpleasing blue-red color of the flowers
of many varieties it is now somewhat despised. This is
one of the plants which every one has learned how to
prune in order to secure abundant flowers. These are pro-
duced late in the summer on the wood of the year, and,
therefore, when the shrub is cut back hard in autumn or
early spring it makes every effort to recover the loss by
sending out a great number of new shoots which all bear
flowers. After the plant has been pollarded for many years,
and the root and trunk are strong, its appearance at this
season is that of a bundle of long wands growing thickly
from a stubby stem and covered with flowers. Of course,
this treatment is proper if nothing but flowers are wanted,
but if a judicious system of pruning is begun when the
Althzea is young—that is, if the branches are simply thinned
out and cut back moderately every year—it will develop into
a broad round-headed small tree and make a very attrac-
tive specimen. The flowers of the different garden forms
vary widely in color, and some of them are_really beauti-
ful, although, unfortunately, they have no fragrance. It is
the best of shrubs for city yards, since it endures drought
and dust and smoke, while few insects or diseases attack
it, and its smooth dark foliage remains good till late in
autumn.
ANANASSA SATIVA VARIEGATA.—While the ordinary Pine-
apple plant is not remarkable for its beauty, this variegated
form takes a high rank among plants with striking foliage.
The leaves are two or more feet long, spreading, canalicu-
late, with slightly spinate edges. Their color is green in
the centre, edged with ivory-white and often suffused with
bright orange or scarlet, or shades between the two. The
white and scarlet in the leaves is generally clearly marked,
and sometimes there are only faint lines of green in the
centre. This variety will flower and fruit, just as the or-
dinary Pineapple does, at a height of about three feet. It
will stand plenty of rough usage, extreme heat, drought
and sunshine, without apparent injury. Its rosette of
leaves is compact and regular, and few better plants can
be found for a choice collection. It can be grown either in
hanging-baskets or pots in a compost of equal parts fibrous
peat, sphagnum and broken pieces of dry cow-manure. It
will also do well in ordinary soil, provided the pots are
well drained. It prefers a sunny position, and while an
occasional drying is not injurious, moderate moisture at
the roots is best. It should be sponged occasionally to
keep it free from dust, but it is not under ordinary con-
ditions subject to insect pests. Propagation by means of
the young growth above the fruit is slow, but easy. Strong-
growing plants can be topped to induce them to form
several new growths, which in their turn may be taken off,
potted in fibrous peat in small pots, and placed in bottom-
heat, where they soon root. This is the best way of
propagation. Ordinary summer heat is sufficient during
all stages of growth, but a somewhat higher temperature
‘facilitates propagation,
ARISTOLOCHIA ELEGANS.—This climber is well known to
cultivators of greenhouse plants, and when ample root-
room is provided it usually grows very thriftily. It has
abundant twining stems and neat small, very slightly #lau-
356
cous leaves, and bears in great abundance flowers of the
quaintest beauty. The open corollas are varied with
reddish brown tracery, and havea broad signal mark of the
same color where the tube contracts. While usually grown
Fig. 50.—Betula populifolia
x. A fruiting branch, natural size. 2. Scale of a strobile, enlarged.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 393.
necessary to cut it down to a foot or more above the roots,
which should be potted in the fall and stored in a mod-
erately warm place, with slight supplies of moisture. The
plant has none of the disagreeable odor which character-
» papyrifera.—See page 355.
3. A nut, enlarged. 4. A leaf of Betula papyrifera, natural size.
5. A leaf of Betula populifolia, natural size.
under glass, this is a very satisfactory vine in this latitude
when planted in rich soil in the open border, and is well
worth the attention of those who wish climbing plants of
somewhat unusual character. ‘To winter over it is only
izes some members of the family. Its sprays are effective
when cut, and the clean foliage adds to its usefulness in
this direction. e
GRAMMATOPHYLLUM sPEciosum.—The largest specimen of
a ey
SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.]
this gigantic Orchid everseen in Europe is in the Kew col-
lection, where it has been three years, it having been pre-
sented by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., who imported it from
Malaya, intending to exhibit it at the Chicago exhibition,
but it arrived in too damaged a condition to send to
America. It has recovered surprisingly since it came to
Kew,, where it is placedon a large tub in a corner of the
Victoria regia tank, so that it obtains plenty of sunlight and
moisture, both atmospheric and at the root. Mr. Watson
writes that it has made new pseudo-bulbs over six feet in
length and as thick asa man’s wrist, clothed with ensiform
leaves, nearly two feet long. In some parts of Asia its
pseudo-bulbs grow to a length of ten feet and its enormous
branched racemes are over seven feet long, clothed with
fleshy flowers six inches in diameter and colored yellow
with red-purple blotches, Plants ofit have produced flow-
ers in England, but only imperfectly, and a characteristic
spike is yet to be seen in cultivation. Travelers describe
wild specimens, which consist of a hundred or more pseudo-
bulbs, forming a mass twelve feet in diameter and bearing
about thirty spikes of flowers. It is epiphytic on very large
trees.
Cultural Department.
Carnation Notes. 4
HE time for lifting Carnations has now arrived. We prefer
to house our plants from the 5th to the roth of September,
waiting until the later date if the weather is very warm, as the
plants suffer considerably if planting is followed by several hot
days. Opinions differ as to whether the plants should be lifted
with a ball of earth. One successful grower in this state
always shakes every particle of earth away. Last year we tried
a number of plants lifted each way; those with the earth at-
tached wilted less and started into growth much better than
the others. Where the soil is of a sandy nature, and shakes
away readily, there is less lability of injury to the root-fibres
than where it is heavy.
The distances the plants are to be set apart depends alto-
gether on their size. Slender-growing sorts, like Lizzie
McGowan, can be set much closer than robust kinds,
such as F. Mangold and William Scott. The compost should
be of a generous nature, as Carnations require more feeding
than they usually receive. The plants should be pressed
firmly in the ground with the hands and set sufficiently deep
not to topple over. After planting, a thorough soaking of
water should be given, and syringing attended to three times
daily on all bright days. Ina week's time all signs of wilting
should have disappeared. The ventilators and doors should
be left wide open night and day for some little time. When
the plants are set out a light shading on the glass for a few
days is beneficial. A little lime-water, applied with an ordi-
nary syringe or force-pump, answers very well. It will not
need to be washed off, as one or two heavy rains remove all
traces of it.
Our plants, placed in the benches last September, are still
(August 29th) loaded with flowers of fully as good quality as
those borne in spring. We have fed them heavily all summer,
using liquid-manure fully as strong as we give Chrysanthe-
mums. These will be pulled out in a few days. After removy-
ing the old compost we wash the benches with crude petro-
leum and lime, and then refill and plant at once.
Among the new Carnations sent out last spring, the finest
growth has been made by Bride of Erlescort, a white Canadian
variety, which attracted considerable attention in Boston last
February. Complaints are general that this variety is badly
affected with rust, but we have not seen a trace on our plants,
which have made the best growth of any sort we grow. Alaska,
the late Mr. W. E. Chitty’s new white introduction, also proves
a fine grower. Bridesmaid has made very good plants, but
Rose Queen looks rather small and sickly. The Stuart, a
variety sent out last year by Mr. Dorner, has made the poorest
growth of any kind here. The fine variety, Helen Keller,
which grew indifferently and bloomed unsatisfactorily under
glass, has made large plants in the open. We have not ob-
served a vestige of rust on any plants. No diseased stock
should be allowed inside a greenhouse. It is better to buy
clean stock from a neighboring florist than to house plants
which will probably never give satisfaction and be an eyesore
all the season.
In many places benches now filled with Chrysanthemums
Garden and Forest.
35if
can be utilized for Carnations after the middle of November.
A quantity of plants lifted and potted into five and six inch
pots and held over in a frame can be used for this purpose.
It is always well to pot up some of the surplus plants. They
are useful to fill up blanks which may occur, and also for the
greenhouse or conservatory. For pot plants the following
sorts are excellent: Mrs. Fisher, William Scott, Hector, Win-
ter Cheer and F. Mangold. As there is usually a scarcity of
bench-room during the Chrysanthemum season, these plants
can be carried over in a frame safely by taking proper precau-
tions when cold nights come on.
Summer-flowering varieties in the open ground are still
yielding an abundance of flowers and will continue to do so
for some weeks. Last year we picked excellent flowers on
November sth. Dead flowers should be removed and the
plants occasionally tied up. A sprinkling of chemical fertilizer
and watering with liquid-manure will be appreciated, and the
surface soil should be stirred constantly. ,
Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig.
The Garden in Late Summer.
Y garden just now seems to me less interesting than at
any other time in the year, in spite of the fact that howers
are at this time very plentiful. What with the fierce August
sun, which hardens up the foliage and at rnidday causes most
flowers to flag, and brings a lassitude more suggestive of va-
cation ramblings than worrying the soil, the garden at this
time lacks its usualinspirations. Fortunately, there is little at-
tention or labor actually necessary now, and one may for pas-
time review some of his season’s successes and failures and
plan for a new season.
Among my earliest failures this year were the Calochorti.
These flowered beautifully last year when planted in the open.
In order to give them a severe test the bulbs were left in the
ground, where they apparently survived, for they threw up
good foliage early in the winter, which stood unscathed during
some severe weather. Later on we had some extreme cold
weather, with a temperature about zero for a week or more
day and night, and this proved too much for the Calochortus-
leaves, which were ruined. As they make very little foliage,
this was fatal to their further progress, and no new foliage or
flowers appeared.. Calochortus-bulbs are perfectly hardy and
very easily grown and flowered in the open, but they are safe
only under certain conditions. The bulbs should be planted
as late as possible, about the end of November here, and
lifted soon after they have flowered. No covering is necessary
here, though it is well to protect them from excessive mois-
ture. They are not particular as to soil, though it is better not
too heavy, and free from manure, of course. One cannot
overdraw the beauty of these California flowers, especially the
Venustus kinds. They are very charming and unique, and
can be recommended without reserve to every one, Curiously,
they are rarely seen in gardens, though the bulbs are cheap
and readily obtainable.
Romneya Coulteri is another California plant which retro-
graded with me this year. Its new shoots scarcely made an
appearance before May Ist, and these, instead of forming a
growthsome six feetin diameter, as they did last year, have made
hardly a tithe of that amount, and flowers seem as far distant
as ever. However, that the plant survived the rigors of last
winter with trifling protection is great encouragement, as the
main point is to find that it will live in the open. The flowers
are, no doubt, as handsome in my anticipation as they will
prove to be in reality when they arrive, if they ever do.
My Bamboos also madea new record this year; that is, their
canes were cut to the ground by freezing weather for the first
time in five years during which they have grown here. Usu-
ally they lose all their leaves, but new breaks are made in the
spring on the old stems. My collection comprises Bambusa
palmata, B. aurea, B. viridi glaucescens, B. Simonii, B. Raga-
moskii and B. Quilioi, which are certainly hardy here in roots
and runners. Unfortunately, they are not planted in suitable
earth and do not make great progress. To do their best they
should have a rich, gpen moist soil, full of humus and a moist
warm atmosphere. A plant of B. Ragamoskii, a large, broad-
leaved species, which was transferred toa tubin the green-
house, makes more and better growth there than it has
previously made out-of-doors in a season. Another broad-
leaved species, B. palmata, may possibly be rather more
hardy than the other species named, as it was the only one
which retained any green leaves last winter. After having grown
Bamboos so long, I am as yet quite undecided as to their
merits. They cannot be said to be very striking plants, by
which I mean they will not arrest the attention of a casual
358
observer, though they possess both grace of habit and distinct-
ness of foliage. They make much litter in the garden, and
it is quite late in the summer before they show their effective-
ness. Whatever they may prove to be out-of-doors, they cer-
tainly make good decorative plants if grown under glass, where
they are suited with conditions under which Palms thrive.
Crotons are plants which flourish in dampness and heat.
They have been so much recommended for bedding lately
that I plunged out a few plants to fill a bed which had been
used for spring-flowering bulbs. In full sunshine they have
grown well and made good foliage, but this has not become
as highly colored as could be desired, and they would evi-
dently be better in a hotter season. However, it is evident
that they are desirable and effective plants in such a position.
Their special drawback would be their care during winter, as
they require storage in warmth such as can only be had ina
greenhouse, while a tropical house would suit them better.
Cultural successes often depend on conditions which one
fails to note in his rules. One of the friends who responded
to my request for cultural notes for Gloriosa superba, kindly
accompanied the note with a fine specimen of the tubers as
produced by him. Evidently the tuber is the thing. Witha
strong root the culture is simplicity itself, and where formerly
with small tubers I had no flowers, with the large ones, under
the same conditions, this quaint Malabar Lily flowers as freely
as can be desired, without any special conditions in the green-
house fairly well ventilated but rather moist usually. A col-
lection of plants is well calculated to keep one thinking on
cultural requisites. It often happens when one has con-
cluded that he understands all about growing certain sorts
which have heretofore come along as certainly as Pusley, these
same plants refuse, for some occult reason, to prosper. At
about the same time some other one, which haga reputation for
confounding the most skillful growers, will start up and flower
beautifully, and the perplexed gardener can only conclude
that the plants do most of their own growing and owe very
little to him.
Elizabeth, N. J. F. N. Gerard.
Rosa Wichuraiana.—This creeping single-flowered white
Rose, which has been so largely used about Boston for covering
slopes, mounds and the like, is adapted to many other pur-
poses. A two-year-old plant at the home of Mr. C. A. Dana,
on Long Island, has been trained on an arch at least seven feet
high. The plant was put in at one side of the arch only ; it
has already covered the woodwork all round with a dense
growth, and the points of the growing shoots take root firmly
on the opposite side as they reach the ground. It evidently
flowers more profusely in this position than when allowed to
trail along the ground. Some specimens of this Rose which I
saw at Kew, planted on a sunny slope, did not appear to be
making much headway ; this was, perhaps, owing to the very
dry weather they have experienced there recently. In the
Botanic Garden here plants one year old from cuttings
cover a space of about twenty square feet and flower very
freely. This Rose should certainly have a trial in every gar-
den, Cuttings of half-ripened wood from outdoor plants put
in damp sand about this time in a shady spot, and covered with
a few large panes of glass, will soon take root. In fact, it is
one of the easiest of Roses to root. :
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W. Oliver.
The Faxon Squash.—For two seasons we have been culti-
vating this variety, which is also known here as the Brazilian
Squash, and find it for summer use superior to either the
Summer Crookneck or Scallop Squash, and for winter of
equally good quality with the Hubbard at its best. It is not
large, but bears well, and is easily prepared for cooking on
account of its soft skin. It isa good keeper, too. It may not
behave everywhere as well as here, but with us it is a decided
acquisition.
Hy Gil:
Fruitvale, Calif.
Two Blue-flowered Annuals.—Browallia speciosa major has
flowers of much the same color as the well-known B. elata,
although containing, perhaps, a trifle more of purple, but they
are much larger and the plant makes one of the showiest an-
nuals imaginable. To do it well the seed ought to be sown
indoors and pricked off into boxes, so that when planting-out
time arrives the seedlings will be in an advanced condition.
Lobelia heterophylla resembles an upright-growing L. erinus,
with few branches and flowers of the same coloras that popular
species, and about oneanda halfinches in diameter. If planted
closely together the effect of these plants when in bloom is tell-
ing. Altogether, it is one of the prettiest blue-flowered an-
nuals in cultivation.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 393.
Euphorbia hematodes.—This is one of the handsomest of the
dark-foliaged plants for outdoor decoration, The leaves are
almost round, dark claret-color above, paler beneath. During
the summer it will grow to a height of about two feet. It is
useful as a contrasting color to some of the variegated grasses,
and is just what is needed for planting in situations where a
good supply of water is not available, as it does not seem to
suffer from drought in the least. In propagating from cut-
tings, as many of the leaves as possible should be left on the
pieces, as they seem to give nourishment to the cutting until it
sends forth one or two tiny roots ; they should then be carefully
taken from the sand and put, say, half adozen round the edge
of a five-inch pot, and shifted into three-inch pots as soon as
they make a little growth.
Botanic Garden, Washington, 1D, Gs G. We 0:
Correspondence.
The Flower Garden at Wellesley.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—A special feature of this garden, and one not usually
found, is the use of many rare, and often valuable, plants.
The garden is surrounded by a hedge, and facing one of the
openings is a bed of mixed plants. Some of these are her-
baceous and bloom early in the season, such as Delphiniums,
Foxgloves and Canterbury Bells, the colors blending harmo-
niously, and they are most effective when seen in lines. A
row of mixed Hollyhocks follows later, the season being wound
up with a goodly variety of herbaceous Phloxes. The nu-
merous interspaces are filled with summer-flowering plants—
Celosias, Zinnias, Amaranths, Daturas, Cannas, Marigolds,
Sunflowers, Antirrhinums, Petunias, Salvias and a host of
other showy plants. Inside the path which circles the garden
are a number of beds. Many contain commonplace plants,
but always used with a true artist’s knowledge of the proper
blending of colors, for which Mr. Harris, the gardener, has a
well-deserved reputation.
The ‘ Tropical” bed is just now one mass of foliaged plants,
relieved only, but quite effectively, by a few plants of Cleome
pungens, a showy annual, which, although coming from the
West Indies, has proved hardy here. The variety of plants
used are Abutilons, Daturas, Eucalyptus, Castor-beans, Aloca-
sias and Wigandias,
The Phormium bed probably could not be duplicated any-
where in the United States. P. tenax is the well-known New
Zealand Flax. It has large coriaceous sword-like leaves nearly
six feet long arising from a common root-stock in the same
way as those of the common Iris. It belongs to the Lily
family. Both known species are here represented. P. tenax
is the strongest grower and the best known, attaining the
height of six feet or more. P. Cookianum (P. Colensoi) is rarer
in cultivation, and characterized by more or less drooping
leaves with entire tips. The variegated form is here shown,
which is said to make an elegant pot-plant. P. tenax Veitchi-
anum, also a variegated form, is the dwarfest of all, not more
than three feet tall; it isa very compact grower. The whole
bed is appropriately edged with Chlorophytum (Anthericum)
elatum variegatum.
The Grass bed is another interesting feature, and, if not the
brightest, it is certainly one of the most attractive in the gar-
den, not excepting the succulent bed. Here the giant among
Grasses, Arundo Donax, looms up twelve feet tall. It is quite
hardy, but the variegated form is not. The green, striped and
barred forms of Mischanthus Sinensis (Eulalia Japonica) and
also Eulalia univittata, var. gracillima, are all in pleasing con-
trast. Papyrus Antiquorum stands out in bold relief, and along
the edge of the bed another dwarfer and more graceful kind
of Papyrus, yet unnamed, Panicum plicatum, with, compara-
tively, broad deeply furrowed, recurving leaves, makes a very
beautiful edging.
There is a remarkably healthy bed of Clothilde Soupert
Rose which endured the last winter successfully. This is the
handsomest of all the Polyantha Roses, and nearly a perpetual
bloomer.
A bed of Lantanas is worthy of note, if only on account of
the age and size of many of the specimens. They are all
trimmed into neat bushes. Some of the larger ones are nearly
twenty years old, while many of the smaller ones, not more
than eighteen inches high, are from eight to ten years old.
The water-tank is an attraction which must not be omitted. It
is a circular basin, with a vase on stilts, over which a small
fountain plays. Inthe vase is a plant of the water Milfoil,
Myriophyllum_ proserpinacoides, from Chili. Its long, grace-
fully drooping stems are clothed with finely divided verticil-
SEPTEMBER 4, 1895.]
late leaves, having a very pretty effect. The basin is filled
with plants of the Sacred Bean, Nelumbium speciosum. A
semicircular tank on the outside of this is allotted to the water
Hyacinth and the water Poppy. It is noteworthy that the
Papyrus Antiquorum and also Hedychium Gardnerianum,
which are recommended by dealers in aquatic plants, thrive
much better in the open ground than they do as aquatics.
The unusually large number of tender evergreens is sure to
cause remark. Here, perhaps, is the finest collection to be
found anywhere on this side of the Atlantic; certainly, if the
age and size of the plants is the main consideration. Few vis-
itors realize the amount of care these plants require ; and bear-
ing in mind that all these shrubs have to be stored in cellars, or
given winter protection under cover where the temperature
does not go much below freezing point, it is surprising how
rapidly they recover each year from removal and assume a
home-like appearance. They are mostly trimmed or cut into
shape, and most judiciously disposed throughout the garden.
Before giving in detail any accountof the tender evergreens,
there is one coniferous tree worth especial remark. This is
the Parasol-tree of Japan, Sciadopitys umbellata. It isa per-
fect sugar-loaf in shape, about fifteen feet high, and has never
been injured.
There are Japanese Spindle trees in endless variety, in all
forms and degrees of variegation. Two of these weigh nearly
. half a ton each, and it is a considerable piece of work to move
them indoors and out every year. Osmanthus fragrans
variegata and O. Aquifolium are both handsome evergreens
and very distinct-looking members of the Privet family.
Aucuba Japonica, although very common in European gar-
dens, where it is hardy, is seldom seen here. It is dicecious,
and in order to have the pistillate plants well set with bright
red berries, some staminate plants must be grown with them,
It is difficult to do this where plants have to be pollinated under
glass, but Mr. Harris has succeeded well, and has had some
plants handsomely covered with berries. Pittosporum Tobira
is a beautiful dark-leaved shrub. Itis a favorite plant in the
Paris flower-market, and largely grown for its very fragrant
blossoms. Ligustrum coriaceum, with dark green, sinuated
leaves, is a most singular-looking bush.
Palms are represented here by three large plants of Chame-
rops Fortunei, which, in winter, are stored in the cellar. The
tallest of theseis fifteen feet high and now covered with large
bunches of ripe fruit.
English Hollies are well represented in many forms in de-
grees of variegation, These are among the most difficult
shrubs to care for in winter, being very liable to lose their
leaves, and often in an unaccountable manner. The roots do
not hold soil well, and unless grown in tubs they are sure to
come up in the autumn without any ball of earth.
Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield.
Rhus Poisoning.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—The various letters upon the influence of Poison Ivy,
which have appeared in recent issues of your journal, have
been read by me with more than ordinary interest in view
of the somewhat extended personal experience which has
fallen to my lot in this respect. As pointed out by Mr. Harri-
son, in your issue of July 3d, the poisonous principle is not
peculiar to any one species of Rhus, but is more or less com-
mon to the entire family. Thus, in breaking open an old
“Marking Nut,” Semecarpus anacardium, I was subjected to
the effects of the black, varnish-like latex found in the inte-
rior, which were those of our common Rhus Toxicodendron,
My chief experience, however, has been with the Japanese
lacquer as derived from R. vernicifera, the poisonous quali-
ties of which are well known to Europeans, though many of
the Japanese, notably those who gather and prepare the latex,
as well as those who apply it to its various uses, are wholly
exempt from its ill effects.
This most valuable of varnishes is not only applied to the
manufacture of the many kinds of lacquered wares for which
the Japanese are so well known, but it is employed for all
those purposes for which we generally use other materials.
It will, therefore, be understood that there are many occasions
on which a susceptible European may receive the full effects
of this extremely distressing poison before he is aware of its
proximity. My first experience with the poison was when
some material was brought to me for examination with a view
to its employment in the manufacture of a particular kind of
varnish. Not suspecting that so poisonous a substance as
lacquer would be handed to me without warning, I stirred and
smelt of it before asking what it was. The answer convinced
Garden and Forest.
359
me that serious results were likely to follow, and when, two
days later, I could scarcely see out of my swollen eyes, I found
that my fears had been well founded. On a later occasion I
was called upon to enter a building approaching completion,
when I found the workmen using lacquer for the wood-work.
Again serious results followed. During a residence of four
years in Japan I suffered, in all about twelve or fifteen times,
from the effects of this poison, but the first attack was by far
the worst, and my final impression was that the system be-
came gradually habituated toits action, so that the results were
in each case less serious than on the previous occasion.
One very well-defined feature of its action was that aftera
few experiences it was always possible for me to ascertain
whenever I came into an atmosphere charged with the poison,
as in a close room, This was manifested by a well-defined,
though not strong, acid,taste in the mouth and a slight, some-
what acute, pain directly between the eyes. Both of these
effects would disappear on regaining the fresh air, but they
were invariable symptoms of the results to follow.
Notwithstanding the fact that the active principle is volatile,
it sometimes displays a persistency beyond what might be
expected. Thus, freshly made lacquer, as sold in the shops, is
distinctly dangerous, as I have found to my cost, and the dan-
ger from this source does not disappear until the lacquer is
several weeks old.
The only method of treatment with which I became familiar,
as employed by the Japanese, is to take the flesh and juices of
a fresh giant spider-crab, Macrocheira Keempferi, commonly
sold in the markets for food, and apply freely to the irritated
parts. The effect is gratefully soothing, but beyond this I am
not aware that there is any specific action. The treatment
eventually adopted was to make free applications of a solution
of hyposulphite of soda, one-half ounce; glycerine, three
ounces; carbolic acid, sixty drops, and water, ten ounces.
This not only produces a very soothing effect, but appears to
reduce the inflammation and hasten the drying-up process in
a very marked degree. So efficacious has this treatment been
that I have frequently made solutions for others, and its use
has always been attended with excellent results.
D, P. Penhallow.
Montreal.
Recent Publications.
The Story of the Plants. By Grant Allen.
D. Appleton & Co.
This little book belongs to that useful series of which the
Story of the Stars and the Svory of Primitive Man have
already appeared. The object of each one is to present the
leading facts in some branch of knowledge in a clear, inter-
esting way, and in language comprehensible to any reader
of ordinary intelligence. This especial book is not popu-
lar in the sense of being superficial, nor does it treat mainly
of what are generally considered the oddities and marvels
of plant-life. On the whole, it is rather philosophical. Mr.
Allen does aim primarily to make a picturesque story, but
in the light of the latest botanical discoveries he sketches the
history of vegetation on the earth from the simple primor-
dial plant-forms of remote geological times down through
the long history of the race to the immense diversity of
plant-life as we now know it. Of course, such a sketch in
a short two hundred pages must be a mere outline, and
such an outline cannot connect the leading facts in so vast
a subject as the evolution of plants in an orderly, continu-
ous and consecutive way unless its author has a well-de-
veloped faculty for rejection. It can truly be said that Mr.
Allen has been singularly wise in choosing his topics, and
that he has successfully accomplished what he set out to do,
which, in his own language, is “to treat the history of
plants much as one treats the history of a nation, begin-
ning with their simple and unobtrusive origin and tracing
them up through ¥arying stages to their highest point of
beauty and efficiency.” The general theory of evolution
has been adopted throughout and the plants are treated in
accordance with the commonly accepted principles of
heredity, variation, etc., so that the diverse ways in
which plants have come to differ from the primitive pat-
tern, their methods of eating, drinking, digesting, marry-
ing and giving in marriage, producing and rearing their
young, all fall into their proper places as related parts of
one comprehensive plan or one continued story. The oft-
New York:
360
repeated tale of fertilization by insects and by wind was never
more briefly or graphically told than in this little volume.
Very clearly, too, in the chapter on Stems and Branches is
it set forth how the different parts of the plant have devel-
oped, and how all these parts have been united together in
so many ways to form a single organized community. In
the chapter on Plant Biographies, which follows the sepa-
rate consideration of the various elements of plant-life,
some specimen lives of individual plants are taken up and
traced through from the cradle to the grave with all their
vicissitudes. Altogether, the book is an excellent one to
put in the hands of any inquisitive young person. It will
not discourage them by showing them how impossible is
the task of discovering all that is to be learned in the
structure and life of any one species, or even of a sin-
gle tiny weed, but it will rather stimulate them to personal
investigation, with the assurance that “even the little
episodes in plant-life which they can pick out piecemeal
are full of romance, of charm and of novelty.”
Notes.
The large ripe yellow cucumbers that are occasionally seen
in the markets at this season are used by German families,
who make a mustard pickle of them. They cost only a cent
or two apiece.
In a paper on Chrysanthemums read at the late Florists’
Convention, Mr. E. G. Hill said that if he were limited abso-
lutely to twelve varieties he would grow Viviand Morel, E.
Dailledouze, Philadelphia, Mrs. H. Robinson, M. Richard Dean,
George W. Childs, Ivory, H. L. Sunderbruch, H. W. Rieman,
Niveum, Queen and R. McInnes.
Dr. William Albert Setchell, who is now Assistant Professor
of Botany in the Sheffield Scientific School, has been selected
to fill the chair of Botany in the University of California, which
was made vacant by the resignation of Professor Greene. The
people of California are to be congratulated on securing the
services of a man who, while yet in early life, has won suchan
enviable position among the biologists of the country, Pro-
fessor Setchell was elected a member of the Botanical Society
of America last week.
One can hardly overestimate the value of our native Sun-
flowers at this season. Tall varieties, like Helianthus orgy-
alis and H. Maximilliani, bloom later in the season, but such
species as H. rigidus, with its rich orange yellow flowers, and
H. mollis, with a yellow disk as well as yellow rays and soft
white woolly foliage, are both striking plants. The first of
these when well established makes a shapely mass four to six
feet high, while the other is smaller and so distinct that it is
worth a place in any collection of perennials however select.
The prices. of lemons are, perhaps, influenced more by the
weather than those of any other fruit, and during the swelter-
ing days of last week extraordinary figures were quoted.
Majoris sold for as much as $9.00 a box at the wholesale auc-
tions, and choice Sicily lemons brought $7.75. The difference
in prices between lemons and oranges is most marked at this
season, the best Rodi oranges now costing $3.75. A car-load
of California oranges sold here on August 3oth averaged
$2.76 a box, wholesale, an unusually high price for this fruit so
late in the season.
Every one is familiar with the Swamp Rose Mallow, so often
seen in the salt marshes, where the delicate pink or white
flowers have a singularly beautiful effect when surrounded by
tall grasses. As we have often explained, this Rose Mallow,
like many other plants which naturally seem to take to the
water, thrive equally well in good garden-soil anywhere. Just
now great masses of this Hibiscus Moscheutos, five or six feet
high, are strikingly effective in the hardy-flower garden in
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, even among our other stately
autumn-flowering plants like the Silphiums and Sunflowers.
Professor Slingerland, of Cornell University, writes in the
Rural New Yorker that tincture of Grindelia, diluted with three
times its bull of water, has been used successfully as a remedy
for poison from Rhus Toxicodendron. This diluted tincture
should be applied as soon as the irritation is felt and before the
characteristic pustules appear. If used two or three times an
hour at this stage of the poisoning the irritation will be checked
and no pustules will be formed. If not applied until the pus-
tules appear it will prevent the formation of new ones and
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 393.
check the spread of the disease to other parts, and the pustules
already formed will simply run their course.
Mr. J. Woodward Manning, in urging the planting of hardy
herbaceous plants for florists’ use, at the Pittsburg Convention,
recommended as the best six white-flowering plants: Achillea
(The Pearl), Centaurea montana alba, Euphorbia corollata,
Lathyrus latifolius, Pyrethrum uliginosum, Double Lychnis
vespertina ; the bestsix yellow-flowering plants: Buphthalmum
salicifolium, Coreopsis lanceolata, Doronicum plantagineum,
var. excelsum, Helenium Hoopesii, the Double Helianthus
multiflorus, Hemerocallis Thunbergii ; the best six blue plants:
Campanula Carpathica, Delphinium Chinensis, Platycodon
grandiflorum, Scabiosa Caucasica, Veronica amethystina, V.~
longifolia subsessilis ; and the best of pink or red: Centaurea
declinata, Heuchera sanguinea, Malva Alcea, hybrid Pyre-
thrums, Lychnis flos cuculi plenissima, Silene virginica.
During the first six months of the current year more than ten
million bunches of bananas have been sold in the United
States, and since about sixty vessels are engaged in carrying
this fruit to our markets, and from fifty toa hundred men are
employed in unloading each cargo as it arrives, the banana busi-
ness now probably takes rank as the leading branch in the fruit
trade. The great increase in the consumption of bananas is
due to the fact that the country fruit-stores can dispose of them
more readily than that of other kinds of fruit on account of their
cheapness, and many country merchants have built ripening-
rooms for the fruit when received by them in a green state.
According to the fruit Trade Fournal, the arrangements for
receiving and discharging cargoes are more systematic in
New Orleans than any other port of this country. The vessels
there unload immediately on arrival at any time of day or
night, and the railroads give special attention to shipments, so
that the banana trains often leave New Orleans and make as
good time as passenger trains to their destination. In 1891 New
Orleans for the first time received more bananas than New York,
but already in the first half of the year her importations ex-
celled those of New York by more than 800,000 bunches.
Mobile ranks as the third port in the number of bunches re-
ceived, while Philadelphia and Boston compete closely for
the fourth place.
The extremely hot weather of the past week has hurried the
ripening of Bartlett pears, and large quantities are now in the
markets. The crop is unusually heavy this year, and much of
it is being carried in cold storage. Large highly colored Bart-
letts are now coming from the Hudson River orchards, and
these sell at a considerable advance over the cloudy colored
pears from New Jersey. Fancy Bartletts command $2.25 a
barrel in the wholesale markets ; Clapp’s Favorite brings the
same price, and choice Seckels sell for $2.50. Lower grades
of these sorts and of Beurre d’Anjou, Buerre Clairgeau, Shel-
don, etc., are plentiful, and can be had as low as seventy-five
cents and a dollara barrel. Apples are even more abundant,
and all but hard red varieties are selling at a disadvantage.
Hand-picked Alexanders and Gravensteins sell for the highest
price—§2.00 a barrel. Peaches from Maryland, Delaware and
New Jersey are of a good average quality, and the supply has
not been excessive. Seventy-five cents to a dollar and a quar-
ter a basket was the range of prices for really good fruit on
Saturday. Delaware, Concord, Worden and Niagara grapes
from western New York have now succeeded the southern
product, and a five-pound basket of any of these varieties may
be had for fifteen cents. The first Cape Cod cranberries are
already here, and have sold by the barrel for $6.50. The
demand, however, is small and uncertain so early in the sea-
son. The Cape Cod crop is estimated to be twice as
large as that of last year, and the New Jersey crop is
also larger. California plums are offered in moderate
enough quantity to maintain good prices, $1.00 a box being
the average wholesale price for good sorts. Among showy
kinds are the delicately colored Silver prune, the golden Ege
plum, the deep purple German prune, the very large deep red
Gros prune and the small Hungarian plum, of a lighter shade.
Peaches are considered above the usual quality, and prices are
fair, considering the eastern competition. California Bartlett
pears are in demand at high prices, notwithstanding the large
local supply, and showy Seckels are also in favor at good
prices. Among western coast grapes are Rose of Peru, with
large round black berries, the yellow medium-sized Chasselas
de Fontainebleau, Black Morocco, the popular Black Hamburg,
the large broad-shouldered bunches tapering to a point. Tokay
grapes of rich color sell for $2.50in double crates on the docks.
Forty-four car-loads of California fruits were sold here in five
days of last week against sixty-seven car-loads during the cor-
responding days of last year.
SEPTEMBER II, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
OrFice: Trisung BuiLpinc, NEw York.
Gonducted by’ .: 3 «© \~ %s) ec... «2? ~Frofessor C. S, SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
EpiroriaL ARTICLES :—Unnatural Gardening. .........esseeseeseeecuseeeeseeees 361
Phen elishsOalt: 5 (WithtHoures)eeuetcriiencses oe seeecsehtcsctecacves 362
The Pines in a Dry Summer... scsscssecserseccetecees Mrs. Mary Treat. 362
Notes on some Arborescent Willows of North Aimerica.—I ...4/. S. Bebb. 363
FoREIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter. .....-.0+.s++--eee--- W. Goldring. 364
PRCA EN ODE Sartctetereretslelete eee eleiais is (oles oleate serteletatatateiats a 'oy2 orn 0-6.0:e's sicisielere cles ieee ee 364
Cu.tturaL DerarTMENT :—Notes on Hardy Perennial! Plants,
R. Cameron, ¥. Woodward Manning. 366
(Cathe 5 Sebbadnbar con br LOor Sonor arcade ho oa eee T. D. Hatfield. 367
Notes from Cornell University..........+ sees -..G. Harold Powell. 368
Isotoma longiflora, Caladium argyrites.........-.+ - G. W. Oliver. 368
-- WR. Gerard. 368
--Professor T. ¥. Burrill. 368
Perey, Anna Murray Vail. 369
CoRRESPONDENCE :—Origin of the Name Sambucus.
Rhus MOisOningesscns-aurcitacaja, sajsentorccainen
The Sacred Lotus in Egypt.......
RECENT PUBLICATIONS . ry 369
NOTES.20.. 002 cess ences 370
ILLustRaTION :—Oaks in Sherwood Forest, Fig. 51.1... seeesecces seer teeeeecece 365
Unnatural Gardening.
HEN Hamlet counseled, the players “to hold the
mirror up to nature,” he hardly meant that in their
acting they should abandon themselves to unpremeditated
impulse. The most natural acting is the most studied art.
So a natural garden is not one given over to the sponta-
neous and uncontrolled growths of nature, but one in
which a finished artist intensifies the effects that nature
produces by emphasizing a feature here and there and
eliminating every element that distracts from the central
purpose of the scene. It is our belief that landscape-art
reaches its highest development when it deals successfully
with the fundamental and permanent features of scenery,
and with a broad handling of a few simple elements pre-
sents typical pictures which are instinct with the poetry of
nature. In sincere work of this sort there will be no la-
bored attempt to conceal the hand of man. An affectation
of mere rusticity would strike a jarring note like any other
sham. Any landscape to be enjoyed as a work of art must
have artificial elements, and the severest taste will never
disapprove of good honest roads and walks with trim turf
borders simply because they are non-natural. Indeed, the
artificial construction may be so arranged as to heighten
the charm of the picture and add to our appreciation of the
creative genius of its designer.
Of course, there are other fields of garden art, and a
catholic taste has no controversy with any true art. There
are contracted spaces to which an ornate and strictly arti-
ficial style is adapted. There are architectural terraces
and monumental buildings which need the lines of formal
planting to supplement and complete them. Along a stately
promenade like the Riverside Drive in this city, where the
foreground is strictly defined by a parapet, there is an oppor-
tunity within this limit for statues and fountains and floral
embellishment of the most sumptuous and elaborate kind,
and this would serve as a fitting framework for the pros-
pect across the broad river with the forest-crowned cliffs
and the noble sky-line beyond. Many other places might
be named where so-called decorative gardening and geo-
metrical arrangements of flowering plants would be desira-
ble, and wherever a real artist gives examples of his skill
Garden and Forest.
361
in this direction he commands the gratitude of every one
interested in garden art. ;
All this we have stated before so often and with such
fullness of detail that it ought not to be necessary to repeat
it. We believe that formal gardening isa legitimate form
of art, but it does not follow that we approve of all formal
gardens. A design conceived by an artist with a refined
sense of color and form, and with constructive ingenuity, is
one thing, buta pattern-bed, which is ugly in line and crude
in color, is quite another. Every one has seen geometrical
flower-beds of such elaborate pattern that they never can
be properly executed with plants as materials. Even where
they are not intrinsically bad—that is, where the figure is
pleasing and the colors are not constantly at war with each
other—they are often placed where they are out of har-
mony with the general design and with the special fea-
tures about them. Wherever in a public garden the recog-
nized canons of art are violated it is the province of a
journal devoted to the subject to criticise such displays,
and we have not hesitated to appeal to those in authority
and who are, therefore, in a substantial way educators of
the people, to furnish examples of gardening which will
not offend the purest taste. But there are worse sins
than those we have named, and there is no occasion here
to characterize such efforts as the portraits of eminent men
or the maps of different states wrought out on the turf with
Houseleeks and Echeverias. Such subjects, with the imi-
tations in color of flags and banners, badges and mottoes,
are too trivial for serious consideration. They discredit
the very name of garden art. Wherever used they can
only disfigure our parks, and are accurately described as
horticultural abominations.
Of course, shams of this sort cannot be spoken of with
any toleration. They are on a level with the Weeping
Willows made of human hair, which we sometimes see.
There is no more excuse for permitting their use in a pub-
lic park than there would be for decorating a city hall with
the portrait of the Mayor done with little sea-shells. In
regard to this spurious art we are led to explain our position
once more because so intelligent a person as the editor of
The Independent evidently conceives that our sole objec-
tion to it is based on the fact that “these floral pictures are
not naturalistic,” and on this assumption he argues that
the same objection lies against every cultivated plant and
gardening of allkinds. This statement is in the main true ;
but we have often argued that even in the natural treat-
ment of a landscape there must be artificial elements
which ought to be frankly used. We advocate formal gar-
dening within proper restrictions, for the very reason that
itis formal. When we protest against wall-paper designs
it is not because they are unnatural, but because they
violate artistic principles in form and color and location.
We need not here repeat the specific exceptions we have
taken against some of the displays in the Boston Public
Garden and certain western city parks, but it ought to be
stated that there are in our view serious objections to
these works from economic and other points of view aside
from the fact that many of them are puerile, others are
discordant in color or whimsical in form, and nearly all of
them are badly placed.
It is argued in favor of these flower-beds that ‘‘the taste
of the common people approves them.” No doubt, there
are many persons among those whom the editor of Zhe
Independent classifies as “common people” who agree
with him in admiring this so-called garden art. It is true,
also, that there are many persons who take greater delight
in the chromo-lithograph of a horse-race than in one of
Rubens’ canvases, and yet when a city government
founds an art gallery for public enjoyment and instruction
it does not fill it with chromos. There are people to
whose ears the melody of Grandfather’s Clock is more
pleasing than the Tannhéiuser Overture, but when a city
furnishes music for the people its aim should be to furnish
good music. When a public building or statue or monu-
ment is to be erected, the authorities are justly criticised if
362
they do not entrust the work to artists of the first rank.
Boston has wisely engaged Mr. Olmsted to design her
public parks. Why not consult an artist of equal rank to
furnish some permanent scheme for treating her Public
Garden? Men entrusted with the expenditure of the
people’s money should aim to improve the public taste, if
it is bad, rather than pander to it.
We are by no means convinced, however, that a ma-
jority of the common people, whoever they may be,
approve this kind of gardening. There is nothing more
snobbish or vulgar than the notion that the best art is be-
yond the appreciation of the great bulk of the people.
They like good architecture, good pictures, good music,
and whenever they have the opportunity to admire a good
garden they show their appreciation of it. When Boston
was full of delegates to the Christian Endeavor Convention
the Public Garden was thronged, as a matter of course, with
strangers, who inspected with interest the reproduction of
their emblems on the grass. It is probable that they would
have had greater admiration for an honest effort at a gen-
uine garden. Many of them have taken pains to assure us
of this fact by letter, and one lady expressed her bitter dis-
appointment at finding ‘floral fashions in Boston which
would not be tolerated” in the Kansas town where her
home is. Really, the bulk of our people despise shams and
artifice more and more. No one now thinks of sending to
a lady a heart constructed of white carnations and pierced
with an arrow of crimson ones. Floral designs imitating fid-
dles and bells and pieces of furniture have given place tosim-
pler arrangements of more harmonious color. The same
change is coming in the treatment of our pleasure-grounds,
The picture of four men of life-size rowing in a boat will
not again be seen spread out in gaudy colors on the turf of
any American park, and it is to be hoped that the famous
American Eagle with a glass eye, and the Gates Ajar, con-
structed with bits of blue stone to furnish a detail when
flowers of that color were not at hand, have both passed
away forever.
The English Oak.
F course there is a great diversity of size and habit in
the fifty species of Oak which grow in the United
States, and several of them rank among the most dignified
and majestic of our native trees. The best of them require
centuries of growth before they attain their noblest expres-
sion, so that it is true, as has been stated, that very few
Americans have ever seen a White Oak in its full expan-
sion grown to maturity in the open ground. ‘The differ-
ence in character between what Gilpin styles “an insulated
Oak which has developed without any lateral pressure”
and one which has struggled sturdily upward among other
trees in the forests is very marked. There are Live Oaks
in the south which have had free chance to show what they
can do when they had an opportunity to reach outward as
well as upward, and we have already expressed the opinion
that one of these trees at Drayton Manor, on the Ashley
River, South Carolina, is the most massive, symmetrical
and imposing tree in eastern North America. ‘The com-
mon British or Royal Oak resembles our White Oak in
habit of growth, and many of these trees are to be found
in parks and open forests of England, where they have
been undisturbed since the time of the Druids, and their
sturdy trunks, wide-spreading branches and venerable age
make them the most impressive features of the scenery, so
that it is little wonder that they are regarded with a feeling
akin to reverence.
a group of these trees, with the usual undergrowth of
Ferns, in Sherwood Forest, which has been a royal hunt-
ing-ground from time immemorial, famed in romance as
the home of Robin Hood, and noted for such historic trees
as the Parliament Oak, the Major Oak, the Shire Oak and
other celebrated specimens. These Oaks were quite as
eminent for the soundness and quality of their timber as
for their majestic appearance, and many of the best of
them have been cut for use in public buildings. There
The illustration on page 365 shows:
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 394.
is still in existence an autograph letter of Sir Christopher
Wren to the Duke of Newcastle, in which he acknowledges
the grant of certain trees from this forest to be used for
rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral after the great fire in Lon-
don: “Wee must accept,” writes Sir Christopher, “this sea-
son but ten of the great trees, and I presume once more to
acquaint you with the scantlings of the great Beames to
prevent mistake, to wit: forty-seven feet long and thirteen
by fourteen inches wide at the small end, growing timber,
this scantling to hold die square as neer as can be without
sap.” When we remember the amount of oak -timber that
has been used for British navies and for other construction,
it is a marvel that so many of the oldest and finest trees
remain in this forest unscathed, except by time.
While the English Oak is one of the noblest of trees in
its native land, like many other trees from across the
Atlantic, it does not succeed as well here, so that both
from an economical or an ornamental point of view it is
not as well worth planting as many of our native species.
The ordinary variety of the British Oak, Quercus peduncu-
lata, is a variable tree, and it has been cultivated so long that
numerous quite distinct forms have been established. There
are forty-five of these varieties in Kew Gardens, and some of
these, like the Pyramidal Oak, for example, seem to thrive
better here than the type. Since the climate of our Pacific
coast resembles that of England more closely than our own,
it is not improbable that the British Oak may make itself at
home there. Some experiments made by Professor Hil-
gard a few years ago seem to show that they are likely to
endure the severe droughts of a California summer, and
presumably they will find more favorable conditions in
Oregon and Washington. _ If this is true, this Oak will make
a valuable addition to the timber-trees of that region where
hardwoods are rare.
The Pines in a Dry Summer.
HE intenseheat and drought ofthe past two months has
driven collectors and students of plants in the Pines to
out-of-the-way nooks in damp places, while the usual quota
of plants is found in the ponds and marshes. One of our
best collectors of flowering plants, and of material for the
microscope, is a Japanese who joined our class a year ago.
But for his enthusiasm I fear our weekly meetings would
languish for lack of analytic material.
Among the plants now in bloom is Ludwigia alternifolia ;
growing in swampy places, its bright yellow flowers in the
upper axils appear all summer. The roundish seed-pods
are filled with tiny seeds, which, when ripe, can be
sprinkled from a round holein the top, as from a miniature
pepper-box. L. hirtella is like L. alternifolia, except that
the seed-pods of this species are not wing-angled and the
roots are tuberous. Decodon verticillatus is quite a hand-
some plant, growing sometimes in rather deep water, with
wand-like stems from six to eight feet in length, and clus-
ters of pinkish-purple flowers in the axils of the upper
leaves. In company with these Loosestrifes we find both
species of the nearly related Meadow Beauty, Rhexia Vir-
ginica and R. Mariana, in full bloom. There are so many
attractive features about these plants that one never ceases
to admire them. If we open the flower-bud we find eight
long golden anthers inverted and closely packed around
the pistil; as the flower expands they rise and take their
places jauntily in a horizontal position on top of the fila-
ments. The urn-shaped seed-pods, too, are ornamental, and
the seeds are coiled like snail-shells. All the minor details,
like the bristly hairs on the leaves and the small spur at
the attachment of the anthers, are wonderfully attractive
under a low power of the microscope.
Two or three species of Hydrocotyle are trailing along
in the moist places. Some of the plants are growing in
water along the edge of the pond, while others are on
comparatively dry ground. The umbels of small white
flowers are on long peduncles, and often these umbels are
one above the other, sometimes to the number of three or
four. H. umbellata has round shield-shaped leaves, and
SEPTEMBER II, 1895.]
when it grows on the drier ground its running root-stocks
are tuber-bearing, while plants in wet places are free from
tubers. The Button Snakeroot, Eryngium Virginianum, is
another interesting plantamong the Umbelliferze ; the flow-
ers are of a dull bluish color in round dense heads. Another
species, E. yuccefolium, is also here. This species has
long, thick parallel-veined leaves which look very much
like those of Yucca filamentosa. The flowering stems are
taller and stouter, and the heads of the flowers are larger
than those of E. Virginianum,
The Cardinal-flower is still lighting up the damp Pines
with its flaming red spikes of flowers, and the less con-
spicuous, but pretty, blue Lobelia syphilitica is near by.
Everywhere the damp Pines are redolent with Clethra, the
drought and great heat not having lessened the mass of
bloom. Several species of Polygala are flowering now.
The bright orange heads of P. lutea are conspicuous among
the tall Grasses, and so are the dense red heads of P. san-
guinea. The much-branched P. fastigiata, with paler
flowers, is scattered among them. The Gerardias, too, are
making a fine display at this time, especially the tall purple
Gerardia, its wide-spreading branches laden with large
rose-purple flowers, and G, auriculata, scarcely branched
at all, but full of flowers all along the axils of the stout
stem. ,
The handsome Monkey-flower, Mimulus ringens, with
mirth-provoking face-like corolla, seems to peer at us out
of hidden recesses, along with the pretty Gratiola aurea,
which has bright golden flowers as an offset to the rich
purple of the Mimulus. Several species of Dodder are
interesting studies at this time, and one can hardly count
the water plants‘now in flower: Brasenia peltata, with dull
reddish-colored flowers; the handsome Limnanthemum
and the various Utricularias and Sagittarias and Eriocau-
lons, and the curious Valisneria spiralis, as if endowed
with knowledge, so as to send the staminate flowers, which
blossom beneath the water, to meet the pistillate on the sur-
face. In the drier places we find handsome twining wild
Beans with rose-colored flowers ; St. Andrew’s Cross, with
pale yellow blossoms, and several Hypericums, with deeper
yellow flowers. Asters and Golden-rods are telling us that
autumn will soon be with us with its rich wealth of color.
Vineland, N. J. Mary Treat.
Notes on some Arborescent Willows of North
America.—I.
SaLix nigra, Marsh.—The western limit to the range of
this species in the Mississippi Valley is not definitely
known. It isreported as common in the eastern portions
of the states of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas
and the Indian Territory, while, on the other hand, it is not
known to occur anywhere in the Rocky Mountain region ;
it has not been found in the Black Hills, and is replaced
exclusively along the headwaters of the Platte by Salix
amygdaloides. The limit will probably be found within,
rather than west of, the boundaries of the states mentioned.
From Louisiana it follows the Gulf coast westward, but has
never been credited to Mexico. While the central plateau
of the continent seems to present a barrier to the exten-
sion of S. nigra westward, a few stations at the extreme
south may indicate a more or less continuous line of dis-
tribution from Texas to southern California and thence
northward to the Sacramento Valley : Texas, Kerr County
(Heller); southern Arizona, Fort Huachuca (Palmer, 452),
and Tucson (Toumey) ; California, Clear Lake (Bolander)
and Maryville Butes (Blankinship).*
SALIX NIGRA X AMYGDALOIDES, Glatfelter, 7rans. S4 Lours
Acad., vi.:-427 (Ap., 1894).—The easternmost stations
* Collections made by Mr. J. D. Smith in the mountains of Guatemala, and which I
named Salix Humboldtiana, I now believe might with greater propriety have been
referred to S. nigra, var. falcata. But the region was so far within the recognized
range of the former, and so far beyond the known limit of the latter, I thought it
best to keép on the conservative side. S. Humboldtiana is only a tropical modifi-
cation of S. nigra, and it is to be expected that on intermediate ground when the
two meet determinations as between one species or the other will be more or less
arbitrary.
Garden and Forest.
363
known for Salix amygdaloides are Ithaca, New York (Pro-
fessor Dudley), and Montreal, Canada (Mr. J. G. Jack).
There is, therefore, a wide area in New England occupied by
S. nigra without the intrusion of S. amygdaloides. Beyond
the western limits of the range of S. nigra, namely, in the
Rocky Mountains, from Utah to British Columbia and in Ore-
gon and Washington, S. amygdaloides is very common
and exhibits no departure from the typicalform. It is only
where the ranges of these two species overlap, as they do
in the Mississippi Valley, that we find the intermediate
forms which have been so carefully studied by Dr. Glat-
felter. Bentham says that “where two supposed species
grow together, intermixed with numerous intermediates
bearing good seed, and passing more or less gradually
from one to the other, it may generally be concluded that
the whole are mere varieties of one species.”’ The Nigra-
amygdaloides intermediates present all the conditions thus
specified, but, nevertheless, they are hybrids and do con-
nect two good species. In New England, with amygdaloides
absent, we have unadulterated nigra; in the far west, with
nigra absent, we have pure amygdaloides, and only where
these two grow together do we find the interminable con-
fusion of intermediates. No more decisive proof of their
hybrid character could be found short of the final test of
growing plants from seed obtained by artificial fertilization.
Satix Warpl, n. sp. (S. nigra, Marsh., var. Wardi, Bebb,
Flora of Washington, 114.)—To the full description of this
Willow, as at first given, it seems almost needless to add a
single word unless it be to emphasize the distinctions
which warrant its separation from Salix nigra. The leaves
are larger, usually broader, conspicuously glaucous and
prominently nerved beneath. The stipules are large, per-
sistent, and present with a degree of constancy notice-
able even among Willows. In narrow-leaved forms of S.
nigra “the leaves are of the same color on both surfaces,
which are, by the twisting of the petiole, presented almost
equally to the light” (Emerson). In Wardi the narrow-
leaved forms are more intensely glaucous beneath than
those with broader leaves. The aments are longer and
more loosely flowered, terminating lateral branchlets, the
growth of which is continued from the bud in the axil of
the uppermost leaf. The capsules are larger, more glo-
bose-conical, under a lens minutely glandular and longer
pediceled. The statement made when this Willow was
first described that in some of its forms the leaves alone,
with their ample stipules, might easily be mistaken for S,
cordata, finds striking exemplification in Professor Short’s
specimen in the Gray herbarium, which two no less com-
petent salicologists than Mr. Carey and Professor Andersson
have mistaken for “S. cordata angustata.” Indeed, it is
apparent from the description that this identical specimen
served as the type of S. cordata angustata, 1° forma discolor,
Andersson (DC., Prod., xvi.?, 252). No leaf of genuine S. cor-
data angustata would have suggested the comparison with
S. Bonplandiana, which, as applied to Wardi, is not inapt.
SALIX occIvENTALIS, Koch, var. longipes (Andersson), S.
longipes, Andersson, Proc. Am. Acad., iv., 53. 5. nigra,
Marsh., var. longipes, Andersson, A/onog. Sal., 22, and DC.,
Prod., xvi. 2, 201.—With the exception of transferring longipes
from Salix nigra to S. occidentalis (Koch, Commentatio,
16 [1826]), which latter is clearly the type of this southern
species of the Amygdaline, it is deemed best to leave all
the forms grouped by Andersson under S. longipes mainly
as they have been arranged by this acute salicologist. The
material is not at hand for a thorough and satisfactory re-
vision. Only one important change should be made, and
that is to reduce S, Wrightii, Andersson, to a mere forma
monstrosa of longipes forma venulosa. ‘The short, densely
flowered, thick, curved aments are simply the result of an
abnormal contraction of the rachis. A like freak is some-
times observed in S. discolor. The characters drawn from
the capsule, believed by the author to be distinctive, are
common to allied forms, a fact which the paucity of Profes-
sor Andersson’s material alone prevented him from per-
ceiving. In various forms S. occidentalis occurs from
304
Florida westward to New Mexico, Arizona, the Sierra Ne-
vada Mountains and adjacent portions of northern
Mexico.*
Satix Bonptanpiana, HBK.—Found growing in a cafion
near Tucson, at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains,
by Professors Sargent and Toumey, 1894, not before known
to occur north of Mexico. Professor Toumey writes that it
is “a frequent tree in the cafions and along the washes in
the foot-hills throughout southern Arizona. The barkis dark
gray and very rough, more’so than that of Salix nigra. Isee
no reason why this Willow should not extend north as far
as the great rim which separates the southern plains from
the Colorado plateau. The leaves of the previous year do
not fail until the flowers of the following spring are fully
out.” This habit of the aments appearing in the axils of
the leaves of the preceding year’s growth is one taken on
more or less by all Willows which invade warm countries,
but it is particularly noticeable in the case of 8. Bon-
nlandland.
Mehra at Mis Pebi
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
HAVE just returned from visiting some of the great
gardens of Scotland and have brought home with
me memories of the delightful and distinct phases of plant-
life that luxuriate in that cool and moist climate, and
which we cannot attain to in the south. The most
striking effects one sees on the great estates are those pro-
duced by the Chilian Tropzolum speciosum, which
brightens the walls of almost every cottage with a mantle
of intense vermilion blossoms, which are not infrequently
intermingled with the yellow Canary creeper, a charming
mixture. And all this beauty is obtained with little or no
trouble, as the moist climate is exactly adapted to the
plants; yet we in the south do all we can to coax the
Chilian native into healthy growth, generally with but
indifferent success. We sometimes succeed by planting it
against a wall facing north, where, of course, it is always
in shade; but it wants sun and a moist cool atmosphere.
This is one of the most attractive plants in Scotch gardens
in August, but a host of others that like similar conditions
help to make the gardens gay. Violas especially flourish
to perfection, and marvelous collections, as those in Forbes’
nursery garden at Harwich, produce color-effects that
few other plants are capable of. Roses are flowering as
luxuriantly now in the north as with us in the middle of
July, and many of the open air plants that here are past
before August sets in are in perfection there now. It is
thus easier to obtain the best color-effects in August and
September in the north than it is in the south.
To relieve the monotony of the shrub-border during the
flowerless period is no easy matter, but lately I have seen
some happy results from introducing some of the bolder types
of perennials in a thinly planted shrubbery. This week I
saw a mass of Verbascum phlomoides, with its dense col-
umns of pale yellow bloom, from eight to ten feet high,
rising out of a mass of Spireeas which, since their flower
time, were an insipid group. I have rarely seen so striking
an effect. Other instances of brightening shrubberies
were made by groups of the tall Aconitum autumnale,
eight feet high, single-flowered Hollyhocks, various Amer-
ican Helianthuses, Cimicifuga racemosa and the taller
Solidagos, all of which are suitable for combining with
shrubbery if planted in sufficiently bold masses. In some
of the Scotch woods I saw, beneath the great ruddy boles
of Scotch Pines, broad, spreading masses of the Evening
Primrose, CEnothera Lamarckiana. ‘The effect of this
golden glow of color in the shade was most pleasing.
It is sometimes a difficult thing to make shrubberies
attractive after midsummer, and until some fortunate dis-
* The typical Salix occidentalis is Cuban, and marked mainly by being more or
less cinereous-pubescent, but forms of var. longipes from southern Florida
(= forma gongylocarpa, Andersson) present an evident transition from the more
northern yar. longipes to the West Indian type.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 394.
covery is made of autumn-flowering shrubs we must trust
for flowers among them to the methods already described.
We have, indeed, a few late summer-flowering shrubs, as
Hydrangea paniculata, which is especially effective when
associated with some bright-tinted shrubs. I have just seen
a large mass of it, the clusters of bloom a foot in length,
with a broad margin of that lovely new Spircea, Anthony
Waterer, the most brilliant form of the Spiraea Japonica.
In a garden on the south coast I recently saw the crimson.
Fuchsia Riccartoni taking the place of the Spircea with the
happiest result.
These combinations of different colors of shrubs and
flowers are valuable in proportion to the harmony of their
various tints. If women, with their acute taste in matters
of color, possessed a broad knowledge of plants they would
be among the most successful practitioners in gardening of
this kind. In some formal garden beds beautiful effects
are obtained here from masses of Carnations of harmoniz-
ing tints. A strong combination recently noticed was of
pure white and chrome-yellow carnations, the great
mass of these flowers surrounded by a _ broad band
of the scented oak-leaved Pelargonium, its foliage just the
right tone of green to combine with the yellow and white.
Great improvements have been made in artistic and deco-
rative gardening during the past few years in England,
much of which is due to the good examples in public parks,
and public taste has also been considerably influenced to
an appreciation of proper color-schemes by the displays in
Kew Gardens. Private gardeners come a distance of sev-
eral hundred miles to visit the national garden and to
carry into practice in private gardens the suggestions
received here. The result is that the rows of scarlets,
yellows, blues and similar crude and painful mixtures are
giving way to more pleasing combinations.
It is now a common remark that there is a picturesque
Kew and a scientific Kew, and I have never heard any one
venture an opinion that the more decorative element has
in any way interfered with the strictly botanical one.
W. Goldring.
Kew.
Plant Notes.
LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA.—At this season, when the foli-
age of many trees begins to grow dull, the broad glossy
leaves of the Tulip-tree are conspicuous for their cleanness
and purity of color. It has been urged against this tree
that many of its leaves fall in late summer and early
autumn, not in sufficient numbers to injure the appearance
of the tree, but enough to litter up the grass and make a
lawn untidy. The fact seems to be that in very dry
weather the tree has the habit of allowing part of its leaves
to ripen and fall, so that those which remain are abun-
dantly supplied with moisture and keep their freshness
until autumn, when they all turn to a pure light yellow,
which makes a pleasing contrast to the deeper colors of
the Oaks and Maples. ‘The tree itself is one of the largest
in our forests, not infrequently reaching a height of one
hundred and fifty feet, and specimens whose trunks girth
twenty to twenty-five feet, breast-high, are still to be seen.
The tall, straight and massive trunk of a forest-grown
Tulip-tree, with ashy color, fine texture and regular ridges
and furrows of its bark, is not excelled in grandeur by any
feature of our woods. A tree growing in the open fields,
well furnished with branches to the ground, is equally
beautiful, and in any situation it justifies the judgment of
Downing that this is the most stately of our forest-trees.
When comparatively young it is a tree of great refinement
of expression, and it is. one of the very best of trees for
avenue planting, and its Tulip-like flowers add to its beauty
in June. The common name, Tulip Poplar, is possibly
derived from the fact that its leaves, borne on long slender
petioles, quiver in the wind like those of the Aspen.
Although it was introduced into England two centuries
and a quarter ago, and has been largely planted in Europe,
very few garden varieties have become established. The
W
69
Garden and Forest.
PTEMBER I1, 1895.]
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306
most interesting one was sent out from a German nursery
a few years ago. It is strictly fastigiate, and promises to
be useful wherever trees of a slender columnar form are
needed.
Ericas.—Few of these can be classed among ‘strictly
hardy plants in our north-eastern states, but in many situa-
tions several of them seem to be as much at home as our
native plants. Last winter was a trying one for many
shrubs, but the Ericas endured the season fairly well and
are now well in bloom in the Arnold Arboretum. The
Heaths do not like the shade or drip of trees, but on some
such place as a sheltered tussock in a meadow in full sun-
shine they probably could be naturalized. While they like
peaty soil they will do well in a deep sandy loam if it is
not toowet. FE. vagans, EF. Tetralix, Calluna vulgaris and its
varieties are now in bloom.
Hisiscus coccingus.—This southern plant, which grows
wild in the swamps on the coasts of Georgia and Florida,
attains a height of from five to seven feet in cultivation,
and bears great numbers of flowers, which are more con-
spicuous both for size and color than those of any other
herbaceous Rose Mallow. The bright red corolla is often
eight to ten inches across, and even more, and the appear-
ance of the plant in full bloom is strikingly beautiful. Sin-
gle specimens grow into erect pyramidal shape with one
central stalk, but, since the foliage is rather scanty, the
plants may be set somewhat closely, and in this way they
make most effective groups. The deeply cleft leaves, as
well as the stems, have a bluish tint, which adds to their
distinct appearance. Of course, this species is not thor-
oughly hardy in this latitude, but the root can be safely
stored during the winter in a cellar or under a greenhouse
bench, and it is certainly worth this extra attention. Ithas
been known to winter safely out-of-doors as far north as
Philadelphia. It may be added that plants grown from
seed raised in northern gardens will endure the winters
better than those which come from the south, and this is
true of many other plants which come from warmer
climates.
PENTSTEMON CAMPANULATUS.—This beautiful Mexican spe-
cies is rarely seen in our gardens; perhaps, because it is
not quite hardy. The plant is as easily raised from seed as
any of our common garden annuals. If the seeds are sown
in March the plants will begin to bloom in July. Mr.
Cameron, of the Harvard Botanic Garden, notes the fact
that many of our tender native species of Pentstemon
make a better display in late summer and fall by raising
them annually from seed. The flowers of P. campanulatus
vary in color; some of the plants have flowers of a pink
shade, while others have dark purple and violet flowers.
The specimen before us has a tubular or campanulate
corolla of a red-maroon color, and the petals are whitish
on the inside. ‘The flowers are produced in long showy
raceme-like panicles, which are nine to fifteen inches long.
The plants are three feet high, and the stems are thickly
covered with dark green, ovate, lanceolate, serrated leaves.
It grows best in a light rich soil and in a position where
it is not shaded.
Ipomaa Leartt.—Among the tropical Morning Glories,
this is, perhaps, the best and most floriferous. The flowers
are fully four inches across, produced in great profusion
throughout the summer and autumn months. They are
intensely blue, slightly purple in the throat; the color isa
most pleasing one, and the lasting quality of the flowers is
considerable. The inflorescence, a compound fascicle, pro-
duces from twelve to thirty almost stalkless flowers in suc-
cession, and the axillary peduncles are eight to ten inches
long. The cordate leaves are occasionally imperfectly
three-lobed, but mostly entire, six inches long on slender,
equally long petioles. The twining stem is very slender
and somewhat hairy. This species, although a native of
Ceylon, often goes by the name of Mexican Morning
Glory, a name properly belonging to the nearly related
Ipomcea rubro-coerulea. It can be propagated by means -
of cuttings very easily in this country. Rich fibrous soil
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 394.
is most satisfactory, but comparatively small pots are suffi-
cient even for large and floriferous specimens. A northern
or western position, in diffused sunlight, is preferable to
any other, as the flowers in such a position will last till late
in the afternoon. Ordinary summer temperature is quite
sufficient, and the plant is well adapted to outdoor use on
trellises, on walls or verandas, where its hundreds of flow-
ers will make a gorgeous and effective display. Plants
used during the summer for such purposes may be cut back
before the fall frosts commence, and should be stored in a
somewhat dry state until the following season in a cool
greenhouse or a light and frost-free cellar.
Cultural Department.
Notes on Hardy Perennial Plants.
T this time Cedronella cana has showy spikes of purplish
flowers, It is a neat hardy plant from Mexico, and a
small bed eighteen inches wide by three feet long is very at-
tractive. The height of the plants varies from two to three feet,
and the square stems have ovate-oblong fragrant leaves. A
light warm soil and a sunny position suits them well. Young
plants are very easily raised from seed sown in spring.
The prettiest and showiest Malvaceous plant in bloom is
Callirrhoé involucrata. It is a dwarf prostrate perennial, and
although some of the descriptions say the stems only grow
two feet long, under good conditions here they are more than
five feet long. The stems are thinly clothed with rounded
leaves, which are five-parted and the segments incisely lobed.
The flowers are produced singly in the axils of the leaves.
The hairy peduncles are from four to six inches long, and the
large, showy, purplish flowers are two inches across. This
Callirrhoé makes an excellent rock-garden plant, where its long
prostrate stems can hang over rocks, and in such a position
its flowers are seen to the best advantage. When this plant
gets a congenial situation it blossoms continually all summer.
A light rich soil and plenty of light is necessary for the welfare
of this plant. Here we have to protect the old plants with a
good deep covering of leaves in the winter. Young plants
which are raised from seed in spring make a good display in
summer if the seeds are sown in March and planted out in May.
Some of the blue-flowered Aconites are valuable fall-
flowering perennial plants. They help to break up the mo-
notony of yellow shades which are so plentiful in the. garden
at this time. A. autumnale is a very desirable plant, and one
that deserves to be grown by all lovers of hardy perennial
plants. It is a distinct and stately plant, attaining a height of
four feet or more when well grown. Its stems are thickly
covered with thick dark green leaves, which are deeply cut
and slightly drooping. The rich bluish purple flowers are
produced plentifully in loose panicles, and when large clumps
are grown they make a good-show. The second row from the
back of the mixed herbaceous border is a suitable place for
this plant, and it likes a deep rich soil. It has fibrous roots,
and is propagated by division in the fall or spring.
The common Monkshood, Aconitutn Napellus, is showy at
this time with its large terminal racemes ot blue flowers, It
grows from three to four feet high, and makes a good com-
panion in the borders to the fall-flowering Phloxes, This plant
is poisonous, and care should be taken when planting that
it is placed in a position where no danger will arise from its
presence.
Statice latifolia is admired by almost every person when it
flowers profusely and is well grown, Its large, loose, airy
panicles of small blue flowers are produced in great abun-
dance. Theyare often compared to those of Gypsophila panicu-
lata, and are quite as useful when cut for mingling with other
flowers. The plants grown in the borders here are large,
measuring a yard or more across when they are in bloom,
and about a foot and a half high. It is very hardy and re-
quires no protection in winter. When large established plants
have to be moved care should be taken that the long thick
roots which they make are not broken too much, as the
plants do not bloom so well the first year after moving if the
roots are destroyed. As the roots go down several feet in the
soil, it is beneficial to give them a deep rich one. Seeds are
produced plentifully, and young plants are easily raised from
them and bloom the second year.
Sedum spectabile, with its massive heads of small rosy pur-
ple flowers, is now very effective. This is the handsomest
plant of all the hardy Stonecrops. It is so easy to grow, and
its needs so easily supplied, that it should be one of our com-
SEPTEMBER II, 1895.]
monest fall-flowering perennials. It is an erect plant with
stout stems twelve to eighteen inches high, and has broad
glaucous leaves. The rosy purple flowers are produced in
broad corymbs at the ends of the stems, and they last for sev-
eral weeks. S.spectabile grows fairly well in shaded posi-
tions, but it does best in a sunny place. It will grow in almost
any kind of garden-soil, but it produces larger corymbs and
broader and longer glaucous leaves when given a deep rich
soil.
Catananche coerulea is a south Europe Composite which has
been flowering very freely for several weeks. The flower-
heads are blue, and borne singly on stalks which are nearly
two feet long. The flowers are produced plentifully on strong
healthy plants, and they last well when cut. There is a form
in bloom now which has flowers of a blue and white color,
and is known as C. bicolor. Both are good border plants and
grow in any ordinary garden-soil. In spring they are easily
raised from seed, and the plants bloom the following summer.
Harvard Botanic Garden, R. Cameron. a
(ee MONTANUM, a European species of Avens, is con-
spicuous in late spring with its wealth of large, bright
yellow erect flowers, each an inch and a half across, borne on
long leafy stems well above its tufted dark green foliage. In
ordinary soils the plant thrives well and blooms abundantly,
forming broad, slowly spreading tufts.
Geum miniatum is a charming plant, growing nine to fifteen
inches high and producing bright glowing orange flowers in
few-flowered clusters, each individual flower being about
three-fourths of an inchin diameter. The plant forms a low-
tufted mass of light green foliage and thrives well in all situa-
tions tried. G. coccineum, or Chiloense, cannot be trusted
either in its typical forms or its double and various-colored
varieties in the neighborhood of Boston, owing to spring
rot.
Most of the Oriental Poppies are through blooming by early
July, and the Iceland and Alpine Poppies are not happy in the
scorching summer months, except in cool situations. A spe-
cies, therefore, that will carry on the bloom during this inter-
val is especially desirable, and Papaver strictum fills the
requirements. A native of the higher portions of the Altai
Mountains, it forms with us a many-stemmed plant of dense
growth, with densely hairy, glaucous foliage and branched
flower-stems rising to a height of eighteen inches, with a con-
stant succession of saffron or deep flesh-colored flowers, mak-
ing abrave daily show up to noon on hot days and continuing
to bloom until mid-September. Though hardly adapted for
cutting, on account of its fugacious petals, as a border plant
it is unique. It has proved a good perennial and perfectly
hardy. I first had it under the name of P. croceum, but im-
portations of P. strictum seed from a reliable source pro-
duced the identical plant.
Malva alcea, the Hollyhock Mallow, bears flowers of a clear
rich pink, devoid of any traces of purple. Plants which pro-
duce flowers of medium size and in succession are not
common in gardens, and therefore this is a desirable species,
It is of European origin, making a large, broad, densely
branched bush, four to five feet high and as much through.
It comes into bloom in early Juneand continues up to late Sep-
tember. Individual flowers are an inch anda half across, of rich
clear pink, and borne in clusters on every branchlet. It is so
seldom that catalogue promises of persistently flowering plants
are fulfilled in actual practice that I am glad to say that there
has not been a day between the dates named when I have not
been able to pick an abundant quantity of flowers from a sin-
gle specimen of this plant in my border.
As I saw Geranium armenum last year both at Geneva
and Brussels, as well as in Kew Gardens, it seemed the best
of all the species of Cranesbill. The plant formed a vigorous
clump, with good foliage and showy flowers, which were borne
- in flat clusters. Each flower was about an inch across and of
a brilliant red color. Thisis said to bea constant bloomer,
even into the fall.
Echinacea angustifolia is now in perfection, forming mod-
erately bushy, self-supporting plants some two to three feet
high. In many respects this species is preferable to E. pur-
purea, the purple Cone-flower, since its petals do not recurve
as they do in the latter species. The flowers are three inches
or more in diameter, well opened, and vary in color from rich
purple to pure white in its various forms. The stems are
long and slender, not as stiff as in E. purpurea, and much
better adapted in consequence for cutting purposes. The
species is a native of Wisconsin and southwards and blooms
from July to September.
The double White Campion, Lychnis vespertina, until late
Garden and Forest,
367
years seems to have been quite lost to cultivation. We are
indebted to Europe for the ordinary single form, where it is a
common meadow plant. The flowers are pure white, an inch
and a half across, very double and quite fragrant during the
early evening hours. The plant has a compact bushy habit,
about two feet high, and consists largely of fower-stems. In
good soils, where there is little danger of drought, it is in con-
stant bloom from early June to late September. No plant in
my entire collection gives more general satisfaction than this.
The only weak point that Ican name is that when severely
affected by drought the foliage becomes infested with a rust,
which, however, does not injure the flowers. The remedy of
good culture is so simple that this disease is of little moment.
Reading, Mass. J. Woodward Manning.
Cannas.
PEW bedding plants give as much satisfaction as the modern
French Canna. Cannas are easily cared for in winter,
easily started in spring, and with good, rich soil are almost a
certain success. The general characteristics of the florists’
Canna are so well marked that, although scores of new varie-
ties are introduced every year, it is quite easy to include all the
best in a selection of twenty. There are lacking the trifling
differences we find in Roses, Carnations and Chrysanthemums
which fix the popularity of one variety above another in dif-
ferent sections of the country. The best crimson Canna is the
best everywhere. The same can be said of other colors. In
the march of improvement every step is toward a certain ideal
which all growers and raisers aim for. The typical Canna
should have the terminal truss, or spike, erect and well de-
veloped ; the flowers should be large; the petals broad and
long-limbed, so as to make an evenly rounded flower, stand-
ing well out, spreading rather than erect, not bunched, but
evenly distributed on all sides of the flower-stem. The new
crimson F. R. Pierson comes nearest to this ideal.
Captain Suzzoni, until this season the best light-spotted yel-
low, is now superseded by Madame Montefiore, the flowers of
which are rounder and more evenly placed. Mrs. A. D. Cow-
ing is another fine variety of this color, but much more dwarf
than either, and better suited forthe front row. Eldorado, one
of this season’s introductions, is a very fine yellow, with faint
spots. It is practically yellow. It has not, however, done
well so far as I have seen, so that further trial will be required
to properly test it. Should it prove free and vigorous it will
bean acquisition. Florence Vaughan, as a dark-spotted yel-
low, is without a peer. As a bedder it is practically orange,
as seen from a distance of twenty-five yards. It shows up
well everywhere. In form and the arrangement of its flowers
on the spike it is equal to the best type. Madame Dugas is
the one variety which, in point of beauty, comes nearest to
Florence Vaughan, but the tones are softer and the habit more
dwarf. Rose Unique is a free-blooming pink. This is about
all that can be said in its favor. It suffers by comparison and
should never be massed with other Cannas. Its place should
be among subtropical plants.
There is some divergence from the Madame Crozy type, but
no decided improvement, and no variety is fit to supplant it,
though variations from the Crozy type have given us many
handsome varieties. Souvenir d’Antoine Crozy is undoubt-
edly the best. The scarlet ground is a trifle deeper in tone;
the distinct yellow border is fully one-eighth of an inch deep
and uniform. A mass of this Canna at Mr. James Farquhar's,
of Claredon Hills, Massachusetts, makes a beautiful display.
Mrs. Fairman Rogers, which was honored with a silver medal
by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, has proved disap-
pointing so far as I have seen. It was shown from _ plants
grown indoors as a giant Crozy, with a wide yellow border.
Planted out it is in no way superior to Madame Crozy._ Still
further deviation from the Crozy type shows a wide and irreg-
ular yellow border, denoting the influence of the yellow varie-
ties in the breeding. Queen Charlotte is the handsomest of these
that I have seen ; the yellow and the crimson in it are about
equally divided. Next comes Vanden Berg, Junior, with scar-
let in place of the egrimson ground; the petals are broad and
the arrangement of the flowers good. As a bedder this is a
striking novelty of medium height and sturdy growth.
Madame Bouvier is similar to the last named, but a foot taller.
We have some fine varieties of scarlet and orange shade.
Paul Bruant is a scarlet, extremely rich in tone, with broad,
wavy, satiny petals and a large well-developed spike. Mrs.
J. M. Samuels is another good variety, with large, broad
petals, of bright orange-red color. It is a fine grower.
Helen Gould is a large, loose-petaled, orange-red, with a
peculiar crystal-like lustre, which is perfectly charming,
368
Among orange shades it is unique. General Mirabel is also
orange-red. It is compact in habit and dwarf, and for this
reason it is well adapted for the front row. Sunshine isa
lustrous orange, in the way of Paul Marquant, but more dwarf.
Both these varieties are better under glass, their flowers scorch-
ing easily under bright sunshine. There are few-good varieties
among verrnilion shades ; C. H. Molis and Columbia are the
best. The latter has probably the largest truss of any known
Canna, but isnot of good form, being irregular and bunched.
There has been great improvement among crimson shades
during the past few years. Alphonse Bouvier was a wonder.
We had never seen anything equal to it. When Charles Hen-
derson was introduced last year it was doubted whether it
could possibly be an improvement on Alphonse Bouvier. It
did not get strong enough last year to establish its claim, but
this year itis everywhere in grand form. We have another
Canna this season even better in form and nearer the ideal.
Asacrimson I do not consider it quite as good as Charles
Henderson. The petal limbs are yellow, forming what would
appear to be a yellow tube, and the staminate petal is also yel-
low, which, to my mind, detracts rather than enhances its
value.
In dark-leaved varieties we should expect little improve-
ment in the size of the flowers, since they are used principally
as foliage-plants, but advance in size and color of the flowers
has been as great as in the green-leaved varieties. I consider
J. D. Cabos the most beautiful of all. The habit is sturdy and
free. The spike is neatly formed and free from laterals ; the
color is clear orange. President Carnot is a giant and a grand
foliaged plant. C. Vaughan carries a spike of scarlet flowers
equal in size and form to any green-leaved variety.
Wellesley, Mass. T. D, Hatfield.
Notes from Cornell University.
Fruit Rot.—The fruit rot, Monilia fructigena, on plums and
peaches is more prevalent than usual the present season
in this vicinity. Many trees that gave promise of a good crop
have lost half or more of their crop by this fungus. Generally
the fruit alone suffers, but there are many instances this fall,
especially in early peaches, in which the foliage is attacked
also. The fungus causes the leaves to become discolored and
die. It has been shown by Craig (Bulletin 23, Central Experi-
ment Farm, Ontario), that the rot can be lessened by spraying
with Bordeaux mixture after the blossoms fall, and that two or
three applications are needed during the season, the last being
with ammoniacal copper carbonate a few days before picking.
Russian Apricots.—The Russian Apricots at the station bore
a full crop. The following varieties were in fruit: Gibb, Budd,
Alexander, Nicholas and Catherine. All of these varieties are
too small and the quality too poor to compete with other
apricots. The Gibb, Alexander and Budd are the best. The
Catherine is worthless, being very dry, and the Nicholas splits
badly.
Prunus Simoni.—While Prunus Simoni has the reputation of
being a light bearer, our trees were overloaded this summer,
and had to be thinned. The fruit began to ripen about July
2oth, and continued till August 15th. It is but little attacked
by curculios, but is quite susceptible to rot. The use to which
P, Simoni can be put is not yet clear. The fruit as grown here
is not edible, having a peculiar flavor, somewhat like oil of
almond, and though cooking lessens this flavor, it does not
make ita palatable sauce. We have not tried P. Simoni fora
grafting stock, and until we know more of the general habit of
the tree it cannot be wholly condemned.
Cornell University. G. Harold Powell,
Isotoma longiflora is a West India perennial plant, allied to
the Lobelias, which deserves more attention than it usually
receives. It is at its best when raised from seed sown indoors,
for it makes a considerable growth before flowering time.
The flowers are snow-white, at least an inch across, with a long
corolla tube, making them altogether distinct and showy at
this season. Seed is produced abundantly.
Caladium argyrites is well known as a useful little plant for
greenhouse decoration, growing continuously through the
winter without any rest if it has a suitable atmosphere. It can
also be used successfully as an outdoor bedding plant, if it can
have the benefit of partial shade. The bulbs are so small that
they ought to be started into growth before they are set out in
the open ground. It is easily multiplied ; indeed, few of the
Caladiums increase as rapidly, since every little shoot, if it
has but a small piece of the bulb attached, will make roots
when put into coarse sand and become a good-sized bulb in
the course of a month or so. .
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W. Oliver.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 394.
Correspondence.
Origin of the Name Sambucus.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—In a note in a recent number of your paper reference
is incidentally made to the etymology of the word Sambucus,
which, according to all botanical works that attempt to explain
the meaning of genus names, is derived from Gayufuxn a
Greek name, of Syriac origin, for an ancient musical instru-
ment. This statement is an error that needs correction.
Sambucus as a name for a species of Elder dates back only
to about the eleventh century, and is a badly corrupted word.
Chapter cxlviii. of the Herbarium of Apuleius,* a work sup-
posed to have been written in the fourth century, is devoted to
the virtues and uses of the plant 6ajavyor. Ina tenth-cen-
tury Anglo-Saxon translation of this work, the translator iden-
tifies this plant as the Elder. Such identification, although
erroneous, was accepted, and the word passed into the plant
lists of the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and succeeding cen-
turies of the middle ages as a gloss for ‘‘Ellen” and ‘ Eller”
(the Anglo-Saxon and Middle English names for the Black or
common Elder), in the corrupted forms Samsuchon, Sam-
suhton, Sambucus, Sambucum, Sambuca and Sabuca. The
form Sambucus was adopted by the ante-Linnzean botanists
for the different species of Elder, and has been perpetuated to
the present day. The work of Apuleius is founded in great
part upon the Materia Medica of Dioscorides, whose office of
military physician carried him to different countries and
enabled him to embody in his work a considerable number of
plant synonyms from various languages. Among such names
foreign to the Greek tongue is the word Gayyvyor, which is of
Coptic origin, and means, according to Rossi, in his dictionary
of that language, ‘‘Crocodile herb.”’ The plant thus named
has been identified by the commentators of Dioscorides as
Origanum Majorana.
New York. W. R. Gerard.
Rhus Poisoning.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—You ask for a statement from me as to the poisonous
principle in Rhus Toxicodendron. I wish such statement could
be made with confidence, but it must be acknowledged that I
do not know as much about the matter as I once supposed
I did.
In 1882 Icommunicated to the American Association for
the Advancement of Science a paper in which this and some
other vegetable poisons were referred to bacteria as the active
agents. Early in the following year, among other new species
of bacteria, the one supposed to have to do with Rhus poison
was named Micrococcus toxicatus and described in the A7zer-
ican Naturalist.
In the former paper the poison of Mushroonis was stated to
belong to two very different agencies. One is a narcotic and the
ill effects follow closely after the substance has been swallowed, »
after the fashion of other true poisons. The other becomes
known only after several hours or one or two days. In the
first case no lesions of importance are produced ; in the sec-
ond, violent inflammation and ultimate mortification of the
intestinal tract occurs. It was the latter to which the agency
of bacteria was ascribed.
It is well known that in Rhus poisoning the effect shows
only after twelve to twenty-four hours, suggesting incubation.
This led me to undertake some studies upon the matter. I
put some carefully secured juice of the growing plant upon a
marked spot on my arm. Very serious results followed,
though I had not considered myself very susceptible to the
poison. After twelve hours the spot was slightly reddened ; at
the end of twenty-four hours it was considerably inflamed and
somewhat swollen, but was still nearly confined to the origi-
nally infected area. During the next twenty-four hours the
inflammation greatly increased and spread widely until nearly
the whole forearm became involved. Colorless serum began
to exude, first from well-defined papules, then apparently
from the entire surface. This serum was transferred to other
parts of my body, and in one instance produced similar in-
flammation.
Minute spherical bodies had been found in the milk-sap of
the plant, and similar ones were seen under high magnifica-
tion in the exuding serum. These were taken to be micro-
cocci. At this time no attempts were made to cultivate them
in artificial media, and no other demonstration was had of the
* Herbarium Apuleii Platonici quod accepit Escolapio et Chirone Centauro magis-
tro Achillis.
SEPTEMBER II, 1895.]
truthfulness of the assumption that the spherical bodies were
living organisms. Infection experiments upon myself were
discontinued for obvious reasons. But following up the idea
of the parasitic nature of the disease (?), applications were
made of various germicidal agents, with apparently favorable
results. Since that time abundant evidence has been had of
the value of carbolic acid—two to three per cent.—in glycerine
as a palliative or curative lotion.
But some studies made a few years later tended to discredit
the agency of bacteria in the case, at least as self-acting para-
sites. The particles in the milk-sap of the plant were found
to beconstituents of it, rather than independent organisms.
As upon other leaves, there are various kinds of bacteria com-
mon on those of Rhus Toxicodendron, but none could be
found capable of such effects upon the skin. There are liv-
ing organisms in great numbers, at least at times, in the exud-
ing serum; but no cultivations from these were successful in
securing such as cause inflammation. Here the matter was
again dropped. There still seem to be some reasons for sup-
posing bacteria have to do with the irritation, but proof of it
must be considered wanting.
Mr. C. O. Boring, of Chicago, himself very susceptible to the
poison, is confident that the parasitic theory is the true one.
He feels very sure that he has been badly poisoned by simply
being in the vicinity of the shrub, without contact with it. The
late President Clark, of Massachusetts Agricultural College,
unhesitatingly asserted that this method of poisoning was well
known, and this seems to be a popular belief. It is said one
is much more liable to be thus poisoned if he is perspiring at
the time.
Ifitis true that poisoning actually occurs without contact
with the plant, something more subtle and more virulent than
any known chemical substance must be assumed. To our
senses the air is absolutely free from noxious properties after
blowing over the plant. What chemical compound can there
be in such air, so infinitesimally charged, capable of such
notable results? But. the facts inthis case should be put be-
yond controversy before explanations are undertaken. Who
can give them so substantiated that a skeptic must believe ?
If it proves true that actual application to the skin of the
plant, or of its products (aside from any invisible something), is
essential to produce the inflammation, the first suggestion of
bacteria in the case falls. What then of the apparent period
of incubation and of the possible activity of the exudation
from infected skin ?
It is true the matter ought to be absolutely settled by proper
investigation, but it is no trifling affair to experiment upon
one’s self. There may be some other method of procedure,
yet no one knows what without trying. I have not tried.
University of Illinois. T. F. Burrill,
Meetings of Societies.
The American Forestry Association.
ae summer meeting of this society was held at Springfield,
Massachusetts, on September 4th and 5th, in connection
with the American Association for the Advancement of Sci-
ence. The Hon. G. F. Talbot, of Maine, argued that all
worthless lands forfeited by tax sales be permanently held by
the state and devoted to the purpose of the production of
trees, to which end they are admirably adapted. He spoke of
the fire-laws of Maine and stated that the adverse interests of
forest-owners was the great obstacle to any reform in control-
ling forest-fires. Under asharp competition the land is stripped
of everything salable and the refuse left where it happens to
fall, and this ultimately becomes, through its inflammability, a
menace to all neighboring property.
Mr. George H. Moses, Secretary of the New Hampshire
Forestry Commission, reviewed the history of legislative at-
tempts to provide suitable protection to the forests in his state,
and spoke of the creation of the present Commission, organ-
ized simply to investigate the extent and character of the forest-
cover and the general relation of forests to climate, water and
health. Much of their energy has been devoted, however, to
efforts at convincing lumbermen that it is for their personal
interest, as well as that of the state, to introduce less wasteful
and destructive methods, They are also striving to preserve
the natural beauty of the White Mountain region as a summer
resort, since, if this is destroyed, great annual loss will come
tothe state asawhole. Mr. Joseph B. Walker followed with a de-
scription of the present condition of the forests of the samestate,
especially those in its northern portion. Here large areas are
owned by individuals whose sole object is to make the
most money in the shortest period, and who have no interest
Garden and Forest.
369
in obtaining a future crop of trees. Everything is cut which
can be sold either for lumber or matches. Vast sections are
denuded one after the other, and fires in the “slashings”
sweep the ground clean after the lumbermen have left. There
is a beginning mainly from the sentimental side, to make an
attempt to prevent this great destruction, and the fire-laws
have been so improved that the selectmen or county com-
missioners are required to appoint fire-wardens, whose duties
include the watching for fires and the summoning of aid to
prevent their spread. No penalty for failure is provided, but
popular sentiment is being aroused to such an extent as to ren-
der the law generally effective. The farmers are beginning to
appreciate the necessity of the forests, as these, if properly
managed, will furnish them with opportunities for labor dur-
ing the winter months. At present the farmer labors seven
months of the year, and from his farm alone could not derive
revenue for the remaining five months.
Mr. Cornelius C. Vermeule, of the New Jersey Geological
Survey, read a paper upon forests and rivers, based mainly
on observations of conditions within the state of New Jersey,
although some use was made of data from Massachusetts,
New York and Pennsylvania. His conclusions were that river
measurements have failed to indicate any notable effect of
forests upon evaporation or upon the very highest or lowest
rate of flow. They do show what is quite as important—
namely, a more equable flow, fewer floods and shorter periods
of extreme low water upon well-forested catchments. Some
of Mr. Vermeule’s conclusions were called in question by Mr.
Fernow as not being applicable beyond the areas studied, and
especially because all meteorological measurements are ex-
tremely unreliable, due to lack of suitable instruments. Pro-
fessor J. C. Smock, State Geologist of New Jersey, stated that
some of the largest landholdings in that part of the country
are in southern New Jersey, where the main source of anxiety
is the forest fires. One of them alone burned over and
destroyed probably a million dollars’ worth of lumber and
other property. Such a fire leaves only the bare white sand,
destroying even the soil.
A letter was read from Secretary Morton, President of the
association, calling attention to the necessity of state legisla-
tion to compel the proper care of waste from timber-cutting,
in order to prevent forest fires; and of the necessity of co-
operation between the United States Geological Survey and the
Forestry Division of the Agricultural Department, in order
that the forest areas might be properly represented on the
topographical maps, He showed that by slight additional
expense it would be possible for an expert to classify the
woodlands while the map was being made, and obtain the
material for a report upon the condition and value of the for-
ests. By this means the completed map would show not only
the altitude and slopes of the country, the roads, trails and
improvements, but also the character and extent of the tim-
ber. Mr. F. H. Newell, Secretary of the association, described
the methods of representing wooded areas on the great map
of the United States now being prepared, and dwelt upon the
benefits which would follow the more accurate designation of
timber-lands. By suitable coéperation of the Agricultural
Department, it might be possible to concentrate efforts upon
the areas covered by the national forest reservations and com-
plete the mapping and description of these within a few years.
Professor Dwight Porter, of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, discussed the possible connection between the
fluctuations of the water-supply in the Connecticut River and
forest removal. His general conclusion was that, as far as the
flow of the lower river is concerned, there is no proof of per-
manent injury through cutting of the forests at the head-
waters. Sea-coast planting as practiced on the Province lands
of Cape Cod was the subject of a paper by Mr. L. W. Ross, of
Boston, who described the attempts being made to prevent
the shifting sands at the extremity of the cape from injuring
the settlements and harbor. He spoke of the various kinds of
Grasses and shrubs which have been planted to hold thesands,
and of the results attained, and exhibited specimens showing
the cutting of the twigs due to the sand carried by the wind.
Mr. R. U. Johnson, of The Century Magazine, explained the
action of the New York Board of Trade and Chamber of
Commerce, and urged the advisability of endorsing the
resolution of that body calling for the creation by Congress of
a forestry commission, consisting of three persons, empow-
ered to examine into the forest conditions of the country.
Mr. Gifford Pinchot, ina paper upon the present condition of
the national forests, and the necessity of action in protecting
these, also held that, since past efforts of this association had
been, in a large degree, ineffectual, that the proper method of
procedure was through a forest commission such as that pro-
a
posed by Mr. Johnson. His views were strongly controverted
by Mr. B. E. Fernow on the ground that the time was ripe for
action rather than for.investigation, and that Congress would
be more likely to consider legislation already discussed during
the past session rather than take a backward step in the ap-
pointment of a commission, After some discussion, and under
a suspension of therules, the following resolution was adopted :
Resolved, That we, this association, join with the New York
Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade in hearty advocacy
of the establishment of a forestry commission of three mem-
bers to make a thorough investigation of the public forest
lands and to make recommendations concerning their disposi-
tion and treatment, and the Executive Committee is hereby
directed to represent the association in support of such legis-
latien,
Notes.
An orchard of more than one hundred trees of the Alligator
Pear, Persea gratissima, has been planted by Mr. Kinton
Stevens, Montecito, California.
It is stated that the Southern California Acclimatization As-
sociation has on its trial-grounds eight hundred species of
woody plants belonging to 316 genera and eighty-five different
families.
Rev. John Batchelor and Dr. Kingo Miyabe have recently
printed in the twenty-first volume of the Zransactions of the
Asiatic Society of Fapan an interesting paper on plants used
by the Ainos in medicine and as food.
The Minnesota Horticulturist asserts that there is no more
desirable small tree for the lawn in that region than the native
Choke Cherry, Prunus Virginiana. The foliage is peculiarly
rich and healthy; the leaves appear among the earliest in
spring, and not only when covered with its fragrant white
blossoms, but when drooping under its burden of shining red
or dark crimson fruit, it is a noticeable tree anywhere.
A late number of 7e Garden contains a colored plate of a
variety of the Siberian Scilla, which is called Multiflora, and
seems quite a distinct break from the well-known plant which
has shown little tendency to vary ingardens. Some of the flower-
stalks portrayed in the plate are eight inches long and bear
half a dozen or more large flowers which are rather lighter in
shade than those of the type. Itis said to bloom very freely
and the flowers appear in England three weeks earlier than
those of Scilla Sibirica. The variety is also said to have been
collected by Mr. E. Whittall in the Taurus Mountains and
named by him Taurica.
Professor Hopkins, of the West Virginia Experiment Sta-
tion, has been making tests with Timothy, and he finds that
there are marked varieties of this Grass, some of them early,
some of them late, and others showing great differences in size
and productiveness of seed. In a paper read before the Society
for the Promotion of Agricultural Science at its late meeting
at Springfield, he showed that if pure seed of the early variety
could be secured it would be of special value to grow with Red
Clover, since it would be at the proper stage for cutting when
the Clover would have the highest value for hay. There is
evidently very much of practical value to be learned from the
study of Grasses and Grass seed.
Mr. Isaac Kennedy, of Philadelphia, in speaking of Roses
for out-of-door planting at the Pittsburg Florists’ Convention,
said that the two best hybrid Perpetuals of the year are J.Shar-
man Crawford and Helen Keller, both introduced by Alexander
Dickson & Sons, of Belfast, Ireland. The flower of the first is
large and full, a deep rose-pink, with the outer petals tinted
with a pale flesh color, and the plant is a strong hardy grower.
Helen Keller is a free bloomer of vigorous growth, with flow-
ers large, full, fragrant, rosy cerise in color, and somewhat
resembling American Beauty. Among new Polyantha Roses
the Pink Soupert is said to be as hardy and free-flowering as
the well-known Clothilde Soupert.
We have already noted that great numbers of insects inju-
rious to fruit were killed by the freezing weather in Florida
last winter. Unfortunately, the weakened condition of the
Orange-trees in that state has left them a prey to other insects
from which they suffered littke when in health, and the wood-
boring beetles are attacking in great numbers those portions
of the trees which are not already dead. The remedial treat-
ment recommended is to drive a small wire nail into each
hole made by the borer, thus stopping it up and preventing
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 394.
the insect from laying eggs and finishing its work. A long
flexible wire, pushed in as far as it will go, is serviceable when
the gallery is longer than the nail. In the enfeebled condition
of the trees powerful insecticides cannot be used, nor is it
safe to smear the bark with any substance which will repel the
borers.
The Northwestern Lumberman calls attention to the fact
that the magnificent Oak-forests north of the Ohio River, in
the central part of the northern states, have largely disappeared.
Within the last five years there has been an increasing demand
for oak in spite of business depression, more especially for
such timber as goes into house-finishing, including plain and
quarter-sawed red oak and white oak. The duration of the
Wisconsin red oak supply is now pretty plainly indicated, and
in the mean time remnants of Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and
southern Illinois oak wiil have disappeared, except in small
farm holdings, and the great bulk of the supply will thereafter
come from south of the Ohio. Of course, there is oak in all
the southern states, but the alluvial bottom-lands must furnish
the great bulk of the timber, and as Kentucky and Tennessee
and West Virginia are partly denuded, the main supply will
soon be derived from the lower Mississippi and its tributaries.
If the finest area of oak timber in the world, namely, that
north of the Ohio River, has been stripped while the country’s
population and industries were comparatively small, how long
will the remaining supply last when the needs are measured
by our future population and industrial development? Walnut
is gone; cherry, birch and maple will not last many years,
and thereafter the demand for oak will be much greater and
will rapidly increase. It must be remembered, too, that oak
lands are good for agriculture after the timber is cut, and for
this reason the denudation will go on with greater rapidity than
on the lands less valuable for tillage. When the tide of emi-
gration sets strongly toward the alluvial areas of the lower
Mississippi and its tributaries the hardwood forests will melt
rapidly away before the attacks of the farmer. It is for this
reason that large holdings of southern oak and other hard-
woods are now being secured in the south. After a few years,
opportunities for such investments on a large scale will be
gone forever.
Grape-fruit from Jamaica is found in some of the best fruit-
stores in this city, and while much of it is still quite green and
undersized, some is fairly ripened. It sells for $1.50 a dozen.
California oranges cost sixty cents a dozen at retail, and lemons
finda demand at twenty to fifty cents adozen. The first Japanese
persimmons from Florida retaii for seventy-five cents a dozen.
Delaware and Maryland peaches are nearly gone, although on
Monday the best eastern peaches in the fancy-fruit stores were
those from the hillsides of Maryland. These were Late Craw-
fords and the white-fleshed Stump the World, beautiful speci-
mens of which brought seventy-five cents for a package
containing not over three quarts. Selected peaches from
New Jersey cost $2.50 a basket. The peninsular peach crop
has not been a large one this year, and was below the average
in quality, while prices have been comparatively high. Ready
sales at good rates are anticipated for the remainder of the
New Jersey crop. Plums from the Hudson River section are
in small supply, Damsons and Green Gages costing sixty cents
for an eight-pound basket. From California are coming the
large Coe’s Golden Drop, yellow, marked with red dots; the
firm yellowish flesh is especially rich and sweet, and this late
variety is highly esteemed for canning on the Pacific coast; a
five-pound package brings seventy-five cents. Large heart-
shaped Kelsey plums cost $1.25 for the same quantity. The prices
for California Bartlett pears fell considerably in this city last week
when large quantities of the eastern-grown fruit were brought
out of cold storage, but extra large firm fruit commanded as
much as $1.00 a dozen two days ago, and the best Seckels
from the west and from Staten Island sold for thirty cents a
dozen. The popular and showy Beurre Clairgeau pears from
California cost seventy-five cents. Runyon’s Orange Cling
peaches of immense size are shown, but though this variety is
much thought of in the west, and is said to have a rich,
sugary, vinous flavor, as seen here it is leathery, and valuable
only for table ornamentation. Later varieties of Cling peaches
will continue to reach the east for, perhaps, two months, but
Salway peaches, the latest of the free-stones, are already here.
Large nectarines, at once delicate and brilliant in coloring,
make an attractive display, and some of them are not alto-
gether disappointing in taste to any one familiar with the
luxurious product of eastern hot-houses. They sell for thirty
to forty cents a dozen. A small shipment of Gros Moroc
grapes received from England last Saturday opened the sea-
son for this fruit. They retail for $2,00 to $2.50 a pound,
SEPTEMBER 18, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Trisung BurLpinc, New York.
Conducted by 2.4 5 =. « « « « # see Professor C. S; SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EprroriAL_ArTIcLEs :—A Great Battle Park
Borests.and Rivers sssssicst sees esse
(Gh heigie pes piSqneesorecosnnreiserrpeneac on
Notes on some Arborescent Willows of No
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter. ..
New or LittLe-KNown Ptants :—Litsea genic
IBA DEN OTESe fells creleisaoetelamjasie/ soe micalatcletieemie
ts (ring. 3
bg) pcm Searcy
CuLtturaL DeparTMENT :—Native Composites.........++..0+ FM. Gerard. 3
ChnysanthemUms cecrececcrmaceicise teeragieses, sescsai ses 0 T. D. Hatfield. 377
Whe Grapesiot the V ear. tase: scaceessuawslede vs sedessascesncee E. P. Powell. 377
The Vegetable Garden. Bae foci esate $246 950.sssisien'esiicae cence R. A. 377
Asparagus Sprenglei G. W. O. 378
Variation in Corn, Native Plums, Age of Bordeaux Mixture,
G. Harold Powell. 378
see Anna Murray Vail. 378
Seesicsecess L. C. Corbett. 378
Beri nieny fy o
CorrRESPONDENCE :—The Sacred Lotus in Egypt.........
FATT DO ralnAa PCa sin ownisatceemeiies te seem
WMouble'Sweet Peas. snessscelenicrsseceeie
Quercus Phellos rubra in Missouri.
Rhus Poisoning.
Recent PuBLICATIONS
INOTES.200. 000) cons seccenenssce se
ILLusTRATION :—Litsea geniculat:
eosekt A
A Great Battle Park.
HIS week will witness the dedication, with imposing
ceremonies, of the great national park, which includes
the battlefield of Chickamauga, with parts of Missionary
Ridge, Lookout Mountain and other places made memo-
rable by that long struggle which, in the magnitude of the
forces engaged, the number of lives sacrificed and the impor-
tance of the results which depended upon it, ranks among
the great battles not only of our Civil War, but of the world.
The field of Chickamauga embraces fifteen square miles,
much of which is in forest, and, besides this, the Government
has acquired and improved in a most substantial manner
scores of miles of road by which the armies marched to the
field or left it. The city of Chattanooga, too, which, with its
* surroundings, made one great battlefield, has made liberal
grants of land for the erection of monuments and built a
great central drive to the park, along Bragg’s line of battle
on the crest of Missionary Ridge and through the field of
Chickamauga to a point twenty miles away.
Of course, this is not intended as a pleasure-ground.,
What has been attempted is a restoration of the country to
its condition at the time when the battles were fought, with
the placing of such monuments and tablets at critical points
as will indicate the battle lines and movements of the
various bodies of troops throughout the whole series of
engagements. Tall observation-towers are to be erected
from which the mountain ranges and the rivers can be seen
at a glance, so that the strategy of each army can be
studied and the history of every operation on these famous
fields can be accurately seen. When all is completed it
will be possible for the visitor to gain a clear idea of the
great military movements across the broad river, among
the forests and on the mountain sides. Nowhere else in
the world is there an object-lesson approaching this in mag-
nitude of completeness of treatment.
In the current number of Zhe Century Magazine General
Boynton gives an admirably clear, though concise, account
of what has already been done and what it is proposed to
do. Commissioners are now at work defining the fighting
lines, and it is stated that 106 monuments and 150 granite
markers are to be finished and set up before the dedica-
tion, besides 129 of these memorials already in place.
Garden and Forest.
37!
What we desire especially to call attention to here, how-
ever, is an editorial note in the same magazine in reference
to the service which art can render in celebrating the
heroes of those days of flame. Upon this hallowed ground
something more than historic accuracy is needed, and the
appeal to the imagination ought to be made as distinct and
powerful as possible. Of course, no art can make Lookout
Mountain or Missionary Ridge more impressive than they
are, but memorial structures can be erected here which will
distract the attention by their obtrusiveness, and if they
lack dignity or propriety they will help to belittle the legiti-
mate impressions which the spectacle ought to create. It
is truly said in the article alluded to that “there are few
pieces of good sculpture on the battlefield of Gettysburg
besides the beautiful and appropriate Celtic cross which
marks the position of the body of Irish troops. There are
a few unobtrusive pieces of natural rock which fittingly
express the willing sacrifice or unyielding valor, but, for
the most part, that beautiful chosen valley of the nation’s
salvation has become, through lack of coordination in
plan and good taste in execution, an unsightly collection
of tombstones.” As the fields of Antietam and Shiloh are
now coming under Government control, these great battle-
fields should not be allowed to become mere cemeteries,
and without a protest. To this end certain practical rules
are laid down which deserve careful consideration. These
are so sound and so judiciously set forth that we reproduce
them in full:
1. Every commission should avail itself of the advice of the
best landscape-architects, so that park-like effects may be
attained as far as may be consonant with the more practical
objects of the reservation.
2. Lines of battle should be marked clearly, but unpreten-
tiously, with a low uniform stone, and the whole plan should
be worked out artistically before large monuments are erected.
3. The commission should have the advice of a competent
board of sculptors, and should be guided by them in the accep-
tance of plans for monuments.
4. The monuments, to be of artistic excellence, must be few;
and to this end the unit of celebration, so to speak, should be
the corps. The sense of historical perspective is lost by
allowing each regiment to determine the proportions and char-
acter of the memorial.
One can hardly hope that the 385 monuments and
markers already, or soon to be, in place in Chickamauga
are all worthy of the heroic deeds they commemorate, and
it is not reassuring to be told that 3,500 acres of forest have
been cleared of underbrush and smaller timber so that
carriages may be driven through every portion of the park.
But every thoughtful person will approve the suggestion
that no work of this sort be done in future without “asevere
artistic supervision, such as made the Court of Honor of
the Columbian Exposition the admiration of the world,”
Forests and Rivers.
NE of the interesting papers read at the Forestry meet-
ing at Springfield, Massachusetts, was that of Mr.
C. C. Vermeule, consulting engineer of the Geological Sur-
vey of New Jersey, and it related to his investigations of
the water-supply resources of that state, an important mat-
ter, since considerably more than a hundred million gallons
of water are every day consumed by about a million in-
habitants. Mr. Vermeule made a personal study of certain
watersheds in New Jersey for four years, and, in addition
to his own data, he used for comparison a long series of
measurements of streams in New England and the middle
states. Taking evaporation to mean the difference between
the total rainfall and the total run-off of the streams, his
conclusions, briefly stated, are that the amount of rain evap-
orated was not proportioned to the total rainfall, as is often
assumed to be the case. Evaporation increased slightly
with increased rainfall, but very rapidly with increased
temperature of the atmosphere. The stream-flow was
found to depend upon the rainfall in connection with the
temperature, and little effect upon the run-off was traceable
3/2
to forest, to other vegetation or to topography. Examples
in three river basins, one of which contained fourteen per
- cent. of forest, another thirty per cent., and a third forty-
four per cent., all showed the same total flow-off for a given
annual rainfall, the varying forest areas seeming to have no
effect upon evaporation. The Connecticut showed much
less evaporation than the Potomac, with about the same
proportion of forest, but with a temperature of 2.7 degrees
lower, and generally evaporation was found to vary with
the mean temperature without regard to the amount of
forest. A great number of observations seemed to sub-
stantiate this theory, and the conclusions were that in New
England and the middle states the effect of forests upon the
total flow-off of the streams is not important enough to be
shown in the measurements. The influence of the tem-
perature of the air upon evaporation will be appreciated
when it is understood that the moisture which is held in
the air is doubled for each increase of twenty per cent. in
temperature.
In studying the effect of forests upon the greatest and
least flow of streams no effect due to the forests was dis-
covered. The heaviest freshet usually occurs when the
ground is frozen and warm rain comes on a heavy cover-
ing of snow, or else in summer when a heavy rain falls
upon the ground already saturated. The rate of flow-off is
then determined mainly by topography. The lowest flow
occurs when the stream has for a long time been drawing
upon the stored ground-water, and has drained it to a point
below which it can be influenced by surface conditions.
The rate of flow is then mostly affected by the capacity of
the earth for holding water and its rate of yielding it up.
This is not a matter of vegetation, but of surface geology,
and for this reason it is thought the forests have little
effect upon the greatest or least rate of the flow of the
streams.
These results, it ought to be said, were questioned by
some of the experts present, especially because there are no
instruments which give perfectly reliable measurements.
They are altogether negative, however, and they do not
imply that a covering of forest exercises no beneficial effect
upon the water-supply. Mr. Vermeule explained that his
studies make it clear that streams are often supplied for
many months entirely from water stored in the ground.
For example, in 1881 the Passaic River was supplied for
eight months in this way. With only rain enough to
make good evaporation, land in New Jersey will yield up
in nine months ground or spring water equal to from 2.29 to
7.59 inches of rainfall. Small barren redstone catchments
yield the least water, and the sand and gravel of the tertiary
formation the most. If the rain falls uniformly, from two
to two and a half inches a month may be taken into the
ground and discharged thence into thestreams. The entire
rainfall of an average year, less the evaporation, could
be thus taken into the earth and none need flow over
the surface into the streams. Anything, therefore, which
affects the capacity of the earth to take up water and to
control its rate of discharge into the streams affects the
stream-flow by making it more or less uniform throughout
the year. And here the generally recognized good effects
of a forest-cover in holding back water until the earth can
take it up are seen. The basins which have the largest pro-
portion of forest invariably showed the best-sustained flow
in a dry season, although the total run-off was no greater.
The streams of southern New Jersey which have the most
forests are remarkably steady, the dry-season flow averag-
ing twice as much as that of the northern rivers. This is
due, undoubtedly, in large part to the absorbent power of
the sandy soil; but a critical study of the daily flow of
these rivers shows that the Cedar swamps contribute largely
to the result. Should these be all cut off the streams
would certainly suffer and become more unreliable. The
conclusion of Mr. Vermeule’s interesting paper is as fol-
lows :
It will be seen that as to cultivated and forested catchments
our gaugings indicate the same total run-off for a given rain-
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 395.
fall, but a much more uniform discharge, fewer floods and
shorter dry periods on the forested areas. Forest streams are
consequently more valuable and reliable for power, and for
water-supply they require less storage capacity to provide for
a given daily draught.’ The waters are also much less likely
to become muddy or otherwise contaminated. The worst
condition of all for a catchment is barrenness. Barren earth is
non-absorbent. The water soon fails to penetrate it and oxi-
dizes its fertilizing constituents. Heavy rains run over the sur-
face, wash off all the loose materials, and barren conditions once
begun perpetuate themselves. There is always danger of
such conditions when slopes or other areas unfit for cultiva-
tion are deforested, and there is special danger where forest
fires are prevalent. There are afew small red sandstone areas
in New Jersey now in this condition, where the streams dry
up for weeks in succession to become torrents when the rain
falls in considerable quantity. Compared with barrenness,
cultivation is harmless to the stream. Our end, therefore,
should be to keep all ground unfit for cultivation clad with
forest.
Cladrastis.
N 1824 Rafinesque published his Veogeni/on, a pamphlet
of four pages, in which he characterized sixty-six new
genera of plants. The first of the list is Cladrastis, pro-
posed to receive the leguminous tree which the elder
Michaux had discovered in 1796 and named Virgilia lutea.
No reference to an earlier publication of Cladrastis is made
in the NMeogeniion, except the general introductory remark
that some of the new genera “were indicated last year,
1824, in the catalogue of the Botanic Garden which I have
tried in vain to establish in Lexington.” Dr. Call, in his
exhaustive Life and Writings of Rafinesque, recently pub-
lished by the Filson Club, of Louisville, Kentucky, does
not include this catalogue in his list of Rafinesque’s writ-
ings, and probably it was never published ; but in the first
volume of the Cincinnati Literary Gaszete, published in 1824,
which has recently come into my hands for the first time,
the genus Cladrastis is carefully described on page 66,
issued February 21st, and this, therefore, is an earlier pub-
lication of the genus by a year than that in the Meogeniion,
and it is probably the earliest. On the same page of the
Cincinnan Literary Gazelle the species is mentioned as Clad-
rastis fragrans, which thus becomes another synonym of
Cladrastis lutea of Koch, Virgilia lutea of Michaux, and
Cladrastis tinctoria of Rafinesque in the Meogeniion.
GSTS:
Notes on some Arborescent Willows of North +
America.—II.
Satix Taxirotia, H.B.K., southern Arizona, Rillita River
(Pringle, 1883), Santa Rita Mountains (Professor Toumey).
—A moderate-sized tree, thirty feet in height, with delicate
spray, the lower branches drooping. Compared with ex-
treme Mexican forms of the species, for instance Dr.
Palmer’s specimens (1193) from Colima, there is in the
Arizona plant more or less variation in the direction of
Salix longifolia. ButS. taxifolia, like other members of the
group to which it belongs, is exceedingly variable. The
fertile aments in Mr. Pringle’s specimens are rather oblong-
cylindrical than “sub-globose,” and in both the Arizona
collections the leaves are larger. Nevertheless, the nar-
rower and longer aments are more than matched by Mr.
Brandegee’s specimens from Lower California, otherwise
characteristic taxifolia; and the larger leaves are appar-
ently only the result of a less starved and stunted growth.
A form collected by Mr. Pringle “in the valley near Chi-
huahua” is identical with his Arizona specimens.
SaALIx LasIANDRA, Bentham, var. caudata, Sudworth, Bui.
Torrey Bot. Club, xxii., 43 (1893). S. lucida, var. lanceolata,
Hooker, #7. Bor.-Am., ii, 148 (1839). S. pentandra, var..
caudata, Nutt., Sy/va, i., 61, t. 18 (1842). S, Fendleriana,
Andersson, Proc. Am. Acad., iv., 54 (8) (1858). S. lasi-
andra, var.Fendleriana, Bebb, Watson & Brewer, Bos. Cal.,
ii., 84 (1880).
Mr. Sudworth is right; the older name of Nuttall
SEPTEMBER 18, 1895.]
ought to have been maintained.* In point of fact, how-
ever, the oldest name for this Rocky Mountain Willow is
Salix lucida, var. lanceolata, Hook., the type of which in the
Kew Herbarium is No. 39 of the “ Hooker, Barratt and Tor-
.rey” distribution, collected in the Rocky Mountains by
Drummond. But lanceolata is a homonym, several times
over, and, therefore, unavailable, according to the rule
maintained by Professor Sargent in the Silva of North
America.
SALIX FLAVESCENS, Nutt., var. capreoides (Andersson). S.
capreoides, Andersson, Proc. Am. Acad., iv., 60 (14). S.
flavescens, var. Scouleriana, Bebb, Watson & Brewer, Bot.
Cal.,ii., 86. S. brachystachys, Bentham, var. Scouleri-
ana, forma crassijulis, Andersson, DC., Prod. xvi., part ii.,
224. S. Scouleriana, Barratt, sec. Hooker, #2 Bor.-
Am., ii, 145 in part—The old name of the fora
Borealt-Americana was discarded by Andersson because
he found that the type specimens in the Hookerian
herbarium consisted of flowers of Salix flavescens and
leaves of S. Sitchensis “glued to the same sheet.” S.
Scouleriana thus becomes a synonym of both these spe-
cies in part, and, therefore, is not available for a specific
name. For the same reason it cannot be used fora varietal
name. We, therefore, fall back upon S. capreoides, Anders-
son, as next in point of date. In its restricted form this
does not well represent the variety of our north-west coast
in its widest departure from the Rocky Mountain type, but
it is unquestionably a synonym of a so-called Scouleriana,
and later was so regarded by Andersson himself.
Satix Missouriensis, n. sp. S. cordata, Muhlenberg,
var. vestita, Andersson, Monog. Sal. 159, and DC., Prod.
xvi., part ii., 252.. Fort Osage on the Missouri River (Neu-
wild ex Andersson)... Near Courtney, Jackson County,
Missouri, only twenty miles from the original lo-
cality (Professor Sargent, Mr. B. F. Bush). Nebraska
(Ex-Governor Furness). —A symmetrical tree with a
slender top, thirty or forty, or even fifty, feet in height,
trunk ten or twelve, rarely eighteen, inches in diameter.
One-year-old twigs stout, tomentose; leaves lanteolate or
oblanceolate, five to six inches long, from one to one and a
halfinches wide, cuspidate-acuminate, narrowed from above
the middle toward the acute or rounded (but not truncate
or cordate) base, at first more or less clothed with silky
hairs, soon smooth and dark green above, except the
downy midrib paler, but not glaucous beneath, margin
glandular-serrate; petioles downy, half an inch long,
stipules large, semi-cordate and pointed, or more rarely
reniform, obtuse; aments appearing before the leaves,
sessile, densely flowered, the male oblong-cylindrical, one
and a half to two inches long, half an inch thick, the fertile
lengthening tothree inches and becoming more or less lax ;
scales (relatively) large and very conspicuously invested
with long, straight, silvery hairs; capsules glabrous, ros-
trate from a thick base, pedicel (relatively) short, three
times the length of the gland and not exceeding the scale ;
style medium, stigmas minute, entire. The name vestita,
being preoccupied, is changed to one indicative of the habi-
tat of the species, which, so far as known, does not extend
beyond the banks of the Missouri. ‘‘The aments usually
open aboutthe first of February and have passed out of bloom
by March ist, whereas those of Salix cordata do not appear
till the first week in April.” (Bush.) For one of the Cor-
date, the extraordinary height and size of trunk attained
by this Willow, the repeated durability of the wood for
fence-posts, its early period of flowering, together with the
technical characters above given, would seem to amply
warrant its elevation to the rank of a valid species. At all
events, as such, it is much more likely to receive that fur-
ther study and criticism which will determine its true status,
than if left asa doubtful variety within the limits of such a
* The work on the Willows of California, undertaken at the request of Dr. Watson,
was almost the beginning of my special study of our western Willows. In those
days I was just a bit overawed by high authority, nor did I know then, as I came
to ae later on, how prone Professor Andersson was to minimize, if not to alto-
gether ignore, the work of Nuttall, or I would haye seen the propriety of reinstat-
ing Nuttall’s name.
Garden and Forest.
313
polymorphous species as S. cordata. The sessile, thick,
very silky pistillate aments, before expansion, resemble
those of S. discolor.
Salix Missouriensis has been mixed up with the so-called
“Diamond Willow ” of the upper Missouri, but is there any
reliable evidence of any connection whatever between the
two? Several years ago Professor L. F. Ward collected
leaves of the “ Diamond Willow,” which are those of gen-
uine S. cordata. A section of the stem, showing the pecu-
liar arrest of wood-growth at the base of the atrophied
twigs, taken at thesametime and measuring two inches in
diameter, indicates an annual wood-growth of one-twen-
tieth of an inch. We may readily see how the heart-wood
in such a case might have a closeness of fibre “equal to
Red Cedar”; but of all the members of the cordate group,
S. Missouriensis, with its remarkable vegetative vigor,
would be the last that would be suspected of growing two
inches in diameter in twenty years! Has a stick of ‘* Dia-
mond Willow,” with the “ diamonds” on it, so there could
be no mistake, ever been seen large enough for a fence-
post? After all the attention directed to this ** Diamond
Willow” more than fifteen years ago, and the widespread
interest which was manifested at the time in a matter
which, as set forth, seemed to present important economic
considerations, it is, indeed, strange that the intervening
years have yielded so little in the way of verified knowl-
edge of the facts.
Rockford) iil, M. §. Bebb.
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
OT only was the display at this week’s meeting of
the Royal Horticultural Society large and brilliant,
but many novelties were shown, notwithstanding that this
is the dull season when every one who can get away is out
of town. A great gathering like that on Tuesday indicates
how active is the interest in horticulture here since it can
induce so many amateurs and professional growers to
devote a day each fortnight for the admiration of the
new and rare plants that have come into season since
the preceding meeting.
The brilliancy of the exhibition was chiefly due to the
magnificent array of Gladioli, new hybrid Cannas, Dahlias
and the finest types of hardy perennials. Kelway’s display
of Gladioli was finer than I have seen for years, owing,
perhaps, to the exceptionally warm early summer or to the
excessive rains during the past month. There were no
fewer than fourteen dozen flower-spikes, the majority
fully eighteen inches long. Many new seedlings were
exhibited for certificates. None of these showed any de-
cided break from the usual range of colors, less, indeed,
than might be expected, since attempts have been made to
intercross the novel and strange tints in Lemoine’s race of
Gladioli with those of the older Gandavensis race. The
most striking variation in the new kinds seemed to be those
which have resulted from crossing the wide-open flowering
G. Saundersi with the best of the old Gandavensis type.
Some of these were recognized by the committee as an
advance upon old sorts. These Saundersi hybrids could
readily be distinguished by the much more open and larger
flowers, the recurving lateral sepals and downward ten-
dency of the upper sepal, which characterizes in a marked
way the typical species. The color also is, as arule, more
intensely scarlet, with a paler centre. The sorts certificated
were named Kate Rose, pale rose tint, penciled with crim-
son; Brantford, intensely deep crimson, the darkest tint
yet seen; Dalops, deep crimson flaked with a deeper hue.
Other extremely fine sorts were Opiter, Gildo, Croesus,
Ollius and Dunora. There is certainly not another class
in the whole range of cultivated plants that can make so
brilliant a display as Gladioli. It is to be regretted that
they are so capricious under cultivation and can only be
grown to perfection where the conditions exactly suit them
374
as regards soil and climate, and in the open air, for they
cannot be grown well under glass.
Dahlias made quite a show, the tendency of the popular
taste being for new kinds of the Cactus-flowered race. The
true Cactus-flowered Dahlias are certainly exquisite flow-
ers, and this season there are fewer spurious Cactus-flow-
ered kinds and more of the true Juarezi type, with long,
narrow-quilled florets that radiate inward instead of recurv-
ing. Thecolors of some of the new Cactus sorts are splen-
did and quite unlike the shades commonly seen in flowers
of the other classes. We have now a pure yellow Juarezi
in J. N. Roach, a pure white in Mrs. Peart, a delicate sal-
mon pink in MissI. Cannell, a deeper scarlet than Juarezi
itself in Mrs. Burke and Glorious, while in Mrs. Cannell we
have an indescribable tint like the nankeen color of Lilium
testaceum. Mr. Turner’s new Cactus sorts are of magenta
tones; of these the best shown are Leonora and
Beatrice, with Atalanta as an exquisite blush, and Mrs.
Turner a finer flower than the yellow J. N. Roach. I
noticed last week at the great exhibition at the Crystal Pal-
ace that Cactus varieties outnumbered the others something
like ten to one, and those of the lumpy show kinds of our
boyhood days were scarce.
The Cannas were from Messrs. Cannell, who are among
the principal growers and introducers of these increasingly
popular plants from the French and German cultivators.
There were numerous new varieties shown, but none of
this year’s novelties, in my opinion, eclipse some of the
older kinds, though a few show original markings and com-
binations of colors. Those worthy of special note were
Colibri, pale canary-yellow, with a blotch of deep crimson
in the centre—this is quite distinct in color; Quasmoda,
vivid scarlet, broad petals sharply edged with yellow;
Beauté Poitevine, brilliant scarlet and large; Aurore, very
large flower, glowing scarlet; Madame de I’Aigle, scarlet,
with yellow edge, in the way of the German Kénigin Char-
lotte; Sunset Glow, orange-scarlet, yellow edge. These
are all first-rate Cannas, but I do not see that such fine sorts
as Madame Crozy and Star of Ninety-one are eclipsed in
their particular colors by the new kinds. This has been,
one would think, afavorable season for open-air culture of
Cannas, but the best I have seen are not to be compared
in growth and flowers with those I have seen in the United
States, or in India during the winter season, when they
bloom continuously for four months if the seeds are con-
stantly picked of. In England I fear we shall always have
to grow these beautiful plants under glass.
Orchids were plentiful, and, besides some old favorites
shown as good examples of cultivation, there were several
new hybrids from some choice collections. From Mr.
Ingram there was a remarkable hybrid between Lelia
Turneri Elsteadensis and Cattleya maxima Peruviana,
named Lelio-Cattleya Charles Darwin. The features of
both parents are distinctly recognized in the progeny.
The form is more like that of the Leelia, as the sepals stand
out rigidly at an acute angle and are deep plum-purple
color, while the lip is as broad as in Cattleya maxima,
of an intensely rich amethyst tint, crumpled at the mar-
gins, with yellow centre. It is a superb plant. Another
hybrid from the same collection was Cattleya Elstead Gem,
between C. bicolor and C. xanthina. The flowers are of
medium size, with clear yellow sepals, crimson labellum
and white centre, a striking harmony of tints. Mr. Statter’s
group was remarkable for the rare C. callistoglossa, a cross
between Lelia purpurata and Cattleya gigas. C. Rex re-
called a fine form of C. Mendeli, the lip having the same
form and color and being exquisitely fringed with white.
Lelia elegans Owenie is probably the finest variety yet
seen ; the sepals are of a much deeper color than those of
Turneri or prasiata. It was unanimously awarded a cer-
tificate.
Sir Trevor Lawrence showed the rare Catasetum Bunge-
rothii, the large flowers of pure ivory-white borne on a
spike a foot long. The heart-shaped lip is two inches
across, with a conspicuous blotch of orange-red in the
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 395.
centre. Healso showed such rarities as Pachystoma Thomp-
soniana, Odontoglossum Krameri and Cypripedium Mor-
ganiz Burfordiensis, which is regarded as better in every
respect than the original hybrid named in honor of Mrs.
Morgan. It is, in my estimation, even finer than its ex-
ceedingly rare parent, C. Stonei platytcenium. Messrs.
Veitchs’ large contribution of Orchids included, among the
more noteworthy, specimens of Ccelogyne Veitchii, with
elegant spikes of fine white flowers. This is a valuable
addition to the genus, and was considered worthy of a cer-
tificate. The white Cattleya Eldorado, which has only a
blotch of yellow in the throat to mar its purity, is as rare
as it is beautiful. Some additions to the apparently never-
ending novelties among hybrid Cypripediums also came
from Messrs. Veitch. C. Warnhamense, between C. Cur-
tisi and C. Philippinense, was the chief attraction, as itisa
cross between the uniflorous and the multiflorous sections,
but it most resembles C. Curtisi. Cattleya Dowiana and
its variety aurea have just come into bloom, and some
splendid examples of the hybrids were shown that have
been obtained from them. The variety named Mrs. Hardy
is one of the most gorgeous Orchids I have seen. It is
best described as a pale C. aurea, the sepals being almost
white. C. aurea Statteriana, on the other hand, has the
labellum nearly wholly of a bright yellow, with only a few
markings of crimson. ‘The Orchids shown as examples of
culture included a magnificent Vanda coerulea with eight
spikes. It represented the largest-flowered variety with
those singular checkered sepals that are only met with in
such forms as Burfordiana. This was shown by Mr.
Woodall, who also exhibited a specimen of Odontoglos-
sum coronarium, one of the mountain species that are so
difficult to manage and are rarely seen in flower. It hasa
large cylindrical spike of flowers of the richest yellow and
chestnut-brown. It is grown in the coolest house, and very
moist, under conditions suited to the Masdevallias of the
Chimera type. Itis kept constantly saturated. There was
nothing so attractive in Messrs. Sanders’ large group as
the charming Habenaria carnea and its pure white variety
nivosa. It is a dwarf terrestrial species with erect spikes
and broad heart-shaped lips. The delicacy of tint in the
variety carnea has no equal even among the multitude of
Orchids. W. Goldring.
Kew.
New or Litile-known Plants.
Litsea geniculata.
HIS pretty plant is of particular interest to American
botanists as the only representative in the flora of
the United States of a large genus otherwise, with
the exception of five or six Mexican species, confined
to tropical continental Asia, the Malayan Archipelago,
China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and New Cale-
donia. It is a deciduous-leaved shrub with slender stems,
often ten or twelve feet high, spreading branches, and
thin zigzag branchlets. The small yellow flowers are
borne in few-flowered umbellate heads surrounded by in-
volucres of from two to four leaves, and appear in February
before the leaves, which are oblong, acute, thick and cori-
aceous, dark green on the upper surface, yellow-green
on the lower, aud rather less than an inch long. The fruit,
which ripens in the early summer, is globose, bright red,
and about a quarter of an inch in diameter ; its structure,
as well as that of the flowers, is shown in our illustration
on page 375 of this issue, from a drawing made by Mr.
Faxon from material furnished by Dr. J. H. Mellichamp, of
Bluffton, South Carolina.
Litsea geniculata is distributed from southern Virginia to
Florida, where it grows in swamps in the immediate neigh-
borhood of the coast. Although a rare plant, the Pond
Spice, the name by which this shrub is generally known,
was discovered before the middle of the lastcentury. It was
introduced before 1810 into Fraser’s nursery at Sloane Square,
in London, where it flowered in that year ; and an excellent
SEPTEMBER 18, 1895.]
figure made from this cultivated specimen was published in
The Botanical Magazine two years later (xxxv., t. 1471). It
probably will not be found now outside its native swamps.
The very complicated synonymy of the Pond Spice is
displayed on page 276 of Mez’s Monographia Lauracec
Americanz in the fifth volume of the /ahrbuch des Kint-
glichen Botanischen Gariens und des Botanischen Museums
su Berlin. Cc. S. S.
Plant Notes.
Nyssa sytvatica.—The Tupelo, or Pepperidge, as it now
appears in Central Park and on some of the rugged slopes
in the northern parts of Manhattan Island, is certainly one
Garden and Forest.
a/5
Tennessee it attains its largest size on elevated slopes.
Some of the trees in Central Park carry their branches in
horizontal strata around the central stem; in others these
branches droop at the extremities, while others still form
close, round-headed tops; but all of them are graceful.
Already there are branches here and there on which the
leaves begin to glow with the scarlet which will make
them in a few weeks rivals of the Sweet Gum and the Flow-
ering Dogwood. It is almost useless to attempt to trans-
plant large trees of this species from the woods, but the
seeds germinate readily, and if often shifted in nursery
rows, young trees can be moved without difficulty.
RuDBECKIA SUBTOMENTOSA.—This is one of the very best
of the tall composites which are so interesting at this sea-
Fig. 52.—Litsea geniculata.—See page 374.
x. A flowering branch of the staminate plant, natural size. 2, A flowering branch of the pistillate plant, natural size. 3. A flower-bud, enlarged. 4. An umbel of flowers
with its involucre, enlarged. 5. A staminate flower, enlarged.
ranks, front view, enlarged. 8, A pistillate flower, enlarged.
12. Vertical section of a fruit, enlarged. 13. A nut, enlarged.
of the most picturesque and distinct of our native trees.
We have already figured this tree in a group (vol. iii., p.
490) and as a single specimen (vol. vii., p. 275), and have
described it so frequently that there is little to add here,
beyond calling attention again to its singularly clean, dark
green and glossy foliage in the summer, its fiery colors in
autumn, and its ever-graceful and individual habit. Like
many other trees which grow naturally in damp soil, it
flourishes well on uplands, especially where the soil is
warm andrich. Indeed, in the mountains of Carolina and
6. A stamen of the inner rank with its glands, front yiew, enlarged.
g and ro, Staminodia of the pistillate flower, enlarged.
7- A stamen of the outer
ir. A fruiting branch, natural size.
son of the year. “It is a plant of branching habit which
grows four feet high, and its bright yellow flowers are pro-
duced in large numbers and fora long time. It is the best
of the larger Cone flowers, and if it can havea good stiff
soil in full sunlight it will always make a striking and
showy plant. The cones are dark brown and hemispheri-
cal, and the florets are a bright yellow, about an inch long,
and being rather narrow they are quite separate and give
the flowers a very distinct and interesting appearance. Of
course, there are many other excellent Cone flowers. Rud-
376
beckia speciosa, which grows to a height of two or three
feet and bears flowers three inches across, is especially good.
R. laciniata is one of the taller kinds and is quite desirable.
BILLBERGIA RHODO-cYANEA.—Many plants belonging to the
Bromeliaceze are exquisitely beautiful, but few or none of
them excel this rare free-flowering species. Side by side
with some of the most beautiful Orchids it easily holds its
own. The harmonious combination of its delicate tints,
its bold habit, its regular and finely marked foliage, render
it a thing of real beauty. The flowers are two inches long
in close, bracted heads, clear-blue in the bud, and lilac when
open. The petals are twice as long as the delicately rose-
colored sepals; the style and anthers white; the lanceo-
late bracts, with recurved spiny edges, about two inches
and a half long, beautifully rose-colored; the peduncle
ten to twelve inches high, green, and clothed with whitish
wool; the leaves eight to ten in a rosette, broad, lingulate,
with a sharp spiny point, edged on the upper half
with black spines. and on the lower half suffused with
blackish purple, and on the outside transversely lined
and spotted with white puberulent markings. This spe-
cies, like all Billbergias, grows well in a compost of
fibrous peat and sphagnum in wooden baskets or well-
drained pots. Frequent watering with liquid-manure helps
the growth, and pieces of cow-manure in the compost
are almost equally good. The soil should be kept con-
stantly moist, and frequent syringings are needed in sum-
mer. After flowering, the growth generally dies more or
less slowly ; it may keep beautiful for some time after, but
never increases in size. At the base of the growth, which,
after flowering and fruiting, has fulfilled its purpose, sev-
eral young growths appear and soon develop to normal
size if the root is healthy ; these may be taken offand used
for propagation. They should be potted in the usual com-
post, kept warm and shady and moderately watered.
Partial shade is always necessary, and from seventy to
eighty degrees, Fahrenheit, is a suitable temperature.
Hisiscus Coopertt TRicoLtor.—While the typical Hibiscus
Cooperii sometimes loses the mottled color of its leaves,
which gives the plant its ornamental value, this highly
colored variety is quite constant and also more beautiful
both in habit and in color. The leaves are ovate-lanceo-
late, with irregularly and coarsely serrated edges. The
color is very vivid, especially in the young leaves, dull
green, splashed with pure white, and edged with crimson.
The habit is very neat and compact, and if well grown
there are few better plants for table decoration. It is
propagated by cuttings, like ordinary forms of Hibiscus
rosa-sinensis. The soil, to develop the highest possible
color, should be very rich and the position a sunny one.
During the summer watering should be abundant, while a
partial rest during winter is beneficial. Young, not too
large, plants are the best in every way.
THUNBERGIA (MeyentA) ERECTA. —This very floriferous,
ever-blooming Thunbergia is not a climber, as are most
other species. It is a stiff, erect-growing shrub, said to
attain a height of six or more feet in its native country.
The opposite ovate-lanceolate leaves are two to three inches
long. The flowers are borne singly from the axils of the
leaves and are about three inches long, with an inflated,
curved tube and five large orbicular segments of equal size.
The corolla is fully aninchand a half across, and the calyx
consists of ten to twelve acicular segments half an inch
long, and the two-leaved epicalyx larger than the calyx
and enclosing it. ‘The color is a deep bluish purple, with
an orange throat. Plants will flower quite freely, even
when only a few inches high. Ordinary greenhouse treat-
ment is sufficient. This is a promising plant for window-
gardening where a bright and airy position can be had.
SoLanum AzuREuM.—Though nearly related to Solanum
jasminoides, this plant is quite distinct in the color of its
sky-blue flowers and in the shape of its leaves. It might,
perhaps, be considered only a form of that well-known
species in which the leaves and panicles of flowers are con-
siderably smaller. The leaves of the plant are pinnately
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 395.
divided, with from five to seven, rarely nine, ovate seg-
ments. The loose, subaxillary panicles produce from
twenty to thirty blue flowers with large yellow anthers.
The leafy, slender stems grow to a considerable length and
are of a bluish-green color. Lilke S. jasminoides, this plant
is a very profuse bloomer and will do well under the same
treatment. Side by side the two make a pleasing contrast,
and both are well adapted to growing in vases, as well as
on trellises and verandas, during the summer months.
Cultural Department.
Native Composites.
Wee it is true that exotic plants are generally most ap-
preciated in gardens, this is not always because they are
more beautiful than native flowers. That the latter are not_
more commonly grown is often owing to the attempt to col- _
lect the supposedly rarer foreign plants and to the prevailing
lack otf observation which causes us to overlook the good
points of our wildlings. The reaction of the last few years in
the direction ot greater simplicity and naturalness has had the
happy effect of introducing many yellow native composites
into cultivation. Many gardens are now rich with Sunflowers,
the best of which are unexcelled at this season as showy,
attractive objects. These, with the yellow Cone flowers and
Silphiums, make a large class of invaluable plants to brighten
up the garden at this season. But there is another group of
plants whose merits are slightly appreciated in our gardens as
yet, although they are typical American plants over which con-
siderable glamour of sentiment and poetry has been thrown.
The Asters or Starworts, while not flaunting and showy as the
Sunflowers, are highly ornamental and desirable in the less
formal parts of the garden. While Asters are perfectly hardy
and will apparently exist under almost any conditions, they
repay even a little care, and improve amazingly under cultiva-
tion, forming usually thrifty bushes covered with a multitude of
star-like flowers, a condition in which they are seldom seen in
the fields. As is well known, there are many species of
Asters. They are difficult plants to determine botanically, and
as they cross freely, outside of a few well-defined forms it is
not easy to know the various kinds. The nomenclature is
consequently much confused—at least, in gardens. Professor.
Gray made the subject his own, and cleared up many difficul-
ties, but since his death there seems to be no recognized
authority except his herbarium specimens. These flowers
have long been great favorites in English gardens, and the
names had become so confused that a few years since an en-
deavor was made to clear the nomenclature by growing speci-
mens of all available kinds in the Chiswick garden of the .
Royal Horticultural Society. The plants were studied by bot-
anists and gardeners, the species separated from the hybrids,
and all determined and named according to the best knowl-
edge available. I do not know of any large or nearly com-
plete collection in the United States. It one had the space for
them they would offer a most attractive field for collection and
cultivation, and one would, besides, be doing a public service.
Such a contract is entirely too large for my small garden,
though I have two dozen kinds named at Chiswick, as a
nucleus of what was intended to be a complete collection for
comparison. However, if one only desired a few kinds for
ornaments, a collection of a dozen kinds would be sufficient.
Aster ericoides has hundreds of small white flowers. Medium
white flowers may be found in forms of A. Novi-Belgii and A.
versicolor, the latter changing to hght mauve. But none of
the medium-sized white-flowered Asters are as handsome and
pure in color as those of the allied Boltonia. At Mr, Manda’s
the other day Boltoniaasteroides, growing in a group of Asters,
stood out boldly and distinctly among the other plants, and the
purity of color was noticeable at a great distance. A. longifo-
lius Lady Trevilyan, is the best large-flowered white Aster.
The best lavender or mauve colored kinds are torms of
Aster levis. Of the darker kinds our dark purple A. Novee-
Angliz is too common to need description. The rose-colored
forms, however, are much handsomer, A. roseus having
flowers of equal diameter with fewer rays of a clear rosy shade,
A. ruber is a smaller flower with numerous rays and of a
darker rose shade.
There is a great difference in the habits of the different
Asters, some being sparingly branched and some densely fur-
nished ; some are dwarf, others very tall. There also is a dif-
ference in the closing habit of the flowers. A. Nove-Anghz
seems to close the earliest and closest in the evening, and
some of the others do not close at all.
Elizabeth, N. J. F.N. Gerard,
SEPTEMBER 18, 1895.]
Chrysanthemums.
PECIMEN plants should have completed their growth by
this time. Until now our object has been to develop as
many growing shoots as possibie; after this the plants will
need to be tied into shape by a proper distribution of the
shoots, always guiding the strongest toward the centre. This
work should be done at once, so that the plants may lose some
of the characteristic stiffness which comes from training.
These instructions apply to trained specimens; plants which
have been allowed to grow naturally will, of course, be consid-
erably taller and irregular in outline, and to many persons
such plants have a greater charm. But even these need some
tying, which should be done neatly, and the stakes hidden as
much as possible. As with trained specimens, the stake
should take as much as possible the line of the growing shoot,
and always be placed behind it and topped to the last tie. A
heavy stake, longer than is required for support, should not be
used with a slim shoot. While this work is going on the earliest
varieties will be showing their flower-buds. Disbudding should
be commenced at once and continued everyday. Notall the
buds can be taken off at once, but the work should proceed
gradually, and the last one be removed only when it is certain
that the bud we need is perfect in form and is taking the lead
in growth. I have noticed a tendency in some varieties, more
especially in I. Delaux, G. Daniels, Arethusa, Amber Gem,
and this year’s novelty, Chrystallina (Vaughan), to show
crown-buds at taking time. As this occurs well into Sep-
tember, I always take them. If they were removed, terminals
would appear, but so late in the season that it is questionable
whether they would develop flowers of as good quality as the
crowns. I would advise the retention of all crown-buds ap-
pearing on specimen plants in September,
Feeding should be continued until the blooms begin to
show color, but less frequently and in less quantity. One
guide in regulating the use of stimulants, in addition to noting
the general effect on the plant, is to observe whether new
roots appear on the surface of the soil. Whenever they do
we can be certain that the food has been properly given and
is doing good work. If no roots appear, little can be done to
remedy the mistake of overfeeding. If the mistake is made of
giving an overdose of guano the pot should be immersed to
the rim in a tub of clear water. This treatment will act as a
dilutant. Some damage will result, and a loss of leaves follow,
but we may still preserve the plant in presentable shape. If,
however, the effects are gradual, it is probable the bad results
will not be discovered until it is too late to remedy the trouble.
In this case we let the plants become as dry as possible with-
out wilting, and give clear water only when moisture is
needed.
The plants should be housed by the first of September.
They can be left out-of-doors longer, but nothing is gained by
the delay. They are better under cover, and from the first of
October onwards will be benefited by keeping the air dry at
night. This prevents damping and mildew. It is necessary
to admit an abundance of air, but draughts must be guarded
against.
Plants intended for specimen flowers will be showing crown-
buds and terminals in all gradations. It is difficult always to
exactly define these buds. Crown-buds are always bracteate,
but there are so many degrees of development that it is diffi-
cult to tell, for instance, what we know as a second crown
from a true terminal. The second crown is a valuable bud
on which a large number of varieties do better, if anything,
than on terminals. The terminal, or last bud, is the safest
always when we are in doubt. It may lack size, and some-
times depth, but it always shows the best color, and the stem
is sure to be well clothed with foliage. A second crown-bud on
such varieties as William Seward, J. Shrimpton, G, W. Childs,
Domination and Inter-Ocean will always give a show flower of
great depth. E. Dailledouze is better on a terminal. So we
might go on. Experience is the best guide. What is essen-
tial is to know which bud is best for our purpose and make a
note of the fact.
Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield.
The Grapes of the Year.
ERM a collection of more than eighty sorts I should select
the following as indispensables, for everybody: Brighton,
Niagara, Worden—one red, one white, one black. But I
should wish to add Herbert black, Hayes white, and Lindley
red. Lindley, however, is very long-jointed for a good vine-
yard grower, and requires too much room. The two best
very early Grapes are Moore’s Early and Green Mountain.
Diamond, contrary to expectations, is not an early grape to be
Garden and Forest.
377
relied on. It ripens sometimes in August, and again all along
through September. It is every way freaky. Vergennes is
another exceedingly useful red grape. Its quality is not high-
est, and it has a very thick skin. Gaertner is a red grape that
should be graded very high. Itis among the earliest. For late
keepers I select Diana and Pocklington, both enormously pro-
lific, and both of a peculiar musky flavor, but fine. The
bunches are very compact and heavy. For choice grapes worth
extra care and winter protection, I cannot afford to dispense
with Iona, Goethe or Dutchess. The latter is early and a
poor keeper; the two former are excellent keepers. Jefferson
will not ripen here oftener than one year out of ten. For
training against barns and outbuildings I know no better Grape
than August Giant. It is really excellent in quality, and for
growth has no rival. For home use it may be added to the
three indispensables for the table—Brighton, Worden and
Niagara. As Brighton is a bad self-pollenizer, it must inva-
riably be grown alternately with Niagara or Worden or other
Grapes.
Thoroughly good grapes can only be grown in a warm,
open exposure. Trellises should, if possible, run north and
south. A swale facing south-east, with rich, loose clay soil,
is most satisfactory. When the exposure is bad there is delay
in fully ripening at the proper date, but the leaves at that time
begin to fail in elaborating the sap, and consequently the
grapes never become quite perfect. I have learned the need
of hastening the ripening of our grapes. Lindley trained
against my barn is ripe two weeks earlier than on a trellis that
is slightly shaded, and the quality is incomparably better. No
grape grower can ever afford to be without Bordeaux mixture.
I have invariably applied it of late with kerosene emulsion.
In fact, I have learned to use the emulsion with all sprays, on
all sorts of vegetation.
A peculiar feature of grape-culture for this season has been
that along the whole Grape-belt a severe freeze in May de-
stroyed the whole new growth, including all the buds and
blossoms. But the very severity of the cold led to an entirely
new growth from dormant buds, and from this a fairly good
crop of grapes has resulted. What is also surprising is that
this secondary crop has ripened considerably earlier than any
rape crop in twenty years.
Clinton, Ny. Be E. P. Powell.
The Vegetable Garden.
fees weather has been so unseasonably warm that we are
apt to forget that cool nights are due, and a sudden frost
may come as a Surprise north of New York any time after the
middle of September. Celery will not be making its best
growth until the temperature at night is comparatively low,
but it will whiten much more rapidly in the latter part of Sep-
tember than it will in late autumn. The plants which are
required for early use should have a litle finely pulverized
soil drawn about them once a fortnight, although, of course,
it is too early to earth up the main crop. Of course, Celery
should never be handled while it is wet with rain or dew. The
rusted leaves should be picked off as they appear, the ground
should be kept clean, and the plants should never be allowed
to lack water.
Lettuce can be sowed in the open ground and pricked out
in cold frames, but it will not always mature before frost. In
open autumns, if the ground is kept clean, plants will head in
November, and the rest of them in winter. Of course, sashes
should not be used before heavy frost, except to protect the
plants from beating rains.
In warm beds with a southern slope Spinach, if sown now,
may furnish a few plants for use before winter, but in any case
it will be good for spring use. The round-seeded variety is
rather more prolific than the prickly-seeded, but it needs more
protection.
Cut off the Asparagus as soon as it begins to turn yellow,
and before the seeds fall to make bad weeds next year. The
tops ought to be burned, as this will in some degree discourage
the attacks of the beetle.
Where the larger kinds of Cabbage begin to burst, the roots
should be loosened with a fork, and all Cabbage and Cauli-
flower which is still making any growth should be frequently
hoed. If freezing weather catches the Cauliflowers before
they have made full-sized hearts, they can be kept for winter
use by heeling them in closely in cold frames.
If plants of Water Cress are set in a frame now, and the soil
is kept damp, they will begin to make a new growth. If the
frames are carefully banked up so as to exclude the frost they
will furnish a much-prized relish in winter, ,
Montclair, N. J. Tqeck
378
Asparagus Sprenglei.—This plant, as well as Asparagus de-
cumbens, can be grown to excellent advantage in hanging
baskets for stoves and greenhouses, and even for veranda
decoration in the summer months. In high-roofed stoves,
especially where the plants in them are not tall enough to fill
up the space, both these species will be found very useful.
The former makes growths sometimes six feet long, beauti-
fully branched and hanging naturally over the sides of the
basket. The leaves are comparatively large and bright green
in color. Ifin a healthy condition the plants will produce at
least two crops of flowers each season, and the flowers are
very attractive, being almost pure white and arranged in short
racemes. A. decumbens is much smaller than A. Sprenglei,
but none the less attractive, the stems being closely branched.
Both plants are easily increased, either from seed or by
division of the crowns.
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W. O.
Variation in Corn.—In observing several varieties of Corn
last year it was noticed that in the same variety there was a
marked variation in the number of rows upon the ear, For
example, in the kind known as Portland we found ears having
eight, ten, twelve, fourteen and sixteen rows. It was not till
late in the season that this variation was noticed, and, there-
fore, extended observation could not be made to determine
the prevalence of this characteristic in different varieties.
This season about a hundred varieties have been examined,
and two-thirds or more of these show variation in the number
of rows on the ear. We have found two ears on the same
stalk, each having a different number of rows. This presents
an interesting aspect of variation in cultivated varieties which
have been produced from crossing. The many varieties of
Sweet Corn have sprung from others which differed originally
in the number of their rows, and this fact now appears in most
of the cross-bred kinds in the form of row-variation. In other
words, while some of the characters of the cultivated crosses
seem to be established, so that they are reproduced with rea-
sonable certainty, all the characters are not definitely fixed.
Native Plums.—The following varieties of native Plums are
in fruit this summer at the experiment station: Marianna,
Wild Goose, Wooten, Quaker, Wayland, Forest Garden,
Weaver, Transparent and Golden Beauty. The native Plums
are favorites of the curculio, and one to four slugs appear on
every fruit. Hardly a trace of the rot is to be seen on these
varieties. The Marianna and Wild Goose have already
ripened; the Quaker and Wooten are now ripening, and the
remaining varieties are green.
Age of Bordeaux Mixture.—It has been shown by Mr. Lode-
man, of the experiment station, this season, that after the Bor-
deaux mixture has been prepared a long time it precipitates
more rapidly when mixed with water than when newly made,
and, therefore. the older it is the more it must be agitated. In
applying it to Potato plots for blight, which required one knap-
sack sprayer of material for each plot, the portions sprayed
first are comparatively free from the disease, while those
sprayed with the last of the material in each knapsack are as
badly affected as the check plots, showing that the Bordeaux
quickly precipitated, and was used up in the first delivery from
each sprayer. The Bordeaux used in these experiments was
made in May. Plots sprayed with the mixture made at the
time of each application show that the material was distributed
uniformly over the entire plot, for here the blight is evenly
hecked.
checkec G. Harold Powell.
Cornell University.
Correspondence.
The Sacred Lotus in Egypt.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—In the issue of GARDEN AND Forest for August 21st
Mr. Day makes mention of the leaves of Nelumbium specio-
sum from Egyptian catacombs now preserved in the Abbott
collection in New York City. I have not seen the collection,
which I know by reputation to be a very complete and valua-
ble one, and the fact that specimens of the leaves of the Sacred
Lotus exist there is most interesting. As far as I know, neither
leaves nor flowers were on exhibition at Giseh when I exam-
ined the collection there two years ago and made notes on the
spot.
In a review of Dr. Bonavia’s Flora of the Assyrian Monu-
ments in the same number of GARDEN AND FOREST nothing is
said of the chapter dealing with the Lotus. Dr. Bonavia claims
that Nelumbium speciosum never existedin Egypt, and that the
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 395.
Rose Lotus was the red variety of the white Lotus, Nymphaea
Lotus. And the reason he gives for the statement is, that ‘it
is not likely that a plant like the Nelumbium, so easily propa-
gated by seed and root, would have disappeared from Egypt
had it been there,” which statement seems somewhat re-
markable in the face of many similar examples of plants which
are absolutely known to have flourished in Egypt thirty cen-
turies or more ago, and are now no longer seen there. The
Papyrus is one instance. . The original home of Cyperus
Papyrus is a matter of question, too, for Boissier claims that it
grows spontaneously in tropical Africa, in Abyssinia, Nubia
and Syria, having been brought there from Egypt, and from
being spontaneous in the latter country it has retreated fur-
ther south as a result of the change in the Egyptian climate.
It would take too much space to enumerate here the plants
which have disappeared from Egypt since Pharaonic times.
But, to return to the Sacred Lotus, it would seem as if it had
been too well described by classical authors to be questioned,
even in this doubting nineteenth century. Theophrastus,
Herodotus and Strabo each, and in various ways, describe its
rounded, peltate, concave leaves, rose petals and peculiar
fruit too plainly; and the fact that still in the far east the statues
of the gods stand on Nelumbium-shaped pedestals seems to
go to prove that through Asia, from time immemorial, the
plant has had divine significance, for in the east things do not
change rapidly, and the sacred things of yesterday are very apt
to be those of to-morrow.
I have not seen any record of the finding of the plant in
tombs of Pharaonic periods, and it will be very interesting to
learn the “ provenance” of the leaves mentioned by Mr. Day.
It has been found in the Grzeco-Roman Necropolis of Hawara,
which would seem to settle the question, as, if it occurred in
Egypt then, it could scarcely have been a novelty in the coun-
try. But at that time the old Egyptian religion was in its deca-
dence, and the plant had probably lost its sacredness, and may
have been put to many uses forbidden in older, orthodox
centuries.
The hieroglyphic name of the Sacred Lotus, according to
Monsieur Loret,* was Neheb, changing later to Nekheb and
Nesheb, and the oldest rendering of it is seen in the funeral
texts taken from the pyramid of Pépi I. The name of the
White Lotus, Nymphza Lotus, was Soushin, and that of the
Blue Lotus, N. ccerulea, was Sarpat. The terminal hiero-
glyphic sign in the rendering of the name, an outline of the
flower, is, in the case of the three forms of the name of the
Sacred Lotus, the same, and much larger, longer and of an
entirely different shape than the one terminating the spelling
of the names of the White and Blue Lotus. This also would
seem to prove that the plants were radically different, and
were known to be different, and also that the similarity of the
two Water-lilies was recognized.
The Sacred Lotus was made to serve as the cradle of Horus,
the God of the Rising Sun, and to its habit of closing its petals
in the evening and often disappearing under water for the
night may be attributed the reason of the very important réle
it played in the Egyptian solar myth.
East Hamptoa, L. I. Anna Murray Vail.
Air Drainage.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST :
Sir,—I note with much interest the observations of Dr. Hos-
kins upon the importance of atmospheric drainage in fruit-
culture.
During the last six years I have been so situated in the fruit-
growing districts of western New York and upon the prairies
of Dakota as to have exceptional opportunities for observing
the importance of this almost unheeded element of local
climate, and during the growing season of 1894, and again this
year, I have noted its influence. In 1894 late spring frosts
did considerable injury in districts not well drained aérially,
and this season the injuries have been intensified. Frosts
have occurred during each of the growing months of the
year, and in each case ice has been formed in the draws and
valleys, and Corn and Potatoes, while not entirely killed,
suffered a severe check, the marks of which are visible until
the present time. The more elevated portions escaped
with slight injury to these tender plants.
A notable example was presented on the morning of June
28th, when Corn, Potatoes and other tender annuals growing
upon the flats along the Sioux River were severely frosted,
and as the land rises gradually for some four miles from the
river to the experiment station grounds, a gradual lessening
of the injury by the frost was noticeable until the station
* La Flore Pharaonique.
SEPTEMBER 18, 1895. |
grounds were reached, where no damage even to Tomato-
plants could be detected. These, however, are upon one of
the most elevated portions of the prairie in the vicinity, and
the land here is not level, but has a gradual descent to the east
of about five feet in thirty rods. Other and quite as marked
examples of the value of air drainage are afforded by the very
slight undulations of the comparatively level prairie. It is not
unusual after a late spring frost to see in a Corn-field an area
of four to six square rods perceptibly touched by frost, while
the remainder of the field is unhurt.
In the grape-growing districts of western New York the
limits of the successful cultivation of such valuable varieties
as Isabella and Catawba are determined by no greater factor
than air drainage. The sections in which these late varieties
can be successfully grown are confined to narrow strips bor-
dering the larger inland lakes and‘rivers. Outside the limits
of this area experience has proved that the cultivation of these
varieties is unprofitable, because their season of ripening is
late, and, therefore, fall frosts are liable to catch the crop yet
upon the vines; near the rivers and lakes the ameliorating
influence of the water is sufficient to ward off the frost.
In the west this question is of vastly more importance than
in New York state, as late spring frosts and early fall frosts
are much more frequent, and, although the prairies are com-
paratively level, slight differences, as of two to ten feet, in
elevation often mark the line between success and failure with
the tender annuals as well as with fruits. At present it has a
more important bearing upon garden annuals than upon fruits,
but in order that future fruit interests in these sections shall
not suffer from a lack of knowledge of this factor, it is well
that every fruit-grower and prospective tree-planter should be
informed of its importance.
State Agricultural College, Brookings, S. D. LC. Corbets.
Double Sweet Peas.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Several plants obtained from ‘‘Eckford’s Grand Mix-
ture” of Sweet Peas show a strong inclination to become
double. Some simply have the standard deeply lobed, or, in
some instances, divided ; others show more elaborate modifi-
cations. For instance, one has two complete standards side
by side; one of these bears at its base a small lobe reversed
upon the main part, while opposite the keel is another extra
petal-like appendage, terminating in a pollen-bearing anther.
The essential organs are apparently normal. Another, which
approaches nearer to the ideal, presents one standard partly in
front of the other; both are of good size and symmetrical. In
the rear of these the calyx has developed an extra sepal almost
as long as the standards and as highly colored. The light and
dark reds show these variations most plainly, but they are also
prominent in a light yellow variety. So many pronounced
freaks in a single season seem to indicate that where any
variation has once occurred others are likely to follow.
35 Miles
Harmonsburg, Pa,
Quercus Phellos X rubra in Missouri.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—On page 366 of my Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Mis-
souri, 1 have written at some length on this hybrid Oak, the
old Quercus heterophylla of Michaux, giving my reasons tor
thinking that it did not occur in Missouri, at least in the pre-
viously reported localities. There having been so much
obscurity about the parentage of this noted tree, and not feel-
ing certain that Mr. Hollick’s combination was any more cor-
rect than Dr. Engelmann’s, I had about come to the belief that
the hybrid was the result of several different crossings and
not the offspring of any two certain species, as had been sup-
posed, and hence my doubts expressed as to its occurrence in
Missouri.
A slip of the pen in my note on page 366 of the current
volume of GARDEN AND FOREST makes me say Red Oak
instead of Scarlet Oak, which changes the status of things de-
cidedly, and thereby allows me to show that the hybrid col-
lected is really Quercus Phellos X rubra. Having had abundant
opportunity to study the Dunklin County tree this season, I
can, without hesitation, say thatit represents Q. Phellos X rubra,
and is described as follows: Tree much resembling the Red
Oak in trunk, branches and general appearance; branchlets
densely tomentose, the density and character of the tomentum
being that of Q. rubra when young, butsoon becoming smooth
and polished ; buds large and smooth, ovate and pointed, very
similar to those of Q. rubra, but smaller; leaves heterophyllous,
the greater proportion of them being nearly like those of Q.
Garden and Forest.
5/0
Phellos, with some forked and lobed, very thick, shining above,
densely tomentose beneath when young, but becoming nearly
smooth in age, with lobes shortly bristle-tipped, the Q. Phellos
form, which I have indicated as No. 610, having very short
petioles, and the Q.rubra form, which I have kept separate
under No. 610, having slender petioles about one inch in
length; fruit much like that of Q. rubra, but much smaller,
somewhat approaching that of Q. Phellos in shape.
Only one tree was found, and this is standing in a piece of
low wet woods 200 feet south of the railroad track and about
one-half mile east of the station at Campbell. The principal
growth here is Oak, of which Quercus Phellos, Q. rubra, Q.
minor, Q. alba and Q. velutina are the only species present,
and these occur in abundance in the order given. The trunk
is about fifteen inches in diameter three feet above the ground,
and the height was estimated at sixty feet. At a distance the
tree very much resembles the Willow Oak.
This hybrid differs from Quercus Phellos in the forked and
lobed leaves, which are tomentose when young, with bristle-
tipped lobes and long petioles ; the larger and different-shaped
fruit, and the larger and different-shaped buds. It differs from
Q. rubra in the narrow entire leaves, which are very shortly
petioled, the smaller and more rounded buds, and the smaller,
slightly different-shaped fruit ; from Q. velutina in the different-
shaped fruit, entire leaves with their short petioles, and smaller
smooth buds. It is not related to Q. digitata, which is com-
mon at Campbell, but not seen near the piece of woods where
this tree stands; nor to Q. imbricaria, which is also found near
Campbell, though rarely ; nor to Q. Texana, which is found on
the hills near Chalk Bluff, but not commonly; and there are
no other species of Black or Red Oaks in the immediate
vicinity of this tree.
The hybrids found in De Kalb, Shelby and Sullivan counties
by Broadhead, and in Cooper and Pettis counties by Swallow,
are probably derived from Quercus imbricaria and Q. rubra,
and not from the Willow Oak.
B. F, Bush.
Independence, Mo.
Recent Publications.
Mr. J. G. Lemmon, of Oakland, California, has just issued,
in convenient form, a Hand-book of West-American Cone-
bearers, in which he records his observations upon the
coniferous trees of western North America, gathered dur-
ing years of travel in the forests of that part of the coun-
try. A view of an ancient Sequoia in the Tuolumne Big
Tree Grove serves as a frontispiece to the work, which is
further illustrated by a number of photographs of fruiting
branches of species of the different genera described. Mr.
Lemmon is an acute observer and a most enthusiastic lover
of trees, and something of his skill in describing what he
has seen appears in his remarks upon the Sugar Pine (Pinus
Lambertiana), which we reproduce :
The Great Sugar Pineis the accepted, the crowned, prince of
the Pine family. Not only by virtue of its unexcelled dimen-
sions and the magnitude of its cones is it regal, but it is a
most kingly monarch in its majestic, lofty bearing, its erect,
self-asserting dignity, and its bowed head, obedient to its only
masters—the powers above. Only the supreme emperor of
the whole vegetable world, the immense Sequoia, also a deni-
zen of our great Sierra forest, and admitting the Sugar Pine to
fellowship, excels in dimensions (every way but in fruit) this
noble, dominant tree of the whole western world.
The West-American Cone-bearers is sold by the author at
$1.00 a copy, and is to be followed by a more comprehen-
sive work on the same subject, which will be fully illus-
trated, and is designed “to present by comprehensive
classifications and careful descriptions, both scientific and
popular, the latest and most useful information concerning
this family of important trees—unparalleled in their abun-
dance in north-west America.”
~
Notes.
The latest of the Minnesota Botanical Studies, being Bulle-
tin No. 9, issued by the Geological and Natural History Sur-
vey of Minnesota, under the editorship of Professor Conway
Macmillan, is devoted to a bibliography of American Alga,
by Josephine E. Tilden.
An expert in California, who has been trying different meth-
ods of extracting the odors from flowers, claims that he has
380
discovered a process by which he can compete successfully
with the French distillers of perfumes. The great advantage
of the new method is said to be that it extracts the odors from
the flowers almost instantaneously, and in this way much time
and labor is saved.
Mr. Carman, who has grown the Green Mountain Grape
since 1889, writes that the more he sees of it the better he likes
it. He. pronounces it positively #the earliest, and, for its
season, the best of our White Grapes. The fruit on the
Rural Grounds were ripe on the 2oth of August this year. The
quality is pure and refreshing, the seeds are small, the skin
thin, but firm. The Early Ohio ripens about the same time,
but the berries are sour and the flesh tough.
Leycesteria formosa is a shrub found in the higher parts of
Nepaul and well known in English gardens. It is not hardy in
this latitude, but Mr. Joseph Meehan writes to the Counéry
Gentleman that, although it gets partly killed back in the win-
ter-time, the young shoots come up every spring and flower
in Germantown abundantly from July to November. The plant
belongs to the Honeysuckle family, and bears pleasing light
pink flowers, whose purple stems and calyxes are also quite
attractive.
Mr. B. F. Bush, of Independence, Missouri, has reprinted
from the State Horticultural Report of Missouri his Lis¢ of the
Trees, Shrubs and Vines of that state. Two hundred and
ninety-four species are described, a number which can prob-
ably be slightly reduced. Betula populifolia, forexample, which
is admitted doubtfully, probably does not grow anywhere west
of the Mississippi River. The list, too, is enlarged by two
hybrid Oaks and by our Chestnut, which is not an inhabitant
of any part of the region west of the Mississippi.
Mr. C. W. Garfield, in Ze Rural New Vorker, makes the
suggestion that the American Pomological Society furnish the
Government with a bulletin containing its fruit catalogue with
the perfected nomenclature and the distinguishing characters
which indicate values for different localities. When it is re-
membered that the publications of the American Pomological
Society are limited in number and published biennially, it
seems that the proposed method would be useful in giving a
wider circulation to the results of the work done by the Com-
mittee on Fruits.
Dr. F. Franceschi has brought together, in a volume of eighty-
eight pages, under the title of Santa Barbara Exotic Flora, a
Handbook of Plants from Foreign Countries Grown at Santa
Barbara, California, a series of articles first contributed by him
to the Santa Barbara Press. There is probably no better spot
in North America for a garden than the coast of southern Cali-
fornia, and the number of exotic species that can grow there is
very large. Dr, Franceschi’s publications will certainly stimu-
late a taste for gardening in California, and his efforts to enrich
the exotic flora of his adopted state will be watched with the
greatest interest by all Americans interested in horticulture.
We have received from Meehans’ Nurseries specimens of
Cedrela Sinensis in fruit. It has flowered for several years in
this country, but we have never before seen the seed, and
should like to know if it has been produced elsewhere. The
tree in its general appearance resembles the Ailantus, and,
perhaps, it might be used here to advantage as a street-tree in
places where the Ailantus is objected to on account of the
odor of its flowers. The tree is a native of the northern
parts of China, and it is not improbable that a strain of the
species may yet be established here which will be hardy
throughout New England, where it is now rather tender.
We have heretofore given several methods of saving un-
ripened tomatoes which remain on the plants when the first
frost comes. On this point, Professor Massey, of the North
Carolina Experiment Station, writes that when frost is inimi-
nent he gathers the green tomatoes, wraps them separately in
paper (old newspapers will answer), and packs them in boxes,
which are stored in a place just warm enough to be secure
from frost, the object being to keep them and not to ripen
them. Then, as the fruits are wanted, a few are brought out
at a time and placed in a warm position, where they will ripen
in afew days. In this way he has kept his table supplied with
sliced tomatoes up to midwinter.
A dispatch from London to Zhe Suz, of this city, states that
this year there has been such an enormous crop of plums in
Great Britain that the price for the fruit has fallen to twopence
a pound, which is so little that it does not pay the cost of
gathering and freight. One would naturally have supposed
that the growers would have made haste to dry the fruit, since
Garden and Forest.
.Flame Tokay grapes, with a fine
[NUMBER 395.
England pays annually two million dollars for dried plums
imported from France. English farmers are extremely con-
servative, however, and they sat still and allowed the fruit to
fall on the ground and rot. It may be that these plum-
growers can give some reasonable excuse for their failure to
meet such an emergency. Farmers and fruit-growers are
often accused of a lack of enterprise when in reality it is prac-
tically impossible to solve offhand the problems which sud-
denly confront them.
Professor Lazenby, of the Ohio Experiment Station, in mak-
ing tests for ascertaining the purity and vitality of seeds, notes
the remarkable power of re-germination which is exhibited by
various species. Different samples of Wheat germinated no less
than ten times after intervals of a week or more, during which
time the seeds were kept perfectly dry. Corn will germinate
nearly as often. Clover and the grass seeds germinate but
once, asarule. This helps to explain why a good stand of
Grass or Clover is difficult to obtain in unfavorable seasons,
while failure with Wheat or grain from alternate wet and dry
conditions seldom occurs, provided the seed is good. It may
also be one reason why certain garden seeds will endure
much greater neglect than others.
The Rev. W. T. Hutchins writes to Zhe Florists’ Exchange
that the quality of the newer Sweet Peas is endangered by the
enormous production of seed in California and perhaps else-
where. It is complained that some of the improved types are
losing their fine shell-shaped and hooded form and have a
narrow, reflexed look, and in this half-deteriorated and washed-
out condition they are not as good as the old sorts from which
they were originally developed. The reason for this is that
proper care has not been taken to hold the plants up to a rigid
standard. In order to retain the highest quality something
more is needed than merely pulling out the rogues or plants
which show a bad color. Every single plant which shows any
deterioration should be removed, or else the best of the varie-
ties will revert to ancestral types. Of course, such rigorous
care cannot be exercised where seed is sold at present prices,
but, unless the seed is grown distinctly for quality rather than
for quantity, the deterioration of flowers is sure to follow.
In the markets, cranberries, crab-apples, quinces and small
yellow tomatoes, for preserving, indicate the autumn season
in fruits, although all the middle and late summer fruits and
vegetables are yet fairly represented. Lemons still command
unusually high prices, notwithstanding the drop of forty to
fifty degrees in temperature since the middle of last week.
The supply of this year’s crop from the Mediterranean for the
remainder of the season is said to be only one-third of the
quantity imported for the same term a year ago, and choice
Majori fruit during the past week sold for $8.25 a box at whole-
sale. With the last California seedling oranges, brought out
of cold storage, now appear the earliest Jamaica oranges,
the first large shipment of which fruit is due here to-day.
lilac-bloom on the red
skin, and large Kelsey plums, with their different shades
of mingled purple and yellow, were among the showiest
California fruits of the fifty-two car-loads sold in this
city last week. Some Purple Damascus grapes are also now
coming from the western coast, with the long-berried Black
Cornichons and Rose of Peru. George's Late Cling is one of
the varieties of peaches most frequently seen now, a large
white-fleshed fruit, the yellow skin striped and splashed with
bright red, and said to be among the most profitable kinds
grown in California. Picquet’s Late, a free-stone, introduced
from Georgia, is another good sort now coming from the
west. The preference is, however, for eastern-grown peaches,
even though these are small and unattractive in appearance.
Charles V. Riley, the well-known entomologist, died in
Washington on Saturday night from injuries received in a fall
from a bicycle. He was born in London in 1843, came to this
country at the age of seventeen years and settled on a farm in
Illinois, He served as a soldier in the last years of the war,
and after some experience in journalism he was made state
entomologist of Missouri, which position he filled for nearly
ten years. His work in that state attracted much attention,
and in 1878 he came to Washington, where, until last year,
when he resigned his position, he has practically supervised
all the entomological work carried on by the Government.
Mr. Riley was a tireless worker, with an aptitude for original
research, and many of his published papers are of permanent -
value. He had a talent, too, for political management, and
for many years he was recognized in the Department of Agri-
culture as one of the forces in directing its policy and selecting
its agents.
SEPTEMBER 25, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST:
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO,
Orrick: Tripung Buitpinc, New York.
Gonducted “bys « « . < <-« « s@uuise Professor C. S.. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Ys
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EprroriaL ARTICLES :—Landscape Art in the Miltary Parks... ve er
Germany’s Forestry Policy..
Notes on Western New York Woodlands.
Autumnal Changes in Leaves.—I..........--+-000- » 383
New or LittLE-KNowN PLants :—Agave Utahensis. (With ferent os, SOME bicicrbe 384
IPPAN TER NOTLHS cslew slevasici Wale sinisivicjain's e vinia gies sivldea theless sinines asee sels oa6.0
CutturaL Department :—Gardening in North Carolina.. Professor IV’.
Bulbous Plants.......sessese0---- Seats sis=sjas oFeae ss
Flower garden Notes..
Two Good Grapes... orn E
Solanum Wendlandi.....-.------+++0+* Saastivsteceescy E. O. Orpet. 387
Keeping Pears, Plant a few Winter Pears.. Edwin C. Powell. 388
CorRESPONDENCE :—What Shall We Do with the Birds ?.. Professor Freé J W. Card. a
Notes from Santa Barbara.. SHSO SND O
Notes from the South-west.
IRN USHEOISOMIN Posie seweicjsiee euaveiaisles ain cete eteiete
Myrosma cannzefolia (Calathen myr one).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS .
INOTESteeninesistne
ILLUSTRATION Agave Uta
Ww, nf Craig. 387
BE. P. Pou well. 387
Landscape Art in the Military Parks.
AST week we spoke approvingly of some suggestions in
The Century in regard to the construction and admin-
istration of the great national military parks which have
been lately acquired by the Government. The first of
these suggestions was that “Every commission should
avail itself of the advice of the best landscape-architects so
that park-like effects may be retained as far as may be con-
sonant with the more practical objects of the reservation.”
One of our correspondents expresses strenuous dissent from
this recommendation. Hesays thatthe idea of decorating a
battlefield with garden finery is altogether repugnant to his
feelings, and he adds that the work of the gardener is too
petty to be tolerated in a place like this, where the grandeur
of the natural scenery is more than matched by the moral
grandeur of the event which this reservation commemo-
rates. What with. the monuments and historical tablets
and lines of stone to mark the position of the soldiers, there
would be, in his view, altogether too much art of one kind
or another in the park, and he insists that what we want is
more of nature—and nature without any artificial orna-
ments; certainly we do not want any gardener to dress
up the landscape for visitors.
Beyond question the feeling which inspires this objection
is a worthy one. The mistake is that the objector has no
adequate appreciation of the true functions of an artist in
landscape. Here are fifteen square miles of the Chicka-
mauga battle ground, besides several outlying points which
have been purchased, and which are to be made accessi-
ble for thousands of people, and all this is to be practically
inhabited in the future by attendants and visitors which
will increase in number as time rolls on. It is absurd to
suppose that the face of the country will not be interfered
with in some way by the constructions that are needed and
by its continued occupation by man. Of course, the rivers
and mountain ridges will always be there, and so, per-
haps, will the forest, but the entire surface must be in
constant process of change, and the problem is how to con-
trol and direct the unsleeping forces of nature and the per-
sistent influence of man so that they will work together to
preserve and develop the scenery of the great park in
accordance with its real spirit and original meaning.
Garden and Forest.
381
In the first place, there must be roads and paths for
transportation. It is very clear that if an engineer is em-
ployed to make these roads his professional duty would
lead him to consult, primarily, convenience and economy
in construction, and the same might be true of the shelters
and other necessary architectural work. Suppose, how-.
ever, the design were in charge of an artist who not only
appreciates scenery for its full value, but who by long
practice knows why it is beautiful or sublime, and who is
able to analyze it and judge which are its essential elements
to be saved at all hazards. It is very plain that the land-
scape would suffer less mutilation under such conditions,
since in all his efforts the leading purpose of the designer
would be to preserve and develop that undefinable charm
which appeals directly to the imagination. Again, such an
artist instinctively apprehends the points of view from
which the scenery makes its most impressive appeal. He
would plan, therefore, to lead the spectator by pleasant
approaches to where some inspiring prospect bursts
upon his view, or where through opened vistas his eye
can feast on well-composed pictures from which every-
thing that distracts and belittles is shut out by a frame of
foliage.
But, more than this, the country, if left absolutely alone,
is undergoing perpetual transformation. Not only will
trees be growing up—-they will be dying. The mold will
be washing down from the slopes and the mountains will
grow more sterile as the valleys are enriched with booty
from the hills. The competent artist in landscape will
have a plan to guide all these forces in the direction of
preserving the poetry of the scene. For example, if soil
and leaf-mold are placed in pockets on the face of these
almost perpendicular cliffs and appropriate seeds and plants
are set therein just as nature does whenever she has time
and opportunity, the characteristic appearance of such a
place can be preserved forever, and even enhanced. A
similar care in the woods can keep the trees in con-
stant vigor, and along the raw road-borders trees and
shrubs and herbs can be introduced that will harmonize at
once with their surroundings, so that in a season or so
foregrounds could be produced which nature would require
a score of years to develop.
Work of this sort, we are aware, is not generally consid-
ered landscape-gardening. Our correspondent evidently
considers that the field of landscape art is contined to mak-
ing smooth lawns and bordering them with Golden Elders,
Kilmarnock Willows and Purple-leaved Plums, with, per-
haps, a beautiful pattern bed of Coleus and Alternanthera
in the middle. Now, a true landscape-gardener does not
consider a place trivial simply because it is small, and even
the surroundings of a modest country house may bring out
some of his clearest thoughts. Nor is his work entirely
constructive, as it sometimes is, as, for example, in Central
Park, where pastoral landscapes were absolutely created
by blasting out a place for them from sterile ridges of rock.
But it is quite as much the function of the true artist to pre-
serve and develop and display to the best advantage as it
is to create, and our great military parks will not be what
they should be if they are turned over to an engineer to
construct the roads, while every state and regiment is
allowed to design its own monuments and select their posi-
tion. Itis very evident that if left to such chances the
entire park scheme in every instance will be broken into
fragments, not one of which has any proper relation to or
coordination with the remainder. Not only will all sense
of historical perspective be lost, but there will be no unity
of purpose, nothing but groups of conflicting elements
which assert in one place what is denied in another.
Beyond any question, each one of these parks should
have.a plan, an intelligent design to begin with and an
ideal toward which it can grow for all time to come. No
man of taste would ask to have anything foreign or fanci-
ful imported into such work, but every one would take
satisfaction in knowing that all the native beauty of the
spot was to be unfolded under the charge of some real
392
artist who not only has respect for nature, but who is able
to-coGperate with her in perfect sympathy.
Onr of the speakers at the recent meeting of the Forestry
Association at Springfield, Massachusetts, was Baron Beno
Reinhardt von Herman, who is an attaché of the German
Embassy at Washington. Baron von Herman has been
sent to this Government as an agricultural expert, and inas-
much as he holds in the Civil Service of Wurttemberg the
rank of Forest Assessor, it is evident that he is prepared to
send to his Government intelligent reports about our for-
ests, and to give our methods of managing them. It is to
be hoped that he will learn something of value from our
practice, but perhaps he can serve the interests of his coun-
try best by explaining the disasters that we are inviting by
the utter lack of forethought that has characterized our great
lumbering operations. Forestry has been practiced in an
intelligent way in Germany now for many years, and able
men are making it their life work to investigate subjects
relating to forestry as a science and an art. And yet the
German Government thinks it worth while to send experts
to various countries in order to acquire more knowledge
and present more facts for study and comparison. In our
own country, where there is no such thing as scientific
forestry, and very few persons give serious attention to this
subject, the general opinion of the people and of the Gov-
ernment is that we know quite enough, and that our woods
can take care of themselves. Congress cannot even be
induced to oppose any check to lawless depredations on
our wooded domain, and if it were suggested that we
should send some one to other countries to acquire some
knowledge in this matter the idea would be considered
preposterous.
Notes on Western New York Woodlands.—II.
HE tracts of timber which survived longest in large
bodies were the swamps of ‘Tamarack and Cedar, or
those of flinty land covered with Oak, interspersed with
Pine. These lands were the least desirable for the plow.
Some of these tracts originally embraced several square
miles, but are now much reduced or nearly gone. The
straight, slender trunks of the Tamarack were in demand
for poles, for ladders, or for pump-logs and underground
conduits for water, since they were easy to bore and lasted
well. The White Cedar went for fence-posts and railway-
ties. When the land was drained the Tamarack died out,
and the peat soil, exposed to sun and frost, gradually
changed into good meadow-land, or provided a soil well
adapted to truck-farming. The White Cedar did not so
readily die out, since it frequently grows on higher lands.
The most abundant trees of the upland woods are the
Beech and Hard Maple. On light soils, and where there is
a considerable mixture of sand or gravel with the clay
loam, the Oaks predominate, interspersed with Hickory,
and sometimes with the Chestnut. In colder and higher
tracts, or along the banks of streams, the Hemlock is fre-
quent, or even abundant. The Basswood is common in
the richer uplands, among Beeches and Maples. Here also
the White Ash is most oftenseen. As the Basswood is one
of the most desirable of the surviving trees for soft-wood
lumber, it has been much thinned out, and good trees are
becoming scarce. The larger trees are apt to be hollow at
the base, and easily break off under sudden stress of wind.
It has become a matter of common observation that it is
not now easy to find a sound Basswood two feet or more in
diameter, though this was not always the case. The trees,
for some reason, seem subject to an earlier decay than
formerly.
Where the Beech and Maple abound the White Oak is
occasionally mixed with them, but is mostly confined to
the low land, where it is much more common than the
Swamp White Oak. The Red Oak is much more commonly
seen with the Beech and Maple. In flinty and gravelly
soils the most common Oaks are the White, Red and Black
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 3\6.
Oaks. Here also occurs the Chestnut Oak ; it is usually
less abundant than the other kinds and may also be found
in the wet lands.
The changes that have been produced by clearing, ex-
posure to sun and wind, drainage and pasturage, furnish a
good opportunity to study trees in their powers of adapta-
tion. Those which can most readily change, or have a
greater range of conditions, or fruit most abundantly and
germinate most easily, soon gain the mastery and become
the predominating kinds. In the upland woods the Beech
and Maple, wherever they grow, prove to be among the
most aggressive and have increased in number of individ-
uals relatively to others. In woods not pastured, or but
little pastured, they spring up quickly, especially the Sugar
Maple, and soon make a dense undergrowth or cover the
more open spaces. So do the Oaks, Hickories and Chest-
nuts in their respective localities.
The tree which seems to have fared worst in this strug-
gle for existence is the Black Ash. It was once very abun-
dant in the swamps, the trees frequently outnumbering all
other species combined. Now they are mostly dead or
dying, and it is rare to find one leafy to the top. It was
once the principal source of rail-timber in many localities.
The suppression of the Black Ash has been caused by the
drier conditions. Great changes have been made in the
swampy lands. Those in which water stood throughout
the year, except in very dry seasons, are now dry for the
greater part of summer and fall, and can often be traversed
dry-shod almost anywhere as early as the month of
May. In wet situations the tree once flourished, rooting
in the black swamp muck, the crowns of the roots rising
much above the surface. When the swamps are dry the
upper parts of the roots are exposed and they suffer like
those from which the soil has been removed or burned away.
When decay has gone far enough the trunks fall over.
Though this tree can be adapted to drier conditions when
young, seedlings do not successfully compete with those
of White Elm, the Red and the Silver Maples, the species
commonly associated with it inthe swamps. These have
now become the prevailing trees in the low grounds, and
few young Black Ash trees can now be found in such woods.
The Elms and the soft Maples have gained the mastery,
and are also crowding the White Oaks.
Another tree which is becoming scarce in many places
is the Black or Cherry Birch. It was once abundant in
wettish lands. Drier conditions alone have not overcome
it. More probably the young growth is destroyed by
browsing animals, which relish its foliage. The larger
trees have been used for cabinet-work, but there is little
prospect of their being replaced if left to the common
chances of the woods. ~
The Black Cherry has a similar use, and holds its own
fairly well. Its seeds are widely scattered by birds, so that
it springs up by fence-rows or in other favorable situations.
Its bitter leaves and bark are not relished by cattle, and it
has a fair chance of surviving when once started. Prunus
Avium, or the Bird Cherry, which has escaped quite exten-
sively from cultivation, has become a common tree by road-
sides and the borders of wood-lots. It has invaded the
woods to somie extent, and holds a place there beside the
Wild Cherry. I have seen it in the thick woods with a
trunk a foot and more in diameter and fifty or sixty feet
tall. It makes a forest-tree similar in habit to the wild
Black Cherry, with its trunk as free from limbs when in the
crowded woods. It may in time rival the Black Cherry in
abundance, should it thoroughly adapt itself to wild condi-
tions, since it is much less liable to attacks of the black-
knot than the Black Cherry and Choke Cherry.
Though so much of the forest covering of this good agri-
cultural region has been removed, a partial compensation
in the way of shaded ground is found in the increased area
of farm-land devoted to orchards. The land isin a measure
tree-covered, sometimes as effectually as in the more open
woods devoted to pasturage.
One noticeable result of this deforestation is the greater
SEPTEMBER 25, 1895.]
violence of the winds. They sweep freely through the
open spaces, and their strength and persistence seem in-
creased. There is also more abruptness in local weather
changes and greater contrasts in temperature. The average
climate has not changed, but has been altered in its details.
Hence the greater liability to frosts and cold winds, which
are sometimes nearly as damaging to the fruit crop as the
frost. While in the region during the changeable weather
of May of the present year, Iexamined some orchards after
the results were fully apparent. Those trees fared best on
the eastern slopes of hills or east of belts of wood. Where
the fruit was not entirely destroyed, a difference was per-
ceptible between the east and west sides of the same tree.
The cold wind which preceded the frost came from the
west, and when it subsided the localities most affected
were those which had been exposed the longest to its in-
fluence. In the low ground, where the cold air settled, there
was less difference in this respect even in sheltered areas.
It is also evident that fields are more subject to dryness
in a deforested region. This is not on account of a dimin-
ished rainfall, but from the lack of conservation of the water
which falls. It runs off quickly from the fields, hurried on
by the the ditches and open waterways, or is more rapidly
dried up by the sun. The effect upon the streams is clearly
seen. They rise suddenly, and are full to overflowing in
the rainy season or after heavy showers, but are low or dry
at other times. Brooks that were once perennial are dry
for a great part of the year. The springs which feed them
and tend to keep them running are mostly along the bases
of the hills.) They once provided water in the pastures
for the stock. Now they are more uncertain, more often
go entirely dry, and resort must be had to wells, which
go deeper into the ground.
It is not a region that washes badly, partly from the
character of the soil, partly because the hillsides are kept
in grass when not covered with other crops, still much of
the soil is carried down into the valleys or hurried off in
the turbid waters of the swollen streams. On the hills,
especially the steeper ones, there is a tendency of the soil to
become poorer and thinner. The fact might be hard to
demonstrate, but it is highly probable that the region has
already been denuded of trees beyond what is needed for
the best agricultural results. With more of the hills, or
especially their steeper sides, left in forest, the land in the
valleys and on the gentler slopes would evidently be better
watered, more productive and more certain to yield a re-
munerative crop. :
Chicago, Ill. LE. ve Hill.
Autumnal Changes in Leaves.—l.
HE gorgeous autumnal foliage of our temperate
climate appeals to us all in different ways. Poetical
and theological views of this phenomenon are interesting
and elevating, but they hardly satisfy people with scien-
tific curiosity. The variety of these colors is surprising if
we compare them, for instance, with the plates of Ridg-
- way’s Nomenclature. There are the ochre-yellow of the
Poplar and the closely allied, yet distinct, hues of Milk-
weed, Elm and White Maple; the orange of Sassafras and
Black Birch ; the crimson of the Huckleberry, Sumach and
Woodbine. Many plants, such as Sumach and Red Maple,
show beautiful combinations of yellows and reds, espe-
cially when these colors are relieved by more or less
green. In Red Maple leaves, one who is not color-blind
may distinguish orange, scarlet and vermilion, rose-pink,
lake-red, rose-red, carmine, crimson and maroon, to say
nothing of orange, orange-buff and ochre-yellow. Purple
hues are not common, but are found in some Oaks, among
the botanically troublesome Asters, and elsewhere. Sober
brown leaves show exquisite varieties of color before be-
coming part of mother earth. Sassafras leaves become
russet; raw umber is the hue of Scrub Oak, and Button-
wood leaves assume a rich Vandyke-brown.
Before venturing upon some explanation of the way
these colors are formed, it may be well to state that
Garden and Forest.
383
autumn leaves are best preserved by covering them with
a sheet of paper, pressing with a hot iron upon which
paraffine has been rubbed, and flattening and drying be-
tween papers afterward. Leaves thus prepared will retain
flexibility and color for years, but if pressed without paraf-
fine they will soon become dull and brittle.
It will be found instructive to record the dates at which
various kinds of leaves change color, for comparison of
such dates shows, in a rough way, the relative vitality of
different species of plants as well as of individuals of the
same species. Early in July, in the vicinity of Boston, the
root leaves of many tender herbs and the oldest leaves of
Sumach begin to change. Near the end of the month many
leaves of Elm and Maple color and fall, but such leaves
are noticeably small and often deformed, By the first of
September a wholesale coloring has begun among Blue-
berry, Blackberry, Sumachs and other plants, although
Maples, Oaks and Poplars are not generally changed.
Before the end of this month Red Maples are intensely
colored, while Sugar Maples are not at their brightest until
the middle of October, in company with the Poplars. Last
of all come Dogwood and Scarlet Oak, alone in their glory
among the withered leaves of late October.
Our autumnal colors are admitted to be much more bril-
liant than those of Europe, where Maples and Oaks are
notably fewer in number and variety. Yet the brilliancy
is relatively less in the old country if we compare similar-
trees in corresponding climates or observe American trees
when cultivated abroad. This is, doubtfully, attributed to
the “greater transparency of our atmosphere and the con-
sequent greater intensity of the light,” but no exact obser-
vations upon this subject have yet been made.
Certain it is that intensity of light has an important bear-
ing upon the color changes of leaves. Exposed leaves are
colored sooner and stronger than shaded ones, other things
being equal. Yet the oldest, or first exhausted, leaves of
a plant are the first to turn, even when more or less shaded,
as also occurs with stunted leaves of low vitality. Again,
a green leaf of Red Maple, artificially darkened when
about to turn, undergoes*no striking color change. Ifa
part only is shaded, as by a strip of tinfoil, that part
remains green, while the rest becomes yellow. If partofa
yellow leaf is shielded from sunlight it stays yellow, while
the rest may turn red. The infinite diversity of color dis-
tribution in autumnal leaves is, I believe, largely due to
the varying amount of shading from sunlight which any
individual leaf undergoes from other leaves, etc. I have
found a crimson Sumach leaf crossed by an oblique yellow
band where a branch had pressed upon it; also upon a
red leaf of Maple a distinct photograph of an overlying
leaf. A person's initials cut from paper and pasted upon
a green leaf or fruit will be sharply defined in green after
surrounding parts have assumed shades of red or yellow.
Now, for an adequate explanation of these effects of
light, or better, light and heat, we suggest. the following :
The leaf is a transitory structure w hose length of life is
adapted to the character of the climate, and soon grows to
its maximum size, which then limits its capacity for the
preparation of food. This assimilation, occurring in a green
leaf and only during sunlight, necessitates the continual
formation and accumulation in the leaf of certain waste
products, which must gradually reduce the amount of
assimilation itself The leaf is choked by its own excre-
tions, and, becoming less able to repair its normal waste of
tissue, Succumbs more are to oxidation. The heat ac-
companying sunlight not only furthers assimilation—in fact,
is essential to it—but also hastens the death of the leaf by
accelerating the combination of oxygen with its tissues and
the action of acids which are formed in leaves as by-prod-
ucts. The effect of shading leaves from sunlight, then, is
simply to retard not only the normal assimilation, but also
the subsequent disintegration, which is indicated by color
changes, and is just as normal in its way. In fact, leaves
and bark are the excretory systems of plants, for by their
means useless chemical compounds are periodically re-
384
turned to the soil ; and the fall of the leafis an intentional
phenomenon, so to speak.
More or less moisture in summer is noticeably followed
by a corresponding greater or less brilliancy of color in
autumn. During a moist summer the cuticle of a leaf
remains thin and its colors are vivid. In a dry summer,
however, this cuticle becomes thicker and harder, in order
to prevent an injurious loss of water from the plant; and
while bright colors may form within the leaf, they appear
dull because seen through the more opaque skin or epider-
mis. The bearing of this upon the relative brilliancy of
American and European colors is plain.
It is a popular belief that autumn leaves are colored by
frost in some vague way. ‘This is easily disproved, for a
Maple frequently assumes its blazing colors in hottest sum-
mer. Moreover, it is really hard to see any perceptible
acceleration of color development after frost has occurred.
The best-accepted explanation attributes the yellows and
red to the action of atmospheric oxygen upon the normal
green coloring matter of leaves, a process somewhat com-
parable to the rusting of iron. Many facts favor this view.
We know, by direct experiment, that the green parts of
plants absorb oxygen at night and exhale the same kind of
gas during sunlight. Now, when leaves begin to turn they
cease to exhale oxygen, but continue to inhale it, in gradu-
ally diminishing amount, as coloration continues. Colora-
‘tion is, therefore, correlated with retention of oxygen in
leaves, and chemical examination of the yellow and red
pigments shows they are probably made in many cases by
oxidation of the original green one. Chemically speaking,
the “Poison Ivy, blushing its sins as scarlet,” performs
this touching act by disintegrating its chlorophyll into
compounds of the erythrophyll and xanthophyll groups.
This green coloring matter of plants, chlorophyll, is of
vast physiological importance, for it is absolutely essential
to the process of assimilation. Fungi, naturally devoid of
chlorophyll, always steal their food, ready made, from
other plants which have made their own living. A seed
grown in darkness ceases growth when the food stored in
the seed itself is exhausted. No new food can be made
without sunlight, and the plant is yellow, except in a few
cases. This yellow color is frequently seen in grass which
has grown under a board, and is due to a pigment called
etiolin, which is always antecedent to the formation of the
green pigment in sunlight. ;
The color of a healthy leaf is made by a multitude of
green granules, usually roundish, distributed in most of the
sacs or cells of the leaf. Each granule is essentially a par-
ticle of that formidable protoplasm, “the physical basis of
life,” and resembles a sponge which is colorless itself, yet
is saturated with a green liquid consisting of oils in which
“the pigment is dissolved. It must not be supposed that
chlorophyll itself can assimilate food. A solution of chlo-
rophyll is incapable of absorbing carbon dioxide to form
organic matter from that gas and water and eliminate
oxygen ; but this power is possessed by each protoplasmic
grain in which the green pigment is lodged. ——
Essential as this pigment is, its physiological action is
involved in doubt. CORRES aenG G. W. Oltuer. 417
Wasalee sient sarecaseas G. Harold Powell, 417
CoRRESPONDENCE :—Seasonable Notes from Wellesley, Massachusetts,
T. D. Hatfield. 417
A Few Climbing Plants... ....--2.-s0ceecccececssees Fanny Copley Seavey. 418
Professor L. H. Bailey. 418
MEETINGS oF SocieTiES:—The American Dahlia Society..
Recent PuBLicaTIONS « E
NOorES.....
ILLusTRATION :—Yucca W ipplei i in ‘Southern California, Fi
g. 56 nr prag sine pie eeccsee 415
Forestry for Farms.
ANY writers and speakers have argued strenuously
to prove how important our forests are as factors
in the public economy. The direct usefulness of forest
products and the influence of the forest-cover upon
soil and temperature and drainage, and therefore upon
climate and health, have been insisted on until the subject
has become an old story, and a story with little meaning
to very many good people. ‘The strongest appeals to Con-
gress for the protection of our national forest domain have
been made-on these broad considerations, and yet,
although the testimony of science and of history ought
to convince any candid mind, comparatively little has
been effected in this direction. Besides this, persistent
effort has been made to convince the holders of large
areas of timber that it would not only be to the com-
mon welfare, but would accord with wise business fore-
thought, to conduct their lumbering operations without the
usual waste, and in accordance with the principles and
practice of sound forestry. These teachings may have
helped to prepare the way for a better system, but their
results as yet are hardly visible.
Little direct effort, however, has been made to in-
augurate wiser methods of treating woodlands on the
farm. It is true that from many farms in the east-
ern states all the growing wood has practically been
removed, but on the most of them a fair propor-
tion of woodland still remains, and, except for the fact
that they are not so frequently burned over, these small
holdings are wasted and treated with as little intelligence
and prudence as are the forests on the national domain.
The amount of timber which comes into the market every
year from the litthe wood lots on a thousand farms is
enormous in the aggregate, and this supply has been a
considerable factor in keeping down prices. Since the
introduction of portable sawmills acre after acre of fair
timber has been cut over, and as no provision has been
made for a new crop the productive timber area is con-
stantly diminishing. About ten years ago a lumberman
brought one of these mills into a county of northern New
Jersey. It was considered a perilous venture, for it seemed,
on a casual survey, that all the available timber in the scat-
Garden and Forest.
AII
tered wood lots of that section would be exhausted within
half a dozen years at the farthest. But the same man has
four mills now working, and competition has brought in
six others, so that there are ten mills constantly at work on
these isolated lots of timber. As it is the general practice
of the farmers there to turn cattle into the cleared land there
is little hope for any forest-growth here for a generation at
least.
For this reason a little manual, entitled Voresfry for
Farmers, which has been prepared by Mr. Fernow and
reprinted from the Vear-book of the Department of Agricul-
dure, ought to be welcomed for its possible usefulness, The
farmer rarely treats his wood lot as if he considered it a
source for the continuous supply of firewood, fencing and
such dimension timber as he may need. When he wants
a stick for any purpose he chooses the best tree he can
find, and his laborers too often select trees for firewood
which will cut and split most readily. In this way he
not only culls out the best species of trees, but the best
individuals of the species, and leaves the crooked and
comparatively useless ones to cumber the ground. The
folly of such practice would only be paralleled if he cut
away his corn crop and left the weeds to grow. Ina few
brief paragraphs Mr. Fernow shows that no farmer need
destroy in this way a source of revenue, and explains how
the forest can be constantly used, and yet steadily im-
proved, so that the wood lot will preserve its ability to
furnish a timber crop, and as time goes on will have better
kinds of wood to cut and better individual trees. No owner
of woodlands can read the paragraphs on Reproducing the
Wood Crop without being convinced of the extravagance
and waste of resource which characterizes the ordinary
wood-cutting on the farm or without seeing clearly how it
is possible at once to use and to regenerate the woods.
‘‘Forest-planting and tree-planting are two different
things. The orchardist who plants for fruit, the landscape-
gardener who plants for form, the roadside-planter who
plants for shade, all have objects in view that differ from
those of the forest-planter, and, therefore, they select and
use material differently.” These words begin the chapter
on Forest-planting, which is written for farmers or small
land-holders who have not already a lot of growing tim-
ber, and in the few pages devoted to the subject of starting
timber plantation many very useful hints are given. These
hints are all directed to methods which will produce the
most wood of the best quality to every acre, for the object
sought for is a crop, and not individual trees, any more
than a spear of corn is considered by itself in preparing
for acorn crop. Interesting hints are given about select-
ing trees for this crop, and the farmer who reads carefully
the notes about their adaptability to climate, to soil, to
situation, besides the necessity of selecting species not only
for the usefulness of their wood, but for their general good
influence upon the forest mass—that is, the total crop—
will readily see how easy it is to make mistakes at this
point which will be more disastrous because their effects
are not seen for several years.
But, although to the forester the individual tree is only
useful as a part of a mass, the successful planter must
have a considerable knowledge of the various elements of
his mass if he is to have the most profitable crop. Very
appropriately, therefore, this little manual opens with a chap-
ter entitled How Trees Grow, in which a few of the essentials
in the behavior of a forest-tree are set forth. Some knowl-
edge of the physiology of tree-growth is necessary both to
one who cares for an established forest and one who plants
a new one, and*most interesting are the paragraphs which
treat of such subjects as the food materials of the tree, the
conditions of soil and light necessary to its development,
its growth in length, in ramification and in thickness, its
varying form and means of reproduction. Like the chap-
ters which follow, this initial one is illustrated with some
helpful cuts, and the book throughout is written in a
straightforward style with the topics logically connected.
Any intelligent farmer can comprehend it from end to end.
412
It will be of service to him in his immediate work, and,
best ofall, it will inspire him with a desire to learn more.
Improvement in forest practice will only come with
increased knowledge, and these scattered bits of wood-
land, which would make a forest much larger than many
of our states, will never approach their real value as a
national resource until their owners have been educated
to give them more intelligent treatment. Let us hope that
this increase in knowledge will be speedily brought about,
not only for the good of the farms and the timber on the
farms, but as an assurance for a rational system of treat-
ment for forests of the nation. If every wood lot on the
farms of the country were now an object-lesson in good
forest practice, it would be easy enough to secure proper
legislation for the forests on the national domain.
Seacoast Planting.
T the late meeting of the American Forestry Associa-
tion, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mr. Leonard W.
Ross, of Boston, delivered an address on the subject
of seacoast-planting as practiced on the Province lands
of Cape Cod, where an effort is made to prevent the shift-
ing sands at the extremity of the Cape from injuring settle-
ments and the harbor. Mr. Ross has kindly sent us an
abstract of his address, which we herewith publish :
The first work in connection with seashore planting should
be acareful study of the individual case to be treated, as no
two instances will be found to carry identical or even parallel
conditions. Specific instruction to apply in every case is,
therefore, out of the question, and only general suggestions
can be made forsolving such problems. The material for plant-
ing should in all cases be in the best possible condition, The
area to be covered should be carefully prepared before actual
planting begins. Of course, the results which might follow
an equal eftort inland, or in sheltered situations, or in better
soil, need not be expected. The soil to be planted is usually
thin and sterile, if, indeed, it is anything better than sand. In
nearly all cases it is best to make thick border plantations on
the water side of rapid-growing trees and shrubs which have
resistant power against salt and wind, andamong these may be
planted longer-lived and more sturdy-growing kinds, the
former acting as a nurse or protection to the latter in their
earliest days. When this has become established, other plant-
ings may be made behind it with some certainty of success,
It is generally supposed that the number of species adapted
to this use is extremely limited, but experience shows that
such is not the case. It becomes not so much a question of
what to plant, but rather how to plant. In preliminary plant-
ings the plants should always be set very closely, that one
may protect the other. A good mulch should then be placed
over the entire area and loaded down with stones such as may
be usually found on the shore; the stones not only hold the
mulch in place, but assist materially in retaining moisture dur-
ing the dry season. Spring planting is safer than fall planting.
It notinfrequently happens, however, that plants set in early
spring break into growth at once ; then late spring storms fol-
low, the tender growth is killed off and a secondary growth
follows. This weakens the plants, and only such kinds as can
endure these conditions should be used, especially for pre-
liminary work. This may be avoided in a great measure by
holding back the growth of the plants, by frequent transplant-
ings in the nursery until the season is well advanced. Deep
planting is found to be the safest in nearly all shore work, as
the drainage is usually excessive. ~
Planting on the Province lands of Massachusetts, although
still in-its infancy, so far as the work under the present admin-
istration has gone, has now passed the experimental state and
is being developed into a system at once conservative, thorough
and energetic. The entire area (over 3,000 acres) consists
only of sand. A considerable portion of this is covered witha
surprisingly luxuriant growth of trees and shrubs, deciduous,
evergreen and coniferous, together with many creepers and
climbers. On the outer or ocean side are many hundreds of
acres of wildly drifting sand-dunes or areas covered to a
greater or less degree by Beach Grass, Ammophila arundi-
nacea, and in the hollows and low places with other grasses.
Many thousands of dollars have been expended in Beach
Grass planting, and, while this has not been wholly in vain, it
has failed to hold the sand securely in place. If properly
watched, and all breaks attended to when first started, the
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 3y9.
Beach Grass might hold the sand in check, but it would re-
quire constant attention. It is thought safest to cover the area
with a growth of woody plants and trees. There is abundant
evidence that this outer area was formerly covered by forest-
growth, principally of Pine; the original layer of mold, with
portions of stumps and _pitchy heart-wood, is now frequently
uncovered as the sand-hills recede inland.
Experimental plantings were first made by us in April, 1894.
Of the plants not blown out, or buried many feet deep by
drifting sand, a fair proportion lived and made a satisfactory
growth, but most of them were so cut by the drifting sand the
tollowing winter as to die to the surface of the ground. We
have this year established a nursery on the lands for the propa-
gation of stock to be used in future work, in preference to using
imported plants, and shall extend it as our needs demand.
We have now growing in the nursery over 250,000 young
trees and shrubs, mostly raised from seed. Our stock of trees
consists mainly of Pines (P. rigida, P. Austriaca, P. sylvestris,
P. Strobus, P. insignis and P. Pinaster), Alder, Birch, Horn-
beam, Ailanthus, Oaks, Silver Maple and several varieties of
strong-growing Willows and Silver Poplar. Of shrubs, we
have Privets, Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) in large quan-
tity, Myrica cerifera and a few others, intending to put in next
year several other kinds of native growth, as well as Tamarix
Gallica and such others as may promise to be of service in this
work.
We make a preliminary planting of Beach Grass, setting
strong clumps eighteen to twenty-four inches apart. This
makes sufficient growth the first year to nearly cover the
ground and to reach a height of about two feet. The follow-
ing season we plant among this such woody plants as Genista
scoparia, Myricacerifera, Amalanchier Canadensis, Rosa lucida,
etc. Among these we intend to plant at the same time a con-
siderable quantity of acorns of our native Oaks, to be followed
in a year or two with the several varieties of Pine and other
trees. Outside and to the windward of this we are making
thick wind-break plantations of strong Willows, Silver Poplars,
Locust, etc:
It is expected that in time this entire area may be covered
with a forest-growth which will not only serve to pre--
vent the sand from drifting inland toward the town of
Provincetown, and eventually filling and destroying a useful
harbor, but will at the same time furnish a practical example
of reforesting waste and useless land, of which our state has
many thousands of acres now producing nothing of value.
A Season with the Native Orchids.—I.
WENTY-EIGHT species of Orchids, representing
eleven genera, have been found indigenous to the
vicinity of Chicago. Orchis spectabilis, the Showy Orchis,
opens the flowering season the latter part of April, and con-
tinues until late in May. It is a plant of the rich damp
woods, rooting in the mold of decayed leaves and wood,
and often growing in little patches. It makes a pretty pic-
ture amid the dry leaves and fresh verdure with its two
shining, rich green leaves near the surface of the ground,
and its pink or purplish flowers with white oval lips
on the short stem between them. It is one of the hand-
somest of the Orchids, its showy flowers well entitling it to
precede the others of the family.
Before the flowering season of Orchis spectabilis is over,
that of Aplectrum hyemale begins. This is a plant more
curious than handsome. Its single oval leaf, strongly
ribbed or plaited, persists through the winter, and frequently
leads to the destruction of the plant by children, who
know there is a white savory bulb from which it grows,
and sometimes an older one not so shrunken as to be un-
palatable. One or two more shriveled bulbs, remain
attached, and their sticky nature has given the plant the
name of Putty-root. The largest and freshest of these
bulbs sends up a vigorous stem in May a foot or more
tall, which bears several large dingy greenish or brownish
flowers, their lips sprinkled with purple dots. The leaf at
the base of the stem is now dying or dead, and the purple
flower-stem may be the sole reminder of the presence of
the plant. Like the Showy Orchis, it loves the rich shady
woods, but is quite rare outside of the Beech and Maple
woods east of the sand region.
Closely following the Putty-root are four species of
OcTOBER 16, 1895.]
Cypripedium which come into bloom the latter part of
May. All six of the species of the territory covered by
Gray’s Manual, except C. arietinum, are represented in our
local flora. They can all be found in the Pine-belt of Lake
County, Indiana, within half a mile of Lake Michigan, and
in a strip but four or five miles long. Of the four species the
Stemless Lady’s-slipper, C. acaule, may flower as early as the
2oth of May, and it continues for about three weeks. The two
oval-oblong, ascending leaves, and the one-flowered scape,
four to twelve inches high, which rises between them, give
it an appearance quite different from the kinds with leafy
stems. A green and pointed bract arches over the flower
and points in the direction of the upper sepal, lying very
close to it. The narrower parts of the perianth are greenish,
but are veined and tinged with red. The shape and color
of the inflated sac, nodding on the scape, make it one of
the most beautiful of the Lady’s-slippers. It is about two
inches long, of a deep rose color, veined by a network of
deeper-colored lines. When the bright sunlight shines
through the lip it is suffused with a very rich color, for the
deeper color of the veins blends with the general color, and
the flower blushes almost to a crimson shade. Though
only single-flowered, a dozen or more plants in bloom to-
gether in a narrow area produce a very showy effect. They
grow in the deep or partial shade of the Jack Pine in sands
enriched by a mulch of decaying leaves, where their nod-
ding flowers make a charming picture. The haunts of the
Stemless Lady’s-slipper are usually the lower parts of deep
depressions among the sand-hills. They are often nearly
circular, and resemble kettle-holes. In the bottoms of the
deepest of them water may accumulate in the wet season.
‘From the borders of these temporary pools, or from the
‘bottoms of the depressions that continue dry, the plants
spread away and line the lower parts of the surrounding
slopes, which are often very steep. It forms a strange set-
ting, botanically and geographically, for this Cypripedium,
and different from any I have seen it take elsewhere.
Cypripedium candidum, another early bloomer, the small-
est of the Lady’s-slippers, is from three to ten or twelve
inches high. It is the only one that grows in the open
prairie, where it occurs in boggy or hummocky ground or
in wettish grassy land. It persists in the unplowed
meadows after they have become quite dry, and may be
found growing beside the Blue and the Arrow-leaved Vio-
lets or even with Viola pedata. In the Pine-barrens it fre-
quents the bogs and damper sands, growing in the shade
of White and Jack Pines, or even the Black Oaks, which
have supplanted them. It has light green foliage. The
small flower is very sweet-scented, the slipper rarely more
than an inch in length. This is white or pinkish, translu-
cent, and variously striped and specked with dark red
inside, the red veins showing through the thin texture and
giving it the pinkish tint. The base of the slipper is
stained with yellow, and its opening is prettily bordered by
a row of red dots. The rest of the perianth is brown-pur-
ple, the parts twisted and wavy, the two answering to
petals long and ribbon-like. The stem is mostly single-
flowered, one with two flowers being occasionally found.
The small White Lady’s-slipper is becoming scarce upon
the prairies, and is likely to be extinct in such places, as
plowing and pasturing soon destroy it.
The two Yellow Lady’s-slippers, Cypripedium pubescens
and C. parviflorum, bloom together, and are much alike.
The former is generally a more robust plant, sometimes
two or more feet high. I could never find much differ-
ence in the form of the sacs, though there seems to be
a tendency in that of C. pubescens to be more flattened
laterally. But it is usually much larger and more inflated
when compared with the size of the plant, sometimes two
inches long and nearly an inch broad. The sepals of C.
parviflorum are brown-purple, those of C. pubescens more
nearly green. Its flower is nearly odorless, that of C.
parviflorum is fragrant. The latter plant is from a foot to a
foot and a half high, the saccate lip rarely more than an
inch long. C. parviflorum is often seen here in groups,
Garden and Forest.
413
a half dozen or so in little colonies or a score of them
within an area of a few square feet. C. pubescens is
much more solitary in behavior. In the sand region
C. parviflorum takes more to the wet and boggy lands,
though patches of it may be met with in the rather
dry sand in the shade of the Black Oak. C. pubescens is
scattered about in the Oak and Pine woods in the sandy
region by the lake, appearing on the low sand-ridges such
as visitors at the Columbian Exposition would find typified
in the Wooded Island, and where these plants, doubtless,
formerly grew. In such situations the plant is generally
found growing close beside the Oak-tree, springing out
from among its larger roots, as if it sought the protection
and shade of the sturdy Oak.
The handsomest of the group, Cypripedium spectabile,
flowers latest. Itis here essentially a flower of June, and may
be found in full bloom soon after the first of the month, so
that its season is well over by the first of July. It was
once exceedingly abundant in the damp places of the Pine-
barrens, but it has been gathered for sale and for other pur-
poses so recklessly, and the region has been so changed by
various encroachments, that it is already scarce and seems
doomed to extinction. It was most abundant under the
Cedars and Pines by the borders of the sloughs, or amid
the thin swamp grasses, or in groves of Tamarack or peat-
bogsamong Pitcher-plants and Cranberries. Few plants ofits
size have a more stately look, the stout stems, generally two
or three feet high, being wrapped in pale green, hairy leaves,
which rise so close to it as to nearly conceal the internodes,
and are so arranged as to have a spiral appearance. The
slipper is chubby, and wide in proportion to its length.
Its beautiful roseate tinge, the broad pink stripes within
shining through its texture, the setting in its perianth of
snowy white, give this queenly plant a peculiar charm.
The spreading parts form a kind of canopy beneath which
the slipper hangs. The flowers often occur in pairs on the
stem, but do not intrude on one another, being turned just
far enough away so as not to interfere, though still facing
the beholder. ;
Chicago, Ill. ‘ Le, fi LUE:
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
An Exursition or Fruit.—A three-days exhibition of
British-grown fruit was held the week ending September 18th,
at the Crystal Palace, under the auspices of the Royal Hor-
ticultural Society. There were one hundred and eighty
exhibitors, from distant parts of the country as well as from
the metropolis, and the number of entries in the competi-
tive classes was eighteen hundred. The quality of the fruit
shown was ofan exceptionally high order, and this was spe-
cially true of the apples, which have done well this year in
most parts of the country. The President of the Society,
Sir Trevor Lawrence, in commenting upon the exhibition
on the opening day, said he believed that a finer collection
of hardy fruit had never been tabled in any exhibition in
thekingdom. He thought English fruit-growers had abun-
dantly proved that when the seasons are fairly favorable
hardy fruit could be produced here which could not be
beaten in any part of the world. Referring to the corre-
spondence which has appeared in the newspapers with
regard to fruit-drying, he said that nothing very special had
been done in this country in that direction, and that was
partly due to the fact that people did not combine readily
for such operatidns. His own opinion was that in a year
of glut such as the present it was exceedingly difficult to
market profitably ; even in the case of good samples it
would be a very great advantage if there were a possibility
of sending the surplus fruit to be dried, even if it were only
for domestic consumption. A great deal depended, not
only upon the growing of fruit, but in its careful handling
and careful marketing. No one would suppose the
magnificent fruit that was shown was a fair average
sample of the produce of the orchards from where it came.
414
Naturally the producers showed their best fruit. But, as
they all knew, this year a very high average sample of
fruit had been produced in a great many parts, and he
thought that in these days farmers must look, not to the
great staples of their industry, but to various branches of
small cultivation. Something, at all events, might be done
more than is done in fruit-growing and fruit-drying.
As I have said in previous letters upon the cultivation of
fruit in England, no exhibitions are needed to prove that
the best can be grown here. This is demonstrated in the
gardens of the wealthy, where there is no stint of labor and
other accessories. But to grow and sell fruit at a profit is
the great. difficulty in these days of foreign competition.
There are many ways of losing money, and we are still
searching for fresh ones. The cultivation of fruit in Eng-
land for profit is an old, well-trodden way, and I am
inclined to the opinion that the now recommended drying
of fruits is only a bypath in the same direction.
It has been suggested in a paper recently read before the
British Association that as growers of farm and garden
produce have difficulty in selling it the state should under-
take the duties of collecting and selling. A pertinent sug-
gestion was made to the effect that if the Government could
market the produce at a profit, why not let them undertake
its cultivation as well? The poor farmer and market gar-
dener would then be relieved of all anxiety and worry and
could become a State-paid official! It would, no doubt, be
a gain to the revenue if Government could take the place
of the middleman, who always gets a large share of the
proceeds.
The premier prize for eighteen sorts of cooking and
dessert apples grown in the open air was won with the fol-
lowing: Lord Derby, Peasgood Nonesuch, Alexander,
Stone’s, Bismarck, Belle Duboise, Belle Pontoise, Gas-
coigne’s Scarlet Seedling, Washington, Mére de Ménage,
Warner's King, Cornish Aromatic, Ribston Pippin, Wealthy,
Baumann’s Ked, Winter Reinette, Cox’s Orange Pippin and
the Queen. This collection came from Maidstone, in Kent,
and was remarkable for size and rich color.
The best collection of a dozen sorts of dessert pears com-
prised: General Todleben, Duchesse d’Angouléme, Pitmas-
ton Duchess, Marie Louise, Maréchal de la Cour, Brock-
worth Park, Doyenne du Comice, Beurré Bosc, Beurré
Superfin, Gansel’s Bergamot, Madame Treyve and Beurré
Rance. These also came from a garden in Kent.
The best peaches were Nectarine Peach, Sea Eagle and
Princess of Wales. The first collection of plums consisted
of splendid examples of Monarch, Golden Drop, Jefferson's,
and Bryanston Green Gage. The best Damsons were Clus-
ter King, Prune and Farley.
Pot-grown specimens of fruit-trees were splendidly ex-
hibited by Messrs. T. Rivers & Son, Sawbridgeworth, the
number and finish of the fruits borne by each small tree
planted in a ten-inch pot being at least equal to the best
possible trees grown in the open ground.
Messrs. Sutton & Sons exhibited a grand collection of
tomatoes arranged on ascreen, each sort being represented
by about a square yard covered with heavily laden stems,
showing the character of the sort much better than when
selected fruits are placed upon dishes.
The largest and handsomest apple shown is Peasgood
Nonesuch, and it was represented by hundreds of fine fruits.
Next to this in point of interest and attractiveness is the
recently acquired Bismarck, which is astonishingly prolific
and of taking appearance. The two best of all dessert
apples, Ribston and Cox’s Orange Pippins, were well
shown. Prizes were awarded for the best methods of
packing fruits for market. Three papers were read,
one on each day, the first being by Mr. Bunyard, the
Maidstone nurseryman, on New Varieties of Fruit; the
second was on Pruning Fruit-trees, by Mr. A. H. Pearson,
the Chilwall nurseryman, and the third was a prize essay
on Fruit-growing for Profit. These papers will be pub-
lished in the society’s journal.
New Orcuips.—Masdevallia Lawrencei is the name under
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 399.
which Dr. F. Kranzlin describes a plant which he had re-
ceived from Sir ‘Trevor Lawrence, but which Mr. Rolfe
described in 1880 under the name of M. guttulata as a new
species allied to M. Tovarensis, but with flowers only half
as large and colored yellowish white, with spots of purple.
It flowered in the Glasnevin Botanic Garden, its origin
being unknown. As a garden-plant it has little value,
except to those who make a specialty of Masdevallias.
Dr. Kranzlin’s reason for the proposed new name is that
Reichenbach had already used the name Guttulata for
another species published in 1877. “If we go on in this
way we shall have to invent a new Linnzus, wipe out the
past, and begin all over again.”
Odontoglossum aspidorhinum is a new species described
by Mr. F. C. Lehmann, of Popayan, in Zhe Gardeners’
Chronicle as remarkably floriferous. He says, “not only
does every pseudo-bulb produce two flower-spikes at one
time, but they do so for two, and even three, years in suc-
cession.” He has seen small plants bearing from twenty
to thirty flower-spikes, forming a semiglobular flowering
mass of great beauty. The pseudo-bulbs are two inches
long; the leaves are narrow and six inches long, and the
flower-spikes are from twelve to eighteen inches high, each
bearing from nine to fifteen flowers, which are about an
inch and a half across ; the sepals and petals small and yel-
low ; the lip panduriform, fringed and pointed, white, spotted
with lilac-crimson. It is a native of Colombia, where it
grows at a high elevation on trees on the eastern declivi-
ties of the western Andes of the Cauca.
Messrs. Low & Co., of Clapton, have lately flowered plants
of a Dendrobium imported by them from north Borneo,
and which was submitted to Kew for name. Mr. Rolfe
has described it as a new species, and he has given it the
very appropriate name of Sanguineum in allusion to the
crimson color of its flowers, in which respect it is unique
in the genus. D. sanguineum is allied to D. crumenatum,
and has slender stems about a yard long, swollen at the
base; the leaves are linear oblong, and the flowers, which
are axillary and solitary, are an inch long, with obovate
crimson petals and sepals, the lip being small, wavy, white,
with purple lines and spots. Mr. Rolfe thinks that if the
plant proves easy to cultivate and flower it will find favor
as a garden Orchid. No doubt, the hybridizer will be in-
terested in it in any case.
Tendon y W. Watson.
New or Little-known Plants.
Yucca Whipplei.
N spring and early summer the dry hillsides of south-
western California are made glorious with the tall,
narrow, stout-stemmed panicles of this plant, which often
rise to the height of ten or fifteen feet above the rosettes
of its narrow ‘pale-green leaves. The habit and general
appearance of this Yucca, when it is in flower, is shown in
the illustration on page 415 of this issue, made from a pho-
tograph taken in the neighborhood of Pasadena, where
Yucca Whipplei is exceedingly abundant on the low foot-
hills of the mountains. Less imposing in habit, of course,
than the arborescent species which are so common on the
deserts of the south-west, Yucca Whipplei surpasses all the _
known Yuccas in the height and beauty of its panicle of
flowers. To the botanist, too, it is a plant of peculiar
interest as the only representative of a section of the genus
(Hesperoyucca) distinguished by the rotate and spreading
perianth, the small acute filaments, didymous transverse
anthers and peltate, stalked stigma of the flower, the three-
valved capsular fruit and thin seeds.
The Witch-hazel in full flower, while its yellow leaves are
falling in October, reminds me of the earliest spring. Its
blossoms smell like Willow catkins, and in colorand fragrance
they belong to the saffron dawn of the year, suggesting amid
falling leaves and frost that the eternal life of nature is un-
touched and all the year is spring.— Thoreau.
OCTOBER 16, 1895. ]
Plant Notes.
PseupoLarix Kxmprert.—This is a tree which might safely
be planted in the northern states much more often than it
is. It is the only representative of a very peculiar genus,
with the habit of a Cedar, the foliage of a Larch and the
cones of a Fir. It is well called the Golden Larch, for it
looks to the unsophisticated observer more like a Larch
No. 56.—Yucca Whipplei in Southern California.—See page 414.
than any other tree, and in the autumn the leaves turn a
beautiful golden color before falling. This tree was first
made known to Europeans by Robert Fortune, who found
it in the gardens of a Buddhist monastery in the western
part of the Chinese province of Chikiang, where there were
trees from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and
thirty feet tall, with trunks two feet in diameter, free of
Garden and Forest.
A15
branches for fifty feet above the ground. The original
home, however, of the Golden Larch was probably in some
colder region, for it flourishes in New England, where it is
not affected by the hottest or driest summers or the coldest
winters. It is as hardy as the Ginkgo, and, curiously, like
the Ginkgo, it is known only as a cultivated tree, and, so
far as we have been able to learn, no American or Euro-
pean has ever seen these two remarkable monotypic de-
ciduous-leaved conifers growing beyond
the limits of cultivated grounds. The
name of the remote mountain valley of
western China, Mongolia or Thibet, from
which the priests of Buddha brought these
two trees to ennoble their temple gardens,
is asecret that has been well guarded. A
region which can produce such trees can,
perhaps, produce other valuable plants,
and its discovery and exploration is well
worth the efforts of the enterprising and
ambitious collector of plants. Pseudolarix
Keempferi, which appears to grow more
satisfactorily in our northern states than
in Europe, has remained a rare tree, as it
has proved difficult to propagate by grafts,
and until recently seeds have been scarce.
Of late years, however, a tree in the nursery
of Rovelli Fréres, at Palanza, on the shores
of Lake Majiore, has produced good crops
of seeds; and the specimen in Mr. Hun-
newell’s Pinetum at Wellesley, Massachu-
setts, two years ago began to bear fertile
cones, from which seedlings have already
been raised. It may be expected, there-
fore, that this noble and beautiful tree may
soon become common enough to be within
reach of every one who wants to plant it.
The largest specimen in the United States
is growing on the grounds of the old
Parsons’ Nursery at Flushing, Long Island.
This tree was bought in London at an
auction of plants offered by Fortune in
1859, and it was then three feet high.
It is now a broad-branched, handsome
specimen about fifty-five feet high, with
a trunk diameter of two feet, and its
branches cover an area fifty feet across,
This tree has also borne seeds.
Crrrus TRIFOLIATA.—This shrub or small
tree is reliably hardy as far north as Phila-
delphia, where it cets and ripens fruit with
tolerable regularity, and there are a num-
ber of good specimens near this city, one
of them in Central Park, but, so far as we
know, they bear no fruit. Mr. Oliver writes
that on the grounds of the Department of
Agriculture at Washington this year the
bushes are loaded with the small yellow
oranges, and make a very showy appear-
ance. These have been planted in their
present quarters some twelve or fifteen
years, and ihey average about fifteen feet
in height. As they get older they produce
fruit in greater profusion. The flowers
appear very early in the season ; so early,
wm fact, that they are sometimes nipped
by late frosts. This Citrus, in a few years
after planting, forms an almost impene-
trable hedge, as it bears pruning wonderfully well. Each
fruit contains a number of seeds, which, if sown as soon as
gathered, will make plants ready for setting out within a
year.
Hypericum ApDpREssuM.—This herb, with slender rigid
stems, slightly woody at the base and about a foot tall,
spreads rapidly by underground stolons ; and a bit of the
416
root planted in good soil will become at the end of a couple
of years a dense mat four or five feet across. It has lanceo-
late bright green leaves and terminal few-flowered cymes
of small bright yellow flowers. It grows in rather moist
soil, and is distributed from the island of Nantucket, off the
coast of southern Massachusetts, and Rhode Island south-
ward. Its compact habit, low stature and ability to spread
rapidly, suggest that this pretty little Hypericum may be a
good plant to cover the ground of shrub-beds. The
number of plants that we can use at the north for this
purpose is not large, and the discovery of additions to the
number is desirable. The best covering plant, of course,
is the Periwinkle, but it takes some time to form a mat
that weeds cannot grow through. The Periwinkle being an
evergreen, a bed covered with it catches falling leaves in
the autumn and holds them all winter, and the cleaning
of such a bed in the spring is a slow and expensive opera-
tion. The Japanese Honeysuckle makes a good carpet, as
it grows rapidly and covers the ground in one season, but
it has the disadvantage of being so rampant that it grows
into and over the shrubs above it unless the stems are cut
over every year. This is the trouble, too, with the Japa-
nese Rosa Wichuraiana when used in this way. It soon
clothes the ground with a beautiful green carpet, but its
long vigorous stems, which often grow twenty feet in a
season, soon smother every plant that comes in contact
with them. Some of our dwarf native Roses would be good
plants for this purpose, but they usually grow too tall and
consume too much plant-food ; and what is really needed
is a deciduous-leaved shrub which will spread rapidly by
underground stolons into dense mats and will not, under
the most favorable conditions, grow more than eight or
ten inches high. Hypericum adpressum comes nearer to
filling these requirements than any other perfectly hardy
plant we have seen recently.
AGLAoNEMA pictuM.—This is a fine foliage-plant of the
Arum family with curiously mottled leaves. It is very
dwarf in habit, growing to a height of eight or ten inches.
If the shoots are topped the plant will form compact masses
of very handsome foliage. The leaves are about six inches
long, ovate-lanceolate, with cordate base and rather long
petioles. The color is a deep velvety green, with silvery
gray, well-marked spots and blotches chiefly along the
midrib, and in a lesser degree over the whole surface of the
blade. The plant flowers freely, and will fruit if fertilized
artificially. The spathe is about an inch long, spoon-like,
of a creamy white color, but inconspicuous; the spadix
short, club-like, greenish. For house-culture this is likely
to become a very satisfactory plant, and it is pretty for any
indoor decoration. Planted in pans so as to form dense
masses of foliage, and with the ground covered with some
creeping species of Club-moss—for instance, Selaginella
denticulata or S. cassia—it forms a tasteful ornament for a
dinner-table. Light vegetable soil is the best, and it is
readily propagated by cuttings.
Cultural Department.
Oncocyclus- Irises.
ices many hardy plants have been more disappointing in
gardens than the Oncocyclus Irises. A few gardeners,
happily situated, or by dint of careful management, occasionally
flower them, apparently, however, not for a long succession
of years. Many of my flower-loving friends report failures
most discouraging. The failures are especially aggravating,
as the rhizomes are perfectly hardy, and many spines with
most beautiful flowers are now available. It is rather humil-
iating to be nonplused and thwarted by a plant which is per-
fectly ready to grow and do its partif the gardener supplies
the proper environment. Among several reasons for lack of
success with these plants the principal one is probably that
good strong rhizomes have not been planted. Such rhizomes
are very scarce; in fact, rare, and can seldom be secured from
either dealers or collectors. Judging from the somewhat
numerous pieces of collected plants which have reached here
the rhizomes are seldom vigorous in a wild state. As they
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 399.
improve under cultivation there is a possible question whether
the drought, to which they are accustomed, is entirely bene-
ficial. Apparently the first requisite to the successful cultiva-
tion of these O, Irises is to work up a stock of strong, vigorous
roots from the dormant weak pieces usually received. If
these are planted when received, before the ground is cold,
they will make a weakly growth of leaves, to be ruined by
winter storms. As they will not have made strong roots, and
have little reserve force in the rhizomes, they will not recu-
perate, and if dried off at the usual time will often disappear.
After many such failures I have been convinced that the pro-
cedure was wrong. Lately I have found that by keeping the
rhizomes dormant, and planting them out very late—early in
December—they remain dormant and appear in the early
spring after frosts are finished. Hence they grow on without
interruption or weakening, and make strong roots, and with a
stock of these future operations are simple. Prudent culti-
vators, having secured strong plants, will do well to follow the
teaching of Herr Max Leichtlin, who advises covering them
overhead in June with a sash, which is to be removed in
August or September, thus giving them a forced rest. In this
climate I am inclined to think that if they are allowed to grow
somewhat longer and can be checked somewhat later, so that
they will have made little or no foliage-growth before winter,
successful flowering will be more certain. This will allow the
rhizomes to gain strength after flowering, and later the foliage,
not being advanced, will be less liable to injury. Anyone who
flowers a collection of Oncocyclus Irises in the open success-
fully for a succession of years will have an interesting expe-
perience and have reason to feel much pride in his skill as a
Itivator.
cultivator ¥. N. Gerard.
Elizabeth, N. J.
The Vegetable Garden.
if ILLING frosts have now destroyed all tender crops in this
section, and the vegetable garden begins to look bare.
Plants of Sweet Corn, Beans, Tomatoes, Melons, Cucumbers
and the like we clear away to the rubbish-pile before they rot
and become disagreeable to handle. We always save a quan-
tity of corn-stalks of the taller sorts; they are useful to scatter
over beds of Strawberries or half-hardy perennials after they
have had a covering of dry leaves.
Early and second-early Celery of the White Plume and Self-
blanching kinds, which is being blanched by means of boards,
will now require some earth thrown up to the boards. A few
stout sticks driven inside the boards will keep them from
caving in on the plants. A quantity of dry leaves worked
loosely among the plants will preserve them for some time to
come; later in the season a coating of litter-manure can be
given. Weare just commencing to earth up our winter sup-
ply of Celery ; before doing so we remove all decaying stems
and tie up the plants loosely. The final earthing up is not done
until November. Of course, the plants should be perfectly
dry when earthed up and the soil carefully packed among
them so as not to break the somewhat brittle stems. We have
had so much better success with keeping Celery out in the
open where it has been growing that we no longer lift and
house any of the crops now. Lifted plants rot badly, the roots
too often die, and the plants quickly follow. When kept out-
side the root-action is not checked, and if protected with a
good coating of strawy manure or leaves, and boards to throw
off some of the moisture, we find it keeps in good condition
until spring. Of course, the ground where late Celery is
grown should have a gentle slope, so that water will not stand
on the ground during winter. I have seen much better heads
kept in this way than by any lifting method. In this locality
Boston Market and Giant Paschal are the standard winter
sorts, but a second season's trial of that fine Michigan variety,
Kalamazoo, has proved it to be far superior to either of these
sorts. It has an erect habit, has shown no sign of disease, is
of fine flavor and unexcelled as a keeper.
Parsnips, carrots, turnips and beets we keep in an open shed
packed in sand and covered over with a thick coating of dry
leaves. November is early enough to lift these. Parsley
should now be lifted and planted in a cold frame in some well-
enriched compost. We strip off all the leaves but a few of
those next the crown and trim off the tap-roots. The strongest
plants and those showing the best-curled leaves should be
selected. By placing a few inches of dry leaves over the
plants in December little further protection outside of the sash
is needed during winter, an abundance of nice parsley can
be had. For convenience in severe weather, a few large pots
or boxes may be filled and placed in a spare corner in a cool
house, Lettuces which are heading up, if lifted with a ball of
OcTOBER 16, 1895.]
earth and planted in frames, will give useful heads until
Thanksgiving. A few dry leaves over the heads in the open
will protect them from all the frost we are likely to have for
some time yet. Late-sown batches should now be pricked
into frames prepared for them. Endive may be kept in excel-
lent condition for some time by lifting it on a dry day and
planting ina cold frame. A coating of sand over the surface
will prevent the spread of mold. In Great Britain endive is
kept all winter in a cool cellar by carefully packing it in sand,
two or three inches of the leaves only being allowed to stand
above the sand. The plants are always perfectly dry when
lifted, tied up, and not allowed to touch each other in thesand.
In this way they blanch better than by any other method I have
seen tried.
Asparagus tops should now be cut down, all weeds cleared
away and the beds slightly loosened. We give them a mod-
erate coating of rotted manure in November, not so much for
protection, but to fertilize the ground. We loosen the surface
to allow the manure to leach the roots. Seaweed is one of the
best of manures for Asparagus; if this cannot be had a little
salt may be mixed with the manure. Plantings of Asparagus
may be made either now or in spring; I preferspring planting.
Brussels Sprouts and all members of the Brassica family
will be benefited by having the decaying and lower leaves
removed. From the middle to the end of November we lift
these and heel them in frames or outdoors in a warm situa-
tion, covering well with dry, light protecting material. Leeks
are very hardy, but are best heeled in close together; they do
not decay as Celery does when lifted. Cauliflower may be par-
tially protected by breaking down the centre leaves over the
flower ; those not fully headed up should be heeled ina cold
frame early in November.
Early Tomatoes-sown in July now have fruit of good size,
and these will commence to ripen toward the end of the
month. Our second batch has just been given a shift into
fruiting pots. When the pots are weil filled with roots liberal
supplies of stimulants should be given. From November to
the end of February artificial pollination is necessary to secure
a fine crop; this is best done about noon on a bright, clear
day. Now is a good time to make an additional sowing to
yield ripe fruit about the end of March. May’s Favorite is the
most satisfactory sort we have grown for spring fruiting.
Manuring and deep digging or trenching unused ground
may now be attended to. If cut-worms and wire-worms have
been troublesome a good coating of lime can be given; and
the lime will be useful to the sod also whenever itis ofa heavy,
clayey nature. We prefer to do as much work of this sort as
possible before severe frosts, so as to relieve the pressure of
work in the busy spring season. ;
Taunton, Mass. W. N. Craig.
Indoor Work.
4a housing of the tender plants that have been in use in
the garden during the summer will now be nearly or quite
completed, but after these plants are safely under cover it be-
comes an interesting question to many a grower with but a
small area of glass at his disposal how to arrange for this sud-
den influx of plants without interfering with those already in
the houses, It is atssuch a time that the value of a well-built
and slightly heated pit or deep frame becomes apparent, and
more than pays for the slight cost of its construction.
Besides this plan for economizing space some private
greenhouses here, and some commercial establishments in
Europe, have shelves of heavy glass suspended from the roof
by brackets or chains, a much more neat device and much less
obstructive to light than wooden shelves. Shelves of this kind
are very useful for many light-loving plants, and induce a
short and stocky habit.
Among the lifted plants the Cannas are important, and some
of them should be divided up into convenient sizes, potted in
rich loam and grown on for conservatory decoration during
the winter and spring. Particularly large and brilliant flowers
may be had under glass, and the whole spike of flowers and
foliage together can be put to good use in filling a large vase
with cut flowers for a church or hall decoration.
The various bulbs for winter and spring forcing should be
potted at once. Continued exposure to the air is injurious to
them, and particularly so to the bulbs of various Lilies, which
lose much of their vitality when long exposed.
Calla Lilies are indispensables in most conservatories, and it
is well to know that the California-grown bulbs are now offered
so cheaply and of such good quality that it is hardly worth
while to keep old bulbs over trom year to year, as the tresh
bulbs will probably yield more flowers.
A few specimens, at least, of the brilliant-hued Poinsettias
Garden and Forest.
417
should be found in every greenhouse where a temperature of
sixty degrees can be maintained. Poinsettias are quite suscep-
tible to draughts and sudden changes of temperature ; though
they do not require extreme heat they should have full light
and generous treatment as to soil and moisture. Euphorbia
Jaquineflora, another admirable plant for winter flowers,
needs like treatment. Some plants of Begonia incarnata and
B. Gloire de Sceaux should now be in their blooming pots, and
will need plenty of water and some weak liquid-manure at
intervals. Cyclamens will also be rapidly coming into flower,
and tobacco stems chopped into short lengths should be
spread among the pots as a safeguard against aphides. Chrys-
anthemums and Cinerarias need similar applications of to-
bacco against the insects, which are the most dangerous
enemies to the flowers and foliage of both these plants.
Roses for winter flowering, if well established, can now be
allowed to flower, andif on side benches will need some tying
to keep the shoots away from the glass. If specially large
flowers are desired on the Carnations, some disbudding must
be done, but those used as pot-plants in the conservatory
should not be disbudded, as in this case quantity of bloom is
more important than the size of the flowers. Most foliage
plants are not potted until spring, but they must be kept scru-
pulously clean, for with the additional fire-heat comes a fresh
outbreak of insects, and scale and mealy-bug multiply a hun-
dred-fold, in an incredibly short time.
Of course, a good supply of potting material should be put
under cover for the winter, and any delayed repairs, like glaz-
ing, painting or alterations to boilers or pipes, must be at-
tended to at once.
W. H. Taplin.
Holmesburg, Pa.
Polyscias paniculata.—This plant, more commonly known as
Terminalia elegans, is useful both for the conservatory in
winter and for planting out in summer, since it will color beau-
tifully out-of-doors. The leaves are pinnate, having from five
to nine leaflets, the terminal one being about six inches in
length. There is little danger that it will ever become com-
mon, as the shoots branch very little and there is a difficulty in
rooting cuttings, except those made from the tips of the shoots.
Tricyrtis hi:ta.—The Japanese Toad Lily is among the latest
of herbaceous plants to come into bloom. The flowers are
not showy, but. there is a certain individuality and quaintness
about the plant which have won for it many admirers. During
the summer months while making its growth the plant has
rather an ornamental appearance, the pretty shaped leaves
being arranged alternately on upright stalks. The curiously
shaped purple-spotted flowers are produced in the axils of the
upper leaves. This species will not stand a protracted drought,
for, without a good supply of moisture, the leaves lose their
beauty, and the flowers, even when they appear at all, are
very small. es F
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W. Oliver.
Frost Injuries to Pears and Apples.—It is not uncommon to
see pears and apples surrounded by a narrowrusset zone. In
pears this zone is nearly always at the apex, while in the apple
it may be situated at the apex or between the apex and stem.
This belt is due to an injury to the epidermis of the fruit in its
young stage, and is caused by the freezing of dew collected on
these spaces. The fruit at this time is upright, and the place
where the dew collects is probably determined by the forma-
tion and position of the fruit. It is interesting to note that the
cells in the frosted zones multiply and produce cells of their
own kind, thus increasing the width of the zone during the
growing period. The reason for this is not yet known.
G. Harold Powell,
Cornell University.
Correspondence.
Seasonable Notes from Wellesley, Massachusetts.
’ To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—After a season’s growth, or it may be a season’s rest,
out-of-doors, tendér plants of all kinds are returned to the
greenhouses, and they again resume their attractiveness. Dur-
ing a stroll through the greenhouses at Wellesley we find
many rare and beautiful plants, and Mr. Harris, who has been
Mr. Hunnewell’s gardener more than forty years, is able to go
back to days when horticultural operations were conducted
under very different conditions from those which now prevail,
and we naturally find here many old plants which carry us
back to those days. : ;
In one of the houses stands a magnificent pan of Hippeas-
trum platypetalum, It is one of the earliest and best, with
418
stout scapes of erect flowers of salmon-red shade. Mr. Harris
does not think this species has ever been used asa parent of
any of the newer hybrids, as he has never seen any like it.
There are three species of Allamandas now in bloom. A. Wil-
liamsii is the most dwarf, and when grown ina pot makes an
excellent bush specimen. It was so exhibited last summer by
Mr, William Martin, gardener to N. T. Kidder, Esq., of Milton,
Massachusetts, to whom the Massachusetts Horticultural So-
ciety awarded a silver medal. I have not seen it used as a
pillar or roof plant, but, no doubt, with generous treatment,
such as it would get when planted out, it would proveas effec-
tive as any of the coarser varieties, some of which are really
too rampant. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, about two
inches in diameter, measured across the limb of the corolla,
and deep yellow in color. It blooms abundantly nearly the
year round. A. cathartica, var. Hendersoni, isa much stronger
grower. Itis here trained as a standard, and as such is very
effective. It bears the largest and handsomest blooms of all
the sorts grown, measuring nearly four inches across the
corolla limb. They are clear sulphur-yellow and elegantly
recurved and revolute. A. Schottii is the coarsest grower of all,
and similar in habit to Henderson's variety. The flowers
are about the same size, though not so handsome in outline,
and have a distinguishing blotch of orange-yellow at the base
of the throat. There is here a large plant in the tropical house,
which, if not regularly pruned, would soon take possession, to
the exclusion of everything else. Ixoras, now seldom seen,
are here represented by I. Williamsii and I. coccinea. To ex-
hibit well-flowered specimens is a rare achievement, and a
group of these was always acommanding feature in the old-
time exhibitions. In another house there is a group of about
twenty plants of the uncommon greenhouse Rhododendrons of
the Javanicum-jasminiflorum type. These seem to do better
when given continuous greenhouse treatment, with partial
shade, as they are undoubtedly undershrubs in their native
country. They need generous warmth during the winter
months. Although they never make the gorgeous display
which the hardy hybrids do, yet they are continuously in
bloom. As the principal part of their growth is made in sum-
mer, abundance of water must be given at this time, and a lack
of it would soon be apparent in a loss of leaves and stunted
growth, from which the plants recover slowly. The specimens
here are all in perfect health, showing that as nearly as possible
their exact requirements have been secured. These green-
house hybrids are characterized by scattered leaves and regu-
lar monotone flowers. The corolla tube is longer, the limb
shorter or narrower, and the truss looser thanin the hardy kinds,
Monarch is clear salmon, and Favorite a beautiful cerise-pink.
R. balsaminceflorum album and R. aureum mark a new
departure in this group. Both have double wax-like flowers,
which hang on the plants for more than a month,
Special attention is given to Draczenas and Cordylines, and
one house is almost wholly devoted to them. Some of the best
varieties are seedlings raised by Mr. Harris many years ago,
when these beautiful plants were less plentifulthan now. Dra-
ceena Cooperi and D. magnifica were the varieties from which
nearly all his bronzy leaved varieties were raised. Mrs. H. H.
Hunnewell is considered the handsomest of all. The leaves
are very broad, elegantly recurved and delicately tinted with
red. D. monstrosa is another of great merit. Its name is
intended to indicate its proportions. Mrs. R.G.Shaw, another
handsome variety of robust habit, is neatly striped with red.
D. porphyrophylla superba is a renamed seedling, with the
varietal name added to indicate its superiority to the type. In
the estimation of many this is the best of all the bronze-leaved
forms. D. Baptisti, D. Youngi and D. imperialis, D. Waban
and D. Wellesliana, the two latter seedlings raised by Mr. But-
ler, gardener to Mrs. Durant at Wellesley, add variety to this
section. D. Harrisii is, without doubt, the finest of the varie-
gated green and white varieties. It is a hybrid raised here
between D. terminalis and D. regina. D. Robinsoniana is a
splendid variety of erect habit with striped leaves of orange,
red and green. D. gloriosa resembles this in coloring, but is
entirely distinct in habit, having broad recurving leaves. The
true D. indivisa with a yellow midrib is very rare in cultiva-
tion. One large specimen here is very attractive, and several
smaller ones are even more graceful. As a vase-plant it is
unique. D. Sanderiana, an introduction of recent years, is
represented by a moderate-sized plant. It is of slender habit,
with scattered ovate-lanceolate, twisted and wavy, white and
green striped leaves. Its habit is distinct from all other Dra-
czenas in that it branches freely from the root-stock. Speci-
mens made up of three or more plants in a pot are highly
decorative. D. Goldieana is a very distinct species from south
Africa, The broadly ovate white and green barred leaves
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 399.
make small specimens of these plants among the best for table
decorations. Two species in Mr. Butler’s greenhouse are
especially worthy of note. These are D. spectabilis, a clear
green-leaved variety resembling some of the Terminalis group ;
the leaves are broadly lanceolate, the habit.is excellent, and it
should be most useful for grouping. D. umbraculifera is an
uncommonly handsome species with leaves more than four
feet long; it resembles somewhat the D. indivisa type, but
the leaves recurve, umbrella-fashion.
Wellesley, Mass. Te D: Flatheld.
A Few Climbing Plants.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Among the useful climbers which I lately saw flowering
out-of-doors in the Botanic Gardens here were three Ipomceas.
I. rubro-ccerulea daily displayed hundreds of flowers. Onsome
mornings they are all, or nearly all, of that deep color which
has been commonly described as heavenly blue. At other
times the blue is dashed, blotched or merely touched with an
exquisite shade of rose, and occasionally it shows a flower of
this color with scarcely a hint of blue. I. setosa isa vigorous
grower, with every stem clothed with a close growth of red-
dish hairs. I. paniculata is another decorative species of rapid
growth, with distinct, palmately divided leaves, and while its
flowers are of a color disliked by some, this defect is less no-
ticeable at the distance from which the plant is seen to best
advantage. For outlining the pillars and eaves of porches this
Ipomced is admirable. It never forms the heavy, shapeless
masses of foliage that I. noctiflora, the Moon Flower, always
develops before the season is ended.
Luffa cylindrica, commonly known as the Dishcloth Gourd,
would be out of place where the Ipomceas look best, but it is,
nevertheless, a useful and handsome plant. Clambering over
a garden-fence, or in some similar situation, it has an air of ele-
gance that makes it too good to be slighted, and its clusters of
golden-yellow flowers are in form much like those of the aris-
tocratic Allamanda nerifolia, but their color, though good in
itself, is crude in comparison with the soft, pure yellow of the
exquisitely textured Allamanda blossoms.
Several varieties of Aristolochia flower here luxuriantly when
planted out-of-doors. A. elegans deserves its name. Its hand-
some, broad, chocolate and creamy flesh-colored flowers are
freely produced, and have none of the disagreeable odor that
characterizes those of most Aristolochias. A very unusual
floral spectacle was furnished by a hedge a hundred feet long
of A. cymbifera in full flower. The plants, from cuttings .
started in early spring, are trained on two wires stretched at
one and four feet, respectively, above the ground, and the
entire hedge is a series of festoons of fantastic flowers which
have an odor that can only be described as offensive.
A stone wall that serves as the barrier between the garden
and the street is lined for a space with old plants of the Japa-
nese Trumpet-creeper, Tecoma grandiflora, and the brilliant
masses of their flame-colored flowers make one marvel why
this plant is seen so rarely as compared with our own Trum-
pet-vine.
Brighton, Ill. Fanny Copley Seavey.
Meetings of Societies.
The American Dahlia Society.
by Meme first annual meeting of this society was held on Wed-
nesday last in Philadelphia, at the rooms of A. Blanc. This
society was organized last spring by a few persons residing in
the neighborhood of Philadelphia, for the purpose of popu-
larizing the Dahlia, and of collecting and comparing informa-
tion concerning the plant. Meetings have been held from
time to time of those who chanced to be drawn together by
common interest, but this is the first stated and regular meet-
ing of the society. Early in the season it was intended that a
large exhibition should be held this fall, and it was hoped that
it might rival the Chrysanthemum shows in general interest ;
but the unprecedented drought in the neighborhood of Phila-
delphia has made such an exhibition impossible. So a few
persons came together for the purpose of transacting some
necessary business and to keep the society moving until it
shall have the opportunity to makeitself felt by a worthy display
of flowers and plants. Abouta hundred and fifty varieties of
Dahlias were on exhibition, however, having been brought in
by growers for purposes of comparison. Many of them were
unnamed seedlings. The largest lot, comprising 1o1 varie-
ties, was brought in by the Secretary, Lawrence Peacock, Atco,
New Jersey, Other exhibitors were A. Blanc, Philadelphia ;
OcTOBER 16, 1895.]
Albert Knapper, Frankford, Pennsylvania ; C. B. Taylor, Ger-
mantown; Rev.C. W. Bolton, Pelhamville, New York.
One who studied these Dahlias would discern four general
types or classes—the old ball-flowered type, the so-called Cactus
type, the Pompons and the single-flowered sorts. The most
decorative and artistic of these are the Cactus-flowered and
single types, and the former are now popular with all growers,
although it is said that flower buyers still prefer the formal
ball-like varieties. The Cactus Dahlias beara strong? resem-
blance to the more formal Chrysanthemums, and when they
are better known they may be expected to share some of the
praise which the Chrysanthemum receives. This type origi-
nated from the famous Dahlia Juarezii, although that old form
would not now be considered the typical one for a Cactus
Dahlia. Tastes have changed since its advent, and breeders
of Dahlias have made marked departures from the original.
The Cactus Dahlia of a few years ago was characterized by an
open, rather loose flower, in which the florets were of unequal
lengths and overlapping, and the corollas flattened out at their
extremities, instead of being tubular or funnel-form, as in the
older types. These features are still retained in the main, but
the florets must now be longer, with revolute margins or tips
and a tendency to twist. In other words, the Dahlia is under-
going an evolution toward freedom and oddity of outline simi-
lar to that which has characterized the recent history of the
Chrysanthemum,
The Pompon Dahlias are simply miniatures of the old ball-
shaped types, but their earliness and freedom of bloom will
certainly make them favorites. To many persons the single
Dahlias are the most satisfactory of all the varieties, but they
find only a limited sale in the general market. A true single
Dahlia, as understood in England, should have but eight rays,
but most of those which one sees at exhibitions in this coun-
try have more than that number.
Most of the Dahlias now raised in this country by the large
growers are used for stock, that is, to produce salable bulbs,
but the time is surely coming when the Dahlia will have a
place of importance in the cut-flower trade and for decorative
gardening. The varieties may be cast into three sections in
respect to the size of the plants—the dwarfs, eighteen inches or
less high; the half-dwarfs, two anda halt feet high or less, and
the standards or tall kinds, some of the last sometimes reaching
a height of twelve or fifteen feet. A fourth class might be made,
comprising the Tom Thumbs, which grow twelve inches or
less high. The tall kinds are generally most useful for cut
flowers, because the stems are very long, while some of the
dwarfs are excellent for bedding, and the short-stemmed flow-
ers are useful in the making of floral pieces. The half-dwarfs
—a race which is receiving much attention at Mr. Peacock’s
place—afford some varieties which give excellent stems for
cutting, and they are also useful in high bedding and for bor-
ders. During the summer and autumn Mr. Peacock has sold
cut dahlias for a higher price than that ruling for roses. They
often retail for as much as one dollar a dozen. Better results
in cut flowers are to be had if the plants are given ample room
—at least two by fourfeet. Atthis distance they also stand the
dry weather better.
Among the varieties on exhibition, the following may be
mentioned: Nymphea, a very fine Cactus Dahlia, originating
in Salem County, New Jersey, from seed of Mrs. Hawkins, and
now very popular for cutting—very delicate pink, full double,
rather large, resembling a Water-lily in form ; Mrs. Hawkins,
like Nympheza in shape and size, but with a light yellow centre
and pink border; Miss Penne Baker, a novelty of Mr. Pea-
cock’s, rose-pink, with flesh centre, ball-shaped, very delicate
and handsome; Madame Moreau, a very large pink-red, ball-
shaped Dahlia of most regular size, and one of the best for cut
flowers; Pluton, perhaps the best clear self-yellow globular
Dahlia, excellent for cutting ; Penelope, good for cutting, ball
type, white, tipped lavender, excellent. Among the Pompons,
the leading ones were Klein Domatia, a very free bloomer,
pale salmon; Fairy Tales, pale primrose, very free bloomer,
probably the earliest variety; Aillet’s Imperial, pinkish white,
tipped with deep pink purple; Sprig, one of Peacock’s, rich
buff, tipped deep pink ; Little Prince, very early, tall, the flow-
ers of perfect shape, but variable in color; Alba imbricata, one
of the best of this class, white, free bloomer. Of the large-
flowered dwarfs suitable for bedding, Souvenir de Solferino
attracted attention. It reaches a height of only eighteen or
twenty inches, and covers itself with great dark red flowers.
Other good varieties for cut flowers are Lucy Fawcett, straw-
colored, striped light red; Princesse Bonne, clear yellow,
tipped creamy white; Keystone, variegated; Mrs. Langtry,
yellow, and tipped pink in the centre, outer florets darker.
The interest in Dahlias in this country is very small. This
Garden and Forest.
419
arises partly from the fact that no firm has systematically
pushed the newer varieties, some of which possess uncom-
mon attractiveness. A generation and more ago the Dahlia
was one of the best-known and most-prized of all garden-
plants, and in the rural districts in New York and Pennsyl-
vania one may still trace the effects of this early popularity in
the general interest which country folk take in the plant. But
these varieties which one sees in old yards are mostly of one
type, although they may vary widely in color. They represent
the old ball-shaped Dahlias, with perfectly regular and funnel-
like florets. There is no more striking example of the ten-
dency of modern taste toward freedom and irregularity of
outline than is seen in the Dahlia, and this is one of the very
points which this new society can present to the public. The
Dahlia will always remain a favorite flower with those persons
who like to grow their own plants, because it can be had in
perfection without artificial heat, and the season of bloorn
may easily be extended from June until frost. The named
varieties are numerous and of many diverse kinds. The
plant, therefore, is one which is worthy of more general atten-
tion in this country.
Something like 2,000 named varieties of Dahlias are now
known in Europe, where the plant is much prized. In this
country the largest single collection is probably that of Law-
rence Peacock, who has about 600 varieties this year. A.
Blanc has six acres of Dahlias this year, comprising some
hundreds of varieties. Other important growers are William
Bassett & Son, Hammonton, New Jersey, and W. Wilmore,
Denver, Colorado. Within a year or two, however, there will
undoubtedly be many large growers interested in the Dahlia,
for it is rapidly emerging from its long obscurity.
Cornell University. POD af Bailey.
Recent Publications.
Game Birds at Home. By Theodore S. Van Dyke.
York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert.
One may feel inclined to question the accuracy of Mr.
Van Dyke’s statement in his preface to this pleasant little
book that to the majority of sportsmen the love of nature
is the principal element in the love of hunting. There can
be no doubt, however, that many readers who do not
aspire to be called sportsmen will find the easy, unaffected |
descriptions of the homes of the game birds—that is, the
natural scenery through which the sportsman wanders—
the most alluring feature of the book. One who reads
these descriptions of the haunts of a dozen of our game
birds is led among timbered hills, through the tall grasses
of endless prairies, the grim Cactus-fields of the west, the
Manzanita thickets of California, the southern river-bottoms
fragrant with purpling Fox Grapes, the seashores and in-
land lakes and sloughs frequented by the water-birds.
There is no attempt at fine writing ; none of those melan-
choly and painfully wrought word-pictures of scenes that
never existed; but, in their stead, suggestive and illu-
minating phrases dropped here and there which kindle the
imagination, so that the reader cannot help filling out the
picture from the stores of his own experience, enabling
him to see over again in the mellow light of memory
scenes that have left their impressions on his mind, and
which he is only too happy to recall. As we read of hoar-
frosts sparkling on buckwheat stubble, all the pomp and
pathos of an American autumn passes at once before our
eyes. The gleaming of Blood-root blossoms above sodden
leaves, the wavering checkers of light upon the forest floor,
the brook which gleams through groves of Wild Plum,
Crab Apple and Hawthorn, orchard-like groups of Bur
Oaks on prairie swells, the ghostly arms of dead Cotton-
woods on the banks of broad rivers—touches like these all
genuine, all typical of scenes or seasons, revivify old im-
pressions of outdoor beauty and outdoor life that we have
at some time enjoyed. Of course, all this is but an at-
mosphere, and yet it lends charm to the story of the birds,
and makes more vivid and real the fascinating accounts of
their appearance and behavior, which is evidently Mr.
Van Dyke’s chief joy as a sportsman. No doubt, the
expert hunter may find here hints to help him in his pur-
suit of game, but the author need not have told us that,
although the book was written for sportsmen, it was
New
A20
written rather to touch certain tender chords of memory
than to convey information. Nor was there any need for
Mr. Van Dyke to have stated that he was no murderer.
No thirst for blood is manifested in all these pages, and
there is nothing among all the accounts of successful
shooting to cause indignation or pity, but only admiration
for the skill of the man and the intelligence of the dog,
which combine to make a prosperous day’s sport. Alto-
gether, this is a book to be thoroughly enjoyed by all who
take a wholesome delight in the country and in its wary
inhabitants whose capture requires the exercise of so much
intelligence and skill.
Notes.
A neat little booklet on the care of house-plants has been
issued, for the use of their customers, by Bertermann Brothers,
florists, of Indianapolis, Indiana.
One of the prominent pomologists of Russia, Mr. Jaroslav
Niemetz, has been sent by the Government of his country to
make a tour of the United States and Canada in the interests
of Russian pomology. In his large experimental orchard at
Roveno Mr. Niemetz has under trial twelve hundred varieties
of Apples alone, and of other fruits in proportion.
Mr. Joseph Meehan considers Cypripedium insigne one of
the best winter-blooming window-plants. This Lady’s-slipper
will thrive ina five or six inch pot with ordinary care, and
from its clusters of bright green leaves flower-stems will rise
and bear from three to six flowers, which will last in good
condition from six weeks to two months. When not forced,
as in a cool window, the flowers will open at Christmas and
they will be in good condition in March.
In the Horticultural Department of Cornell University, in
addition to the courses formerly given, among the new sub-
jects to be taken up next year are: (1) the literature of horticul-
ture, including what has been written of plants in cultivation
in all parts of the world, with reviews of periodical literature ;
(2) greenhouse management and construction; (3) floricul-
ture ; (4) the botany of cultivated plants ; (5) theory and practice
of spraying plants. These courses, in connection with those of
pomology, landscape-gardening, the propagation of plants and
handicraft, will make the horticultural course in Cornell very
complete and attractive.
Vegetables from the south are already in our markets, to fol-
low the latest which escaped frost in the north. Peas arecom-
ing from Charleston and sell for sixty cents a half-peck. String
beans, from the same section, cost as much, and new south-
ern okra is selling for ten cents a dozen. Celery, which isnow
coming from the south and west, as also from near-by points,
has been scarce, owing to deferred shipments, while growers
are busy storing the crop for winter; one dozen stalls cost
seventy-five cents. Field mushrooms, the first seen here this
autumn, cost but fifty cents a pound, although their natural
flavor is preferred by many to that of the cultivated product ;
the cultivated ones, which are of even size and more inviting
color, cost $1.00a pound, Egg-plants still come from NewJersey,
and sugar corn, Lima beans and peppers from Long Island.
Vegetable marrows cost ten to fifteen cents.apiece. Besides
escarolle, chicory, Romaine and other lettuces, spinach, mint,
water-cress, chervil, tarragon and chives are the greens most
in demand.
A correspondent inquires how to suppress the Wild Carrot.
This is certainly a pestilent weed, but it is rarely troublesome
in cultivated fields, and this shows that it can be kept down by
moderate cultivation, and if the weed is destroyed in waste
places it will soon be comparatively harmless. If the plants
are mowed offas often as the flowers appear they will eventually
be destroyed, although they will continue to throw out stems
from the bottom after each cutting, so that at first they will
appear to increase rather than diminish. Sheep will eat the
young plants, and they can be pulled out by hand when the
ground is wet, which is a laborious, but sure, means of extir-
pation. If the root is cut off with a spud some distance below
the surface of the ground the plant will usually die. A detailed
account of this and many other of our aggressive weeds will
be found in Farmers’ Bulletin, No. 28, published by the United
States Department of Agriculture, with the best means of
exterminating the individuals and different classes of weeds.
The careful protection of Blackberries, Raspberries and
other small-fruit plants in the winter is an essential of the
highest success throughout the northern states. Even where
the plants are not killed, their vitality is often so weakened by
Garden and Forest.
{NUMBER 399.
the cold that only a fraction of a crop can be expected. This
is particularly true of the best varieties, which are more often
grown under high cultivation, and, therefore, make a large and
comparatively tender growth. The best method of protection
is to lay down the canes and cover the tips with earth. The
Western Farmer gives these directions for treating the plants
in more northern latitudes. Where the rows are set north and
south, begin at the northern end, remove the earth from the
north side of the first hill to a depth of four inches; gather
the branches closely with a wide fork, raising it toward the top
of the bush, press it gently to the north and set the toot firmly
on the base of the plant, bearing hard in the same direction.
Where the bushes are old or the yround is hard, it is best to
have a second man, who inserts a potato-fork deeply on the
south side of the hill, pressing it over gently until the bush is
nearly flat on the ground. It should then be held down with
a fork until it is properly covered, and the top of the next hill
should rest near the base of the first, and so on, making a con-
tinuous cover in the line of the row.
A late report from the United States Consul at Rheims gives
an account of some experiments for keeping fruit fresh, which
have been made by A. Petit, Chief of the Laboratory of
Research in the Horticultural School at Versailles. Having
observed the action of alcoholic vapors on the mold which
appears on the surface of fruitindampair, Mr. Petit, on the 31st
of October, placed fresh grapes in a brick vault, cemented on
the inside and closed as nearly hermetically as possible with a
common wooden door. Among the fruits he had placed an
open bottle of alcohol of about sixty cubic inches’ capacity.
On November 2oth, grapes which had been placed in two other
vaults, one of which was shut up without alcohol, while the
other was open, were mostly rotted and covered with mold.
In the one containing the alcohol the grapes were plump and
fair. On the 7th of December these continued in good
condition, although a few had turned brown, and at the end of
nearly two months the bunches had lost only from two to four
grapes each, while the rest were in a perfect state of preserva-
tion, the stalks being perfectly green, the berries full, firm and
savory, having all the qualities of fresh-cut grapes. Experi-
ments with this cheap and easy device are now in progress
under direction of the Division of Pomology at Washington,
but so far the effects of the treatment are not as good as they
are said to have beenin France. The fruits do not show any
mold, it is true, but in many cases they are strongly impreg-
nated with alcohol, and their value is thereby lessened. It
seems, therefore, that further tests should be made before we
can consider the vapor of alcohol as an ideal fruit preservative.
The first Almeria grapes of the season arrived last week,
and 1,542 barrels were sold at the wholesale auction on Thurs-
day. Prices ranged from $3.00 to $6.50 a barrel, the average
for the entire sale being $4.65. This sale is ten days earlier
than the first offering of last year. The fruit was not of the
best quality, though the prices were high. It is estimated that
90,000 barrels will constitute the total shipments to the United
States this year, against 125,000 barrels last season. The only
oranges now to be had, excepting a few from Sicily, are those
from Jamaica, and the fruit is of fair quality, considering its
earliness. Several car-loads of Albemarle Pippins from Vir-
ginia have already been shipped from this port to England.
Other American apples now in European, markets are Bald-
wins, Greenings, Kings, Northern Spies and Ben Davis, the
highest grades selling there for $3.00 to $6.00 a barrel.
Although 17,845 barrels of cranberries have thus far reached
this city, besides 3,082 crates, twice as many as were received.
up to the same time last year, the demand for this fruit has
been active enough to force high prices. The excessive heat
during September is said to have injured the Cape Cod crop,
and frosts have more recently damaged the New Jersey cran-
berry-bogs, so that it is estimated that the total yield will not
more than equal the short crop of last season. Extra-large
varieties from Cape Cod command $8.00 a barrel. The season
for California fruits is drawing to a close. The last plums,
prunes and peaches have been received. Pears are scarce,
and will continue to be so during the winter, since much of
this fruit has been forwarded to England. One hundred car-
loads of California fruits have crossed the ocean during the
summer and autumn, and Clairgeau, Duchesse, Easter Beurre,
Comice and Glout Morceau pears now command $3.50 to $5.00a
box at wholesale in Great Britain; prices for the same sorts
here range from $1.85 to $3.20 a box. Grapes constituted the
bulk of thirty-seven car-loads of western fruits sold in this city
last week. Chestnuts, which early in the week sold for $7.50
to $8.00 a barrel, fell to $4.00 by Saturday, and hickory-nuts
were plentiful at seventy-five cents and $1.00 a barrel. :
OCTOBER 23, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Trizungs Burtpinc, New York,
Conducted by . . .. . « © « « « e Professor C, S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Ye
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
EprrorraL Article :—The Year-book of the Department of Agriculture......... 427
A Season with the Native Orchids.—II.......... .......26. Rev. £. F. Hill. 422
(With
Notes on some eoect Willows
figures.)....... :
Prant Nores..
CULTURAL DRPARTME
Carnations and Chrysanthemums
4
c. O. Orpet. 426
igs os Flatfiela. 427
Notes on Apples....+..scssccccccccccssccssccscccces -Profissor S. A. Beach. 428
California IriseS.........0.ss0008 aC eee KN. Ge 428
Aglaonema commutatum........eeeeeceeeee sess cet e eee eeneeeeeees af og R. 428
CorRESPONDENCE :—Garden Notes from ree “soe haat
Bulletins and the Experiment Stations.. - 429
How to Exterminate Cat-tails.....-. ses. cesece este eee ceee ce cceseeseeeee T. 429
Railway-station Gardens.....0esseeee seen ee cere ence eee eeeeeee EH, By 42
RECENT PUBLICATIONS. 06-ccecscc cece ccccen se cscesseccesecnssseesenesenseeestes 429
Notes... eens C27 cistelvew Seu sseaeves.ae esse a 429
ILLUSTRATIONS 2 Salix “alba x< lucida, Fig. Be Weenies akele Waves sincaicea } ane sctape 4 cle 424
Salix nigra X alba, Fign s8..csccvccscssncscrcaccacacnssessccveccesconseeas 425
The Year-book of the Department of Agriculture.
HIS is the first of a new series of agricultural publica-
tions to be issued under the act of January 12th, 1895.
What was formerly called the annual agricultural report,
and distributed by Congressmen, consisted of the adminis-
trative report of the Secretary of Agriculture, together with
those of the chiefs of the bureaus and divisions in his de-
partment, and to these were added some detailed accounts
of the investigations conducted by members of the scien-
tific staff. Since the details of the executive business at
Washington have little permanent value, the new act
directed that the scientific monographs designed for the in-
struction of the people should beseparated from the business
matter and published in this Year-book for the improve-
ment and education of farmers and other readers. Assistant
Secretary Dabney, who has compiled this volume, says in
its preface that it represents only imperfectly the ideal of
what such a book should be. The law under which it has
been prepared was not enacted until after the usual time for
filing the report under the old rule, and many of the papers
had been prepared and submitted in the usual form. Under
the circumstances the only thing to be done was to select
from the matter in hand the most deserving papers which
represent a variety of work in different lines carried on by
the various divisions of the department, and to adapt them
to the purposes of the new publication. It would, there-
fore, be unfair to criticise the book for any shortcomings,
and, indeed, it may be said that, considering the limited
opportunities for making such a compilation, it is a most
creditable performance. The book contains the report of
the Secretary of Agriculture for 1894, which would have
been better if Mr. Morton had been able to restrain himself
from making political speeches whenever he has an oppor-
tunity. The second part, or the great bulk of the
book, consists of a series of papers which have been
prepared generally by chiefs of bureaus and their assist-
ants, and these are discussions on a wide range of
subjects related more or less closely to agricultural
and horticultural practice. All of these have genuine
value, and they represent the results of the latest re-
search by men of recognized scientific standing. The
book concludes with a brief series of useful reference tables
Garden and Forest.
421
on such subjects as the composition of foods for man and
of feeding stuffs for animals, the fertilizing value of dif-
ferent foods and the methods for suppressing insects and
fungus diseases and weeds.
The view we have always taken is that the legitimate
way for the Government to aid agriculture is not by dis-
seminating seeds or by actual help i in stamping out plant
diseases or suppressing insects or by helping to introduce
new economic plants or improved fruits, but rather to
increase the efficiency of the farmer by augmenting his
knowledge. But the Government must at * first acquire
knowledge in order to disseminate it, and to this end
expert talent of the first order is needed not only at the
head of each division of the department, but of all the
experiment stations, which are now vitally connected with
the department. These are the men we must trust to make
the experiments which farmers cannot make for them-
selves, since they have neither the time nor the training
nor the means at command to carry them out successfully.
Whatever these skilled workers may discover in science or
practice that is new and useful should be furnished to the
farmers in such a form that they can read, digest and apply
it practically to the problems which they are called to
face in their business. Of course, much of this interchange
of thought is directly carried on between the stations and
the farmers of the various states. There are also many
publications, more or less elaborate monographs, issued
from the various divisions of the Department of Agricul-
ture, but this new book, as we understand from the preface,
is meant to be a summary of the researches and discoveries
of the year, so that the series will ultimately become a
standard book of reference for American farmers.
It is still the habit of some newspapers to sneer at the
scientific work done in the various divisions in the Depart-
ment of Agriculture; but this is only the survival of a
judgment formed at a period when the chief activity of the
department was manifested in the distribution of seeds of
common vegetables and ornamental plants, and pretty bad
seed at that. But some of the research now made in the
various divisions will take rank with the best scientific
work in the laboratories of the world. Horticulturists are
naturally more directly interested in the studies made by
the divisions of vegetable pathology and of entomology,
because in recent years science has rendered such material
aid in the incessant war which has to be waged against
insects and fungi. But it should be remembered that there
are other fields where systematized investigation can be
quite as helpful. The forage interests of the country, for
example, are of enormous value. The hay crop alone is
worth $600,000,000, and this, of course, does not take into
account the cash value of the pasture on grazing-lands.
More than fourteen million animals are now feeding on
native grasses in our vast western ranges, and we can,
therefore, realize the vital necessity of securing, if possible,
new and better forage plants. The study of grasses
attempts to familiarize the people of the country through
bulletins and leaflets with the best means of preserving our
most nutritious native grasses, and the most promising
projects for introducing improved and useful forage plants
from foreign countries is a work which must prove of ines-
timable value, and this is now carried on by Professor Lam-
son-Scribner, chief of the Division of Agrostology. What is
accomplished for agriculture in the Weather Bureau, in the
Bureau of Animal Industry, in the divisions of Chemistry,
of Pomology, of Botany and of Forestry can easily be
understood. Besides all this, the office of Experiment Sta-
tions, where the bulletins and reports not only from our
own Stations, but from institutions for agricultural inquiry
in foreign countries, are sifted and compiled and published
in convenient form, is constantly furnishing material, so
that there will be no lack of matter to fill a book every
year which will be indispensable to practical farmers and
gardeners.
This first volume may lack the balance and complete-
ness which can be reasonably hoped for in its successors,
422
but such subjects as the relation of soil to various kinds of
crops, the use of mineral phosphates, the relation of water
to the growth of plants, the construction of good roads, the
food habits of certain birds, the advantages of testing seeds
for purity, and many more are treated in such a way that
every farmer whoreads them will feel himself better-equipped
for his daily duties. Altogether, this new departure in the
publications of the department takes a most hopeful direc-
tion and ought to make it stronger and more efficient.
A Season with the Native Orchids.—lI.
RETHUSA BULBOSA is another beautiful Orchid some-
A times found in the shaded bogs of the Pine-barrens,
where its flowering season begins in early June. It grows on
mossy or Fern-clad hummocks overshadowed by the Nemo-
panthes and the Black and the Speckled Alders, where it is
not easy to find. It is of low stature, being five or six inches
high, and bears a single, or, occasionally, two, large pur-
ple flowers on a scape. ‘The parts of the ringent perianth
are more nearly alike than those of most Orchids, the lip
being a little dilated and recurved toward the tip. At the
time of flowering, its solitary leaf is concealed in the sheath
of the scape, but it appears after the plant has flowered.
The flowers of Calopogon pulchellus are seen some years
by the roth of June, and they may still be found in early
August. They are a deep or almost purple pink, three or
four often expanding on the stem at once, overtopped by
the large inflated buds of later flowers. One of their pretty
features is the dilated lip, copiously bearded with pink or
purplish hairs, which are enlarged at the tip and stained
with yellow. The lip has a kind of hinge near its base, by
means of which it easily moves up and down, or falls for-
ward on the column when agitated by the wind or other-
wise disturbed. The flowers are bright and showy objects
in the damp meadows, lifted amid the grass on slender
stems a foot or two high, which rise from a long, linear leaf.
It is one of the few Orchids that find their way into the prai-
ries, where it is associated with Lythrum alatum, G‘nothera
fruticosa and Phlox glaberrima. Sometimes the flowers are
a very pale pink, or almost white. Pogonia ophioglossoides,
a plant of similar habits, but less common, flowers about
the same time in June. The two are often associated, the
Pogonia sometimes forming large beds, and the pale
pink or rose-colored flowers so numerous as to impart
a rosy tinge to the grassy spots in which they grow. It is
a smaller plant than the Calopogon and has a smaller
single flower, though occasionally there are one or
two more on the one-leaved stem. It is fragrant, and
has a bearded or crested lip. Pogonia pendula, quite like
it in habit, but very rare, is a smaller plant, being four to
eight inches high. The stem bears several leaves, and
usually has three or four flowers in the axils of the upper
ones. Those I have found here have the flowers white, or
faintly tinged with pink. It is later than the common
Pogonia and appears in August.
The Twayblade (Liparis) is represented by both species
of the region covered by Gray’s M/anual. They flower in
late June. L. liliifolia is the more slender and prettier of
the two, with more numerous flowers, ten to twenty in a
showy raceme. They havea rather large brown-purple
lip, but the remaining parts of the greenish or yellowish-
white perianth are so narrow as to be almost capillary.
The pedicel is long, and the narrow, reflexed parts of the
flower resemble the sprawling legs of an insect. It grows
in ravines, in moist clay woods, and in the damp sands,
usually in the shade, and is quite rare. L. Loesellii is more
abundant, being found throughout the sand region in moist
soilin grassy open places. It is astout little plant, from four
to twelve inches high, with rather small, yellowish-green
flowers, the parts of which are also narrow. The flower-
bearing bulb almost always has that of the preceding year
attached to it, surmounted by the withered scape or a
remnant of it.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 400.
The Coral-roots have purplish or yellowish stems and
flowers and a queer mass of hard, fleshy roots resembling
some kinds of coral. They readily break in pieces when
removed from the ground. The lack of green in the stem
and rudimentary scale-like leaves suggests parasitism, but
I have never been able to trace any connection between
their roots and those of other plants. Fibrous roots from
other sources run in among their roots, but are loose and
seem unattached, and no haustoria have been detected.
Their roots are commonly well down in the soil, but not so
far as to be below the leaf-mold, which abundantly covers
the ground where they grow, so that they may be sapro-
phytic if unable to elaborate inorganic food by themselves.
Corallorhiza innata is the earlier and more slender of the
two, flowering in May and June. It is only occasionally
met with on the moist sand ridges among the Pines. C.
multiflora is a stout plant, with a purplish, many-flowered
stem, and is more often seen in the dry upland woods and
wooded ravines. Its large, oblong pods depending from
the stem soon become the most prominent features of
the plant. It is in bloom from midsummer till Septem-
ber.
The genus Habenaria, or Rein-Orchis, is represented
here by ten species, all but one or two being common,
Those with green or greenish flowers are the earliest,
H. bracteata leading the way by the middle of May. H.
Hookeri is almost as early. It is found in the damp Pine
woods, and has two large orbicular or oval thick and glossy
leaves, which lie close to the ground. It reaches a foot in
height, and though the flowers are larger than most of
those of the green-flowered kinds, they are dull and unat-
tractive. It is a lonely plant, springing up from its bed of
Pine leaves, on which its own two shining leaves rest.
H. tridentata is a plant of the wet woods, with a low
stem carrying a single full-grown leaf and very small
flowers. H. virescens and H. hyperborea are taller plants,
with stout, leafy stems, and occur in peat-bogs as well as
in wet meadows and woods.
The most beautiful of the Habenarias belong to the group
of Fringed Orchids, which have the lip, and often some other
parts of the flower, variously fringed and dissected. They
occur most abundantly in July, but some are found the last
of June and in the early part of August, and all are denizens
of wet ground. H. ciliaris, the yellow Fringed Orchis, easily
takes the lead as the finest of the group, and is one of the
most beautiful ofall our native Orchids. Thelip of the showy
orange-yellow flowers is furnished with a long hair-like
fringe, and the petals are also cut into a similar but shorter
fringe. It delights in the wet sands, and multiplies quite
freely by tuberous roots, some of which attain the
length of three or four inches. The connection with
the parent plant finally withers away and dies, but the plant
being a perennial, little groups or colonies result, with
the connection with the parent plant more or less trace-
able, or sometimes quite fresh. H. psychodes, the Purple-
fringed Orchis, multiplies ina similar way. It is also very
handsome, having a long dense spike of numerous small-
ish pink-purple flowers, which are pleasantly fragrant. The
broad wedge-shaped lip is cleft into many short divisions.
The plant is sometimes found in the deep shade of swamps,
in the midst of Mosses and Ferns, but it is oftener seen in
the bogs and wet meadows bordering the swamps, or grow-
ing amid the grassin the more open thickets. H. lacera,
the Ragged-fringed Orchis, is much less common, and
occurs in moist thickets. The greenish flowers, with their
narrow lip deeply parted into a long capillary fringe, are
always objects ofinterestif not as attractive as those of their
more brightly colored congeners. H. leucophoea is another
of the greenish-tinged species, but is frequently found with
flowers varying toward white. The fan-shaped lip is
copiously divided, and the flowers are rather large and
very fragrant. It bears a long loose spike and forms
a pretty object in the wet meadows. It can be grouped
with the prairie Orchids, and is one of our most common
species. It was formerly abundant in the wet prairies, where
OCTOBER 23, 1895.]
cultivation has now largely destroyed it. It is the largest of
- the Habenarias, being sometimes four feet high, and blooms
from the last of June till August. H.blephariglottis, the White-
fringed Orchis, is a plant of the peat-swamps or open bor-
ders of wet woods, and is our rarest species. The white
flowers are very beautiful, being similar to those of H.
ciliaris, but with a lip less abundantly and more irregularly
fringed. It is a lower plant than most of the other fringed
Orchids, rarely more than a foot high.
Goodyera pubescens, one of the Rattlesnake Plantains,
is sparingly found in the Pine district. The dense spike of
greenish white, glandular pubescent flowers appears in
July and August. Its chief attraction is the tuft of thick
and spotted or white reticulated leaves at the base of the
flower-stalk. Their texture is rich, and their variegation
makes it one of our most beautiful-leaved plants. Closely
allied to this in floral structure are two species of Spiranthes,
or Ladies’ Tresses. S. gracilis comes into bloom about the
first of July, and lasts well along into September. Its floral
season is, therefore, longer than that of any of our Orchids.
It is a pretty little plant with its spike of small white flow-
ers winding spirally around the slender stem. It is a fre-
quent plant of the Pine woods as well as of ravines and
wooded slopes. S. cernua is a stouter and much more
abundant plant of wet grassy lands both of the Pine-bar-
rens and the prairies, blooming in September and October.
The white waxy flowers are very sweet-scented. It hasa
tendency to persist in the meadows after they have been
subjected to cultivation.
This plant closes with the frosts of autumn the Orchid
season, which began with Orchis spectabilis in late April.
At no time after the appearance of the Showy Orchis will
the woods and fields be without flowers of some of these
charming plants, most of which are handsome and all of
them curiously constructed. Their contrivances for cross-
fertilization and their insect visitors are not the least of
their entertaining features, and provide a constant source of
enjoyment and instruction for those interested in this phase
of plant and insect life. :
Cero. Ill. E. iff Fill.
Notes on some Arborescent Willows of North
America.— III.
SALIX ALBA X LuciDA (see fig. 57, page 424).—Leaves
lanceolate, narrowed at base, tapering to a cuspidate-
acuminate point, closely and sharply glandular serrate,
firm in texture, dark green, but not glossy above, glaucous
beneath, clothed at first with silky, ferruginous hairs,
which are more or less persistent beneath ; petioles glandu-
lar; stipules (present only on vigorous sterile shoots) lan-
ceolate, half the length of the petiole; aments leafy,
peduncled, gracefully cylindrical, usually flexuose ; scales
villous at base, naked above, erose dentate; stamens
three to five; capsule taper-pointed from an ovate base;
pedicel two to three times the length of the gland; style
short, but distinct; stigmas bifid.—Exsicc., Bebb, Herd.
Salicum, No. 41.
SaLIx ALBA(Subspec.) Pamgacutana, Andersson, Sal. Monog.,
48 (1864); De Candolle, Prod., xvi., part ii, 242 (non S.
Pameachiana, Barratt !)
Habit of growth vacillating between that of the two
parents ; sometimes a large, branching shrub, as in Salix
lucida, at others a small tree twenty-five to thirty feet in
height, with a distinct trunk, as in S. alba; year-old twigs
yellow or bronzed, stained with crimson in the sun, some-
times brownish. Near Amherst, Massachusetts, where,
during the summers of 1872-73-74, Professor H. G. Jesup
collected numerous forms of this hybrid; Westville, Con-
necticut, Mr. J. A. Allen, a form with staminate aments
more like S. lucida, but stamens only two to three ; Provi-
dence, Rhode Island, Mr. S. T. Olney. The same tree
from which specimens were taken for Mr. Carey, which
served as the type of Andersson’s S, alba Pameachiana.
Garden and Forest.
423
Ithaca, New York, Professor W. R. Dudley; Newark,
Wayne County, New York, Mr. E. L. Hankenson.*
Distinguished from Salix lucida by the narrower leaves ;
narrower and pointed stipules, more slender aments and
fewer stamens; from S, alba by the leaves darker green
above, often rusty pubescent beneath, and more sharply
serrate ; more tapering capsules, longer pedicel and style,
and especially by the dentate scale, which is a distinctive
derivation from 8. lucida.
SALIX NIGRA X ALBA (see fig. 58, page 425).—Briefly de-
scribed, this has the foliage of nigra and the aments of alba.
The leaves, however, beara still closer resemblance to some
forms of S. nigra x amygdaloides, being pale or glaucous
beneath, with a long, tapering, cuspidate point. The peti-
oles are shorter, more glandular and downy. The con-
spicuous and persistent stipules are acute or acuminate,
with a mucronate point. Fertile aments scarcely distin-
guishable from S. alba, the capsules greenish and sessile.
Staminate aments cylindrical, erect, densely flowered,
wanting altogether the loose arrangement of the flowers
on the rachis common to both parents ; stamens usually
three, less frequently four or five.
Found near Newark, Wayne County, New York, by Mr.
E. L. Hankenson, who has, for many years, assiduously
studied the Willows of his locality. Mr. Hankenson writes
of this hybrid as follows: “The two large trees which first
attracted my attention were forty feet or more in height, with
trunks one to two feet in diameter. These were cut down in
1882. The trees now standing, four in number, grow on
the bank of a brook in the same immedate locality, only a
few rods apart, and are about thirty feet high. Salix nigra
grows with them, and only a few rods above, where the
road crosses the brook, are several old trees of S. alba vitel-
lina. In general appearance this hybrid resembles S.
amygdaloides ; the leaves are much the same, but firmer in
texture, darker and more glossy above and more distinctly
and uniformly glaucous beneath. The large branches, too,
have the same smoothness and greenish hue.”
The possibility of this cross being demonstrated, it seems
remarkable that it has not been more frequently repeated,
for in the older settled portions of the country it is very
common to find the two parent species growing together
on the banks of streams. It would seem, however, that
the fertilization of Salix alba by S. nigra is not favored by
nature, and this view may find some correlative support in
the fact that in Europe, where S. triandra is the geographi-
cal equivalent of S. nigra, and a species which has entered
into some of the most remarkable crosses on record, no
hybrid between S. triandra and S. alba is mentioned by
Andersson.
Rockford, Ill. M. S. Bebb.
Plant Notes.
SASSAFRAS SASSAFRAS.—Few of the forest-trees of eastern
North America are more beautiful at this season than this
member of the Laurel family when its large variously
formed leaves have turned to delicate shades of yellow and
orange, sometimes tinged with red. The fruit, which, as
a rule, is sparingly produced, is abundant in some years,
and as it ripens in September and October it adds much to
the beauty of the tree at this season, being dark blue and
surrounded at the base with a bright scarlet calyx-tube and
raised on a thick scarlet stalk. The birds relish its aromatic
flavor, however, and they usually eat it as soon as it begins
to color. The beauty of the Sassafras is not confined to
autumn. Its shining green branches in the winter, its
drooping clusters of pale yellow flowers in early spring,
* Professor Porter finds near Easton, Pennsylvania, a singular form so different
from all that have entered into the above description that I have hesitated to include
it among the rest, and yet it can scarcely be other than a hybrid Salix alba X lucida.
The young leaves accompanying the full-grown, but not overripe, capsules are fully
one inch broad even when not more than three inches long, covered with silky white
hairs when just expanding, soon smooth. The fertile amentsare not distinguishable
from S.alba. The staminate are rather thinly flowered, but the individual flowers are
so conspicuous as to give the ament an appearance unlike either that of S. albaorS.
lucida. The scales are pale, 144mm. wide by 3mm. long, and even more distinctly
dentate than in genuine lucida; stamens mostly four.
424
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 400.
Fig. 57.—Salix alba & lucida.—See page 423.
1, A flowering branch of the staminate tree, natural size.
its healthy and fragrant leaves in summer, make it most at-
tractive at every season. Itis a tree of neat and individual
habit, with an average height in this latitude of about forty
feet, with stout, and often twisted, branches placed nearly
at right angles with the stem, so that the foliage lies in
strata and forms a rather flat head. In a full-grown tree
2, A staminate flower, enlarged.
5. Scales of the staminate and pistillate flowers, enlarged.
3. A fruiting branch, natural size. 4. A fruit, enlarged.
6. A sterile branch, natural size.
the red-brown and deeply furrowed bark gives the trunk a
most picturesque appearance. The Sassafras ranges from
the shores of Massachusetts Bay to Florida and west be-
yond the Mississippi, and reaches its maximum size in
southern Arkansas and the Indian Territory, where trees
are not uncommon with trunks six or seven feet through
OcTOBER 23, 1895.]
Garden and Forest.
425
Fig. 58.—Salix nigra X alba—Sece page 423.
1. A flowering branch of the staminate tree.
2. A staminate flower, enlarged.
tree, natural size.
s. A fruit, enlarged.
and eighty feet high. Large individual trees are often seen
much farther north, and on page 215 of vol. vii. we gave
the portrait of a tree on Long Island which has a diameter
of forty-three inches at two feet from the ground. Although
it is so common, like many other native trees, it is much
neglected by planters, notwithstanding its usefulness. Itis
6. Scale of a pistillate flower, enlarged.
3. Scale of a staminate flower, enlarged. 4. A flowering branch of the pistillate
7. A summer branchlet, natural size.
easily raised, too, for if the seeds are planted as soon as
they are ripe they will germinate next spring, and the
suckers, which are often produced in great abundance,
can be easily transplanted. To many persons the Sassafras is
interesting from its relationship to such trees as the Bay, the
Cinnamon and the Camphor, and perhaps its aromatic flavor
426
helped to give it the reputation for sovereign curative proper-
ties which made it so eagerly sought for by Europeans for
two centuries. Thoreau, who found poetry about him every-
where, wrote in his journal, “When I break a green twig
of Sassafras as I go through the woods in February I am
startled to find it as fragrant as itis in summer. It is an
importation of all the spices of an oriental summer into
our New England woods, and very foreign to the snow
and the brown Oak leaves.”
Evonymus aLatus.— There are about forty species
of Evonymus scattered throughout the northern hemi-
sphere, the greater number of them coming from the trop-
ical regions of China and Japan. Many of them are valued
in gardens for their handsome foliage and brilliant fruits.
Our native Wahoo, or Burning Bush, E. atropurpureus, is
an inhabitant of many old American gardens, but it is not
so bright in fruit as some garden forms of the well-known
Spindle-tree, E. Europeeus, which has been cultivated for
centuries. E. Japonicus is one of the most ornamental of
evergreen shrubs, and the variety known as E. radicans,
with climbing stems and persistent small leaves, is an
admirable substitute for Ivy where plants of the latter will
not succeed. The Japanese E. alatus, however, is much
superior in its autumnal foliage to either the American
or European plants, although its fruit is less brilliant. This
plant is abundant in the central mountains of Japan and in
the northern part of that country. It is perfectly hardy in
New England, and makes a handsome compact shrub. Its
claim to distinction, however, is the remarkable colors of
its foliage in autumn, which in individual specimens is a
clear rose-pink quite unlike that of any other woody plant.
Cosmos suLPHUREUS.—Among a number of seeds from
New Zealand, disseminated by a well-known Swiss plants-
man in 1894, were supposed to be those of this annual.
They were again offered this season by a prominent Eng-
lish seedsman and, perhaps, others. This proves to be a
case of mistaken identity, the seeds being those of a Bur
Marigold, Bidens ferulzefolia, a plant allied to the Cosmos,
and also from Mexico originally, but very distinct from
Cosmos sulphureus. Bidens feruleefolia is an annual with
numerous slender stems, narrow leaves and golden-yellow
flowers with narrow oval florets. It reproduces itself
readily from self-sown seeds, and forms spreading masses
a foot or oneand a half feet high. Itis rather pretty, but
would not be generally appreciated in gardens. Cosmos sul-
phureus of Cavafilles, or C. Artemisizefolia, is distinctly dif
ferent and a rare plant in cultivation, though described
many years since. It has not yet been offered by seeds-
men, though it is likely to be on the market for next
year. We have recently seen strong, well-grown plants
four to five feet high, much branched, the leaves with
wider pinne than the well-known C. bipinnatus. The
flowers are similar in form to this species and are of about
the same diameter—about three inches. The petals are
slightly incurved, and they vary in color from sulphur to
deep orange-yellow, and are of good substance. When it
is added that the plants commence to flower in a youhg
state in midsummer, or earlier, and continuously till fall, it
will be seen that we have in this Cosmos a real addition to
annuals of the first rank. .
HELENIUM GRANDICEPHALUM.—The flower-heads of this
fine autumn-blooming plant are nearly two inches across,
with a globular brownish disk, and wedge-shaped ray-
florets of a rich yellow color suffused with red. The ovate-
lanceolate leaves are three inches long and connate at the
base. The plant branches freely and grows to a height of
eighteen inches or two feet, according to circumstances. It
is very floriferous and reminds one of some of the smaller
single Gaillardias, bothin colorand habit. This is a prom-
ising new hardy perennial, possessing all the good qualities
of the more robust Composite, without the weediness
which detracts so much from the appearance of so many of
them at this season. It can be propagated by seeds, and
will, no doubt, become as popular as it is interesting and
beautiful.
Garden and Forest,
[NuMBER 400.
PyRETHRUM ULIGINosuM.—The great Ox-eye Daisy, which
has become quite common in American gardens, as it de-
serves to be, is one of the few late-blooming Composite
with white flowers, the majority of them being yellow or
purple. It is a beautiful and floriferous species, producing
numerous heads two inches or more across on slender
leafy stems. The disk is comparatively small, pale yellow ;
the ray-florets long and narrow, pure white. The lanceo-
late, coarsely serrate leaves dull green above and grayish
beneath. The habit is branching, and the plant is so well
covered with foliage that it is useful, even when not in
flower. It reaches a height of two or three feet and is
completely covered with flowers as late as September. In
order to develop the finest qualities of this plant it should
be grown ina rich and moist ground, along the borders of
lakes or streams, or in rich cultivated ground in smaller
gardens. During dry spells abundant watering is neces-
sary, as the lower leaves dry up quickly, and the flowers
are of short duration unless grown under proper conditions.
Atocasta (CyrTOSPERMA) JoHNsToNI.—This is one of the
boldest and most striking species of Alocasia, with leaf-
stalks five or six feet tall. The blade is arrow-shaped, about
two feet long, with the back lobes spreading and somewhat
longer than the front lobe. The veins are bright rosy-red,
very marked, and contrast beautifully with the olive-
green, mottled surface of the leaf. On the lower side the
ribs are very prominent, slightly spiny and mottled. The
leaf-stalk is slender, tapering, almost erect, mottled with
dark bands and somewhat spiny. This is a useful plant
for large conservatories, and it is also available for house-
culture, as it will thrive well in a shady position in a com-
paratively low temperature. It is one of the rarest plants
of its class and is, perhaps, not to be found except in one
or two places in this country. The soil should either be a
rich vegetable loam or peat, in which it seems to grow
equally well. When grown in a cool place, watering should
be moderate; in a high temperature daily watering and
spraying of the foliage becomes necessary.
Cultural Department.
Lilies.
gf foc past season has been more than usually favorable for
Lilies in this part of the country. Copious showers at
frequent intervals were the rule all the time they were
rowing, and the long, protracted dry period did not come
until the bulbs were mature and beyond injury. For the best
success Lilies must be planted in a cool moist soil that never
becomes hot or dry, and preference should be given fora spot
that is shaded by other growth, either that of deciduous shrubs
or broad-leaved evergreens, in which positions most of the
hardy kinds flourish for an indefinite period. It has been
emphasized before in the columns of GARDEN AND FOREST
that fall-planting is always best; there appears to be no excep-
tion to this rule, and the reason is plain. If a Lily-bulb be
examined at any time soon after flowering it will be seen to
have made a quantity of new roots from the base of the bulb,
strong, vigorous feeders, that will continue to grow all winter
in a favorable place, and when spring comes, and with it the
flower-shoot, there is plenty of root-action to give it impetus
until the thick matted whorls of roots are emitted from the
lower part of the stem itself; these are made to give strength
to the plant to produce flowers, and to build up the bulb again
after it has made its supreme effort the alternating set of roots
come again from the base. It has been part of my experience
to unpack large quantities of Lilies just as they arrive from
Japan, where the system of packing is a good one, each bulb
being placed in a piece of wet clay, which is rolled round the
bulb, then dried, and these are placed in the cases, and the
intervening space filled up with dry clay soil. If all is perfectly
dry, and iept so, root-action is entirely suspended; but if, as
sometimes happens, moisture is admitted from some cause or
other, the whole mass of soil will become matted with roots,
and on their arrival here it is quite difficult to separate the
bulbs. Japan Lilies arrive usually just a little too late for
planting in the open ground in this section, and, perhaps, in
most others, so that dealers keep them over and make them
a part oftheir spring trade; but it would be preferable always
OcToBER 23, 1895.] .
to get them as soon as they arrive, and pot them up, placing
the pots in a frost-proof cellar until they start in spring, when
they can be planted out when the ground is favorable.
Complaints have been frequent lately that Lilium auratum
does poorly even the first season after importation; this
seems to be due wholly to spring-planting, for if the shoots
appear it is often only to dwindle away or become ill-formed,
showing clearly that there is no adequate root-action to second
the efforts of the bulbs. If these were obtained on their arrival in
November and planted in good rich soil in six-inch pots, we
should hear much less of poor results the first year. After this,
L. auratum seldom makes a strong growth; at least, I have yet
to see a planting that has stood the test of years. Some plants
that have been reported as flourishing for a term of years have
proved to be the broad-leaved form, L. auratum platyphyllum,
that seems to have traces of L. speciosum in it, and has inher-
ited the vigor of that species. This plant is also known as
L. auratum macranthum from the size of its flowers, which
are sometimes over twelve inches in width. There is also an
unspotted variety of this called Virginale. It would be well
if Japanese cultivators gradually grew this variety to the exclu-
sion of the typical one, for with their system of culture it
ought not to take long to get up a large stock. The cost of the
variety is now two-thirds more than that of the typical bulb,
but once set out there is no need to renew them, for the plants
increase and grow better from year to year.
For the past ten weeks we have had a fine show of
Lilium speciosum for decorative purposes, and the plants
would have lasted two weeks longer but for the sharp frosts
of the past week. All the forms of this Lily are well adapted
for growing in pots, or if larger specimens are desired, wooden
tubs or boxes may be made for them and painted green.
Southern cypress is-here no more expensive than good pine,
and lasts very much longer, so that we are using it for all
indoor work now. The Speciosum group is admirably
adapted to this method of culture, and it affords alone
such variety that it makes others undesirable at the same
period. The kind we have always regarded as the best dark
form is known in trade-lists as Melpomene. This is a native
of Japan, and in no way connected with the kind raised by the
late C. M. Hovey, of Boston, which was a hybrid between
L. auratum and L. speciosum. It is possible that the same
name has been applied to two kinds, the former not now being
in cultivation. As we get it from Japan, this Lily is most
vigorous, the flowers are of darkest crimson, heavily spotted,
with pure white margin, the flower-stalks being red. There
is another variety called Roseum that has green stems, with
lighter-colored blooms, and is the next best-colored variety.
The variety sent annually from Holland is quite inferior to
those we get from Japan in these days,as the Dutch growers
seem to keep on multiplying the kind first sent them, and the
bulbs are never as large as those from Japan, noris the growth
as strong. Of white forms, the one sold sometimes as Album
preecox, or Kreetzeri, is the best of all, being pure white,
with dark brown anthers. Among them, however, at flowering-
time we notice at times plants of the variety known as Album
novum, with anthers of light golden-yellow color, which isa
constant character. These four are the best of the varieties of
L. speciosum, and there areabout a dozen altogether offered in
lists. Rich soil is essential for these Lilies when planted in pots
or boxes, andit is well toadd plenty of bone-meal to what would
be regarded as a soil good for Roses. The effect of the bone is
lasting, and when repotting directly after the flowers are over
each year it is not desirable to disturb the mass of roots, but
simply to shift them oninto larger pots, so that the full benefit of
the bone will be appropriated. Liquid stimulants are also given
about flowering-time, for the old theory that manure in any
form is injurious to Lilies has been exploded. They are, in
fact, great feeders, and need an abundance of good stimulants
to get them to their best year after year. In order to have
them fora long period we store them all in the cellar after
they have been potted, and they are brought out in batches as
they start in spring, so that we get about six weeks’ difference
between the flowering-time of the first and last lots.
A good early Lily, and one that might be had at Easter-time
in pots, is Lilium pomponium verum, the bright scarlet Turks’-
cap fragrant Lily. The name verum is of catalogue origin,
and is used to distinguish the red from the yellow form, L.
Pyrenaicum, which is inferior as a garden plant and is of short
duration in cultivation, while the scarlet form is in all respects
a good Lily; it is the first to bloom outdoors in early summer,
and will thrive in sandy soil. It resembles very much the
Siberian L. tenuifolium, but the flowers are from ten to twelve
onastem. Itisa native of the south of France, and usually
comes with the L. candidum early inautumn. There is a diffi-
Garden and Forest.
427
culty in obtaining this Lily in quantity now from dealers here—
at least, such has been our experience lately ; but it should
become better known than it is, asit is in every way a better
garden plant than the L. tenuifolium, so much lauded of recent
years.
£. O. Orpet.
South Lancaster, Mass.
Carnations and Chrysanthemums.
HE past season has been very favorable in this section to
Carnations planted out-of-doors. All the plants are now
housed and look well. With one exception, growers have had
little trouble with the dreaded rust. Some consider the immu-
nity due to extra care in selecting cuttings and in keeping the
stock healthy and growing until planted out in spring. Many
growers are careless in this respect, and some disseminators
have been guilty of sending out diseased stock. There is no
doubt that cleanliness is a great preventive of disease and
necessary to insure success. Mr. Tailby, of Wellesley, declares
he has not a speck of rust on his place, and thinks this is due
to dipping his cuttings in a dilution of the new fungicide,
Lysol.
The variety Mrs. Fisher, which has until now been consid-
ered the best white, must give place to Alaska. This variety
was raised by the late Mr. Chitty, of Paterson, New Jersey, who
exhibited specimens in superb condition at the last Carnation
meeting held in Boston during last spring. Its lasting quali-
ties at this exhibition were remarkable. Mr. Nicholson, of
Framingham, Massachusetts, a well-known expert, went to
Paterson to examine it growing, and found it even better
than at the Boston exhibition. It is of free growth and
sturdy habit in the field, and a profuse bloomer in the green-
house. Mr, Tailby has been a grower and raiser of Carnations
for thirty years, and his acquaintance with varieties, new and
old, is extensive. He says that in many respects Alaska re-
sembles Snowdon, an old variety of ten or a dozen years ago,
possessed of many fine qualities. Its main defect was a ten-
dency to produce a head, or bunch, of buds, to the detriment
of the leading bud. He attempted repeatedly, by crossing and
recrossing, to remedy this detect, but never succeeded fully.
All seedlings possessing to any degree the merits of Snowdon
had also its defects.
Mr. Zirngiebel, of Needham, Massachusetts, is undecided
between Alaska and Pride of Erlescourt for best white. The
latter, according to some growers, does not last well when cut,
Portia is a grand scarlet, and still a great favorite. It is espe-
cially free in flowering during the early part of the season.
Although a continuous bloomer, it does not compare with
Hector in size, which, however, is later. E. G. Hill is another
fine scarlet of neat low growth, and well suited for front
benches. As yet there is no ideal scarlet in the measure that
William Scott is the ideal pink. Daybreak is looking well
wherever seen. It is blooming freely, with fine long stems;
the flowers of the largest size, of charming peach-blossom
shade. Besides being one of the handsomest, it is also one of
the most profitable varieties grown, nearly every shoot bear-
ing a flower. Nicholson, for its large size and lovely form, is
one of the handsomest varieties grown. It is a carmine-pink
of pleasing shade with a peculiar lustre or sheen not possessed
by any other variety. Mr. Zirngiebel has a cross between
Nicholson and William Scott. It is fairly intermediate, having
the erect habit and form of flower characteristic of the seed
parent, while in size and color the flowers more nearly approach
those of the pollen parent. Eldorado is the long-looked-for
profitable yellow, but, like its predecessors, it is not a pure yel-
low. Itis, in fact, a finely fringed and fragrant Picotee, edged
carmine, on a yellow ground, anda most beautiful Picotee,
too. To produce such a magnificent winter bloomer in this
(Picotee) section is an achievement of which Mr. Shelmire, of
Avondale, Pennsylvania, may well be proud.
Report comes that blooms of the Chrysanthemum Yellow
Queen were offered for sale on September 27th, and of
Madame Bergmann and Madame Lacroix on the 28th. This
is unusually early. I once cut blooms of Madame Lacroix on
September 28th, but these were from early crown-buds, Even
though the blooms appeared open enough to cut, there was
an apparent tightness in the buds which gave the impression
that the flowers were not developed. Blooms from crown-
buds are never as satisfactory for any floral arrangement as
those from terminals. The larger bud characteristic of the
crown is never thoroughly hidden by the expanded flower, as
in the case.of terminals, nor is there certainty of a perfect
bloom as there is from a terminal bud ; some are sure to be
deformed.
From my own observations, the season is a few days late,
428
perhaps owing to the unseasonably warm weather of the mid-
dle of September. Certainly, the blooms do not mature
quickly until the nights begin to get cool; for, even when
Chrysanthemumsare housed, the conditions indoors must have
some relation to those existing outdoors, and so natural to the
plant. It has been proven that no amount of forcing will, in
fact, bring a plant earlier into bloom; and when fire-heat is
used it is rather to maintain a dry air as a preventive of mil-
dew and other fungoid diseases so disastrous to the foliage in
the later stages of the development of the plant.
Mrs. Henry Robinson is the first variety to bloom here. It
is a white-flowered Japanese incurved, regular and graceful in
outline. So far it is the best early white. The coming popu-
larity of the Japanese incurved, of neater and more graceful
outline, to the exclusion of the coarser varieties which had
only size to recommend them, may be considered as indicat-
ing an advance in taste. Mrs. E.G. Hill was cut on the 5th
of October last year, but will not be ready to cut this year until
the 15th, to be followed a day or two later by Nemesis and
M. J. Parker, Jr., both pink. Ivory will not be open until the
2zoth, with Crystallina at about the same date, after which the
season will be fairly opened.
The scorching or burning of many crimson and pink varie-
ties is a matter which has troubled growers for a number of
years. It is discouraging to see a large, well-formed bud with
half the bloom blighted on opening. It looks as if lenses
might have been formed by water on the under side of the
glass, through which the sun’s rays had passed with added
power. This is the idea many have; though I cannot explain
the trouble, I do not think this explanation correct. I know
shading will not altogether prevent it, although it may tosome
extent. I think the injury is done in the bud state, but does
not become noticeable until development proceeds. I have
noticed, in the morning, dew covering the very fine pubes-
cence on the outside of the unexpanded florets. I think less
scorching would result if this dew could be evaporated by air-
ing early, or some ventilation could be left on overnight, with
heat enough to keep the air dry, so that this dampness could
be cleared off before the sun gained power. I have followed
this plan consistently this season, and so far I have not seena
sign of the trouble. The trouble with William Seward, a fine
early crimson, began last year when in the bud state; the
buds are now—October 14th—well forward in opening and all
perfect. ;
The finishing touches have been given to our specimen
lants for exhibition,
D Wialeslay: Mass. T. D, Hatfield,
Notes on Apples.
pie Red Beitigheimer Apple, which was so favorably
noticed in GARDEN AND ForREstT for September 25th, page
390, has fruited here several years. While it has valuable
qualities for culinary and market purposes, its flesh is rather
coarse, and it would not be called a good dessert fruit except
by those who like a brisk subacid flavor. On account of its
symmetrical form, large size and handsome color no apple in
the station collection attracts more attention than this at fairs
and exhibitions. Under good cultivation it isa free grower
and a regular and abundant bearer.
and quite apt to drop before it is well colored. This fault is
more serious with the Red Beitigheimer than with Wealthy,
Alexander or Gravenstein, and probably will prevent its being
planted extensively in commercial orchards.
Among the comparatively new or little-known varieties of
considerable merit is the Sharp. The fruit resembles Maiden
Blush somewhat in shape and color, and is better for dessert
use than that variety. Its flesh is nearly white, fine-grained,
tender, moderately juicy, nearly sweet, of mild pleasant flavor
and very good quality ; season, October. The tree has fruited
here but three years, but it appears to be a good bearer.
One of the handsomest late August and early September
apples in the station collection is the Stump, which is excellent
for market or home use. It begins to ripen soon after Che-
nango Strawberry, which it resembles in shape. The tree is
upright and productive. The fruit, borne on short spurs close
to the limbs, is pale yellow, beautifully striped and shaded
with red. Flesh firm, crisp, tender, subacid, mild in flavor.
Switzer is a very handsome German apple that begins to
ripen about the first of August. The fruit, which is of me-
dium size, is nearly white, with a beautiful blush. It is very
good in flavor and good in quality either for dessert or for
culinary use. The tree is productive.
Williams’ Favorite is a dessert fruit that should be more
widely known. Its symmetrical form and deep red color make
Garden and Forest.
The fruit is very large,.
[NuMBER 400.
it an attractive apple in market. It is also desirable for home
use, as it is good in flavor and quality. The tree makes mod-
erate growth and is a good bearer.
Among the October apples desirable for culinary use may
be mentioned Cox’s Pomona. It is an old variety of English
origin. The fruit is large, highly colored with crimson ona
clear, very pale yellow ground, making it an attractive market
Ne he flesh is white, crisp, subacid. It cooks evenly and
ranks good i ;
Seeare en S.A, Beach,
Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y.
California Irises.—Like many other plants native to the Cali-
fornia coast, the Irises are not satisfactory under ordinary
cultivation. I, Macrosiphon, which grows so vigorously in
northern California and Oregon that the long slender leaves,
with the strong fibres which form their edges, are used for
making ropes, fish-lines, nets and coarse cloth, has been rarely
seen in such robust form elsewhere. The beautiful I. brac-
teata, too, which is figured in the first volume of GARDEN AND
FOREST, page 43, has also proved troublesome to cultivators.
In regard to these two plants Herr Max Leichtlin writes
that he has received them from their native quarters fresh
and looking healthy, but, after many trials, they have never
lived long. He has found, however, that they can be moved
when they are in full vegetation. They must be grown from
seed, and the seedlings must be allowed to remain where they
are until they have formed solid root-stocks. After this, and
when they are beginning to grow, they can be safely handled
and transplanted like other Irises. This spring Herr Leichtlin
had plants with twelve to thirty flowers open at the same
time In all shades of ochre and cream color. They certainly
are striking plants, and it is to be hoped that growers will test
this treatment in eastern North America,
Fas Ge
Elizabeth, N. J.
Aglaonema commutatum.—Unlike the rest of the family, this
species is quite showy when in flower, and as its numerous
spathes are freely produced it is well worth growing for the
sake of the flowers alone. The leaves, while quite orna-
mental, are less richly colored than those of Aglaonema
pictum or even A. nebulosa. They are eight or ten inches
long, green and glossy, with a few silvery spots scattered over
the surface. The spathe is two or three inches long, spoon-
like, of a creamy white and waxy in texture. The spadix is
cylindrical or slightly tapering to the base. The stem is thick
and fleshy, covered by the sheathing petioles of the leaves.
The plant is generally kept dwarf and compact, side shoots
being freely produced if the main shoot is topped. It is most
ornamental when only eight or ten inches high, but broad and
spreading.
Short Hills, N. J. DV a Fonte
Correspondence.
Garden Notes from Southern California.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Ipomeea versicolor, or, as it is commonly known in
gardens, Mina lobata, a charming climber from _ tropical
America, is still a comparative stranger to our people, but it is
admired by all who have grown or seenit. It makes a quick
and truly tropical growth, climbing to the top of whatever sup-
port is given to it and reaching still upward until it bends
under its own weight. The mass of dark green foliage is
refreshing in a thirsty land, but when the slender spikes of
buds appear, at first of a rich poppy-red, gradually changing
to a delicate canary-yellow, the plant is strikingly handsome.
When fully open the flowers are pure white, slightly tinged
with yellow at the base of the corollas, and a faint, almost per-
ceptible, ring of rose-purple around the edges. The spikes of
flowers are in pairs, like the tines of afork, erect, witha grace-
ful curve, and carrying thirty to forty buds and flowers; the
flowers at the base of a pure white, like the down of a bird’s
wing, and the brilliant buds at the tips heighten the fancied
resemblance to the wings of a parrot, whence comes the popu-
lar name of the plant among the Mexicans, who call it Ala de
Perico. In some of the villages in the warm portions of
Mexico I found that this vine was grown in every yard in the
greatest profusion. The exsert filaments are twice the length
of the corolla, and are of a straw-yellow, the anthers of an
Indian yellow. The plants wilt before the least touch of
frost, and mature seed with great uncertainty ; probably to
this fact, and the consequent high price of the seed, is due
its rarity in American gardens,
Lantana delicatissima is probably a Mexican shrub, although
OCTOBER 23, 1895.]
its native country is unknown, Theslender flexuous branches
make it a trailing plant when without support. The rather
scattering umbels of phlox-purple flowers usually contain one
or more flowers, with a canary-yellow centre bordered with
white, followed by a fruit slightly resembling a blackberry. It
seems to be easily propagated, and is said to have once been
a favorite in eastern conservatories, but it flourishes here at
all seasons out-of-doors.
‘Narcissus Corcyrensis, a dainty species sent to us from the
Holy Land, bloomed on Christmas Day. The flower was sin-
gle, pure white, with a tiny orange-colored cup, the whole less
than an inch across, and borne on a stem just three inches
high. Other plants of the same species bloomed late in Sep-
tember. This species is referred to N. Tazetta in the Jndex
Kewensis.
Orcutt, Calif. C. R. Orcutt.
Bulletins of the Experiment Stations.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—I should like to add a word to what you said last week
on the experiment stations concerning the mechanical make-
up of the bulletins. Some of those which I received are printed
on the flimsiest of paper with battered type, and the numerous
typographical errors show that they have had nothing like
careful revision or proof-reading. Others show attempts at
illustration which are half-tone reproductions of photographs
taken with cheap lenses, and carelessly printed at that. Now,
an illustration which is made to enforce some lesson ought to
be accurate, and certainly if it is used simply to make the bul-
letin attractive nothing but the very best work is worth using.
It seems to me that no clean, sharp, scientific work can be
expected in an office where the publications are of such a low
mechanical and artistic quality. 2
Bloomfield, N. J. iy, Les
[It is probable that in some states the stations ought not
to be held responsible for the mechanical quality of their
bulletins. It is sometimes the case that there is a state
officer who is authorized to do all the public printing, and
it may be that under such regulations the station authori-
ties have not the power to secure such paper, type and press
work as they desire. It is to be hoped, for example, that
neither the board of control nor the director of the Ohio
Experiment Station is responsible for the paper or the
printing or the illustrations in the thirteenth annual report
of that station, which is dated December, 1894, but which
has just come to hand.—Ep. |
How to Exterminate Cat Tails.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Will you kindly inform me under what depth of water
common Sedge Grass and Cat Tails will live? I have a swamp
of fresh water, and it is now nearly covered with these Grasses.
I canata small expense have them cut a foot below the surface,
and then I can raise the water until it is everywhere three or
four feet deep. Can I stop the growth of these plants in this
way and thus secure a clean surface of water?
Newark, N. J. Th:
[When Cranberry-bogs are prepared they are flooded in
this way, and if the pond is kept four feet deep continu-
ously through the season the bog-plants are practically
destroyed. Mr. William Tricker, however, writes that
while Sedge Grass cannot live under this depth of water,
he has seen Cat Tails survive in water three feet deep. His
advice is to draw off the water if possible, and in the spring,
as fast as the Cat Tails appear, to pull them up and keep at it
until they are exterminated. If this is impracticable, persis-
tent cutting of the tops will kill them, although it may be
a tedious job. Of course, when the tops are constantly cut
the roots cannot mature and will ultimately die. We should
be very glad to publish the experience of any one who has
had success in exterminating Cat Tails.—Ep. ]
Railway Station Gardens.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Referring to a note in No. 388 of GARDEN AND FOREST,
concerning the prizes offered for the best station gardens by
the Midland Railway in England, I would say that these sta-
tion gardens are among the brightest memories of a recent
Garden and Forest.
429
visit to England. The glimpses of flowers one gets as the
train shoots by asmall station, or the view, when the train stops
at a larger one, of carefully tended beds with thousands of
bright blossoms, were always refreshing. The better flower-
ing annuals were often employed in good-sized beds, and
Roses in their season were always abundant and left a most
pleasing impression. There is no need of our literally copying
the English style of planting, but it would be well if the direc-
tors of some of our roads would imitate this English example
in a general way and make the spaces about our railway sta-
tions, which are now bare and often unsightly, beautiful with
greensward, well-selected shrubs and plants.
Clifton, N. Y. VON 6 fa fa
Poisoning from Rhus.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—My experience coincides with that of the writer in
your issue for October 2d. I have twice been severely
poisoned by Rhus Toxicodendron. After the first poisoning
it was seven or eight years before the effects of the poison
ceased to appear year after year. I still have an annual recur-
rence of the trouble from the effects of my last poisoning,
although with a decreasing severity each year.
Philadelphia, Pa. 0. W. Spratt,
Recent Publications.
Synoptical Flora of North America. Vol. i., Parti., Fas-
cicle 1. By Asa Gray and Sereno Watson ; continued and
edited by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson. American Book
Company, 1895.
This work, a synoptical description of the plants of
North America north of Mexico, was planned by Asa
Gray. In 1878 he published part i. of the second volume,
comprising the gamopetalous orders after Composite, and
in 1884 part ii. of the first volume, including the Gamo-
petalee, from Caprifoliaceee through the Composite. During
the last years of his life he was engaged upon the earlier
polypetalous orders, and at the time of his death, in
January, 1888, he had finished several of the orders before
Leguminose. After Dr. Gray’s death the work was con-
tinued by Dr. Sereno Watson, who prepared the manuscript
of eleven genera of Cruciferee, including several of the
largest and most difficult groups of the order. In 1892
Dr. Watson died, and the continuation of the work was
entrusted to his successor in the curatorship.of the Gray
Herbarium, Dr. Benjamin Lincoln Robinson, who now
publishes Fascicle 1 of Part i., Vol. i, including the poly-
petalous orders from Ranunculacee to Frankeniacee in
208 pages.
The present instalment of this great work follows its pred-
ecessors in form, the orders elaborated by Dr. Gray being
printed from the manuscript as he left it, with little change,
additions, whether of extended range, new synonyms or
bibliographical references, being added in foot-notes. All
questions of nomenclature have been treated with the
greatest conservatism ; and those botanists who dislike
reforms in nomenclature will find new comfort in this work,
while those who are laboring for a stable nomenclature
will regret the differences of opinion among the working
botanists of the country, which it only too clearly makes
evident. But whether the names of the plants in this work
are selected according to a rule or to suit the fancy of indi-
vidual botanists is a matter of small importance in com-
parison with the completion of this work; and this
instalment will be received with the greatest satisfaction
by the botanists of all countries.
A comprehensive Flora of North America has long been
needed, and the absence of such a work has proved a
serious hindrance to the study of our botany. Apart from
its value, however, as a descriptive account, in convenient
form, of the plants of one of the great divisions of the
earth’s surface, the completed Synoptical Flora of North
America will be the best monument his successors can raise
to the memory of the great master of American botany,
whose life was spent in preparing for this work.
430
Notes.
Since the drought has been broken late-flowering varieties
of Tamarisk are putting out new flowers, which are of a
deeper and more attractive color than the earlier ones were.
Under a law passed by the last session of the Legislature of
Rhode Island the state is directed to construct a sample half-
mile of good road in any town which petitions for it and will
pay one-quarter of the cost. Fifteen towns have asked for
such object-lessons, and it is hoped that by this means the
movement for improving the quality of the public highways
of the state will receive a new impetus.
A woman in Brooklyn who visited the grave of a deceased
relative in Cypress Hills Cemetery, some months ago, alleges
that she was poisoned by Rhus Toxicodendron which had
been allowed to grow inher lot. She has sued the cemetery
association for $10,000 damages on account of the sufferings
which she has since endured. This gives rise to some very
interesting questions as to the responsibilities of corporations
who control cemeteries.
The sidewalk flower-stands are again gay with Chrysanthe-
mums, and the superb masses of color they make justify the
popularity of the flower, and make it safe to prophesy that it
will long retain its place against all rivals as the Queen of
Autumn. Marion Henderson in early October was the leading
yellow variety, its even size, stiff stems and healthy leaves
making it one of the most desirable of the early sorts;
Madame Bergmann was the earliest of the good white varie-
ties, while Merry Monarch was only a few days later; Marquis
de Montmort is a good pink, which was in market here on the
30th of September,
An interesting plant lately received at the Horticultural De-
partment of Cornell University is Eleusine coracana. Itbelongs
to the Grass family, but is unknown in a wild state. It is sup-
posed to have come from Eleusine Indica, the common Crab
Grass of dooryards, although it differs from this plant greatly
in size, being four feet high, and in the appearance of itsseeds,
which are smooth instead of being wrinkled. The plant is
known in China and India as Natchnee and Mandua, and
thousands of acres of it are grown in those countries and in
Japan, where it is a famous food-plant, the flour from the
farinaceous seed being made into bread. A form of it is also
in cultivation as an ornamental grass.
Bulletin No. 30 of the New Hampshire Experiment Station
givesa full account of the methods and cost of macadamizing a
section of a country road. Ilustrations show the methods of
construction at various periods, and there is an itemized ac-
count for grading, ditching and surfacing. The directions are
full and complete, and the little pamphlet ought to havea
genuine practical value in country districts where good road
engineers are scarce. In regard to repairs, the following
sound advice is given: Men should be employed in each sec-
tion of the town to make all necessary ordinary repairs and
surfacing, not once or twice a year, but as they are needed.
Nothing is so costly as to allow a good road to go to pieces for
lack of timely attention.
Three-fifths of the oil of peppermint consumed in the world
is produced, according to the Detroit Zyibuze, in eight coun-
ties of Michigan. The oil product of that state this year will
amount to 150,000 pounds, and between twelve thousand and
fifteen thousand acres are devoted to the cultivation of Pepper-
mint. Frost and drought have injured the older plantations
this year, although the plants set this spring have escaped
injury. The peppermint is cut when in blossom like hay, and
when dried is placed in wooden vats and steamed until the
cells burst and the oil passes upward with the steam, which is
condensed and conducted into a reservoir where the oil rises
and is skimmed off. It requires 350 pounds of dried pepper-
mint to produce one pound of oil, An acre of land will yield
from six to ten pounds, and in exceptional cases even as great
a quantity as fifty pounds. This year the price has ranged
from $1.60 to $1.70 a pound.
In speaking of shrubs which resist the drought and heat,
Mr. Joseph Meehan writes to the Country Gentleman that
Caryopteris mastacanthus carried its blue flowers in great pro-
fusion, while its foliage looked fresh and clean well into Octo-
ber, in spite of the fact that hardly any rain had fallen in
Philadelphia since the fourth of July. We have often com-
mended this piant for its neat habit and for its profusion of
bloom late in the season. It will survive the winters as far
north as Boston in a dry and sheltered position, but even
where it is necessary to lift the plant and place it in a pit to be
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 400,
kept over until spring, its distinct and striking character is suf-
ficient to warrant this trouble. Even as far south as Philadel-
phia the extremities of the branches die back every winter.
This does not injure the plant, however ; but, in fact, makes it
more compact, and as the flowers appear on the growths of
the current year the more new branches made the more
flowers there will be. The plant ought to become common
since it is easily propagated from cuttings.
A correspondent of The Independent writes that the Jersey
Kale, a plant largely used in the island of Jersey as food for
cows, has been introduced into California and has shown itself
a good forage-plant, as well as a good plant for poultry. It
grows very vigorously, and some ranchers in California have
stated that it will produce more food to the acre than any
other crop which they have tried. The plant in question is
really a tall-growing Collard, not essentially different from
the well-known Collard of the south, which is popular where
Cabbages do not head easily. It differs from the Scotch Kale
in having leaves almost smooth instead of curled. Perhaps it
has no special advantages over other members of the Cabbage
family, except that with care it will last several years and will
grow sometimes from eight to ten feet high if the leaves are
pulled off. Even Brussels Sprouts on good California land
will often grow four feet high, andit will sprout from the trunk
and will give a great mass of leaves if it 1s cut back several
times in the season,
Mr. F. W. Burbidge, writing to 7ie Garden, says that, asa
rule, there are two or three times too many flowers and plants
used in the best of the London parks and gardens. There are
too many flower-beds, and these are too near together, so that
there is no breadth or repose. One may admire the quantity
and variety of exotic plants and flowers employed, but he can-
not but be struck with the absence of the best taste in their
arrangement and disposal. Palms, Bamboos and Bananas are
dotted singly and at equal distances in all directions, so that
instead of seeing a series of stately effects or pictures, the re-
sult is constant repetition, and one is wearied by seeing the
same plants over and over again. The London parks possess
also a profusion of flower-beds, but, in nine cases out of ten,
half as many plants simply arranged would be more effective.
He adds that a good gardener is not always a good artist, and
this artistic feeling is what is especially wanted in public
gardens, and good and costly materials are more than half-
wasted every year because they are badly managed.
Among pears now in season are spicy Seckels from Roches-
ter, New York, at fifteen cents a quart. Showy Comice, the
best-flavored of the larger sorts now offered, the large green-
ish-yellow Easter Beurre, and the medium-sized russet Win-
ter Nelis, all range from seventy-five cents to $1.00 a dozen
for the best. Quinces are becoming scarce, and the best cost
in the retail stores $6.00 a barrel. Among the few peaches still
arriving are good specimens from western Maryland and
Pennsylvania, and some choice White Heaths, from the Hud-
son River district. These sell in the fancy-fruit stores at fifty
cents a dozen. Selected King apples bring $5.00 a barrel at
retail, and Albemarle Pippins $6.00. Apples generally are ad-
vancing in price, as the European crop is not as large as antici-
pated, and the high quality of the American crop has been
lowered by recent unfavorable weather. The best grades of
Alexander and Snow cost, in wholesale lots, $3.00 to $3.75 a
barrel, and Jonathan and Alexander $3.00 and upward. Small
Lady apples, not yet in their brightest colors, cost forty cents
a quart. The showiest objects now seen among the best col-
lections of fruits are the orange-red Japanese persimmons ;
they cost sixty cents a dozen. Jamaica oranges are being hur-
ried on the market at the beginning of the season for high
prices, many of them but half-grown, green and sour. As a
consequence, prices are lower and likely to fall below the pay-
ing point. There is a steady demand for Alligator pears, and
one of the fancy-fruit stores, on the arrival of a shipment of
this fruit, sends notice to two hundred regular customers.
The fruit at this time is coming from Nassau, and sells quickly
from twenty-five to thirty-five cents apiece, and the supply is
never as great as the demand. A remarkable sale of figs
occurred here last Wednesday, when $40,000 worth of this
fruit was sold at wholesale auction in one hour. Prices ranged
from 6% to 153 cents a pound, and on the succeeding day the
extremely high price of 197% cents a pound was reached.
Thirty-four car-loads of Calitornia fruits were sold here last
week, mostly Tokay grapes. The lastGerman prunes are now
shown and cost seventy-five cenis for a package containing
three dozen fruits. Extra large-sized chestnuts, from New
Jersey, have sold as high as $12.00 a bushel, and bring forty
cents a quart at retail.
OCTOBER 30, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Trisune Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted by ... « @ « e « e Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Epiror1AL ARTICLE :—Special Attractions in City Parks ...............-00 scenes 31
The Floating Gardens of Mexico. (With figure.)....... «Charles H. Coe. 432
ForEIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—The “Spot’’ Disease of Orchids. - W. Watson. 433
New or LittL£-KNowN PLants :—Kalmia cuneata. (With figure.)......0.S..S 434
EAN IGM CRUE Sten ete tees wlasclwiste acinar loam apts Mere Mcieia <2 die.n'e:c < as pro bese etae imate 434
CutturaL DEPARTMENT :—Some Good Chrysanthemums........ T. D. Hatfield. 436
The Meadow Saffrons.....20.s-.seseesccssenscccssescsscssceses N. F. Rose. 436
Wintering Aquatics .......-..c+eeeee voveee HW. Lricker. 436
Elzeagnus longipes, Citrus trifoliata. crseeseee ee FP. 437
Deonotis Leonurusss 0. secececse see ee T. D. Hatfield. 437
CorRESPONDENCE :—Small Conservatories.. 0S. A. A. 437
The Chautauqua Grape Belt...
. The Lily, Melpomene....
Color Bands on the Apple.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS....+..+.+
NOTES..... eer
ILLustRaTions :—Bouats on La Viga
Fig. 59 :
Kalmia cuneata, Fig. 60.....0. seosecee JOS CR OLE See foo ers eee 435
F. Vance. 438
-C. L. Allen. 438
‘arold Powell.
Special Attractions in City Parks.
VALUED correspondent writes to’ say that in his
opinion the view we take of the functions and uses
of city parks is too narrow to meet all the wants of the city
population. He agrees with us that broad pastoral scenery
is especially restful to people whose every-day life is
passed within rigid and rectangular city conditions, but
after all, people want something more attractive than the
beauty of natural scenery to allure them where they can
have the benefit of sunlight and fresh air, He thinks, for
example, that the menagerie in Central Park is the most
useful feature of the park, because the grounds are con-
stantly crowded with children, who would never see the
park but for this attraction. He adds that if there is any
considerable portion of the population who would be
drawn to the park by any floral spectacle, or by games or
amusements of any sort, he would introduce these features
at any cost. In fact, he would value any adjunct to a
park according to its effectiveness in drawing people out of
their houses and into the wholesome air.
It would require a long article to make a comprehensive
discussion of all these points, but, taking up the first sug-
gestion, it may be worth while-to say that if we consider
the health and comfort of the animals the present site of
the menagerie is bad, because it lacks a sunny exposure,
and while the cool sea breezes are shut off from it in sum-
mer by a ridge, it lies open to the coldest winds of win-
ter. Besides this, it has neither a running stream nor pond
which can be kept fresh, and. it has a hard, impermeable
subsoil instead of one that is open and easily drained. But
suppose the open north meadows offered an ideal site for a
zoGlogical collection in so far as the health of the animals
was concerned, the fundamental objection would still
remain that this smiling landscape would better serve the
purpose for which the park was originally set apart by the
city, than if it were occupied by an attractive collection of
animals. It is true that even now the menagerie grounds
are often crowded, but a Punch and Judy show, a minstrel
entertainment or many other exhibitions would draw still
greater crowds and cost less money. If it were the primary
purpose of a park to furnish the people with different forms
of amusement it would have been cheaper at the outset to
have taken many small spaces in different parts of the city
Garden and Forest.
431
instead of one large area in the centre of the island. Sixty
small amusement parks, each one covering two city blocks,
could have been distributed throughout the city, and they
would have covered no more land than was taken for
Central Park, and this plan would have required little clos-
ing of streets or interruptions of traffic.
For amusement purposes alone, then, it would certainly
have been unreasonable to condemn for park-space an area
comprising more than ten thousand building lots, to shut
up twenty miles of streets and to divide the east side of the
city from the west as completely as if a river flowed be-
tween them. The only justifying reason for taking so
much land in a body was to secure breadth of view and
spacious scenery. It is not a fancy, buta recognized truth,
that such scenery hasa genuine value in helping the dwell-
ers in cities to resist the wearing influences of town life
and to recover the mental energy thus wasted. Of course,
a rural park furnishes pure air and a space for exercise, but
the charm of scenery is its highest value, and it is more or
less useful according to the degree in which the rural spirit
of the place is preserved and developed. Now, it is possi-
ble to conceive of a park which contains open areas suffi-
ciently spacious to give broad landscape effects and yet
can supply room in the shelter of the wooded portions
around these spaces for a zodlogical collection which might
not in any way obtrude upon the scenery. But the open
meadow-space in Central Park is scant. and it was gained
at enormous cost by blasting out projecting ridges of rock
and covering them with soil. Trees were planted on the
borders of these openings to give them a refreshing park-
like effect, and yet the great defect of the park is its lack of
broad, tranquil views. Every rod of open meadow which
has been created should be scrupulously cherished. There
can be no question that any of the grassy stretches of Cen-
tral Park are much more useful now than they would be if
converted into fields for special amusements, and fhe park
will be better than it now is when the menagerie is moved
to some ampler space in one of the new parks north of the
Harlem River.
With regard to the general subject it may be said that
children’s playgrounds and playhouses, provisions for
music and skating and boating, as well as for tennis and
other games, have been provided in public parks, but
where most successful they have been introduced inci-
dentally, and not as essential features, and they have con-
stantly been held subordinate to the controlling motive of
the design. In the same way an aquarium or a zoélogical
garden or a botanical garden would be well placed adja-
cent to a park, provided it is steadily kept in mind that the
object of a museum and the object of a park are com-
pletely distinct, and that it is impossible to combine the
two so that they shall have unity of purpose.
So long as this rule is kept steadily in view it is not diffi-
cult to add features which may have special attractions.
It would not interfere with the scenery, for example, and,
indeed, it would heighten its detailed interest if as many
as possible of the wild flowers which grow in the region
about a park should be introduced in certain of its woods
or shrub borders or open spaces. This feature would be of
use to students of botany in city schools, and it might in-
spire the young with a desire for investigation in larger
fields. Again, it might add to the attractiveness of some
of the smaller meadows of a park if their bordering shrubs
were selected with special reference to their flowering sea-
son. That is, ane opening might present the leading
shrubs which flower in early May, and another those
which flower two or three weeks later, so that a series of
gardens would be coming to their best in succession.
Where there is a great park system, like those of Chicago
and Boston, large groups might be made of one shrub or tree
which while in flower would be sufficiently conspicuous
to attract visitors, and when out of flower they need not
interfere with the general landscape-effect. Of course,
such a scheme could not be used to any extent in so small
a place as our Central Park, although some secluded ravine
432
might be planted in this way, where it would not offend
against the general design. Early in June last year we
spoke of the magnificent display made in the Arnold
Arboretum by a hundred and twenty varieties of the com-
mon Lilac all in flower at once. The collection occupying
a wide bed stretched for nearly a thousand feet along one
of the principal drives, the color of the flowers being well
brought out by the green turf on the slope behind them.
In a park system connected by broad parkways we might
have a thousand Forsythias massed in one place and a thou-
sand Spiraeas in another, so as to make a more striking
effect at flowering-time than the same number of plants
would if scattered along individually. In a natural land-
scape one often sees ten thousand Red Buds or Flowering
Dogwoods, or Wild Crabs or Hawthorns scattered along
the edge of a forest, and, of course, the margins of woods
and parks can be treated in the same way. If we had
half a dozen meadows in a chain of parks, instead of bor-
dering them with a mixture of all these shrubs we could
plant each one mainly with a single kind which would
make a striking display at flowering-time. There is noth-
ing inharmonious in the landscape as seen from Roan
Mountain, with its foreground of a million Rhododendrons,
and it is the mass which gives impressiveness to the picture.
These are a few of the ways in which special attractions
could be provided, and many others might be suggested,
as, for example, the massing of trees or shrubs conspicuous
for the bright colors of their fruit or foliage in autumn, but
it must always be borne in mind that refreshment pure and
simple—refreshment for body and mind—is the primary
office of a public park, and although a pleasure-ground
may casually help students in botany or in other branches
of science, this advantage, as well as the striking displays
which can be provided for different seasons, should be
mere incidents that do not affect its fundamental purpose.
The Floating Gardens of Mexico.
HE famous chinampas, or floating gardens, are a
never-ending attraction of the City of Mexico, and
yet little is known to the general reader regarding these
curious places. Contrary to the general belief, the so-
called floating gardens of the present day do not float.
Many years since, however—in fact, before the conquest
of Mexico by the Spaniards—the name was appropriate,
for real floating gardens were then common on the lakes
in the Valley of Mexico, especially in the immediate
vicinity of the city. But when Humboldt visited Mexico
(then called New Spain) in 1803, and Abbé Francesco
Clavigero (a missionary among the Indians) a few years
later, these peculiar possessions of the Mexicans were rap-
idly diminishing in number; and in 1826 Captain G. F.
Lyon informs us that “the little gardens constructed on
bushes or wooden rafts no longer exist in the immediate
vicinity of Mexico (the city) ; but I learned that some may
yet be seen at Inchimilco.”*
Abbé Francesco Clavigero describes the true floating
gardens as follows: “They plait and twist Willows and
roots of many plants, or other_materials, together, which
are light, but capable of supporting the earth of the garden
firmly united. Upon this foundation they lay the light
bushes which float on the lake, and over all the mud and
dirt which they draw from the bottom of the same lake.” +
‘The common form was a quadrangle, and the average
size about fifteen by forty feet, although some of the largest
were a hundred feet in extent. Many of the latter con-
tained a small hut, in which the cultivator sometimes
lived ; one or more trees were also growing in the centre
of these largest plots. The earth used was extremely rich,
and this being kept ina moist state by its proximity to the
water (the elevation above it being not over a foot), the
gardens were productive of the choicest vegetables and
flowers, including also Maize.
* Fournal of a Residence and Tour in the Republic of Mexico in 1826, vol. ii.
t History of Mexico, 1807, vol. ii.
Garden and Forest.
(NUMBER 4oI.
The gardens of the present day are very different affairs.
They do not float, but, on the contrary, are composed of
strips of solid ground, usually about fifteen by thirty feet in
extent, although some are larger. These plots are inter-
sected by small canals, through which visitors are pro-
pelled in canoes. They are constructed by heaping up the
earth about two feet above the water. Willows, and some-
times Poplars or Silver Maples, also a species of Cane, are
often grown along their banks to keep them from washing
down. The nearest gardens to the City of Mexico are
along La Viga Canal, a public waterway about forty feet
in width and of varying depth. Its source is Lake Texcoco
(formerly known as Tezcuco), two and a half miles west of
the city, from whence it flows to a point near the town
and then returns by a circuitous route to the lake. The
gardens are located where the ground is naturally low or
swampy.
All produce the choicest vegetables, flowers, and not
infrequently fruits, in great abundance, embracing nearly
every variety grown in the United States, and others un-
known to us. Even in the ditches or little canals beautiful
Water-lilies often line the way, while many of the plots are
one mass of vari-colored flowers, the most common ones
being Roses, Pinks, Geraniums, Poppies and Fuchsias.
The great variety of shades and the enormous size of many
kinds astonish and delight the visitor from more northern
latitudes. The Poppies are more attractive than our finest
Peeonies ; on certain feast days every one wears a wreath
made exclusively from these showy flowers.
The quick and luxuriant growth of the products is mainly
due to the daily application of water, which is dipped up in
gourds attached to long swinging and pivoted poles, and
deftly thrown about. It is needless to say that the culti-
vator never depends upon rain. Some of the plots are.
occupied by their owners and their families, who live in
charming little houses constructed of cane, and surrounded
by all their possessions, often including cows, horses, pigs
and chickens, La Viga Canal is almost impassable on
Sundays especially, and the same may be said of the beau-
tiful driveways along its tree-lined banks; for Sunday in
the City of Mexico is the liveliest and, in many respects,
the busiest day of all the week. It is the great market day
as well as holiday, and a large number of the craft on La
Viga (see illustration on page 433) are loaded with produce
of every description from the gardens and elsewhere. The
visitor to the floating gardens seldom hides his disappoint-
ment on discovering that they are stationary, but he never
regrets having visited them; indeed, a day spent on the
canal and among the chinampas will long be remembered
as one of the pleasantest in Mexico.
Little is certainly known regarding the origin of these
famous places. Abbé Clavigero says that when the Mexi-
cans were driven from their native country, ages in the
past, they were forced to occupy small islands in Lake
Texcoco, where “they ceased for some years to cultivate the
land, because they had none, until necessity and industry
together taught them to form movable fields and gardens,
which floated on the waters of the lake. These
were the first fields which the Mexicans owned after the
foundation of Mexico.” The custom may have originated
as above stated, but the following view, founded ona care-
ful examination of some of the oldest works on Mexico, is
advanced as the more probable, especially since the Mexi-
cans still retained and cultivated the watery plots after their
independence was again established.
For long ages the Valley of Mexico was subjected to
devastating inundations. The valley is about sixty miles
in diameter, and is surrounded by a continuous wall of
hills and mountains. The waters collected on these flow
into six principal lakes. The plaza mayor, or great square,
in the City of Mexico is elevated a few inches only above
the nearest lake—Texcoco. In former times, a prolonged
rainy season caused the surplus waters in the other lakes—
which have an elevation of from three to thirteen feet
above the plaza mayor—to burst their banks and flow into
OcTOBER 30, 1895.]
Lake Texcoco, which in turn overflowed and flooded the
valley. In June, 1629, the date of the last great flood, the
city was covered with water to a depth of three feet, and
it remained in that state for five years.
The regular fields were, of course, ruined whenever a
freshet traversed the valley, and necessity finally compelled
Fig. 59.—Boats on La Viga Canal, loaded with vegetables and flowers.—See page 432.
the people to depend upon floating gardens for a supply of
produce at all seasons, and to prevent a famine. ‘These
were moored in places where the rise and fall of the lake
waters would not affect them. During the period when
floods were looked for at any time, these floating patches
were very common, but when the city and valley were par-
tially protected by a gigantic canal in 1789 (commenced
in 1607*), by which the main overflow was carried off in
safety, they gradually disappeared, until at the present
time nothing but the pretty name and stationary plots sur-
rounded by water remains to perpetuate an ancient custom.
Washington, D. C. Charles H. Coe.
Foreign Correspondence.
The “Spot” Disease of Orchids.
a the September number of the Annals of Botany (Clar-
endon Press, Oxford), there is a paper by Mr. G. Massee,
of Kew, on what is known by cultivators as Orchid spot.
The nature of this disease, the worst of all the enemies
against which the Orchid-grower has to contend, has been
a much-debated question among physiologists, fungolo-
gists and cultivators, some holding that it was fungoid and
infectious, others that it was caused by the punctures of
insects, and others that it was solely due to wrong treat-
ment, and was entirely under the control of the cultivator.
Mr. Massee’s investigations go to prove that the last hypoth-
esis was the right one. He set out with the preconceived
idea that the disease was fungoid, and at first his researches
pointed in that direction. This theory, however, breaking
down, a search was made for bacteria, but with a like
result. ‘Failing to induce the disease in healthy plants
by inoculation with the expressed juice from diseased spots,
even when introduced under the epidermis, thus proving
* The drainage canal, commenced by the Aztecs, lias been greatly improved and
only recently finished by the Mexican Valley Drainage and Canal Company, so
that all surplus water and the sewage of the city is now completely carried off.
Garden and Forest.
433
the absence of an enzyme or organic ferment, which would
have been due to the presence of fungi or bacteria, this was
accepted as evidence of the absence of these organisms.”
Experiments were then made with the view to finding if
the spot was caused by atmospheric conditions. A young,
healthy plant of Habenaria Susanne was taken from a
tropical house and placed in a tempera-
ture of forty-one to forty-five degrees,
Fahrenheit, for twelve hours, and mi-
nute particles of ice were placed at in-
tervals on the uninjured epidermis of
the upper surface of the leaves. Twenty-
four hours later the points on the surface
of the leaves originally covered by par-
ticles of ice were pale in color, and
within four days every phase of the
disease was to be seen. In fact, Mr.
Massee succeeded, within the time
stated, in producing a very clear and
bad case of spot in a plant which pre-
viously was perfectly healthy. This
result was abundantly corroborated in
the garden. A batch of plants of this
same species of Habenaria, which had
become drawn somewhat in a stove
during the excessively hot weather ex-
perienced in the early part of the sum-
mer, was removed into a cooler house.
Within a short time after their re-
moval a spell of cold weather was
experienced and the plants suffered a
check which resulted in their becoming
very badly affected by spot. In the
same house were some very healthy
plants of several species of Satyrium,
which, during the warm weather, grew
with exceptional vigor, but when the
spell of cold weather came they, too,
fell sick with spot.
Mr. Massee found that a drop of cold water was equally
conducive to the formation of spot. He also found, after
numerous experiments, that the disease did not put in an
appearance unless the fall of temperature to which the
plant was subjected exceeded nine degrees, Fahrenheit,
below the average temperature in which the plant had pre-
viously grown. Tropical plants are much more liable to
become “spotted” than those grown in a lower tempera-
ture, and this was proved by Mr. Massee’s experiments,
which again agrees with the experience of cultivators. The
only exception that occurs to me is the genus Masde-
vallia, the species of which are almost entirely grown cool,
but which are rarely free from spot. Still, experience goes
to prove that in their case excessive moisture, particularly
at the root, is most conducive to spot. The healthiest col-
lections are those where the plants are allowed far less
water than they are popularly supposed to require.
The following extract from Mr. Massee’s paper is impor-
tant as showing that spot generally attacks the younger
leaves at a time when they are in active growth: “Irregu-
larity in the appearance of the spot in different specimens
of the same species, even when conducted under precisely
similar conditions as to temperature, showed that some
other undetermined factor exercised an influence. After
repeated experiments this proved to be the relative amount
of moisture present in the plant. After a pseudo-bulb, with
its accompanying leaf, had been removed from a plant and
allowed to remain for three days in a dry place, it was
found impossible to produce spot by the method men-
tioned above, whereas with a similar specimen removed
from the same plant, and having the pseudo-bulb placed in
water at once, fully developed spot could be produced in
four days. Similar results were obtained when experi-
ments were made with entire plants; those copiously
supplied with water at the root and grown in a high tem-
perature spotting readily; whereas plants in a resting
434
condition, scantily supplied with water and kept in a low
temperature, usually resist all attempts to produce spot
artificially.”
Orchids generally fall a prey to spot in winter and early
spring. If the temperatures of the houses are higher than
they ought to be at these seasons spot is almost certain to
appear uponsuch plantsas Phaleenopsis, Vanda, Aérides, Den-
drobium, and almost.always upon the young leaves. Care-
lessness in stoking or ventilating or copious damping down
in damp cold weather are the chief causes of spot at these
times, as every experienced cultivator knows. What we
did not know, however, previous to these investigations
was whether the disease itself was infectious and grew
from a very small beginning in spite of all the cultivator
could do, and whether, as some held, when once spot
attacked a plant it was next to impossible to save it. Iam
not quite satisfied that the particular form of disease inves-
tigated by Mr. Massee is the only one that affects Orchids,
and which falls under the same designation. There is a
spot-like disease which attacks the stems more than the
leaves, and which may often be traced from the base
upward. There is also that “galloping consumption” into
which Cattleyas of the character of C. Dowiana and C.
Hardyana fall, changing within a week from apparently
quite healthy plants into black watery masses as though
they had been boiled. I suppose Mr. Massee will say that
the ordinary spot which attacks Orchids, like influenza
which attacks mankind, is not the only form of disease
which may spring froma chill. Cultivators generally will
be grateful to him for clearing away the doubt and mys-
tery in which Orchid spot had become wrapped. We
know where we are now, at any rate.
Mr. Massee summarizes his observations as follows:
The Orchid disease known as spot is of non-parasitic
origin, the initial cause being the presence of minute drops
of water on the surface of the leaves at a time when the
temperature is exceptionally low and the roots copiously
supplied with water.
The effect of the chill produced by the drops of water
under the above-mentioned conditions is to cause plasmo-
lysis of the cells of the leaf underlying the drops; this is
followed by the precipitation of tannin and other sub-
stances, and eventually the complete disintegration of the
cells.
Spot, in the broadest sense of the term, which would
include the effects of exceptional meteoric conditions on
the living parts of plants, more especially the leaves, when
growing in a state of nature, is, in the case of cultivated
Orchids, mainly, if not entirely, caused by the three fol-
lowing conditions: (1) too high a temperature; (2) too
much water, and not sufficient air in contact with the
roots; (3) watering or spraying with a falling, instead of
a rising, temperature.
The paper is illustrated by colored figures of the leaf of
Eria rosea and Bulbophyllum Careyanum, showing the
cells and their contents and the process of development of
the disease.
London. W. Watson.
New or Little-known Plants.
Kalmia cuneata.
HIS is -probably one of the rarest plants in eastern
America, and there is no record that any botanist has
seen it alive since Nuttall’s time until two years ago. It
was discovered in Carolina by the French botanist Michaux,
who left few plants undiscovered in the region which he
explored, and was described in his #/ora Boreah-Americana.
A flower and a leaf of Michaux’s specimen are preserved in
the Gray Herbarium. In the Herbarium of the Philadel-
phia Academy of Sciences are two specimens in fruit
labeled by Nuttall and collected in South Carolina. The
labels give neither date of collection, exact locality, nor the
name of the collector. Taken late in the autumn, these
specimens show, as Nuttall states in his Genera of North
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 401.
American Plants, that the leaves of this species are decidu-
ous, a fact which every other writer on the genus since
Nuttall has overlooked. Nothing more was seen of Kalmia
cuneata until the winter of 1893-94, when it was found by
Mr. W. W. Ashe, of the Geological Survey of North Caro-
lina, who detected it in a Pine-barren swamp between the
Cape Fear and Black rivers, Bladen County, North Carolina,
about ten miles north-east of Whitehall, a small village on
the Cape Fear River.
Kalmia cuneata (see illustration on page 435 of this
issue) is a shrub with slender straggling stems, from two
to three feet tall. When they first appear the branchlets are
bright red or green tinged with red, and are glandular-
pubescent; during their first winter they are dark red-
brown and slightly puberulous, growing glabrous and
darker-colored in their second year. The terminal buds
are linear-lanceolate, very acute, covered with loosely
imbricated dark red scales nearly a quarter of an inch long,
and are more than twice as long as the ovate-acute lateral
buds. The leaves are alternate, clustered at the ends of
the branches, entire, oblong-obovate, gradually narrowed
at the base, narrowed and acute orrarely rounded at the apex,
which is usually furnished with a minute mucro, sessile or
short-petiolate, and deciduous ; they are thin, dark green on
the upper surface, pale yellow-green and pilose, with short
white hairs on the lower surface, from three-quarters of an
inch to an inch and a half long and from a quarter toa
third of an inch wide, with stout yellow midribs and ob-:
scure primary veins arcuate within the slightly thickened
revolute margins, and reticulate veinlets. The flowers,
which appear in June, are borne on slender drooping pedi-
cels often nearly an inch in length and covered with scat-
tered glandular hairs, and are produced in few-flowered
umbels from buds. formed in the axils of the two or three
upper leaves of the previous year, and are thus crowded at
the base of the shoot of the season. The calyx is orange-
green and persistent under the fruit, with ovate-acute lobes.
The corolla is slightly folded, light green and puberulous
in the bud, and after expansion is from one-half to three-
quarters of an inch across, slightly lobed, creamy white, and
marked at the base of the limb with a broad light red band.
The capsules are slightly roughened, about an eighth of an
inch in diameter, and are borne on long slender drooping
stems. In the swamp on the Cape Fear River, Kalmia
cuneata grows in sterile sandy, and often submerged, soil,
associated with Cassandra calyculata, Andromeda speciosa,
Myrica cerifera, Ilex glabra, Ilex lucida, Cyrilla racemiflora
and Pinus serotina. During the summer of 1894 it was
introduced into Mr. George W. Vanderbilt's Arboretum at
Biltmore, North Carolina, where it flowered in June of the
present year. For the specimens which Mr. Faxon has
figured in our illustration we are indebted to Mr. C. D.
Beadle, of the Biltmore Arboretum. The flowering branch
is from a plant cultivated at Biltmore. GS-2S3
Plant Notes.
_ Quercus coccinga.—The Scarlet Oak always comes into
mind with the thought of the splendors of our autumn
forests. No other American tree flames into more brilliant
color or retains it longer than this Oak, which often is in full
glow after the leaves of its companions have fallen, and
not infrequently its scarlet tints are retained until the
ground is white with snow. The tree, however, is beau-
tiful at all seasons of the year. Atits best it is seventy or
eighty feet high, with a trunk two or three feet through,
comparatively small branches and a somewhat open head,
so that it has not the appearance of rugged strength which
characterizes some other Oaks. It has a certain grace of
outline, however, and its thin glossy leaves and dark smooth
bark are distinct and attractive. It is not so commonly
planted in pleasure-grounds as the Pin Oak or the Red
Oak, but it can be moved without difficulty ; it will grow
rapidly on thin light soil, and it makes an admirable,
street tree.
OcTOBER 30, 1895.] Garden and Forest. 435
Sprr#a THuNBERGU.—This useful shrub is well known in
gardens, and we speak of it now simply to call attention to
its singular beauty at this season. It is one of those foreign
Fig. 60.—Kalmia cuneata.—See page 434.
plants whose foliage colors even more brilliantly than that
of our native plants. Indeed, our own Spireeas have little
autumnal beauty, and do not approach in delicacy or rich-
ness of color some of the Asiatic species like the old-fash-
ioned S$. prunifolia, which is now a brilliant scarlet, or
S. Thunbergii, which has just begun to take on its delicate
rosy-pink hue, which later on may turn to orange. The
plant holds these colors, too, later than any other of the
genus, and before its leaves have all fallen in Novem-
ber its small white flowers often open. It is need-
less to add that the plant is covered with its delicate
little flowers early in April, that its fine light green
foliage is especially graceful, that its habit is good,
that it is easily propagated, so that, altogether, it
ranks as one of the most useful of shrubs,
KynipHoria aLowEes (Tritoma Uvarta).—There are
few plants more beautiful and effective than this; it
is unaffected by the dry weather, and flowers during
a time when there are comparatively few really at-
tractive flowers. The tall spikes rise to a height of
nearly three feet; the long, tubular scarlet flowers
with crimson segments are collected in a dense spike,
and make a striking picture. The long, narrow,
deep glossy green leaves in dense tufts are also
ornamental. The roots are fleshy, enabling the
plant to withstand drought, although it thrives best
in rich moist ground. Bold masses of its foliage and
flowers are very effective in large grounds on the
borders of shrubberies or isolated nearby on the
lawn. For the cottage garden, where only a few
herbaceous plants can be had, this one is, perhaps,
the best one for autumn flowering.
CoREOPSIS DELPHINIFOLIA. —Although one of the small-
est members of this beautiful genus, this species has
great value as a decorative plant. It grows to a
height of ten or twelve inches and measures often as
much across. It is very bushy, and produces in-
numerable small heads of pale yellow flowers in
“ August and September. The leaves are small, three-
parted or linear and smooth. The heads are produced
in leafy corymbs, and measure about an inch across.
It grows in dry barren soil, and is a typical plant of
some of. the poor sandy districts of the south. Like
all the Coreopses, it is easily increased by seeds.
This is a most useful plant for naturalizing in large
parks and grounds where rocky and gravelly soil
abounds. It will add life and color to the landscape
without obstructing the scenery in any way.
Beconta Evanstana.—-New hybrids and varieties of
Begonias are raised every year, but few of the later
introductions can surpass this old and beautiful spe-
cies. Introduced from Japan or China early in the
century, it is now comparatively rare in cultivation,
although it is one of the best and hardiest kinds. It
is a graceful, shrubby plant, growing to a height of
about two feet, with large obliquely cordate, acu-
minate leaves, slightly lobed and coarsely dentate ;
deep green on the upper surface, with reddish veins,
and red on the lower side. ‘The stem is slender,
with reddish swollen nodes. Male and female flowers
are produced in drooping, axillary cymes from the
same axis, on slender peduncles. The male flowers
measure fully an inch across, having well-developed
petals and a large cluster of yellow anthers. The
ovary of the female flower is large, oblique, three-
winged, with two petals well developed and the two
inner ones sometimes wanting or rudimentary. Stig-
mas large, spirally twisted, yellow. The flowers ap-
pear early in September and remain beautiful a long
time. The species is very floriferous, and the hand-
some, rosy flowers sometimes cover the plant en-
tirely. It is one of the very best of Begonias for
bedding. The bulbs endure the winter as far north
as Washington, and in vol. i. of this journal Profes-
sor Massey wrote of a bed of these plants in northern
Maryland which came up strong in the spring after enduring
a temperature of eighteen degrees below zero.
SPATHIPHYLLUM comMMuTAatuM.—This ornamental stove-
plant, nearly allied to the Anthuriums, is an elegant species,
growing to a height of about two feet and flowering quite
freely. The ovate-oblong leaves on erect, slender petioles
are deep green and membraneous in texture. The spathe
is flat, oblong-lanceolate, pure white and showy; the
spadix is cylindrical. Grown in company with Anthurium
Scherzerianum this is a very appropriate and useful plant,
the white flowers contrasting beautifully with those of the
scarlet Anthurium. This genus contains several other very
ornamental plants, such as the pure white Spathiphyllum
candidum, the large-flowered S. canneefolium and S, flori-
bundum, all dwarfer and more compact in habit than the
present one. Some of the species are very fragrant. All
thrive in asoil composed of equal parts leaf-mold and peat,
with an admixture of some dried cow-manure and _ broken
pieces of charcoal. They should be grown in a moist and
warm atmosphere and partially shaded.
Cultural Department.
Some Good Chrysanthemums.
HRYSANTHEMUMS at the Waban conservatories, Natick,
Massachusetts, were never better than now. Some of the
finest cut blooms ever exhibited in Horticultural Hall, Boston,
came from this place last season. All the best standard varie-
ties are grown, and all reputable new ones are tested. Itisa
good place to compare notes.
The variety H. L. Sunderbruck still holds first place here
among early yellow.sorts. In richness of coloring no other
variety, except Golden Wedding, approaches it, and when in
mass it fairly dazzles the eye. It is a charming flower of regu-
larly incurved form when at its best; and when, later, a few
florets undress, it is to many people still more attractive. One
seldom sees E. Molyneux in its best form. Its grand, irregu-
larly incurved, crimson and gold blooms are considered indis-
pensable on the exhibition boards in the old country, and no
dozen could expect to win without it. It is the one variety
above all others which shows the cultural skill and patience
of British growers. Cuttings are taken some time in Decem-
ber. The first break occurs in May, and the second from the
middle to late August, from which a crown-bud should arise
to give a perfect bloom. These are all considerations of
importance. A crown-bud started too early will give a mal-
formed bloom of poor color; if started too late an unfinished
bloom will follow. Cuttings struck in March in this country
will, with generous treatment, reach the first-break stage in
May, and from this time forward the methods of culture are
essentially the same as pursued with ordinary varieties, taking
the August crown.
All lovers of Chrysanthemums are enchanted with the
variety Mrs. Henry Robinson. It was raised by Pitcher &
Manda some years ago, who apparently did not realize its
value. An English grower and introducer, Mr. H. J. Jones, of
Lewisham, London, discovered its worth and reintroduced it
to the United States last season. It is, without doubt, in habit,
size and form of flower and in purity of color, the finest early
white variety ever raised. It is a loosely, yet perfectly and
gracefully incurved bloom of the largest size. Sunrise, as an
early crimson and gold variety, is destined to hold an impor-
tant place. It is, so far, the first early variety of its color which
every one can grow, being good cn all buds. It is evidently
derived from E, Molyneux, and, though a grand flower, it lacks
the finish characteristic of its prototype. Mrs. M. J. Parker, Jr.,
is correctly named the pink Ivory, being the perfect counter-
part of that flower in all but color. Nemesis is another early
pink variety of dwarf habit. The flower is of better build,
being neatly incurved, but less firm in texture, and on that
account may not carry as well or last as long when cut. J. H.
Troy, as an early white, is likely to be a leading sort; so also
Philadelphia; but with Mrs. Henry Robinson fresh in my
ind’ it i them justice.
mind's eye it is hard to do j (= T. D. Hatfield.
Wellesley, Mass.
The Meadow Saffrons.
| Bake in autumn, when everything else is going to rest, the
Colchicums, or Meadow Saffrons, begin toopen their buds
in woods and gardens. One species, growing wild in sheltered
woodland meadows in middle Europe, is as remarkable for
the quaint beauty of its flowers as for the tardiness of their
appearance. It is commonly cultivated in the cottage gardens
all over the Continent and in England, and forms a pleasing
feature of the late autumn scenery when growing in masses
in sheltered positions among the fallen leaves,
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 401.
The best and most natural position is a rather low and shal-
low lawn that will remain sufficiently moist during the summer,
for, although flowering so late, the plants are doing their best
in the way of growing from the earliest spring. All Colchi-
cums should be planted rather deep, four inches, or even
more, in dry locations. A sandy loam, enriched by plenty of
well-decayed horse-manure, is preferable to any othersoil. It
is best to plant them in irregular masses in the lawn, where
they may push up among the grass. For this purpose thesod
of the selected place should ‘be carefully removed, the soil, if
unsuitable, dug out to a depth of a foot or more and replaced
with fresh suitable soil, which should be trodden down firmly so
as to leave the lawn in a proper condition after finishing the
work. The large, egg-shaped bulbs should then be planted
deep and firmly, the mass thickest in the more central parts
and gradually thinner toward the edges, so as to make a natu-
ral appearance when in flower. After planting, the lawn can
again be leveled and sodded.
It is not necessary to make regular beds; the plants will do
well in the grass, but borders and open spaces in shrubberies
may also be utilized, although they will there generally be hid-
den from view or covered with leaves.
Some of the species, Colchicum Parkinsonii, for example,
are curiously colored, the white petals being marked with
regular purple spots like squares on a chess-board. C. au-
tumnale, the common species, throws up large masses of
light purple flowers, four inches high above the ground.
C. speciosum is the largest, producing immense flowers of a
purplish-crimson color. There are also double-flowered
forms, but these are not as desirable as the single ones. The
autumn-flowering Colchicums are entirely leafless when flow-
ering in October or November, the last vestige of the summer
foliage having dried up long before.
Newark, N. J. - 7 es NV. ve Rose.
Wintering Aquatics.
Ah CORT are increasingly popular, and no garden is con-
sidered complete without some representatives, if only
one or two tubs compose the water-garden. These small
efforts are often the beginning of much pleasurable experience
and permanent love for these plants. The advice has often
been given to store the tubs in a cellar, but hardy varieties and
tender varieties need different treatment. Hardy varieties willdo
well in acold cellar if it can be keptat about thirty-five degrees,
Fahrenheit, and not above forty degrees ; but the trouble is to
find such cellars, for in most cases they get warmer as spring
approaches, and the plants start into growth before it is safe
to put them out-of-doors. Such growth will not stand exposure
to the light and air, and the plant is weakened and may not start
again for some time, and then only feebly, with disappointing
results, The greatest care is necessary to keep the plants
dormant until it is safe to put the tubs outside in the spring.
One of the safest methods of wintering hardy Nymphzas, and
Nelumbiums especially, if the tubs are plunged in the ground,
is to leave them there, place a large box or trame over each
tub, fill it with leaves, fern or salt hay, cover this with a shut-
ter or boards and secure the same against storms and high
winds. Before covering the tub it should be filled with water
and a piece or two of board placed over it to keep the leaves
out. If two or more tubs are in use they should be set to-
gether, thus making one covering and protection suffice. If
the tubs have to be moved to some spot for protection, a
warm, sheltered one should be selected in front of a green-
house or other building, with a few boards. Snug winter
quarters may easily be contrived, and if a hot-bed sash can
be utilized it will afford much protection against frosts in
spring, besides lengthening the season three to four weeks.
A good tank for growing aquatics is one made of brick and
Portland cement, or concrete, finished with Portland cement,
of a size that can be conveniently covered with a hot-bed
frame and sash in winter. With a lining of leaves or stable-
manure, salt hay or the like, this will prove satisfactory. It will
be necessary to examine the tank during mild spells, especially
as spring approaches. The amount of covering will depend
on the severity of the weather. Such tanks, with frames and
sashes for winter protection, and with some heat, will save the
plants from injury by the first cold snap and keep them in
flowering condition for a considerable time. In the spring,
growth will commence some weeks before any start is made
in exposed tanks,
If the tanks can be fitted up with a hot-water pipe the plants
of the tropical varieties can be had in flower throughout the
winter; but such tanks are not suitable for all purposes and
places. If the tank or artificial pond is of irregular shape some
protection will be necessary to prevent the masonry from
°
OcTOBER 30, 1895.]
cracking. This attention is even more important than that
required by the plants, as in most cases the water is suffi-
ciently deep to prevent the plants from freezing. This is the
best way to winter the hardy varieties, provided the masonry
is not above the ground-level; in that event it is safer to
remove the plants and empty the tank or basin and place a
few poles or pieces of lumber across the tank to bear the
weight of the protecting material and keep it out of the water.
On this, old lumber should be laid near to the edge and pro-
jecting about two feet beyond the tank. Above this cover leaves
should be heaped and the ground also covered about two feet
from the tank with a thickness of twelve to eighteen inches.
On these leaves there should be a covering of salt hay or fresh
stable-manure to keep them in place, and branches should be
laid over the whole to hold the covering against winds. This
protection can be regulated according to the severity of the
winters in different sections of the country.
Tender Nymphzas may be wintered in a warm cellar, but
to avoid the inconvenience of moving the tubs when full of
soil the plants may be taken out of the tubs, cutting off a
quantity of the largest leaves and roots, and putting the same
in pots just large enough to conveniently hold the plant.
Several plants can be put into one tub in this way, and will
finish their growth and ripen the tubers, which may then be
placed in pots of sand and stored away until wanted in spring.
Give the plants all the light possible until they diedown. The
tubers should not be allowed to dry, although they should not
be put into water until it is intended tostart them. Ifa green-
house is available, the tubs can be stored away under the
benches, and the plants can be brought forward much better
and earlier in the spring. ; ;
Riverton, N. J. - W. Tricker.
Elzagnus longipes.—Although this shrub has attracted not
a little attention in recent years (see GARDEN AND FOREST,
vol. i., fig. 78), it has not come into such general use
as. its merits would warrant. It is, however, planted more
and more every year. The shape of the shrub, together with its
curious leaves, gives ita distinct value for ornamental planting.
It is of a low-growing, rather spreading habit, with dark red-
dish-brown twigs, which are thickly coated with small scales.
The leaves are very attractive, being of a heavy texture with
a dark green upper surface, while the under surface is of a
glistening silvery shade, sparingly dotted with small scales
similar to those that occur on the branches. It bears anabun-
dance of bloom in May, but the flowers are small and unat-
tractive. The berries are as large as the smaller cherries, but
are more oblong in shape. The skin is of a dull brownish-red
color, covered thickly with the small scales similar to those
that are found on the branches and leaves. The pulp is sweet
and pleasant, but the skin is somewhat astringent. Each fruit
contains a single conical-ribbed seed. The berries ripen in
July and are produced in great abundance, but they would add
more to the attractiveness of the shrub if they were less dull in
color and were not partially hidden by the leaves. Some
writers have advocated the extensive planting of the Eleaynus
for the sake of its fruit, but its value for this purpose remains
to be demonstrated. With proper attention to cultivation and
selection there would seem to be no reason why a strain of it
could not be secured which would be useful for its fruit. It
already possesses two desirable qualities, namely, productive-
ness and hardiness. Plants received at the Experiment Sta-
tion in 1892 have made good growth and are now in excellent
condition, though they have received no protection in winter.
The plant is propagated either from seed or by cuttings.
Citrus trifoliata.—While this member of the Orange family
has not come up to the expectations of some growers as a
hedge plant for the north and west, yet it is of interest to note
that a plant received at this station in 1892 is still alive, though
it has had no protection. It makes a sturdy growth each sea-
son of about three feet, which is as regularly killed back to
the snow-line in winter.
Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. fia Veh
Leonotis Leonurus.—Last autumn a spray of a plant with
labiate, orange-red blossoms was brought to me for identifica-
tion. I set itdown asa near relative of the common garden
Salvia. I have since found it to be Leonotis Leonurus; the
Lion’s Tail plant, a native of the Cape of Good Hope. It is
nota new plant, having been introduced to European gar-
dens in the early part of this century, and a few years ago was
offered by Peter Henderson & Co., of New York. It was quite
largely disseminated at the time, but is now scarce in northern
gardens. As it will endure a few degrees of frost and isa
vigorous plant it may be camman in southern gardens, where
Garden and Forest.
437
a friend tells me he has seen it under the name of the Devil’s
Paint Brush. Gardeners who have grown it tell me they never
succeeded in getting it to bloom. Whether it be the season
or the haphazard treatment accorded, it certainly has done
well with me, and is now blooming quite freely in a dug-out
garden frame. It has a distinct Sage-like appearance, and
casually might be taken fora Salvia. The flowers, however,
are not borne in terminal clusters, but in whorls, as they occur
in the genus Phlomis, to which it was at one time referred.
Cuttings were struck early in December, and the plants grown
to a goodly size, though starved, in four-inch pots. Whenthe
month of May came they were planted out in the regular
order, and made bushy plants three teet high and as much in
diameter. Some were topped and others untouched. These
latter have bloomed best, showing, as my friend suggested,
that a good foundation of solid growth is needed in order to
have the plant flower well. In lifting such plants it is difficult
to get any considerable ball of earth, and it is well to have pots
at hand to drop the plants into. After a few days in the shade
of a Pear-tree our plants soon established themselves, with the
loss of very few leaves. 7
T. D. Hatfield.
Wellesley, Mass.
Correspondence.
Small Conservatories.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—I have lately inclosed one of my piazzas, facing south,
with glass, and propose to use it as a winter garden or con-
servatory for a miscellaneous collection of flowering and dec-
orative plants, most of which have been transferred from the
borders and are now in pots. I suppose that the surplus heat
from the dwelling, with the help of an oil-stove, will keep out
any frost.likely to occur in this latitude, so that with the sunny
exposure I shall have no trouble from lack of warmth. But I
have often noticed that plants in such places wear anything
but a happy look, and I should like some hints on managing
a winter garden of this sort. :
Lebanon, Pa. Do Ava:
[Our correspondent opens up a subject which will be of
interest to many, as such inclosures are often the most
available as well as the cheapest arrangements for winter-
ing plants where they may be enjoyed. Often they are
not enjoyed for the reason that their wants are not under-
stood and they failto grow. ‘The cultivation of the large
majority of plants out-of-doors is a comparatively simple
matter. Nature supplies most of their wants so long as
they are not under artificial conditions. But when they
are under shelter then their wants must all be anticipated
andmet. It is too often forgotten that the leaves are the
principal assimilating organs of plants, and as the carbon
which they absorb occurs in air in very minute proportion
they require a great abundance of that element. Water is
next needed to dissolve the food they take and fill their
tissues. Without warmth and light no plant activity is
possible. Hence, we have the simple problem to provide
an abundance of pure, properly warmed air with liberal
but not too great a supply of water. The first requisite in
an inclosed garden is sufficient energy in the way of heat
to keep the water moving and the fresh air warmed up.
Too many, like our correspondent, trust to makeshift
arrangements, which, while they may suffice to prevent
freezing, yet fail to supply sufficient heat energy. In cold
weather it is, therefore, necessary to close all ventilators,
so that the air is devitalized and the soil in the pots be-
comes. cold and perhaps sodden with stagnant water,
under which condition the best-intentioned plants cannot
grow, for there are many cloudy days and one cannot rely
on sunlight. A small heater, which may be placed in the
cellar, with two or more pipes in the conservatory for hot-
water circulation, is the best method of heating such struc-
tures. These heaters are now cheap, and burning slowly
at ordinary temperatures they consume comparatively little
fuel. In fact, they are more economical than oil-stoves, to
say nothing of their freedom from danger and offensive
and destructive vapors. Ample ventilation should always
be provided in plant-houses, and while plants do not like
draughts, they do not mind fair amounts of fairly cold
fresh air if they have not been unduly forced and made
438
soft in tissue. It is usually better to waste heat through an
open ventilator than to keep a house close and lifeless and
breed thrips. The proper temperature of a greenhouse will
depend on its contents and on the season. With the usual
amateur collections it is best to keep the temperature rather
low till the end of the year, thus allowing the plants to
slightly rest, and gradually increase the heat as the days
lengthen. It requires much discrimination to properly
water plants in pots. No plants should ever be allowed to
be so dry that their feeding roots are destroyed; on the
other hand, a sodden compact soil will prove fatal. It is
only by experience in a houseful of plants that one can
discover which require frequent and which more rare
attention. In winter the morning is the time to water and
syringe the foliage. If it is necessary to water late in the
day the foliage should not be wet or the house made too
damp, otherwise, with declining temperature, water on the
foliage will develop fungus or spot on many leaves, which
is as fatal to the leaf-cells as it is to the beauty of the
foliage. — Ep. }
The Chautauqua Grape Belt.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST :
Sir,—The largest strip of territory devoted to the cultivation
of table grapes east of California and the Rocky Mountains
stretches from the hills surrounding Chautauqua Lake, in New
York state, to the blue waters of Lake Erie, and then along the
shores of Lake Erie for a distance of about one hundred
miles,
The Chautauqua Grape belt, as it is called, comprises the
vineyards of Chautauqua County, New York, and of Erie
County, Pennsylvania. There are in this belt about 20,000
acres of vines. The rapid growth of viticultural interests in
this section of the country will come in the nature of a sur-
prise to most people. The industry dates back some twenty-
five years, but the greatest progress has been made within the
last fifteen years. ‘lhe statistics of 1890 show that there were
9.180 acres of bearing vines and 1,620 acres of non-bearing
vines, making a total of 10,800 acres of vineyard in the Chau-
tauqua belt. Since then—that is, in only five years—the acre-
age of vineyards has increased one hundred per cent. There
is some question whether the census of 1890 was complete,
for, according to figures furnished by Mr. George C. Snow, of
Penn Yan, who was Superintendent of Viticulture at the
World’s Fair, a thorough canvass of the Chautauqua district
in March, 1893, showed that there were 17,624 acres of bearing
vines and 7,500 acres of non-bearing vines, making a total of
25,124 acres of vineyard. It may be here stated that the vine-
yard acreage of the Chautaugua belt has been ata standstill,
or decreased, during the past two years, owing to the low
prices for grapes and the general unsatisfactory condition of
the market.
In the early years of the Chautauqua industry the growers
made large profits. Then the grape crop brought from three
to four cents a pound, or from $60.00 to $80.00 per ton. Many
vineyards yielded three tons to the acre, and some as muchas
four tons. Even at $60.00 a ton, the Chautauqua grape-grow-
ers cleared about one hundred dollars net per acre. A well-
known grower at Brockton, who had fifteen acres of vineyard,
in one season made over $1,500 from his crop.
These and other inducements led many people to begin the
grape business, and just about ten years ago there was a boom
in the Chautauqua belt. The price of good grape land sud-
denly advanced from $50.00 an acre to $150.00, and some of it
could not be bought tor less than $20000an acre. Farmers
who did not make a specialty of grapes had small vineyards of
five, ten or fifteen acres. Those who made grapes their chief
crop often had from forty to fifty acres of vines. There are
several vineyards in the Chautauqua helt of from fifty to one
hundred acres. One of the most extensive is that of Garret
Ryckman, at Brockton, New York, consisting of over one hun-
dred acres. The vineyards of R. J. Quale and of the Hanover
Grape Company, at Silver Creek, are each about one hundred
and ten acres in extent.
For some years every one believed thoroughly in grapes.
There had been no seasons of failure of the crop, and prices
were high. Meanwhile, new vineyards were coming into
bearing at the rate of about one thousand acres a year. Else-
where the acreage of grape land had also increased in the state,
especially in the Hudson River and the Lake Keuka districts.
The result was that the markets of New York, Boston and
Garden and Forest.
(NuMBER 401.
Philadelphia were flooded with grapes. Then came poor
yields, together with low prices, and many persons have be-
come discouraged and have abandoned the unprofitable busi-
ness. This year, with the disastrous freeze in May, will be
remembered as one of the worst in the history of grape-grow-
ing in the Chautauqua belt. The grape growers suffer from
many evils, but principally from overproduction. There is
now a surplus of grapes in the market. Almost every week
during the shipping season the markets of the large cities
break under the pressure, and grapes are often sold at prices
that do not much more than cover the commissions and
freight.
In good seasons the annual yield of the Chautauqua vineyards
is about 15,000 tons, or 30,000,000 pounds of table grapes. To
ship this immense crop to market requires about 2,000 cars,
and each car holds about 2,500 baskets. The fruit is about
equally distributed between eastern and western markets,
although during the past three or four years many new mar-
kets for New York grapes have been opened in the far west,
so that the Chautauqua growers now send their grapes to
Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Omaha, Kansas City, Denver,
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and even to Winnipeg, Manitoba.
About seventy-five per cent. of the crop is handled by the
Chautauqua and Northeast Grape Union, at Brockton, This
Union is an organization of the growers of the different sec-
tions of the belt. One of the principal objects of the Union is
to market the fruit of the members directly, thus saving the
commission dealer’s profits, and at the same time to have
quick returns and prompt distribution of the proceeds of sales.
The grapes are graded according to quality, and every ship-
ment is inspected before it is sent to market. The grower is
required to place his name, together with the mark of the
Union on every basket, and in this way unripe or poorly
packed fruit can be traced back to the offender.
The crop is marketed on the coéperative or pooling system.
Shipments along the entire belt are pooled daily and weekly,
and checks are promptly sent to each grower for his pro rata
share. Thus, the fruit is marketed at less cost and at less
trouble than would be possible by individuals. The grower
is relieved of looking after his shippings, sales and collections.
The Union has a large number of traveling salesmen in all
the principal markets, and its representatives keep the head
office posted continually as to the supply and the prices of
grapes at different points.
The bulk of the Chautauqua grape crop is of the Concord
variety. The location does not seem suited to the ripening of
such late varieties as the Catawba. The shipping season be-
gins about the first week in September, and is practically over
after Thanksgiving, or about the first of December. This
gives the Chautauqua grower a much shorter range of season
than the Lake Keuka grower, who supplies the market with
grapes until March or April.
Several systems of training vines are in vogue in the Chau-
tauqua Grape belt. Some favor the Kniffen system, but the
majority of growers use the fan system. In the first year
the vines are cut back to three or four buds; in the second
year they are cut back to five or six buds, and three of
the strongest shoots of new growth are left for the bearing
arms of the third year. The best two canes are then tied to
the wire, and after that each year two or three of the best new
canes are trained on the trellis in fan shape.
New York. oe Wis Vance.
The Lily, Melpomene.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—On page 427 of your issue for October 23d, Mr. Orpet
says: ‘‘ The kind we have always regarded as the best dark
form is known in trade-lists as Melpomene. This isa native
of Japan, and in no way connected with the kind raised by the
late C. M. Hovey, of Boston, which was a hybrid between
Lilium auratum and L. speciosum.” This can hardly be cor-
rect, since L. auratum was not introduced from Japan until
1860, while Mr. Hovey, who was very successful in raising
L.speciosum from seed, showed at the Massachusetts Horti-
cultural Society’s exhibition in 1853 nine seedlings which he
named after the Muses, Melpomene being of the number.
This is the only one of the nine now in existence, the others
having dropped out because they did not possess characters
sufficiently distinct to be noticed by the ordinary observer.
That Hovey’s Melpomene is identical with what Mr. Orpet
considers the best species from Japan, I have always believed,
but it is entirely different from the cross between L. auratum
and L. speciosum, which was not produced until about 1870.
Floral Park, N. Y. C. L, Allen,
OCTOBER 30, 1895.]
Color Bands on the Apple.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—A band of bright red or yellow is often seen on the
apple, extending from the stem to the calyx. These stripes of
color are as perfect and well defined as if laid on by an artist’s
brush. The cause of this phenomena has never been satisfac-
torily explained, but the theory most commonly advanced is
that color marks are due to the effects of foreign pollen. It is
probable, however, that the bands are a form of variegation
in the calyx of the flower similar in character to the red bands
in the petals of the Carnation or Rose. In the Apple-flower
the calyx is united with the ovary, and as the fruit ripens the
adnate calyx thickens and becomes the edible portion, while
the core, which consists of five carpels, is the true fruit. If,
now, the color band was due to foreign pollen, one-fifth of the
entire fruit would be affected, but, on the other hand, the color
resides only in the epidermis, which is a portion of the calyx.
When the causes of variegation are known, then the explana-
tion of color bands can probably be made.
Cornell University.
G. Harold Powell.
Recent Publications.
Blackberries.
Bulletin No. 99, issued by the Horticultural Division of
the Cornell University Experiment Station, is devoted
to Blackberries. It is written directly for the use of
fruit growers. in western New York, but it contains much
that is of general interest, and we herewith present in
a condensed form some of its suggestions and direc-
tions.
So1L.—A deep, mellow, clay loam which contains consider-
able humus and crumbles rather than bakes in the furrow, is
the best for the Blackberry. Open, gravelly lands are too dry,
and since the plants need much water it is important to plow
all hard lands deep so that the roots can reach permanent
moisture. On flat lands with a high subsoil, unless tile-drained,
the bushes will suffer in winter and the fruit will be injured by
summer droughts. Strong yearling plants from suckers or
root-cuttings are best to begin with and should be planted in
the spring.
PLANTING.—The plants are set in the furrow six or seven
inches deep, two to three feet apart in the rows, which are
eight feet apart. This gives space enough for two horses and
a spring-tooth cultivator, which is the best means of keeping
the plantation in good condition. Potatoes may be grown
between the rows the first year, and it is possible by high cul-
tivation to obtain two crops of Strawberries before the Black-
berries smother them. Three or four canes should be allowed
to grow the first year, and they will bear some fruit the follow-
ing season. They should be headed back when they reach
the height of two or three feet.
TRAINING.—The canes springing from the root one year
bear fruit the next, and then their usefulness isended. These
canes can be cut in August or September, or the operation
can be delayed to a less busy season, but they should always
be cut off before the following spring close to the ground, so
that other canes will sprout from the root to take their places.
A strong root may send up from ten to twenty shoots, but
only a few of them should be allowed to remain, the number
being determined by the vigor of the plant, the closeness of
planting, etc. Five or six canes will usually suffice, and if the
very best fruit is desired this number may be reduced. The
strongest canes should be left, the others pulled out when
they are four or five inches high, and the superfluous shoots
should be removed several times during the season. When
the growing canes are two and a half or three feet high a
couple of inches of their tips are cut off, and the plantation
should be gone over three or four times as the different canes
reach the desired height. The vigorous laterals should be
allowed to push out and grow their full length and should not
be shortened in until the next spring. How much they should
be cut depends on various circumstances. Somie, like Wil-
son’s Early, bear fruit close to the cane ; others should be left
longer. Some growers delay the pruning until the blossoms
appear, and the laterals are left from twelve to twenty inches
in length. As these bear most of the fruit it is important that
they make strong, well-matured growth and that the grower
shall familiarize himself with their habits. It is important,
generally, that the main cane should be headed in early so
that the laterals should have time to makea hard growth and
Garden and Forest.
439
start down low so as to prevent the cane from tipping over
with its load of fruit. Plants thus managed will need no stakes
or trellises, although a simple wire may be stretched along
each side of the row and secured to stakes to keep them from
lopping. Along the Hudson River plants are trained after the
manner ot Grapes on two-wire trellises. The young canes
are headed just above the upper wire and are tied to it where
they will least interfere with the ripening fruit. The canes
may remain on the wires all winter, or they may be laid down
for protection and tied securely to both wires the following
spring. This necessitates one summer tying for the young
canes and one spring tying for the bearing canes. It is not
the best practice to tie them to a single stake, as the fruit will
be too much massed in the foliage, although Dewberries can
be profitably handled this way.
WINTER PROTECTION.—Hardy varieties, judiciously grown
and pruned, do not need this in western New York. In colder
climates the bushes are tipped over and covered late in fall.
One man goes ahead with a round-pointed shovel and digs the
earth six inches deep from the roots, a second man places a
fork against the planta foot or so above the ground, and by
pushing it and stamping against the roots with his feet lays it
over, the third man covers the plant with the earth that has
been removed or marsh hay. If the variety is a tender one
the whole bush is covered two or three inches deep. Hardy
varieties only need a few shovelfuls of earth on the tops of the
canes. If frosts are feared they may be left under this cover-
ing until Corn-planting time, but the bushes must be watched
in spring and raised before the buds become soft and white.
This method of laying down the plants costs less than ten dol-
lars an acre, and the slight breaking of roots is no disadvan-
tage. The operators must be careful not to crack or split the
canes, and the method should be varied, as the canes of some
varieties are stiffer than others,
CULTIVATION.—Surface tillage should be begun early in the
spring to preserve the water. If plowed early, aspring-toothed
cultivator should be run through the plants every week, espe-
cially after a rain, before the soil bakes. After the crop is har-
vested one cultivation is given to loosen up the ground which
has been tramped down by the pickers, say, about the middle
oriastof August. Frequent light cultivations are the cheapest,
because the weeds never get a chance to grow, and little hoe-
ing is necessary. If a patch becomes foul with Thistles or
other weeds it 1s best to mow it over, plow it up thoroughly
and crop with Corn for a season. Suckers will come up among
the Corn along the old rows, and the next year the plantation
will be completely renewed. Stable-manure is the popular fer-
tilizer, although, if the tillage is good, nitrogen will scarcely be
needed, so that potash and phosphoric acid can be applied.
YIELDS AND PROFITS.—The year after the planting the yield
should pay the cost up to that time, the third year should give
a large crop, and since there seems to be no limit of the profit-
able age of a Blackberry plantation, every good year should
give a good crop thereafter. Of course, a plantation will not
endure when the land becomes hard and foul or the plants
full of dead and diseased wood. A crop of two hundred
bushels an acre year after year is possible unless very unfa-
vorable seasons intervene. With good varieties well cared
for, the blackberry is one of the most profitable of small fruits,
but the golden harvest only comes to those who work for it
and think while they work.
ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES.—Frost occasionally injures the
crop in western New York when a severe one comes late. The
four most dangerous diseases are the red rust, the root gall,
anthracnose and cane knot. The first is incurable, and the
affected bush should be pulled out and burned as soon as dis-
covered. The same is true of the root gall. The anthracnose
is less serious, and can be kept in check by spraying with Bor-
deaux mixture, but the best treatment is to cut out and burn
~the old canes as soon as the fruitis off, and examine the bushes
frequently for the disease and cut out the diseased shoots. If
the patch is seriously affected it is best to mow the bushes off
close to the ground in the fall and early spring, clean out the
crowns, spray them and start a wholly new top. The treat-
ment of the cane knot is deferred to another-bulletin.
Blackberries deserve attention as the last of the small fruits
and the luscious dessert of midsummer. They are only
luscious, however, when left on the bush until fully ripe and
eaten soon after they are picked. The blackberry is not ripe
because it is black; it must be soft and drop into the hand
when the cluster is shaken to get its full sweetness and aroma.
But, since the fruit deteriorates soon after picking, blackber-
ries never get to market in their best condition, and those who
want exceptionally fine fruit must raise it in their home
garden,
440
Notes.
Ata sale of the plants last week belonging to the late Samuel
J. Tilden, at Graystone, the highest price, $120.00, was brought
by a Zamia integrifolia. A Cycas revoluta, said to be two hun-
dred years old, brought $62.00,
A large Paulownia-tree in Jersey City is now surprising all
who see it by its display of flowers. Undoubtedly the long
drought ripened up the wood earlier than usual and the recent
rains have encouraged the flowers to open now instead of
waiting until spring.
Eighty car-loads of lemons, each containing three hundred
boxes, have been shipped east from the colony of Ontario, San
Bernardino County, California, this year. Since the lemons
have averaged $3.00 a box the growers in that region may be
considered prosperous,
A comparatively small portion of the fruit raised in the
Netherlands is consumed in that country. According to
recent reports from our consuls, something like a million
pounds of black currants, three million pounds of red currants
and the same amount of gooseberries and cherries are annu-
ally sent to England.
Mr. Gerard has sent to this office flowering plants of the
Algerian blue Scilla lingulata and its white variety. The small
flowers cannot be called showy, although, as ten or a dozen of
them are borne on a scape three or four inches high, they are
bright and interesting, especially since they come later in the
season than any other species of the genus,
We have recently seen bulbs of different kinds of Lilies,
Hyacinths and Narcissus which were sent to a New York seed-
store from the North Carolina Experiment Station, Of course,
it remains to be proved that these will force as well as the
bulbs imported from Europe, but in size, weight and general
appearance they are altogether superior to imported bulbs.
Butternuts and black walnuts are plentiful this year and sell
for eight cents a quart, while hickory nuts, of which there is
also a good crop, bring ten cents. Bull nuts, the large hickory
nuts known to the trade by this name, cost eight cents a quart ;
their meats are in demand by bakers. Chestnuts are in lighter
supply than was anticipated, the scarcity being attributed to
dry weather.
About the latest of the Golden-rods to flower is Solidago
Drummondii, which is usually at its best during the last half of
October. The flowers are of a rich deep yellow, and so abun-
dant that the long slender stems often fall under their weight
unless they are staked. It is an admirable plant for large
decorations, since the Nowers are well set off by the abundant
dark green foliage. It thrives well in partial shade.
String beans are now coming from South Carolina and Vir-
ginia, peas from the section about Norfolk, large bright egg-
plants from Florida, and okra from Louisiana. The season tor
northern-grown Lima beans has been nearly closed by recent
frosts, and the few which have escaped bring sixty cents a half-
peck. During the foggy weather of the early part of the week
large quantities of wild mushrooms came from neighboring
meadows. They have sold for thirty-five cents a pound,
The Yellow-root, Zanthorhiza apiifolia, is one of the latest
shrubs to take on its autumnal glow, but the orange and scar-
let of its leaves in early November make it really desirable.
In the Carolina mountains it is an undershrub, and, although
neither its flowers nor fruit are conspicuous, its neat pinnate
leaves and low growth make it useful for the edges of a shrub-
bery or for covering shaded slopes or in any other position
where a low undergrowth is needed.
Professor Bailey says that natural hybrids between the com-
mon Blackberry and the Dewberry are common along the
roadsides in central New York. The cultivated varieties
known as Wilson's Early, Wilson Jr,, Sterling Thornless and
Rathbun belong to this mongrel class. The plants are charac-
terized by a low diffuse growth, broad notched leaves and
roundish oblong fruits, which are sometimes very large.
Some of these hybrids have a distinct tendency to root at the
tip, as Dewberries do.
California grapes are now at their best as to size and color-
ing, and in boxes packed with but one kind, or with bands of
Flame Tokays, white Muscats and black Cornichons or Mo-
roccos, they make a striking display. A few Salway peaches,
brought out of cold storage, are yet seen. Large well-grown
quinces from California, in boxes containing sixty to eighty
fruits, cost $3.00. Small lots of pomegranates have recently
Garden and Forest.
(NuMBER 401.
arrived from Spain. Almeria grapes, as yet rarely seen in the
fruit-stores, sell for twenty cents a pound at retail.
According to Professor Taft, winter Squashes are among
the easiest vegetables to carry through the season. Trouble is
often experienced in preserving them, but one reason for this
is that they are left too long on the vine, where they are sub-
jected tofrost. Even if not quite ripe itis better to gather them
and place them in some sunny spot where they can be covered
atnight. On the approach of freezing weather they should be
carried to the house, and, unlike most other vegetables, they
should be stored in the warmest and driest place possible. If
one has a furnace and the squashes are packed around it they
will keep, even if they were no more than half-grown.
H. L. Sunderbruck is considered the best yellow Chrysanthe-
mum now in season, and the choicest blooms of this variety
sell for a dollar apiece in the Broadway flower-shops. Yellow
Queen is another favorite of this colornow. Marion Henderson,
one of the best early yellow sorts, is already past. Pink-flowering
sorts have been scarce thus far, Nemesis being as good
as any offered. Merry Monarch, now past, was the earliest
white Chrysanthemum of the season. With this variety has
been offered Mayflower, which, during the past week, was
considered the best white sort of all, Mrs. Henry Robinson
ranking second and J. H. Troy next in quality. The lattertwo
varieties sold for not more than half the price commanded by
Mayflower, good white flowers being in greater demand than
those of any othercolor. The bronzy-red Sunrise and A. J.
Drexel are the principal red sorts. The market season, which
opened this year September 30th, was a week earlier than
last year, when the first shipments were offered here Oc-
tober 6th.
In the basin of the lower Mississippi and in the maritime
region of the southern Atlantic states the Liquidambar, or
Sweet Gum, is one of the most common forest-trees of low
rich lands, where it develops into tall, straight trunks, free
from branches, to the height of seventy or eighty feet above
the ground. The smooth and satiny wood, however, is diffi-
cult to season, and shrinks so badly in drying that the com-
mercial demand for gum lumber has been limited. For
special uses, as for example, for door panels, or for veneers in
cabinet work, it is utilized to some extent, and in England the
clear timber is considerably used under the name of Satin
Walnut. Nevertheless, this is in a large measure a neglected
wood because of its tendency to warp, which renders it un-
profitable for careless dealers and consumers to handle. A
recent number of Zhe Northwestern Lumberman states that
gum logs when quarter-sawed become tractable and reliable.
The wood loses in this way its characteristic grain effects, but
it still could be finished with a fine rich surface, and it could
be largely employed for flooring and other plain use where
durability is required. The vast amount of this timber which
is still standing certainly makes it worth while to study and
experiment with the wood so as to discover how it can be
manufactured and dried in the most profitable way.
The last bulletin issued by the Division of Ornithology of
the Department of Agriculture is a report on the economic
status of the common crow, based on the examination of
about one thousand stomachs. These examinations sustain
the charges that are brought against the crow—namely : (1)
that it pulls sprouting corn ; (2) that it injures the corn in the
milk ; (3) that it destroys cultivated fruit, and (4) that it feeds
on the eggs and young of poultry and wild birds. But when
the different kinds of food have been reduced to quantitative
percentages and contrasted, the injury done by the birds is
comparatively slight. The great bulk of the grain consumed
is waste corn, picked up here and there, and of no economical
value. The destruction of cultivated fruits is also trivial, while
the eggs and young of poultry and wild birds amount to only
one per cent. of the food of the crow. As an offset to the bad
habits of the bird he is to be credited with destroying many
noxious insects and injurious animals. About twenty-six per
cent. of his entire food is insects, most of them grasshoppers,
May-beetles, cut-worms and other injurious kinds. The sea-
son of the May-beetles corresponds with the breeding season
of the crow, and these insects are the principal food of the
nestling birds. After the May-beetles disappear the crows
consume great numbers of grasshoppers, and through the
autumn these constitute the greater part of the insect food of
the bird. The crow also destroys mice and other injurious
rodents, so that in summing up the benefits and losses result-
ing from the food habits of the bird it seems clear that the
good exceeds the bad, and that the crow is a friend, and not
an enemy, of the farmer.
NOVEMBER 6, 1895.]
GARDEN ANE FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Trisungz Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted-by) "0... -« ss. «- « «sere Professor C.. §. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y-~
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Eprrorta, Article —Fruit-drying, a Representative Rural Industry........... 441
Professor Buckman and Plant Variation.. ....0+--seesescescseecceceancece 442
An Interesting Experiment in Tree Culture............-+.-+.45 C A. Dana. 442
EnromoLogicaL:—The Columbine Leaf-miner, Boras Aquilegize. (With
figure.).. : --Professor W. EE. Britton. 443
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENC 5 n Letter. WwW. re Vatson. aay
New or LittLe-KNown Pants :—Fothergil 5
Piant Nores.. waleeeint :
Cuturac DeparTMENT: —Caitleya llabiata sees.
The Germination of Nuts....... ...eeeeee eee eee
Trenching in Vegetable Garden,
CorrEsPONDENCE :—Frosts and Fruits .
Doubling of Flowers
E. O. Orpet.
loskins, M.D. 448
W.N. Craig. 448
Professor George C Burz. 448
pteee cs G. Harold Powell. 448
EXHIBITIONS:—Forestry at Atlanta. ...52 veces ccee sete rentee cee seeecessecess G. 449
NoreEs.. winessits ssi ese ass) 450
Intustrations :—Leaf- of, Wild Columbine mined by “Phytomyza “Aquilegia 2,
Fig. Oleeeeee ee eee eee cette teen een ete ete cette nett eee e tenes
Fruit-drying, a Representative Rural Industry.
FEW weeks ago the London correspondent of one of
our daily papers gave what he called “a striking illus-
tration of the lack of resource of the British farmer, of
whose woes so much has been heard.” He went on to say
that there had been such a glut of plums in England this
year that the price of the best fruit fell to twopence a pound,
which did not pay the cost of gathering and marketing,
and, therefore, the growers sat down and allowed the fruit
to fall and rot. If, instead of this, they had bustled around
and dried the fruit they could have had sixpence a pound
in a month or two and no fear of a glutted market, since
England pays annually two and a quarter millions of dol-
lars for dried plums imported mainly from France.
It is, no doubt, true that if glutted markets were ordinary
experiences with British plum-growers they ought to have
prepared themselves to face such a probable danger. If
however, this state of things was altogether exceptional, it
is unjust to accuse them of lack of forethought and energy
because “they did not bustle around and dry their fruit,”
for, without the proper machinery and the skill which
comes from practice, it would have been utterly impossible
to dry a large crop of plums in such a way that they would
be attractive, palatable and salable. It is very easy for
newspaper critics to advise farmers to take up some new
branch of agriculture when an old one fails, but the critic
hardly realizes how much time and thought are necessary
when the entire economy of a farm is to be+readjusted.
When there is an overplus of milk in the city and farmers
are losing money on this product, it is quite easy to advise
them to make butter, but this means a revolution in the
entire system of farm practice, and it implies the work of
years and the building up of a new plant By men who have
no capital. In the same way, whenever grain farming or
dairy farming becomes unprofitable, the farmer is coun-
seled to raise fruit—that is, to learn a new trade and build
up a new business—and if he is not prepared to do this
on sight, he is reproached for his sluggishness just as the
critic from whom we have quoted sneers at the “ ridiculous
conservatism” of the English farmer who wasn’t ready
with evaporators of the latest pattern to turn his plums into
dried prunes at a moment's warning.
How to dispose of surplus fruit in times of abundance is,
Garden and Forest.
4AI
nevertheless, a serious problem, since it is hard to trans-
port on account of its perishable nature, and still more diffi-
cult to keep in eatable condition. It is plain, therefore,
that if it can be converted into such a form that it will
endure shipping to any part of the world and will keep all
the year round, the market for it is practically unlimited.
The fundamental problem is how to prepare the fruit in
such a way that its palatable and nutritious qualities can
be preserved in the cheapest way possible. The canned-
fruit industry is an enormous one, but the demand for this
product does not increase as rapidly as the demand for
dried fruit, principally because the former is much more ex-
pensive. Dried fruit sells at about half the pricea pound that
canned fruit commands, and yet the material in one pound
of dried fruit will make six pounds of canned fruit; that is,
the fruit itself, when canned, not counting the syrup, costs
twelve times as much as the same amount costs when dried.
Another reason for the increasing demand for dried fruit is
that when cured by the best modern processes it is much su-
perior to what it once was. In California they have learned
to prepare prunes so well that large quantities of them are
shipped to France, the home of the prune ; dried apricots
and pears go to Europe by the thousand pounds, while
California raisins have practically driven foreign raisins out
of eastern markets in this country, and are now exported
in considerable quantities. Statistics are not difficult to
obtain, but one needs a vivid imagination to interpret the
dry figures in such a way that an adequate appreciation of
the importance of this industry is secured. But when we
think of three million pounds of prunes sent out from the
single city of San José in one month, we gain some idea of
the magnitude of the business, and we also get an idea of
its rapid growth when we recall the fact that eight years
ago this city did not take a car-load of dried apricots in a
year, while now it eagerly swallows up two hundred car-
loads.
But the prunes and apricots and peaches and plums and
pears and raisins which are sent out from California by the
train-load by no means complete the full supply of dried
fruit that is produced in this country. Bulletin 100, which
has just been issued by the Cornell Experiment Station,
gives an account of the production of one kind of dried
fruit in western New York, and from this we learn that a
thousand tons of evaporated raspberries are produced in
Wayne County alone. Something like five hundred tons
more are marketed from neighboring counties, and yet if
the visitor should inquire for dried raspberries at any of the
retail stores throughout that region he would hardly find a
pound. Where, then, do these berries go? Probably four-
fifths of them are consumed in lumber and mining camps
of the west and on the plains, where fresh fruit is scarce.
Very few of them are exported, and yet in cookery—that is,
for use in pies, puddings and the like—these dried berries are
nearly as good as the fresh ones. It ought to be added
that raspberries are also dried to an important extent in
southern Illinois and in Michigan, and more recently in
Arkansas.
This bulletin gives an interesting history of com-
mercial fruit evaporation in Wayne County, .where, in
apple-growing communities, nearly every farm has an
evaporator of one kind or another, more than two
thousand of these machines being in use in this one
county. It ought to be remembered that, great as is the
product of dried raspberries in western New York, there
are more apples dried than raspberries, and after these in
their order come‘peaches, pears, quinces, plums, cherries,
currants, potatoes, peas, corn and pumpkins. This great
business has grown up within twenty-five years. One
little drying machine was introduced there in 1867 by
A. D. Shepley, and the right to use it was bought by
Mason L. Rogers, who in 1868 planted five acres of
black raspberries, with the expectation of drying the
fruit. The modern industry and the use of the word
‘‘evaporator” did not begin, however, until Charles
Alden patented the tower evaporator in 1870. The
442
original Shepley machine was only capable of drying
three bushels of apples in ten hours. Now one of the
establishments described in this Bulletin will evaporate
three hundred bushels of apples a day, and another one
has a capacity of five thousand quarts of berries a day.
It is not our purpose here to describe the various methods
of making trays and moving them, or to explain the process
of kiln drying, tower drying, steam drying, vacuum
drying or air-blast drying with the various elaborate
devices prepared to lighten every possible item of
labor. We only use this as an illustration to show that it
has taken years of experiment and expense to develop this
business into its present form, and that even now consid-
erable capital is required and great attention must be given
to the plans of building, machinery, storage-rooms, etc., if
the business is to be made profitable. The sum of the
whole matter is this. Bonanza farmers who sow wheat by
the square mile can afford to sell grain at a few cents’
profit on a bushel, just as a large manufacturer is satisfied
with a small margin of profit because of the enormous
amount of his production. Under the growing stress of
competition ordinary farmers cannot live on staple products
at wholesale prices. But the farmer, to make something
beyond wholesale prices, must put special intelligence
into his work. He cannot live as his father did on in-
dustry and frugality alone. He must be prepared to
meet some special want with a special crop, or he
must add to one profit as a grower, another profit as a
manufacturer by turning his grapes into wine and his plums
into prunes, or he must in some way use the machinery of
his farm so that it will make something to sell besides the
raw material which grows on his acres. This means that he
must know more and apply his knowledge to better advan-
tage. After twenty-five years of study and experience the
farmers of Wayne County can make a profit with the most
approved appliances after they have secured a good crop,
and to secure a good crop constant and intelligent care
must be exercised from the time the ground is prepared for
the young plants until the manufactured product is put on
the market in the most attractive form. The farmers of this
country as a class are better husbandmen than their prede-
cessors ever were, but they must havea still more thorough
education for their work if they are to maintain the com-
manding position which the great body of tillers of the
soil once held in the political and social economy of the
country.
James Buckman and Plant Variation.
ROFESSOR BAILEY is in the habit of making five-
minute talks before his class in Evolution, and one of
his students sends the following transcription from her
notes of one of these addresses as worthy of permanent
record :
James Buckman was Professor of Agriculture in the Royal
Agricultural College of Cirencester, England. He was born in
1816, and died in 1884. In 1863 he left the chair of agriculture
in the Royal Agricultural College to go to his farm in the
Downs region, where, during the remainder of his life, he was
very successful as a farmer, and also wrote a number of books
on geology, botany and the like.
A few years ago, while passing along the streets of Lansing,
Michigan, where I then lived, I was attracted by a pile of old
books which a dealer said he had just received from New
York City. Upon looking them over I was surprised to find a
small record-book which was written full of an essay upon the
“Botany of the Cabbage and the Ruta Baga,” and signed by
James Buckman. Moreover, I found an entry in the front
part of the book to the effect that the essay had been awarded
the prize upon the 15th of December, 1852. Just what this
prize was I do not know, and I am not able to find any record
that the essay was published. It is very likely that it was
written in competition for one of the prizes which it was the
habit of the Royal Agricultural Society to offer. It is strange
how the manuscript ever left Professor Buckman’s hands,
and stranger still that it should have wandered across the
ocean and finally reached my own library.
But there is still greater interest attaching to this essay. I
have been telling you for the past few days that Thomas
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 402.
Andrew Knight, Alexander Braun and Charles Darwin believed
that the chief factor in the variation of plants is the augmenta-
tion of food-supply ; and here I find in this manuscript essay of
Buckman’s another statement of the same belief, showing that
still another observer had arrived independently at the same
conclusions. The essay, bear in mind, was written before the
appearance of any of Darwin's philosophical writings, and the
statement lacks the exactness of later philosophical discus-
sions ; yet it is interesting as showing the man’s independent
belief. The following sentences indicate his philosophy :
“This laying on of cellular tissue is very analogous to the
laying on of fat in animals; in a state of nature no animal
(except the hybernating ones) carries fat. Plethora is, in fact,
a disease, and so it may be termed in the case of plants. A
climate and soil well suited to their health, with good food in
the shape of plentiful manure of the right description, causes
them to grow fat, and by selecting those plants that appear to
have the inclination to develop this cellular tissue on any par-
ticular structure, and using their seed in soil of the same
description, the peculiarity is propagated.”
An Interesting Experiment in Tree Culture.
W tee in Holland last summer I spent a day in the
latter part of July, at the request of Professor Sar-
gent, in visiting the Pinetum Schoberianum, or plantations
of coniferous trees belonging to Mr. J. H. Schober, on his
estate called Schovenhorst, in the town of Putten, some
thirty miles north-east of Utrecht. These plantations are
very extensive, some six hundred acres, if 1 remember
correctly, being devoted to them, and they contain probably
the largest and most complete collection of conifers from
all parts of the world, except, of course, the intensely tropical
regions, that has everbeen brought together. Mr. Edward
Downes, the accomplished United States Consul at Amster-
dam, accompanied me, and Mr. Schober himself was there
to conduct us through the woods and fields. A more
charming and intelligent gentleman it would be difficult
to find ; and, although light showers were frequent during
the day, according to the summer practice of Holland, and
our host was long past seventy, he led us about with a vigor,
energy and enthusiasm which formed the envy of the
younger men of the party.
Mr. Schober is a wealthy lawyer of Utrecht, and, like the
wise man he is, he has long cherished a passion for the
cultivation of trees; and this passion he has directed
toward a most practical and patriotic object. In Holland
there is a great extent of land that in former ages formed
the seashore ; and in these dunes the soil remains worthless
for agricultural purposes. With whatever crop might be
attempted, whether grain, grass or vegetables, the expense
would be more than the product, and so the land is sub-
stantially left without culture; yet with coniferous trees
the case is different. Hence the traveler frequently passes
in Holland, as in other parts of Europe, plantations of
Scotch or Austrian Pines occupying these sandy lands
where nothing else of value could well be made to grow.
These plantations cost little, require no care, and by the
annual dropping of their needles tend to some improve-
ment of the soil ; while at the end of the proper period the
firewood they furnish is a substantial thing and always
finds a paying market.
In this situation Mr. Schober has struck out from the
common course, and, instead of planting Pinus sylvestris
and P. Austriaca, he has started to determine what trees are
really best worth planting and cultivating in these sands ;
and for this purpose, as I have said, he seems to have
ransacked the whole temperate zone in all the continents.
But I cannot do better than to give his list as follows :
Abies amabilis. Abies concolor.
“© magnifica. “firma (bifida),
«« balsamea, “ Fraseri,
“« brachyphylla. “grandis.
“bracteata. “© Gordoniana.
ue edie ee melts
«var. Appollinis. ‘© nobilis.
OS ods Revie Amalie. «“ Nordmanniana.
ie @ilicica? H: fe glauca.
NoveMBER 6, 1895.]
Abies Numidica.
‘« pectinata.
«« Pinsapo.
i “ glauca.
«« Sachalinensis.
uo Sibirica.
“ subalpina.
“ Veitchii.
‘“_umbellata.
CSVEichileriy
Ajanensis aurea.
ac we alba.
coerulea.
« — Alcoquiana.
« Engelmanni.
cs ff glauca.
‘ . argentea.
«” excelsa.
ae es eremita.
ot rf Cranstoni.
se as aurea.
oC yf compacta nana.
“ae ae “ae pyra-
midalis.
“ excelsa compacta inverta.
qu ce « — Remonti.
“ « Finedonensis.
« Jezoensis.
“ _pungens.
as nigra.
oo « doumetii.
“— obovata.
ce ts Japonica,
“orientalis.
“ polita.
« Schrenkiana.
“ rubra.
« Khutrow.
“© Morinda.
“orientalis aurea.
“ acicularis.
“« — Omorika.
« Glehni.
“ Dicksonii.
« Sitchensis.
Larix Europea.
«© Japonica.
«— leptolepsis.
‘© microcarpa.
tom Kem pteri.
Cedrus Libani.
OH Atlantica.
sé Deodara.
Pinus Austriaca.
“* contorta.
«densiflora.
1c Taricio.
ue OG stricta.
Calabrica.
“ Thunbergii.
« monophylla,
«« Fremontiana.
«“ montana.
“« uncinata.
«— Pumilio.
«« Pinaster.
« Brutia.
«© Pyrenaica.
“sylvestris.
“« resinosa,.
«0 efireyi:
** ponderosa.
“ Benthamiana.
“ “
“ rigida.
“ serotina.
‘ sces ee William Scott. 496
Notes from the Missouri Botanical Garden..........-....++. Limil Mische. 497
Spraying by Steam-power -Professor W. E. Britton. 497
Dipladenia Boliviensis Jhopoad soc oneapeebe apedeca sn N. FR. 498
FAT DILUSH UNE AO merch c creicicwicinn cone omeeatencis +6 ee ciecssinetsecsioe G. W. Ow 498
CoRRESPONDENCE :—Does Size Affect the Flavor and Color of Fruits ?
G. Harold Powell. 498
Notes from Brookline, Massachusetts.........-+.+.++ees008 T. D. Hatfield. 498
Late-Flowering Golden-rods........... . Professor T, D. A. Cockerell. 499
Keeping Grapes through the Winter..............00-- sesso F. T. Bioletti. 499
RECENT PUBLICATIONS ....-.-. ninte sfeia aietale eictetersinlaiate siete oinis aic’s bia Sinlejaieisicioce eieieis sis siete 499
INO DES title ate Mets = caipbetele teistclo slalalalelels efelaie b matetnieelatefeisietiisis(s® = 0:a dteis 4,0 els wig oslo cae teens 500
ILLUSTRATIONS :—The Papaw, Asimina triloba, Fig 67........cc0.sseeeeeeeeeeees 495
Philadel phusihalconerip bios OSiieat ices caetteties si ce\vaessts sede e305 te 497
School-grounds.
VALUED correspondent writes to inquire why we
yAN have not more persistently advocated the systematic
planting of school-grounds, both for purposes of decoration
and instruction. He argues with reason that the place
where children pass a large portion of their waking hours
during the formative period of their lives ought to be one
that will exert a refining influence, whereas in very many
instances the school-house and its surroundings, both in
country and city, are comfortless, and even repulsive.
After adding that a well-selected collection of trees and
shrubs and herbaceous plants could be used to great advan-
tage in furnishing object-lessons for the study of botany
and for instruction in the elements of practical horticulture,
and even of forestry, he inquires why it would not be
practicable for us to publish some plans for the laying out
of school-grounds so as to give them an educational value
in this direction, besides encouraging an intelligent love of
what is most beautiful in nature.
We have discussed this subject more than once, and
realize its importance, but we are convinced that ready-
made plans are rarely helpful to ordinary readers, because
the sketches of places usually published give altogether
erroneous ideas of the actual appearance of these places
when the plans are carried out. More than that, as we
have often said, each place has individual characteristics
of boundary and surface and outlook, and it must, there-
fore, be studied by itself. As arule, about the worst pos-
sible design for the development of the grounds about any
school-building is one that has been prepared originally
for some other place.
Not far from the bank of a river in Pennsylvania we once
saw a low stone schoolhouse situated nearly in the centre
of a sloping lot of some five acres, about which were scat-
tered broad-spreading Oaks far enough apart as to leave
sunny spaces between them, except one group of three
trees and a little grove at one of the uppercorners. There
was no town in sight, and one could hardly imagine a
more tranquil place. Certainly it would have been an
offense against good taste to import some novelty out of a
Garden and Forest.
491
map to belittle the grandeur of the Oaks, or to add any
shrubs or flowers to such a picture. Even for educational
purposes one would regret to see the dignity of such a
spot marred by the intrusion of a shrub-border or a flower-
bed. There was an abundance of good land all about the
enclosure, and in this case it would have been preferable
to arrange for object-lessons in horticulture and botany
outside of this picture of peace. Too often, however,
the schoolhouse stands on the public highway with
scarcely any playground but the mud and dust of the road,
and no sign of a shade-tree. [For such a desolate place
there is absolutely no excuse. Of course, there should
be an enclosed playground connected with every school,
bothin thecountry and city. Inthe country, at least, it would
cost but a trifle to add to the playground proper a neatly
grassed area, with a bordering shrubbery and some well-
kept shade-trees. Where the playground is thus separated
from what may be called the garden the usefulness of the
latter will largely depend upon the interest taken in it by the
children. We have recorded instances where the pupils of
schools, having been invited to help in the planting and
care of school-grounds, came to cherish them with a real
affection which has survived until long after their en-
trance into active life. The conduct of school boys, as
well as of their elders, is largely controlled by traditions,
and it has been proved over and over again that a feeling
of local pride can be engendered which persists through
successive generations of children, and insures such a
regard for a place that there is little fear of any attempt at its
wanton defacement. _ If prizes were offered in every county
for the most tastefully planted and carefully maintained
school-grounds, the spirit of emulation could be effectively
added as another incentive to beautify and protect them.
In crowded cities, where the pupils in every school-
building are counted by hundreds, it will hardly be possible,
as arule, to have school-grounds sufficiently spacious to
furnish at once an outdoor gymnasium and a pleasure-
garden. There are few places so contracted, however,
that they will not admit of some planting along the walls,
where vines and flowering herbs can be made to flourish.
Window plants, at least, can be introduced into the school-
room, to cheer and brighten what too often is a bare and
forbidding apartment, and to furnish object-lessons for ele-
mentary instruction in horticulture and botany. But in
the country there are few places where it is not possible to
have a real garden, with carefully labeled plants and
shrubs and trees—a garden for which children can be made
to feel a sense of responsibility, and in which they will take
an active interest. If they are called to assist in caring for
and cultivating the plants, they will be able to gain in a
delightful way many lessons in cleanliness and order as
well as in natural science, and they will acquire the habit
of observing closely beauties of structure and adapta-
tion in every form of vegetation, a habit which will bring
increasing delight and refreshment to its possessors all
through their lives.
The sum of the matter is that the expenditure of a few
dollars and a little careful thought in furnishing the
school-building and planting shrubs and native trees
about it will transform the house and grounds from an
appearance of discomfort and squalor to one of cheer-
fulness and beauty. But this planting will do more than
exert a softening and civilizing influence upon school chil-
dren. It is well known that school gardens play an
important part in the educational system of many coun-
tries, and certainly practical instruction in this direction is
needed in the United States, if it is needed anywhere. If
a few of our native trees and shrubs were planted in the
grounds of every district school, and teachers took pains
to call attention to their names and characters and modes
of growth, there would not be as many men and women
in the country as there are now who cannot distinguish
our commonest species of Oaks or Maples or Hickories.
No extensive arboretum will be needed for such study.
With a few trees for illustration and comparison it will not
492
be difficult to arouse an interest which will lead the
student of nature to the neighboring woods and roadsides
for additional knowledge of our trees and their uses, their
histories, their relationships and distribution. Ina recent
address by the Secretary of the Minnesota State Forestry
Association, it is justly contended that the foundation for
systematic forestry is best laid in the school-house lot, for
if we are ever to havea stable forest-practice throughout
the country it must rest on the general knowledge of trees
and their importance to the whole community. This knowl-
edge ought to begin in the primary schools. The youngest
school boy is old enough to find the study of the school-
garden the most absorbing of all his occupations.
The Shrubbery in December.
HRUBS with brilliantly colored bark or with persistent
bright fruit appear to the greatest advantage in these
clear, cold December days, and make parks and shrubberies
where such plants are skillfully massed exceedingly inter-
esting. In our country they should be more largely em-
ployed than any one has yet used them, because during
several weeks after the leaves have fallen from most trees
and shrubs we have here delightful, sunny, crisp days,
when it is a pleasure to be out-of-doors, and parks should
be made as beautiful as at any other season of the year.
The shrubs whose bark is now the most brilliant are the
red-stem Dogwoods, principally the North American Cor-
nus sericea and Cornus stolonifera, and the Old World Cornus
alba and its Siberian variety, the Japanese Kerria, with its
bright yellow-green, slender, graceful stems, and several of
the yellow-stemmed shrubby Willows. Massed together
these plants now make a handsome and agreeable com-
bination of color.
Of fruits borne by shrubs none is now so brilliant as that
of the Japanese Berberis Thunbergii, which is loaded with
its bright scarlet berries ; and these retain their freshness and
beauty until after the leaves appear in May. It is interesting
to note that as quailsare particularly fond of these berries,
Berberis Vhunbergii can be planted with advantage where
it is desirable to furnish these birds with winter food. Every
year makes the value of this excellent shrub appear greater,
and the ease with which it can be raised from seed, and its
hardiness, which enables it to flourish as far north, at least,
as Ottawa, in the Province of Quebec, make it possible to
cultivate it on a very large scale, and to place it within the
reach of every one. Other shrubs which are just now
conspicuous with brilliant scarlet fruit are the native Black
Alders, Ilex verticillata and Ilex levigata. Of these the
latter, although the more beautiful of the two plants, is
comparatively rare and very little known, except by
botanists,
Some of the American Thorns can well be used where it
is desirable to produce winter effects with deciduous-leaved
trees. The scarlet fruit of the Washington Thorn, Cratz-
gus cordata, is just now beautiful ; it is not large, but very
lustrous, and it retains its freshness quite late into the
winter. At all seasons of the year this is a desirable little
tree, and it is hardy and grows rapidly. The flowers
appear in the early summer, after those of the other Haw-
thorns are gone, and its shining nearly triangular leaves
turn late in the autumn to bright shades of orange and
scarlet. It is probably most beautiful early in November,
for the color of the fruit is heightened then by that of the
foliage, the two blending and harmonizing perfectly.
The fruit of the Cockspur Thorn, Crataegus Crus-galli, is
now at its best, and often quite covers the branches from
which the leaves have all disappeared. The fruit of this
species is much larger than that of the Washington Thorn,
but it is dull, and red, rather than scarlet, in color. Butthe
most showy fruit of.any of the Thorns at this season of the
year is that of Crateegus Carrieri, a probable hybrid of which
some account is given in another column of this issue.
This list includes but a few of the shrubs whose bright
colors delight the eye in early winter. These ornamental
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 407.
fruits persist on some of them all winter, and there is a
delicacy of tint in the branchlets of a shrubbery which is
never*as charming as when the ground is covered with
snow. One who knows trees and shrubs only when they
are in leaf and flower knows only half their beauty.
The Heaths among the Pines in Early Winter.
Sl Rae attractiveness of the Pines in winter is largely due
to the Heath family, which is the best represented
order of woody plants in our region. One of the chief
charms of the deciduous members of the order is in the
diversified forms and colors of the denuded branches and
twigs. The soft and downy young shoots of the Stagger
Bush, Andromeda Marianna, are reddish brown, and be-
low them, on last year’s growth, are snuggled the scaly
buds which, in spring, will open into delicate clusters of
white waxy flowers. A. ligustrina, though not as hand-
some as A. Marianna, is, nevertheless, quite interesting
now and at any time during the winter. This species also
has its flower-buds in clusters on the branchlets of last year.
The two species of Leucothoé in the Pines are both
deciduous. L. racemosa is tall, compact, straight and
clean-limbed, and all the new growth is a deep red color.
L. recurva is much lower and more straggling. The flower-
buds, formed during summer, are arranged along the stems
of this year’s growth in both species ; they terminate the
branches in long racemes, and some of the buds now look
almost ready to expand, but they will not unfold, however
warm it may be, until spring. The three species of Gay-
lussacias, familiar here, are also interesting studies now.
The little creeping G. dumosa isstill holding its leaves, but
there is no difficulty in finding the numerous scaly buds
which inclose next season’s racemes of handsome flowers.
The taller shrub, G. frondosa, has slender upright gray
branches now bare of leaves. From the scaly, conspicuous
buds next spring will burst drooping slender pedicels of
reddish bell-shaped flowers, followed by sweet, edible ber-
ties which are often found in markets under the general
name of huckleberries. Less tall than G. frondosa is the
more straggling G.resinosa. The leaves are gone from
this species, too, but the numerous clustered buds promise
abundant flowers, and later the shining black edible fruit.
The Vacciniums, or true Huckleberries, are well repre-
sented in the Pines. V. Pennsylvanica is a dwarf straggling
bush, growing in dry sandy places. The large, scaly
flower-buds are easily recognized from the leaf-buds. The
flowers open a little before the leaves appear, and are fol-
lowed by large, sweet, delicious fruit, ripe by the last of
June and early July. The numerous fine seeds of the fruits
of the Vacciniums are not objectionable as are the ten
large, long seeds of the Gaylussacias. In similarly dry
sandy tracts grows the low shrub, V. vacillans; its fruit
tripens later and is less luscious than that of V. Pennsyl-
vanica. Both species have green branches throughout the
winter. In the damp Pines the Swamp Huckleberry, V.
corymbosum, and its numerous forms are abundant, the
bushes of the different varieties being of various sizes. The
branches show a wide range of color, some having a pur-
plish tinge in winter, others red and yellowish-green.
There is even greater diversity in the form of the flowers
and fruit ; some bushes bear broad flat berries, while others
have nearly round fruit, and still others pyriform. While
the quality of all is good, that of the large flat ones is the
best.
But no plant among the Heaths is more attractive in win-
ter than Rhododendron viscosum, the white Swamp Honey-
suckle. The large terminal scaly flower-buds are variously
tinted, as are also the twigs and branches and leaf-buds.
In striking contrast is Clethra, which grows by its side.
This shrub is almost wholly a dull gray color, nearly all
the branches and twigs being surrounded with dry gray
seed-pods. The evergreen members of the family are
always interesting. The thick, shining leaves of the broad-
leaved Kalmia and the varied color of the branchlets which
eras
DECEMBER II, 1895.]
hold the leaves are a charming feature of the Pines. The
low Laurel helps to give the damp places a fresh green
look all winter long. Another attractive little plant at this
time is Cassandra. The flower-bud carried in the axil of
each small green leaf even now shows the white tips of the
corolla reaching out beyond the rigid sepals. Another
small denizen of the Pines, the Sand Myrtle, Leiophyllum,
bears numerous tiny shining leaves ; on some plants these
have a purple tinge, while on others they are bright ¢g green.
The scaly flower-buds terminate the branches, from which
in May fine clusters of small white flowers will appear,
bearing purple exserted stamens. The creeping evergreen
members of the family also claim admiration in winter.
The white and pink tips of the Trailing Arbutus are already
peeping out from the clusters of scaly bracts, and the bright
scarlet spicy berries of the Creeping Wintergreen are con-
spicuous among its handsome aromatic foliage. Espe-
cially handsome are the thick evergreen leaves of the
Chimaphilas, or Prince’s Pine, especially those of C. mac-
ulata, with white variegation on the upper surface. The
Pyrolas are almost always near neighbors to the Chima-
philas, especially some of the forms of P. rotundifolia.
Both the Chimaphilas and Pyrolas are still holding their old
flower-scapes, with dry seed-pods standing well above the
shining leaves.
But the Heath family is not the only attraction in the
Pines at this time. The younger plants and shoots of
Magnolia glauca are holding their large glossy leaves, and
the silky leaf-buds, with their sheathing wrappings one
above the other, make the plant more interesting now
than itis in summer. By the side of Magnolia the dark
gray twigs of the Bayberry are thickly scattered over with
small red buds, and each branchlet is surmounted with a
cluster of fragrant leaves which will remain until spring.
Small downy buds are ranged along the stems of the Sweet
Fern, and most of the twigs are terminated with a raceme
of embryonic catkins, which will gradually grow in length
each pleasant day. The sweet-scented leaves have mostly
fallen, but the plant has an agreeable perfume all winter.
One of the most interesting plants for winter study is the
Alder, Alnus rugosa. The branches are a metallic-gray,
terminated with clusters of sterile catkins, which are now
reddish brown and about an inch in length. The fertile
clusters are the same color, but much smaller, and below
the sterile ones. Both kinds are destitute of wrappings,
while the gray leaf-buds have scaly coverings. During a
warm spell in winter the catkins visibly elongate, some-
times in a few hours, often to be speedily checked by sud-
den cold. The old fertile catkins help to decorate the plant
all winter ; they resemble clusters of small cones and are
filled with seeds, which readily scatter with handling. The
Fringe-tree is a uniform gray, the new growth in no way
differing from the old, and the buds are scarcely percepti-
ble at this time, but by February there will be a marked
change in their appearance. Four species of Ilex help to
enliven the Pines ; the well-known Holly and Inkberry are
evergreen, while the Winterberries, I. verticillata and I.
leevigata, lose their foliage, but hold the bright red berries
all winter.
Situated near large cities as we are, our Pines begin to
show the devastating effects produced by the demand for
Christmas green each year. The Mistletoe has almost
entirely disappeared, and the Holly is fast following in its
wake. Last year even my garden was invaded, and three
Hollies full of fruit were almost entirely ruined by vandals,
who with axes hacked off branches as high as they could
reach. A reward for ot apprehension failed to bring the
onan fo i justice. Nae Tee
How clean and hardy and wholesome is the Shrub Oak now,
tenacious of its leaves, which shrivel not but retain a certain
wintry life, not wrinkled and thin, like those of the White Oak,
but full-veined and plump, sun- -tanned above to the fast color
that Nature loves, the color of the deer and of the cow, and
silver-downy beneath towards the russet fields.—7/oreaw.
Garden and Forest.
493
Notes on the Flora of a Prairie State.
I,—THE DIAMOND WILLOW IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
ERHAPS the most characteristic woody plant of the
region drained by the upper Missouri is the so-called
Diamond Willow. The peculiar clumps of this Willow,
Salix cordata, make one of the most prominent features of
the vegetation along the watercourses of the region. They
may be seen standing at the water's edge, forming a strik-
ing fringe to the winding stream, or along the margins of
the moister sloughs and the bayous of “the low bottoms,
and these bayous are usually formed by the changes
which take place in the course of the bed of the stream.
This Willow always grows in these characteristic clumps,
which are formed by the development of sprouts from the
original plant. In the larger clumps the first or oldest stem
is usually dead or dying, and the gradual formation of the
group of stems can be traced in the successive growth of
new shoots which has plainly taken place. The main stem
may reach a diameter at the base of from three to eight,
or rarely twelve or fourteen, inches before dying. The
height attained may vary from ten to thirty feet, depending
largely upon the conditions under which the plant has
developed. These clumps may consist of from three or
four to several hundred stems each.
The bark of the young growing plants is gray and quite
smooth at first, becoming more or less broken and darker
in color as the stems become older. The young twigs may
be either smooth or pubescent. The sapwood is white, and
in the older plants is quite thin as compared with the
heart-wood, which is firm, of areddish color and very dura-
ble. The settlers regard it as very valuable for fuel, stakes,
rails, etc. Posts made from it are said to be as lasting as
those from Red Cedar. In eastern Nebraska and western
Iowa this Willow has been quite highly prized for use as
stakes in rail fences. I have known stakes and rails to be
in constant use for over twenty years.
Many theories ‘have been advanced to explain the origin
of the so-called diamonds which form on the stem. It
seems quite likely that their origin is mainly physiological,
and that their formation is influenced largely by certain
physical conditions or phenomena. When the shoot is
growing rapidly and is not too badly crowded, few or no
diamonds are formed ; but when growth is less vigorous
and the branches get too thick and begin to die off, crowded
out by their stronger neighbors, the formation of the dia-
monds begins. While these markings vary greatly in size
and shape, the general outline is that of an ellipse, pointed
at each end, with the branch in the middle and the long
diameter parallel with the axis of the stem of the plant,
The best explanation of the formation of these diamonds
seems to be that when a twig dies the combium tissue also
dies for some distance about its base; a mass of firm, pro-
tective tissue is formed at the edge of this area, and each
season, as the stem grows, instead of healing over the
wound, the growing tissue is forced back further and fur-
ther and the diamond keeps increasing in size. The bark
usually adheres very closely to the wood over the dead
area and thus helps to prevent the tissues from growing over
the wound. It seems that certain insects may aid in the
formation of these markings ey killing the branches or bor-
ing into the wood about their bases. The diamonds are
alwa ays more numerous on a slow-growing stem than on
one that has been thrifty and of rapid growth. It is not
sor paae! that the rigorous climate of the upper Missouri
valley has something to do with these peculiar deformities.
The excessive development of these areas seen on many
of the stems gives them very odd shapes. Sometimes the
diamonds may be arranged quite regularly on four sides of
a stem, causing it to take on a quadrangular outline; at
other times they may be on three, or even two sides;
again, they may be scattered irregularly over the entire
surface for a considerable distance, and then be almost
entirely wanting over a like area. It isnot an uncommon
thing to find a large stem so flattened in places as to have
494
a short diameter of but one or two inches, while the long
diameter may be many times as great. Perhaps the same
stem may be quite regularly cylindrical a few feet above
and below this place.
The Diamond Willow occurs more or less plentifully
throughout the entire state of South Dakota. Specimens
are in the college herbarium from many localities in the
Big Stone region, the Sioux Valley, the James Valley, the
Missouri Valley, the Cheyenne Valley and the Black Hills.
It is particularly abundant in the valleys of the Sioux and
the Missouri rivers.
In eastern Nebraska, where this Willow is also quite
common, it is often called Red Willow. It does not form
diamonds so abundantly here as it does in Dakota.
State Agricul. College, Brookings, Neb. Thomas A. Wilhams.
The Papaw, Asimina triloba.
HE papaw is one of our native fruits which are com-
paratively unknown outside the region to which it is
indigenous. Horticultural writers have either overlooked
it or have known so little of it that they avoid the subject.
With the possible exception of Wheeling, West Virginia, and
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, none of our cities ever offer it in
their markets. Why this should be it is hard to say, for
persons familiar with it, as grown and ripened in our native
woods, prize it more highly than any of the tropical fruits
sold by city venders. Perhaps this home demand con-
sumes a large percentage of the natural product, and thus
keeps it a rarity in the markets.
I believe it is generally supposed that the papaw is pecu-
liarly a southern fruit and that it cannot be grown far north ;
this is a mistake, however, as its natural distribution is
quite well northward, the tree being found indigenous in
the province of Ontario. Itis also native to sections of
New York, Pennsylvania and the states to the southward,
and in Massachusetts and New York it has been suc-
cessfully fruited under cultivation. The specimens pro-
duced in Massachusetts are said to be small in comparison
to the average size of the same fruit farther south. The
tree in its northern home is reported to be perfectly hardy,
however, and to have borne fruit since it was ten or twelve
years from the seed. At the time the above report was
made the tree was thirty-five years of age.
In New Jersey, upon the grounds of Mr. Carman, editor
of The Rural New-Forker, this tree has been growing for
more than twenty years, the tree having originally been
taken from the forest. The most remarkable specimen of
this tree under cultivation is presumably one located upon
the grounds of Thomas Meehan & Sons, of Philadelphia.
These trees are now more than forty feet in height and a
foot in diameter. Other large specimens are spoken of in
Ohio, but, as usually met with, the Papaw is a large shrub
or small tree, leading one to class it among shrubs rather
than trees, although it is a tree in every sense of the word,
but, unlike many of our fruit-producers, it bears its largest
crops, in proportion to its size, when quite young and ina
comparatively shrubby form.
The fruits are variable in size, ranging from two to six
inches in length and from one to two and a half inches in
diameter. The flesh is soft and pulpy, much resembling
that of an overripe banana; the rind is thin and adherent,
and is generally eaten with the pulp, which is very rich
and sweet—rather too sweet upon first acquaintance, but
not more so than some bananas. Instead of being seed-
less, as the tropical fruit, it contains a variable number of
large date-like seeds, the Papaw-seed being much larger
and more flattened than those of the date. The form of
the seeds, as well as their peculiar arrangement in the fruit,
is clearly shown in the illustration on page 495. As will
be seen in the section of the fruit, the seeds are arranged
in a double row, one upon each side of a slight median
mark shown on the fruit, and they are set in edgewise in
two ranks, except at the ends, where a single seed caps the
termination of the rows. In small fruits the two rows of
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 407.
seeds are less clearly marked and an uneven number of
seeds is more often found. A fruit three inches long will
not infrequently contain seven good-sized seeds.
The surface of the shell of the seed is glossy as though
varnished, and in texture is as hard as horn, being quite
indestructible in contact with the soil. They have fre-
quently been plowed up in fields where they have lain
twenty years or more and apparently as sound at the end
of that period as when first buried. It is Nature’s method
to plant these seeds in the fall, and if we are to be success-
fulin propagating the tree from seeds we must imitate
Nature closely and plant them as soon as possible, after
removing them from the fruits, or stratify them in the sand
and plant the succeeding spring.
The Papaw is said to be a difficult tree to transplant suc-
cessfully from the forest, nevertheless we know many
instances where such removals have proved satisfactory.
Like many other plants that have not been domesticated,
the Papaw is best transplanted when quite young and
small. The methods of propagating this tree deserve atten-
tion, for even in the wild plants we find great variations in
the size and season of ripening, and if this fruit is to be
brought under cultivation, of which it is certainly worthy,
we must find simple and practicable methods of perpet-
uating varieties. At present our only resource is to grow
plants from seed or from layers. By the first method we
can only expect valuable offspring, while the second method
is a slow and unprofitable way of increasing tree-fruits.
The art of budding and grafting this plant is, so far as I
can learn, unknown.
Besides its value as a fruit-bearing plant, the Papaw oc-
cupies no mean place among ornamental species, and in
this particular it is more widely known than as a producer
of fruit. Its peculiar and attractively colored flower-clus-
ters, appearing before the leaves in the spring, would be a
pleasing novelty for the lawn ; its large leaves, often a foot
in length and four to six inches in width, give it an effect of
tropical luxuriance ; and after these have fallen the spheri-
cal furry buds of a rich brown color contrast very pleas-
ingly with the soft drab of the bark. One can hardly
understand why a native plant possessing as many worthy
features as this one should have remained so long in the
background. L. C. Corbett.
West Virginia Experiment Station.
New or Little-known Plants.
Philadelphus Falconeri.
NDER this name there was received at the Arnold
Arboretum, in 1881, from the Parsons’ Nursery, in
Flushing, New York, the plant which is figured on page
497 of this issue.
have not seen it in any European garden or herbarium. It
is certainly not an American species, and is, perhaps, only
a monstrous form of the widely distributed and variable
Philadelphus coronarius of the Himalayas and western
Asia. From some Japanese forms of this plant it differs
only in its more acute calyx-lobes and in its elongated,
narrow petals, which distinguish this plant from all other
species of Philadelphus. The fact that about thirty years
ago many plants were sent by Hogg and by Hall to the
Parsons’ Nursery from Japan gives some ground for the
belief that Philadelphus Falconeri is of Japanese origin, or
that it is a Chinese plant cultivated by the Japanese in their
gardens, for it is not now known to Japanese botanists.
Philadelphus Falconeri, a name which is only used pro-
visionally and until something more of the history and
origin of this plant can be determined, is a beautiful shrub
here, with spreading stems, eight or ten feet tall, and ovate-
acute, smooth, glabrous three-nerved leaves furnished above
the middle with afew minute remote teeth, andabout two and
a half inches long. The flowers are fragrant and are borne
in few-flowered lax panicles, on elongated slender, glabrous
pedicels, and are about an inch long, with ovate-acute
Of its origin nothing is known, and I
a I UP a) et in
DECEMBER II, 1895.]
glabrous calyx-lobes rather less than half the length of the
narrowly obovate acute white petals. The fruit is not dis-
tinguishable from that of Philadelphus coronarius, except
in the rather longer calyx-lobes.
Philadelphus Falconeri is a hardy and graceful shrub
and one of the most distinct and beautiful members of a
genus distinguished for abundant handsome and fragrant
flowers. Our illustration, which is made from a plant in
the Arnold Arboretum, is published to draw the attention of
gardeners to a valuable hardy shrub which is still little
known, with the hope that it may lead to some informa-
tion with regard to its origin. CSS
Garden and Forest.
495
Crus-galli, the winter buds, flowers and leaves resembling
those of that species, but the fruit is certainly very distinct
in form and color and in the consistency of the flesh, and
it is, perhaps, a hybrid in which Crateegus Crus-galli has
played an important part, but, whatever its origin or rela-
tionship, Crateegus Carrieri is a beautiful hardy little tree,
and one of the most desirable of all plants that bear showy
winter fruit.
Plant Notes.
OXYDENDRUM ARBOREUM.—The Sorrel-tree, or Sour-wood,
presents a pleasing appearance at this season in regions
Fig. 67.—1. Fruit of the Papaw, Asimina triloba.
Cratz#cus Carriert.—This Thorn is now well established
in the Arnold Arboretum, where it is covered this year with
fruit; this is oblong, about three-quarters of an inch long,
bright scarlet and very lustrous, hanging on long stems in
open few-fruited clusters. This tree originated in the Jardin
des Plantes, in Paris, and is said to have been raised from
a seed of Crateegus Mexicana which Carriere had planted
when he was at the head of the nursery department of that
establishment. It was first described by him in 1883 in
the Revue, Horticole, where a beautiful colored plate repre-
sents the flowering and fruiting branches. Crateegus Car-
rieri has generally been considered a form of Crategus
2. Section of fruit. 3. Seeds.—See page 494.
where it assumes tree-form, from the beauty of its deeply
furrowed gray bark and its reddish bronze and orange-
colored branchlets. \ In the northern part of New England,
however, it is rarely more than a shrub, although in the
southern Alleghany region it is a graceful and slender tree
fifty or sixty feet tall, In spring, as they unfold, the
shining leaves are a bronzy green; when fully grown they
are large, bright green and lustrous, and in the autumn
they turn to colors which rival those of the Dogwood and
Tupelo. In fact, in the splendor of its autumn foliage it is
not excelled by any American tree. Its flowers, which
appear in midsummer, are pure white, bell-shaped, a quar-
496
ter of an inch long, borne in a spreading panicle of one-
sided drooping racemes at the end of the leaf-branches of
the year, and, from their shape, arrangement and color,
the Oxydendrum is often called the Lily-of-the-valley Tree.
In autumn, among the glowing foliage, the racemes of
yellow fruit add to its general interest. The tree was
grown in England as early as the middle of the last cen-
tury, and yet it is a comparatively rare inhabitant of
_ American gardens, although there is no reason for this
neglect. It is easily raised from seed ; it is not difficult to
transplant and it is hardy as far north as Boston. Its leaves
are subject to few injuries by insects or fungi; its flowers
appear at a season when few other trees are in bloom ;
the splendor of its autumn colors is unsurpassed so that
there are few of our small trees which better deserve atten-
tion. It is often sold in nurseries as Andromeda arborea.
Oxydendrum is a monotypic genus, consisting of this sin-
gle American iree. The generic name was given to the
tree on account of the pleasant acid taste of the leaves.
Tecoma Capensis.—This is a useful greenhouse climber,
and it is especially valuable because it can be kept low
and bushy when this is desirable. It flowers at different
seasons of the year, but particularly during late winter and
early in spring. The bright color of its flowers renders it
particularly attractive at this season when highly colored
flowers are scarce. They are produced in clustered racemes
from the apex of ripened side-shoots, measuring more than
two inches in length, and are of a bright orange-scarlet
color, with a more slender tube than those of T. radicans.
The foliage is evergreen, but resembles that of our native
Trumpet Flower, and a bright shining greenin color. This
plant should be grown in comparatively small pots, so that
the ripening of the flowering branches will be hastened
and the plant become sturdy and bushy. It is possible to
grow it as a climber, but it is more profitable to shorten
all long branches during the growing season, thereby en-
couraging the formation of flowering side-shoots. The
best soil for itis a rich fibrous loam, with an addition of
well-rotted manure. During the summer the plants may
be placed in the open air with the pots sunk in the ground
in an open and sunny position. During this period water-
ing should be carefully attended to, but not overdone. This
Tecoma is propagated by cuttings of ripe wood in a shel-
tered position out-of-doors in summer, or by herbaceous
cuttings which root in a few days when placed in bottom-
heat and kept moist at any time of the year. For many pur-
poses this is one of our best greenhouse and house plants.
The foliage in itself is very pleasing, and when the beauti-
ful flowers appear the effect is highly ornamental. When
grown in a house the sunniest window and the most airy
apartment is best for the development of its full beauty.
Beconia Saunpersit.—None of the shrubby Begonias sur-
pass this species in grace of form. It is tall, with slender
stems and obliquely cordate leaves of a deep glossy green
on slender petioles an inch long. The flowers are borne
in immense cymes on very long and slender peduncles
from the axils of the upperleaves. Male and female flowers
are produced on separate cymes. The former have six
petals, almost obovate in outline, half an inch or more in
length; the male flowers have only four petals and are
rather smaller. The color is a very bright rose, and the
effect of a good specimen in full flower is exceedingly
pleasing. It flowers late in summer and continues in
bloom during autumn and early winter.
Mirtronra Crowesu.—Among the dainty Orchids known
as Miltonias, this is, perhaps, the most picturesquely beau-
tiful. It is a tropical Brazilian plant, and should be grown
in the warmest section of the Orchid-house in a half-shady
position. During the growing season, like all other Mil-
tonias, it requires plenty of water, and it does not resent a
little manure-water now and then. It is generally grown in
shallow pans or pots in peat and sphagnum, preferably with
an addition of charcoal. The flowers are borne on long nod-
ding peduncles in loose racemes. They measure three
inches or more across. The petals and sepals are spread-
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 407.
ing, long, linear or slightly lanceolate, with the edges turned
back in the middle ; yellow, barred with rich brown, well-
marked blotches. The lip is entire, cordate; purple, with
a conspicuous white apex. The leaves are long and grace-
ful, produced from ovate, smooth pseudo-bulbs, from the
base of which a number of white, thread-like aérial roots
add, in their way, to the beauty of the plant. It flowers
during the autumn months.
Cultural Department.
Irrigation in New England.
NCOMMONLY dry seasons, like the one we have lately
experienced, naturally suggest the subject of irrigation,
and some persons have come to feel that although this may
not be a necessity among the hills of the north-east as it is
in the plains of the west, nevertheless some method of arti-
ficial watering would often pay in the middle and New
England states. Mr. J. H. Hale has asserted that the
time will come when the streams of New England will be
of more value to agriculture than they ever have been to
manufacturing, and in the late number of the Hartford
Courant he describes a project for using a little brook that
runs among the hills in a distant part of his farm to help
out his crops in time of drought, as follows :
The main features of the plan are a small reservoir up
among the hills, which forms a sort of pocket for a lively
brook which has never been known to go dry, and a line of
pipe of a little over 5,000 feet, practically a mile, with a fall of
107 feet from the reservoir to the house. Instead of carrying
the main by the shortest and most direct route, as soon as the
grade will permit itis turned off and follows along the ridges
of the farm, which form a sort of backbone all the way down
to the street. About every two hundred feet along this line
hydrants are being put in, and from these water can readily be
carried on the surtace of the ground in two or three directions
in every instance, and it is believed that there is sufficient water
to thoroughly irrigate from twenty-five to thirty acres of land
by surface irrigation in this way, the contour of the land and
the character of the soil being such that water can be run down
between the rows of plants and trees, so as to give avery even
and satisfactory distribution. An enterprise of this kind, of
course, is quite an expense for a single farm, but through
neighborhood coéperation a very much larger pipe could have
been put down in the same ditch, and by building a heavier
dam and a greater storage reservoir there is no reason why
just such a little stream as this might not be made to irrigate
a half-dozen or more farms in its immediate vicinity.
Grapes under Glass.
A® a general rule, the black varieties of grapes are prefera-
ble to the white ones for growing indoors and especially
for market, where they usually bring the top price. Neverthe-
less, no black grape has yet been introduced which excels the
White Muscat of Alexandria in flavor and general good quali-
ties as a table grape. But, assuming that the same price could
be obtained for such varieties as Black Hamburg, it would not
pay the market grower to grow Muscat of Alexandria, as it is a
much harder grape to handle, being shy both of setting and
stoning, and is never such a certain cropper. It requires, too,
a higher temperature all through to bring it to perfection. We
often see these two above-named varieties grown together in
an early house, where the black does fairly well, but for early
work, if a white grape is really desired, I should prefer to sub-
stitute Buckland Sweetwater, as it ripens from two to three
weeks earlier than the Muscat, and this means a great deal at
the beginning of the season. Although the Buckland Sweet-
water is a very good grape, it does not possess the high quali-
ties of the other, and in substituting it we sacrifice several
points in quality for the sake of earliness. For the second
house we should commend Black Hamburg for market, but
for private use we would add a few rods each of Muscat Ham-
burg and Mandersfield Court for black, and Muscat of Alexan-
dria for white. Mandersfield Court is an excellent grape, but
it bursts badly, a trouble which can be prevented either by
girdling with a stout string or cutting the shoot half through a
little below the bunch. This bursting takes place when the
berries are nearing ripeness, and when the first signs of it are
observed some means must at once be taken to check the flow
DECEMBER 11, 1895.]
of sap. This a good keeping variety,and may also be used, if
desired, in a late house, but for late work, either for market or
home use, it is hard to find two better grapes than Barbarossa
and Gros Colman. For keeping qualities, Lady Downes is
probably the best late grape ; it is alsoan excellent table grape,
but both bunch and berry are small compared with the two
foregoing varieties. Kos
ee ae N. Y. Witliam Scott.
Notes from the Missouri Botanical Garden.
@* a two-year-old seedling stock of Robinia Pseudacacia
from the nursery a cion of R. hispida was cleft-grafted
two years ago, and it now shows four strong, sturdy branches,
each four feet in length. Last spring the profusion of large,
deep rose-colored flowers made a splendid spectacle. We find
R. Pseudacacia an excellent stock to work on, because it con-
tinues a gradual growth from spring until the fall, and then
ripens up properly before winter. The only objection is that
in exposed situations the growths are apt to be broken off dur-
Fig 68.—Philadelphus Falconeri.—See page 494.
ing summeror fall by the wind. It would seem to be suitable for
forcing as a greenhouse-plant, where staking would overcome
this. It lasts in bloom from two to three weeks. Naturally
early-blooming plants are sought for forcing, but while this is
not quite as early as Deutzias or Syringas by trom five to thirty
days, according to season, still its delicacy of bloom, its foli-
age and possible ease of culture recommend the trial we intend
to give it.
The English horticultural journals, especially, have been
recommending the planting of early spring-flowering bulbs in
the lawn for years, but few persons here seem to adopt the
idea. We have always found it a good plan, and these spring
flowers are never more pleasing than when seen in the grass,
among the shrubberies or along the fences. Eight or ten in a
comparatively close group, here and there connected by others
wider apart, and now and then several boldly showing them-
selves scattered still further apart and leaving the general
group still further, is an effective way of planting. We attempt
to avoid all regularity and give a perfectly natural appearance.
When two kinds of bulbs are mixed together they frequently
Garden and Forest.
497
give a pleasing effect. Crocus and Hyacinths, Colchicums and
Ixias, Narcissus and Arums, losing themselves in each other,
are very charming, while Poet's Narcissus and Scilla campan-
ulata are fit companions amid the tall grass at their season of
bloom. Some of the spring bulbs and rhizomes we use for
this purpose, in addition to the above, are Eranthis, Chiono-
doxa, Erythronium, Galanthus, Scilla and Claytonia. Our
method of planting is to forcea crowbar into the soil, fill in one-
half or one inch of previously prepared soil of about the
consistency of that under the grass, place on the bulb,
fillin with thesame soil and step on it to complete the opera-
tion. Where the ground is well drained, leaf-mold is sometimes
used, but the stiff, almost impervious, clay that abounds here-
about forms a small water-trap in almost every such instance,
and consequently discourages this idea. In more thoroughly
drained or lighter soils half an inch of leaf-mold or sand
below the bulb would hasten root-growth.
Protecting for winter is now the main operation out-of-doors,
Nearly all herbaceous plants have a covering of from five to
eighteen inches of pine-needles. This is omitted when we
want to test the hardiness of any plant, and where
large areas are taken up by one well-established and
hardy species. But, even in the last instance, it does
no harm, and often prevents plants from being lifted
by the frosts, especially small and late-planted ones.
October was exceptionally dry, so much so that
the leaves of many shrubs and trees, instead of ripen-
ing and dropping as usual, shriveled and hung on to
the last moment. A heavy rainfall two weeks ago
and several warm and rainy days since have caused
many buds to swell, and one Silver Maple is almost
ready to burst into full bloom, This untimely forcing
must exert a bad influence upon the plant and re-
duce its vitality. Where the weather becomes gradu-
ally and steadily colder, plants may be protected as
soon as the average maximum temperature ranges
between twenty-five and forty degrees, according to
the individual subject. Covering too soon favors
undue activity of the sap, and a sudden and very
low drop in the temperature does the harm whicha
covering is used to prevent; its sole object being to
insure a comparatively uniform temperature and
avoid sudden changes from one extreme to the
other, the proper time to apply it is when set-
tled cold weather comes. Here at St. Louis, for
instance, I have seen for several days at a time a
summer temperature in January. Such weather,
especially when preceded by a good heavy rain,
tends to excite shallow-rooted plants into growth.
Thus far it has not been advisable to protect Roses.
Bedded-out bulbs have been mulched with an inch
or two of decomposed horse-manure to encourage
continuous root-action by preserving the warmth in
the soil. In spring, after the bulbs are removed,
this is dug in. In a few weeks, however, pine-
needles serve as the real winter mulch, Last win-
ter Genista Andreana died down to the snow-
level where. unprotected. Magnolia fcetida and
Xanthoceras sorbifolia usually have their branches
tied together, and are then wrapped in burlapping
or straw, always lightly to permit the air to freely
circulate through the branches, but still keeping them
as dark as possible. Xanthoceras does well here
without any protection, but occasionally the plants die
off mysteriously, like many Japanese plants. The
southern Magnolia is a shy bloomer out-of-doors
here. When protected as above and allowing it to stand
erect or bending down, and covered with Pine-needles, just as
Grapes are sometimes protected, is the usual method of attend-
ing tothis. If left unprotected during winter it drops its
upper leaves under the warm spring sunshine. oe
Bt Louis, Mo. > Emil Mische.
Spraying by Steam-power.
INCE spraying against insect and fungous enemies of plants
has come into practice, numerous devices have been used
for applying liquid poisons to trees and plants, but not until
recently has steam-power been tried to any extent. The
hand and power pumps now in use answer fairly well for
the orchard and garden, but the ravages of the Elm-leaf
beetle make necessary the use of powerful pumps to spray
the foliage of our giant Elms, for we must spray the Elms here
at the north if we wish to preserve them, In the southern
states, where the summer season is longer, defoliation, though
enervating to the trees, does not kill them, because another
498
set of leaves is produced, while in this latitude (about forty-one
degrees) trees do not come into leaf again, and complete de-
foliation for two seasons in succession kills them.
During July, in company with others, I visited the nur-
series of Stephen Hoyt’s Sons, at New Canaan, Connecticut,
to inspect a steam-power spraying outfit, consisting of an
ordinary steam engine of six-horse power and a double-acting
force-pump, which, with a tank holding 250 gallons, are
mounted on a platform wagon. Two lines of hose, each 100
feet long, and warranted to withstand a pressure of 200 pounds
to the square inch, are attached to the pump.
A man among the branches of the tree draws up the hose
with a stout cord, and fastens it to a limb, so that he is not
obliged to support the weight of the hose filled with liquid.
He Is then in a position to direct the spray to all parts of the
tree, two or three minutes at most being required to spray a
large tree. The spray strikes the under surfaces of the leaves,
where the insects usually feed. While two trees are being
sprayed, men climb two adjacent trees, thus keeping the whole
force well occupied.
There are many large old Elmson Mr. Hoyt’s estate which have
been sprayed for two seasons with this machinery ; some with
Paris green, others with “slug-shot,” and all were in good leaf.
Other trees close by which were not treated looked brown and
dead, so complete was their defoliation. Mr. L. O. Howard
finds arsenate of lead the best poison to use against the Elm-
leaf beetle. By adding a little glucose to the solution it will
adhere to the foliage for along time. Though the pump and
engine were not mounted upon a wagon at the time of our
visit, Mr. Hoyt operated it for our benefit. Water was thrown
in a perfect spray against the gable of a large barn between
thirty and forty teet trom the ground. Several different nozzles,
including the Nixon, Vermorel, McGowen and graduated gar-
den nozzle, were attached. Of these the McGowen was the
most satisfactory in every particular.
The engine is used for many other purposes about the farm,
such as cutting ensilage, sawing wood, threshing and other
work where power is needed. During our visit we saw it
utilized for unloading hay.
At present there seems to be an opening for a limited num-
ber of enterprising young men to take up spraying as a busi-
ness. As it is, only the larger fruit-growers and gardeners can
afford to equip themselves with elaborate and expensive ma-
chines, but there is a vastly greater class who would also spray if
this could be done cheaply and in season. It would require
but a small capital to procure an outfit for all kinds of work.
But the man who takes up spraying as a business should pos-
sess a thorough knowledge of the use of insecticides and fun-
gicides as well as an acquaintance with the life-histories of the
insect and fungous enemies which he tries to combat. This
information can easily be obtained from our agricultural col-
leges and experiment stations, and there is no reason why the
spring and summer seasons, at least, might not be fully occu-
pied in spraying trees and plants against the attacks of different
insects and fungi. ,
Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn. W. E. Britton.
Dipladenia Boliviensis.—The Dipladenias are not particularly
free-flowering plants, but this species, although one of the
smallest of the genus, flowers quite freely. It blooms when
quite small, and it is rather a straggling shrub than a climber,
and it makes graceful little plants when well cultivated. The
leaves are leathery, shining green, oblong-acuminate, about
three inches long. The flowers are produced in few-flowered
terminal or axillar clusters, and measure three inches in length.
The funnel-shaped five-lobed corolla is of the purest white,
with a rich orange-yellow throat. Segments nearly trapezi-
form in outline, of a waxy texture. The flowers are produced
sparingly throughout the summer and last long in perfection.
This fine species will do well under ordinary greenhouse
treatment in a rich fibrous soil and well-drained pots.
Newark, N. J. Li FF cure:
Arbutus Unedo.—The Strawberry Tree, as this plant is often
called on account of the slight resemblance of the fruit to a
strawberry, is a native of the shores of the Mediterranean and
the west of Ireland. Its principal claim to the attention of the
gardeners of this country isits time of lowering, which is from
the end of November to the middle of January, when it makesa
very gorgeous display of its almost pure white nodding panicles
of flowers. There isa large plant of itin the conservatories at
the Botanic Garden in this city, which is yearly covered with
bloom, but, curiously enough, although it has been there over
twenty years it has never been known to bear fruit. This is
probably owing to the absence of insects at that time of the
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 407.
year. The fruit is quite as attractive as the flowers ; the color
is reddish yellow ; size about an inch in diameter, covered with
minute warty protuberances which give it a very fascinating
appearance. A good-sized plant, grown in a tub, is quite an
ornamental subject for outdoor decoration in summer, and
few plants are found more useful for winter flowering in a
cool greenhouse where there is abundance of head-room.
Cuttings taken about this season root before spring ina cool
house. The plants ought to be grown in soil containing a
liberal quantity of peat and sand.
Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W. O.
Correspondence.
Does Size Affect the Flavor and Color of Fruits ?
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—It is generally believed by horticulturists that large size
in fruits is attained at the expense of high color and fine flavor.
Although this opinion is commonly accepted, it does not stand
the test of philosophical reasoning or of a comparison of these
merits in the various varieties of fruits. It is interesting to
note that this opinion is probably the outcome of the theories
of Goethe and St. Hilare, who maintained that every plant has
a sum of activity, within which all variations must take place,
and that a marked variation in one direction must be at the
expense of some other part. It is now supposed that a plant
can be made to vary progressively in allits parts, which means
that vigor, size, fruitfulness, good color, etc., can be combined
in the same individual.
It may be said further that a comparison of the quality and
size of small varieties, with the same qualities in large varie-
ties, cannot be made, because only those small varieties which
have a special merit in their high color or fine flavor have
been profitable to propagate, while hundreds of unprofitable
small varieties have been thrown away. On the other hand,
it may pay to propagate a large variety, because of its size, and
consequently many such apples as the Ben Davis and Twenty
Ounce are grown, though both are inferior in flavor.
A study of the fruit catalogue of the Michigan Horticultural
Society for 1894-95 gives opportunity to show proof that large
size may coexist with fine flavor. In this list the fruits are
described according to size, color and form and their special
value for dessert, cooking and market, each quality being
marked on a scale of ten.
There are thirty-two dessert apples which rank nine and ten,
five of which are large, four medium to large, fifteen medium,
four medium to small, three small and one undescribed. Of
the two apricots, one is large and one very large. Of the seven
best blackberries, six are large and one medium. Of the
twelve cherries, six are large, two very large and four
small; and a similar uneven relation exists in the other
varieties of fruits described. The figures, therefore, seem
to show that large size and fine flavor are entirely unre-
lated ; that size and color are unrelated, and that a large pro-
portion of the large apples and other fruits ranked nine and
ten for dessert are both high-colored and fine-flavored.
Cornell University. G. Harold Powell.
Notes from Brookline, Massachusetts.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—During a recent visit to private gardens in Brookline,
Massachusetts, I noticed in the fine collection of tropical plants
belonging to Dr. C. G. Weld a beautiful specimen of the some-
what uncommon’ Pavetta Borbonica. This handsome plant
has leaves opposite, lanceolate, dark glossy green, about one
foot long, and dotted with spots of lighter green, and is useful
for dinner-table decoration. It belongs to the Rubiacez, to
which also belong the Ixora and the Cinchona, and is a native
of the Isle of Bourbon. Draczna Baptisti and D. magnifica
are two handsome varieties of the bronzy leaved type, and are
here represented by two well-grown specimens. There are
also large specimens of Kentia Belmoreana, K. Fosteriana and
K. australis. Curculigo recurvata, in the green and white
variegated forms, is indispensable in any grouping of plants
for effect. Broken into single crowns and potted into six-inch
pots, it makes specimens of convenient size. It should bea val-
uable market plant when grown in this way. Its Palm-like
growth and endurance of rough usage makes it valuable also
as a house-plant. Its general appearance does not indicate its
family relationship with the Amaryllids, but an examination of
its six-parted yellow flowers and the position and structure of
its seed capsule proves it. Itisa native of the East Indies.
DECEMBER IT, 1895.]
Among hard-wooded plants, otherwise known as Australian
plants, there is here a grand specimen of Acacia Drummondii.
Its long tassels of yellow flowers are borne in the axilsof the
palmately pinnate leaves near the ends of the branches. A. cultri-
tormis, with knife-shaped phyllodia of glaucous hue, is repre-
sented by a large specimen which promises abundant bloom.
The globular flowers are borne in bunches near the ends of the
branches. In A. heterophylla the phyllodia are small and very
darkgreen. This forms a handsome small bush, blooming
quite freely for a foot or more along the stems.
The new hybrid Streptocarpuses are becoming common,
and their gloxinia-like flowers in blue and white shades
are effective in small vases with a little green. An uncom-
mon Aroid, Nephthytis picturata, is worthy of note, the white
variegation of the leaves taking the form of a Fern-like
frond.
At Mr. J. T. Gardiner’s there is a choice collection of Cypri-
pediums. All the varieties of the C. insigne type now in
bloom are especially good in markings. I was too early tosee
C. Sanderianum, which is about to bloom for the first time in
this country. C. Chamberlainianum was shown at the spring
show in Boston, and is still flowering on the same spike. Eight
blooms have opened, and three more buds are to come. The
dorsal sepal is very light green in color; the petals are narrow,
twisted, purple, spotted with brown. A neat little plant of
Asparagus deflexus shows a comparatively new decumbent
habit, and is apparently well suited for pillar or rafter work.
Cocos Weddelliana, one of the most beautiful small Palms, is
seldom seen so well grown as here. The Australian plants,
which were the late Mr. Atkinson’s pride, look uncommonly
well under the care of Mr. Thatcher, who was Mr. Atkinson's
assistant here for several years. Genista Andreana has re-
cently been added to the collection. This handsome brown and
yellow flowered Broom, from Normandy, makes a most effec-
tive plant for grouping. The Heaths in flower at the time of
my visit in November were Erica Cavendishii, yellow; E. Me-
lanthera, small pink flowers with black anthers, and E. ven-
tricosa, pink, and the type of the closed corolla group. The
Cherokee Rose, in a cool house overhanging a Lily tank,
seems perfectly at home and promises an enormous crop ot
bloom, as also does the Yellow Jessamine of the southern
United States, Gelsemium sempervirens, The collection of
Phalzeonopsis improves every year, and the plants are now the
best to be seen anywhere. They include P. Schilleriana,
P. amabile and P. Stuartii. They are grown at the warm end
of a Cucumber-house, in moisture and heavy shade. The
same conditions, with somewhat less shade, appear to suit a
fine lot of Eucharis Amazonica, which promise to bloom well
during the early spring months. In the cool Orchid-house,
plants of Odontoglossum Alexandre are bristling with flower-
spikes, and a few are already in bloom.
Fyellecley, Mass. y LD: Hatfield.
Late-flowering Golden-rods.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST :
Sir,—I notice a reference to this subject on page 458. Here
at Las Cruces, New Mexico, as late as November 15th, after
some severe frosts, I was pleased to find Solidago Canadensis
in flower, and got from it the last bees of the season, a male
Halictus pectoraloides and a female Halictus ligatus.
Agricul. Expt. Station, Mesilla Park, N. M. T. D. A. Cockerelt.
Keeping Grapes through the Winter.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—I have read the remarks in your issue of November
13th, regarding the keeping of grapes through the winter
with great interest. The method you describe is hardly suf-
ficient for our purposes without further precautions, on account
of our warmer climate and the greater delicacy of most of our
grapes. If kept ina dry place, with the precautions you men-
tion, our grapes will keep till December or January, but by that
time, if still sound, they become wilted and dried almost to
raisins. In order, therefore, to keep them in a perfectly fresh
state till spring orsummer, they must be surrounded by a moist
atmosphere; then the only difficulty to contend with is their
liability to mold. The Agricultural Experiment Station of
Berkeley is now experimenting on methods of preventing the
development of molds without injury to the grapes. It is yet
too soon to predict the results, but the indications are at present
in favor of the use of alcoholic or sulphurous vapors. On the
termination of the present series of experiments we hope to
Garden and Forest.
499
be able to give more definite results for the guidance of
growers. - :
fF. T. Bioletti.
Viticultural Department, Berkeley, Calif.
Recent Publications.
Sir Dietrich Brandis contributes to the Journal of the
Linnean Society of London a systematic account of the
Dipterocarpaceee, a family of tropical Asiatic trees and
shrubs, which he groups in five tribes, sixteen genera and
three hundred and twenty-five species, although, in view
of the imperfect knowledge of the vegetation of the Phil-
ippine Islands, portions of Borneo, Siam and New Guinea,
the author believes that it is not unreasonable to suppose
that not more than one-half, or, perhaps, two-thirds, of the
members of the family are known.
An interesting peculiarity of the trees of the order is that
several of the species are gregarious, forming sometimes
nearly pure forests of great area in which one species has
overmastered all other trees. In the tropical forests of
south-eastern Asia the trees of this family play the part
which in this country belongs to Pines and Oaks, Spruces
and Firs. The most remarkable of the gregarious species
is, perhaps, the Sal, Shorea robusta, the most valuable tim-
ber tree of northern India. This great tree forms pure, or
nearly pure, forests at the foot of the Himalayas from the
Punjab to Assam, and in a climate and soil which suit it
no other tree can compete with it. This ascendancy Sir
Dietrich ascribes to the fact that the seeds ripen at the
commencement of the rainy season after the forest fires of
the hot season have passed over the country. Theseeds are
produced in great abundance nearly every year, and ger-
minate quickly. The leaves of the seedling plants are
large, and are thus able to choke other seedlings which
may spring up among them, and when the ground is
burnt over by the jungle fires the following season the
seedlings, or most of them, are strong enough to send up
fresh shoots when the rains come. The young Sal, more-
over, supports shade and will live for years under the dense
shade of grass, bushes or other trees.
Sir Dietrich points out as a remarkable fact that two
natural orders of woody plants, Coniferee and Dipterocar-
pacez, whose species often form pure forests, produce resin-
ous substances on a large scale in the leaves and deposit
them in the wood, a complicated system of resin ducts
being found in all parts of Dipterocarpacez as well as in
Coniteree. In the living tissue these substances are found
only in a liquid and oily condition, but in the old wood
solid crystalline masses are deposited.
One of the most important of recent contributions to
dendrological science, this paper will be read with interest
by botanists and foresters.
American Woods. By Romeyn B. Hough, Lowville,
New York.
Part VI. of this interesting series, like its predecessors,
contains sections of twenty-five different species of trees,
with the botanical characteristics of each and notes on their
properties and uses. All the trees represented in this
volume are natives of our Pacific coast, and some of the
sections, like those of the Madrofia, the California Buckeye
and the Mesquite, are of exceptional interest and beauty.
We have so often spoken of this work as its successive vol-
umes were issued that it is hardly necessary to repeat now
that each species is represented by three very thin sections
taken at different planes, one of these being described ap-
proximately as transverse, another radial and the third tan-
gential to one of the annual cylinders of growth, so that a
fair idea is presented of the color and grain of both the
heart and sap wood ofa given tree as they appear when cut
at different angles. These specimens and the accompany-
ing text have a real educational value. The sections are
so attractive in appearance that they make an appropriate
holiday gift for any bright boy or girl, and they will prove
a source of unfailing pleasure to both the old and the
young.
500
Notes.
Several trustworthy newspapers in this country andin England
having announced the untimely death of Mr. George M. Daw-
son, a brief obituary note, based on this report, appeared in
our last issue. Weare more than pleased to learn that Mr.
Dawson is still living, with the prospect of many useful and
happy years before him.
Pierre Notting, one of the most successful of the French
Rose growers and the originator of many of the best modern
hybrid Perpetual Roses, died on the 2d of November, in his
seventieth year.
Nature's Fashions in Lady’s-slippers is a trim little book in
stiff paper covers, published by Bradlee Whidden, of Boston,
which contains six reproductions from photographs of our
native Cypripediums, with a neatly printed page of text to ac-
company each picture.
Experiments have been made during ten years past with the
different varieties of Dwarf Juneberries at the lowa Experi-
ment Station, and four of them which have borne the largest
crops of the best fruit are now being sent out for trial. In size
and quality these berries are said to compare favorably with
Jarge-bush huckleberries.
Very rarely does the flowering Dogwood develop such an
abundance of fruitas it has this year in the neighborhood of this
city. In Central Park, and more especially in the wildwoods
in the upper end of Manhattan Island, where these trees are
abundant, the bright scarlet berries—three or four of them to-
gether at the extremity of every branchlet—make them the
most conspicuous feature in the foreground of every land-
scape.
We have heretofore spoken of the dwarf Sweet Pea, Cupid,
which Mr. Burpee, of Philadelphia, has put on the market. It
now appears that a Sweet Pea of similar character has origi-
nated in Germany and another in England. None of these
plants have any tendency to climb. That similar sports should
appear at the same time in different places is not uncommon.
Indeed, this coincidence has been noticed so often that one is
inclined to believe that it is in obedience to some natural law.
It is only a few years ago that at least three non-climbing varie-
ties of Lima Beans originated in different parts of this country
at about the same time.
An interesting bulletin on Forestry has just been issued by
Professor L. C. Corbett, of the South Dakota Experiment Sta-
tion. Among the valuable trees not injured in that region by
late spring frosts are noted the Wild Black Cherry, White
Birch and White Elm, while the species most injured by frost
are the European Larch, Black Walnut and Ash. The Wild
Cherry is one of the most promising species on the station
grounds, and only two trees are more highly recommended
for general planting, namely, the White Elm and the Green
Ash. Among conifers, Scotch Pine, Red Cedar and White
Spruce are recommended in the order named.
Bulletin No. 94 from the New York Agricultural Experiment
Station is really a little treatise on the feeding of plants, or, in
other words, on the elements of agriculture. It contains 130
pages, and although it is scientific in the best sense of the
word it is simple enough to be comprehended by any intelli-
gentfarmer. It is nota pamphlet to be hastily glanced over
and thrown away, but one to be studied by all who want to
know something of the constitution of plants, the chemistry of
their foods, the practical way of preparing fertilizers for them,
how to make the most of the materials on hand, and how to
buy most cheaply the plant-food which cannot be had at home.
The book contains many tables of permanent value and a first-
rate index, which largely increases its usefulness asa book of
reference.
The proportion of the apple supply exported is large enough
to cause a scarcity of highest grades for home use, and choice
King, Wine Sap and York Imperial now cost the retail buyer
$4.50 a barrel. During last week 22,378 barrels of apples were
sent abroad from this port, while the receipts for domestic use
comprised 38,596 barrels. Seedlingand Navel oranges are now
here from California, and moderate quantities of Florida
oranges and grape-fruit from sections of the state which
escaped the heavy freezes of last year. As much as $7.00a
box is paid for Florida oranges by wholesale dealers, three
times the price of a year ago. Muscat and Emperor grapes
still come from California, the latter almost as brightly colored
as Flame Tokays, which are now past. Persimmons, straw-
berries and tomatoes are also coming from the western coast.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 407.
The forests of eastern Asia are rich in Lindera, the genus to
which the Spice-bush of our northern swamps belongs, and
one of the species, L. sericea, is used for making toothpicks,
which are acceptable on account of the toughness of the wood
and their aromatic fragrance. According to the Chemist and
Druggist, an English paper, a new perfume, Kuromoji, which
is attaining some popularity among manufacturing perfumers,
is the essential oil of this plant. It seems that the oil is not
produced on a large scale by dealers, but by the small farmers
of Japan, each of whom distills the yields of the shrubs grow-
ing on his own estate. These stocks are bought by dealers at
various centres and mixed together, and therefore there is no
uniformity in the aromatic qualities of the product. L. sericea
is a small slender shrub, four or five feet high, and the oil is
derived from the young shoots and leaves, and its balsamic
odor is useful in perfuming soaps and other articles. It was
introduced into Europe as long ago as 1889.
Of dried fruits California apricots alone are in light supply,
but, notwithstanding there is almost no foreign competition this
year, prices have been unusually low, owing to excessive ship-
ments to points throughout this country and for export.
Wholesale dealers in this city are now offering evaporated
apples of fancy grades at seven and a quarter cents, sun-dried
eastern peaches at seven cents, cherries at ten cents, black-
berries at four cents, huckleberries at six and a quarter cents,
and raspberries at twenty cents a pound. Prunes sell for four
to seven and three-quarter cents a pound, according to size,
and apricots command thirteen and a half cents. Unpared
California peaches bring eight and a half cents, the pared
product being worth sixteen cents a pound. Since September
Ist, 462,724 packages of dried fruits have been shipped to this
market, 121,086 more than during the same period last year,
and 168,426 packages have been exported, an increase of 90,391
packages over a year ago.
It is well known that the most delicate portion of an arti-
choke is what is called the ‘ bottom,” or, botanically, the
receptacle from which the bracts spring. This receptacle in
most artichokes is comparatively small and mixed up with the
so-called “choke,” by which name the pappus of the inner-
most florets is designated. In some varieties this receptacle,
the fond d’artichaut, is thicker, more fleshy, and therefore
more toothsome than in the ordinary sorts, showing that it has
been developed at the expense of the succulent matter in the
scales. In Zhe Gardeners’ Chronicle for November 3oth is a
portrait of the Laon Artichoke, which shows a much larger
receptacle and thinner scales than those we are accustomed to
grow here. The writer of the text which accompanies this
illustration speaks of a visit to the trial-grounds of Monsieur de
Vilmorin, at Verriéres, where this variety was growing among
many others. The foliage is said to be distinct and hand-
some, with the bracts comparatively less succulent than in the
ordinary varieties. It is cultivated to some extent in England
as the Large Green Paris Artichoke. We have observed much
difference in this vegetable as grown in this country, but we
have never seen a head in which the receptacle was developed
to such an extent as this illustration shows. Monsieur de
Vilmorin states that this variety is not as early as others, but is
the best for general purposes. It comes true from seed, but is
best grown from offshoots. We should be glad to hear from
any one who has grown the true Laon Artichoke in this
country.
Robert Brown, who affixed to his name when writing upon
botanical subjects Campsteriensis, to distinguish him from the
other Robert Brown, died in London in October. He was
born in Caithness, Scotland, in 1842, and received the degree of
Doctor of Science from the University of Rostock, with a the-
sis on the North American species of Thuya and Libocedrus.
From 1861 to 1866 Dr. Brown traveled in America from Vene-
zuela and the West Indies to Alaska, visiting at this time the
then little-known interior regions of Vancouver’s Island and
southern Oregon. As one of the results of this journey he
published in the Zransactions of the Botanical Society of Edin-
éurgh a paper on some new and little-known species of Oaks
from north-western America, which he had collected in Ore-
gon; among them was the very distinct Quercus Sadleriana,
which he first described in this paper, although it had been
discovered by Jeffrey some years earlier. After his return to
Europe, Dr. Brown became a lecturer on geology in Scotland,
and then moved to London, where he produced a number of
popular works of science. He is chiefly interesting to
Americans as the author of the two papers we have already
referred to, and of an incomplete work on the forests of North
America, entitled Hore Sylvane,
DECEMBER 18, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE GARDEN AND FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
Orrick: Tripung Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted bys «2... ee « « « « Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Yo
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1895.
TABLE OF CONTENTS,
EpitoriaL ArticLes :—Municipal Art. dootfpenericc paccopen ts roscctmee
The Pepper-tree. (With figure). peices.
Some Notes on Timber-culture ........--0.0ee 00s arcisteinictetarely & se Waugh.
Vaccinium vacillans with White Fruit.. EB. ¥. Hill. 503
ForREIGN CORRESPONDENCE :—London Letter.. Ww Watson. 503
Prant Notes :—Chameedorea glaucifolia. (With fig LTE!) fic sie temeeate ateeeree vies O4
CuttruraL DepartTmMENT :—The Selection of Carna
-Lothrop Wight. 506
VidletiNotesscosstel aeuceosessentsirs
-W.N. Craig. 506
-W. EL Endicott. 507
. Robert Cameron. 508
Seasonable Garden Notes...
Notes on Begonias...
CoRRESPONDENCE :— Schools oR Horheultures Meeiieteteha sass awisie hbeatre Feats Louis Bevier. 508
RECENT “PUBLICATIONS «000 sesceseccccsscccesscicarscccsscccsscecccnsccsececevees 509
IN OTES saccvemiesceictels cise cisies salvicie ais Jia elplcinie cleteleleleiaeitics s- weet e'swis woe bee cnse seas 510
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Municipal Art.
T has never been contended, so far as we know, that an
‘election by the people to a municipal office entitles the
successful candidate to be considered a master of liberal
arts or an expert in the industrial arts. The man who is
made city Comptroller by the Mayor, or Commissioner of
Public Works, will hardly consider such an appointment
- equivalent to taking a degree in philosophy or the sciences,
or in mechanical engineering. In regard to the founda-
tions of a roadway ora bridge neither the Mayor nor the
Comptroller would consider that his official position justi-
fied him in acting against the advice of a board of civil
engineers, and even in some questions relating to the fine arts
city officials have been known to manifest some hesitation
before flouting the advice of men whose professional stand-
ing is recognized the world over. Thus, if a great public
building were to be constructed, a mayor or a commissioner
would probably consult an architect rather than attempt to
devise a plan himself. On the other hand, park commis-
sioners have often assumed to pass upon the artistic quali-
ties of statues and memorials presented to the city and
decide upon their location instead of referring these questions
to some expert of taste and training, and last week four
city officers and a representative of the Grand Army of the
Republic used their positions to decide a critical question
relating to the most important public monument ever
erected in this city, in direct opposition to the carefully
prepared counsel of every organized body of artists and art
critics in this city.
Now, it is very evident that if New York is to have any
municipal art worthy of the name we shall be indebted for
it to artists. If there is ever to be anything like a well-
considered scheme of decorative treatment for the city,
any individual works or related series of works which will
delight the eye and kindle the imagination, they will be
created by artists. No one considers it the duty of the
‘Comptroller or of the Recorder or the commander of the
Grand Army of the Republic to design such works or to
arrange them. No one would think of asking ex-officio
advice of any of them on a matter of art. If in any special
case they are clothed with final authority in matters of this
Garden and Forest.
501
sort it is quite as plainly their duty to refer them to trained
artists as it would be to refer a problem relating to
public buildings to an architect, or a question of law to the
Corporation Counsel. If it is argued that these men are in
certain cases entrusted by law with the decisions of such
matters, and that they must, therefore, act on their personal
responsibility, we reply that their action is in the nature of
a breach of trust if they do not decide according to the best
possible light they can get on the subject, and every public
officer ought to know where to look for such light.
‘The particular case to which we have alluded is this :
The Legislature of this state appropriated a quarter of a
million dollars for the erection of a memorial to the soldiers
and sailors of the War for the Union, to be erected at some
point designated by the Commissioners of Public Parks.
Legally appointed trustees of this fund asked permis-
sion to erect the monument on the Plaza at the Fifth Ave-
nue entrance of the park, and the Park Board, without
consulting Mr. Vaux, their official adviser, at once granted
it. Of course, this was a fundamental mistake, for since
none of the trustees nor the Park Commissioners have had
any such training as would give special weight to their
opinion as to the location of a work of art, they should
have at once asked for expert counsel. In some way the
matter was at length brought before the National Sculpture
Society, and this society, in connection with eight other
associations, which together have organized a central body
known as the Fine Arts Federation of this city, presented a
report last week to the Monument Committee, in which
another site is unanimously recommended. They took
pains to give reasons why the Plaza was an improper place
and why the point where Seventy-sixth Street and River-
side Park meet is in every way suitable. The Plaza is iden-
tified with the entrance of the park, and a lofty structure
there will inevitably destroy the effect of the lower gate-
ways which may in the future be built at this entrance.
The plaza is low, and the proper place for a column or
tower, such as is contemplated, should plainly be on higher
ground. The monument should be on the axis of broad
streets, instead of at one side of them, so that it could be
viewed at long distances within the city. It should be at
a point visible from the noble waterways which surround
the city, where there is sufficient space for ceremonial dis-
plays, both military and naval, and certainly where it
would not be dwarfed in stature as it would beon the plaza
by the tall buildings around it. If the structure were set
at the point recommended by the Fine Arts Federation it
would be visible from the Hudson River as far north as
Irvington ; it could be seen from Staten Island and over
the low grounds south of Jersey City as far away as Eliza-
beth, and the view from its summit would be magnifi-
cent. It would be a prominent object in the fore-
ground to all who cross the proposed Hudson River
bridge, and to every one who sails past it on the river. If
placed at the southern end of the drive, with General
Grant’s tomb at the opposite extremity, the two could be
connected by a series of monumental works which would
add to the dignity of this noble parkway from end to end.
These are a few of the points of this instructive report, but
we think no one can read it through without feeling the
convincing force of the array of arguments presented for
the site recommended by the Fine Arts Federation, and yet
of the six officials constituting the Monument Committee
only one was willing to heed their counsel.
Now, all the members of this committee are public-spirited
men, who are influenced solely, we do not doubt, by a
desire to serve for the highest interests of the city. They
are above any suspicion of vulgar self-seeking or other
improper motive, and yet from lack of respect for expert
advice their decision, if adhered to, will prove, as we
firmly believe, a matter of regret to the people of the city for
generations to come. If the artists are right in their view
of this subject, the mistake will appear more and more
serious as the years roll on. If the committee have any
justifying reasons for their course which do not naturally
502
suggest themselves to the people of the city, they ought to
be made public. This is a question in which every man,
woman and child of New York is deeply interested. The
arguments for the Riverside site have been plainly pre-
sented, and, so far as the reports of the meeting give any
details of the discussion, no attempt was made to contro-
vert them. Under the circumstances it is certainly due to
the people that the committee should make some state-
ment, setting forth their reasons for selecting the Plaza as
the site for this memorial.
The Pepper-tree.
UCH of the beauty of the streets and gardens of
southern California is due to the presence of this
South American and Mexican tree, the Schinus Molle of
botanists, which Spanish priests carried to California when
they established their first missions in upper California, and
is now the most commonly planted shade and ornamental
tree in all the region south of the Bay of San Francisco.
Schinus Molle is an aromatic tree of the family to which
our Sumachs belong, with a short stout trunk covered with
dark furrowed bark, a low broad head of graceful pendu-
lous branches, light bright greén persistent leaves, com-
posed of twenty or more pairs of small leaflets, minute
dicecious yellow-green flowers in large open panicles, and
bright red fragrant fruit, the size of small peas, hanging in
ample clusters. Our illustration on page 505 of this issue
shows one of the clusters of fruit with some leaves of this
tree which is now so much at home in California, and is
such a conspicuous feature of the southern California land-
scape that travelers from the east who are not botanists
usually regard it as a native of the soil and the typical
California tree—an excusable error, for it has been planted
in all the southern towns much more frequently than any
of the native trees.
Schinus Molle is an excellent street-tree for dry arid re-
gions, and it seems to flourish without water and to go on
producing its bright green foliage and its flowers and fruit
without much regard to the seasons. In wet weather the
leaves emit a pungent balsamic odor, due to the resin
glands with which they abound, and which, when the
leaves are placed in water, burst, giving them an ap-
parently spontaneous movement.
In Chili, Molina tells us, in his Sagg7o sulla s/oria naturale
de Chil, a kind of red wine of agreeable flavor, but very
heating, is prepared from the berries ; and from the bark
a dye of the color of burned coffee is obtained, which in
his time was used in Valparaiso to stain fish nets.
Some Notes on Timber-culture.
URING the summer and fall of 1895 I was enabled to
examine a number of the timber plantings in central
Kansas, especially in McPherson County, where a compar-
atively large number of timber-claims were taken. A
reasonably fair proportion of the land-titles were perfected
here under the provisions of the Timber-culture act ;
though, as has been noted before, the ratio of titles per-
fected to claims filed under this act has been sorrowfully
small. At present most of the plantings have attained an
age of twenty years or over, and something like a fair
judgment of results is possible.
In one timber-claim of the most recent planting which I
visited, the entire required ten acres are set in Osage Orange ;
and although the land is not really good and the location
in all respects unfavorable, the stand is almost perfect and
the young trees present a decidedly thrifty appearance.
Though the average height would certainly be less than
eighteen feet, the trees are straight in trunk and uniform
throughout. The trees, originally set four feet apart each
way, according to the law, are now ready for thinning.
Each alternate tree might properly be removed, and each
would make a good vineyard stake. Osage Orange also
compares very advantageously with adjacent trees of other
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 408.
species in another timber-claim which I examined, and where
the plantings were made longer ago under the old law which
required trees to be twelve feet apart each way. Many of
the trees here would make moderately good fence-posts,
though the trunks are by no means so straight and uniform
as in the block planted four feet apart. The advantage of
planting close at first is abundantly indicated by a compari-
son of these two blocks.
Black Walnut appeared in considerable quantity in three
of the claims examined. In all cases it commends itself to
those who yet wish to plant trees in that section. I was
able also to compare plantings of this tree made twelve
feet apart with others made closer, but, unlike the Osage
Orange, the Walnut seems to have done better when widely
set. This apparent discrepancy, however, I suspect, is
due to the fact that the closer plantings were not duly
thinned. In both the cases of thick planting which I noted,
the stage at which thinning should have begun has long
been passed. I observed a marked decline in vegetative
vigor in the crowded trees as compared with those near by
which had more room. A slight difference of moisture
supply and depth of soil occurring within a few feet had
also caused a most remarkable difference in growth among
the crowded Walnuts, showing how seriously the young
trees were exhausting their food-supply. The Walnut-trees
in this section of country have withstood the inclemencies
of heat and drought and wind in a very creditable fashion ;
and the posts and stakes now available from them make
them as valuable probably as any other species. It is also
worth while to remark that these trees have been bearing
fair crops of nuts since they became about ten years of age.
The great numbers of tent-caterpillars’ nets in the tree-tops
during summer and fall make them often unsightly, and
are otherwise a serious matter.
Cottonwoods were extensively planted all. over the sec-
tion visited. They probably made a large majority of all
the trees set in timber-claims, shelter-belts and plantings of
all sorts whatsoever, for the early Kansas planter took little
thought for the selection of any variety for any special
purpose. A tree was a tree, and the faster it would grow
the better he liked it; and nothing grew faster than the
Cottonwood. The showings made on prairie farms ina
few years were always surprising, but the time has already
been long enough to demonstrate plainly the weak points
of the Cottonwood. In all upland plantings the once thrifty
trees are already decimated, and the survivors are hurrying
to premature decay. In some places where, a few years
ago, Cottonwoods monopolized many acres, there is not
now a tree, and the land is cultivated annually for wheat
or corn, I examined two timber-claims on bottom-ground
where Cottonwoods had been chiefly planted, and in these
the stand was good and the trees large, straight and ap-
parently thrifty. Tree beside tree stood forty or fifty feet
tall, with straight clean trunk; but it must be borne in
mind that their value for almost any purpose is not to be
compared with that of the Osage Orange or Walnut. In both
plantings mentioned above a part of the respective blocks
ran up onto higher ground, and here the desolation was as
perfect as in upland-tree claims and much more marked
from its proximity to the better growth. At Garden City, —
Finney County, Kansas, where the Cottonwood-trees wet
their feet in the irrigating ditches, the growth is enormous
and the promise brighter. Those who have seen the older
irrigated Cottonwoods at Denver and Greeley, Colorado,
and at Salt Lake City will know what magnificent trees
may be grown in a decade or two.
Box-elders, Acer Negundo, were also freely planted in
timber-claims and shelter-belts on account of their ease of
propagation. But their story is the same as that of the
Cottonwood, except that they never did amount to any-
thing. They have succumbed by thousands to the recent
protracted droughts, and dead and misshapen trees now
disfigure the landscape everywhere. Grown on upland
the tree never makes either posts, stakes or firewood.
Catalpa speciosa was extensively planted, but in all
DecEMBER 18, 1895.]
plantings which I have seen, all on upland, it has not ful-
filled the promises made for it. Even when planted close
and well treated, the small trunks are crooked and soon
divide into useless branches. Ailanthus has done much
better, for it makes a rapid growth and a straight un-
branched trunk. Within a very few years it makes com-
paratively good fence-stakes. It seems also to be tolerably
strong in drought-resistance, though there is little promise
that the trees on Kansas upland will ever come to the per-
fection of the old Ailanthus-trees about the Temple Square,
in Salt Lake, where the rows are closely paralleled by
ditches of flowing water.
Black Locust made a good growth on these prairie
claims, but has been almost completely cleared, away by
borers. Many other species were planted, but none in
great quantities, and there are none which have gained
enough of reputation to justify their exclusive use in future
lanti :
plantings LE. A. Waugh.
Manhattan, Kansas.
Vaccinium vacillans with White Fruit.
jNaneea of this Low Blueberry with light-colored
fruit was found last summer in the sand region east
of Chicago. When growing in the shade the berries were
white or faintly tinged with red, but in the bright sunlight
they became flesh-colored or rosy on the exposed side.
Their shape was obovate or pyriform, so that they differ
from the common form, which is usually globular or
depressed globose. They were very sweet and juicy and
in quality superior to the average product of the Low Blue-
berry, for it varies considerably, being sometimes large and
juicy, like the fruit of Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum and V.
Canadense, but ordinarily smaller and drier. The leaves
“ were also smaller than usual, and were broad oval to
roundish in outline. These distinctions, if they remain
constant, show a well-marked variety.
The bushes were very prolific in fruit and covered an
area about three rods long by eight or ten feet to a rod in
width. Nearly every bush was bearing, and none of the
ordinary form was found mixed with them. Assuming
that they all were derived from a single sport of the typical
plant, the stoloniferous habit of Vaccinium vacillans would
easily account for the number of plants found together, if
they do not come true from seed. Many of the Vacciniums
spread extensively by means of subterranean stems. I
have traced those of the Low Blueberry several feet in the
loose sand. These underground stems emit many fibrous
roots, especially at the joints, and occasional branches.
Those rising above ground grow into the ordinary shrub ;
hence an individual plant may be made up of the parts
underground and several aérial stems.
By inquiring I learned from the berry-pickers that they
were well acquainted with these white-fruited bushes. Two
other patches, at least, were mentioned, but they were said
to be found more frequently as single bushes, or two or
threeincompany. From this I think it quite probable that the
seed is fertile and that the variety is disseminated in this way.
Though albinoism has been observed in the fruit of
various species of Vaccinium in this country and in
Europe, and also in the Black Huckleberry, Gaylussacia
resinosa, I can find no case on record for V. vacillans.
White huckleberries being also caused by a fungus (Sclero-
tinia baccarum), these berries were carefully examined for
fungoid growths. None were found in them, nor any on
the bushes that could have affected the fruit in such a way.
As a whole, they were remarkably healthy-looking plants,
some root swellings only being noticed in one or two
plants that were apparently due to a fungus. The fruit
was so pure in color and the skin so thin that it was almost
translucent when fully ripe, and has become fully so in
some specimens preserved in salycilic acid. Professor
Porter has also mentioned the translucency of the white
berries of V. Pennsylvanicum, and of alcoholic specimens
of the white fruit of Gaylussacia resinosa. l
Chicago, Ill. ; LE. f. Fill.
Garden and Forest.
5S
Foreign Correspondence.
London Letter.
New Garpen Prants, 1894.—The list of new plants for
1894, which forms Appendix II. of the Kew Bulletin, has
just been issued; price, fourpence. It contains short de-
scriptions of each, with references to the original descrip-
tion and figures of nearly five hundred plants introduced
into cultivation during the past year. It is unnecessary to
point out the value such a list must have for botanists as
well as horticulturists, as it includes not only all the
species but all varieties as well, with botanical names, and
all true hybrids with their parents. A few of the plants
included are old and forgotten garden plants reintroduced.
The list is compiled from all botanical and horticultural
publications in Europe and America in which new plants
are known to be recorded. A similar list for each year has
been prepared annually at Kew, and published as an ap-
pendix to the Bullen since 1887. The bulk of the new
plants of 1894 are Orchids, and as evidence of the activity
of the hybridist, it is noteworthy that no less than thirty-
eight hybrid Cypripediums and twenty-two hybrid Lelias
and Cattleyas were flowered for the first time and given
prominent notice last year.
PicTuRESQUE SCENERY AT Kew.—Artists and photogra-
phers are fully alive to the beauties of Kew scenery, and
numbers of them may be seen at work at any time of the
year, in the morning as well as the afternoon. For the last
two years two eminent artists, Monsieur and Madame de
L’Aubiniére, have been engaged in painting pictures of the
scenery about the lake in the gardens. Their pictures,
nearly one hundred in number, are now on exhibition in
a room adjoining the “North” gallery, where they are a
source of gratification to visitors. The lake in the Royal
Gardens was made about forty years ago by Sir William
Hooker. It is an irregular piece of water with three small
wooded islands, and is fed by the river Thames. The
pinetum extends along its south side, and its margin is
broken by a collection of Willows and Alders. The beauty
of the views to be obtained from various points is well
shown in the pictures above mentioned. Many of these
views have lately been opened up by the judicious re-
moval of superfluous trees and shrubs.
Ipr1a Corumnarta.—Can some correspondent in Lower
California give us some information with regard to this
plant? I lately saw a picture of it inan American publica-
tion (I forget which), representing a plant with a thick
Cactus-like or sugar-loaf shaped stem, bearing a few short
branches, with leaves and flowers at the top. Inquiries
in America elicited no information, except that the plant
was in some inaccessible region in Lower California. I
learn from Dr. Masters, however, that a plant of it has
lately been added to the collection in the Jardin des
Plantes, Paris, where he saw it a few weeks ago. He
describes it as having a stem two to three feet high, and
as much through at the base, with slender branches near
the top, and ovate acute leaves. Idria is supposed to be
related to the genus Fouquiera, of which F. splendens is
in cultivation here. Living examples of the Idria would
be greatly valued at Kew. What the Frenchmen in Cali-
fornia appear to have done for Paris surely can be done
by an Englishman or American for Kew.
CaTASETUM IMPERIALE,—This is one of the series of large
handsome-flowered Catasetums introduced last year by
L Horticulture Internationale, and to which I have already
referred. Mr. Rolfe considers them all to be natural hy-
brids, between C. Bungerothii and C. macrocarpum, but they
show a most extraordinary diversity both of form and
color, some being exactly like C. Bungerothii in form, and
to this lot belongs that now under notice, of which a plant
bearing a nine- ‘flowered scape was shown last Tuesday
and easily obtained a first-class uke Each flower
was three inches across, the sepals and petals in a cluster
above the large shell-shaped lip, and the color cream-
504
yellow, with blotches of claret-purple. Is it possible
that C. Bungerothii is a very variable species, or that from
some cause or other the plants of it in one locality have
sported freely? Whatever their origin there can be but
one opinion as to their horticultural value, and I endorse
the opinion of Zhe Gardeners’ Chronicle, that this C. impe-
riale, asshown last Tuesday, is the most gorgeous Catasetum
known. I may remark here that Catasetums may be
propagated from pieces of the pseudo-bulb.
Denprosium suscLausum.—Mr. Rolfe described this as a
new species in the Kew Bulletin last year (p. 361) from a
plant flowered by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons in July, and
introduced by them from the Moluccas. It was shown by
them at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on
Tuesday last and received a botanical certiticate. It has erect
slender-branched pseudo-bulbs, forming a close cluster two
feet high, clothed with linear lanceolate bright green leaves
two inches long. The flowers are borne on the leafless
pseudo-bulbs in short axillary few-flowered racemes ; they
are an inch long, shaped like the flowers of Dendrobium
longicornu, but narrower and colored brilliant cinnabar-
orange, the pedicels also being colored. The lip is peculiar
in being folded in at the apex and almost inclosing the
column. It is a remarkable and attractive plant and is
sure to be made to serve the purpose of the hybridist, the
color of the flowers being exceptional in this genus.
Lavio-CatrLeya Incramt is a beautiful hybrid which was
raised by Mr. C. N. L. Ingram, in 1892, from Leelia pumila
Dayana and C. aurea, and which is now in the collection
of Sir F. Wigan, at Sheen, who paid fifty guineas for it.
Flowers of it were exhibited last Tuesday. In size, color
and general form it resembles the Lelia except in the label-
lum, which shows a good deal of the influence of the Cat-
tleya. It is one of the most beautiful of the Lelio-Cattleya
hybrids, and I learn from Sir F. Wigan’s Orchid grower
that it is easily kept in health.
Arunpina Putter, a Supposed new species, was shown
in flower on Tuesday by Sir Trevor Lawrence. I should
call it a narrow-leaved, small-flowered variety of the well-
known A. bambuszfolia ; the flowers are about one and
a half inches across, and colored pale lavender with a crim-
son blotch on the ip. It was awarded a botanical certifi-
cate.
CypRIPEDIUM PLATYCOLOR is a new hybrid between C. con-
color and C. Stonei platytcenium, the name being hybrid
also. It originated in the collection of Sir Trevor Law-
rence, who showed it in flower on Tuesday last. In
general characters it resembles C. concolawre (concolor
x Lawrencianum), but the flowers show the influence of
C. Stonei. The scape bore three flowers and a bud.
Beconia FrepeLtu.—This species was introduced by the
Zurich nurseryman, after whom it was named, about twenty
years ago, when Roezl discovered it in Ecuador. Hitherto,
however, it has found little favor as a garden plant, prob-
ably because it has refused to grow satisfactorily under the
treatment which suits the ordinary tuberous Begonia. A
near ally is B. polypetala, a Peruvian species, introduced
in 1878 and in 1880. Messrs. Froebel distributed a hybrid
they had raised between these two, and named B. Froebehi
incomparabilis. Mr. Poé, of Cheshunt, exhibited this week
a plant of this hybrid which literally staggered most of the
cultivators who saw it, for it is undoubtedly one of the
most beautiful of all winter-flowering Begonias. The plant
was in a six-inch pot, and it bore about a dozen leaves,
the largest of which measured eighteen inches in length
and thirteen in width. The scapes, of which there were
eight, were stout, erect, two feet high, branched, and bear-
ing numerous flowers and buds, the former two inches
across and colored bright orange scarlet. Mr. Poé grows
the plants in a warm greenhouse, starting them along with
B. Socotrana in August. They flower all through the win-
ter. I should place this Begonia in the same rank as the
Socotrana hybrids as a garden plant.
New CurysantHemMums.—There were several exceptionally
good varieties among the new seedlings exhibited for cer-
Garden and Forest.
[NumBer 408,
tificates last Tuesday; they are Country of Gold, a very
free-flowering, bright yellow reflexed variety, likely to prove
of great service for the supply of cut flowers for market;
Bonnie Dundee, a well-formed incurved variety after the
style of Lord Brook, but yellower; Oceana, large as and
shaped like Viviand Morel, but of a much more pleasing
pinkish color; William Slogrove, a magnificent incurved
Japanese, almost a true incurved, the flowers large, full and
colored deep golden-yellow; this was generally pro-
nounced to be one of the best of this year’s productions.
Sir Trevor Lawrence is a large incurved, very like Queen
of England; and Golden Dart, a yellow-flowered Japanese
variety of medium size, was certificated as a free and use-
ful plant for the market-grower. We are still busy with
exhibitions of Chrysanthemums, the National Society hav-
ing a three days’ show at the Aquarium next week. The
mild, foggy and wet weather of the last few days has, how-
ever, shortened the lives of many of the flowers.
W. Watson.
London.
Plant Notes.
Chameedorea glaucifolia.
HE Chameedoreas are very graceful and beautiful
Palms, natives of South America. They are shade-
loving plants, growing in the depth of dense woods where
hardly ever a ray of sunshine penetrates. They are gen-
erally small and slender, with elegant pinnate leaves and
dicecious flowers; some are climbers, supporting them-
selves by means of hooked tendrils at the end of the leaves.
The above species (see figure 70, page 5067) is one of
the most beautiful of the genus, a native of Guatemala,
and accustomed to a moderate temperature. It grows
toa height of twelve feet or more, withaslender ringed stem
about as thick as an ordinary walking-stick, or in strong
specimens an inch or an inch and a half in diameter.
The leaves are pinnate, of a pleasing glaucous-green,
four to six feet in length, with long arching pinne. The
species flowers quite freely under cultivation, male and
female flowers being produced on different plants. The
large erect inflorescence rises from the axil of a leaf above
the foliage, and renders the plant quite picturesque. The
flowers are greenish yellow, with three fleshy petals. The
female plants are most common in gardens.
In greenhouses it thrives well in the deepest shade and
in a temperature of seventy degrees. It remains a con-
venient size for years, and is, therefore, well adapted as a
decorative plant for a dwelling-house. It is strange that
these interesting miniature Palms, of which seeds must be
easy to obtain, should not force the larger and coarser
forms into the background.
Craprastis LuTEA.—This tree, known in cultivation as
the Virgilia, and in the region of which it is a native as the
Yellow-wood, is one of the rarest trees of the North Ameri-
can forests, being found in a few isolated places in central
Kentucky, central Tennessee and the western slopes of the
high mountains of east Tennessee and in Cherokee County,
North Carolina. Like many other trees of restricted range,
it thrives under cultivation in widely different soils and
climates. This southern tree is perfectly hardy in New
England, and ripens its wood in exposed situations in
Canada without any artificial protection. Even in the mid-
western states it flourishes as far north as Iowa, where
many of the forest trees and shrubs of New England
fail to endure the heat and drought of summer and the
cold of winter. At its best it attains a height of sixty
feet, with a trunk two feet in diameter, while in exceptional
cases it is still larger. It usually divides into two or three
main limbs not far from the ground, which spread
widely and ramify into slender and somewhat pendulous
branchlets, forming a broad and graceful head. At this
season it is a beautiful object, the bark of its trunk being
silvery gray and of a smooth, fine texture, that on the main
branches a lighter ash color, and the lustrous red-brown
DECEMBER 18, 1895.]
spray is as refined and delicate as that of the American
Beech. The leaves appear early in spring and are of a
light, cheerful green, turning to a clean uniform yellow in
autumn. The white, fragrant pea-shaped flowers hang in
panicles a foot or more in length, so that allthe year through
it is one of the very best of what are known as lawn trees.
One objection to it is that when the limbs are weighted
Fig. 69.—Branch of Pepper-tree, Schinus Molle, with berries.—See page 502.
with ice in winter they sometimes break off or the trunk
splits apart. A fine specimen (figured on page 92 of vol. i.)
split at the fork some years ago, but the limbs were drawn
together and an iron rod bolted through them, and no trace
of the disaster now remains. It should be said, too, that
the tree only flowers abundantly on alternate years, al-
though there are some flowers every year.
Garden and Forest.
505
Canna, Joun Wuite.—The interest excited by the intro-
duction of the dwarf French Canna, Madame Crozy, has
led to the raising and introduction of many new forms,
varying much in the size and color of the flowers and less
in the formeand color of the foliage. As the hybrids bear
seeds very freely, which are easily and quickly grown into
flowering plants, the natural result is a surfeit of named
and unnamed kinds, with flowers mostly
in shades of reds and yellows, ora mixture
of these colors. We have not had varie-
ties with very striking differences of foliage,
the leaves being usually of varying shades
of green, or with red or bronzy suffusions
of a rather dull character. Variegated
forms there have been, with more or less
white margins to the leaves, but these
markings have not been so effective as to
render the plants especially striking in the
garden. As usually happens when a
plant is harassed by cultivators, the Canna
seems to have taken a new departure
also. Among a lot of seedlings from the
best dwarf varieties grown by John White,
of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1894, there
appeared a plant with a novel color in
the foliage, and this, carefully saved and
grown, has since been tested in the open
and under glass. The plant attains a
height of three feet, and the foliage is of
the ordinary type, but very curiously and
attractively colored. The young leaves
are of a pale yellow, with narrow margins
of dark red, and as they advance there ap-
pears some suffusion of light green, mostly
in spots or dashes. The leaves retain this
color till they gradually mature by losing
the yellow and gaining a deep suffusion of
pink with an admixture of green. The plant
in this condition is decidedly striking and
novel, the general color-effect being de-
cidedly pink. The plant is said to have
held its color perfectly under the sunlight
this season, and it would appear that we
have in this variety not only a new de-
parture, but a first-rate, showy foliage
plant for decorative effects in the garden.
The flowers are small, of a deep scarlet
and of no value, but the ovaries, which
are dark red, seem to be more persistent
and decorative than usual to this plant.
BEGonIA acuminata. — This is another
valuable winter- flowering shrubby Be-
gonia. The leaves are not more than
two or two and a half inches long, very
thick and fleshy, with coarse hairy veins
and coarsely toothed. The color is a deep
olive-green, tinted red below. The flow-
ers measure over an inch across, generally
pale flesh-colored, but sometimes white.
In the female flowers the petals are nar-
row, ovate-acuminate; in the male flow-
ers they are broader. The loose few-
flowered cymes are borne abundantly
from the axils of the upper leaves. The
stem is stout, erect and fleshy, growing to
a“height of a foot or more. The plant
is generally bushy and covered with a
profusion of flowers during the early win-
ter months. It is a West Indian species of great merit, but
not very common in cultivation at the present time.
ImpATIENS SULTANI VIOLACEA.—This very floriferous plant,
like other varieties of this species, is an excellent winter-
flowering kind, easy of culture and satisfactory when well
grown. The flowers are fully an inch across and of a
roundish outline and bright rosy pink. There are numerous
506
varieties and hybrids lately raised and introduced by Ger-
man seedsmen, of more or less dwartish habit, and varying
from white to flesh color, salmon-rose and the deeper
shades of pink and crimson. Impatiens Sultani may be
grown from cuttings, which can be rooted with ease at any
time of the year, or by means of seeds, which grow readily.
To form nice winter-flowering specimens the seeds should
be sown early in spring, singly, in two-inch pots in rich
fibrous soil. The young plants require plenty of light and
should be grown in a warm greenhouse as close to the
glass as practicable.
Centropocon Lucyanus.—Showy in color and graceful
in habit, this stove-perennial of the Campanula family
is one of our best winter-flowering plants. It is a
garden hybrid, raised by the French horticulturist, Mon-
sieur Desponds, between Centropogon fastuosus and Sipho-
campylus betulefolius. The flowers are curved, tubular,
about two inches long, with recurved segments and a very
prominent hairy stigma longer than the corolla; color,
bright rosy-carmine. They are produced several together
on short side-shoots, and when the plant is in full bloom
it is very attractive. The leaves are ovate or oblong-lan-
ceolate, serrated, smooth, dull green ; stem slender, grow-
ing to the height of four or five feet, and herbaceous.
This is a plant for the warm greenhouse; it should be
grown in a half-shady position in well-drained pots, in a
mixture of rich loam, leaf-mold and sand, with an addition
of some well-rotted horse-manure. During the growing
season too much water cannot be given, Old plants may
also be planted out in the open air in a moist and half-
shady position, where it will grow rapidly and form numer-
ous side-shoots. As the flowering during winter depends
upon these, the plants should, of course, not be pruned
until after it flowers, when they can be dried off slightly
and cut down to the ground before being planted out.
Plants treated in this way should be lifted early and potted
in moderately sized pots. They may also be planted out
in a border in the conservatory, where they can be left for
years. For ordinary use small plants raised by means of
herbaceous cuttings in spring and grown on as rapidly as
possible are the best. ‘These will reach a considerable size
during the first season, and if grown in pots should be
gradually ripened as winter draws near. As this is one of
the best plants of its class and suitable for all kinds of win-
ter decoration, it is surprising that no enterprising florist
has taken it in hand long before this.
Cultural Department.
The Selection of Carnation Cuttings.
HE importance of selecting strong stock from which
cuttings are taken if we are to have good plants, is
set forth in an article by Mr. Lothrop Wight in a late num-
ber of the //oris/s’ Exchange, from which we take the fol-
lowing points:
Individual plants, decidedly better than their neighbors,
should be marked and cuttings from them kept by themselves.
This is not to improve the type, but to help keep the stock up
to the standard, as plants selected from cuttings at random
will show deterioration. Cuttings taken from plants on the
outside rows of the benches where the shoots are fully ex-
posed to the light will be larger and more stocky than those
taken from the inner rows. Cuttings will generally be at their
best when the flower is fully open, and no cuttings should be
taken from a stem which does not have a flower at the end
of it. Some varieties give three or four good cuttings to a
stem, and where the stock is limited there is no objection to
taking every cutting on the plant, leaving only enough to keep
up a supply of flowering shoots. Every available cutting
should be taken from plants which show unusual vigor of
growth, for the exceptional vigor of the plant extends to all its
parts and even to the smaller stems, If set in flats, cuttings
can be moved into the sun as they begin to root, for as soon
as they are rooted they are plants and should not be kept in
sand and shade, which are both unsuitable to plant-growth.
Therefore they should be taken out of the sand and put in the
sun as soonas possible. Bottom-heatis unnecessary, the usual
Garden and Forest.
(Numper 408.
temperature of a Carnation-house being about right. Where
cuttings are grown for the trade bottom-heatis an advantage,
because they root more quickly and evenly, but it is question-
able if they make as good plants, and when quality is the point
sought rather than quantity late-struck cuttings are all right.
Forabundant bloom large plants from early-struck cuttings
are essential.
Violet Notes.
ape remarkably open weather which prevailed until the
early part of December has made Violets bloom with
unusual freedom. I do not recollect to have gathered so many
flowers to the plant for several years as I have during October
and November just past. Severe weather and heavy snow-
falls are, however, likely to come at any time, and frames
should by this time be well protected to resist such changes.
Dry leaves packed around the sides, with a slanting board laid
over them to throw off water will prevent frost from penetrat-
ing the sides, while mats and shutters which project two or
three inches over the top and bottom of the sashes are used
for top-covering. Plants in frames require a great deal of
attention during the dark winter months, and light and air
must be given on every possible opportunity. It does no harm
to leave the frames covered with snow for a couple of days in
severe weather, but great damage is done if snow is allowed
to remain for a week, when mold will spread with alarming
rapidity. Even if sunlight can be admitted for but three hours
and a little ventilation given, it is surprising how the plants
are benefited. There are very few days during the whole
winter when we do not give both light and air. Violets resent
coddling, and air should be given freely whenever the outside
temperature allows. If the thermometer registers several
degrees below freezing, even in midwinter, the sun warms the
frames sufficiently to permit a moderate amount of air being
admitted. Violets in frames make much more work than
when they are grown in houses, and the flowers are less con-
venient to pick, but the quality of blooms is as good in all
kinds, and much better in some, particularly the single varie-
ties ; the flowering season, too, is a little longer than with those
grown in artificial heat.
It is well to look over the plants every week and remove
runners, decaying leaves and all signs of mold. When water
is required, the forenoon of a bright day should be selected
and care taken to wet the foliage as little as possible ; tepid
water ought to be used. The diseases known as spot and
leaf-curl still continue to wipe out batches of promising plants.
The real cause of these diseases are still unknown, and we
have no certain remedy for them. One day the plants look
thrifty, the next day a few spots appear; those affected may
be picked off, but probably within two weeks the whole stock
is an eyesore and fit for the rubbish heap. A neighboring
florist, who for several years had grown splendid crops of
Marie Louise, had, four weeks ago, the finest. house of this
kind I ever saw, with not a sign of disease anywhere on his
place. His plants had every possible attention and promised
a splendid harvest of bloom for the winter; three weeks later
I saw the same house and there was hardly a single healthy
leaf, and every plant had to be thrown out. The grower of
these plants told me that during a spell of sunless weather in
November the whole work of destruction: was done within a
week,
Where it is well grown, Marie Louise must still take rank as
the best Violet grown; very few, however, have clean stock
of it in this section. The way this and other varieties are
grown by Mr. A. McKay, of South Framingham, Massachu-
setts, is an object-lesson to those who have never seen Violets
as he grows them. Last year he had flowers of Marie Louise
which covered a silver dollar, and this season his stock of this
variety, as well as Farquhar, Swanley White and Lady Hume
Campbell, is superb, and promises to beat last year’s record.
We recently received some blooms of the new variety Farqu-
har from a friend on Cape Cod; they averaged as large as a
half-dollar, and some were slightly larger; for so early in the
season these were exceptionally fine, and the stems were
seven to eight inches in length. This variety promises to bea.
useful one; in color it is identical with Marie Louise. Lady
Hume Campbell is probably more grown than any other
double variety. Last year our plants in frames gave hardly
any flowers until the end of February ; this season they have
been blooming finely for the past six weeks. Although a good
deal paler than Marie Louise in color, its many good qualities
commend it to nearly all who have grown it. It is not disease-
proof by any means, as we have seen whole houses of it wiped
out, but, taken all in all, it is the cleanest of the double ones
we have grown, and many who have failed to make a success
DECEMBER 18, 1895.]
of other kinds now rely on it exclusively. The flowers are of
good size and are produced on fine stems.
Among single varieties the new California makes the most
rampant growth and flowers quite freely, occasionally two and
three flower-buds appearing on a stem. For length of stem
the introduction from the Pacific coast must take first honors,
and in this respect it is all’ that the introducers claimed. Its
fragrance is fine and flower of good size, although a long way
from covering a silver dollar as yet. In color, however, we
have failed to see the ‘‘deep violet-purple,” and the flower
lacks the substance of other single varieties. We have seen
this variety growing in a number of places, and few of the
8S 5
\
ul lt wilh
ig
Garden and Forest.
All|
507
Seasonable Garden Notes.
[gues generally mild weather which has so far prevailed has
enabled cultivators to lift tender bulbs and to plant the
hardy ones with less trouble and anxiety than last year, when
a heavy snowstorm on November 6th found the bulbs of
Dahlias and Gladioli and others in the earth, where many of
them died, and many sorts, especially Irises and Ixias, still in
boxes and bogs. I always delay planting Ixias until the last
moment, because they are more inclined than most things to
make an autumnal growth, and this year planted them Novem-
ber 3oth.
The past season has been a good one on the whole,
‘ Nt Hi l ill ily i
MMi oa
N | lina j
WN Eel
ISELO trvey
TCL
f
a ! anil :
an iP oon, AUNTY is sop te
( i» i Me [tal ‘
nea fA tlh
ll
Fig. 7o.—Chameedorea glaucifolia. a. Part of influrescence.—See page 504.
growers were favorably impressed with it. At the end of the
flowering season we can, however, better estimate its value.
Wellsiana must take rank as the finest of the dark single
kinds ; this variety and The Czar both succeed better in frames
than in heated structures. The former makes very few run-
ners, and requires to be propagated by cuttings inserted in
sand. The flower is larger and darker in color than The Czar.
It produces much smaller foliage, however, and as the older
variety has an abundance of good-sized leaves, it is specially
useful during the winter season, when it is sometimes as diffi-
cult to get a sufficiency of these as of flowers.
Taunton, Mass. WN. Craig.
especially so far as increase of bulbs is concerned. Some
months ago I wrote that I thought a Gladiolus seedling of ‘the
present year would blossom soon. It did so in October, and,
although the variety was exceedingly poor, I was glad to beat
the record, for, so far as I know, this is the first instance of as
early flowering. The new Tigridia alba immaculata is a beau-
tiful flower, well worthy the attention of growers of bulbous
plants ; it is, at least with me, a stronger grower than the older
white variety. Iam not sure that it ismore beautiful, butitis
different, and gives variety. Though unspotted, the white
shades, in parts of the centre, to a creamy tint, T. violacea is
a small-flowered kind, but pretty.
508
Two plants are offered for sale as Ophiopogon spicatus
variegatus. One of these is the true species, with spikes of
beautiful purple or violet flowers of long duration, followed
by numerous ornamental, bright blue berries; but what is the
other plant which produces white flowers in clusters of two or
three along a central spike, the spike and flowers both droop-
ing, and white oblong berries? Tulbaghia violacea is a good
pot-plant, flowering six or seven timesa year. Its flowers are of
a tint somewhat redder than its name implies. It gives satis-
faction planted out in the summer, but care must be taken in
lifting it, or all of the winter bloom will be lost. I grow afew
Sauromatum guttatum, not for the large, spotted, carrion-
scented flowers which are commonly produced before the
tuber is planted, but for the striking foliage with its serpent-
spotted stalks. The tubers grow to the size of a cocoanut.
The large ones are somewhat tender, but the offsets, of the
size of a walnut, are perfectly hardy, such as are left over in
the ground, coming up in the spring. I do not remember to
have seen any complaint of the ravages of the black blister-
beetles, the kind we see on the Golden-rod, among any gar-
den plants, except the Asters. They have been quite trouble-
some here for a few years past, devouring Gladioliand Dahlias.
These they destroyed to such an extent that, in 1894, at the end
of August, I found it almost impossible to find a perfect flower
of the latter or spike of the former, except, very curiously, a
Lemoinei variety called Centurion, which was untouched,
though the insects fairly swarmed on all sides of it. I know
no way of fighting this pest except to pick them off. They
have a way of dropping to the ground when alarmed, when a
prompt foot can easily destroy them, since they generally lie
still for a moment. :
Canton, Mass. WE, Endicott.
Notes on Begonias.
BeeeN IMPERIALIS is a species that is always admired
when well grown; its flowers are not showy, and the plant
is valued chiefly for its handsome foliage. It is grown here in
shallow pans filled with loose light soil and in a house where
the temperature ranges from fifty-five to sixty degrees. A
partially shaded position and a rather moist atmosphere suit
it. It has short, thick, creeping stems, and its dark olive-
green leaves have irregular bands of bright green along the
nerves. The leaves are cordate and from four to six inches
wide and are completely covered with long hairs. The hairy
petioles raise the leaves from four to six inches above the soil
in the pots or pans, and when the plants are healthy and happy
the foliage completely hides the soil. The small white fowers
are produced on erect peduncles. The flowers have two
petals and the ovary is three-angled, with one long wing.
There is a variety of this species grown here which is known
as B. imperialis Smaragdina, which makes an excellent com-
panion for the type plant, from which it differs in having
leaves which are entirely green. B.imperialis was introduced
from Mexico by Verschaffelt.
Begonia incarnata is one of the very best species for winter
flowering. The plants grown here are raised annually from
cuttings made from healthy shoots in March. With a slight
bottom-heat the cuttings root in a short time, and are then put
into four-inch pots. In June they are planted out in the garden
in a shady position, where they are well looked after in the
way of waiering and stirring the soil occasionally between the
plants. About the first week in Septernber the plants are
lifted, being large enough then for six-inch pots, and when-
ever there are signs of cold nights they are put into the green-
house. This plant is well known in gardens, and was intro-
duced from Mexico in 1822. It has a neat habit, with erect
stems from two to three feet high. The stems are well covered
with unequally cordate, lanceolate, toothed leaves, which are
green above and reddish beneath. The rose-colored flowers
are borne on arching peduncles, the larger staminate ones
having two ovate and two narrow petals, while the pistillate
ones have five equal petals. The ovary is three-angled, and
the wings unequal.
Begonia acuminata makes a compact bushy plant from two
to three feet high, and although its flowers are not very large,
yet they are very pleasing. It does very well planted out in
the garden during the summer months in a sheltered and
shady position, and through the winter and spring it produces
white flowers an inch across, This species is a native of
Jamaica, and the plants that are grown here were collected in
the mountains there by me four years ago.
Begonia Olbia was introduced about twelve years ago from
Brazil. Although it is a handsome plant and is easy to grow,
yet itis not very common in gardens. It blooms best when
about two years old. Young plants raised in spring from cut-
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 408.
tings, although they have handsome foliage, bear flowers
which lack the size and substance of those produced on older
plants. This Begonia has stout, fleshy, erect stems, with
leaves which have an oblique outline. Their upper surface is
of a very dark bronzy green, dotted over with neat white round
spots and covered with small red hairs. The under side of the
leaves is deep red. The white flowers are produced in large
cymes from the axils of the leaves.
Begonia Froebeli is a tuberous-rooted species which makes
an excellent winter-flowering plant. Young plants raised from
seed sown last March have flowered well; but seedlings do
not show their true characters the first year. Some of the
oldest tuberous root-stocks that are here have been grown for
nine or ten years at least, and I have known them personally
for eightyears. When the plants have finished flowering and
the leaves begin to show signs that their work for the season
is over, water should be given more sparingly and finally with-
held altogether. When the plants are at rest the pots are put
ona shelf in the greenhouse, where they are kept dry until
they show signs of growth, which usually begins in September
or October. The old soil is shaken from the tubers and the
plants are put into four-inch pots, and when these are full of
roots a final shift is made into eight-inch pots. The leaves are
annual and are obliquely cordate ; some of them now measure
fourteen inches long by ten wide. They are gray-green and
covered with purplish velvety hairs. The flowers, measuring
two inches across and borne on tall drooping cymes, are a
brilliant scarlet. [See page 504.—ED.]
Botanic Garden, Harvard University. Robert Cameron.
Correspondence.
Schools of Horticulture.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Your editorial in a recent issue on the ‘Schools of
Horticulture,” which have been conducted at a few points in
New York state, has suggested to me that your readers may
not be aware of a somewhat similar work carried on in New
Jersey. ‘Phe Extension Department of Rutgers College was
organized in 1891. There have been given here in New Bruns-
wick two very successful courses in Botany, the audience con-
sisting of both men and women, residents of the town, and
numbering more than fifty. Of these about twenty-five pur-
sued the collateral studies prescribed by the lecturer and
passed successfully a fairly difficult examination, The work
done has been so creditable that the lecturer, Dr. Halsted,
suggests an advanced course to follow, on Vegetable Anatomy,
with laboratory practice with the compound microscope.
But I have more particularly in mind the successful applica-
tion of University Extension methods to instruction in prac-
tical horticulture and agriculture made by the Extension
Department, in affiliation with the State and the College Ex-
periment Stations.
The methods employed are those now familiar to all under
the name of University Extension, and need no description
beyond noting that the unit course consists of six lecture-
studies, each exercise involving a lecture proper anda class-
hour for conference and discussion, together with printed
syllabus, collateral reading, experiments and examination.
We have arranged a series of courses on agricultural subjects,
such as Agricultural Botany, Economic Entomology, Plant
Foods, etc., forming quite an extensive curriculum. At present
the series consists of nine courses, which we encourage our
centres to take in regular sequence. Assoonas the farmers
are ready for it it will be easy to extend the same plan so as
to cover the ground more thoroughly, and to offer some free-
dom of choice in accordance with the particular needs of any
community. Thus, while the general courses would remain
the same the more specialized courses would be different in a
fruit-growing community from those recommended to a com-
munity chiefly interested in the dairy business. One of our
centres is now taking the regular sequence of courses that
we have laid out, and others are planning to doso. If the
farmers will, in general, be willing to persevere on so sys-
tematic a scale we shall have University Extension at its very
best.
The results thus far attained deserve, I think, to be generally
known. The work was begun tentatively in the winter of 1891
and 1892, with a course at Freehold. Since then we have
given courses in eleven different farming communities, not
counting the work of the present season, which is just now
beginning with a course in Botany at Moorestown. The sys-
tem has received a most cordial endorsement from the State
Board of Agriculture (see twenty-first Annual Report, page 106),
DECEMBER 18, 1895.]
and the courses given have been, in general, notably suc-
cessful.
In the first place, we have reached the men we desired to
reach. The audiences and classes have been made up almost
wholly of farmers, the large majority being between twenty-
five and thirty-five years of age. The attendance, too, has
been good, running as high as 119, and averaging sixty for all
the courses. This has involved drives over country roads of
long distances, as much sometimes as twelve miles each way.
Again, a serious purpose has been unmistakable. Almost
the entire number in attendance remains for the second hour,
and the discussion of practical applications of the different
subjects has proved the most interesting part of the exercises.
The majority have made diligent use of the syllabus, and a
large number of the younger men have taken up the collateral
reading in earnest. We should not naturally expect mature
men engaged in active business to be willing to submit to an
examination, yet not less than thirty-two persons, nearly all
men, have, at the end of the six weeks’ course, taken an exam-
ination on the subject treated, and twenty-nine have been
successful in passing and have received the regular Extension
credits.
The purely educational results, though difficult to estimate,
are the most important. The practical results are easier io
specify and could be detailed at considerable length. I limit
myself, however, to one or two. After a course, before a
Fruit Growers’ Association, on The Food of Plants, a com-
mittee of farmers was appointed to purchase fertilizing mate-
rials in accordance with formulas furnished by the lecturer,
instead of the prepared fertilizers already mixed, and on one
hundred tons purchased a saving of $1,500 was made. In one
case a permanent agricultural society which meets for the dis-
cussion of agricultural topics and has charge of the arrange-
ment of Extension work from year to year, is the direct out-
growth ofone of our courses. In general it may be said that
the most important practical result is that many individuals
throughout the state have been drawn into closer relations
with the experiment stations.
All this is entirely distinct from the work of the Farmers’
Institutes, where a very large number of single lectures are
delivered each year, and it proves clearly that the methods of
University Extension may be made useful in spreading the
knowledge and practice of scientific agriculture.
Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J. Louis Bevier,
Recent Publications.
The Soil; Its Nature, Relations and Fundamental Princt-
ples of Management. By F. H. King, professor of Agricul-
tural Physics in the University of Wisconsin. New York:
Macmillan & Co.
It was a happy thought to issue a series of handy mono-
graphs on agricultural subjects in which the problems of
rural economy should be discussed in the light of the most
recent discoveries in science. This first volume, relating
to the soil, presents its history, showing how sun and air
and water and various forms of life have been working
through long cycles of geological time and are working
still, not converting it into a mere inert assemblage of
chemical particles, but developing it into a scene of life, a
storehouse of energy, a laboratory where invisible organ-
isms are constantly building up and tearing down and
shaping it in a hundred ways for future use. The book
aims constantly to lay down principles as the basis of prac-
tice rather than to offer a collection of rules to be learned
by rote. Avery considerable amount of science is set forth
in a popular, but in a clear and logical, way, and this will
not only furnish justifying reasons for most of the ordinary
processes of horticulture and agriculture, but will, of
course, suggest experiments looking toward the discovery
and adoption of new and improved methods. Such sub-
jects as the physical effects of tillage and cultivation,
drainage, irrigation, soil-water and its conservation, the
temperature of soils, the distribution of roots, etc., are all
treated with fullness and clearness. The book is written
in a pictorial, though sometimes in a rather inflated, style,
but it cannot but fasten the attention of any intelligent
reader who is not familiar with the facts presented, and the
interest is sustained from end to end. If it could be read
aloud to a circle of young students of rural affairs it would
Garden and Forest.
599
certainly prove stimulating and helpful. The series is
edited by Professor L. H. Bailey, and we shall look forward
with much interest to the volumes which are to follow.
Maladies des Plantes Agricoles. Vol. I. By Professor
Ed. Prillieux. 8vo, 420 pp., and 190 figures. Firmin-
Didot, Paris, 1895.
This compact and handy volume forms one of the series
entitled Bibliotheque de l’Ensetgnement Agricole, which in-
cludes a number of practical treatises on different subjects
relating to agriculture. We have in recent years received
from Germany a number of general works on plant diseases,
and the present volume is a welcome addition to the
American student of vegetable pathology, forit offers in a
condensed and copiously illustrated form a presentation of
the subject from the French standpoint. The author, Pro-
fessor Ed. Prillieux, of the Institut National Agronomique,
has the talent, characteristic of his nation, of writing in an
interesting manner, and has given a simple statement of the
subject, wisely avoiding lengthy discussions of disputed
questions. The present volume includes the diseases of
cultivated plants as well as those of fruit and forest trees
which are caused by vegetable parasites, beginning with
those caused by bacteria. A second volume, which we
presume is to include diseases caused by non-vegetable
parasites, is announced to appear soon.
Notes.
Varieties of the European Holly with yellow berries are not
uncommon, but we never happen to have seen one of our
native Hollies with clear yellow berries until we receivedsome
specimens from Professor Massey, of the North Carolina Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station. Professor Massey says the
trees are not common there, but there area considerable num-
ber of them. Itis rather remarkable that so little has been
heard of them and that they have not been propagated for
commercial purposes,
The parts of Engler & Prantl’s Pflanzenfamillien from 120 to
125, inclusive, have recently reached us, and are devoted to
the Loganiacee, by Solsreder; the Gentianacez, by Gilg, and
the Apocynacez and Asclepiadacez, by Schumann. Part 123
is accompanied by a most instructive and interesting illustra-
tion from a photograph made in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico,
showing in the foreground masses of the tall stems of the Old
Man Cactus, Cephalocereus senilis, and large specimens of the
spherical Echinocactus ingens.
The leaves of the Japanese Grapevine, Vitis coignetize, were
killed in the Arnold Arboretum this year by the frost before
they assumed their autumn colors. Generally they take on
hues of great brilliancy, and they make a wonderful display in
the forests of Japan where they climbinto the upper branches
of the loftiest trees. We have received recently from Mr. A.
Blanc, of Philadelphia, some leaves of this vine which were
intensely scarlet, and a large plant covered with them would
certainly make astriking display. V. coignetiz ought not to
be overlooked by any one who is planting with a view to
autumn effect.
Not long ago Professor Bailey told one of his classes that he
was impressed more and more with the fact that persons who
know nothing about horticulture to begin with often become
most successful when they once enter the business. This
simply means that these men start without any prejudice and
with everything to learn, full of enthusiasm, and with minds
open to accept any new teaching which commends itself to
them. Not long ago he visited one of the largest and most
successful establishments for growing mushrooms and forcing
vegetables in the country, where the manager but a few years
ago knew nothing whatever of the business. Perhaps many
of the best farmers of the future may be those who have not
been brought up on farms of the present time.
Among the nuts exposed for sale we have lately observed
for the first time in our fruit shops the Souari, or what are
known as butternuts in the English market. They are called
here cream-nuts, which name is really descriptive of their rich
meat, and African nuts, although really they come from South
America, where they are borne on a tree known to bota-
nists as Caryocar nuciferum. They are somewhat kidney-
510
shaped, with a rich red-brown, warty and very hard shell.
It requires a smart blow from a heavy hammer to burst
this shell, since it is nearly half an inch thick in places.
The nut is, perhaps, three inches in length at its longest diam-
eter, and the chamber has a smooth satiny lining and incloses
a soft, pure white kernel of a rich nutty flavor and covered with
a brown skin. There are four of these seeds, or nuts, in the
spherical fruit of the Caryocar, which is as large as a child’s
head. The tree itself often reaches a hundred feet in height,
and its hard wood is very much prized for durability.
At this time of holiday display few places are more attractive
than the shops where the finest fruits are sold. Even our com-
monest fruits, like applesand pears, when at their very best, all
even and perfect in form and color, makea feast for the Gya,
while their fragrance, with its suggestion of their delightful
taste, makes a combination most grateful to the senses. By the
help of cold storage many of the late autumn pears are still
offered, but none of them are more beautiful than the attrac-
tive yellow Beurre Boscs from Boston with one flushed cheek
and dots and streaks of cinnamon. Not quite so handsome,
but larger, is the Duchess ; but there is no need to go through
the list, for nothing can be more beautiful and few perfumes
are more delicate than their musky or aromatic odor. Per-
haps the most ornamental among the apples is the glossy little
Lady Apple with a red cheek on a lemon-yellow ground.
Very attractive, too, is the crimson-shaded, light green York
Imperial, the dark red Winesap, from Virginia, and the
perfectly shaped King. Neat-looking strawberries can be had
for seventy-five cents a basket, and Black Hamburg grapes,
with berries almost as large as a plum, cost $2.00 a pound.
Nectarines, from Rhode Island hot-houses, of fair size and good
color, are worth a dollara dozen, while the occasional grape-fruit,
borne on the few remaining trees in Florida which escaped
the freezing weather last winter, commands $2.50 a dozen.
Pomegranates of unusual beauty, theirleathery rindsjust tinged
with an orange-red, bring $200 a dozen, while prickly pears
of a delicate flesh-color and tufts of small pink spines are
quite as handsome as any other fruit and may be had for fifty
cents a dozen. The Japanese persimmons are larger, more
beautiful and better-flavored than any ever seen in this city
before. It may be that the best varieties are just becoming
sufficiently plentiful to be marketed in quantity. At all events,
there are three or four kinds on sale quite distinct in shape,
some of them being round or flattened, others egg-shaped
or conical, some a rich yellow and others a deep red, and
there are dozens of them together which average at least
three inches in diameter, with a luscious pulp and a marked
flavor which makes them quite superior to the commoner
kinds which are somewhat undecided and characterless in
taste.
The staple variety of Blackcaps for evaporating is the Ohio,
although the Gregg is properly crowding it out in many of the
bestberry sections. This latter variety is valuable because it de-
mands better land and better cultivation than that under which
the Ohio will thrive. It, therefore, has a salutary and stimu-
lating effect upon the grower, and when it has this good care
it is an abundant and sure cropper. The red varieties are sel-
dom evaporated, because there is little demand for them; they
require too much time on the tray, and too many of them are
needed to make a pound. The Cuthbert is the only red berry
which is evaporated. The Shaffer is the only purple berry that
is dried in any commercial quantity, but it is hardly profitable
to handle since it loses too much in the process. The new
Columbian Raspberry is rather more vigorous in growth than
the Shaffer, has a longer season, is firmer, with more uniform
drupelets, and will probably be better than the Shaffer for dry-
ing. The amount of fresh berries required for a pound of
the cured product is variable. On an average a little more
than three quarts, say four pounds, of Blackcaps, are needed to
make a pound of evaporated fruit, and in moist seasons four
quarts are usually required. At the endof the season, when
the berries are small anddry, two quarts may make a pound,
while from four to five quarts of red berries are needed. When
evaporated raspberries were first put upon the market thirty
to forty cents a pound were common prices, but as these were
clearly excessive they fell as production increased. From
sixteen to seventeen cents a pound has been the average price
for the past three or four years, and there is profit in these
prices when there is a good crop, but there are many fields in
which twice this price would not leave any margin over ex-
penses. All these details are found in the interesting Bulletin
No. too of the Cornell Experiment Station, to which allusion
was made in a recent editorial article. According to Pro-
fessor Bailey, some growers hold that the berries should
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 408.
go into the evaporator when the price falls below eight cents a
quart, while others sell them until they fail to net seven cents,
An efficient evaporator has a good effect both upon the mar-
ket and the grower. It keeps the surplus green fruit out of
commerce and informs the buyer that he must keep prices up
to the paying level or he cannot get the fruit. It makes the
grower, in a measure, independent othe market, and more
than that it leads him to save windfall? apples and surplus
berries and other material which would go to waste.
Mr. M.S. Bebb, the accomplished salicologist, and, since the
death of the Swedish botanist, Andersson, in 1880, the best
authority on the difficult genus Salix, died on the 5th instant
at San Bernardino, California, where he had gone from his home
in Illinois a few weeks ago, in the hope of obtaining relief from
the pulmonary troubles from which he has beena sufferer for
several years. :
Michael S. Bebb was born on December 23d, 1833, in Butler
County, in south-western Ohio, then nearly a wilderness, where
his grandfather, Edward Bebb, a Welshman, had been one of
the first settlers in the fertile valley of the Miami River. His
father was a teacher and then a successful lawyer in Hamilton,
the county town to which the family removed in 1835, and in
1846 was elected Governor of Ohio. A garden well-stocked
with flowering plants and fruit-trees surrounded the Bebb
mansion in Hamilton, and here the future botanist, while still
a boy, acquired his first knowledge of plants, learning labo-
riously, without the aid of a text-book, the rudiments of the
science from a copy of Torrey’s Report upon the Flora of
New York, which had accidentally come into his hands. In
1850 Governor Bebb retired from politics and moved to a large
tract of land which he had purchased in the Rocky River val-
ley in northern Illinois, near the present town of Fountaindale.
Here the lad’s love of botany was confirmed by the acquisition
of other botanical books and by the acquaintance which he
made five orsix years later with Dr. George Vasey, then of Illi-
nois, and for many years before his death the botanist of the
Department of Agriculture of the United States. This acquaint-
ance led to an interchange of specimens ; and about this time,
too, he visited New England, where he met several men of
science who confirmed him in his intention to devote himself
seriously to the study of botany. During the War of Seces-
sion Mr. Bebb accepted a position in the Pension Bureau in
Washington, which he held for several years, and then, re-
turning to Illinois, he purchased the paternal homestead at
Fountaindale and settled down to botany, and especially to the
study of Willows. The largest and most complete collection
of these native and exotic plants which has been made in the
United States was planted by Mr. Bebb at this time on land
near his house, but, unfortunately, was destroyed a few years
ago when he had taken up his residence in Rockford, Illinois.
Since 1874, when he described his first Willow in The Ameri-
can Naturalist, all the collections of these plants made in
North America have been studied by him. He described the
California species in Brewer & Watson's Botany of California,
the south-western species collected by Rothrock in the sixth
volume of Wheeler's Reports, the Colorado species in Coul-
ter’s Manual of Botany of the Rocky Mountain Region, and
the species of the eastern states in the last edition of Gray’s
Manual, He has determined the Willows collected by the
officers of the Geological Survey of Canada in all parts of Brit-
ish America, and has contributed to botanical journals many
papers upon the American species of the genus, including an
important one published in The Budletin of the Torrey Botani-
cal Clué, upon the Willows of the White Mountain region of
New Hampshire. His latest publication appeared only two
weeks ago, when he described a new species of Willow from
Washington in the columns of this journal, which he has en-
riched during the last months of his life witha series of papers
devoted to a discussion of the specific rank, distribution, etc.,
of several of the least-known and most interesting tree Wil-
lows of the continent. It was Mr. Bebb’s intention to have
elaborated in the form of a monograph the results of his long
and careful researches upon American Willows ; and during
the last year he has devoted as much time as his failing
strength would permit to reexamining for this purpose the
mass of material which he has gathered in his herbarium.
Mr. Bebb will be known to science as an acute and enthusi-
astic botanist, but those who have met hija remember
him first of all as a delightful companion. J), a
high-minded man, with great dignity and ee rd of manner,
and one who always inspired respect as we if affection. To
a very wide circle of naturalists with whomhe has been a
helpful and unselfish co-worker his death will be felt as a
personal loss.
DECEMBER 25, 1895.]
GARDEN AND FOREST.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
THE oi FOREST PUBLISHING CO.
iT
Orric#: Tripung Buitpinc, New York.
Conducted by . 5. . «se « « « « » Professor C. S. SARGENT.
ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE POST-OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Ye
NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1805.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE,
EprroriaL ArticLes:—The Study of pring! ple as a ay to Horticultural
Practice......
Quarantine against ‘Tnju
Thomas Andrew Knight .
California Fruits..
Scale Insects Liable to be Introd
Professor T °d. A, So Rage 513
7. Ww,
New or LiITTLE-KNOWN PLAnTs :—Stapelia gigantea. (With figure.)..... 514
IBOAN DA OLEStceieiintesishsteleestetetelticisleretsictlnciste\siaisjelvrcisiom's)s) <'eieis'swieieia ele proce stsielutvialnte ait 514
CutturaL DeparTMENT :—Pruning of Str eet-trees 1.2... GW. O. 514
Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden... -..... R. siceeeran. 516
Hew Tan thEMUMStictativamclecwiccs sess cualstiaclsts ox ...M. F Rose. 516
Hybrid) Perpetual! Roses)... /..s1eveneje tyecmes sees TE 0. Gee 516
Propagating Chrysanthemums... lO. Bry
Solanum capsicastrum, Leelia anceps Paces E
CorRESPONDENCE :—Chrysanthemums.... 2.2.0... sees ee eeee ee eee GD: Hatfield. 517
AV bun riay ea Tita a eps wreteralerinreatercie a's o1 erersiote Foseph Meehan. 518
Irrigation in New Jersey Professor Byron D. Halsted. 518
MEETINGS OF SociETIES: —Irrigation for Kansas Farms and Orchards.......... 518
RECENT PUBLICATIONS 650. ecececcccceeceerecccreeteteccneeteeeneeres
Nores..
ILLUSTRATION : vStapelia’ gigantea, Fig. 71
The Study of Principles as a Help to Horticultural
Practice.
WO bulletins on the care of fruit-trees, just issued by
the Cornell Experiment Station, are not only directly
instructive upon the subject of which they treat, but they
furnish good examples of two methods of investigation.
One of these, Bulletin No. 103, has been prepared by Pro-
fessor Roberts, and it is a record of some very careful
experiments undertaken to answer the question whether
the comparative failure of the orchards in western New
York is not largely due to the exhaustion of the soil. By
careful weighing and analyzing of wood, fruit and leaves
it was determined with some accuracy that the value of
the principal plant-foods—that is, the value of the nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash—which would be taken from
an acre of productive orchard in twenty years would
amount to some $400, while the total value of the same
plant-foods that would be taken up by the grain and straw
of crops of wheat grown on an acre of land for twenty
years in succession would not amount to one-third as
much. No one would think of raising wheat for twenty
years consecutively on the same land, and the wonder
is not so much that old orchards fail, but rather that they
did not cease to produce merchantable fruit years ago.
This experiment, therefore, establishes the fact that there is
sufficient robbery of the soil to account for the lessening
yields of fruit, but, of course, it does not follow that the
simple return of this amount of plant-food to the soil
would necessarily give full crops. No doubt, there are
other disturbing causes, and we must know, at least, when,
where and in what manner the food must be given and
what trees to select and how to treat them so that they may
use this food to the best advantage.
Bulletin No. 102, by Professor Bailey, on the contrary,
does not contain a single experimental fact. A mass of
data has been gathered from wide and long observations
of orchards under many conditions, and then it has
been attempted to deduce certain principles from them.
This is not the usual method of the stations, but, cer-
tainly, when such inquiries are conducted in a judicial
spirit, they admirably supplement special investigations.
The investigation of the behavior of a single tree very
Garden and Forest.
oDp
properly accompanies the generalization from many hun-
dred orchards, and it is important to observe that the
two inquirers arrive nly at the same essential
conclusion, which is, that orchards need more thorough
tilling and fertilizing than they receive.
What we should like to emphasize here is that the pri-
mary need of cultivators of the soil is principles rather than
information. Broadly, it is education that is needed rather
than specific knowledge. People who demand what they
call practical instruction really want information for a par-
ticular case ; that is, they want rules for some local and
inflexible conditions, but really this is what no one can
give. The experiment station cannot tell the farmer ex-
actly what must be done with his particular farm. The best
that can be done is to furnish him with principles which
he must apply for himself. He knows his own soil as no
one else does, he knows his own resources and limitations,
and he ought to be able to make use of general principles
as they apply to his own particular case better than any
one else. Professor Bailey’s bulletin shows him that there
may be many causes why his apple crops fail, but he must
ultimately decide for himself what is the fundamental
trouble. He may not do this to-morrow, or even next year,
but if he familiarizes himself with general laws and studies
his land and his crops he will in the end master the prob-
lem. If the experiment station were to take charge of his
farm and conduct it for him he would in the end be the
loser, because he would learn nothing except to rely upon
others rather than upon himself, which is a lesson above all
others to avoid.
It is not our purpose to speak of the contents of these
bulletins only so far as to explain the different methods
upon which they have been prepared, but it may be well
to state that one of the reasons assigned by Professor Bailey
for the probable failure of many trees to bear paying crops
is that they have been propagated from unproductive indi-
viduals. This is something which is rarely taken into
account, and yet we all know that no gardener would take
a cutting from a Rose-bush which bears no flowers. Why,
then, should we take a cion from a tree which is unproduc-
tive as individuals often are, or from one which is not
desirable in habit, or which lacks vigor. It is hazardous
to enunciate general laws, but it would certainly seem
worth while to select grafts from trees of individual merit,
which have been knownas productive for a period of years.
Time would show whether anything is to be gained by this
practice, but unless all analogies fail it ought,to prove a
profitable experiment.
An article in another column of this issue, on the danger
which threatens the agriculture and horticulture of the
country from certain foreign insects, invites attention once
more to a subject we have often discussed. The constitu-
tional difficulties in the way of preventing the contagious
diseases of animals and plants, as well as destructive
insects from spreading from state to state, are serious
ones, but the subject here touched upon is not connected
with interstate commerce, but with importations from
foreign countries. It is, no doubt, as much within the
power of the Federal Government to make quarantine laws
against scale insects as it is to protect men and domestic
animals from the germs of disease. The losses which this
country suffers through insects are estimated by hundreds
of millions of dollars every year, and it is well known that
many of the most dangerous of these pests of our orchards
and gardens have\come from foreign countries. Cali-
fornia has a quarantine officer who is apparently render-
ing the state a genuine service, and if the abounding scale
insects of the tropics are to be prevented from invading
our southern coasts some similar action must be taken
on our Atlantic seaboard. We need to know more of
these insects and of their habits, so that we can detect
them before they gain a foot-hold here. We know that a
dangerous scale insect from California has been found
in abundance on the fruit-stands of our eastern states.
512
Equally destructive pests may effect a landing in some of
our seaports on the fruits and vegetables which we receive
from the West Indies and from South America, as well as
upon the decorative or other plants imported. We have
an association of economic entomologists, and this body
ought to be able to frame a bill to establish a quarantine,
not only against injurious insects, but against the conta-
gious diseases of plants. There is also an organization
made up of the officers of the experiment stations and the
professors of the agricultural colleges, whose natural
duty would seem to be a general oversight of the in-
terest of agriculture and horticulture. The subject in ques-
tion ought to be worth careful study by a body which
represents the entire nation, and we see no good reason
why a national quarantine bill should not be framed and
introduced before the close of the present session of
Congress.
Thomas Andrew Knight.
E have already published one or two of the five-
minute talks with which Professor Bailey, of
Cornell University, prefaces his lectures on Evolution.
One of his students again sends the following from her
notes as worthy of permanent record :
Thomas Andrew Knight, one of the first and greatest
of our botanical philosophers, was the forerunner of Dar-
win, who may be considered the second of our great horticul-
tural philosophers. Knight was born in 1759 and died in 1838.
He was educated at Oxford, and he lived at Elton and Down-
ton Castle, England. He devoted his whole life to agriculture,
but he also conducted experiments upon the crossing of plants,
made various studies on the physiology of plants and the like.
Nearly all of his writings have been productive of great good
in after years. The first essay which he ever prepared is one
upon the decay of fruit-trees and the causes therefor. This
was written in 1795. Asa means of averting the decay of the
trees, he advised raising new varieties by crossing. He was
the first man, so far as I know, who advised the use of cross-
fertilization for the purpose of producing new varieties, and
for the purpose of improving existing ones. A similar work
was taken up by Darwinand made him famous. The teach-
ings of Lord Bacon were leading sources of information when
Knight began to write. Bacon was convinced that crossing in
animals and plants is capable of yielding great results, but he
was ignorant of the exact process. His opinions, which were
current when Knight began his work, were as follows: ‘The
compounding and mixture of plants is not found out, which,
nevertheless, if it be possible, is more at command than that
of living creatures ; wherefore it were one of the most noble
experiments touching plants to find this art; for so you may
have a great variety of new plants and flowers yet unknown.
Grafting doth it not: that mendeth the fruit, or doubleth the
flower, but it hath not the power to make a new kind—for the
scion ever overruleth the stock.”
Knight was first brought to notice by Sir Joseph Banks, who
was interested in agriculture, and whose name has come down
to us as one of the leading scientists and naturalists of his
time. Sir Joseph was interested in the Royal Agricultural
Society, the members of which had drawn up a set of queries
to which they desired answers from various districts, and
Banks hit upon Knight as being the person to whom these
queries should be addressed. Banks soon found that Knight
‘‘was not only eminently qualified to effect the immediate
object in view, but that he had made observations, and de-
duced theories from them, calculated to throw much light on
the more abstruse subject of vegetable physiology.”
Knight was the first to make experiments to determine why
roots go down and stems go up. In 1803 he made the acquain-
tance of Sir Humphrey Davy, who afterward became a very
warm friend, and with whom a correspondence began which
was of great benefit to both persons and continued until the
death of the latter in 1829. The Horticultural Society of Lon-
don was established in 1804. The first active president was
Thomas Andrew Knight, who was elected in 1811 and served
until the time of his death in 1838. The golden age of the
society was covered by the period of his administration.
Knight was the first man to propose the theory that the
variation of plants is due to excess of food-supply. He also
produced a great number of new varieties of plants by cross-
fertilization, and among Cherries we have the Elton at the
present time, the Downton and others.
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 409.
Payne Knight was an older brother of Thomas Andrew and
became a famous Greek scholar and poet.
California Fruits.
PAPER read by D. M. Rowley, editor of Zhe Cahfornia
Fruit Grower, before the State Fruit Growers’ Conven-
tion at Sacramento, gave some statistical compilations which
are not quite as dry as figures usually are. In reviewing
the trade in fresh deciduous fruits he noted that the earliest
shipment eastward in the season of 1895 was two car-loads
of cherries, sent on the 8th of May, although shipments of
the same fruit had been made by express as early as the
17th of April, and auction sales of California cherries began
in Chicago on the 13th of May. From the 8th of May to
the end of October 4,435 car-loads were shipped altogether.
OF these, 1,473 car-loads went to Chicago, 928 to New York,
279 to Boston, 176 to Omaha, 148 to Denver, 124 to Minne-
apolis, 109 to St. Paul and 42 to London, England. Twenty
other cities are named as receiving less than a hundred car-
loads during the year, but since there are about one hun-
dred cities in this country which contain more than 40,000
inhabitants, and more than two hundred cities with a popu-
lation of 30,000, it is not surprising that nearly 700 car-loads
were sold in cities and towns not designated—that is, at
points unknown to any one but the shipper.
The freight rate of a car carrying 24,000 pounds to
Chicago from California is $300, and this is regarded by
railroad men as reasonable when the distance and charac-
ter of the service is considered. Refrigeration charges are
extra, $90, for example, from Sacramento to Chicago,
making a total of $390 a car to that city. From this it ap-
pears that the freight and refrigeration on the 1,400 cars
sent to Chicago would amount to more than half a million
dollars. The freight rate to New York is $360 and the
refrigerating charges $130, a total of $490 -a car, so that
transportation charges on California fruit to New York
amounted to more than $450,000 during the year. Taking
the average charges paid for freight and refrigeration for
shipments to Chicago and New York it appears that the
vast sum of $1,931,480 was paid for the transportation of
fresh fruits from terminals in California to eastern cities,
and this does not account for the local freights paid by
shippers before they reach the main line of the Southern
Pacific Railroad Company. Of course, the commissions,
cartage and other expenses connected with the shipping
business at the eastern end of the line would greatly swell
this amount. It ought to be added that shipments from
California last year were smaller than they have been since the
year 1891. In 1894 the grand total was 179,576,500 pounds.
Among varieties of fruits, peaches took the lead in quan-
tity, amounting to 1,288 car-loads for the year; of pears
there have been 1,167 car-loads, of grapes gto car-loads,
of plums 390 car-loads, of cherries 177 car-loads, of apricots
167 car-loads, of apples, so far, but 95 car-loads, of prunes
75 car-loads, of quinces 13 car-loads, and of nectarines 4
car-loads. The climate of California not only enables
one to work out-of-doors all the year round and makes
long seasons for fruit-growing, but it is also a good place
for curing fruit, as the enormous increase in the amount of
cured fruit bears witness. Exclusive of raisins and dried
grapes, California has averaged during the last five years
an annual production of more than eighty million pounds
of dried fruit—that is, nearly 114 pounds of this product to
every man, woman and child in the United States. Alto-
gether, in the five years from 1&go to 1894 inclusive, count-
ing the fresh deciduous fruits, citrus fruits, dried fruits,
canned fruits and raisins, the enormous total of 2,308,298,400
pounds has been produced. The unestimated quantities
of fresh and dried fruits produced east of the Rocky Moun-
tains are, of course, additional to the California output, as
also the hundreds of cargoes of bananas, oranges, lemons,
pineapples, raisins, prunes, currants, figs, etc., received
from foreign countries, and the enormous amount of fruit
consumed in the United States can hardly be realized.
DECEMBER 25, 1895.]
Scale Insects Liable to be Introduced into the
° United States.
BOUT 140 species of scale insects are now known from
the United States, of which, however, at least thirty-
five have certainly been introduced through human agency.
The following are noticeably injurious :
(ty Probably or certainly introduced. Icerya purchasi,
Gossyparia ulmi, Dactylopius adonidum, D. citri, Orthezia
insignis, Asterolecanium quercicola, Pollinia pollini, Leca-
nium persice, L. juglandis, L. hemisphericum, L. oleae,
Aspidiotus nerii, A. ficus, A. aurantii, Mytilaspis citricola,
M. gloverii, M. pomorum, Aspidiotus perniciosus, Chio-
-naspis citri, C. biclavis, Aulacaspis rose, Diaspis amygdali,
Phenacoccus aceris, Lecanium hesperidum, Parlatoria per-
gandii.
(2) Probably or certainly native. Pulvinaria innumera-
bilis, Lecanium pruinosum, L. ribis, L. tulipiferee, L. fitchii,
Aspidiotus uvee, A. ancylus, A. juglans-regiz, Chionaspis
furfurus, C. ortholobis, Aspidiotus rapax. The second and
the last have, perhaps, been introduced.
Thus it is seen that most of the injurious species have
been introduced into the country; in fact, all of those
which are of first importance, if we, perhaps, except Chio-
naspis furfurus and Pulvinaria innumerabilis. It is just
possible that Aspidiotus perniciosus is native. Just lately,
Asterolecanium pustulans has turned up in Florida, and
Dactylopius virgatus in Texas. These species are not yet
complained of in the United States, but both are very
injurious in certain tropical localities, such as Jamaica.
In the great majority of cases it is not known exactly
how or when the introduced species reached this country,
_ but it may be broadly stated that they all came on plants.
Positive evidence is, however, afforded by Mr. Alexander
Craw, the energetic horticultural quarantine officer of Cali-
fornia. He boards the steamers that arrive at San Fran-
cisco, and inspects all plants and trees about to be landed.
Quite frequently he finds them infested with scale insects,
and in all such cases has them destroyed, being empow-
ered by the law of the state to do so. The labors of Mr.
Craw have probably not been appreciated at their true
value ; in fact, it is impossible that they should have been,
because the most remarkable results he has achieved have
not yet been published. Unfortunately, we possess no
detailed or accurate information regarding his earlier finds,
but recently he has been sending me the species detected,
and without naming them here I may say there were seven
on plants from Japan, three from Honolulu, two each on
plants from Mexico and Central America, and one each on
plants from Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands and Australia.
Not a single one of these scale insects is native to this
country, and only one, Aspidiotus aurantii, is established
in California. Some of them, Diaspis amygdali, for exam-
ple, are known to be very injurious. Yet these results
have all been obtained quite recently ; in fact, every month
seems to make remarkable additions to the list. Let the
California people consider what it would have been worth
to them to have kept Icerya and the San José scale out of
the country; let them now consider, in view of recent
experiences in the east, what it would be worth to keep
Diaspis amygdali (lanatus) out. The damage done by
either of these species in a few years would exceed the
salary of a dozen quarantine officers.
It is hardly sufficient to say that California is pursuing a
wise policy in this matter; to do otherwise, with the inter-
ests she has at stake, would be sheer imbecility. In view
of all this, it seems amazing that nothing in the same way
is being done in the east or south. I do not propose at
the present time to discuss the question of quarantine along
the Atlantic seaboard, but rather to call attention to the
condition of affairs in the south. From California to Florida
there is no serious attempt made of any kind to prevent the
introduction of pernicious insects.
From the regions south of the United States (Central and
South America and the West Indies) are known at present
Garden and Forest.
513
about 130 species—that is, not quite so many as from the
United States. But there can be no doubt that the tropics
of America are very rich in scale insects, and the reason
why no more are recorded there is simply that, except in
the West Indies, very little collecting has been done.
To illustrate the abundance of scale insects in the tropics
I may say that I found in the small garden attached to Dr.
Strachan’s house, in Kingston, Jamaica, July 27th, 1892, six-
teen species and varieties, seven of which have never been
found in the United States. It is true that one of them, the
species Parlatoria pergandei, occurs in our country, but
the variety Crotonis, which I found, has an entirely differ-
ent food-plant, and from an economic point of view is
quite a different thing. Perhaps the most pernicious spe-
cies among the sixteen not found in the United States
is Aspidiotus articulatus, which attacks Citrus-trees as the
red scale does in California.
To give anything like a list of the scale insects in the
West Indies which are liable to be imported into this coun-
try would occupy too much space. But there are specially
dangerous ones infesting Citrus-trees, Sugar Cane, Sweet
Potato, Yam, Cotton, Palm, Hibiscus, Acalypha and other
plants which are articles of common transportation.
As regards Mexico and Central America our knowledge
is singularly deficient, and would be fragmentary, indeed,
had not Professor C. H. T. Townsend lately been collect-
ing in Mexico for the Department of Agriculture. The
results of his mission will be set forth in a bulletin shortly
to be published ; but it may be permissible to state now
that he found, in particular, several injurious scale insects
upon the Citrus-trees. One of these, Aspidiotus scutiformis,
has never yet been detected in the United States. Thus
we are threatened all along our southern border, and
the process of introducing injurious species, which has
gone on so far almost unheeded, is likely to lead to conse-
quences more serious than are often contemplated. It is
true that the climatic differences, from south to north, afford
a certain amount .of protection, but the way in which the
Diaspis amygdali (lanatus), of the West Indies, has estab-
lished itself in the city of Washington should convince any
one that immunity from differences in climate cannot be
relied upon. Nobody supposes that many West Indian
species could establish themselves far north in the United
States, but many are already common to the tropics and
the southern states, while trouble may even be caused in
the north in hot-houses, as with the mealy bugs and Orthezia
insignis. It is not necessary to postulate that the Coccids
should destroy whole crops, in order to make out a case for
preventive measures. The profit usually represents but a
small part of the value of the crop, and the insect has but
to eat that up to ruin the business. Thus any loss will be
felt, unless, perhaps, in times of so-called overproduction.
It is useless to cry out after the harm is done; now is
the time; in a few years it will be too late, as indeed it is
already too late to stop many species. The indications
from the facts at hand are plain. In the first place, strenu-
ous efforts should be made to ascertain more accurately
the Coccid fauna of the whole neotropical region, and
especially of those parts near our own borders. In the
second, quarantine should be set up, as in California, at
those places through which plants are brought into the
United States. These are not numerous, and probably it
could be made unprofitable for importers to bring their
plants through ports not quarantined ; that is to say, if the
trade would recognize that no plants could be safely re-
ceived unless certified as clean by the appointed quarantine
officer, non-inspected plants would lose some of their
Value een eeable T. D. A. Cockerell.
The element of interest which, beyond question, should be
placed first, if possible, in the park of any great city is that of
an antithesis to its bustling, paved, rectangular, walled-in
streets—a requirement best met by a large meadowy ground
of an open, free, tranquil character.— Olmsted & Vaux.
514
New or Little-known Plants.
Stapelia gigantea.
HE illustration on p. 515 is reproduced from a pho-
tograph of the plant of Stapelia gigantea, which was
briefly referred to recently in Garprn anv Forest (p. 454),
which flowered a few weeks ago in the Royal Gardens,
Kew. The flowers area foot in diameter, leather-like in
texture, the surface wrinkled and the color pale yellow,
with red-brown transverse lines and covered with very fine
silky purplish hairs. Each flower lasts two or three days,
and on first opening emits a disagreeable odor. It is more
than thirty years since this species was introduced into
English gardens from Zululand, but it did not flower till
1888, when a plant in the collection of SirGeorge Macleay,
Pendell Court, Surrey, produced flowers in November, and
from these the colored plate in Ze Aofanical Magazine was
prepared. Sir Joseph Hooker there speaks of it as follows:
“This, some Rafflesias and certain species of Aristolochia
are the largest-flowered members of the vegetable king-
dom, and, what is curious, all are most fetid and have lurid
colors. They agree in no other characters ; they differ al-
together in botanical affinity ; and they inhabit widely
distant parts of the world, namely, south Africa, Malaya
and Brazil.” ‘To this category may be added the great
Amorphophallus Titanum, which has the largest of all floral
structures, with lurid colors and a penetrating disagreeable
odor.
The claims of Stapelias generally to the notice of horti-
culturists were urged in an article published in GarDEN AND
Forest in 1890, page 179, where also will be found direc-
tions for their cultivation, based upon experience at Kew
and in a few other gardens where these plants find favor.
The requirements of S. gigantea are somewhat exceptional.
It thrives only when grown in a hot moist stove from April
till September, when the growth matures and the flower-
buds show. It should then be hung up or placed upon a
shelf near the roof-glass in a sunny dry position in the
stove. It grows very freely under this treatment, the plant
represented in the picture being only eighteen months old
from a cutting. The prostrate stems branch freely and
produce roots from every node.
Many of the species of Stapelia are small in flower and
altogether wanting in characters that would recommend
them for the garden ; there are, however, some which have
large and attractive flowers, and are to be obtained from a
few nurserymen. They are S. Bufonis, of which picta and
variegata are forms; S. deflexa, S. grandiflora, S. Desmeti-
ana, 8. hirsuta, S. Plantii, S. sororia and, of course, S.
gigantea. ‘The first-named is the best known of all, and is
the common Carrion-flower. It can be grown in a cold
greenhouse or even in a room window where direct sun-
light can reach it. S. grandiflora has flowers five inches in
diameter and is covered with Jong purple hairs; S. Plantii
is another large-flowered species remarkable for its stout,
erect, dark green stems and zebra-marked purple and yel-
low hairy flowers. These are all easy to manage and
flower every year. J] may as well mention here that Sta-
pelias are not Cacti, but Asclepiads, although it is usual for
nurserymen to class them with Cacti, and I have even seen
them thus classed in books. They are all African.
London, W. W.
Plant Notes.
Paytiormnium Linpent.—This is one of the most beauti-
ful foliage-plants of the Calla family. The leaves sometimes
grow to a height of four or five feet, with a blade two feet
in length. The plant forms immense masses of foliage if
it is not divided too often, and while a rather moist and
warm atmospheric condition is best for its development,
it can stand drought and a certain degree of cold for a con-
siderable time with immunity. Asa plant for the house it
is unequaled, and requires comparatively little attention.
The leaves are hastate in outline, borne on erect, rather
Garden and Forest.
[NuMBER 409.
fleshy, leaf-stalks ; the blade is green, marked along the
middle and principal veins with broad bands of white. The
effect is rich and luxurious. Rich loamy soil, with good
drainage, and a temperature of about sixty-five degrees are
the best conditions for success, and if it is kept moderately
warm, moderately moist and absolutely clean this hand-
some Aroid cannot fail to give satisfaction.
APHELANDRA ORIENTALIS PUNCTATA.—This is a handsome
stove shrub with lanceolate opposite leaves of a bright
green color, variegated and spotted along the midrib with
a broad irregular band of silvery white and more or less
sprinkled over with silvery dots. The habit is rather slen-
der, but by means of pinching the young shoots quite nice
and bushy plants may be had. Like most tropical plants
of its family (Acanthacea), it is an exceedingly fine sub-
ject for table decoration if properly treated. Cuttings root
in about two weeks, but require a brisk bottom-heat. A
rich vegetable soil composed of one part loam, one leaf-
mold, one well decayed horse-manure and one part sand
is the best soil that can be obtained for this and similar
plants. Any one interested in fine foliage-plants for a stove
or warm greenhouse will find this a very rare and pleasing
subject.
DicuortsanDRA UNDaTA.—Among the smaller foliage-plants
suitable for small conservatories and greenhouses, this
beautiful species takes a prominent place. It is nearly
related to Tradescantia, and is not unlike some of the large-
leaved forms of that genus. The leaves are subcordate, or
nearly orbicular, with a peculiar wavy or ruffled surface ;
deep olive-green, with several longitudinal grayish bands,
of which the middle one is broadest, about half an inch
wide. The stem is thick and fleshy, and the leaves are
produced close together at the top. The usual size of the
plant in greenhouses is about eight inches, although it
probably grows larger in its native home. To be satisfac-
tory, the plants should be grown into broad bushy speci-
mens, when they are very ornamental. Propagation, by
means of cuttings in bottom heat. The soil should be rich
and fibrous. Plenty of water is needed in summer, as well
as a shady position and about seventy degrees of heat.
Cultural Department.
Pruning of Street-trees.
sie Parking Commission of Washington has been in exist-
ence for more than twenty years, and the same men who
were appointed at the beginning, W. R. Smith, William Saun-
ders and John Saul, are serving on it still. As might be
expected from the work of an intelligent body, much valuable
information has been accumulated, especially as regards the
system of pruning adopted. It has been the custom of the
Parking Commission, when planting three or four year old
trees on the streets, to head them back to a height of about
nine feet from the ground and shorten in all lateral branches.
This has worked satisfactorily, as it tends to make the tree
push out fresh growths, and at the end of the first year the
trees look as if they had not felt the change.
It is in the treatment of the trees after they have attained the
age of a dozen years or more that the results of the different
methods of pruning are so very noticeable. For example, the
Occidental Plane, if left to itself, will grow very irregularly,
become sickly, and then invite attacks by scale insects, which
soon threaten to kill them altogether. On several of the streets
a few years ago this was exactly the condition of these trees.
Heroic measures were decided upon in the way of cutting
back the branches to within a short distance of the stem. This
was carried out on several miles of streets, much to the horror
and dismay of the property-owners, who declared that the
members of the commission had suddenly turned insane. The
commissioners said nothing, probably they had some doubts
as to the results of the experiment. The treatment proved to
be the proper one, however, and within two years from the
date of pruning, the streets where the pruning was done had
the most beautiful trees in the city. The Oriental Plane grows
into a more symmetrical shape and does not need the knife
so often to keep it in shape or to give it new vigor as does
Platanus occidentalis.
North Carolina Poplars, which have been pruned severely
DECEMBER 25, 1895.]
Garden and Forest.
Fig. 71.—Stapelia gigantea at Kew Gardens—one-fourth natural size.—See page 514.
because their branches have become straggling, are refur-
nished very quickly after pruning with strong growths, These
growths appear well for the first part of the season, but after a
period of dry weather they are the first to lose their leaves,
while those Poplars which have only been moderately pruned
retain their foliage much longer,
The Maiden-hair-tree, Ginkgo biloba, has one marked pecu-
liarity. Some specimens after planting stand still and abso-
lutely refuse to grow. Most of the trees make an open growth,
as may be seen on the avenue between the Department of
Agriculture and Pennsylvania Avenue ; these trees have never
been pruned, and some of them are little more than straight
516
sticks, although it is something like fifteen years since they
were set out. On the other hand, those trees planted on the
west side of Lafayette Square and on Peirce Street are ideal
specimens, owing to the fact that they have been shaped on
several occasions.
The Silver Maple does not last in a healthy condition for
more than sixteen years as a sidewalk-tree in Washington. As
the natural soil is not of the best, when the holes are dug the
soil taken out is carted away and new and better material takes
its place. This keeps the tree in good health for several years,
but when it gets beyond certain dimensions it, of course, be-
gins to show signs of starvation in the losing of the lower
branches and ripening great quantities of seed annually. The
only way in which the life of the tree is prolonged for a few
years is by cutting it severely in to the main stem. This is
done in the early spring months, and before summer is over
the tree is pretty well furnished with a profusion of fresh
growths.
- Botanic Garden, Washington, D. C. G. W.O.
.
Notes from the Harvard Botanic Garden.
tees genus Urceolina, although a small one, has three inter-
esting species. They are bulbous plants which belong to
the Amaryllis family, and are found in the Andes. For the
last two or three weeks some flowering plants of U. pendula,
the drooping-urn flower, have been very much admired by
visitors to the garden. These plants are scarce in gardens
from some cause or other, and yet they are easy to grow and
flower freely here every year. The bulbs measure about three
inches across, and during the growing season they have one or
two leaves. These are dark green, oblong, and contracted into
the petioles and measure from ten to twelve inches in length
and two or three inches at the broadest part. At the apex of
an erect scape, which is about a foot and a half high, the pen-
dulous flowers are produced in umbels, those on the plants
here having from six to eight flowers, and the filiform pedun-
cles are nearly two inches long. Just above the ovary the
perianth is contracted and then enlarged into an oblong, tubu-
lar, urceolate throat, and the lobes are spreading at the apex.
The showy part of the flower is the enlarged part of the perianth,
which‘is nearly two-thirds of its length, and itis ofa rich golden
yellow color. The spreading lobes are green and margined
with white. When the plants are in bloom they are without
foliage, but the pots can be placed among groups of Adiantum
cuneatum, where the flowers last for several weeks and make
a pleasing show above the dark green fronds of the Ferns.
After the plants have flowered they may be placed in an inter-
mediate house and ina position where they will be kept dry.
Just before growth begins in spring the bulbs should be taken
out of the pots and the exhausted soil carefully removed. Then
they may be replaced, one bulb in a five-inch pot, using clean
pots, plenty of drainage and a light, porous, rich soil, with the
top of the bulb level with the soil. After they are potted the
plants are placed in the stove, where they are kept dry until
growth begins, when they are supplied freely with water.
When the leaves have done their work and begin to turn yel-
low in early autumn, water should be given sparingly and
finally withheld altogether. The flower-scapes begin to push
up a few weeks after the leaves disappear. This plant is inter-
esting botanically, as it is one of the parents of Urceocharis
Clibrani, a hybrid, the other parent being the well-known
Eucharis Amazonica.
Piqueria trinervia is a very common plant in gardens, where
it is known almost universally as Stevia serrata. It is a useful
plant, as it comes into flower just after the Chrysanthemums,
and its light airy branches, with their white flower-heads, are
very serviceable for cutting, and they last well. The plants
branch freely, and the stems, which are three feet high or
more, are thickly clad with opposite, oblong lanceolate, dark
green leaves, which are subserrate and have three prominent
nerves. The white flower-heads are produced very freely,
and are disposed in loose corymbose, many-headed panicles.
There is a dwarf form of this plant which makes compact
dwarf bushes about eighteen inches high. This dwarf form
we find most useful here, as the plants are more decorative
and make more compact specimens. When the plants have
finished blossoming, which happens some time after Christ-
mas, the old ones are discarded, except one or two, which are
kept for stock-plants. Cuttings are struck in March, and after
they are well-rooted they are put into small pots, where they
are kept until time for planting out in the garden in May. They
grow fast in the garden, and the young points of the branches
should be picked out regularly, as it makes the plants bushy.
About the end of August they are lifted and potted again,
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 409.
They require careful handling in lifting, as the stems are very
brittle and are apt to get broken. When cool weather sets in
they are put in acool greenhouse. This plant is figured in
The Botanical Magazine, and has been cultivated as long ago
as 1798, when it was introduced from Mexico. There is
another form of this plant grown in gardens with white-edged
leaves which is useful as a bedding-plant.
Botanic Garden, Haryard University. LR. Cameron.
The Eranthemums.
fee Eranthemunis are remarkable for the beauty of their
foliage and will probably prove valuable as bedding plants.
In Europe they are considered quite tropical in nature, assome
of them undoubtedly are, and in the damp English climate or
in the colder countries of northern Europe they could probably
not be used out-of-doors. But here, where the conditions are
so different, where plants like the Acalyphas will do well in the
open border, Eranthemums may be used with equal success.
Their foliage is not as large as that of the Acalyphas, or as
highly colored as that of Coleus, but they belong to a more
refined type of plants, noble in outline, with soft, harmonious
coloring.
The principal kinds coming under consideration as bedding
plants are thestrong, erect-growing forms that develop quickly
and areas easily increased as Coleus. Eranthemum albo-margi-
natum, with long lanceolate-acuminate leaves of a grayish
green color, mottled and margined with milky white, grows to
a height of two or three feet. The leaves are opposite, eight or
ten inches long, under greenhouse treatment. E,. nerium rub-
rum, with rounded-ovate leaves of the same color as the pre-
ceding one, slightly whiter, E, Eldorado, with almost cordate
leaves and an obtuse apex, green, reticulated with bright yel-
low. In E, atropurpureum the leaves are of a deep maroon
color, or sometimes nearly black, of the same shape as those
of E. Eldorado.
The soil best adapted to Eranthemumis is a rich vegetable
one. A bed of any ordinary garden soil, enriched with plenty
of well-decayed horse-manure and some rotten leaves, would an-
swer the purpose very well. The Eranthemums are generally
grown in warm greenhousesin partial shade. As indoor plants,
singly in pots, they are very ornamental, as well as easy of cul-
ture. Soft-wooded cuttings, when inserted ina slight bottom-
heat, will root in three or four days. When used as house-
plants, or by florists for decorative purposes, the plants should
always be kept young and bushy, with as luxuriant foliage as
possible. .. As young plants are easily grown from cuttings old
and stunted ones need not be kept.
Newark, N. J. NV. Ts Rose. -
Hybrid Perpetual Roses.
yer’ the Chrysanthemum season is past there is gener-
ally space in the greenhouses for other plants that have
been stored in cold frames or other convenient places, and we
now place the first lots of hybrid Roses in a warmth of forty-
five to fifty degrees to start them into gentle root-action.
There is not much gain by putting them in early. December
is a good time if flowers are wanted in March, and it seems
impossible to have good hybrids too early. We plant in deep
boxes in preference to pots. The plants remain in the boxes
during the whole year and there is no check to them at any
time. The only time when the roots are disturbed is when
the boxes decay. New soil should be added and a slight top-
dressing given each spring after the plants are well started.
This treatment, with liberal supplies of stimulants in a liquid
form, will sustain the plants in vigor... |
No hybrid Rose is so satisfactory for forcing as Ulrich Brun-
ner for crimson. The noble foliage is not equaled by that of
any other Rose, and it will stand the strain of early forcing for
an indefinite period. We have plants that have ‘been grown
in this way for five successive years, and they are again in the
greenhouse as good as ever. Gustave Piganeau, a newer
kind, has proved weak, and it rarely makes strong enough
growth to warrant its early forcing. The same may be said
of Susanne Marie Rodocanachi, sent out to excel the Ulrich
Brunner. Thus far it has failed to equal the older sort; the
color is brighter and the foliage good, but it has also a some-
what weak constitution. Marchioness of Londonderry is a
promising new early forcing variety ; it is as near to white in
color as hybrids come, there being just a tinge of flesh-pink in
the centre of the blooms. The flowers are of the largest size,
on stout stems, with foliage of the same texture and deep color
as Ulrich Brunner, and it is also almost thornless. It seems
to be one of the most meritorious of new Roses and belongs
DECEMBER 25, 1895.]
to a class that is all too scarce, namely, hybrids of delicate tints
approaching to white. Clio is another of this class, but grow-
ers say that it also is of a delicate constitution and not desirable
for early flowering, but as it is grown by the English growers
it would seem not to be delicate. Another season will, per-
haps, decide the matter.
Mrs. R. G. Sharman Crawford is one of the newest Roses
with a good reputation for forcing. It is also distinct from all
others in color, a deep rosy pink, the outer petals shaded with
pale flesh and merging into white at the base. It has been
one of the sensational varieties of recent years, and will prove,
it is hoped, good for indoor work. Captain Hayward is another
sort not so well known as it deserves, a bright carmine-crim-
son of superb form and sweetly scented, and will make a
good forcing Rose as far as can now be judged. =
To those who cannot devote an entire house to early hybrid
Roses during the whole year, there is an easy way to get good
flowers quite as early and of equal perfection by planting in
boxes at least six inches deep and of length to suit the benches,
or long enough to plant four plants lengthwise and two deep.
We get two crops of flowers by this method each spring
indoors, and a considerable number of .flowers during the
summer and fall when the boxes are set out-of-doors to make
their growth. They need comparatively little water ; a sprink-
ling overhead with the hose serves to keep them both clean
and moist, and in the fall the boxes are set on their sides to
keep the plants from fall rains and to help mature the wood,
which is at this time of a deep mahogany color with promi-
nent buds for next season’s bloom.
South Lancaster, Mass. EO} Orfpet.
Propagating Chrysanthemums.—We have renewed our propa-
gating-bed with clean gray sand, and intend in the course of a
week to put in some cuttings of Chrysanthemums for speci-
men plants. This is about a month earlier than we have
usually done this work, but, as the plants are intended for
exhibition, they will need a longer season if they are to grow
large enough to win a prize. Strong, short-jointed cuttings
taken from as near the base of the stems as possible are the
best. These should be cut into the soft growth and shorn of
a few leaves, which would, if left on, hang about the base of
the cutting and encourage damping. Abundance of water
must be given for the first week, for the cuttings should never
be allowed to wilt. They will be rooted in about thirty days,
and may be potted into small pots in light soil and kept in a
cool house.
Wellesley, Mass. Dhs ID h tak
Solanum capsicastrum —For the Christmas season no better
decorative plant can be had than this old-fashioned and beau-
tiful little subshrub. The numerous globular fruits, which are
about half an inch in diameter and of a bright scarlet color,
contrast well with the dark olive-green foliage. The plants, to
be effective, should be dwarf and bushy, about as wide across
as they are high and with well-set fruit. To grow them suc-
cessfully, an airy and partially shady position must be had in
summer. The watering should receive careful attention, and
under no circumstances must the plants be allowed to get dry.
At the same time the drainage must be good. Pinching of the
young shoots is necessary to form bushy specimens, but as
soon as the flowers appear in summer care must be taken not
to pinch off flowering shoots. The flowers, and consequently
the fruits, are produced in little clusters nearly opposite the
leaves. The stem is slender and branching, with alternate,
more or less lanceolate, leaves, generally appearing two to-
gether, one being much larger than the other. Altogether,
this makes a most cheerful fruiting plant for Christmas table
decoration.
; Lelia anceps.—This beautiful Orchid, so rich in variety of
color, is one of the very best for the Christmas season. The
firmness and lasting quality of its flowers, their moderate size
and delicate texture make this one of the most valuable of
winter-flowering plants. The color ranges widely from pure
white in the rarer and more expensive varieties to fiesh-color,
rosy purple, pale purple, rose and lilac, with more or less
deeply colored crimson-purple, deep purple or maroon in the
lip. The plants succeed well in cool and airy positions during
summer, their growing season. They do well on blocks of
wood or in baskets, the former mode being preferable, as the
plants take no nutriment except from air and water. Well-
diluted manure-water once a week is excellent for this as well
as tor most Leelias and Cattleyas. The large growers nowa-
days use very little fibrous peat and moss, if any at all, as it is
not essential; it is rather an obstacle to the free development
of the numerous long and fleshy aérial roots.
Newark, N. J. é y N. F. R.
Garden and Forest.
517
’
Correspondence.
Chrysanthemums.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST: 2
Sir,—Probably the majority of visitors to Chrysanthemum
exhibitions in Boston would be as well pleased with smaller
specimen plants than they have been accustomed to see, if
they indicated equal cultural skill, but of late years the size of
the plant has become such an important element in success-
ful competition, that all growers for exhibition must make it
a leading object.
Perhaps fashion in flowers has very much changed the
Chrysanthemum during recent years, during even the last five.
The Boston schedule five years ago called for all classes, and
it was generally understood that there should be included rep-
resentatives of all the types ; and,as a matter of fact, the exhib-
itor who had the most diverse group, all things being equal,
stood the best chance of winning. But size does not always*
go with this differentiation of the species, so that the neater
Chinese, Anemone-flowered and Pompon varieties have been
discarded in favor of the Japanese sorts.
Iam disposed to think that we, the gardeners and florists,
are making this fashion rather than the public ; and that, if the
Chrysanthemum is losing its popularity, as some say, we are
to blame in a large measure. The criterion set up by the
Chrysanthemum Society of America, of a stiff stem, with foli-
age up to the bloom, of decided colors, yellow, white, pink and
crimson, without shadings, leaving out the purple and bronze
colored varieties, forces raisers of new varieties who need
their recognition,-to discard many worthy kinds which would
lend variety in color, so necessary in the proper blending of
any color-scheme or combination. .The demand of the pro-
fessional florist for varieties of good shipping qualities has
been another important consideration with the judges; and
any loose-petaled varieties, no matter how attractive in form
the flowers may be, seldom get more than ‘‘ commendation.”
Very naturally, the florist will not grow these odd varieties,
and discards them one after another as fast as it is discovered
that they cannot be shipped to advantage. The retailer does
not want them either, as he cannot handle them as profitably
as he can the compact and mostly incurved flowers of the
Japanese type, so common of late years. In looking over the
catalogue ofa leading firm in 1890, the only varieties of any
standing among florists to-day are Minnie Wanamaker, W. H.
Lincoln and Eda Prass, and these are holding their own for the
simple reason that they can be shipped advantageously. The
following comments I copy from Mr. A. H. Fewkes’ report
as chairman of the Flower Committee, in the Zrazsactions of
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the Year r8o4.
He says:
‘The extremely large blooms are magnificent in their way,
and show what can be done with the Chrysanthemum in skill-
ful hands. We would not say one word against them, but in
striving for immense size are we not losing many interesting
forms which always attract attention when put on exhibition ?
It is true, thesé are not valuable commercially, but a Chrysan-
themum show is not complete unless all the various forms
are represented, and efforts should be made to grow as many
forms as possible. Many curious varieties have come to this
country from Japan which have been lost, simply because they
were of no use as market flowers, or because they could not
compete in the same class as the monster blooms. This
should not be so, and we hope at no distant time we shall see
more of the small but curious forms at our exhibitions.”
In moving among private gardeners and amateurs we know
that they would preter to see more of the artistically and curi-
ously formed flowers grown than we have, and when a dozen or
more are arranged in a vase a variety of color and shading,
when handled with proper skill, produces the best effect, and
when it is possible to mix in a few smaller blooms with the
larger ones a still better effect can be made. Among the varie-
ties which florists every year discard may be found such as
Spaulding’s Heron’s Plume, a lovely variety with shining strap-
shaped petals of the purest white, and twisted like a ball of
ribbon; Gloriana is ayellow variety of similar make; Iora, a
finely built flower of tubular, twisted and inlerlaced petals, of
a lovely lavender-pink, a color found in no other variety. In
carrying a large plant of this variety over seventeen miles of
road into the Boston exhibition we had to make a separate
parcel of every bloom, snugly twisting it up in tissue-paper, or
all the blooms would have so interlaced that they never could
have been separated without destroying the beauty of the
plant. There is Tuxedo, of brilliant orange-red, no other
known variety equaling it in depth of color, but the flowers
are undersized ; that is enough to consign it to oblivion.
518
One of the most pleasing features of the last Boston show
was a group of Japanese Anemone-flowered sorts, shown by
Mr. Brydon, gardener to John Simpkins, Esq., of Yarmouth-
port. It is safe to say that these attracted more attention than
the largest blooms exhibited. Dr. G. C, Weld (Kenneth Find-
layson, gardener) also showed a striking lot, including Gaza, a
beautiful white; Yellowhammer and Judge Hoit. Mr. Simp-
kins’ group contained some immense blooms, Rider Haggard
being especially noteworthy on account of size, but these large
ones were not as beautiful as several smaller forms, among
which may be mentioned George Hawkins, yellow; Ida
Strickland, bronzy ; Enterprise, light pink; Mrs. F. G. Dexter,
crimson and yellow; Mrs. Robert Owens, white ; San Joaquin,
large pure white, and Satisfaction, chrome-yellow, with
notched and twisted petals, an elegant flower. Mr. Howard,
of Winter Hill, Somerville, had a neat lot of Pompons in one
corner of the hall, and there never was a time when one could
not see three or four elderly persons, usually ladies, admiring
them and talking of bygone days in the old garden at home.
Wellesley, Mass. T. D. Hatfield.
Viburnum Lantana.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—Viburnum Lantana well deserves the commendation
which you give it) When in England, last summer, I saw
quantities of it growing wild, and most beautiful it was. It
was invariably growing on the top of chalk cliffs, as I found it
where chalk was close to the surface. Near Brading, in the
Isle of Wight, there are great elevations, like small mountains,
called downs, which are composed almost wholly of chalk,
and on the summit of these, sometimes with not six inches of
soil above the chalk, this Viburnum grows in quantities and
in most vigorous condition. It was in July when I saw
them, and the bushes, which were from six to eight feet high,
were loaded with fruit, which was just turning from green to
red. In the hedgerows adjacent, and elsewhere in the island,
were many bushes which had sprung up from seeds dropped
by birds. About the same time of the year, at Henley-on-
Thames, I saw the shrub in thickets, and here, too, chalk was
abundant.
As I write, in the middle of December, there are small
seedling plants in Germantown with their leaves still alive,
though severe frosts have occurred; but small seedlings of
many species retain their foliage later than larger plants do.
Foseph Meehan.
Germantown, Pa.
Irrigation in New Jersey.
To the Editor of GARDEN AND FOREST:
Sir,—The note in GARDEN AND ForREST, December Irth,
page 496, under Cultural Department, giving Mr. Hale’s
method for irrigation, leads me to send a few words
concerning irrigation as carried out during the past season at
the College Farm.
The water used is from the reservoir which supplies the
city of New Brunswick. The field upon which the water was
applied has a slight incline, and the water was carried to its
upper side by means of underground pipes which end—three
of them—in uprights provided with faucets and surface iron
pipes. To the faucets inch garden-hose was attached, and the
water thereby applied to the surface of the ground.
The piping was not in place until past midsummer, and was
not employed until the dry spell of autumn.
A crop of Wax Beans was planted in August, and to a por-
tion of the area thus occupied water was applied between the
rows. Upon one one-hundred-and-twentieth of an acre 1,685
gallons were applied during a period of three weeks, from Sep-
tember 17th to October 5th, when the beans were harvested.
The average yield of the non-irrigated belts, in good-sized
pods, was seventeen pounds, while upon the irrigated land it
was forty-five pounds, or nearly three times as many ; besides,
the pods were larger-sized and of finer color and quality.
To another area of the same size 1,830 gallons of water was
applied to Peppers. The average yield upon the non-irrigated
belts was 717 fruits, but upon the irrigated land it was 1,277.
In weight the difference was greater, for the non-irrigated land
gave 80 pounds, while where water was applied the weight
was 147 pounds. The latter fruit was much better in color
and quality, and would sell at the highest price.
A crop of Celery was grown after Beans, the plants being set
August 6th. The rows were four feet apart, and each alternate
row received water from September 17th until October 28th.
The total weight of celery produced was 46514 pounds, 329%
pounds being in the irrigated rows and 136 pounds in the rows
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 409.
receiving no water. In round numbers, this is two and a half
times as much celery upon the irrigated as the non-irrigated
land. These figures do not indicate the full difference of mar-
ket value. The largest yield for both the irrigated and non-
irrigated belts was upon one of the two to which the Bordeaux
mixture had been applied, and this was therefore selected to
determine the relative amounts of refuse. After the plants were
prepared for market, by removing worthless outside leaves
and the roots, the weight of the irrigated plants was reduced
from forty-two to thirty pounds, while that of the non-irrigated
rows fell from 17 to 10% pounds. In short, the difference
in marketable products ot the two rows is as three to one, but
when the actual selling price is considered itis not far from
eight to one in favor of irrigation.
The method of applying the water, the dates and amounts
for each crop, the cash and other details of this irrigation ex-
periment with garden crops will soon appear in a bulletin
from the New Jersey Experiment Station.
New Brunswick, N. J.
Byron D. Halsted.
Meetings of Societies.
Irrigation for Kansas Farms and Orchards.
la twenty-ninth annual meeting of the Kansas State Hor-
ticultural Society was held at Lawrence, the centre of a
large fruit-growing interest in the eastern part of the state and
the seat of the Kansas University. The subject of greatest
interest toa largely attended assembly was irrigation as applied
to fruit-growing, with the allied subject of subsoiling. Perhaps
the most interesting paper on the programme was by George
M. Munger, of Eureka, Greenwood County, on Irrigation with
Storm Waters. Mr. Munger owns the largest farm irrigated
in this way in Kansas, if not in the United States. His orchard
comprises over five hundred acres, principally Appleand Pear
trees, besides two hundred acres of forest-trees and other
land not in orchards, His reservoir now covers sixty acres,
but is designed to cover eventualiy a hundred acres, the water
in the deepest part being now seventeen feet. The dam which
holds this water is made across the mouth of a broad, shallow
valley, and is constructed entirely of earth. It is ten feet broad
at the top, so that teams can be driven over it in making re-
pairs. In building the dam the surface soil was first removed
and the subsoil, which isa stiff clay, was used in its construc-
tion. It was put on in thin layers, say a foot in thickness, so
thatit was tlLoroughly tramped by the teams. The surface soil
was used on the faces of the dam. Two drains, or ditches,
filled with broken rock, were putin the bottom of the dam,
running lengthwise of it, to carry off theseepage water. This
Mr. Munger considers very important in preventing the dam
from becoming soft and thus allowing the formation of leaks.
The spill-way must not be through or over the dam, which
must be built so high that the spill-way can be carried over the
original surface, around one end of the dam. This is an impor-
tant point, in Mr. Munger’s opinion, when heavy rains come,
especially when, as is apt to be the case, the water-shed drained
is too large for the reservoir. The water from Mr. Munger’s
lake is pumped by a steam-engine and a centrifugal pump to
a reservoir on the highest point of the farm, from which it is
distributed by ditches. Situated, as the plant is, in the eastern
third of the state, the experiment will be watched with interest
by all who believe, as many now do, that in any part of our
state, and, indeed, of most other states, there will be periods
of drought in almost any season when it will pay to apply water
to crops.
In speaking on orcharding in western Kansas, Mr. Long-
streth, of Lakin, Kearney County, which is in the extreme
western part of the state, brought out a point which is of in-
terest in connection with Professor Waugh’'s article in a recent
number of GARDEN AND FOREST on the ‘‘ Western Apple
Crop.” Mr. Longstreth has an orchard of seventy acres, set in
1886, principally Apple-trees. Since the orchard came into
bearing he has had but one failure, and that was from the
effects of a late frost. During the past season, when apples
were falling so badly all over the state, he has had no trouble
whatever in that way. In fact, he never raised a larger crop of
finer apples. He irrigates twice a year—once in February and
once in July—flooding the land, and using about ten inches of
water each time. He finds that watering heavily a few times
gives better results than more frequent and less copious
watering.
Professor Haworth, geologist at the Kansas University, gave
an interesting account of some researches made last summer
in regard to the underflow, so-called, in the western part of
the state. He found that water-bearing strata underlie most of
DECEMBER 25, 18095.]
the western third of the state at a depth varying from a few
feet toa hundred or more, and the supply seems inexhausti-
ble. Mr. Cowgill, editor of Zhe Kansas Farmer, gave the
results obtained on his farm in this region, which seem to
confirm this opinion. He has in his well a six-inch cylinder
pump. ‘To this was attached a gasoline engine, which was run
for five hours, pumping at the rate of 500 gallons a minute.
This apparently having no effect, the speed was. increased so
as to throw 700 gallons a minute, and the pump was run for
seven hours, when the water in the well was lowered just two
inches.
Mr. Evans, President of the Missouri Valley Horticultural
Society, described a cold-storage plant on the grounds of the
Alden Fruit Company, in southern Missouri. The building is
eleven feet high, twenty feet wide and a hundred and fifty teet
long. There is a driveway through the middle, and the apples
are stored on each side. The building is set north and south
on the natural level of the ground, the sides being double and
filled with sawdust, with earth banked up nearly to the top of
the walls outside. They depend entirely on lowering the tem-
perature of the house during cool nights. At each end of the
building is an air-tight anteroom with doors opening both into
the building and outside. There is also a heavy grating,
which may be closed and the doors left open. Whenever the
outside atmosphere is lower in temperature than that in the
house the doors are opened, and if at night, as, of course, is
usually the case, the grating is closed to keep out intruders.
In this way the temperature of the house was gradually forced
down to forty degrees, Fahrenheit, quite early in the fall, and
the apples, stored as gathered, are now in as fine condition as
they were when picked. In storing the apples the teams are
driven into the air-tight anteroom before mentioned, and the
outer door closed. The inner door is then opened and the
team driven into the storeroom, thus preventing almost en-
tirely draughts from the outside when they would raise the
temperature of the house.
In a paper on some of Munson’s Hybrid Grapes, Profes-
sor S. C. Mason characterized Brilliant, a cross between Lind-
ley and Delaware, as one of the finest red grapes ever offered.
It is more attractive in color and more sprightly in flavor than
either ofits parents. It is a free, vigorous grower, but at the
experimental vineyard needs winter protection. Munson’s
hybrids, with the Post Oak Grape, Vitis Lincercumii, are en-
tirely different from all the other classes at the station. They
are late in blooming, coming into flower as other sorts go out,
and frequently remaining in bloom till the middle of June.
This is a valuable characteristic when late frosts are likely to
occur. All these Post Oak hybrids have proved tender. This
may not be due entirely to cold, however, but to some other
cause or combination of causes. These hybrids are probably
better suited to southern Kansas and Oklahoma than to the
latitude of Manhattan. Carman is one of the best, being about
the size of Ives, with handsome compact bunches and a fine
purple bloom. It is of fair flavor, but has rather too many
seeds for a first-class table grape.
State Agricultural College, Kansas. PeiGy Sans.
Recent Publications.
The Annual Report of the Director of the Experimental
Farms of Canada for 1894, an octavo volume of 422 pages,
has just been issued, and proves to be a volume of unusual
practical value and interest to the farmer and fruit-grower.
Omitting all reference to the purely agricultural features of
the report, it is found to be especially suggestive to the
horticulturist and the forest-tree planter, Director Saunders
himself being an enthusiastic tree-planter. He has planted
forty-six trial hedges at the Central Farm at Ottawa for
comparative study, including not only hedge-plants as
ordinarily understood, but such trees as White Elm, Spruce,
White Pine and Hackberry. Of these thirty were planted
in 1889-91, among which the Siberian Pea-tree (Caragana
arborescens), Russian Mulberry, White Spruce, Barberry,
Golden-leaved Spiraea, Arbor-vitee, Lilac, Viburnum (V.
lantana), Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula) and Colorado
Blue Spruce are especially liked for one purpose or another.
A list of flowering shrubs desirable for Canada, with de-
scription of each, is added. Of several varieties of Russian
Poplars and Willows named, Populus certinensis is espe-
cially recommended, although it is noted as only half-hardy
at Brandon and has failed utterly in the plantations of the
South Dakota Experiment Station.
Garden and Forest.
519
As a result of spraying experiments continued over a
period. of six years, during which thirty different mixtures
were tested, Professor Craig, the horticulturist, recommends
an application of solution of bluestone before the foliage
appears, followed by Bordeaux mixture of a strength of
four per cent. copper sulphate, four per cent. lime and fifty
gallons water. If the disease is not overcome before the
fruit begins to color, the ammoniacal solution of carbonate
of copper, which is colorless, should be used as a last appli-
cation. Detailed statements of experiments in commercial
orchards are given and fully justify the recommended
practice.
Regarding Russian Apples, many varieties of which have
been planted at the Central Station, Professor Craig says,
“With present experience, I can now say that I do not
know of any winter Russian Apples which seem to me
worthy of cultivation where Ontario and Northern Spy can
be grown successfully.”
In 1893 twenty-nine varieties of Russian Apples were
planted at the Brandon, Manitoba, Station, and only ten of
these survived the first winter, all the survivors being in a
badly damaged condition. Anis Apples, planted in 1890,
have only been able to survive on account of the snow-
drifts which have covered them entirely every winter, and
they are making no progress. Native Plums, taken from
the Brandon Hills, andseedlings of Weaver, Cheney, Speer
and De Soto, which were planted in 1890 to 1893, seem
thus far promising, the natives having borne a good crop
of fruit in 1894. Neither the standard or the Russian Cher-
ries have succeeded at this station, but the wild Sand
Cherry, Prunus pumila, is doing well.
Mr. Bedford’s notes on the forest-trees growing at the
Brandon Station form muchthe most interesting part of his
report. In ashelter-belt ninety-five feet wide and 775 feet
long, the trees were planted 4% feet by 4% feet in 1889.
Blanks were reset in 1890 and 1891. From a tabulated
statement it appears that the highest trees are Dakota Cot-
tonwood and a Russian Poplar, P. Bereolensis, each sixteen
feet. Among the best growths are Canoe Birch, twelve
feet ; Sweet Birch, Betula lenta, thirteen feet ; Box-Elder, four-
teen feet; Carolina Poplar, fifteen feet; Sharp-leaved Wil-
low, Salix acutifolia, fifteen feet; Aspen, ten feet ; several
Russian Poplars, twelve to fifteen feet; Manitoba Larch,
eight feet ; native White Spruce, six feet ; native Green Ash,
nine feet. Among other hardy subjects reported are Bur
Oak, Red and Black Ash, European Larch and native White
Elm, while of smaller trees, the Manitoba Mountain Ash,
Laurel-leaved Willow, Caraganaarborescens and Artemisia
Abrotanum are hardy.
Mr. A. Mackay, the Superintendent of the Experimental
Farm at Indian Head, Northwest Territories, reports a gen-
eral failure of orchard and small fruits, and in the report
on forest-trees the list of promising kinds is limited. Box-
Elder has been most extensively planted and is favored.
Among other native species that are doing well are the
Buffalo Berry, Choke Cherry, Wild Red Cherry and Saska-
toon, Amelanchier alnifolia. Several of the Russian Pop-
lars and Willows are considered good, and the Russian
Artemisia is most highly recommended as a low wind-break
for cultivated fields and gardens.
Notes.
The Oregon Experiment Station is making a horticultural
survey of that state by sending out circulars of inquiry to every
section, so as to ascertain all the facts which will be of interest
to persons who wish to engage in fruit-culture or gardening of
any kind. A similar survey has been made by the chemical
department, in which the character of the soil is approximately
described,
Professor Massey inquires why the dealers in Christmas
greens do not send to the North Carolina coast country for
branches of the beautiful Yaupon or Cassena, Ilex (Cassine)
Vomitoria, whose berries are more abundantand brighter than
those of our common Holly, and whose foliage, although not
520
as glossy as that of the English Holly, is smooth, rich green
and very attractive.
A seedling Apple from north-western Arkansas, which at-
tracted some attention at the World's Fair, is highly praised
by the fruit-growers of that state. It is called the Senator, and
Mr. Carman, of The Rural New-Vorker, to whom one of the
fruits has been sent, describes it as a red apple on a greenish
yellow ground and sprinkled with grayish dots. The flesh is
yellowish white, stained with pink, of a sprightly and intense
apple flavor, agreeably blending the acid and the sweet. It is
said to be about a month later than the Jonathan apple—that
is, it should be picked about the first of October in north-
western Arkansas. A new apple of good size, good color and
very good quality is worth trying in other sections of the
country.
A recent number of 7e Garden contains an illustration of
the fruit of Physalis Franchetti, anew Japanese Winter Cherry.
P. Alkekengi is well known for its cherry-like fruit inclosed
within the balloon-shaped calyx ; the fruit of this new variety
is similar in structure, as large as a duck’s egg, and is said to
be a charming shade of red or orange-vermilion. These in-
flated calyces, being translucent, have the appearance, when set
in the light, of diminutive Japanese lanterns hanging among
their own soft green leaves. ‘The variety was introduced from
Japan a year or so ago by Mr. J. Veitch, of Chelsea, London,
and fruited luxuriantly this autumn on his trial grounds. Like
the old-fashioned Winter Cherry, it has some value in cookery,
but it is chiefly for ornament that it will be valued in our gar-
dens and for autumnal and winter decoration.
Dr. D. Morris, Assistant Director of the Royal Gardens at
Kew, sailed from this port on Thursday for the Bahama
Islands, where he is to investigate the plantations of Sisal
Hemp and other industries in the British West Indies. While
in this city Dr. Morris delivered a lecture under the auspices
of the New York Botanical Garden in the hall of the Museum
of Natural History. This lecture was a sketch of the great
botanical establishment with which he is connected, giving an
account of its different departments, a description of its mu-
seums and galleries and a sketch of its general administration,
and more particularly of the influence of Kew upon scientific
botany and the development of horticultural industries in the
colonies. The discourse was illustrated by excellent lantern
views, and gave much pleasure and instruction to a large
audience.
The Agricultural Gazette, of New South Wales, states that
there is still living at Kenmore, in excellent health, Mr. Charles
Ledger, the man who forty years ago, after most perilous ad-
ventures, introduced the variety of Cinchona Calisaya known
as Ledgeriana into the island of Java, and not much afterward
introduced a flock of alpacas and other animals from South
America into Australia, which have been of priceless value to
that country. Messrs. Howard & Sons, the great quinine
firm, says that the supply of Peruvian bark from Java is
almost all from the Ledgeriana trees, the only complaint
against this variety being that it has turned out so rich that the
trees are supplying too much quinine for the world to con-
sume. Perhaps the quantity of bark which is now produced
every year from seed furnished by Mr. Ledger cannot be short
of ten million pounds, and to him, more than any one else,
perhaps, is due the fact that quinine has been brought within
the means of the very poorest.
The cabbage maggot, which is the larva of Anthomyia
Brassice, is a destructive pest of the Cabbage in Europe,
where it sometimes destroys entire fields of young plants.
But, although it has been occasionally noticed in this country
for the past fifty years, it has rarely appeared in such alarming
numbers as it has during the present year on some of the
truck-farms of North Carolina. If the maggots appear in the
seed-bed a dressing of lime or muriate of potash should be
given to the soil, or else enough of the kerosene emulsion to
wet the ground one inch deep. If plants in the field are
attacked a hole should be made near each plant with a sharp
stick about an inch in diameter and as deep as the roots of the
plant, and filled with the kerosene emulsion. If this does not
moisten the soil on all sides of the plant a similar hole on the
opposite side should be filled. The emulsion should be made
of half a pound of hard soap, one gallon of water, and one
gallon of kerosene oil, diluted with nine times its bulk of cold
water before using. When properly made this emulsion does
not hurt the plants, but if any of the free oil rises to the top it
should not be allowed to touch the leaves. :
j me €
Garden and Forest.
[NUMBER 409.
Thomas Andrew Knight, of whom a brief account is given
in another column, was among the first to realize that the gar-
den Pea could be improved by cross-fertilization, and as long
ago as 1787 he crossed the flowers of one of the common
white peas then in cultivation with the pollen of a gray pea,
and was so pleased with the results that a few years later he
introduced Knight's Tall Green Marrow and Knight’s Dwarf
Green Marrow, perhaps the earliest examples of improved
seedlings, which now are numbered by hundreds. This was
the beginning of the advance toward the wrinkled section, the
different varieties of which are now almost exclusively planted
for home use. Ina lecture on the garden Pea and its varie-
ties by Mr. A. J. Deal, and reported in 7he Fournal of Horte-
culture, itis said that in England the Ne Plus Ultra is looked
upon as the best-flavored pea, although some of the sorts with
dark green pods, like the Duke of Albany, Autocrat and Sut-
ton’s Late Queen, surpass it in this respect. The Pea most
grown for the London market is Telegraph. Very probably
the tall Peas, that is, those exceeding three or four feet high,
will be banished, as well as the round-seeded kinds.
It seems to be settled that underground irrigation is practi-
cable in western Kansas, where the water is pumped from the
so-called underflow. Of course, the method is not practicable
in open soil and a porous subsoil, for the water will not spread
laterally in a soil lacking capillarity, nor will it rise to the sur-
face, but will run away and be lost. But in a soil of fine tex-
ture, containing silt or clay mixed with fine sand, the water
will spread in every direction, and when applied through tiles
fifteen or twenty inches below the surface all the water is util-
ized. In the hot summer months much water is lost when
applied in ditches ; at leastan inch of water will evaporate from
freshly moistened soil in less than three days. When the water
enters the ground below the surface no crust is formed and
there is no need to cultivate after each application, for the sur-
face keeps dry and acts as a mulch. Another advantage of
this system is that pumping canbe kept up all winter, and wind
power can be used during the months when the most wind
prevails. According to The Kansas Farmer, subirrigation has
been tried, not only for vegetables, but to some extent for
field crops and for orchards, although for the latter purpose it
has failed in California, from the fact that the roots of the trees
ultimately filled the tiles and stopped the waterflow. In Kan-
sas tiles are laid closely in level ditches and cement is poured
over the joints, leaving but a small aperture at the bottom,
and it is hoped that the tree-roots can be kept out. Experi-
ence alone will tell. Certainly it seems that subirrigation
would be a good method for the disposal of sewage in coun-
try places, and in this way help to get rid of the expensive and
dangerous cesspool. The waste-pipe from the house could
be connected with a system of tiling in the vegetable garden
or elsewhere ; water and fertilizing material could thus be put
where they are needed and the cesspool could be done away
with.
It is well known that Cannas were rarely planted except in
botanical gardens twenty-five years ago, when Monsieur
Année, of Passy, France, began to obtain crosses between
the different species. After that time great advance was made
until the race of large-flowered plants was obtained by Mon-
sieur Crozy. In the last number of The Gardeners’ Chronicle
Mr. Edouard André speaks of still another race, which he calls
Italian Cannas, produced by Messrs. Dammann & Co. at their
grounds, near Naples. Monsieur Sprenger, a member of this
firm, concluded that by constantly interbreeding the large-
flowered varieties nothing novel or more remarkable could be
secured, and he, therefore, has been experimenting withsome
new blood, employing for this purpose the Canna flaccida, a
species of the southern United States, of medium height and
large flowers, with one specially developed, petal. His first
success was a plant named Italia, from seed of Madame Crozy,
fertilized with a fine variety of C. flaccida. The flower is
of unusual size, of a golden vermilion color, and the pecu-
liarity of it is that it is flattened so as to resemble a Keempfer’s
Iris or a Cattleya. Another variety, Austria, was produced the
same year, bearing yellow flowers, shaded with purple. In
1894, Atalanta, America, Burgundia and Aliemaniana, all
plants distinct in foliage and flower, were selected from thou-
sands of seedlings, and a dozen nanied varieties of new forms
and colors have been produced this year. The illustration of
a single flower of Italia shows that it is very interesting in form
and about five and three-quarter inches across. American
hybridizers have been producing some fine Cannas, and they
will not be slow to avail themselves of this new departure and
make experiments in the same direction.
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