•ijf%l '

UMASS AMHERST

312Dt.b D2fl7 aaflE 3

%^'^/-,^'

■:^<-^

^''^:/=!n^'A

E*

'>>.'^./^./^'r\

./i^nn.

Vr-'/^/ '/ U/

If.V /O/,. ..-

".••.Tfr - ■■

• " ~- * ^ 1.'' 9^\i \r\/ V ' " " "■ " ' z'

@^^:«;:;^^

'li -• Jr.-

3.&«M!g?^

A;*^r^

-r. -^ /- T

./-^A'-.r

/-' V'^'?^^

/¥^m

3p'.^^;"

;>>;nA,n^,

I'^/n'^,,'^'^^

1: I

>,>•

¥^

1

LIBRARY

OF THE

MASSACHUSETTS

AGRICULTURAL

COLLEGE

K\41 ^'

So U R C E . _ _V_Q J_Le$lt

<a_

This book may be kept out

TWO WEEKS

only, and is subject to a fine of fWe-
CENTS a day thereafter. It will be due on
the day indicated below

IV0V26 1894
tAM 9 - iy27
MAY 1 4 J928

MAR 17 1936
APR*? ^^^

V.)
IW/\R 1 7 1936

T

'•-"T""«ir.ii',

►

fcr

'^^/r'.''"''--!^:

(>0

^T

i^J''^.

^^LATE

Rhododendron ■ maximum.

SB.

■^

(y\,

C/v>_

RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM.

MOUNTAIN LAUREL.
NATURAL ORDER, ERICACE-E.

Rhododendron maximum, Linnaeus. — Stem six to ten or twenty feet high, with stout, irregular branches ; leaves three to
six inches long, with a short acumination, often cuneately tapering at the base, green above, pale or ferruginousbeneath,
petioles thick, half an inch to an inch in length. Flowers in dense thyrsoid or corymbose racemes ; pedicels an inch to
an inch and a-half long; corolla pale rose color, with greenish tinges, and orange or yellow colored spots. (Darling-
ton's/7f);a Cestrica. ?>ee also Gniy's Afanual o/ t/te Bo/any of the Northern United States ; Chapman's Flora of the
Soittlu'} n i'nited States, and Wood's C/ass Book of Botany.)

In the work above cited Dr. Darlington re-
marks, "this is a noble shrub; but Linnteuswas
unfortunate in calling it Afaximum, inasmuch
as Dr. J. D. Hooker has found a species in the
Himalayan Mountains forty to sixty feet high. "
It maj- be remarked, however, that though it
is not usual to go beyond Linnteus for authori-
ties in plants' names, he is scarcely the author
of this. Before his time plants had no specific
names. The description was given of each
kind, with the generic name, and in manj'
cases Linnaeus, when he adopted the binomial
sj'stem, merely struck out all but one of the
descriptive terms. Thus this Rhododendron
was known as the ChamcFrhodendron poiitica
maxima, or the greater pontic — rhododendron.
He struck out all but the last, reducing the
name to Rhododendron maximum. In these
days we only regard the meanings of plants'
names as matters connected with their histories.
A name which has no meaning is as good as
any other. It is looked on as dangerous to
take the plant's name as any part of its botan-
ical character.

It, however, has been in many wa3'S the mis-
fortune of the Rhododendron to have misconcep-
tions ari.se from its name. In Dr. Gra.y'sJ\/an?Mi
of Botany it is said, " Rhododendron, rose tree,
the ancient name, ' ' which is correct so far as it is
fl« ancient name : but it is not the ancient name
for the plants we now know as such. The
Nerium, or Oleander, was evidentlj' the clas-
sical Rhododendron, and our plants seem to
have been unknown to the ancients. It appears
to have been known to some of the writers of

the sixteenth century, who describe it as the
" Laurel of Alexandria," the Oleander being
their " Rose Laurel." Further, we may learn
how, under this misconception, this pretty-
genus of plants came to get a very bad name,
for it has been repeated over and over again
in most works on the Rhododendron, that the
honej' collected by bees from the flowers is
poisonous. This is simply the statement of
Pliny about his "Rhododendron," which, as
we have seen, is the Oleander, and may be per-
fectlj- true of that plant, which is believed to
be a very poisonous one.

It is not probable that the Rhododendron of
Europe, or our American species, is in any
material degree poisonous. The celebrated Dr.
Bigelow, of Boston, did not believe it, and he
once ate a whole leaf to show his faith in his
convictions. ^Moreover, an infusion of the
leaves oi Rliododendron maximum was a popular
remedy for rheumatism among some of the
Indian tribes, as we learn from Rafinesque and
Lesquereux.

The supposed poisonous qualitj' of the Rho-
dodendron has caused it to be used in poetical
illustrations frequentlj' in that connection.
The well known lines of Moore in Lalla Rhook
give an instance of this :

" Ev'n as those bees of Trebizoud, —

Which from the sunniest flowers that clad
With their pure smile the garden round.
Draw venom forth that drives men mad."

and, speaking of the Pontic Rhododendron, Mrs.
Hooper saj-s, ' ' these purple flowers abound
in a poisonous honey, and have been made

(I)

MEEHANS MONTHLY RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM.

[July.

emblematical of the dangers that lurk about the
imperial purple." In countries where people
have to disguise their thoughts, the reception
of a Rhododendron flower would be a hint to
' ' beware ! ' '

In a state of nature the Rhododendron in-
habits wild, rocky places, in uninhabited re-
gions where the foot of the traveler is rarely-
seen. As the poet Shaw says :

" O'er pine-clad hills and dusky plains,
lu silent state Rhododendron reigns.
And spreads in beauty's softest blooms,
Her purple glories through the glooms."

So far away are they generally in theirgloomy
homes that even the great traveler, John Bar-
tram, had not met with them anywhere west of
the Schuylkill river. In a letter to the cele-
brated Dillenius, written in 1738, he remarks :
" I never saw our great Laurel anywhere but
near Schuylkill, though I have been told it
grows beyond the mountains. It seems to have
been left for Michaux, in his lonelj' wanderings
through the Alleghenies, to find how very
abundant they were in their far-away localities.
In his " Travels in America " he notes that in
the central part of Pennsylvania a variety is
found with pure white flowers. He found a place
in Western Pennsylvania called " Laurel Hill,"
"from the Rhododendron maximum, which
covers the banks of the torrents," — and when
passing Jonesborough, North Carolina, he
says, "The paths were obstructed by forests
of Rhododendrons, shrubs about eighteen or
twenty feet high, the twisted branches of which,
interwoven with each other, continuallj' retard
the traveler, who is obliged to advance with a
hatchet in his hand. The torrents to be crossed
also augment the difiiculties and dangers of
the road, horses being very liable to be thrown
down by the round, loose flints concealed by
the eddy of the waters, with which the bottoms
of these torrents are covered." In reading
these accounts, one may feel that Whittier
might have thrown a few Rhododendrons into
his account of the new home in the " Bridal of
Pennacook," and it would have been perfect.

" A wild and broken landscape spiked with firs,

Roughening the bleak horizon's northern edge.
Steep, cavernous hillsides, where black hemlock
spurs
And sharp, gray splinters of the wind swept ledge
Pierced the thin glazed ice, or bristling rose.

Where the cold rim of the sky sunk down upon
the snows."

Those who have not seen the Rhododendron
in bloom in its native wilds can have no idea of
the gorgeousness of the floral picture. But
the beaut}' varies with the seasons. In a visit
to the Rhododendron fields of North Carolina
in 1879, Mr. John H. Redfield reports that not
a solitary flower was to be found.

Besides the interest the whole family has for
the lovers of polite literature, the Rhododendron
maximum has someplace in modern philosophy.
Professor W. J. Beal notes that the clamminess
of the young branches and leaf stalks catch in-
sects, the decaying bodies of which probably
furnish food to the plant. To the gardener
they possess an equal interest. They are gen-
erall}- found wild in those gloomj- spots where
there is a continual moisture in the atmosphere,
and this has rendered them particularly' suited
to the moist English climate. European gar-
deners have made selections and crossed the
varieties of the North Carolina species till the
shades of color are almost innumerable. John
Bartram seems to have been the first to intro-
duce living plants to English cultivators.
Peter Collinson, writing to him in 1744, says :
" The rats made a warm nest in each box of
the leaves and stalks of the shrubs. It grieved
me to see how they had striped the great Rhodo-
dendron." In 175S we find it figured by Philip
Miller, who, however, mistook it for Kalmia
latifolia, and says it had but recently flowered
for the first time in England.

Dr. Graj' gives its geography as from New
England to Georgia. Dr. J. G. Cooper speaks
of a variety having been found in the Straits of
Fuca, in latitude 48°. This may be what is
known as Rhododendron macrop/ivllum, origi-
nally collected bj' Menzies, of which, however.
Dr. Gray says little is known. Our drawing
is from a Schuylkill specimen.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

RHODODENDRON CULTURE.

The chapter of popular interest which we
have given in this issue on the Rhododendron
maximum, makes it proper that we should say
a few words on the culture of rhododendrons
in general. The Rhododendron maximum
figured in the plate, is not generally in cultiva-
tion ; and the beautiful hybrid rhododen-
drons which we have in gardens, have been
raised chiefly by h3bridizing the rhododen-
dron of North Carolina, known as Rhododen-
dron calaivbiense, with the rhododendron of
the Mediterranean, Rhododendron pottticum.
All garden rhododendrons have been raised by
intermixture of these two kinds. Our north-
ern rhododendron, the one figured, flowers
later than the others ; and possibly this has
been the reason whj' there have been no at-
tempts made to introduce an improved race
from it. We do not think that its absence
from general cultivation comes from any more
difficulty in the way of raising it, than there
is in the North Carolina Rhododendron, and
it must be only that its great beauty and merit
have not been made known to cultivators, that
there is so little inquiry' for it for gardens.

It has been said that if 3'ou want to see
American plants 30U must go to England to
find them. This means that the rhododen-
drons are called in England American plants,
and it is well known that they grow them
there to a high degree of perfection ; but they
could not grow them there more than we could
grow them in our gardens, only for the fact
that they take great pains in their cultivation.
It is as much a matter of skill as a matter of
climate, that they do so well in that country.
This is about all the secret there is in success-
fully growing rhododendrons. They do like,
however, a moist atmosphere, and love to be
in the neighborhood of falls of water, or foun-
tains, where a little spray can get in the at-
mosphere, than in drier places. Under the
shade of walls, where the ground is kept cool
by the absence of sun, they also thrive well.
In other words, light open soil for the hair-

like roots to penetrate, and a moist atmos-
phere, make together the perfection of rhodo-
dendron culture.

In shady, damp places rhododendron seed
germinates easily. We know of some gardens
in which this rhododendron has been intro-
duced, where the self-sown seeds have formed
plants ; and it is well known that the Rhodo-
dendron maximum grows in great abundance
in the damp sandy ground around the old
Buonaparte mansion at Bordentown, on the
Delaware River, where thej- were first intro-
duced by Louis Buonaparte. This shows how
these beautiful rhododendrons can be readily

RHODODENDRON KAMTSCH ATICUM— SEE PAGE 4.

(3>

MEEHAXS MOXTHLV— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[J"iy-

naturalized, if the proper conditions are pres-
ent for it.

As noted in the popular chapter, the name
maximum applied to these rhododendrons
implies great size. It might be well to note
that there are other rhododendrons further
north, which are mere pigmies, in striking
contrast with our own tree-like form. We give
with this an illustration from Dieck of one
which grows in Kamtschatka, which, it will be
seen, is but a few inches high, although the
individual flowers are nearly as large as those
of our tree-like species. It seems scarcely
credible, in the same family of plants there
should be forms but a few inches or so in
height, while other forms achieve the aspect
and majest}' of a forest tree.

In ordinary cla3'ey ground, a ground that is
liable to pack close, or as we say bake in the
summer time, the rhododendron will not do
well, and yet the soil of England is largely of
that heavy character, and a rhododendron
planted in it would do no better than in simi-
lar soil in this country. The English take
pains, therefore, to prepare their soil for what
they call their American plants. They dig
out the naturally heavy soil, and fill in with
light porous material, generally earth from
peat bogs. So earnest are the cultivators of
the rhododendron and similar American plants
to have a material of the proper character, that
it is not infrequent to have large carloads of
peat soil, or even shiploads of it, brought one
■or two hundred miles in order to make the
proper beds for growing their " American
plants." Yet it is not because it is peat soil
that they thrive well, but because the soil is
open and porous, and it is found in America
that they grow just as well in soil which is
largely made up of small stones or broken
rock, so that the air and water can perfectly
permeate through the whole as thej- do in peat.
In fact an}' garden soil any wliere in the United
States, if liberally supplied with broken rocks,
bricks, stones, or even sand itself, that will
allow the light hair-like roots to penetrate the
mass, will do just as well as the expensive
peat soil to which we have referred. It is
thought by some that rhododendrons like
shade, because they are usually found in shadj'
places in their wild native state ; but it has
been found that where the soil is loose and
open in the manner we have described, the}-

thrive just as well in the full sun as they do
in their natural shady woods.

The illustration represents Rhododendron
Kamtschaticitm, which though a Russian in
name, comes also into our list of native flow-
ers, being found in Alaska. T. B. M.

[Since the above was written we find the en-
closed in the London Journal of Horticulture,
on a closely related species, which shows how
nearl}' our estimate is coirect, both as regards
the reasons why English people succeed with
American plants, — and of the beauty of the
dwarf Rhododendron.]

Rhododendron dahuricum is the next on
vay list of favorites. The plants are arranged
in the centre of a large bed, hardy Azaleas
and Perncttya mucronata growing underneath
the Rhododendrons. The position of the bed
is one fullj- exposed to the south and south-
westerly winds which sweep across that part
of the garden furiously at times. The plants
have been covered with its bright rose colored
blossoms. This rhododendron should not be
dotted about singh- in the beds or borders, a
much better effect is produced by massing the
plants. Like all other American plants it is
necessarj' to provide a peat soil for their
growth ; anj- extra trouble taken in preparing
the site is time well spent, the growth and
freedom in flowering making up afterwards for
the outlay.

MAMILLARIA APPLAN ATA-SEE P«GE 5.

The Fruit of Cactuses, — People frequently
travel long distances in order to see something
wonderful, and yet matters much more wonder-
ful than an}- at long distances may be found
close by one's door, especially among manv
wild flowers ; or among which, when looked
into, are matters that cannot fail to excite sur-
prise and wonder at the manner in which they

iS9i.]

MEEHANS >rONTin,V — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

are formed, or their behavior at certain times.
For instance, on the plains of our country,
where cactuses are found abundantlj', there is
a class of these plants called Mamillaria,
so called from the tuberculous projections,
covering the whole surface. These flower in
the early part of spring or summer, and the
flower apparently dies away without leaving
any trace of a seed vessel behind. In this way
the plant remains until the succeeding year,
when the flowering time again arrives and at
that time it is found
that the seed vessel
of last year, which
was really formed in
an embryonic condi
tion, has remaine
sunk in deeply be
tween the tubercles
without any effort at
growth, and then at
this time one year
afterwards, suddenU
push up all in one
night, covering the
plant with a large
suppl}^ of mature
seed vessels. It is
an excellent illustra
tion of what is now
known as the phases
of growth ; that is
to say, that a plant s
growth is not contin
uous, but goes on in
waves, now ad vane
ing rapidly and then
receding, resting be
fore it commences a
growth again. Few a view at trento

people would imagine that the beautiful
red seed \'essels which we see on these forms
of cactus were really formed a year before
and remained green and quiescent for so
many months. And then that they should
spring up in one night to their full length,
changing almost instantly from green to red,
is truh' wonderful. We believe this is not
known even to botanists generally, although
the writer of this published a paper in the pro-
ceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences
on the subject several years ago. The general
belief is that the red fruit of these Mamillaria

come from the flowers that have ju.st before
faded away. Certainly no one would suppose
that they have remained on the plant a year
before starting again into a second growth.
We give with this paragraph an illustration in
Mamillaria applaiiata, for which we are indebted
to the kindness of Mr. Blanc, which serves well
to illustrate the point which we make. It is
covered with both fruit and flowers, and the
large red fruit really adds very much to the
prettj' appearance of the plant, and is one of
the most beautiful
_ we have in cultiva-
^ tion ; but these red
j lierry-like fruit were
started bj- the flowers
of the preceding year.
The Maiuilla)-ia is
not the onl}' plant
that takes this won-
derful rest before
starting again. Some
oaks ajid pines do
the same thing, — bu
the rapidity with
which the fruit
changes from green
2 to red, and complete
their full growth,
;^S adds an additional
element of wonder
in this case.

Botany at Water-
falls.— Those who
are fond of natural
historj' and the gen-
eral beauties of
natural scenery, will
N FALLS-SEEPAGES. usually find more

variety to occupy their attention in the vicinity
of mountain streams with water-falls, than in
any other class of locations ; that is to say, there
is more variety in a small compass. There is
a large class of wild plants especially, which
delight in the spray and moist atmosphere
from falling waters, and which can only be
found in such localities. Take, for instance,
the vicinity of Niagara Falls, where visitors,
fond of botany, frequently go to get specimens
of the Parnassia palustris, which are found
luxuriating in the spray which falls from the
dense volume of water flowing over the rocks.

MEEHAXS MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[July.

In like manner, near the famous water-falls of a
smaller character, such as those in the vicinity
of the Delaware Water Gap and Trenton Falls,
N. Y., ferns of ever}' character are found in
the vicinity of the spray, which are either not
obtained at all elsewhere, or not with the same
vigor and luxuriance, which to the collector is
of as much importance as to find an entirely
new plant. Equally with the great variety of
ferns which love to be in the vicinity of water-
falls, is the great chance for the collection of
mosses and liverworts, which also abound in
these situations. Trenton Falls is especially
interesting, not merelj' for its varied botanical
features, but also from the geological ones.
The nature of the formation belonging to the
Silurian age, aftbrds many special objects of
attraction that are not found elsewhere. To
say Trenton Falls to the lover of natural his-
tory, is like talking of roast beef and plum pud-
ding to a starving man. We present herewith
a view of one of the leading features of the
Falls, showing the hillsides lined with hem-
lock and Arbor Yitie and many other forms of
vegetation, which give variety to the forest
scenery. With the exception of the New River
Falls in Virginia, there is possibly no river
scenery in the United States which would give
features of more varied beauty.

We are indebted to the proprietor of Moore's
Hotel at Trenton Falls, N. Y., for the beautiful
illustration which accompanies this note.

The Big Tref.s of Californi.v. — A wag
once stated that the Dogwood tree ought to be
known by its bark, but the big trees of Cali-
fornia are as certainly known by their bark,
which is a spongy mass, often measuring
nearly a foot thick. It is on account of this
great thickness of bark, which in a measure
does not take kindlj' to fire, that the large
trees have been in a great measure preserved
through so many ages, when other trees have
been entireh- destroyed bj' the flames which
rushed through the forests. The bark of these
mammoth trees preserved them from destruc-
tion. Another wag, following the wake of the
Dogwood man, has stated that among the ani-
mals the mammoth trees have the biggest
hark, only for the ' ' bark' ' he would not have
classed it with the animal creation. It is
pleasant to read in the public prints, that the
United States is taking steps to preserve these

mammoth trees from the woodman's axe. Al-
though fire has failed to remove these giants
from the face of the earth, the other works of
man will soon accomplish the destruction,
which in a state of nature they have hitherto
escaped. No efforts on the part of the United
States government should be spared to pre-
serve these great memorials of the past for
future generations.

CoMP.ASS Pl.ants. — As is now well known
the Compass Plant, Silphium laciniatum, has
the edges of the leaves pointing north and
south, the faces of the leaves having an eastern
and western exposure. This is undoubtedly
true of the j'ounger leaves, the older ones,
however, falling around in different directions
by their own weight. Just whj- this plant
behaves in this waj' has not yet been clearly
made out, although a number of shrewd
guesses have been offered concerning it. An
interesting new fact is one given recently by
Mr. B. L. Robinson, of Cambridge, Mass.,
that there are two distinct forms of this plant ;
one form has the stems covered with glandular
pubescence, the other is simply rough, covered
with bristlj' white hair, but not glandular,
and one kind blooms late in October, a month
later than the other. Mr. Robinson does not
know from what part of the west these differ-
ent kinds come. It would be well worth
while, for those fond of wild flowers, to watch
the behavior of this plant in its native locali-
ties ; possibly the clue to its singular polarit}'
might be discovered by a little closer watch-
fulness.

Genti.ans. — Few lovers of flowers but have
either met with or read about Gentians, for
they are common in Alpine regions, and some
species have entered largely into poetry and
literature. Only a few get down to low alti-
tudes ; one of the best known of these is per-
haps the fringed gentian, though the closed
gentian, which appears just before frost in
some of the Atlantic sea-board states, is fre-
quently collected. A remarkably beautiful
blue one, Gcn/iaiia angustifolia is found in the
low pine-barrens of New Jersey, south to Flor-
ida, and a white one occurs from Virginia and
Kentucky to Lake Superior and western Can-
ada. G. saponaria is the most widely distrib-
uted.

GENERAL GARDENING.

THE PRETTY AND USEFUL BIRCH.

Few trees attract as much attention as the
Birches. Being hardy in all climates and soils
the birch is iiniversall}' known all over the
world. The White birch, Bdula alba, is very
common in Europe ; while the species loita,
tiihra, papyracea and excelsa are found in
nearly all parts of North America, being espe-
cially plentiful in the fore.sts of the extreme
northern parts.

The birch trees are useful as well as beauti-
ful. Carriage builders and furniture dealers
use the wood on account of its lightness, and at
the same time its toughness. Being very
pliant it can be bent and twisted into any shape
or fomi.

In reference to its use as an ornamental tree,
no other class commands such individual char-
acteristics as the birch ; its fine willowy
branches, small heart-shaped leaves, and gen-
eral uniform growth make a model tree for
parks, lawns, or even for shade trees.

The birch commonly seen along creeks and
rivers in man 5- parts of the northeast is the
red birch, Betula rub) a. Of all the species
none can be so easily distinguished as this
one. Its smooth reddish bark hangs in strips
all over the trunk, giving it the appearance of
a tree on a battlefield, all tattered and torn by
bullets. Though this kind is found in its wild
state generally on or near some stream of
water, it grows with just as much strength on
higher ground. The seeds ripen before other
birches in the last part of May. The male
catkins are long and slender, and the female
a trifle longer and greater in diameter than any
other kind except the yellow.

The sweet and yellow birches grow on higher
ground as a rule, though they thrive in almost
any locality. These two varieties are like
twin brothers in appearances, both having the
same globe-like growth in looking at them
from a distance. The sweet birch takes its
name from the sugary taste of the sap and
bark.

From these already mentioned new forms
have been found, among the most common of
which are the purple, upright, cut-leaved and
Young's weeping birch, bearing the respective
names of purpurea, pyraynidalis, incisa and
Y'oungii. The purple kind is so named on ac-
count of its purple leaves and young wood,
while the main trunk still retains the fine
smooth bark of the white birch.

The next kind mentioned is a compact form
having the same white bark, its peculiarity
being its pyramidal form.

Bclula laciniata, or the cut-leaved birch is the
" king ' ' variet}' of all. The finely cut leaves,
as the name implies, give it a rather featherj'
appearance which no other kind possesses.

Young's weeping birch is a grafted kind,—
that is to say, grafted on the trunk of another
sort. The limbs, which are thin and switchy,
like other birches hang down in form like the
common Kilmarnock willow ; this makes it
useful for lawn and ornamental purposes.

Betula papyracea, or paper birch, was formerly
used by Indians and hunters for making
canoes, the lightness and at the same time the
firmness of the bark being specially adapted
to that use. J. F. M.

Vegetable Cellars. — A correspondent who
is at the head of a large State Institution would
like to know what would be a good plan of
constructing a vegetable cellar. It will proba-
bly be difficult to suggest a plan that would
suit any two cases equally well — so much would
depend on the kind and the quantity of each
kind. The chief enemies of a root cellar are too
high a temperature, or it is too damp so as to
cause rotting, or too drj' when shrivelling
ensues. As to temperature, the nearer freezing
the better, so long as it does not fall below
freezing point. Though no one's cellar is likely
to suit another exactly, many good suggestions
would be drawn from the success of another, —
and if any one has a structure that is regarded
as satisfactorj-, an account of it for our pages
would be very acceptable.

(7)

8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[July,

The Seckel Pear. — The following inter-
esting letter conies from Prof. Emil Bauer, of
Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is a curious com-
mentary on the " truths of history," that the
original Seckel pear tree is still standing in
Philadelphia, on the estate of Stephen Girard,
the famous philanthropist ; and that the
ground was originally bought with the pear
tree on it, by a farmer named Seckel, a few of
his descendants still remaining in Philadel-
phia. They are of English and not German
race. There are a number of German de-
scent in Philadelphia who spell their names
Sickel.

" The so called Seckel pear originated in Bal-
timore, Md., at the beginning of this centurj',
not later perhaps than 1818.

" A German, by the name of Sichel, raised it
there from seed.

" My authority for this statement is Rev.
Jacob Henrici, leader and Trustee of the Har-
mony Society, at Economj', Beaver county.
Pa., who has been an officer of said society
since 1826, and who, although in his Syth
year, is still the intelligent and active leader
of said society. I have known him for 30
years and have visited with him at Economy
frequently ever since.

" Knowing that I take great interest in fruit,
Mr. Henrici showed me on the 30th of Novem-
ber, 1S89, a Sichel pear tree which has a his-
tory. It stands in the garden of the Trustees.
I was informed by my friend that the societ}'
obtained this tree from Mr. Sichel, of Balti-
more, and that said tree was first planted by
said societj' at Harmony, Posey county, Indi-
ana, whither the society had moved from
Pennsylvania in 1814. In 1824 the society
sold their town, Harmony, and all their prop-
erty on the Wabash river, to Robert Owen,
who settled upon it his New Lanark colony.
But the Harmonists thought so much of their
Sichel pear tree, that they took great pains to
take it with them back to Pennsylvania and
planted it on their new settlement at Economy,
where it grew and prospered again under the
intelligent care of Mr. George Rapp, the
founder of the societj'. It is yet bearing and
I tasted its fruit from time to time, although I
never knew its history until the 30th of
November, 1S89, as stated above. Pear culture
being my specialtj' of course I took great in-
terest in this statement. I know the fruit of

it to be the genuine so called Seckel pear.

" The tree at Economy must be at least 70
years old.

" It is proper to remark, that this society,
from its beginning, has pursued agriculture
and horticulture principally, although later,
after a successful experiment with the mul-
berry tree, they engaged in the manufacture of
silk and other industries. There is hardly
any fruit that is not cultivated with the most
intelligent care at Econoni}-.

"Mr. Henrici, my authority for the above
statement, although a teacher bj- profession,
was interested in fruit culture from his boy-
hood. When his faniilj- landed in Baltimore
in 1825 they sold thousands of grapevines
which they had brought with them from
Rhenish Bavaria.

" The above statement shows that I\Ir. Sichel
is the benefactor who gave us this highest type
of American pears and that it should bear his
name, unless Sichel is translated into English,
in which case Sickle would be correct.

German, Die Sichel ; English, Sickle.

Emil Baur,
Teacher of German Language and Literature,
1552 Ann Arbor, INIich."

H.\RDY Chrys.vntiiemu-ms. — Chrj-santhem-
ums are seen almost always in pots and cul-
tivated as house plants, but it is not well
known that they are very good hardy herba-
ceous plants, living out even in severe winters,
with a very light protection. They like to
grow especially alongside of walls or fences
and then with a few dry leaves over them and
a little earth to keep the leaves from blowing
away, they live out as well as the majority of
hardy plants do. Another advantage in hav-
ing them under fences or near walls is that
they bloom comparatively early ; otherwise
they are apt to have their blossoms cut when
the early frost comes. They usually flower a
little later than asters and golden rods. They
also do well when planted in borders of shrub-
berj' ; the bushes preserving them from the
early autumn frosts. They require during the
winter the protection of a few leaves thrown
over them. Nothing is gayer than a bunch of
shrubbery in autumn, with chrysanthemums
flowering between them, from plants that have
been out the winter before.

i89i.]

MEEHAXS' MONTHLY GENERAI, GARDENING.

Management of Lawns. — It is a long time
since the Gardeners' Monthly proposed to con-
struct lawns by what was then called in-
oculation, instead of sowing or seeding it. By
this method, it was advised to take one kind
of grass and break it into small pieces, plant-
ing the pieces about five or six inches apart ;
rolling the whole thoroughly with a heavy rol-
ler, so as to make the surface perfectly flat and
smooth, and let the pieces grow together, and
in that way have the lawn of one uniform
species over the whole. The great pressure of
different individuals praising what is called

having one uniform tint of green, has several
patchy colors, not at all as pleasing as when one
uniform tint of green prevails. We under-
stood that, in Mr. Olcott's method in breaking
up one species of grass to fill a lawn, the small
pieces are planted closer together than in the
method formerly- proposed, under the name of
inoculating; at anj- rate, Mr. Olcott's efforts
are of immense value to those who like to see
beautiful lawns. Under the present method of
making lawns, b}- which grass seed is sown,
other weeds frequently are introduced, and
give the lawn a bad appearance. This, how-

OLCOTTS PASTURE-GRASS GARDEN.

lawn mi.\tures, prepared by the different seed
houses, has probably prevented this method
of having one uniform kind of grass over the
whole surface, come into general practice; but
the recent efforts of Mr. Olcott to introduce
wliat he calls Pedigree grass, have done much
to again call attention to the value of having
one kind of grass only used for &ny one lawn.
It is now well known that no matter what the
mixture may be, one kind of grass therein con-
tained finds it.self better suited to the localities
than some other kinds, and that one kind
finally crowds out all the others; or if two
sorts should eventually find themselves equallj'
adapted to the soil, the lawn instead of

ever, may be in some measure remedied by
hand weeding. All lawns the first year, — and
we should judge, even if planted on the pedi-
gree S3'stem, — ought to have some little hand
weeding. It is not so heavy a task as it ap-
pears to be ; a comparative!)- large lawn can be
soon weeded, and when the weeds are once
kept down and prevented from seeding, the
grass eventualU' takes entire possession of the
ground, and little trouble is experienced from
weeds afterwards. In our own vicinity, it is
sad to see so many beautiful lawns spoiled for
want of a little judicious weeding; garlic, blue
bottle and Star of Bethlehem take possession
of the whole lawn, giving it, in the spring es-

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[July.

peciall}-, a miserable appearance. These can
easily be kept down by using a small hand-
fork, and drawing out the w'eeds with their
bulbous roots ; if any holes are left in the grass,
through digging out these bulbs, a little earth
forked in will soon give an opportunity for
grass roots to sprout in and cover over the
hole. Nothing is more easy than to keep up a
good lawn with a little effort of this kind, and
3'et nothing is rarer than to see a lawn, out of
which the owner could get as much pleasure
as he might.

Mr. Olcott is experimenting with grasses for
pastures as well as for lawns. We give a view
of his pasture garden, as showing how the
trials are made. The lawn grasses are grown
in square beds. T. B. M.

Roots of Trefs. — It should not be forgot-
ten by planters of trees that roots have a strong
disposition to seek drains, and when these
roots get inside of a drain or pipe, they in-
crease so enormouslj' as to fairly choke the
drains and prevent the run of water through
them. For this reason no large or strong tree
should be planted anywhere near where there
are pipes or drains. In California, where the
Blue Gum is so popular, an act of the Legisla-
ture has been suggested to prevent these trees
from being planted nearer than loo feet to any
neighbor's drain. These trees have so great a
disposition for water, absorbing it in such im-
mense quantities, that they have been found
to drain swamps, simply b}' the evaporation of
the leaves, in some countries ; and in the
vicinity of drains the roots will go loo feet
towards them, finally choking, and rendering
their presence, in this respect, a nuisance.

Grasses for the SouTH.^Effbrtsmade in
the past to introduce northern grasses into the
south have not been wholly successful. Up to
the present time Bermuda grass has been
chiefly popular, but this does not in many
cases meet requirements. Thej' have now in
Florida a kind which goes by the name of
"carpet " grass ; botanically this is Paspalum
plalycaule. It is said in many cases to crowd
out Bermuda grass, and continue to make a
permanent sod. It is even said to be very
useful as a lawn grass, and to stand well under
the mowing machine.

Dw.\RF Periwinkle for Gr.\ss-less
Places. — It is often very desirable to have
grass or something green beneath large trees,
the roots of which make the ground so dry, by
the absorption of the water in the ground,
that grass ordinarily will not grow beneath
them. For the purpose of having something
green, and in a measure a substitute for grass,
there is nothing better than the common peri-
winkle, J 'inca minoy. This seems rather to
prefer such dry places, and being always green
is attractive, even in winter when grass is
usuallj- bare. Besides its value in giving a
green surface to these dry places, it has an
additional value in having an abundance of
blue flowers in early spring, which are almost
as welcome as the spring violet. It trans-
plants very easily on account of its running
habits ; small bunches, placed in the earth at
distances of about a foot apart, soon meet to-
gether and make a complete mass within
a few weeks after growth commences. There
is a pink variety in cultivation and also a
double variety of this pink one ; and more
recently a varietj' has been introduced in the
nursery, bearing white flowers ; so that with
the continual increase in the numbers of vari-
eties of this pretty plant, one may soon have
a complete flower garden under the shade of
trees, where hitherto not even a bl ade of grass
could be made to grow. J. F. M.

CoLEUs. — Our common and well known
coleus of gardens, when first introduced bj'
Mr. Bull, of England, in 1S67, attracted at
once such universal attention for its beauty,
that it was well understood it could not fail to
be widely popular. Mr. Bull appreciated this
fact, and sold seeds in 186S at the enormous
price of 50 cents a seed. It seems scarcely
credible when we see immense numbers of
plants now sold by florists, that such an enor-
mous price was obtained for a single seed in 1 868.

Single D.\hli.a.s. — These retain popularity
in America, but do not gain as rapidly as the3'
do in Europe. One feature which recommends
them is that they flower more numerously,
and come into blossom earlier than the im-
proved double kinds. They are raised from
seeds sown in the Spring, while the old class
of dahlias have to be raised from sprouts like
sweet potatoes. J. F. M.

1 891.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

Solution of Copper for Destroying
Fungi. — A long time since it was discovered
that the snuit of the wheat was carried from
place to place by the spores of the smut fungus,
which attached itself to the seed, and, germin-
ating under favorable conditions, imbued the
whole plant so as to produce the smut in the
ripening grain. The only known remedy is by
taking simply copperas and dissolving it in
water, soaking the seed therein ; it was found
that the smut vi-as totally destroyed. Again it
was discovered that the same solution of copper
would destro}- the fungus which caused the
dry rot. It has been a matter of surprise that
with these facts before the practical mind, no
further use seems to have been made of the
knowledge until the French discovered that it
was an excellent thing to destroy the various
kinds of fungus plants that caused so much
destruction in the French vineyards. Since
that time this solution of copper has been tried
on many forms of the fungus that plague the
plant grower, and in all cases has been found
effectual. Among the last of the discoveries is
that by Clarence M. Weed, of the Ohio Experi-
mental Station, which shows that this same
article will destroy the fungus which causes
the potato rot. It will, of course, be very
troublesome to take liquid enough to spray
over a large area of potato ground ; but, no
doubt, some inventor will find means b3- which
a very small quantity of liquid will be suffi'
cient to perform its destructive work, and in
that wav reduce the cost of applying the liquid
to the potato crop. It is a great gain to know
that this solution is so effectual ; to the gar-
dener and florist the hint is invaluable. In
our own experience we have applied it to mil-
dew and black spot on the leaf in rose houses
with complete success, as well as to various
fungi on other plants. It is undoubtedly one
of the most valuable practical discoveries of
the age. i ll> of copperas to about 25 gallons
of water is about the thing. J. F. M.

A Beautiful Cemetery. — Every town of
any pretension must now have its cemeterj', —
but most are little better than the old grave-
yards attaclied to churches, which have fallen
into disrepute. But many are lovely speci-
mens of gardening. One of the most famous
is the Forest Hill Cemetery of Utica, New York.
Much of the success in forming these beautiful

cemeteries depends on getting the proper super-
intendent. In this respect this one was
fortunate in securing Mr. Roderick Campbell.
His advice is often sought by new ventures
elsewhere.

Styrax Japonica. — In the Gardeners'
Monthly for 1869 there is the following account
of this plant from a German source : "A pretty
hardy shrub, growing four to six feet high,
with elegantly spreading branches, bearing
bright green elliptic-lanceolate leaves and a
profusion of white flowers, resembling snow-
drops, from the points of the young branchlets.
It should be a prett}' object for forcing with
such plants as Dcutzia gracilis and its allies.
A native of Japan, and introduced into our

_ IGHTED.1889-
THOMAS MEEHAN rSON

STYRAX JAPONICA.

gardens bj- way of St. Petersburgh." Since
that time it has been introduced into America,
and plants are now large enough to flower
here. It proves to be well worthy of the intro-
duction given it at that time in the magazine
above named. We give with this an illustra-
tion, showing the form and character of the
flowers. Il will undoubtedly become one of
the most popular of shrubs for American gar-
dens ; growing taller than the statement above
indicates. T. B. M.

MEEHAN S MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[July,.

Magnolia Kobus. — Mr. Moon, jMorrisville,
Pa., says : "I mail to-da}' a few flowers of a
Magnolia taken from a tree about 25 years old
and 20 feet high. I would like to know the
name of it and will be obliged if 30U can tell
me."

The flower sent by Mr. IMoon is the Magnolia
Kobiis, a comparatively scarce kind, introduced
into our country a number of years ago by Mr.
Hogg, and distributed uuder the name oi Mag-
nolia Tluirbcri, in compliment to the late Prof
Thurber. It has, however, been since identi-
fied with one previously named as Magnolia
Kobus ; the latter name being the one em-
ployed by the Japanese, who call it Kobttsi. It
is rather common in the mountainous woods
of Japan, especiallj- on the Island of Nippon,
and is also found abundantly on the Hakone
Mountains. We have a specimen about 20
years old, which is also about 20 feet high,
and about iS feet wide. In its manner of
growth it is one of the most beautiful of all the
Mag7iolias, being very light and twiggy, and
yet carrying a very regular form to the whole
tree. Our specimen commenced to blooni
about three years ago, this year blooming
somewhat abundantly-, a few da}-s before the
well known Chinese magnolia. The latter
although called white, has somewhat of a j-el-
lowish tint. The Kobus is of a pure snow-
white ; the flowers are smaller than the Chi-
nese, and intermediate in character between
the Chinese and the M. stellata. On account
of its beauty of form, the plant will undoubt-
edly be popular for ornamental purposes, and
when the tree comes to be propagated from
flowering specimens it will no doubt come
into bloom much earlier ; that is to say, young
plants will flower earlier than the present spec-
imen on our own ground, and that of Mr.
Moon, would indicate.

The Sensitive Plant. — Few things are
more interesting in the flower garden than the
sensitive plant. The seeds, sown, as soon as
the spring arrives, in the open ground, grow
very readily, and no plant gives more pleasure
to young people. Its botanical name is Mi-
mosa pudica, that is to sa}', the bashful mimo-
sa, from its shrinking habit when touched. If
the top of the leaf is pinched carefull}', so as
not to disturb or jar the other leaflets on the
leaf, the leaflets close up gradually one after

another from the end to the base of the leaf,
until the sensation reaches the end of the leaf
stalk, when the whole leaf falls down. Just
why the leaflets should close together upwardly
and the leaf stalks fall downwardly has never
yet been clearly ascertained ; in fact the reason
for the sensitiveness inherent in the whole
plant has not been made clear ; although there
have been manj- guesses, some of them shrewd,
as to the reason for this particular touchiness.
A closely allied plant is our native Cassia
cliu-macrista, the leaves of which, though they
do not fall rapidly when touched, as is the case
with the true sensiti\e plant, yet fall together
when the atmosphere is somewhat agitated.
It has been called sometimes the American
sensitive plant, although this name has been
sriven to some few other things.

Trees under Asphalt Roadw.ws. — In
many cities it has been found difficult to get
trees along side-walks to live when the streets
are laid with sheet asphalt, or the side-walks,
covered with flag stones or broad sheets of
lithogen. The roots are prevented from get-
ting the air and moisture so necessary to their
existence. In Philadelphia it has been found
by e.xperience that deep rooting trees stand a
much better chance of succeeding thaxi surface
rooting trees, and hence horse-chestnuts and
oaks have lived and done well where poplars,
maples and ashes have failed. This is a valu-
able hint to city street planters.

The Seckel Pear. — It is remarkable how
much that is apocryphal creeps into history,
especially the history of fruits and flowers.
In "Colnian's Rural World" for 1S6S, some
writer is giving a history of the Seckel Pear,
and he states it as an absolute fact, that the
tree was so named by the party on whose
ground it first appeared, from the fact that an
old sickle had been kept continualh- hanging
for some 3-ears on the tree, when the value of
its fruit was first discovered, and in that way
it received its name, and the writer contends
that the name Seckel should be changed to
Sickle. Our readers, of course, know that the
tree was so named because growing on a farm
occupied b}' a farmer named Seckel, near Phil-
adelphia. These distortions of history are
frequent.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

DR. JOSEPH LEIDY-SEE PAGE K.

(■3)

14

MEEHANS' MONTHLY BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

[July,

DR. JOSEPH LEIDY.
This eminent scientific man died in Phila-
delphia on the 30th of April, aged 68 years.
Few scientific men reached such a world-wide
eminence, — few more richly deserved the fame
he achieved. Scientific men are human, and
though many de,serve the honors they get, a
large number become prominent as much by
their own endeavors for prominence as by the
actual value of their work. This cannot be
said of Leidy. Born in a coniparativeU' hum-
ble home near Third and Callowhill streets, in
Philadelphia, his earlier years saw a struggle
for support ; and yet it is questionable whether
in the slightest degree he ever entered into any
scheme to suggest or obtain the raanj' high
honors that came to him. Indeed such vvas
his good-heartedness that he would rather any
time withdraw in favor of a competitor, .should
such competition arise. The writer was once
asking him about a contemporary who died
many years ago ; he remarked, " He and I were
both competitors for the position." (It was
only three hundred dollars a year.) "I did
feel that I wanted that money badly about that
time, but when I found that he needed it as
badly as I, and had a mother dependent on
him besides, I withdrew in his favor." Pos-
sibly no man who ever lived was at the
same time so universall}' beloved for his per-
sonal charms, and at the same time so vener-
ated for his scientific work as Dr. Joseph
Leidy. Though not known as a botanist, it
was his first special stud}', and had not his
reputation been more intimately connected
with other work, his labors in this field alone
would have obtained for him a commanding
position.

Mr. I. De G. Nelson, of Fort Wayne, Ind.,
died on the 25th of March in his 85th year.
Mr. Nelson was one of the original horticul-
turists of Indiana ; and his beautiful grounds
and greenhouses were probably among the
earliest of the best laid out places of that
section of the country. His pretty green-
houses always attracted the lover of exotic
plants who visited that section ; and whatever
horticultural or pomological societies met in
that vicinity, they were always cordially and
handsonielj- entertained at Mr. Nelson's resi-
dence. In connection with his love of horti-
culture he '^.■as very prominent and popular in
public affairs.

One of his greatest works of public useful-
ness was the establishing of Lindenwood Ceme-
tery, which is one of the most beautiful in the
country. In this work he continued to take a
warm interest up to the time of his decease.
On his own lot in that cemetery the projectors
erected a monument, on which the following
is inscribed: "The trustees feel that to Mr.
Nelson they owe a debt of gratitude for his
long service and unflagging fidelity to the best
interests of Lindenwood, and as a mark of their
appreciation of his valuable service, order the
erection of a suitable monument on his ceme-
tery lot." We often wonder that those who
would preserve their names to posterity do not
often interest themselves in securing public
grounds for either the living or the dead, as
Mr. Nelson has done ; for our own part we
would sooner know that one's name was con-
nected with a public square, or a beautiful
cemeter}-, than have a monument in marble or
brass, such as is usually given to a military or
some other hero.

Col. N.athan Whitney. — This gentleman
started the first nursery north of the Illinois
River. He was born at Conway, Massachu-
setts, in 1791, and his one hundredth birthday
was recently celebrated at the home of his son,
Asa R. Whitne}', at Franklin Grove nursery.

J. C. Schmidt. — The chief of the Prussian
establishment with the above title, Henry
Schmidt, died at Teneriffe on the 26th of De-
cember. It is a great loss to gardening, as he
was a leader in the introduction of new things,
many of which have become popular in Amer-
ica.

Prof. Good.\le. — Accounts from Australia
state that the presence of Prof. Goodale as the
President of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, at the recent meeting
of the New Zealand Association for the Advance-
ment of Science, was verj' highly appreciated ;
not only its representative value, as from the
President of the Association, but also on ac-
count of the genial character of the Professor,
of which the accounts speak very warmly.
The Professor is expected home from Australia
the coming autumn.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

15

Joshua Peirce. — Though it is now some
years since his death, no public account of this
distinguished Horticulturist has ever appeared.
Lovers of gardening are not ungrateful, and
they desire to long hold in pleasant remem-
brance the memory of the man who gave them
the beautiful race of Prairie roses — a class that
has brought enjoj'ment to man^' a home. We
have obtained from one of his descendants the
following sketch of the man, and a slight ac-
count of his work.

"Joshua Peirce was the pioneer of horticul-
ture in the District of Columbia. He was born
in 1795, at Peirce's Mills, on Rock Creek, the
picturesque region now in the limits of the
National Park. His father, Isaac Peirce, came
from Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1794,
and established the mill known by his name.
In connection with his mill Isaac Peirce had
nurseries of fruit and other trees, which he
grew for his own planting and to supply the
orchards of his neighbors.

In 1823 Joshua Peirce built a house for him-
self upon a tract of 84 acres, given him by his
father, and the next year erected the green-
houses which for many years were the only es-
tablishment of the kind in the District. The
place was one of the attractions of the capital.
It was visited bj- all the distinguished men of
the period. With the exception, perhaps, of
Eckington, the residence of Joseph Gales, the
editor of the National I ntelligencer, no place
in the neighborhood of Washington can show
a greater arraj' of distinguished and famous
names among its visitors.

As the citj- grew in popvilation other estab-
lishments were started in the city, until the
greenhouses at Linn;ean Hill were abandoned,
the nursery business being continued by
Joshua Peirce up to the time of his death in
April, 1869.

The life of a horticulturist is not one of
striking vicissitudes or of stirring events.
The progress in this pursuit is along general
lines of effort in which all of its votaries par-
ticipate with equal enthusiasm and where the
experience of one becomes common property.
One important experiment was conducted at
Linnaean Hill in the successful hybridization
of the Tennessee rose, the result being shown
in the beautiful familj' of Prairie roses, which
are even more highly prized in England than
in the land of their origin. In the raspberry

known as the Catawissa raspberry when dis-
•seminated from Linn;ean Hill, another addi-
tion was made to the class of autumnal fruits.
Many things were accomplished in the intro-
duction of new varieties which have become
established favorites of the garden and the
lawn.

At Linnfean Hill the ivy covered walls ot
the now venerable stone mansion erected in
1823, surrounded by the noble trees, many of
which were grown from the seed, planted on
the plateau overlooking the romantic valley,
form the most attractive feature included in
the National Park."

Dr. Ma.xwell T. M.\sters. — The Garden-
er's Chronicle, of London, is known wherever
intelligence in horticulture is appreciated.
Dr. Lindley, the famous botanical horticultur-
ist, was its first editor, commencing in 1841.
On his death. Dr. M. T. Masters, equally
known as an eminent botanist, succeeded him,
and has fully maintained its high character.
He was born in Canterbury, England, of which
famous town his father was mayor. Born in
1833, he is still one of the hardest workers in
the science he very early learned to love.

Dr. Maximowicz. — This famous Russian
traveler, in whose honor so many beautiful
plants known in our gardens have been named,
died on the i6th of February. He was par-
ticularly well known by his explorations in
northern Asia.

Edw.\rd Kemp. — This gentleman, whose
work on landscape gardening, entitled "How
to laj' out a Garden," is in good use in Amer-
ica as well as in the old world, died on the
second of March, in his seventy-fourth year.

The Rose of Sharon. — In olden times
terms now specially applied, had a general
application. Any succulent fruit might be an
apple ; a lily a handsome flower of any kind,
and a rose would be applied to a number of
things. Hence the biblical terms of this
nature do not mean the plants we understand
by these names. It is now understood that
the Rose of Sharon is one of the Wind-flow-
ers, Anemone coronaria, a close relative of the
anemones of garden culture.

GENERAL NOTES.

Our Friends. — -We shall depend in a great
measure on the good will of those who appre-
ciate the work we are trying to do. Should
any one receive a copy and not be sufficiently
interested in the subject to subscribe person-
ally, it is hoped the specimen may be handed
to some flower lover.

The publishers will of course make due dis-
counts on the subscription price for the trouble
taken to get additional subscriptions to send
with one's own, besides being thankful for the
kindnesses.

Our Correspondents. "A number of friends
have offered to contribute to our pages. Notes
of anything of interest will be gladly received.
It will be perceived that we shall not have
room for the exhaustive essays that often ap-
pear in periodicals, which cover everj' minute
point in practice, so readily obtainable from
standard horticultural works. But we desire
to get notes of such things of such a novel
and yet popular character that the great ma-
jority of those who read will be glad to know
about. The notes of cultivators as to what is
new or interesting will be quite as welcome,
with due credit, as if the information were
furnished by our own grounds.

Our Circul.'^tion. — We desire for the
patrons of our magazine all who take anj' in-
terest at all in wild flowers, or who love gar-
dening in any form. Until comparatively re-
cent times a knowledge of plants consisted of
little more than knowing their names, or of so
arranging dried specimens that anything de-
sired could be readilj' found through a sys-
tematic arrangement in a herbarium. But
thousands who would blush to be called bot-
anists are in love with flowers, and are always
interested in knowing of the many strange
facts which even the commonest vs'eed presents.
Flowers as living things with strange stories
and "o'er true tales," present a charm to all,

(i6)

though few at present know little more about
them than that they are pretty and sweet. It
is just those stories that we propo,se to tell,
and we know there will be no lack of listeners ;
and those who have yards and gardens, who
love to grow that which is beautiful and use-
ful, and make ever3'thing about their homes
lovelj' and attractive, will we trust find our
pages interesting. We can only say to the
reader who maj' not perhaps see in any one
number just what is wanted, what some store-
keepers po.st up for the benefit of customers,
" if }-ou don't see what you w^ant, ask for it."
It will alwaj-s be a pleasure to answer any
query through these columns that is likely to
interest others as well as the querist.

The Flower on the Cover. — As a com-
pliment to our southern friends, so many of
whom were interested in our former enter-
prises, we have selected for an ornament to the
page, the southern yellow Jasmine, Gelsemium
nitidum. This is the earliest of southern
spring flowers and fills the air with its sweet
perfume. We could perhaps have arranged
more artistically the lettering on the title page,
but for a desire to interfere as little as possible
with the characteristics of this beautiful wild
flower. The original specimen from which
the drawing was taken grew near Aiken, South
Carolina.

Our July Number. — A number of our friends
have kindlj' written to us, that when the July
number appears, they will make an active can-
vass for subscribers. For this purpose we
have issued the July number early in June, so
as to give abundant opportunity for friends to
do as they proposed to do. Anj' numbers soiled
or lost by this friendly canvass will cheerfully
be made good by the publishers. We make
this explanation, as there will, of course, be
an interval before the appearance of the second
number, due on the ist of August.

VOL.I

Plate 2

NUPHAR ADVENA.

nMsvliiinaMuulhlybvIJVuigRfn

NUPHAR ADVENA.

COMMON SPLATTERDOCK.

NATURAL ORDER, NYMPH.i;aCE^.

NupHAR ADVKNA, Alton. — Sepals six, unequal: petals shorter than the stamens and resembling them, thick and fleshy,
truncate ; stigma twelve to twent3'-four-rayed ; ovary and fruit not contracted into a narrow neck under the stigma ; thin
submerged leaves seldom appearing ; floating oremersed and erect leaves thick, varying from roundish to ovate, or almost
•oblong in outline, the sinus open, or (variety vaiirgatum of Engelmann) flower often purplish, closed or narrow. (Gray's
Flora of the Noi tht'in I'uitcd States. ir>Ge also Cha^^maii's Ftoru of t/w Sout/tet?/ i'niled States, and Wood's Ctass-Book
of Botany.

As noted in the description, our pretty plant
belongs to the NymphaacecE, or that order to
which the Nymphcsa or common pond-lily
belongs. Indeed the older botanists regarded
it as belonging to that genus, and the closely
allied species, Nuphar lutettm, was known to
Linnreus as a Nyniphcsa merely. The species
we are now describing was not perceived to be
distinct from the old world species at that time.
The differences were detected b}- Alton the youn-
ger, the curator of the Royal Gardens at Kew,
who named it Nuphar adve?ia, — that is to saj',
the introduced Nuphar, — a very good name as
contrasting with the one so nearly like it indig-
enous to the old world. It diflFers from that
species in being much more vigorous in its
growth, and in the form of the leaf The petiole
or leaf-stalk of that one is weak, and will not
support the leaf blade, which therefore rests,
or floats, as one might sa}', on the water ; while
the leaf of our species seldom floats, but is
borne erect above the surface. Besides this,
the lower or divided part of the leaves in the
European kind rarely spreads, while, as seen
in the plate, our species spreads the lobes
considerably. There are also some differences
in the flower. In the description quoted from
Dr. Gray it is noted that the ' ' berry and fruit
is not contracted into a narrow neck under the
stigma," — that being the character of the
European form. This European species, A'li-
phar luteiim, is also found to some extent in
our country, — indeed Torrey and Gray, in the
Flora of North America, suggest that ours,
after all, is little more than a variety of the
older known species, though more modern
botanists regard them as quite distinct. Nuphar
is an old name of Dioscorides used in connec-

tion with some of these forms, and when the
N'ymphcra were divided b}- Dr. Smith in his
Prodromus of Sibthorp's Flora Gi'ceca in iSo6,
it was retained especially to designate this
section. It is structurally closelj^ allied to
the Nymphseas, but yet so very different in
general appearance, that few but critical botan-
ists would suspect the relationship. The beau-
tiful white petals of the common water lily
attract every one's attention, — but the petals of
the A'«//;a;- are very small and insignificant,
and are scarcely to be distinguished from the
stamens. The j'ellow parts which constitute
the popular flower in this case are regarded as
the sepals or caU'x. In fact the great differ-
ence between the two genera consists in the
different gradation of these floral parts. In the
Lily the change from sepals to petals and then
to stamens is so gradual that any one can trace
the several changes, while in Nuphar the
change from the large yellow sepals to the
diminutive petals is very sudden indeed, and
seems to leave a wide gap instead of a transi-
tion between them. Critically, perhaps, botan-
ists may be wrong in regarding the smaller
inside cycles as petals rather than as imper-
fectly formed stamens ; but the fact is, the
morphological distinctions between sepals,
petals and stamens are so slight that it is often
difficult to decide positively whether an organ
in question is a sepal or petal, and in such cases
as the present few botanists would object to
whichever term was chosen for the colored parts
that would popularly be taken for the flower.

In all our botanical works our plant is spoken
of as the Yellow Pond Lilj' ; but it seems
desirable as much as possible to limit the
popular name of our flowers to one that maj-

(17)

i8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — NUPHAR ADVENA.

[Aug.

be the most likely to be generally adopted,
and to lead to as little confusion as possible.
As we have now a true yellow water lily in
Nymphcea JIava, yellow pond lily would become
confused with it. As it is generally known as
" Splatterdock," it seems best to endeavor to
retain that name. Dr. Gray uses ' ' Spatter-
dock," but the orthography adopted in this
chapter is probably correct. The European
form is popularly known as "Can-Dock," —
" dock," perhaps from the form of the leaves,
and "can " from the flowers and fruit resemb-
ling such a vessel. Splatter-dock — or as it was
no doubt originally with the German settlers on
the Delawar e — platte-dock — represents the
same idea, — a dock with the flowers of a plat-
ter or shallow vessel.

The common splatterdock forms one of the
most striking features of the muddy shore
lines of rivers, or the margins of ponds in
most portions of the United States. The leaves
appear very early in the season, pushing up in
immense quantities wherever the water is but
a few feet deep. From May to August, accord-
ing to latitude, the yellow flowers are produced
in great abundance, and make the waters gay
with their brilliant blooms. In some parts of
our country they are in bloom in April, and
the writer has a letter from a Kentucky lady
describing how, in her }'outh, their collection
from the ponds in the vicinity of Louisville,
was an essential part of the programme in the
" May Day " parties of that time.

It had a more practical attraction to our
ancestors to whom it was among the greatest
blessings vouchsafed to man. The old world
form grows in Egypt and other countries
washed by the Mediterranean and the Red seas.
Herodotus, an ancient writer, tells us of the
Egyptians that " when the waters of the Nile
have risen to their extremest height, and all
their fields are overflowed, there appears above
the surface an immense quantity of plants of the
Lily species, which the Eg}'ptians call Lotus ;
having cut down these they dry them in the
sun. The seed of the flower, which resembles
the poppy, they bake and make into a kind of
bread ; they also eat the root of the plant,
which is round, of an agreeable flavor, and
about the sizeof an apple." He then describes

a second species of Lotus with a flat upper
surface to the seed vessel, and seeds like an
olive, which is the Nehimbiii7n or "Egyptian
Lotus " of our present times.

The description of Herodotus is precisely fit-
ted to our Nuphar, and it is interesting to note
that the Indians of our continent used the
plant in precisely the same manner. In many
parts of the country are pockets, apparently
artificially constructed, and which are believed
to have been formed on purpose to grow these
aquatic plants. In the annual report of the
United States Department of Agriculture for
1870 it is stated that the plant is called Tak-
wah-pah, by the Dacotah Indians. The roots
grow four or five feet deep when growing in
water, and the Indian women dive for them,
obtaining large quantities one or two feet long.
The3' are very porous, slightly sweet and gluti-
nous, generally boiled with wild fowl, but often
roasted. Muskrats store large quantities of
these roots in their dwellings for winter use,
which the Indians contrive to steal. The seeds
form an important part of the diet of the
Klamath Indians of California, and when pul.
verized they are made into bread or gruel, but
are often parched and eaten as pop-corn.
Jossleyn, in that curious old book, " New Eng-
land Rarities," published in 1672, saj-s, "the
Indians eat the roots, which are long a boiling ;
they taste like the Liver of a Sheep. The
Moose Deer feed much upon them, at which
time the Indians kill them, when their heads
are under water." The dr3-ing of the leaves in
the sun for cattle feed is still practiced by the
Swedes, and is probably the same practice as
that referred to in the note from Herodotus.

In addition to the popular names cited it has
many others of more or less local celebrity. In
the old world it is sometimes called ' ' Brandy
bottle," from the form of the flowers or fruit.
Darlington calls it " Strange-Nuphar," merely
translating the name, but this seems rarely
in use. Alton calls it "Three-colored Water
Lily," and Wood notes that "from its dirty
habits, it is called ' Frog Lily.' " It is well to
place these on record as matters of reference, —
but they are not worth perpetuating.

ExpLAN.iTiONS OF THE PLATE. — Leaf and flowers from
the shores of the Delaware river.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURH.

TRAII.ING ARBUTUS.

I wanderefl lonely where the pine trees made
Against the bitter east their barricade,

And, guided by its sweet
Perfume, I found, within a narrow dell
The trailing spring flower, tinted like a shell,

Amid dry leaves and mosses at my feet.

From under dead boughs, for whose loss the pines
Moaned ceaseless overhead, the blossoming vines

Lifted their glad surprise.
While vet the blue-bird smoothed, in leafless trees.
His feathers, rufiled by the chill sea breeze.

And snow-drifts lingered under April skies.

Whittier.

ORCHIDS IN NEW ENGLAND.

A correspondent of the American Garden,
describes a wood at Shelburne, New Hamp-
shire, in which Cypripedium acaule grows, and
in which there are many varieties of color
exhibited among the flowers. Some he says
are snowy white, and there are many shades
between the snowy white and deep purple.

Near Stowe, Mass., the yellow lady's slipper,
Cypripedium pubescens he found in great
quantities ; though rarer than the acaule, or
stemless species. The small flowered C. par-
vijiorum he found at Acton, INIass., on a riclily
wooded slope.

C. speclabile, grows in bogs in Western
Massachusetts, and in Maine. The Ramshead
Lady's Slipper, C. arietinum , grows in North-
ern New England.

The purple fringed orchis, Habenaria Jim-
briala is one of the commonest, and very
beautiful. It grows neath shady nooks, and
the borders of a wooded stream, where they
look like red-coated .sentinels in a row. It will
sometimes reach 3 ft. in height. Habenaria
psycodes, is still more common, growing with
the other, flowers smaller and less deeply,
though abundantly, fringed. Most any wood
or damp bog will reveal it. The correspondent,
Mr. Walter Deane, iinds few perfect good fruit,
though the structure is well adapted to fertili-
zation by moth agency.

The white fringed orchid, Habenaria ble-
phariglottis, grows in spongy bogs. Stems

one or two feet, with a two-inch spike. Ha-
benaria Hookeri, is a yellowish-green flowered
one, not attractive, but pretty when examined,
found on grassy knolls by the Androscoggin
river. A more striking species is H. orbiculata,
common in rich woods, with greenish-white
flowers, the two large root leaves lying flat on
the ground. A plant which had a spread of
leaves of fourteen inches, beginning to form
fruit in July, at Jaffray, New Hampshire, in a
rich wood. Habenaria trideiitata appears everj'-
where in boggy places, a foot high, with,
inconspicuotts greenish flowers. Half hidden,
in the grass of a wet meadow at Concord,
Mass., he finds A''. z'/r«(:^«5'. H. bracteata and;
H. obtusata with greenish white flowers grow
in the damp woods of Northern New England ;,
and he found together H . hyperborca and H.
dilatata in great profusion in a boggy field by
Willoughb}' Lake, Vermont, growing from 6
inches to 2 feet.

On the Blue Hills, not many miles from
Boston, grows the yellow fringed orchis, H.
ciliaris.

In rich bogs in almost any part of New
England, Aretliusa bulbosa may be found ; in
two or three weeks it is followed by Pogonia
op/iioglossoides ; and this a few weeks later,
running into July, is followed by Calopogon
pulclielliis.

An uncommon species in New England, is
Pogonia verticillaia, resembling, he remarks, in
its sterile form, Trillium cei'nuum. It is not
really common, we think, anywhere, and near
Philadelphia, is so much like Medeola virginica
as to be often pa.ssed for it. He has collected
it among the Blue Hills in Milton, Mass., as
early as the fourth of Jtine. He speaks of
rarely finding Pogonia pendula. ■ This also,
we think, is never common anywhere though
widely scattered. The Orchis^ spectabile is
abundant about Lebanon, N. H. Orchis ro-
tundifolia occurs in Northern New England, in
woods and bogs. The rattlesnake plantain,
or Goodyera repcns, he finds in abundance
among the White Hills. In South New

(19)

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Aug.

England, a larger species G. pubescens supplies
its place. Spirauthcs simplex, " ladies tresses,"
as he calls them ; but which we believe should
more properly be called "ladies' traces," ac-
cording to old works, is found only in South
New England. 5'. gtacilisSs found all through
New England, in the woods or along road-
sides. The upper surface of its small lip is
green, while that of S. simplex is white. S.
gracilis has clustered roots, but not more than
one tuber is found on simplex, as a general
thing. The commonest of the ladies' traces
is 5'. cernua, a stouter plant, growing six
'inches to a foot. He found a field, at Jaffraj',
N. H., in September, white with it. It has
not an unpleasant odor. 5". latifolia and 5'.
pracox are rare, and found only in wet places.
S. Roniatizoffiana is not uncommon in Northern
New England.

Listera convallarioides grows in rich shade
■about Willoughby Lake, and extends south -
ernly along the mountains. L. cordata is
more delicate, but has a wider range. The
common name is twayblade. In wet places
throughout the State is the adder's mouth,
Mici'ostylis ophioglossoides. The name tway-
blade is also given to another genus of orchids,
of which there are two species in New England,
Liparis Lceselii and Liparis liliifolia. He has
collected it at York in Maine, though growing
in all New England. The crane-fly orchis,
Tipularia discolor, is rare in New England.
The putty-root {Aplcctnim hieviale) is also rare
in New England. Calypso borealis is rare :
it likes cold damp shade. The coral-root, or
Corallorhiza are probably parasitic. The com-
monest is C. multiflora, found in rich woods ;
sometimes flowers as late as September. C.
innata is a more delicate plant, and more com-
mon in swampy places. C. odontorhiza is
delicate and rare.

Enclosure of Bark by Wood. — A corres-
pondent from Mickleton, N. J., sends a section
of a stem of Wistaria, with sections of bark
enclosed by circles of wood, of which he desires
explanation.

Wood is formed by the growth of cells out
of a mother cell. This can be readily under-
stood by noting how new wood and bark
grow over a wound caused by cutting a
branch off" near the trunk of a tree. Suppos-
ing this wound covered by dead bark, the new
growth of wood would spread over and enclose
it.

SECTION OF A WISTARIA TRUNK,
Bark Enclosed ev Wood.

Now the Wistaria has often portions of its
surface become practically dead, no daughter
cells are produced from the mother cells ; on
the other hand portions of the trunk, getting
a full supply of nutrition, will produce the
daughter cells in amazing abundance and
vigor. This new wood then overflows the
weaker spots, bark and all, precisely as it
flows over a wound. Other trees, especially
the Red Cedar, furnish similar illustrations.

Wild Flowers OF Missouri. — Mrs. Lamance,
of Pineville, speaks of the beautiful picture
formed by the bird's foot violet, ]'iola pedata,
.and the cactus, Opuntia Rafinesqui, growing
together in that vicinity. It is the first time
that we have known of these two plants grow-
ing contiguously ; the violet usuallj' prevailing
in damp and shady situations in more eastern
localities, while the Opuntia likes a situation
that is blazing hot.

Andromeda 1\I.\riana. — A correspondent
from New Jersey says he thinks that that part of
the world will show more beautiful floral scenery
than anj^ part of the United States. He chal-
lenges any one to produce a more lovely sight
than this little State can exhibit at the end of
May, when the large waxen flowers of this
Andromeda, intermixed with the broad shining
leaves of the Black Jack oak, go to make up
the floral picture.

1891.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATt'RE.

The Pepper Bush. — The beautiful white
flowered .shrub known as Clcthra alni/oUa,
and which is a striking feature in the wild-
flower beauty of the sea coast region of the
Northern Atlantic States, has a variet}' further
south which, according to Professor Sargent's
experience in the Arnold aboretum, does not
come into bloom till the northern form is over.
This is figured in Botanical Magazine, No.
3743, as Clctlini tomentosa, but jNIichaux regards
it but a variety of the common Pepper bush.
No public explanation has ever been given
that the Editors remember why the plant has
received the popular name of Pepper bush,
but it may be from the blackish
anthers, which certainly give the
flowers the appearance of being
dusted with pepper. Another
curious fact in its history is that
though usually found growing in
swampy places, plants seemingly
from accident in dryer ground make
larger and finer bushes. J. F. M.

Salvia lyrata. — This species
of sage is the only one that is
native to the Atlantic seaboard
States. It is usually found in \o\\
and wet meadows. A correspon
dent tells us that in a deep cut
along a roadside, near Jenkintown,
Pa. , it completely clothes the slop
ing sides of the comparatively dry
cut, and is one of the prettiest wild
flower scenes that has come before
his observation this year.

The Toad-stool Plant. — Any one can tell
a mushroom from a flowering plant, — and yet,
such is the unity of plan in nature, there are
dividing lines when one may well be doubtful
to which great family some questionable sub-
ject should be referred. The class now illus-
trated is an example. They appear as a fun-
gous mass, parasitic on roots ; and some throw
out spawn and rot away like a mushroom ; but
they throw out eventually an infloresencemuch
like the usual flowering plants. These flower
stems will often push up in a single night, just
as a mushroom would do, and have a mushroom-
formed head, but have scaly stalks and real

MARSHALL! A LANCEOLATA. — A

correspondent from Spartanburg,

S. C, speaks in praise of this

pretty herbaceous plant, as one of the features

of wild flowers scenery in that part of the

world at the end of May. It has a real English

daisj' habit of growth.

Lyonothamnus asplenhfolius. — This is the
name of a new tree discovered in 1 866 on vSanta
Cruz Island, off" the coast of Southern Califor-
nia. The flowers are said to be quite showy,
the corymbs often measuring a foot in diameter.
It is called "iron wood" by the natives. It
belongs to the order Saxi/ragacta, of which
the mock orange is a familiar example.

THE toad-stool PLANT.

flowers, instead of the usual pileus or cap of
the mushroom.

We give with this an illustration reproduced
from Engler and Prantl's Naturalicliem Pjian-
zenfaniilien, showing a Brazilian member of
this family named Scybalium ftingifonne. There
are separate male and female heads of flowers,
the latter represented hy i ; the former b}' 2.
The natural order is called Baianap/ioracara.

Jews M.allow. — This is a common name
given by English writers to the common Cor-
chorus of our old gardens, — Kerria Japonica.

MEEHAXS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Aug.

Double Clarkia. — This beautiful California
annual was so named in honor of Captain
Clark, — of the famous Lewis and Clark expedi-
tion,— the earliest to cross our continent. Thej'
formed an admirable double in a great work, —
and now the plant itself has done the double
duty of producing a double flower by changing
its stamens to petals as in the annexed sketch.

CLARKIA ELEGANS. DOUBLE.
Flowers Rose-color.

Sweet Scented Begonl\s. —One of the
most remarkable facts developed of late years
is this — that odor in families of plants is
usuall}' confined to a few species, no matter how
large the genus. Very few of the large family
of violets have fragrance, and only one mig-
nonette in some half a hundred of the genus
Reseda; of the several hundred species of Bego-
nia known, only one is sweet scented, and this
has been distinguished as Bego?iia odorata or B.
suaveoleus . This particular one has been taken
in hand by the German florists, and a new race
called sweet scented i5(;§o;//(75 developed from it.

Aster macrophyllus. — This species grows
wild "from Canada to IManitoba, and through
the mountains of Carolina and Georgia," saj'S
Garden and Forest, which on page 48 gives a
portrait of it. The root leaves are broadlj'
ovate, cordate at the base, and eight or ten
inches long by four or five wide.

Varying Tints in Autumn Colors. — It
has been noticed that in two trees of maples,
oak or other trees, coloring in Autumn, of the
same species, one will often have much brighter
leaves than the other. It should be re-
membered that though there must be certain
chemical combinations before any color can be
produced, the act of producing is a vital one,
and can only operate under vital conditions.
If we cut off a branch of any tree in Summer
time, and throw it aside, the leaves turn black
or brown, and without any brilliant color ; but if
the branch be onlj- half broken off", or in some
way injured, the leaves will color ; as if the
Autumn time has anived. This shows that
coloring is connected with a check to vital
power, short of its total destruction. Hence,
in the Autumn, the tree with the greater
vital power will color less than the other.

A New Aster. — Those who are interested
in these beautiful fall blooming wild flowers,
will find a new species illustrated and described
in a recent number of the " Botanical Gazette.'''
It is called Aster Orcuttii, and is from the
Colorado desert in California. It is a very
handsome species, and well worth cultivating.
The flowers are not borne in clusters or pani-
cles, as in so many Asters, but are singly on
the ends of the stalks. The edges of the leaves
are also so deeply cut as to be almost comb
like, and very different in appearance to the
ordinary run of the Asters, as we see them in
the East.

A Large Park, — Many of our cities and
States are boasting of the size of their parks.
Philadelphia contends for one of the premiums,
b}' the fact that she has in Fairmount Park,
some 2,800 acres ; but our good friend Uncle
Samuel can beat us all ; he claims to have
2,760,000 in the Adirondack Park of New York
State, This, however, is almost all forest, and
beautiful as it may be in its wildwood char-
acters, may not boast in real beauty what
small parks would be capable of

Parnassia Caroliniana. — In writing of
the botany of water-falls we inadvertently
spoke of the plant of Niagara Falls as Parnassia
palustris instead of Parnassia Caroliniana, as
it should have been. We are indebted to a
Cambridge friend for the suggestion.

GENERAL GARDENING.

A Double American Apple. — Our readers
of course know that the Apple of our gardens
is an importation from the old world. We
have, however, two native species, namely :
Pyr/is coronaria and Pyriis angitstifolia. These
are both considered slight forms of one
species by some botanists, but to our mind,
are as suiKciently distinct as many plants that
are recognized as distinct species by the same
botanists who would unite these. They are
especially distinct from the old world species,
in having a delicious fragrance, which those of
Europe have not. We have just received from
E. A. Bechtel's Sons, of Staunton, Ills., some
fine specimens in flower, of the last named
species, as double as roses, and of a bright
crimson color. This, together with the deli-
cious fragrance already referred to, of this
species, must give it very great value to culti-
vators. In our opinion these gentlemen have
happened on a ver}' valuable addition to our
list of ornamental shrubs. We use the word
shrub, for although these Amer-
ican Crab Apples are usually class-
ed as trees, the}- are really, as
usually seen, not more than large
shrubs. It has always been a
matter of surprise to us that these
two species are not more generally
grown in gardens, where choice
collections of shrubs are appre-
ciated. The fragrance is exactly
that of the rose, and when large
specimens are covered with blos-
soms, the fragrance permeates the
atmosphere to a large distance
around.

Vag.\ries of Fruit Crops. —
Under date of June 20, a Springfield,
Mass., subscriber says that while
there are heavy crops of peaches
north of them, there are none
of any consequence in Connecti-
cut.

Floral Emblems. — European magazines
are fond of raillery on the taste of Americans
in arranging flowers in the form of ships,
anchors, and other things. But it would seem
that mankind is much the same everywhere.
Count Von Moltke, who died recently, had
passed his 90th birthday, a short time before,
and the citizens of Cologne presented him with
a huge cannon ball, which took ten thousand
violet blossoms to form. Why not a floral
ship to an Admiral as well as a cannon ball to
a Field Marshal ?

Clematis Petunias. — A cla-^s of Petunia
has been raised with the corolla so deeplj' lobed
that they resemble some Clematises.

There are few garden flowers that have been
broken up into so many distinct races.

The method is to take some variation in the
line desired, — to save seed from that, — and
mark and save seed again from those in the
line of the proposed improvement.

CLEMATIS PETUNfA. Flowers Purple.

{23)

24

MEEHANS MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Aug.

Iris. — A correspondent inquires how to
keep Irises in the greatest health, how best to
preserve their beauty and bloom, and how to
plant them so as to compare well with other
plants in the general features of a garden. As
a rule Irises are very fond of a mixture of
rotten leaves and sand ; the creeping rhizomes
like to penetrate this rich sandy material, and
although some species are found entirely in
swamps they do equally well in rich garden
soil of the character described. For grouping
they are admirable along the borders of shrub-
bery. Of late the Japan forms of Irises, bloom-
ing so much later than others, have prolonged
the season, so that taking Iris verna as among
the earliest to flower, with his Kampfcri of
Japan as the latest, it gives us a period of
nearly three months in which various kinds of
Irises may be in flower. The bright yellow
Iris of Europe, Iris psetid-acorus, is also late,
blooming just before the Japan Irises come in-
to flower. As a rule Irises do not like hot
broiling sun ; Iris Missourienis of Colorado is
however an exception. It may be noted that
the rhizomes, or creeping stems of Irises, are
little more than annual. It is only the ex-
treme points that are in active life ; and in
some species like the Iris Hattwegii of Cali-
fornia, not more than half an inch of the ex-
treme points carries the plant over for another
year.

The Symplocos prunifolia. — A few years
ago we were kindly presented from the Arnold
Arboretum with a plant simply labeled ' ' Sym-
plocos species. ' ' It has bloomed this year, and
proves to be the 5". prunifolia. The flowers are
white, blooming in May, and have a much more
feathery appearance than most of the white
flowering plants of that time of the j'ear. It
will undoubtedly be a popular ornamental
shrub. It belongs to the same family of plants
as the Halesia or snowdrop tree.

Azalea amcen.'^. — This does not seem to be
as generally distributed as it ought to be. A
plant on the grounds of Mr. Samuel Emlen, in
Germantown, is possibly one of the oldest in
America, and is regarded as one of the most
beautiful of all very early flowering shrubs.
On the first of May, rivaling the lilacs, it is a
perfect blaze of beauty. Mr. E. 's plant is about
two feet high and across.

Hybridizing Flowers. — One of the most
interesting occupations for the lover of flower
gardening is the raising of new varieties from
.seed by hybridizing. The relationship must
be near, as for instance two kinds of roses, two
of geraniums, of fuchsias, or of other plants.
It is best to open carefully the petals a day
before they would do this of themselves, cut-
ting off the anthers with a slender pointed
scissors, and then dusting the stigma with the
pollen from the flower of the other kind to be
used in the operation. The stigma will in all
probabilitj' not be in receptive condition for a
daj' or two, but the pollen will remain in per-
fect condition until it is. This has been found
a much safer plan than the one usually em-
ployed of enclosing the flower in a gauze net
to prevent the use of foreign or the plant's
own pollen by visiting insects, and then apply-
ing the desired pollen after several daj's. The
garden geranium, or as the books now gener-
ally say, " Zonale pelargonium," takes very
readily to hj'bridizing or crossing, and much
pleasure can be had from experiments with
them in watching the blooming of the seed-
lings.

Culture of Aquatic pl.\nts. — The colored
plate which we give this month is suggestive
of aquatic plants in general, and a few words
on their culture may not be out of place.
Usually they have hard and bony seeds, which
often remain a j-ear without sprouting. If this
hard coat is filed so that the water can get to
the cotyledons they will sprout at once. Those
who have no ponds to grow aquatic plants can
have tubs of water sunk level with the earth.
We saw once a garden of many species of
water plants sunk in tubs in this manner.
Plants which have their leaves easily destro3'ed
by frost will yet often live over winter when
the mud is deeper than the frost can reach.
We believe the common Calla Lily, Richardia
cstliiopica will live out in the winter in this
manner, and the so-called sacred lotus, Nelum-
biiim speciosiim, will also live out in the same
way. The roots are not injured bj' so low a
temperature as 45 degrees, which is about the
temperature of the mud under water in winter
time. Tropical water plants require warmer
mud, and they rot when the temperature
goes so low. J. F. M.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

25

Historical Monuments. — It is to be re-
gretted that monuments to commemorate great
men or women or great events do not oftener
take shape in something useful. Just now
Philadelphians are asked to sacrifice one of the
extreniel}' few breathing spots they possess in
order to build a huge monument costing hun-
dreds of thousands of dollars, to the memory
of Washington. If Washington could vote,
he would rather cast it to buy a twenty-acre
square for the good of the people, than take
from them the little four-acre plot known as
Independence square.

Ellwanger & Barry take a better view of
things. They have erected in Highland Park,

cases we find them suffering from starvation.
When growing in woods rotten leaves and
underbrush collect food for the roots ; on lawns
and in gardens there is generally nothing
whatever for them. Trees as well as corn or
potatoes want food. If large trees, like these
referred to, could have an occasional top dress-
ing of manure there would be fewer complaints
about. Branches when dead, or weak branches,
when cut off" from old trees, should be sawed
close to the trunk and painted, so that the
wood could bs preserved until the bark grows
over. It is the rotting away of dead stems
which frequently causes permanent decay.

J. F. M.

'"^f^WfMfSMffi j|l|l^

MEMORIAL PAVILION IN HIGHLAND PARK. ROCHESTER, N. Y.

Rochester, at a cost of $25,000 dollars, for
ground, trees and all, a pavilion for the use of
the school children of that city, to the memory
of the late Patrick Barry. This will cover a lit-
tle less than the monument to Washington.
Thousands will look up and wonder at the
great monument and give thanks to the great
man who gave them a country — but the same
thought would have been just as well excited
by something intrinsically useful, as this
memorial pavilion is.

Health of Large Trees. — Many inqui-
ries come to us as to the pre,servation of old
trees in parks or on lawns. In almost all

Roses. — Descriptive Catalogues. — Ell-
wanger & Barry, in their descriptive rose
catalogue follow a good English practice of
placing the name of the introducer, and the
year in which it was introduced, after the
name in the catalogues. This serves to iden-
tify the rose, as occasionally the same names
are given to the different roses ; for instance,
describing the rose Annie Cook, after the
name is put "Cook, 1SS8," then follows the
description, "An American seedling from
Bonsilene, delicate shade of pink, changing
to white under glass in winter, vigorous and
free blooming." In this way we get the whole
history of the rose in a few words.

26

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Aug.

Sea-kale.— There are few more delicious
vegetables than Sea-kale, but it is rarelj-, if
ever, met with in American kitchens, indeed
the writer has never met with it at all in
America. Possibly this is from the fact of its
being useless until blanched, and as it cannot
he blanched by earthing up, as celery can, it
is probably considered too much trouble. It
•does not seem, however, to be general!)' known
that the roots can be lifted and planted in
boxes, and sown in a comparatively warm cel-
lar, when they will grow and blanch naturally
by growing in such dark places. It ought to
"be easy to propagate, as it grows by pieces of
roots. It would be better, however, that the
plant should be grown one year in the open
ground, before taking up for forcing, or the
product would be too weak ; possiblj- it need
not have even the trouble of being planted
into boxes or pots, as the roots could be set in
beds in some dark place. At any rate, with a
little care there ought not to be an}- great
labor or cost required in growing this delicious
vegetable in our country.

Cherries.— The crop in the East has been
simply enormous, while California has, for
the first time, sent them East by the carload.
Strange to say, the unusual influx did not
break prices. Everybody wanted to buy
•cherries, and the extra demand kept up the
price. The California Black Tartarians were
sold by auction as they arrived, and brought
from 55 cents to $i.oo per box of lo lbs., ac-
cording to quality ; while the California Royal
Ann's, in some cases brought the enormous
price of $2.35 per box. The general retail
price of cherries on the street was from 10 to
15 cents per pound.

A Beautiful California Cemetery. — It
is said that the most beautiful cemetery in
California is one called Mountain View, near
Oakland, which was planned and laid out by
Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted, in 1865. The
landscape gardening work is said to be so
completel}^ in harmony with the idea of a
cemetery, that few will compare with it any-
where in this respect. Of course, the climate
of California being so favorable to many plants
and flowers that will not thrive in the Atlantic
States, gives so much more opportunity for fine
results .

Vines on Walls. — A question often occurs
whether vines which attach themselves to
walls create dampness or not. Where they are
confined entirely to the walls, they aid in
drying rather than in creating dampness.
The little rootlets are great devourers of moist-
ure, and suck up everything of that character
that gains access to the walls. There is
nothing harder or dryer than the ivy-covered
walls of old ruins, as every one who has
visited the old world can vouch for. Wherever
walls are damp, when vines cover them,
it is owing chieflj' to their being allowed to
get into spouts and gutters, and in pipes. In
addition to vines making walls dry, thej' keep
them cool in summer and warm in winter.
From any point of view, vines on the walls of
houses are an advantage to health rather than
an injury. J. F. M.

Rhododendrons. — One of the sights which
everyone who visits West Grove, Pa., drives
out to see, is the fine mass of Rhododendrons
on the grounds of Mr. Dingee, of the well-
known Dingee & Conard Co. The specimen
plants are probably from 8 to 10 feet high, and,
forming a besutiful sight from the public road,
do much to acquaint the world with the great
beauty of these plants. The Rhododendron
is getting better known as a garden plant
from j'ear to year. It is strange that but a few-
years ago it was supposed they were unculti-
vatable in our countr)'. The exhibition of
the Waterers during the great Centennial, did
much to popularize this grand flower with
Americans.

Fairmount Park Conservatory. — It is
proverbial that people seldom see anything
wonderful when it is near their homes. They
have to go away to be surprised. Just now
the English papers are full of the great beauty
of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, with its
grand conservator)-. The Park comprises
2816 acres, and the large conserv-atory is con-
sidered by these English correspondents to be
one of the most beautiful in the world. A
recent number of the Journal of Horticulture,
published in London, gives great credit to Mr.
Charles H. Miller the Superintendent land-
scape gardener in charge of the Park.

T. B. M.

i89i.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENHRAI. GARDENING.

27

Copperas. — The use of copperas disolved in
water, as an invaluable remedy for all kinds
of fungus troubles, is now getting to be known.
No greater benefaction has been conferred on
the cultivator than the knowledge which has
been disseminated about the value of this solu-
tion. The " Country Gi'tillcmaii " now tells us
that its use is being extended to the cleaning
of milk cans. It is said to be so perfect a
remed}- against the germs of typhoid, diph-
theria, and other epidemic diseases, that its use
in that line is likelj! to be as invaluable as to the
plant grower. After all there is no reason
VA'hy it should not be, as these germs are
simplj- a low order of fungus growth.
It should be noted, that blue copperas —
sulphate of copper, — and not green cop-
peras— sulphate of iron, — is the proper
article. J. F. M.

Blackberry Rust. — A correspondent
from East Stroudsburg, Pa., calls atten-
tion to the prevalence of red rust on
raspberry and blackberry' leaves this
season. This is a small fungus easilj'
kept down if cultivators will cutout the
infected branches, or leaves, and burn
them as soon as the}' appear.

Protection to Native Birds. — Mr. Thomas
C. Thurlow, of West Newbury, Mass., read a
very interesting essay on this subject before a
recent meeting of the Mass. Horticultural
Society. Mr. Thurlow does not seem to ex-
empt any birds, except the crow, from the list
of those that are far more useful than destruc-
tive. He does not deny but that it is very
trj'ing to the fruit grower to see the robins
running away with his cherries, but he in-
sists that the}' only take a few of these, as a
matter of after dinner dessert, — that their chief
food is on destructive insects.

Prltning Trees in Summer. — A correspon-
dent inquires whether the branches of street
trees too low for hats or umbrellas may be cut
off in Summer, or in March or April. So far
as the tree itself is concerned, it really makes
little difference. Of course, a branch cut off
before June, if it is not too large, will allow a new
growth of wood over.the wound before the season
is over, and this may be some slight advantage.

Xanthoceris sokhifolia. — Mr. William
Falconer believes that this is getting to be one
of the most popular trees recently introduced
into cultivation. It has the advantage over
some other trees of flowering when only a year
or two old, but old specimens are said to be
particularly beautiful. Although illustrations
of it have occasionally appeared we repeat it
again in this place. It is certainly one of the
most desirable of ornamental trees introduced
into cultivation during the pa.st few years. It
is from Northern China.

XANTHOCERIS SORBIFOLIA.

Rose Ejipress Augusta Victoria. — This
new hybrid-tea seems to be pushed with vigor
in Germany, whether the popularity is on ac-
count of its name wholly remains to be seen.
The German publications say of it : — "A bril-
liant and most effective rose either for garden
decoration, exhibition or forcing purposes,
quite first-rate. Growth strong, large foliage ;
flowers borne on long, strong stems ; bright
pure white, in the centre orange colored ; outer
petals fineh' reflexed like ' The Bride, ' ex-
ceedingly free in blooming during summer and
autumn, every shoot crowned with a flower
bud. ' '

Spir.E.a Astilboides. — We have from Rea
Bros., specimens of this handsome flower,
recentlj' introduced from Japan. It is closelj-
related to our well-known wild flower, the
Goats" Beard, Spira-ciArunrus, common through
the Alleghanies, and is described by IMaximo-
wicz as Sp. Aruncus var. Astilboides. It is a
good addition to the list of herbaceous plants.

28

MEEHAN S MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Aug.

Norway Spruce Hedges. — Along the pub-
lic highway, around a large countrj' .seat near
Abington in Pa., there is a mile or two of
hedge formed of Norway Spruces, which were
planted some twenty-five years ago, under the
direction of Mr. William Saunders now of
Washington ; enclosing the country seat, then
owned by a Philadelphia merchant by the
name of Kent. This hedge has been admirably
treated bj^ being pruned in a conical shape.
Notwithstanding its age it is to-day a marvel
of perfect beauty. Close to the ground to the
extreme top it is so thick that a bird could
scarcel}' find its way through. To all appear-
ance it would be still good for another quarter
of a century. Much as we have known that
the "Norway Spruce makes a fine hedge, we
have never seen one so extremely beautiful and
successful as this of Mr. Kent's. J. F. M.

A Yellow Bon SilEne Rose. — Mr. S. W.
Crowell, of Huntsville, Ala., has a branch of
this fine pink rose pushing out with yellow
flowers. If this branch is propagated from, it
might possibly be of great value. We svip-
pose it would have something the appearance
of Saffrano, which at one time was one of the
most popular of the kinds grown by florists.
Its exact value, however, will depend on other
circumstances than its color alone.

ExocHORDA gr.'^ndiflor.'\. — A Correspon-
dent from vSalem, Mass., notes that this plant
suffers in that section from a disease similar
to that which attacks many rosaceous plants,
such as the fire-blight in the Pear, and the
well-known blight of the Dwarf Almond, and
which has almost driven out of cultivation the
beautiful Red Plum, Pninus triloba, of China,
though he supposes the trouble to be from
a want of hardiness.

Cinnamon Vine. — A correspondent. Miss
Jackson, sends us a leaf of the Chinese Yam for
name. It is known in the West as Cinnamon
Vine. Just why a plant which has been so
universally known as Chinese Yam, and sold
at low figures, should be re-christened Cinna-
mon Vine, and sold at a much higher figure
than under its old name, passeth the common
understanding.

Aphis on Maple Trees. — In repl\- to a lady
correspondent we may say, that the best way
to get rid of the Honey Aphis on street trees
is to use the street hydrant, or a powerful
garden engine, in cases where street hydrants
are not available. They are very easily washed
off" by the force of the water, and the water
besides is a benefit to the leaves. J. F. M.

C.\RX.\TiON Culture. — Those who grow
carnations for winter flowering often complain
that they flower late. There are some kinds
which have a natural tendency to bloom late ;
but lateness often comes from pinching them late
in the season. One or two pinchings early in
the season, to make them bushy, is all very
well ; but two pinchings is all the law allows.

Chinese Artichoke. — A new vegetable in-
troduced from China under the botanical name
of Stachys tubifera, is getting popular in the
old world, where it is being distributed under
the name of Chinese Artichoke. The roots,
which are eaten boiled, are not as large as
Jerusalem artichokes, but are knotted much in
the same manner.

Rhododendrons. — The Massachusetts Hor-
ticultural Society makes a specialty at its
spring exhibition of the rhododendron. The
exhibition this year was on the 5th of June,
and was said to be one of the finest sights ever
seen in the city of Boston.

Japan Cedar. — A correspondent notices as
among one of the most beautiful trees in
Washington, a Cryplomeria japonica in Lafay-
ette Square. Lovers of rare coniferse visiting
Washington, should look at it.

Sagittari.\ Sinensis. — Mr. Hugo Mulertt,
who takes great interest in aquarium plants,
saj-s of this, "it is known as the Chinese
arrowhead. A charming novelty of easy cul-
ture. It may be grown, similar to the Chinese
lily, in water, moss, or soil, in vases, bowls,
tubs or pots. It is a highly ornamental plant
for in and outdoor aquariums, fish-ponds or the
lawn." Our common arrow-heads, also sagil-
tarias make excellent plants for aquariums.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

THE ROSE AND THE GARDENER.

"A FANCY FROM FONTENELI,E.
'De Meiuoires de Roses on n'a point vumourirlejardiiiier.

" The Rose in the garden slipped her bud,

And she laughed in the pride of her youthful

blood,
As she thought of the gardener standing by —
' He is old,^ — so old ! And he soon must die ! '

" The full Rose waxed in the warm June air,

Anil she spread and spread till her heart lay

bare ;
And she laughed once more as she heard his
tread —
' He is older now ! He will soon be dead ! '

■" Btit the breeze of the morning blew, and found
That the leaves of the blown Rose strewed the

ground ;
And he came at noon, that gardener old,
And he raked them softly under the mould.

■" And I wove the thing to a random rhyme,
For the Rose is Beauty the gardener Time. "

Austin Dobson.

Leo WelTz. — In the history of Western
liorticulture few probably have occupied a
more prominent and useful position than this
gentleman, who died on the 31st of December
last, though, strange to say, no accotmt of this
loss to floriculture seems to have appeared in
any prominent paper. He was born in Prussia
on the 27th of Januarj', 1S25 ; his father being
Prof. Weltz, a prominent botanist and geolo-
gist. He was especially interested, as a 3-outh,
in landscape gardening, and assisted the laying
out of the Botanical Gardens of the University
of Heidelburg. He subsequently became
chief gardener to Alexander the III, Emperor
of Russia. He returned to Germany and
entered the army, receiving directlj' from the
hands of the late King William four medals
for meritorious conduct during the revolution
of 1847. Asa student he was connected with
Alexander Humboldt. In 1S51 came to
America, locating at Huntington, West \'a.,
removing to Ohio in 1852 as a landscape
gardener. He laid out the grounds of Gov.
Salmon P. Chase, Gov. Dennison, Hon. George

Pendleton, and others. He was especially in-
tere.sted in laying out cemeteries on the
modern principles of landscape gardening.
Sugar Grove Cemetery at Cincinnati, and the
Cemeteries of London, Springfield, Martins-
ville, and others in the West, are from his
designs. He commenced a nursery in 1855,
removing to Wilmington in 1866 ; the land
owned by him comprising over 240 acres.
Like most intelligent nurserymen he has been
frequentl}' called to take part in public affairs.
In 1875 he was elected a member of the State
Board of Agriculture ; in 1883 a member of the
State Board of Public Works ; in 1885 he was
commissioned by President Cleveland to inves-
tigate the hardy trees and shrubs of Rtissia.
He was especially fond of trees and flowers,
and a large number that now beautify the State
of Ohio, and other parts of the Union, were
introduced there by him. He was married in
1853 to Anna Elizabeth Schwalenberger of
Bavaria, who also died in May last, leaving six
sons, whom it is pleasant to note have in-
herited the love of flowers and gardening
which their father so eminently pos.sessed.
Outside of the loss to hortictilture by Mr.
Weltz' s death, he was a man personally and
social!}- beloved by all who came in contact
with him.

Greenland Exploration. — In the early
part of May an Arctic expedition, under the
lead of Lieutenant R. E. Peary, and organized
under the auspices of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, left to explore north-
ern Greenland. This is the third expedition
sent with the encouragement of this scientific
institution. Besides the examination of the
country, natural history, and especiall}- botany,
will be looked after bj' the expedition. It is
believed that this expedition will go nearer to
the North Pole than those who have hitherto
ventured towards that point. The other two
expeditions were under the charge of Dr. Kane
and Dr. Haj'es, respectively.

(29)

3°

MEEHANS MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

[Aug-.

John C. Cahoon. — There were probably few
young naturalists of a greater promise of use-
fulness in different branches of science than
this gentleman, who lost his life on the 17th
of April in Placentian Bay, Newfoundland,
while engaged in ornithological pursuits. He
was endeavoring to collect some eggs from a
craggy spot called Shag Roost. The sea closed
in closely around these rocks at the base, and
he left his boat in charge of two 5-oung lads
while he went around to the top of the cliff ;
on the top of this cliflT he fastened a knotted
rope, and descended some 150 feet to the nest
of the birds for the eggs. In endeavoring to
re-climb to the point of the cliff, for some
reason or another the rope had got over a huge
projecting rock, and pressed so tightly against
the rope that it was impossible for him to get
his hands around the rope in order to ascend.
In this way he had to hang to the rope for a
considerable time ; when finding his strength
give way, he had to drop from the rope into
the sea, a distance of 200 feet, striking rock
after rock in his descent. He fell into the
water finally, and disappeared, leaving noth-
ing but blood tinted water on the spot where
he fell. His body was not recovered until the
next day. In ornithology especially he had
already made for himself an enviable name.

MoNS. P. E. DE PuYDT. — Those familiar
with Belgian horticulture must be very fa-
miliar with the name of this gentleman, who
died at Mons, in Belgium, on the 20th of May.
He was born in the 3'ear iSio, and for sixty
years was continuousU' Secretary of the Royal
Horticultural Society of the city in which he
died. He undoubtedly' did at least as much as
any man of our limes to bring Belgian horti-
culture up to the high position it occupies
before the world.

Dr. W. H. Von Naegeli. — All those in-
terested in the physiology of plants must have
met frequently with the name of Naegeli. He
was by birth a Swiss, and for many years
curator of the Botanical Museum, and Garden
of Munich. He died recently in his 74th year.
He was a great opponent of Darwin's views.
He was remarkably a modest man in the ex-
pression of his views, notwithstanding the
high position which he achieved in this par-
ticular branch of botanical science.

Elisha Moody. — Few names are more famil-
iar to horticulturists than that of Moodj', of
Lockport, N. Y., who was the founder of the large
nurseries at that point, besides being intimately
connected with many progressive movements
which have given prosperity to that beautiful
city. He died on the 19th of April. He was
born at Unity, N. H., on the 27th of October,
1S09, being therefore 82 years of age at the
time of his decease. He established his nur-
series in 1830, but removed the business finally
to Lockport, in 1861. The ground covered
some 150 acres, and, in fruit trees especially
became famous. He was particularl3- fond of
the Pear, and at one time had one hundred
and twelve varieties for testing on his grounds.
He was among the first to show that these
could be raised from seed and grown to a
profit on American soil ; until his time America
was dependent on importations from Europe.
Like so many eminent nurserj'men, he was
honored by his fellow citizens with many
positions of prominence. He was councilman
in the citj^ of Lockport, and in 1S72 was
Mayor of the city, also a member of the
New York Legislature. It is pleasant to know
that hs has enterprising sons, who will con-
tinue the business established by their honored
father.

Absinthe. — The readers of French novels,
and indeed of other French books, must be
familiar with the term, absinthe, a highly ex-
hilarating liquor in use by the French people.
Its use is extending more and more every year,
and nearly as many gallons are used in some
countries in the old world as of whisky in
ours, but we believe it is not generallj' known
in this country out of what plants or in what
manner absinthe is made. This is given as
follows : —

"The leaves and flowers of wormwood, or
Artemisia, angelica root, anise root, sweet flag,
and other aromatic roots are pounded together
and soaked in alcohol for a weiek or ten days.
The compound is a pale emerald color, and by
the addition of anise oil absinthe is the result."

T. D. A. CocKERELL. — This well-known
botanist, especially versed in Colorado flowers,
has taken a trip to England in the interest of
the science, and will make an exploration of
Jamaica before his return to the United States.

r89i.]

MICEMANS MONTHLY — BIOCRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

31

John BarTram. — After a struggle of many
years against obstructive circumstances Coun-
cilman Median has succeeded in getting this
saved from destruction. City Councils have
taken possession of it as a public park. It was
planted in 1 720 by John Bartram, his father
allowing him a portion of the estate for that
purpose, when he was but nineteen years of
age. Many of the large and fine trees planted
by the botanist, and his son William, are still
in a tair state of preservation. The Mayor of
the cit}-, the Director of Public Works, and
other officials, with Mr. Meehan, and other
members of the City Parks Association, paid
it a visit for the first time, in their ofiicial
capacity, recently. The magnificent specimen
of the Yellow Wood tree, Cladrastis titidoria,
was in full bloom to greet the guests on their
arrival there. The final arrangements for the
preservation and improvement of the property
have not yet been agreed upon. All that is
done at present is to place a superintendent in
charge, and policemen to guard the property
from vandalism. At the end of this year an
appropriation will be made to care for it in a
more instructive manner.

CoL. Whitney. — In our last magazine we
gave a notice of the looth birthday of Col.
Whitney, of Franklin Grove, 111., and some
account of his great services to horticulture in
that part of the world. The venerable gentle-
man has since died, the event occurring on the
nth of June. Besides his being a pioneer in
horticulture in Illinois, he was the oldest
living member of the order of Free Masons
in the world, having been initiated into that
fraternity on the 22d of June, 1817.

Lawson Valentine. — Since our last maga-
zine was prepared for press the death is an-
nounced of the above gentleman on the 5th of
May last, aged 64 years. Mr. Valentine was
one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the
"Agricultural" and "Horticultural Press"
of this country, and much of the great success
that has followed the establishment of the
"American Garden" and other periodicals
was due to his enterprise. Undoubtedly his
death is a great loss to the cause of American
horticulture.

Proi'. John L. Ru.ssell. — It is remarkable
how tenaciously many scientific writers hold
on to an idea, that hybrid plants are sterile.
Outside of strictly scientific men, this has long
been exploded. There are certainly cases
where hj'brids are sterile, but in a vast major-
ity of cases the reverse is true. There are
numbers of sterile plants, which are well
known not to be hybrids, while on the other
hand, it is also well known that plants which
are often sterile, occasionally become abund-
antly fertile. So long ago as 1S69 Prof. John
L. Russell, of Salem, Mass., recorded the fact,
that the common Golden-Bell, which is usually
sterile, fruited abundantly for him in the year
previous. As there was no other form of this
species anywhere in the vicinity, it showed
that it was simply a case where a plant, usu-
ally sterile, will occasionally assume produc-
tiveness.

Dr. Heinrich Mayr. — This gentleman
made many friends during his examination of
the American Forests for the German Gov-
ernment. He is now Professor of Forestry in
the University of Tokio, Japan. He is pub-
lishing in the German language a work on
the coniferfe of Japan, — the colored plates
being taken from native trees.

Dr. Schomburghk. — The announcement of
the death of this gentleman has been made.
It is, however, the director of the Botanic
Gardens of Adelaide, Australia, and not the
Dr. Schomburghk who was the discover of the
great Victoria L,ily of the Amazon, who was
his brother. Both of them, however, were
distinguished botanists.

Dr. J. M. McFarlane. — This eminent Scotch
botanist, whose discoveries in regard to the
structure of hj'brid plants have much in-
terested European scientists, will visit this
country, and address the American Association
for the Advancement of Science on the subject
at its meeting in Wa,shington the present
month. The meetings of this association are
always rich in botanical attendants, — and the
personal intercourse adds largely to the inter-
est their new facts produce.

GENERAL NOTES.

A Lady's View of Meehans' Monthly. —
The first issue of this welcome addition to the
list of magazines devoted to our native flora
is before me. It brings with it a double wel-
come from the compliment paid its Southern
friends from having for its embellishment a
picture of one of the South's most lovely
native plants. The Editor calls it " Gelsemiiim
nitidum," whilst we Southerners know it as
"Yellow Jasamine, " and botanically Gelse-
miiim seiiipei~'ireHS. Had I known sooner (/. e.
in March) that such a compliment was pro-
posed. I would have begged the privilege of
furnishing a spray which would have given a
better idea of what the Yellow Jasamine can
do under liberal culture. In its native haunts
the cut is true to nature, — a delicate evergreen
climber with sparsely scattered blooms. Under
cultivation the sprays become shortened in a
measure, which though, adds to its quality
of blooms, these being crowded closely to-
gether as in sprays of the Weigelias. I cut
numbers of sprays from my luxuriant vine this
season from S inches to iS inches long crowded
with the fragrant beautiful blooms. I was
told quite often that m}' plant was the pride
and boast of the " West End " of our town.

M. I. Thomson.

Our next plate. — As September is especi-
ally the season for Asters and Golden-rods, we
shall give as an illustration Boltonia glastifolia,
a genus nearl}- related to Solidago and Aster,
and which we believe has not before been
figured anywhere. As it is found in places
over most of the States east of the Missis-
sippi, flower lovers will be glad to see the face
of a familiar friend.

Photographs. — Photographs of any unique
feature in wild flower scenery, or of any re-
markable plant in our readers' grounds, or
even of brief notes about them will always be
thankfulh' received. The same maybe said of
sketches, or good living specimens.

(32)

Meehans' Monthly. — The kindly manner
in which the Horticultural and Botanical press,
in Europe as well as in America, have noticed
the prospectus and first issue of our magazine,
merits our warmest thanks. The conductor had
come to believe that he had almost dropped out
of memory — so fast does the world of to-day
stride away from the days that are passed : and
the warmth of this greeting is a pleasant sur-
prise to him. After fift}- 3'ears of service with
the pen as a horticultural writer and teacher,
he would not have dared the new venture only
for the strong belief that the younger members
ot the firm will be fullj^ able to continue the
work long after he has to resign the charge.
The very large number of subscribers who had
such faith in us as to send in their names be-
fore a single copy was issued is also exceed-
ingly gratifying. Our constant effort shall be
that these good friends are not disappointed.

Frauds. — There possibly never was a time
when so much appeared in the public prints
about frauds in horticulture, as during the past
two or three years. "Old and cheap things
with new names and high prices. " This comes
in a great measure from a want of leadership in
the horticultural papers themselves. No one
who reads an intelligent journal will be caught
by a fraud, and the very fact that frauds abound
shows that the good papers have no readers, or
that the readers of such papers do not get the
intelligent guidance they should have.

Potted Strawberries. — Those who labor
for the advancement of horticulture, are some-
times disheartened at the slow progress ap-
parent everywhere. But when wide periods
are contrasted, they can see great advance.
When the condvictor of this magazine first re-
commended potting strawberry runners, so as
to save a season in getting a crop, he hardly
anticipated the immense trade so many nur-
series now have in this article, would come so
soon.

Vol I.

Plate 3.

BOLTONIA GIASTIFOLIA.

.illi.r.>rM*<-h..im'M»iIlilvh>'l.tVnni.'lrn.

BOLTONIA ASTEROIDES.

ASTER-BOLTONIA.

NATURAL ORDER, COMPOSIT.i:.

J3OLT0NIA ASTEROIDES, Iv'Heritier. — Leaves lanceolate ; achenia broadly oval ; pappus of few minute bristles and no awns.
(See Gray's Manual of t/w Botany of the Northern United States) Boltonia glasti/olia, 1,'Heritier. Leaves lanceolate,
ascending; achenia obovate, broadly winged ; pappus of several short bristles and two to three short awns. {Gray's
Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States. See also Wood' s Class-Book of Botany ,^mA. Chapman's Flora
of the Southern United States.)

The author has collected this plant along
the banks of the Susquehanna, and many
have no doubt gathered it in similar situ-
ations, but no one, probably, has ever seen
it approach the same plant in its culti-
vated beaut}'. It is naturally remarkably
foliaceous, and the leaves seem out of all
proportion to the flowers. But under cul-
ture the brown earth in the flower borders
relieves the superabundance of green, and, be-
sides this the flowering principle seems to be
favored, and the overgrowth of leaves checked,
by exposure to full light and air. The plant
used for illustration grew in poor soil in a nar-
row border, reaching a height of about four
feet, and in September formed one of the most
striking objects in the writer's garden. Though
flowering at a season when asteraceous plants
are particular}' abundant, it claims a full share
of attention from lovers of beauty.

It is closely allied to the true asters, and in
botanical classification would be placed be-
tween Aster and Bellis or daisy — the Gowan
of the poets — and it is from this general re-
lationship to Aster that its specific name —
astci aides — was derived. The plant had, before
the time of the French botanist L'Heritier,
been classed with Alatricaria, which may be
characterized as the chamomile family ; and
it was named Matricaria asteroides by Linnseus
some twenty years before the French botanist
discovered the true distinction between the two
genera. It is interesting to note by the specific
name asteroides that notwithstanding the wide
difference between Matricaria and Aster, as now
understood, natural appearance was for once

wiser than scientific rules. L'Heritier estab-
lished the genus in 17S8, in a work called
Serttim Angliciini — that is, a wreath or selec-
tion of interesting plants he found growing in
English gardens ; and he took Boltonia from
Matricaria because, as he sa}'S, the Matricaria
had no pappus, while in this the pappus is
obsoletely dentate, and has two horns as we
see at a in our fig. 3. He describes two dis-
tinct species, claiming for one, Boltonia glas-
tifolia, that the lower leaves are serrate, while
the other has all the leaves entire. He claims
no other distinction between the two, though
modern botanists have attributed other distinc-
tions to the separate species, beyond what the
original author saw, as we see in the descrip-
tions of the two given at the head of our col-
umn. Professor Gray, who has made a special
study of the genus in the light of modern ex-
perience concludes they are all forms of one
thing, and will, in his Synoptccal Flora, *
adopt the name at the head of the chapter,
probably from its being the original Linnean
name, as B. glasti/olia would have the priority
in L'Heritier's work. Our illustration would
have been B. glastifolia under former interpre-
tations of the limits of species. The specific
name refers to the saw-like or toothed edges of
the lower leaves, which are supposed to be
like those of the Dyer's woad — Isatis tiiictoria,
Glastum being the name of that genus with
some botanists at that time, though at the
present an almost unknown synonym.

At a congress of scientific men held in Bel-

* See, since the above was written, S\-7i. Ft., page :66
Part IL - . J- s ,

(33)

34

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BOLTONIA ASTEROIDES.

[Sept.

gium in 1879, the President, as reported in
L'Hotiicole Belgiqiie for that year, doing honor
to American botanists, refers to BoUonia as
being given in honor of James Bolton, an
" American " botanist. But James Bolton had
no connection with American botany. His
birthplace seems to be unknown, but like
many men of humble origin he had natural
talents which he cultivated between times of
hard struggling for a livelihood, especially did
he cultivate a love for botany, and artistic
work. He lived when his labors made him
famous at Halifax in Yorkshire, where he
published a work on British ferns in which all
the plates were drawn, etched, and colored by
himself. He was a remarkable man for his
time, and L'Heritier in culling material for
his wreath of flowers from English gardens,
did well in placing in his chaplet the name of
such a worthy man. The histories of the
plant and the botanist it honors have a pleas.
ant association. One which in its natural
condition is so homely, and becomes so attrac-
tive by culture, may well represent the bright
genius which had but a humble birth.

In connection with the comrnemorative as-
sociations of this plant it may be noted that
the Boltonia asteroides was among the earliest
American plants to be cultivated in Europe,
and that it found a place in the gardens of the
French Carthusians who, among the numer-
ous monastic orders of the Roman Catholic
Church, gave especial attention to flower cul-
ture. .For various reasons the flowers which
they grew were dedicated to different saints, and
this one was given to St. Placidus, who was a

pupil of St. Benedict, the founder of the order
of Benedictines. Benedict built a monastery
at Messina, on the Straits which divide Italy
from Sicily, and made his pupil, Placidus,
abbot, though but 26 years of age. The mon-
astery was built in 541, but had but a short ex-
istence, for in 546 it was destroyed by pirates,,
and Placidus and all his monks were murdered.
The flower was probably dedicated to St. Pla-
cidus chiefly because of its flowering late in
October on or about that Saint's day ; but
there is much that is suggestive of the Saint's
history as we have briefly recorded it, for it is
fitting that a flower which is scarcely open be-
fore the frost comes to destroy it, should com-
memorate one whose career of usefulness, as-
he understood it, mert with such an early end.
Taking the latest views of Dr. Gray on the
identity of Boltonia glastifolia, and Boltonia
asteroides to be sound, the genus is limited to-
three species, our present one being considered
as the Northern, Boltonia diffusa the Southern,
and Boltonia latisquama the Western represen-
tatives. Of the two former our present species
will be readily recognized by the showy flowers,
and the somewhat flattened or corymbose
head, while the Boltonia diffusa has its small
flowers panicled on slender branches. The
Western one has rosy tinted flowers. None
of the species are widely diffiised. Pennsyl-
vania is about as far north as Boltonia aster-
oides has been found, and it is collected in
various places from there to Florida. B. diffusa
is confined wholly to the Southern States.

Explanation of the Plate — i. Upper portion of a
flower stalk. 2. Outline of a stem leaf. 3. Enlarged floret,
with bristles of the acheue at a.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

WITH A BOX OF POND-LILIEvS.

{For Meehans' Monthly.)

1 saw them blooming on the city street,
In case of glass all hidden quite securely ;

In Buddha's name I made obeisance mete,

And bowed myself before them quite demurely.

I said, " A lady I have sometime known,
Who would in full appreciate their beauty ;

My well-won treasure I will make her own.

And crown myself with an accomplished duty."

I laid each blossom with a tender hand

Upon the cool, damp moss; to sleep confiding,

And knew the secret she would understand

Who fated was to rouse them from their hiding.
WmiAM Whitm.\n B.iiley.

MORE CONCERNING THE
RHODODENDRON.

I spent a summer not long ago in the moun-
tains of Western North Carolina, and saw a
part of the Rhododendronal procession that is
such a famous feature of that sylvan region.
The time of my going thither was the second
week in June, and the R. Cataivbiense and R.
Vaseyii were already out of bloom, while the
R. maximum and R. pzinctatutn were just
showing the delicious pink of their opening
buds. The inter^'al, meantime was superbly
filled b}' the flame-colored Azalea — A. calcn-
dulacea — which is the most splendid forest
blooming shrub that I have ever anj'where
seen.

The R. maximum well deserves its name,
notwithstanding Dr. Hooker's discoveries in
the Himalayan mountains, for it is not uncom-
mon to find it from thirty to thirty-five feet
high, with a bole at the base from ten to four-
teen inches in diameter. It fraternizes per-
fectly with the Kalmia, supplementing it in
flowering, and I have seen acres of the two a
mass of bloom for weeks, forming a floral dis-
play well worth a long journey to see. A
Rhododendron jungle is an interesting thing

to enter, because of the curious and sprawling
way the branches reach out and interlace with
each other. But they are detestable to the sur-
veyor or woodsman, who readily calls them
what the mountaineers do — " Jiells. " They
spring up abundantly from seeds, and they
seem to thrive in clearings, quite as well as
when surrounded by shade. I remember two
particularlj' fine Rhododendron clumps, ten to
twelve feet high and half as great, or more, in
diameter, and beautifully spherical in shape,
which grew on the north side of my aunt's
house in Burlington, New Jersej', to which
place they had been transplanted several years
before from the Jersey woods. The trusses of
flowers which they bore were very nearly white.

The R. maxinnim of the North Carolina
mountains is a delicate pink, of varying
shades. A sketch I made of what I then
thought to be the R. maximum^ in 1885, in
the State of Washington, where it grows in the
Puget sound region from ten to twelve feet in
height, shows a highly colored flower, of a
rich, deep pink — possibly the />««(:/«//<;«. The
R. cataivbiense with its purple flowers is pro-
bablj' the progenitor of most of the delightful
varieties produced by English gardeners from
what the}' call the ' ' American Flower ' ' —giv-
ing us a broad hint to adopt it as our national
posy. It is not weed-like, after the manner of
the vivacious daisy, or the rampant golden-
rod, but elegant and patrician from leaf to
flower, grows from New England to Alaska —
at least I found the Kalmia, its twin brother,
there — and all in all, is fine enough to please
the most fastidious. The A". fa5n'//, which is
deciduous, and has I believe only been found
in the North Carolina mountains, is a shrub
of great beauty, and is placed by some flower
lovers at the head of all rhododendrons in
point of beautj- of bloom.

The Puget Sound basin, by the way, with
its England-like climate, produces some
growths which seem to us dwellers on the At-
lantic coast as remarkable ; for instance, I saw

(35)

36

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILDFLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Sept.

a single vine-stock of English ivy mantling a
house in Seattle, which was a foot in diameter
at the base ! Marv Wager Fisher,

Stonebj'e, Bryu Mawr, Pa.

Sarcodes sanguinea. —
Mrs. Ross Lewers of Frank-
town, Nevada, sends us a
specimen double the size we
have ever gathered ourselves ;
and of which we give the an-
nexed illustration. It was
two feet in length and the
stem below the flowers meas-
ured nine inches round.

It is commonly known as
the ' ' Snow - plant of the
Sierras, " and was supposed
to grow only in snow. Dr.
C. C. Parry once told the
writer this was because the
miners used to find them fre-
quently under snow slides.
The botanical name might be
rendered in plain language
"bloody meat," and the
deep crimson flesh-like in-
florescence — indeed of the
whole plant — is so strikingly
remarkable, that Torrey
could have thought of noth-
ing else when naming it.

It was once supposed to be
a parasite on the roots of
trees. It is now believed to
be symbiotic with fungi.
Fungi prepares the nitrogen
it requires, while the plant in turn receives
food from the decaying or useless tissues of
the plant ; a huge coral-like mass of cellular
tissue is usually attached to the base, and on
-which the fungus chiefly feeds. That is not
shown in our illustration. It is said the plant
can be propagated from this ' ' mushroomy ' '
base, but of this we are not assured.

W- .

SNOW-PLANT OF
THE SIERRA
NEVADAS.
Sarcodes Sangui-
nea. Plant and
Flowers Crimson.

Buttercups. — It was singular to note in a
trip to Southern Pa., that the common butter-
cups, Ranunculus bulbosus, and Ratiiinculus
acris, have not yet appeared in that region.
The one exception was in a field near Gettys-
burg, where there might have been a half
dozen bunches in bloom. The intelligent
agriculturists of that region might suggest to
the owner of these fields the propriety of dig-
ging up and burning these pestiferous plants
on their first appearance, otherwise they will
soon crowd out useful vegetation, as they have
done in fields elsewhere. It is too bad that so
beautiful a plant as the buttercup should be
so great an agricultural pest. In Southern
Pa., however, a true American wild flower
everywhere takes the place of the foreign but-
tercup, namely the Golden Senecio aurea.
This plant is particular'iy abundant, and if the
meadows are at all moist occupy the ground
as freely, and have the same beautiful effects
as buttercups elsewhere. We find here, as in
some parts of Eastern Pa., the plant goes by
the common name of Golden Daisy. There
seems to be no reason why this name might
not generally prevail.

The Nectarine. — A high class magazine,
in a learned paper on the origin of fruits, makes
the nectarine a ' ' cross between the apricot and
the plum ;" when it ought to be well known
that it is a sport from the peach, and 3'et the
statement is no wider than many made by
botanists, that this or that plant is "no doubt
a hybrid." Very few really know how great
is the power to vary, wholly outside of
crossing.

Zauschneria Californica. — This is one of
the most beautiful of the wild flowers of Cali-
fornia, but not often found in the collections of
travelers. It used to be found in some quantity
in the vicinity of Shasta. It is a hardy peren-
nial, and might be popularly described as an
(Enothcra or plant of the evening primrose
family, with the flowers of a scarlet Fuchsia.

Salix Hoyeriana. — Dr. Dieck, of Zoschen,
Cermany, has described under this name a new
species of willow, discovered by Lieut. Hoyer,
in the Cascade mountains of British Columbia.
It is said to be a parallel form of the Siberian
Salix pyrolcefolia.

Asclepias Cornuti. — This, the common
milkweed of the Eastern States, is found to be
very valuable to florists in decorative work.
Under the name of milkweed balls, the seed
vessels are now a popular article of trade with
florists.

iSgi.]

jrEEHANS' JIONTHLV — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

37

Seeds of Weeds. — Prof. Beal of the Agri-
cultural College at Ann Arbor, has struck an
admirable idea in sending out with their bulle-
tin, samples of the seeds of weeds, which are
gummed on to the sheets of the printed bulle-
tin. This gives an excellent opportunity io
educate people as to the probable mixture with
weeds of seeds they buy. On this bulletin
there are seeds of the Canada Thistle, and of
the Red-Root or Lithospennum, the Moth-
IVLuIlein, Toad, Flax, Rib-grass and the Narrow
Dock. It would not, by the way, be a bad
idea for those preparing herbariums to have
seeds pasted on the sheets, as these are pasted
by Prof. Beal. Seeds often present excellent
distinguishing characteristics, quite as much so
as the pressed leaves and flowers that usually
constitute herbariums. Seeds also are beauti-
ful subjects for a study. With the pocket lens,
many of them make specimens as beautiful
and varied as the flowers that produced them.

Wild Dahlias. — Mr. C. C. Pringle, writing
to the Garden and Forest, says of the wild
Dahlia as he saw them in Mexico : " Walking
among these wild Dahlias day by day, ad-
miring the syrametrj' of their single flowers,
and the rich contrasts of scarlet and gold dis-
played by the disc and rays of the one, and of
purple and gold shown by the oth«r, the
aversion which the botanist feels for the mon-
strous forms of flowers produced in gardens
was intensified in me ; and it was with much
satisfaction that I learned afterwards that single
Dahlias are now receiving far more attention
among cultivators than double ones. As yet,
however, it is only the older double sorts that
are seen in Mexican gardens."

Apetalous Apple Blossoms. — A correspon-
dent says he has an apple tree that always
bears, though the flowers have never had an}^
petals.

Girdled trees. — The fact that if a tree be
completely girdled, the upper portion of the
bark being completely separated from the
lower, will cause the death of trees, is well
known ; this indeed is the usual manner
the woodman clears a large tract of land.
Really the life of a tree is in the young wood
immediately underlying the bark. It .seems

incredable, th/it, a tree can possibly live when
the bark and underlying wood are thus separ-
ated. Some years ago we had on our own
ground an Austrian Pine, which had been
completely girdled in this manner, and j'et it
continued to live as if nothing was the matter.
The late Professor George Thurber could
scarcely credit his eyes, so strange did it seem
when it was pointed out to him, yet it lived a
number of years before it finally died. We
have now before us another illustration sent to
us by Mrs. Ross Lewers of Franktown, Nevada.
She says it was a young tree and about four
feet up the trunk it is four inches in diameter.

Q-g" inches

«^

A GIRDLED TRUNK OF PINUS PONDEROSA.

The lower part has four circles of wood and
the upper part eight, showing that it lived four
3'ears after the girdling occurred, and made
annual circles of wood in that time. It ap-
pears to have been girdled by porcupines. It
belongs to Piuus ponderosa, which is called
3-ellow pine in that part of the country. The
fact seems to show that the two species of pine
mentioned have the power to draw moisture,
and possibly some other material, through the
old wood, — a power which other trees do not
possess, — but that being deprived by reason of
the girdled portion, the lower part of the trunk
fails to get the benefit of leaf action, and no
wood can be formed below the girdled part.

38

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Sept.

Bright Colors in Autumn Foliage. —
Joseph Wharton long ago explained that when
sap ceases to flow in the fall, and the natural
growth of the tree ceases, oxidation in the
leaves takes place. Under this oxidation the
leaves change to red, or, with a slight change
of the condition, it might be yellow or brown.
This, however, is only the chemical explana-
tion. Life, or as we would say, vital power,
has to bear a part. If a branch is entirely cut
off from the main plant no change of color
occurs. On the other hand, if a branch is in-
jured, though not entirely cut off from the
tree, a change of color takes place, even
if it be midsummer. In other words, chemistrj-
alone cannot account for the bright colors of
autumn foliage ; the mysterious power we call
life has to work at the same time.

Growth Force. — The conductor of this
magazine contributed an article to the Public
Ledger, endorsing a statement which had been
made, that fungi when growing in the caves
of Mexico, would have suiScient power to lift
stones of ten pounds weight. The following
interesting note from Mr. C. Schoneman, 619
Arch street, Philadelphia, gives an additional
illustration : — " Mr. Meehan will find a confir-
mation of the lifting power of fungi nearer than
Mexico. In Jul}', iSSS, the writer picked a por-
tion of a growing toadstool from under a flag-
stone, forty by eighteen inches, on a part of the
sidewalk surrounding the church, southwest
corner Tenth and Wallace streets ; one end of
the stone was about eight inches above the
level of the pavement. The pastor or sexton
may have observed the position of the stone
and the cause. ' '

The Giant Trees of California. — Those
which are especially designated mammoth
trees are Sequoia giga/itea, but the red-wood
or Sequoia scjnperz'irens is not far behind it.
Though these trees live to a great age, their
growth when young is very rapid. A corre-
spondent of the Rural Press, speaks of one
near San Rafael planted in 1876, now fifteen
inches in diameter, and eighty feet high. This
is much less in girth in proportion to height,
and indicates that the ledwood and mammoth
trees, do not attend much to girth until their
great height is first achieved.

A Remarkable Hemlock Spruce. — Mr. J.
D. Lyman says : " Between the city of Dover,
N. H., and Great Falls is a remarkable hemlock
tree, in sh^pe of an admirable cabbage. The
stem or trunk two or more feet in diameter
and the cabbage shaped head apparently too
close and thick for pigeon to penetrate. The
body is perhaps ten or twelve feet from ground
to limbs. Enlarge a well headed cabbage and
you have the tree in outline. I have seen
about half a dozen hemlocks whose spray was
something like this."

Irritating Pl.\nts. — It is said that the
florists complained the past season in New
York, of the irritating character of .some plant
unknown to them as having such a character.
The Primula obconica is said to irritate, but
some ferns, especiallj' of the hare's foot family
— Davallia — are said to affect in this way sus-
ceptible persons.

The Heliotrope. — This is the sunflower, —
but not because '• ' the leaves and flowers turn to
the sun " as modern scholarship continues to
teach, — but because the plant does not flower
till summer solstice begins, continuing to flower
Q>v\y as the sun goes away from it, illustrative
of the classical story of Cl5'te, who was in love
with the sun who cared nothing for her.

Jews Mallow. — "At page 21 you sa}' that
the Jews Mallow is Kerria Japonica. I think
that Jews Mallow is referred to Corchoms
olitorius, one of the so-called jute plants."
William Saunders.

[The English authorities noted at page 21,
have evidently confused the two plants, the
kerria having once been called a corchorus,
and, as such, still known in English gardens.
Conductor.]

Wych Hazel. — Professor .Sargent says in
"Garden and Forest" that he has seen at
Maiden, Mass., a plant of the W3'ch Hazel
bearing bright red petals. They are usually
green.

Bleti.\ aphylla. — This ver}- prett}' orchid
has not been thought to extend to Kentuck j' , but
we have seen a specimen that was collected
there.

GENERAL GARDENING.

CEDAR OF LEBANON.
The specimen here illustrated, grows on
East Walnut Lane, Germantown, and we obey
the ^j instructions, "please do not use my
name. " It was planted in 1872 and is now
forty-five feet high, and at two feet above the

ground is five feet three inches. This is mak-
ing an average growth of about two feet a
year. It is therefore anything but a slow
grower in our country. It is growing on a reg-
ularly' mowed lawn, that is occasionally top-
dressed. The spot was a quarry hole once, and

/

., „ , ,«FWv'^

-»«««as'^

A YOUNG CEDAR OF LEBANON

(39)

40

MEEH.^VN S MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Sept.

filled in with the quarrj' " spalls " or refuse,
when finally graded. The roots have been co-
piously watered, — the garden hose being al-
lowed to run liberally, — but the perfect drain-
age kept water from stagnating. A pin oak
near has reached the same height. Our friend
considers that plenty of food and water in a
well drained soil, conduces to healthfulness
and hardiness. He says "many trees sup-
posed to be not hardy are summer-starved
before they are winter-killed, " and we advise
planters of rare things to " stick a pin in right
there. "

In another sketch we give a picture of an
English tree, showing the characteristics of the
Cedar of Lebanon with age.

A MATURE CEDAR OF LEBANON

The tendency of many conifera; is to grow
conically until they reach the height they
propose to go. Then they commence to go
backwards. These are rarely longed lived trees.
But others take to a development of the lateral
branches which often become as large as the
trunks of the other class of coniferfe. The
heads are then compiratively flat, as we see in
the English specimen, and is the usual charac-
teristic of the cedar as we see it in pictures of
European scenerj^.

The Mammoth Sequoia of California de-
velops its laterial branches in just the same
way after reaching the destined height. It
owes its great age to this fact, and no doubt

the Cedar of Lebanon would live as long under
favorable circumstances.

The Deodar of India, is nearly related to the
Cedar of Lebanon. It is considered sacred
because a dead one from natural causes is
never found, — and recent examination, by the
Conductor, of cylinders from ancient Babylon
shows that the " Tree of Life " of that period
was the Cedar of Lebanon.

Moon Flowers. — The privilege accorded to
Adam, the first man, of giving names to all
things, has been jealously preserved b}- each
man and woman of his descendants, and there
is no municipal law against the fullest exer-
cise of this privilege. It is exercised to the
fullest extent, and the florists
are using it freely. Any one can
give the oldest plant a new
name, and if the name is catch-
ing, the plant goes at a famous
pace. The old friend of the
botanists, Ipomaa bona nox,
which might be translated
"good-night flower, " made
fortunes under the name of Moon
flower. Profiting by the hint,
another friend has started off
the well-known pest of the tiller
of the soil — the wild potato or
"man of the earth " — botanic-
ally Iponiipa panduiata — and
which was once called the fiddle-
leaf, as the " day blooming moon
flower. " When the moon
appears by day it is under an
eclipse, and if this is to eclipse
the fortune the original moon
flower made, it will be well. Many complain
about the new naming of things ; but no one
tells what they are going to do about it.

Propagating Herbaceous Plants. — It is
not generally known, that in addition to seeds,
and dividing the root-stocks, herbaceous plants
can be propagated by making cuttings of the
flowering stems. But this must be done be-
fore the flowers open, — while the stem is fresh
and 3'oung. This is the method emploj-ed by
skilled florists in getting up rapidly a good
stock of hollyhocks, phloxes, and such like
plants.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERj\L GARDENING.

41

Floriculture. — The United States Census
Bulletin just issued notes that floriculture in
the United States has come to be simply the
growing' of a few things for cut flowers. It
has found that there are 4659 greenhouse estab-
lishments in the United States, and that the
total number of plants raised is about 125,000,-
000 ; of these 49,000,000 were roses alone, and
the rest were made up of plants in the follow-
ing order : violets, chrysanthemums, lilies,
h3'acinths, smilax, bouvardia, heliotropes,
pansies, tulips. These together make 90 per
cent, of the whole of the plants raised. The
other 10 per cent, were made up of orchids,
tuberoses, mignonette, primroses, camellias,
daffodils, and a few other scattering
things. Three hundred and twelve of
these establishments are owned and
managed by women. The value of
the greenhouses, including heating
apparatus, is placed at $38,000,000. j
For outdoor gardening the demand
has been in a great measure confined
to geraniums, coleas, roses, pansies,
verbenas, heliotropes and carnations.
Among all the large classes of florists'
flowers the fuchsia is the only one
noted as being grown in sufiicient
numbers to be worth naming. When
it comes to a matter of profit the
report saj-s, that roses have been the
most profitable, the carnations next.
Some few florists, however, speak of
the carnation as being more profit-
able than roses.

T. B. M.

Spix.\ch. — Very few amateurs know how
to raise a first-class grade of spinach, and yet
nothing is easier. It should be sown about
the time or a little before forest leaves color in
fall. It grows then very rapidly under the
temperate autumn weather. In the winter it
requires a very light covering of straw, so
light indeed that we can see the green leaves
fairly well through the covering. The plant
itself is hardy, no frost injures it. The use of
the straw is chiefly to keep the frost from pul-
ling it out of the ground and to keep the
leaves from discoloring. No soil can well be
too rich for this plant, the richer the soil the
larger and more tender the leaves.

Decumarla BARBARA. — The luost of us have
heard by this time of the climbing hydrangea
from Japan. Its botanical name is Hydrangea
scandcns. It is of that class of climbing
vines which attach themselves to walls or
trees, and are known as self-climbers. It is com-
ing into great demand as an ornamental vine.
It is strange that a close ally, native of Virginia
and southwardly, having precisely the same
Self-climbing habit and general appearance,
^lionld have been so long overlooked, namely
Decumaria barbara. We have a plant growing
on a large post planted for the purpose, along-
side of its relative, and it is by all odds much
the prettier plant. The flowers are pure white

decumaria barbara.

The American Climbing Hydrangea.

Flowers White

and of a feathery appearance, very pleasing-
to look at. We are indebted for our plant to
]\Irs. M. J. Thomson of vSpartanburg, South
Carolina.

FoRE-STRY. — From Mr. Charles C. Binney of
Philadelphia, we have the proceedings of the
American Forestrj' Association. Among the
especially interesting papers is one by Mr.
Henry D. Vilmorin of Paris, on the Forest Ad-
ministration in France. Mr. Vilmorin at-
tended the meeting last year in Quebec. He
says that the whole of France is divided into
great forest districts, and the inspectors of
these forests act under the general director.
The papers given here are of more than usual
interest on Forestry questions.

42

MEEHAUS MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Sept.

Pruning. — A correspondent, Mr. J. D.
layman, Exeter, N. H., says : "Are you cor-
rect in informing your inquiring correspondent
that it makes little difference to the tree,
whether its branches be cut off in summer, or
in March or April ? From various instances,
which came under my observation in my
younger years, I concluded that the knots of
large limbs cut off in March rotted and
weakened the tree, while the knots of such
limbs cut off in September seasoned and re-
mained sound. I thought that I observed
instances enough to prove this to be a general
truth. Was I mistaken ? It is a subject of
-considerable importance." This is one of the
questions which can never be answered without
qualification. As our correspondent properly
suggests, it is the decay of the exposed part that
brings the leading injury from pruning. A
large wound should always be painted to Ipre-
vent decay till the new wood and bark cover it.
Again, as suggested by our correspondent,
fnngHS mycelium spreads rapidly through wood
when exposed in sap-flowing times.

On the other hand, a tree usually needs all
the leaves it can possibly get, and surnmer
pruning is at the cost of foliage. A severe
summer pruning would be as great an injury
as the chance of rotting in the exposed wood.

New use for the Hop Vine. The Gar-
deners ' Chro7iicle says on the authority of Mr.
J. R.Jackson, of Kew : — "The application of
the hop for the production of a non-intoxica-
ting beverage is a novelty that has attracted
some attention of late. It is stated that an
Assam tea planter, at the close of the last hop
season, settled down on the Medway, near
Maidstone, and with drying-machines and tea-
rollers, as used in Assam, succeeded in making
a kind of tea, which, though it cost twice the
price of excellent Indian or Chinese tea, is
likely to become an important article for mix-
ing with the better-known beverage of that
name. The infusion is said to contain all the
tonic, soothing, and nutritive properties of the
hop, and when mixed with tea proper, counter-
acts its astringent and tanning properties. A
company has been formed in London for the
sale of this tea, and it is now to be obtained
from any grocer. A sample is shown in the
Xew Museum. "

The Heading of Cabbages. — It has re-
cently been stated, as the result of an experi-
ment in one of the United States stations, that
if cabbages are slightly tilted over with the
plough in the fall, it produces a tendency to
make them have larger heads. We now learn,
as an experiment by Prof. L. H. Bailey, of
Cornell, that if the cabbages are planted shal-
low and earthed up, the percentage of large
and heavy heads is much greater. As a matter
of physiological principles these two experi-
ments in different directions both accord. It
goes to show that whatever favors the nutritive
power, is against their disposition to produce
hard heads. In Mr. Bailey's experiment the
plants got the benefit of abundant moisture
and nutrition, when headed up. When not
headed, or when not earthed up, or slightly
tilted, there is an obstruction to complete
nutrition. Although these experiments seem
of a somewhat unimportant character, they
afford very interesting lessons to the study
of plant life, from a practical point of view.
We think the experiments ought to be re-
peated in view of these valuable and suggestive
lessons.

Hybrid Gladiolus. — So much has been
said by scientific writers about the sterility of
hybrids, that it is remarkable thej' do not
oftener consult floricultural works, when they
might readily find out that from the experience
of these actual workers, h3'brids are seldom
any more sterile than other plants. The
present beautiful race of garden gladiolus is
a case in point. These are fertile, and the
varieties that have been raised from these
hybrid origins are enormous as everyone knows ;
yet the race, called Gladiolus ga^idavensis by
Van Houtte, originated in 1837, through a
cross-fertilization of Gladiolus psittacinus with
G. cardinalis, by Mr. Beddinghaus, gardener
to the Duke of Arenberg at Enghien. Souchet,
a well-known French florist, soon improved on
the idea and raised man}- new ones from these
hvbrids.

Elm Seed. — A correspondent who "fails
to find elm seed as in other trees," will find
them mature in early spring, soon after the
maturity of the leaves. They retain vitality
till the next year however ; unlike, in this re-
spect, the seeds of the silver maple.

1891

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

43

Good pears.— It should not be forgotten
that whether any one kind of pear is good or
not depends as much on the treatment it re-
ceives from the grower as from its own efforts
to be good. . If a kind is inclined to bear large
crops, the quality will be poor unless some
of the great number be thinned out. Again,
if a tree which usually bears fruit of good
quality gets a little sick, bringing on prema-
ture ripening, the fruit will be poor. Still
^gain, those pears which ripen very soon after
gathering are much improved by being taken
from the tree before quite mature, while late
ripening kinds like to staj' on as long as possi-
ble. Some ripen better in a dark room, and
others in full light. In nothing is skill more
at home than in the proper ripening of pears.

J. F. M.

The Origin of Dahlias. — In 1787 an ex-
pedition was sent to South America by the
French Government of Louis the XVI, and the
director of the expedition, Menonville, re-
ported on his return that he had seen in a
garden at Oaxaca, a large Aster on stems as
tall as a man, and with leaves like those of the
Elderberry tree. This is conceded to have
been the Dahlia, and it produced a great crav-
ing in the old world to get this great Mexican
Aster. It was not till 1789 that a parcel of the
seed was received at Madrid by the director of
the Botanical Garden, Cavanilles. It was no
doubt on account of this particular distribu-
tion of so rare an " Aster " that the desire to
possess it led eventually to its early introduc-
tion.

The American Aloe. — Manj' complain of
the great labor attending the removal to winter
quarters of heavy tubs containing large plants
of the American Aloe. It does not seem to be
known that they do not mind transplanting at
all. It is just as easy therefore to tilt the plants
over and take them completely out of the
earth, and then empty the earth out of the
boxes, replanting the aloe again in the spring.
The plants like to grow in the open air during
the summer, and quite large plants can be set
out this way, and preserved almost dry in the
cellar in the winter without being in boxes at
all. Although called century i, plants they
bloom often in less than every hundred years,
if they have a chance to grow vigorously.

A Weeping Lawson Cypress. — There is a
somewhat pendulous form of the Lawson Cy-
press iu cultivation, — but is hardly worthy of
the name. But a remarkably beautiful form
has been introduced by Mr. Herman A. Hesse
of Weener, Hanover, which is as drooping as
the weeping Beech. Mr. H. calls it Cuprcssus

WEEPING LAWSON CYPRESS.

Laivsoniana pcndiila vera. We do not know
but it will be as well to call it Hesse's Weep-
ing Lawson Cypress. In this part of the
world we want names for everyday use, and
an admiring visitor would want to hurry to
catch the train before w^e could get off a four-
worded Latin name on him.

44

MEEHAXS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Sept.,-

CuLTURE OF Aquatics. — Something in the
same line as noted in our last is the following
good hint from Mr. P. H. Oberwetter, Austin,
Texas:—

' 'I do not know whether it is known to plant
lovers that Hymetiocallis lacera, {Pancratium
rotatum) can be cultivated as an aquatic. But
that it can be done, a plant in a pot. nearly
submerged to the rim, in a little water hole in
my yard, where Neiumbium, Pontederias, and
Lymnocharis grow, will prove. These plants,
Hymenocallis lacera, grow wild in dry, sandy
Post oak land, fiftj' miles east of Austin.
There is another species of the same genus
growing in the same localities, viz : Hytneno-
callis Galvestonensis^ which is a true aquatic,
growing exclusively in ponds in shallow water ;
and I have no doubt that all the species of the
genus Hymenocallis will do well as aquatics.
My plant of Hymetwcallis is just pushing the
flowerstalk at a season it seldom is able to do
in a wild state. I intend next j'ear to try also
Hymenocallis crassifolia, and Ismene calathina
as aquatics."

Protecting Pe.\ch Trees in Cold Cli-
mates.— Professor Popenoe of Manhattan,
Kansas, states that in 1888, peach trees were
pulled down as close to the earth as possible
and then covered with poor hay or brush. It
was a complete success, the trees having borne
full crops of fruit. The cost of covejing and
uncovering, and placing the trees upright
again in the spring, amounted to twenty cents
a tree. In some parts of Canada they bend
the tree down and cover them with earth and
find the practice equally successful. The
Canadian practice is to cut off the larger roots
on two sides of the compass points, the roots
of the two opposite sides of the compass then
twist without breaking, so that the tree can
then be bended completely under the surface
of the ground and covered with earth. This
seems an easier and better plan than the way
it is done in Kansas.

Prunes. — The extent to which the prune is
cultivated in California is one of the remark-
able incidents of fruit culture. In California,
nearly one hundred thousand trees of the
variety called Tragedy were sold last year by
one nurseryman.

Harvesting Potatoes. — An Oregon paper
says ; ' ' When Andrew Young went recently
to his ranch on Young's river to dig his
potatoes he noticed several bushels already
gathered. He looked around the patch, but
saw no signs of anyone having disturbed the
ground, and, to solve the mystery, he watched
behind a tree. He was soon rewarded by
seeing a flock of bluejaj'S alight on the tree,
and each bird had a potato in its bill, which
was dropped into an opening in a limb and
passed on down to the ground. He procured
sacks, and as fast as one was filled another was
put at the place, and in this way the birds
harvested fifty bushels of potatoes for him
from various patches around the countrj'."

We incline to the belief that the Astoria
Express must have a number of reputable
fishermen on its reportorial staff".

Destruction of Insects. — It takes a long
while for good ideas to travel over the world.
It is nearly half a century since it was discov-
ered that water heated to 120° to 130° would
destroy the scale insect on pine-apples. In the
earlier volumes oi Gardeners' Mo?ithly this good
idea was extended to all plants. It was found
that fuchsias and similar tender leaved plants
might be safely dipped for a second or so in
water at 120°, without the least injurj^ to the
foliage, but with certain death to the red spid-
er. Water, however, is bulky to handle in a
regular garden, but Mr. Carman, the publisher
and editor of the Rural Neiv Yorker has em-
ployed hot water very effectually in destroj'ing
rose-bugs. With improved implements by
which the hot water would not be wasted, so
that every drop might do good, there is yet
room for valuable application of this principle.

An Enormous Crop of Plums. — It is stated
that in one of the Briggs orchards at Visalia,
in Cal., a plum tree has been known to produce
the enormous weight of 1102 pounds of plums.
It is a striking illustration of what an enor-
mous weight a tree can sustain in spite of the
power of gravitation. Occasionally- fruit trees
will bear enormous weights without breaking
the branches ; once in a while, however, assis-
tance in the nature of props has to be given
to prevent the destruction of the branches.

J. F. M.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

Dr. T. a. TvApham. — It is a common remark
that those who initiate the great works of un-
told value to humanity do not usually get the
■credit of the work ; it is those who improve and
•carry out the original ideas that most commonly
get the honors. Few know that the weather
■predictions which have now become an essen-
lial part of daily life, were first thought out by
the great botanist, Dr. Lapham of Milwaukee.
It was only after continual pressure from him
Ihat the Government first recognized the pos-
sibility of safe predictions. In 1869, Dr.
Lapham sent his memorial to Congress which
liastened the passage of the joint resolution of
February 9, 1S70, authorizing the meteoro-
logical observations. So well was Dr. Lap-
ham's energy in this early movement under-
stood that when the weather bureau was
organized in 1S70, he was tendered a position
in Washington, as the head of the Department.
The first prediction was made from Ch cage,
April, 1870 ; and the result was so exact, that
there was no longer any doubt but that the
predictions had come to stay. Dr. Lapham
was one of the rare scientific men of America,
-whose work has never j'et had full justice. As
a botanist many plants have been named in
his honor, and one genus, Lapha7nia, dedicated
especially to him. He was not less great as a
mineralogist, geologist, and in many of the
kindred sciences. His unobtrusive modesty
kept him very much in the background, and
after all it was singular that he received even
as much credit as he did, considering that he
never in the slightest degree sought for any.
Though it is now some years since his death,
a first class biography would be very original
reading.

Dr. Gov. Emerson. — Dr. Ruschenberger
has recently published a sketch of the life of
Dr. Gouverneur Emerson, who died in 1S74,
and was one of the earlier members of the
American Philosophical, and the Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society. He was the author of
a large number of standard works on agricul-
tural science. Among them was an American
edition of -Johnson's ^'Farmers' Encvclo-
pedia." He was the first discoverer of the
value of mixing sulphuric acid with crushed
bones as a fertilizer, and also the discoverer
that the conceded superiority of Philadelphia's
butter was due to the prevalence of the sweet
scented vernal grass, Anthoxanthum odoraium,
which abounds in the pastures around Philadel-
phia. From Emerson's letters a different ac-
count of the invention of the quadrant is given
than appears in the published life of Godfrey.
Emerson states that the source of the invention
is as follows: — "Thomas Godfrey, glazier,
was replacing a pane in a window on the north
side of Arch Street, Philadelphia, opposite a
pump ; a girl filling her pail placed it on the
sidewalk. Turning towards it he saw that the
image of the sun was reflected from the window
into the bucket of water, and from it back to
his eye. This simple observation led him to
study the law of the reflection of light, and to
invent a quadrant with speculums to take the
distance of stars, which he supposed might be
of service at sea. A friend of Godfrey's,
James Logan, communicated this discovery to
Dr. Hally, President of the Royal Society of
London. " Godfrey, the inventor of the qua-
drant,, is buried in Laurel Hill Cemeterj', Phil-
adelphia, and Dr. Emerson in the lot adjoin-
ing.

B.-VRON VON MtTLLER. — If a popular demand
is to be considered proof of value. Baron Fer-
dinand Von MuUer, of Melbourne, Australia,
has every reason to be proud, for the eighth
edition of the celebrated work, ' ' Select Plants, ' '
is now being prepared for the press.

Leo Weltz. — A New Hampshire correspon-
dent says : "I was much pleased to read the
tribute you paid to Leo Weltz, who was a
gentleman in every sense of the word, and a
thorough scholar so well versed on so many
subjects as to be really a living cyclopaedia."

(45)

46

MEEHANS MONTHLY BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

[Sept.

Francis Parkman. — Mr. Parkman is not
only known as an eminent historian, but his
name is also connected with many incidents in
horticulture in which he has for many j-ears
been a successful amateur. On the grounds of
the conductor of this magazine, is one of the
earliest introduced specimens of the Golden
Retinospora pliimosa, which came into Mr.
Parkman's possession direct from Japan. The
beautiful Lilium Parkmani was also the re-
sult of Mr. Parkman's experiments in hy-
bridizing lilies. His name is also attached to
a number of other striking varieties of garden
plants. His garden at Jamacia Plain, near
Boston, is a complete treasur}' of beautiful
flowers. He was born in Boston, on the i6th
of September, 1S23. Interested especialh* in
history, that he might know exactly of what
he wrote, he lived for some time among the
Indians, chiefly in Colorado, and in the Black
Hills. At twenty-seven years of age he mar-
ried the daughter of Dr. Jacob Bigelow of
Boston, a noted botanist. The result of his
Indian experience was the well known book,
entitled the "Conspiracy of Pontiac. " In
1866 his "Book of Roses " was published, —
and yet during the time he was working in
these horticultural lines, he was also prepar-
ing his magnificent work, "The Pioneers of
France in the New World. " It is remarkable
that one whose health has never been good,
and whose eyesight has been so weak that a
larger portion of his work has had to be tran-
.scribed b}' an amanuensis, should have per-
formed such an immense amount of literary
labors. It is pleasant to know that, notwith-
standing his advancing years, and that age
has considerabh' whitened his hair, he is still
in the enjo^'ment of the usual health of his
more recent years.

Prof. J. T. Rothrock. — This eminent bot-
anist is not only famous as a traveller and
author, but is also is remarkably- successful as
a botanical teacher. During the past spring
one might travel in almost any direction in
the vicinity of Philadelphia, and see ladies
■with botanical books and vasculums in the
woods and fields collecting plants, and in al-
most all cases they would be found to be the
pupils of Prof Rothrock. F'ew men seem to
have had the power of creating successful en-
thusiasm among his students, as the Professor.

John Clare. — It is not generally known
that this sweet poet of nature of the last gen-
eration was in early life a student of horticul-
ture. He was apprenticed under the head
gardener of Burghley Park, in England, for
three years, receiving eight shillings a week
for his services during the first year, and an
advance of a shilling a week for each succeed-
ing year. After he had been there a year, the
companionship of rougher men was so dis-
agreeable to him that he ran away, and became
an employee of a nurseryman about thirty
miles distant ; he remained a laborer in this
nursery, however, only a short time, and with
considerable dissatisfaction ; and he engaged
soon after as a laborer on a farm. He was, how-
ever, considerably restless in any position, and
subsequently became a laborer in a limekiln
at ten shillings a week. It was about this
time that he determined to publish a small
volume of his juvenile poems, — and, having
saved up twenty shillings, with the money
printed a small volume, but only obtained sub-
scribers for seven copies ; one of these copies,
however, fell into the possession of a Stam-
ford bookseller, who thought so much of these
productions that he published, at his own ex-
pense, another volume, giving the poet a share
of the profits. This was his first introduction
to the public in his poetical capacity. His
biographers contend that it was his early asso-
ciation with the garden and the farm that has
made his poems more replete with natural allu-
sions than we find in the works of many other
poets.

JA\' Gould. — Famous in railroad manage-
ment and in financial operations, Mr. Gould is
also a devoted lover of flowers and gardening.
His estate on the Hudson river comprises
about 850 acres, and is known as Lyndhurst.
It was once the "Sunny-side " of Washington
Irving. Mr. Gould is especially fond of tropi-
cal plants, and about five acres of ground are
devoted to greenhouses. It said that of palms
alone, his collection embraces 264 species or
marked varieties. The collection of orchids
comprises some 200 kinds. The fern house
has about 1000 plants, biit of course in plants
of this character there are numbers of dupli-
cates. For cut flowers there is specially a rose
house. The gardens proper occup}- about fifty
acres.

iS9i.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

47

Alexander F r a z e r . — INIr. Frazer stood
among the leading horticulturists of Baltimore.
He died on the istli of July, in the Johns
Hopkins Hospital, where he had removed for
a surgical operation in the shoulder. He was
about sixty years of age. He was born at
Edinburgh in Scotland, studied when a lad
under Mr. McNab of the Ro_val Gardens in
that city, and was appointed head to the
Gardens in Blairquhan Castle. Like so many
of the first-class horticulturists in our country ^
he came to Philadelphia at the invitation and
under the patronage of the late Robert Buist,
and after some experience in the Southern
States, he became chief gardener to the late
John Ridgeley of the famous Hampton Gardens
in Maryland. He had charge of the beautiful
country seat of William T. Walters, at St.
Mary's in Maryland, for nearly twenty-five
years. Few people understood plants so well,
and their wants for successful cultivation, as
Mr. Frazer did. His great specialty was the
cultivation of grapes under glass. In thi.s it
is believed he was unexcelled in the United
States. He will be sadly missed by the
Horticultural Society of Baltimore and similar
societies elsewhere, where by his learning,
intelligence and integrity he was frequently
called upon to give his judgment on the ex-
hibits. He was so judicious, that it was ex-
tremely rare that his decisions raised an3' ques-
tions. He leaves a widow and three children
by his first wife.

Henry Edwards. — Mr. Edwards was one
of the most distinguished entomologists of our
country, and his death on the 9th of June, in
New York, is considered a great loss to ento-
mological science. He was born at Ross,
Herefordshire, England, the 27th of August,
1830, and was educated for the stage. He first
took up warmly with the study of insects in
Australia, where he remained twelve years.
After spending several years on the Pacific, he
removed to Boston in 1878 and in 1879 to New
York, where for manj' j-ears he was connected
with Wallack's theatre. What to do with his
magnificent collection of insects is a problem,
as he left no will. One might judge of its
immense value, by the fact that he had a
policy of insurance to the amount of $17,000
on it. Some great scientific institution ought
to capture the prize.

Dr. C. C. Parry. — Most of our readers
must be familiar with the name of this distin-
guished botanist, whose name is attached to s&
many flowers, and whose death a year or so
ago caused so much regret. His immense
botanical collections have now been properly
cared for and catalogued and have been found
to contain the enormous number of 18,000-
specimens. Of these there are in actual spe-
cies over 12,000, 5290 of these being North.
American. In the collection are 1400 unnamed
genera, many of which may prove to be wholly
new. A completed catalogue giving names
of all species in the collection has been pre-
pared by a competent botanist, so that those
who desire to purchase know exactly what
they are securing. Like most eminent scien-
tific men Dr. Parry's life was spent in the ac-
quisition of scientific knowledge for the bene-
fit of mankind in general. In the language
of Professor Agassiz, " He had no time
to make money. " This magnificent collec-
tion, with his botanical books, comprise pro-
bably the most valuable part of the estate
which he leaves to his widow, Mrs. E. R.
Parry of Davenport, Iowa. No greater bene-
faction to science could be made than by some
one purchasing this magnificent collection,
and presenting it to some worthy institution.

Percy Byshe Shelley. — A correspondent
of the Indepetident says that a beautiful :nonu-
nient is to be erected to the great poet in the
Protestant Cemetery at Rome, and describes-
the cemetery as being surrounded with ancient
cypress trees, and that it is completely over-
grown with sweet swelling violets and the great
acanthus leaves, which, in just such a cemetery
first suggestecl the idea of the capital which
so distinctly marks columns in Grecian archi-
tecture .

The correspondent grows enthusiastic over
the floral associations of the cemetery, and
quotes :

" Go thou to Rome, — at once the Paradise,

The grave, the city, and the wilderness ;
And where its wrecks like shattered mountains rise.

And flowering weeds, and fragrant copses dress
The bones of Desolation's nakedness,

Pass, till the Spirit of the spot shall lead
Thy footsteps to a slope of green access,

Where, like an infant's smile, over the dead
A light of laughing flowers along the grass is spread. "

GENERAL NOTES.

THE PERSIAN WATER-LILY.
-" Once, Emir ! Thy unheeding child,

Mid all this havoc, bloomed and smiled.
Tranquil, as on some battle plain,

The Persian lih- blooms and towers, —
Before the contest's reddening stain.
Has fallen upon its golden flowers. ' '

[A correspondent inquires whetlier these
lines, from Lulla Rhook, refer to the iVi/p/i a rf
Hardly. A Water Lily would scarcely ' ' bloom' '
and "tower" in a "battle plain,"]

Children of the Forest. — A correspon-
dent says : Your remark, in speaking of the
5'ellow nuphar, that Dr. Darlington tried to give
the flower a common name, by translating the
botanical, " Strange nuphar, " reminds me how
often translators make laughable expressions
by a literal rendering, instead of grasping
the spirit of language. A missionary in
Alaska, addressing the wild men, commenced
by saying, "Children of the Forest." The
half-breed interpreter gave this to the natives,
as "little people, among sticks," which pro-
duced indignation and came near spoiling the
good man's efforts. A French author in a
recent work, translates "he blushed," into
" he turned into a red man,' ' which seems silly
to us. In an account of the manners of the
Chinese, an author says that mottoes are
placed over departed friends, and some children
placed over the door porch about their mother :

" Her virtue was pure, and her heart as cold as
ice."
It appears her husband died young, and yet
she refused man}' good offers during half a
century after. Of course the idea given in the
original Chinese must have been very different
from that conve3'ed by the translator. Your
reference to the absurdity of the literal trans-
lation of the latin name of the splatterdock,
brings to mind this generallj^ prevailing
absurdity of most translators."

Our Circulation. — People mostly know
that in lithographic work a certain number of

(4S)

copies must be stricken off in order to cover
a fixed proportion of the cost on a two-dollar
magazine. In other words, we have to get
subscribers for a fixed number of copies before
we cover cost. We therefore print every month
the whole number of copies that will cover cost,
sending the surplus over actual subscription,
as sample copies to get subscribers. We hardly
expected to see the list full till the first of next
year, but to use the summer months in pre-
viousl}' making the work known.

It is very gratifying to be able to state, that
our friends have come to the support of the
magazine much more promptly than we even
hoped for. Though we have five months yet
before we reach our appointed time for it, we
have already one-third of all we require for
this minimum edition — every mail adding
bountifully to the subscription list.

Our Next Plate. — The readers of our
magazine who are interested in Missotiri, Kan-
sas, and contiguous territory', will have special
interest in our next plate, which will be a
rare fern of that region, — Notholwna dealbata.

Plant Names. — Just now there is a craze
for changing the names of plants for which an
older name by some good author is found.
Sound as this principle of priority may be in
the abstract, in practice it would throw gar-
dening literature into confusion. It takes a
long time for nurserymen and florists to fami-
liarize the community with a plant's name.
They cannot be expected to re-advertise over
and over again to make corrections, because
"somebody blundered. " Meehans 'Monthly
will feel bound to continue names already in
use, however wrong they may be in the ab-
stract, provided they are the names adopted in
some standard work. Plants ' names in Gray,
Chapman, Coulter, or Watson, maj' not al-
ways be the strictly correct names, — but it
seems that it is best to allow these leading
works to correct their own errors, if we would
keep from endless confusion in nomenclature.

■'«-.

.r "0^. "%

Vol.1

Plate 4

^$^^

.?^

^

^f/^'a^-

NnTHn[,'^,NA T^F-M r-vATA

L>t1i,i;»M*«l><iii.' Monrhly \>j/ LJ^ii^t(-„

NOTHOL/ENA DEALBATA.

WHITENED CLOAK FERN.

NATURAL ORDER, FILICES.

NoTHOL.s.VA DEALBATA, Kuuze— Stalks densely tufted, wiry or capillary, nearly black, polished ; rachisand all its branches
very straight, capillary, black and shining ; frond deltoid-ovate, four-pinnate at the base, gradually simpler above ; pin-
nit mostly opposite ; ultimate pinnules half to one line long, oval and entire, or some of them three lobed ; upper surface
green, under surface white-pulveraceous. {Eaton, \n Rothrock's Botany of the li-'heetci- Expedition. See also Eaton's
Ferns of North Amu tea, and as Cheilanthrs dealbata, in Pursh's Flora of North America.

There are some who tell us they see in nature
what appear to be contradictions which are
3'et produced under the same law. Others
would modify this so as to read, " there are no
rules without exceptions. ' ' At any rate we
maj' note in nature striking- contrasts when we
place together the ends of the same line. When,
for instance, we compare the little fern we now
illustrate with the early history of plant life
on the globe, we may see how great is the dif-
ference between its habits and condition, and
what we must regard as its progenitors. In
the beginning plant life commenced in water,
and among the first to learn to live on compar-
ativel}- dry land were ferns. If the earth were
once the molten mass geologists believe, and
is j'et cooling gradually towards its centre, we
may reasonabl}^ look for an atmosphere charged
with moisture, before one part of the globe
cooled more rapidly than another, and made
differences in the temperature of the atmos-
pheric current, so as to condense the mighty
mass. This dense moist atmosphere would
diminish light, and make conditions well
suited to a race of plants just emerging from
a water}' world. Whether these conditions
actuall}' prevailed it is not safe to say posi-
tively ; but it is certain that the only ferns of
that period were such as were sub-aquatic, or
required partial shade for their development.
Some of the species or very near relations of
the same species, which existed in these early
times, have continued to our day, and they are
all of a partial shade and moisture-loving
character. But some ferns in our bright sunny
area have not onU* learned to love the light,
but to prefer high and dry rocky places, where
there is so little earth and moisture that it

seems a mystery how they contrive to live at
all. The early water-lover has allied itself
with drouth ; and when the writer on ferns
tells us that the}^ are inhabitants of moist
places and shady woods all over the world he
has to add, except a few which are found in
rocky and exposed places. There is at least a
valuable lesson to the student of nature from
these considerations. The dryest rock may be
profuse in ferny beaut}'. No locality may be
so barren and desolate but we may turn it to
our advantage. To borrow a line from Mrs.
Sarah T. Adams, those about to despair of
fortune's favors might look on a little fern
struggling in the cleft of a dry rock, as in the
case of the one we now illustrate, and say

" Then with my working thoughts
Bright with thj- praise.
Out of my stony griefs,
Bethel I'll raise."

Our little rock-loving fern Notholcena dealbata,
has not, however, been able to make great
headway through the world. It was first
brought to notice by Pursh in his Flora of
North America in 1814, where it is described as
Cheilanthes dealbata, the description taken from
a dried specimen communicated to him by
some one not named, from "Rocks on the
Banks of the Missouri." Mr. Nuttall, in his
Genera of North American Plafits, issued in
1S18, notes his having seen living specimens,
and says of its location, "in the crevices of
rocks on the banks of the Missouri about fiftj-
miles above its confluence, rare." This was
probably near where the citj' of St. Charles is
now. So far as known to the writer, this re-
mained the only location known till Dr. Parry
collected it in Kansas in 1S73, some five hun-

(49)

5°

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — NOTHOL.ENA DEALBATA.

[Oct.

dred miles east of its original localitj'. Since
then it has been found by many collectors in
Southern Kansas, and always on dry rocks,
though some report them somewhat protected
by overhanging masses from the full sun.
The specimens which furnished the illustra-
tion were collected by Mrs. J. J. Harden, of
Dexter, who reports it as very abundant about
there. Mr. T. L. Harvey notes in the Fifth
volume Botanical Gazette that ' ' it grows abund-
antly on limestone ledges which are isolated
and have a southern exposure, in Northwest
Arkansas, and as far south as Fayetteville. "
In the work from which our description is
taken it is reported in collections from New
Mexico and Arizona ; and Prof. Eaton saj^s he
has seen a specimen reported to have been
found in Texas. These locations found during
the past few years, and all so wide apart, give
reasons for believing that many intermediate
Stations will soon be noted for this little fern
so long known only in the one spot on the
Missouri river. On the opposite side of
Kansas — that is, in Colorado — this species has
not been found, but there we meet with a closely
allied species, Notliolatia Fendleri, which at
first sight might be taken for it. On this Prof.
Eaton remarks that Notholccna dealbata " is in
many respects like Notholana Fendleri. It has
the same dense white ceraceous or farinose
coating on the under surface of the pinnules ;
the frond is decompound ; the pinnules equally
minute, and very similar in shape. The stalks
and rachises are perhaps more nearly black, and
have a somewhat higher polish. The most
evident distinctions are, however, first, smaller
size and greater delicacy of the present species,
and, secondly, the fact that in this fern the
pinnae and pinnules of everj' degree are oppo-
site in pairs, or nearly opposite. The ultimate
pinnules are more generally entire than in the
larger species, and have a tendency to become
revolute, or strongly rolled under from both
margins." To which might be added a point
also noted by that distinguished pteridologist,
Eaton, in the account of the ferns of the
Wheeler expedition, that the branches of the
rachis have a zigzag character in Notholcena Fen-
dleri, which is wholly absent in our little
species.

Formerly the ferns now known as Notholana
would have been included among those which
like Polypodijan have rounded masses of spores
without any indusium or membranaceous cover-
ing. The genus Cheilanthcs to which our plant
was at first referred by Pursh, was establisheu
by Swartz in iSo6, but in that genus there is
an indusium. The genus Notholcena was estab-
lished by Brown in 1806, and has the indusium
reduced to a mere rudiment, and it was this
fact which suggested its name — nothos, being
Greek for spurious, and chlcena or IcBfia, being
cloak, and hence its common name, though not
quite appropriate. Our enlarged drawing,
Fig. 2, gives an excellent idea of the real
character of the frond. In Polypodiums the
round sori or masses of sporangia, are dotted
over the whole surface of the frond, while in
this they are confined to the margin, and are
often so close as to seem like a line along the
edge. But we see, in our illustration, a ten-
dency to produce the little round masses irreg-
ularly, as well as in one marginal line. We
also see well the " tendenc3' in the ultimate
pinnules to become revolute," of which Pro-
fessor Eaton speaks. The white "ceraceous"
or waxy matter which clothes the under surface
is also shown, as well as numerous small green
scales, which have not been noted by other
authors. It is from this dense white under
surface that the specific name was suggested,
dealbata, signifying in theLatin to be whitened
or made white, as if it were covered with white-
wash . Our species is called Notholana dealbata
of Kunze, simply because he was the first to
take the plant from Cheilanthes, where it had
been placed by Pursh, to NotJwlcsna, where it
belongs. Some authors write it Nothochlana,
correcting Brown's original orthography ; but
as we have seen the original Greek admits of
either name, so it must stand as the author
wrote it.

The species of the genus are very numerous,
especially in Chili and Peru. Quite a number
have been discovered of late years in the
States bordering on Mexico, but so far as
yet known the Notholana dealbata is the most
Northern of all.

Explanation of the Plate.— A mass of small plants
from Dexter. Kansas. 2. Enlarged drawing, showing under
surface and fructification.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

AN OAK.

Brave monarch of the forest, armies warred

Around thee once ; the scathful shot and shell

Like bolts of death among thy branches fell,

And thee unto thine outmost being jarred.

Yet thou, though wasted then and battle-scarred,

Seared even with the flaming breath of hell,

Art stancher grown. And thou art typical

Of this great Union, in whose cause was marred

Thy massive bole ; those wounds are healed, and

all
The closer for them now thy bark doth bind ;
While, 'neath thy corrugations, so are twined
And locked round many a deep-imbedded ball
The stern, waqjed fibers of thy life, that vain
Were brawniest Ijlows to wedge thy heart in tw-aiu !
Bel/ord's Magazine.

The Golden Rod. — President Harrison, in
one of his car-platform speeches, noting the
golden rod in bloom everywhere about him in
his New England travels, paid to it the follow-
ing beautiful tribute : " The beautiful golden
rod ! It is pleasant to think that in this plant,
so widely distributed, slightly diversified in
its characteristics, but spreading over nearly
our whole country, we have a type of the divers-
ity and yet the oneness of our people ; and I
am glad to think that its golden hue tj'pifies
the gladness and joy and prosperity that is
over all otir fields this happy j'ear, and I trust
in all j'our homes. "

Though there are a few species of golden
rod in other parts of the world, the great num-
ber of species and their wide diffusion, make
them a special element of beaut}- in American
autumn scenery.

Color and Clijiate. — In reference to some
remarks in our magazine that color in fruits
and flowers is heightened by a struggle
with unfavorable circumstances, Mrs. Caroline
Granger kindly sends us a box of North Caro-
lina apples of high color. Our remark was
intended to mean that the same variety would
be higher colored in the North than in the
South. These apples proved to be Gravenstein,
and though well colored, are not as bright as
Gravensteins ripened in Canadfl.

A Summer Scene in the Rocky Moun-
tains.— Under date of July 22d, Rev. C. S.
Harrison writes : "I have just returned from
the Rockies ; here the wild flowers were in
their splendor of bloom. Near the foot hills
the bush cactus were in all their beauty-, some
deep red some yellow. There al.so was a
species of wild verbena which spread out in
wide clusters. In the mountains I rode twenty-
five miles one day, there had been plenty of
rain, and everv'thing in the line of flowers was
on exhibition, there were acres of blue bells,
and all the mountain side would sparkle with
their sapphire splendor. Then there was the
giant lark-spur growing four to six feet high,
fairly radiant in its fullne.ss of beauty ; but
perhaps the most attractive of all was the blue
columbine. Often on northern slopes and in
deep gorges I would come upon them where in
the dark recesses with their coy beauty they
could bloom unseen. It is seldom one sees so
much of brilliancy. The tiger lily, Liliunt
Philadelphicum, grows there as a dwarf with
often but one flower to a stem, but the color
seemed concentrated as well as the form. Al-
together that ride in the high altitudes with
great draughts of ' the wine of the mountain
air' was something long to be remembered.'*

The Evening Primrose. — It seems a pity
when beautiful flowers become common weeds,
and yet they may as well grow in neglected
places as nothing at all. One of the most
beautiful sights in a drive through Maryland
was large fields which had been abandoned by
the cultivator for want of manure, wholly
covered with the common Evening Primrose,
Q£nothera biennis. The morning being rather
damp the flowers at nine o'clock had not yet
closed. Acres and acres of them were to be
seen, and if any eastern lover of ntral beauty
should claim distinction for the buttercup-
covered fields of that section, Maryland might
point with some pride to her fields covered
with the beautiful evening primrose.

(51)

52

MEEHANS MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Oct.

PecU'LIARities OF Hybridinism. — Mr. Obers-
wetter, Austin, Texas, says : " Lfind in Bakers
handbook of the Amatyllidea the most recent
authority on this order of plants, that it is not
yet recorded by science that a hybrid between
a Crimon and Ama)yllis {Hippeaslrum) was
«ver raised ; but I find pleasure to inform you
that I succeeded in raising a hybrid between
■Criiium Kirkii, pistillate, and a hybrid Hippcas-
irum as pollen bearer.

The plant^was raised this Spring. The seed I
obtained last year, but did not germinate till
last Spring. I have been trying for years to
cro.ss these two genera, but never succeeded,
so that I thought nature had interposed in-
surmountable barriers. Last year I tried
simplj' to cross different species of Critiu7ns,
and when giving pollen to the stigma of a
Crmtim Kirkii the thought occurred to me
that it would not do any harm if I put Hippeas-
trum pollen on the stigma before adminis-
trating the Crinum pollen ; I got about five
grains of seeds, but owing to mismanagement
only two plants came up this Spring, one a
Crinum pure and simple with long leaves ;
the other had a different habit from the start ;
the first two leaves are not more than an inch
long, but broad, ovate and acute. Then a per-
fect leaf was developed over four inches long,
nearly an inch broad, folded doubly over in
vernation, so that it looks somewhat plicate.
The leaves are much harder to the touch than
the leaves of its twin plant, appearing as if
glazed, light bright green, very upright,
bluntly, cordate, acute. Since that first fully
developed leaf it has just perfected another,
longer but same proportions. Will report
further if you are interested."

The Snow Plant. — There seems to be no
doubt that in many cases this plant persists
for several years, although to all appearances
merel}- an annual, but it has been noted that
the flowering spikes come up weaker and
weaker during the succeeding years of its first
flowering.

A correspondent from Nevada doubts whether
the Sarcodcs is edible. She says the Indians
certainly will not touch it, and one recently
cautioned her little boy that he would die if he
ate it. She had put some of the stalks in an
aquarium, and all the gold fish and minnows
died the next morning. This confirms the
conductor's experience with a closely allied
parasite found in Alaska, named Bosc/miakia.
It was the habit to inquire of the Indians as to
their vernacular names and properties of plants,
but in regard to this parasite every Indian
seemed to express an utter indifference for it,
and one stated it was " Cultash, " — a term
which we understand to mean " no good. "

The Manzinita. — A California correspond-
ent who loves wild flowers, thought to excite
our env}' by sending us in a letter a twig of
this pretty western wild flower. It came to us
on the nth of April, but by that time we had
our own eastern trailing arbutus in flower — all
of the same one family, and equally pretty we
think. Our friends on the Pacific must try
again next spring if they want to beat the
Epigcra .

The Kentucky Coffee Tree. — So far as
we know the Kentucky Coffee tree, and the
western Cork Elm, Ulimis raccmosa, have not
hitherto been known to exist in Maryland.
During a short ride out of Washington, to a
locality known as Glen Echo, which is an
original piece of forest land, recently opened
up through the agency of an electric railway,
both these trees were found growing there.
When the writer mentioned this fact to the
botanists of Washington, they were surprised
at not having noted this fact before. It will
throw some light on the geographical travels
of these two species.

Range of Catawba Rhododendron. — J.
H. R., Seal Harbor, Maine, says : " You
should not let your correspondents put forth
such wild assertions as that of Mrs. Mary W.
Fisher — that ' Rhododendron Catawbiense
grows from New England to Alaska ! ' — at
least not without protest. ' '

It was a mere slip of the pen, but deserves
correction. Mrs. F. is well aware that this
particular species has not the wide ranges the
wording suggests. She meant the range of the
Rhododendron as a whole, had this distribution.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AXD NATURE.

S3

f

The Splatterdock. — "The Splatterdock
{Niiphar advend) so beautifully illustrated in
Meepl*\.ns' Monthly for August, has one local
name not given by Prof. Meehan. In Maine,
where it grows abundantly in the borders of
ponds and slow-moving streams, it is known
as thecow-lilv, and by this name is mentioned
in ' Birch Stream ' a short poem by Anna
Boynton Averill which Whittier included in
his ' Songs of Three Centuries. ' In this charm-
ing apostrophe Miss Averill, among the other
attractions of the 'hermit stream,' describes
the Secluded nooks where

' The wild cow-lily floats
Her golden-freighted tented lioats

In the cool coves of softened gloom
O'ershadowed by the whispering reed
.\nd purple plumes of pickerel-weed

And meadow-sweet in tangled bloom. '

Florence Brooks,

South Penobscot, Maine.

RuDBECKiA HiRTA. — This large
sunflower-like plant is now becoming
very common in fields in the Atlantic
States. The color is of a bright orange
red. Singular to state, around Phila-
delphia this .season numbers have
been found with a bright brownish red
spot at the base of each ray petal.
This variation of color is common in
Coreopsis, but we have never known
it to occur before in Rudbeckia.

Girdling op Coniferous Trees. Mr.
Lyman says: "The growth of your Austrian
pine after being girdled, reminds me that I
have seen many instances of the White pine,
(Pintis Strobus) growing for years after being
girdled by us boys in the Spring for the young,
soft, sweet and delicious wood, if you call it
wood, which we shaved off and eat under the
name of sliver. I wish this strange phe-
nomenon could be explained by some one. It
puzzled me much in youth. Apple trees
stripped of their bark at a certain time in
Spring will live. I have known the bark com-
pletely stripped from their trunks to make the
trees grow faster. But in this harsh treatment
the sliver or embryo wood is left, and I suppose
is the means of saving the tree. What saves
the cork oak when it is stripped of its bark
ever\r eight or ten years, from fifteen to one
hundred and fifty years of age, I do not know. "

Axillary Flowers. — A flower spike is only
a branch transformed. The proper place for a
branch to spring from, even if it is in the form
of a raceme or spike, should be at the base of
a leafstalk. That is to say, it should be axil-
lary— from a bud on the main stem, at the ba.se
of the leaf.

But there are many cases, where the inflores-
cence is on the opposite side from the leaf, where
there is no leaf, and from no axillary bud, as
in the pokeberry herewith illustrated. Many
elaborate explanations of this are given in the
text books — explanations that few can under-
stand.

The real explanation is,
that the raceme was the
original central branch,
and we can imagine a
leaf with an axillary

PHYTOLACCA
DECANDRA,
POKEBERRY.

bud at its base.

When the plant

prepares to make

the inflorescence,

the vigorotis axial

development is ar-
rested for the pur-
pose. The vegetative department is not how-
ever so easily put off. The axial bud pushes
out strongly, and becomes the main stem,
pushing over the inflorescence, which will no
longer do that duty, to one side. The whole
thing is extremely simple, where thoughtfully
considered, and never fails to give pleasure to
students when explained to them.

Verbascum Phlomoides. — Mr. Erne.st
Walker of New Albany, Ind., writes that this
species of mullein, a native of France, is
becoming naturalized in that region.

54

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Oct.

The Poke-berry. — A question has arisen
as to how this well known plant received its
common name and some have gone so far as to
suggest that it was named in honor of
President Polk, but this will not do as it was
common in Pennsylvania before the President
was born. The similarity in names caused
school children and others to wear sprigs in
their hats and bonnets during Polk's campaign
for the presidency. The plant, by the way,
was not called poke-bush but poke-berry, this
indicating that whatever had been the origin
of the name, it had some connection with the
fruit. The chief use of the fruit in Pennsyl-
vania has been to make " genuine " Port Wine,
whiskey and poke-berry juice forming this
"genuine" article. Phytolacca decandra, is
the botanical name.

Curled Leaved Willow. — A correspondent
sends us a twig of this variety of weeping wil-
low, stating that a branch of the common weep-
ing willow is growing out of the same tree.
This does occur occasionally. This variety of
■willow originated by a branch from the com-
mon weeping willow tree, just as some of the
new -roses have originated bj' sports in the
same way. These branches are either cut off
and rooted, or grafted and then become hered-
itary. There is alwa^-s a slight tendency to
to push out a branch bearing the character of
the original variety. J. F. BI.

The Age of a Tortoise. — What is the
average age of the tortoise has never 3'et been
definitelj' ascertained. Recently one was found
in Oxford, Penna., which had the initials of
Samuel Wilson, 1792. This one was there-
fore over one hundred j-ears old. Another
has been found marked by Andrew Passmore,
1839-

The Bitter Sweet. — The Bitter Sweet of
English writers is Solanum dulcamara, as its
specific name well affirms. In our country the
Celastrus scandens has received this common
name. Its orange and red fruit renders itverj-
conspicuous in autumn and early winter, as it
twines around bushes and small leafless trees.
Near Philadelphia it is found along the rocky
banks of creeks, chiefly. Dr. Hill tells Garden
and Forest, that it also grows in the sands along
the Western shore oi Lake Michigan, where a
a number of other things found in rockj- places
further East, also delight to grow.

AspiDiu.vr FRAGRAXS. — The fronds of this
fern, which have a scent similar to that of the
raspberrry, are much esteemed in the north of
Asia for their anti-scorbutic properties, and
are used as tea b5^ the Mongols, says Mrs. John
R. Jackson of the Roj'al Bluseuni, Kew.

Fire-cracker Flower. — This appears to
be the common name given in California to
the Brcevoortia coccinca, a bulbous plant of the
Pacific Coast. The flowers do indeed resemble,
both in color and every respect, a bunch of
Chinese fire-crackers. If all flowers had as
expressive common names there would be fewer
objections made against them.

The Flowering of Willows. — It has
been noticed that when the flowers composing
the male catkins of willows proceed to open,
those in the centre of the catkins push out the
stamens first, and all the flowering is then
downwards and upwards from this central
point.

Early' and Late Wild Flowers. — Prin-
cipal Jackson of Worcester, Mass., says that
in that vicinity the last flowers of the season
are the Fringed Gentian and the W3'ch Hazel.
The Hazel nuts are the earliest. Between these
there are 600 species blooming successively
between spring and fall.

Lathyrus splendens. — Our excellent con-
temporar}', ] 'ick's Monthly, has given a colored
plate of this new California annual. The
flowers are narrower than those of the ordinarj'-
sweet pea and of a brilliant scarlet crimson.
The flowers are in long slender spikes. It
has recently been discovered in California.

Growth in Darkness.— Some wooden props,
oak and Spanish chestnut, in a coal mine in
England, one hundred feet beneath the surface
in perfect darkness, sprouted and sent out
shoots ; the chief interest in this case was that
though utterly deprived of light, the branches
were absolutelj- in a perpendicular line.

GENERAL GARDENING.

Peach Yellows. — Dr. Erwin Smith of the
Pathological Department of the United States
Department of Agriculture, who has specially
studied and written much on this disease, an-
nounces that he is j-et unable to pronounce
confidentially on its nature. His examination
of the subject last j-ear onlj' confirmed what
has long been the experience of nurserj'nien,
that a bud from a peach with the disease carries
the disease with it. He will no doubt con-
clude, as the Conductor of this magazine did
years ago, that the attack of a mushroom,
Agaricus mclleus, on the peach roots, is respon-
sible for the trouble.

The Strawberry Grub. — A correspondent
from Allegheny County, Virginia, writes that
strawberrj' plants, planted from pots, are often
totally destrojred before fall bj' the strawberry
grub. Where there is danger from this trouble
it ought to be easily remedied by dipping the
balls in a solution of paris green before plant-
ing. This remedy, by the way, might be ap-
plied to hyacinths, tulips and other roots
planted in the fall which are liable to be preyed
upon by mice or other rodents. Paris green
will not hurt the roots, while certain death to
the creatures who attempt to feed on the roots
that have been prepared by it.

Hardiness of Peaches. — Over two hun-
dred 3'ears ago the Spaniards introduced the
peach tree into Texas, and seedlings were
raised from these continuoush' until a race has
been produced which appears to be entirely
free from all diseases which seem to be con-
nected with trees raised in other sections.
Seedlings of these old Spanish peaches raise
plants, which side by side with the others, last
a number of j-ears, free from all disease, while
those introduced from the North are short-lived
and soon disappear. There is no doubt, from
these facts, that whole races may become
enervated from some peculiarity in the method
of cultivation, or from conditions of climate.

Colorado Blue Si'rlce. — This is not
alwaj's blue, sometimes quite green, and of
various shades between it, but when deep blue
is a very beautiful evergreen. Especially is it
beautiful in Spring, when the j-oung growth
has a particular shade, in striking contrast
with the foliage of last year. When it was
first discovered in iS6i, on Gray's Peak in
Colorado, by Dr. C. C. Parry, it was supposed
to be identical with the Abies Mcnzicsii of the
Pacific coast. It is now conceded to be distinct,
and named Abies pui/gens. Some that Dr.
Parry collected was sent to Cambridge, and
plants from this seed have been distributed ;
one before me, presented bj' Prof. Sargent, is
probably twenty feet high, and a model of
beauty. It has not, however, shown any sign
of producing cones. Although so closely
allied to the form from the Pacific coast, with
which it was first identified, it is much more
hardy than that species. On the other hand
it grows so comparatively slow, that it will
never achieve the forestr}' reputation which
the form from the Pacific coast has reached.
It is sometimes confused with another blue spe-
cies from the Rocky Mountains, called Abies
Engelmaimi, or the Engelmann spruce. It
can, however, be readily detected, by not having
as sharp leaves as the other, which is called
piingeiis on account of its peculiar sharp-tipped
leaves, and again it can be distinguished by
the growth of the side branches. In the one
known as Colorado Blue Spruce the branches
are perfectly horizontal, while in the Engel-
mann species the branches push out at an angle
of saj- 45 degrees. J. F. M.

A Popular Gooseberry. — An English firm
claims to have sold 270,000 plants of Whind-
hams Industry- gooseberrj-. This.varietj-, like
all of the English breed, does well in Canada,
and the northern portions of the United States,
but requires a shady place or cool soil in order
to keep clear of mildew in the regions where
the summer is hot and long.

(55)

56

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Oct.

Curious Foxgloves. — A correspondent sends
us specimens of a new race of Foxgloves now
attracting attention, in which the terminal
flower has become regular. In the normal
condition the Foxglove has all the flowers irreg-
ular^we give illustrations of both, so that
the differences may be appreciated. It has
already been noted by Mr. David F. Day, a

other row of corn, as soon as they were formed,
leaving the other row only for fertilization,
increased the weight of the crop of seed one-
fourth.

Hand labor is usually too hard to find, or
too costly when found to make it profitable to
follow this practice ; and yet the fact is well
worth remembering.

Best
present

Kib

ABNORMAL
FOX-GLOVE

-■ . Tr>i

botanist of Buffalo, that when irregular flowers
become erect, they usually acquire regular
habits. Irregularity and a drooping character
go together in plants as among men.

Removing Tassels from Corn. — Mr. I. P.
Roberts of the Michigan Agricultural College
found that removing the tassels from every

Time for Pruning Trees. — "As at
informed I would advise those who are
compelled to remove large limbs
from trees to do it in September,
and of course protect the knot. In
sawing logs and splitting wood I
found some knots of removed limbs
rotted in the trees, and others dried
and remained sound even when the
knots had not been protected. Per-
haps the knot had better not be
painted, or otherwise protected, till
it has had time to dry, on the
principle that wood rapidly decays
if its pores are stopped up by paint
before the wood is dried.

J. D. Lvman"
Exeter, New Hampshire.

Planting Peach Trees in Fall.— " Please
inform me if peach trees can be safely trans-
planted in the fall in Western Pennsylvania, as
regards growth, ;if well planted and the soil
banked up around them, and mulched with
strawy manure. Walter M. Hill,"

Mt. Oliver, Pa.

[Most trees do as well or better planted when
the leaves change color, as in spring,— but the
peach tree seems to lose its sap by cold winds
faster than the roots can supply the waste.
We have not thought best to advise fall plant-
ing peach trees, unless they are severely
pruned. — Conductor.]

Russian Apples.— The apple trees of our
gardens generally do not prove entirely hardy
in Canada. The Canadians are continually ex-
perimenting very largely with Russian varie-
ties. These have been found to endure the
climate very well indeed, but none of them
seem to be anywhere near in quality to the
usual variety of our gardens. J- F. M.

1 89 1]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY^GENERAL GARDENING.

57

Management of Grape-vines. — One of
the most novel points brought out at the meet-
ing of the State Board of Agriculture at
Gettysburg, was by Dr. Powell of New
York, President of the Combined Farmers ' In-
.stitutes. He called attention to the fact that
all vines were more floriferous and fruitful
after they had reached the end of what they
were growing on, and had the opportunity of
suspending some of their branches. He would
therefore train a vine along a single wire or
trellis line, and then allow the fruiting
branches to hang pendent, bearing their fruit
bunches on these hanging branches. It may
be noted that this is all in the line of observa-
tions that have been made on plant growth
during the last few 3'ears.

Abies Concolor. — Prof Lemmon has come
to the conclusion that the Colorado form of
this plant and the Pacific form are entitled to
specific distinctions. He maintains for the
Colorado species the name of Abies concolor,
and for the Pacific species Abies Lowiana.
He proposes for the Colorado species the ver-
nacular name of Colorado Fir. We remember
that the same species from the Pacific and from
Colorado, vary very much in hardiness ; the
former being tender, while the latter is per-
fecth' hard}- in the Eastern States. The com-
mon name proposed is a very good i ne as it
would indicate at once that we are cultivating
the hardier variety.

Cactuses. — There are societies nowadays of
all sorts of things, but the last thing to be
thought of would be a society to encourage
the cultivation of cactuses, yet this is the title
of an organization that has been formed in
Baltimore. After all, it is a very meritorious
society. There are few things more interest-
ing than cactuses. As a general thing nearly
all of them have gay flowers, although bloom-
ing but a few days or weeks in the year ; and
when we come to their cultivation, although
many persons think it must be very easy,
there are few things which are more thank-
ful for good culture than plants of this family.

Crinkle Root. — A correspondent from
Rochester inquires what is the botanical name
of a plant known under the above title ? We
have never heard of it.

Magnolia Hvpoluca. — We have this in
flower from a seed given the conductor a few
j'ears ago by Mr. Peter Henderson, and which
appears to be correctly named. The flower is
smaller than the Afagtiolia pari'iflora, which
Mr. Parsons exhibited for the first time last
year. The habit of the tree is somewhat that
of the Magnolia tripctcla, but the general char-
acters would indicate a closer relationship to
the ear-leaved magnolia. Magnolia Frazeri.
On our grounds it comes into blooming just
after those two species have gone. The flower
is of a creamy white, with pink stamens, which
give it a distinct appearance. J. F. M. .

FOX-GLOVE, NORMAL CO N D ITI O N - -se e page se

A Gardenia on the Grave. — A pathetic
incident in the history of the Austrian coun-
tess, who for love of the Crown -Prince com-
mitted suicide with him, is the last dying re-
quest to her intimate friend that on that day
annually she should place a Gardenia flower
on her grave. It is said life is made up of in-
consistencies. Here is a case where one has
a bosom friend to whom she unveils her in-
most secrets, whom she does not want to be
away from, and by whom never forgotten — and
yet deliberately separates herself, and places
herself on the high road to forgetfulness. It
is useless to moralize on these inconsistencies.
Should even the besom friend be struck by the
inconsistency, the Gardenia flower will prob-
ably go on the grave all the same as it should
do.

58

MEEHANS' MONTHLY GENERAL GARDENING.

[Oct.

Plants with Berries. — One never tires of
reading about the Holly, and chiefly from the
numerous associations connected with its bright
red berries, and bright green winter leaves.
One cannot alwa3'S have this happily sugges-
tive plant at hand, but there are good substi-
tutes. One of the prettiest of these is an
African plant Ardisia cyeitulata, which, among
a collection recently exhibited bj' H. A. Dreer,
was especially striking. It is rather an old
occupant of greenhouses, — but is so easilj'
grown, that it makes one of the prettiest win-
dow ornaments iniag.nable.

ARDISIA CHENULATA. BERRIES RED

Currants. — The wild currants of California,
manj- of them with beautiful flowers, do not
thrive well in Atlantic States. The garden
currant, like the native, does remarkably well
in California. Hundreds of acres are devoted
to currant culture. In one count}' alone in
California, it is estimated that ii,ooo chests of
I20 pounds, were the product for the season.
These bring 3 '3 c. a pound at wholesale. In
man}' parts of California they are sold at
2^ c. per pound, at a great profit. This very
fact shows how enormously the currant must
be cultivated in that region. J. F. M.

Large Pears. — In some parts of the conti-
nent they are comparing notes to find who has
the heaviest pears. Californians so far con-
tend that thej' get the heaviest, but the Texans
boast that the}- can produce the Le Conte to
the weight of 27 ounces. This is probably as
heavy as any Californian pear.

Bouvardias.— All the treatises on this plant
in the old world speak of raising them from
cuttings. This would be a slow way in Amer-
ica, where the plants are raised by the thou-
sands for winter flowering. Here they are
very easily propagated by cutting up pieces of
the roots, cutting the roots into small pieces
of one-half inch in size ; and no one ever thinks
of raising them from cuttings. The pieces are
usually cut up in autumn, and one might say-
sowed like seed in large flat boxes, and put
into a little heat. They are fine plants by
spring, and after remaining a short time they
are transplanted in small pots. They are
planted in the open ground about the middle
of Maj'. Earl}' in the autumn they are moved
with a ball of earth, and planted in shallow
benches of soil, and in this way are very
easily raised and cultivated. J. F. M.

Perennials. — In the cultivation of hardy
perennial plants it must be remembered that
numbers of them grow naturally in the partial
shade afforded by woods or thickets, or in
most garden places where the soil never gets
dry. When these are removed to the open
garden they have more difficulty in maintain-
ing their existence, although they will do so
pretty well generally for a year or two. It is
wise to raise new plants occasionally from
seed, in order to take the place of those which
die for want of energy. T. B. M.

P'orestry. — There are many miles of ex-
cellent forest timber in the vicinity of Bigler-
ville, Southern Pennsylvania, which will never
be disturbed by forest fires, in consequence of
cattle raising being carried on in connection
with forestry. Cattle being allowed to graze
under the trees keeps down all underbrush, and
when there is no dead underbrush there can be
no forest fires.

Weeds on L.av.-ns. — A correspondent sends
us specimens of a rank weed called Prince's
Feather, Amayantus reflexus, supposed to be
the Canada thistle, which was feared would
give a great deal of trouble to the lawn. It is
an annual and easily eradicated. All lawns
require hand weeding the same season grass is
sown.

189'.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

59

Tuberous Begonias. — It has been the re-
proach of American florists that they do not
take in hand the improvement of garden iiow-
ers witli the same zeal and energj' exhibited by
foreign florists, — that we have to depend on
Europe for all of these improvements. It is
a pleasure to note the receipt of a magnificent
collection of improved tuberous Begonias from
Thomas Griffin of Westbur^' Station, N. Y.,

flower lovers. There is one morphological
point in connection with these flowers that is
well worthy the attention of botanists. It is
well known that in many cases the doubling of
flowers results from the changing of stamens
to petals. When we saw in this collection of
Mr. Griffin's a number of female flowers which
have no stamens, with comparatively double
blossoms, it occurred to us that probably a

IMPROVED TUBEROUS B

which are some of them five inches across, and
of manj- brilliant colors, from the deepest
crimson to j-ellow, rose and white. It is not
so many years ago since the single form was
introduced from Bolivia, and no one could have
predicted that in so short a time such a mag-
nificent variety could have been raised from it.
They thrive admirably in the open air in our
climate during summer, and this gives them an
additional claim on the attention of American

EGONIA, FLOWER CARMINE

staminal whorl had been developed in these
pistillate flowers, but it was evident that the
doubling in the case of the female flowers
arose from the increase in the number of stj'les,
and that these styles actually ttirned to petals.
So far as we know it is the first case on record
where petals have been formed out of styles,
and this fact will have an important bearing in
botanical science. Some of the doubles were
as full as Camellia balsams.

6o

MEEHAN S MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Oct.-

PrETTy Bind-weeds. — The great popularity
given to the old Ipomiva Bonanox, by simply
calling it "moon-flower, " has brought promi-
nently forward the great beauty of many of its
congeners. What i.s known as the " man of the
earth, " the Iporncea pa>idurata , has been re-
cently given some fancy name, and it is now
going, as the common expression is, " L,ike
wild-fire. " People will give one dollar for an
old plant with a new name, where they would-
n't pay a quarter for it under its old one. Unfor-
tunately some of these beautiful flowers become
permanent pests, and this is the case here, for
the " old man of the earth" has received its
name from the utter impossibility to get rid of
its immense roots. It penetrates the earth
many feet, growing to an enormous size. It
will not be surprisiug if some of these origin-
ators of new names do not soon make a craze
for the white English bindweed. Convolvulus
septum. Its white flo.wers are certainly beau-
tiful, but then its roots are worse than couch
grass. When the plant is once introduced into
gardens, it not only refuses to leave when
ordered, but selfishly pushes out everything
else.

Dandelion Salad. — In the old world
dandelion has been so carefully selected that
there are now many fine varieties, and it is
almost as popular a salad as lettuce or endive.
The endive is an improvement on the com-
mon chicory, and of this also quite a number
of improved varieties have been obtained. The
French call one of these varieties the Barbe de
capucin. Wittloof is the name they give to
another large variety. The roots are sold for
planting in cellars or hot beds, so as to get the
forced article before that from the natural sea-
son comes in. Wittloof is a very broad leaved
kind, and the leaf ribs are considered of more
value as a salad than the leaf blade itself.

J. F. M.

BoLTONi.\ .\STEROiDES. — Much was said in
the chapter on this plant in the September
monthly, in regard to its value as a border
plant. But it has exceeded itself this year.
It made as bright a show among ths herbaceous
plants as anything in its season— ruiddle of
August. As a little later the Aster season
begins, it gives a foretaste of that auti:)r,a
pleasure.

The Apple Scab. — The little black mossy
looking spots that are common on apples
grown in countries or situations not entirelj'
favorable to the apple, is caused by a small
parasitic fungus called Cladosporium dcntriti-
ania. The "crack" in the pear is considered
to be due to another fungus, nearly similar,
but named Cladosporium Pyrinum. The usual
copper solution sprayed over the tree, when the
fruit is a little larger than peas, is said to be a
sure preventative to the operations of these
fungi.

Strawberry Culture, South. — The great
difiiculty in the superior cultivation of fruits
and vegetables in the South is said to be the
want of manure. Cattle are allowed to roam
in winter, as the winters are not severe.
Manure piles of any size are few and far
between. A correspondent of the Country
Gentleman states, the want of ability to enrich
the soil as the Northern grower can do, is a
difiiculty in getting large crops. A thousand
quarts to the acre is the maximum product of
a Southern plantation.

Lily ok the Valley. — There is no error in
believing that the roots of the Lily of the Val-
ley, obtained from Germany, flower stronger,
and make a much brighter show than those
raised in America. We believe, however, that
if attention were turned to their cultivation,
with as much skill as is given to the culture
in Gerrnany, we could raise them just as well
here. Gardening is more of an art with the
Germans than with us. It is skill and not the
climate which makes all the difference.

Mushrooms. — It is surprising, considering
how easy these are to grow when one once
knows the way, that mushrooms are not more
generally cultivated than they are. Every one
likes mushrooms. Almost all think they are
the best of any vegetable. In order to aid
in their cultivation, the eminent horticulturist,
Mr. William Falconer, has written a book on
the subject. T. B. M.

A Large Rose Garden. — The Rochester
Express devotes two columns to the immense
rose garden of Ellwanger & Barry, of that
city. The garden occupies twelve acres.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

CUT LEAVED BEECH ON GROUNDS OF S. S. JACKSON, CI NCI N N ATI.— SEE PAGE 62.

(6i)

62

MEEHANS MONTHLY BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

[Oct.

Henry Shaw. — As most of our readers
know, this gentleman left a large amount of
property in order to establish forever a botanical
garden near St. Louis. A garden which was
to be alike in the interests of horticulture as
well as botany. So many men philanthropi-
cally inclined, leave establishments of this
kind which only lag in usefulness for want of
sufficient funds to maintain them. His far-
sightedness not only established the garden
during his lifetime, and placed it on the basis
that he wanted to continue, but also led him to
invest money in various directions, the pro-
ceeds of which were to maintain the garden on
the grand scale on which he had established it
during his life. Bj- the report of the director
of the garden, just issued, we iind that the
annual income last year reached the handsome
sum of $120,841.93. A public spirited citizen,
who is able not only to leave that which he
desires in the exact condition of usefulness he
wishes it to be, but is also able to leave over
a $100,000 a year to maintain it after it is
established, possesses no ordinar}' wisdom, and
the fact that this garden has been so estab-
lished, and is so well maintained, shows Mr.
Henry Shaw to have been no ordinary man.

J. C. Schmidt. — In our Julj' number was
briefly noted the death of this head of the
great Prussian firm of Henr^- Schmidt. We
learn from a correspondent in Monrovia, that
his death was rather a sad one. He had been
stricken with light paralysis, and went to that
part of Africa in the full belief that sun baths
in that clime would certainly produce a cure.
Our correspondent aided him to one of these
" baths " on the hot burning sand, where he
insisted on lying in the full blast of the sun.
They proved disastrous instead of beneficial,
and he was hastilj- removed to Teneriffe, dying
in one week after his last "bath."

J. M. Trowbridge. — Mr. Trowbridge is the
author of a useful little work called the
" Cider Makers' Hand Book, " in which every-
thing relating to the manufacture of cider is
treated of. It is not a large work, covering
over 117 pages, but it contains a much fuller
account of the manufacture of cider than many
a much larger work. It is indeed one of the
best treatises on that subject that has come
before us.

Audubon. — A New York paper remarks that
" it is perfectly extraordinary that not even a
head-stone marks the grave of the great
naturalist, Audubon, buried in Trinity Church
Cemetery, in this city. There is a committee,
with Prof. Thomas Egleston of this city as
chairman, trying to collect money for a suitable
monument from the scientific men in the
country ; but they are not rich and the monu-
ment lags. New Yorkers ought to do it, with
a good subscription from Trinity Church. "

The great trouble with these things is that
too expensive monuments are projected. One
who did so much for the lovers of nature as
Audubon should have some mark of respect,
but there is no reason why it should be costly.
Five hundred dollars would build a monument
wholly worthy of such a good naturalist as
Audubon, and New York would do this in a
few hours if it were properly asked.

S. S. J.\CKSON. — Possibly the oldest living
nurseryman in the whole Union is S. S. Jack-
son, of Cincinnati. He was born in Philadel-
phia August 22, 1S03, — his father and mother
being also natives of that city.

Cincinnati was largely settled by Philadel-
phians, as was many parts of Ohio Mr. J.
was one of the earliest to create a love for trees
and flowers which has made that city famous
among garden lovers, — and his grounds con-
tain many specimens of beauty unequalled in
the State. We give with this an illustration
of a fern-leaved, or as it is sometimes called,
the cut-leaved Beech, which is among Mr.
Jackson's choicest treasures.

T. V. Munson. — An exchange says that one
of the recreations indulged in by this Texan
gentleman is the hj'bridizing of different
species of grapes. He has already fruited a
number raised in this way. There has been
no one in the South engaged in this work since
Dr. Wylie of Chester, South Carolina, did this
good work a number of years ago. Instead
there have been few in this field, Mr. Rogers of
Salem, Mass., and Jacob Moore of Rochester,
being the only other prominent ones. Most
of our improved grapes are mere accidents.
It is a great field for usefulness, and we can
all wish Mr. IMunson every success.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

63

A. Blanc. — There are few things more inter-
esting from many points of view than the very
large tribe of plants known as Cactuses. Nur-
series, as a general rule, cannot keep them for
sale at profitable prices, because so few are sold
in comparison to the large number they have
to keep on hand. It is therefore a great public
service when any one person enters into the
field to keep and offer for sale collections of
them. One of these public benefactors is Mr.
A. Blanc, of Philadelphia. Mr. Blanc com-
menced to keep Cactuses simply for the love
of them. He formed, as an amateur, a very
large collection. It was not long before in-
quiries came to him requesting him to part
with them. Little b}- little, therefore, he has
had to enter the field, in a measure, as a
dealer in Cacti. His collection is really one of
the finest in the United States. It is an ex-
tremely difficult family to get the names of
properl}', and it is one of the merits of Mr.
Blanc's collection, that he takes every pains to
get the names of his plants correctly. Al-
though one frequentl}' hears the saying that
a plant will grow as easy as a Cactus, it is bj'
no means an easy thing to grow them properly.
Mr. Blanc's experience as a specialist in this
line is therefore particularly valuable. He has
recently issued a little work, entitled "Hints
on Cacti," which, considering his long experi-
ence, will certainly be of great value to those
who are interested in this particular class of
plants.

Dr. H. N. Harkness. — The April number
of Zoe has a portrait and sketch of the life of
this gentleman, distinguished as the President
of the California Academy of Sciences of San
Francisco, and well known in connection with
the study of the lower Cryptogamic plants.
He was born in Pelham, Massachusetts, May
25th, 182 1, and took a degree of medicine in
the Berkshire Medical College in 1847, and in
1849 he joined a party crossing the continent,
reaching California after a tedious journe}'. In
1869 he retired from practice with a competency,
and has since devoted his whole life to the
advancement of science. He was the first
President in 1853 of the local Board of Educa-
tion at Sacramento. His collection of the
Lower Cryptogams exceeded 10,000 species,
which great treasure he has recently conveyed
to the Academy.

Gen. Ricasoli. — The " Gardener's Chron-
icle" refers to this eminent man, whose sudden
death has recently been recorded, the title of
" father of horticulture in Italy. " It is said
that not merely horticulturists, but botanists
and scientific men in every direction, regret
his decea.se. In early life he was passionately
fond of all the natural sciencts, but especially
of botany. He was particularly instrumental
in the introduction of the Chrj'santhemum to
Italy, which occurred about 1835 ; that is to
say, the improved forms of the Chrysanthe-
mum. As a military man he was known as
equally eminent as a horticulturist and bot-
anist, as he fought on the Plains of Lombardy
in 184S and '49, and also in the campaign in
Sardinia, and with the Italian contingent in
the Crimea. He was the first to introduce
agricultural machinery on to his Italian farms,
and it is chiefly through his endeavor, batt'ing
against all kinds of prejudices, that Italy to-
day is as prosperous through its improved
machinery and agriculture. He was particu-
larly interested in the planting of vineyards,
and improvement of the grape. Many of the
advances in wine culture in Italy during the
last twenty years are attributed to him.

Cardinal Haywald. — A number of digni-
taries in the Roman Catholic Church have
been prominent in Botanical Science. The
Abbe Cavanilles of Madrid, told us so much
about Mexican and other plants, at the begin-
ning of the present century, that his works are
standard authorities to-day. The monk Bar-
relius left a whole monument in his Icones.
The Gardener's Clironicle says that the re-
cently deceased prelate. Cardinal Haywald, was
among the foremost of Italian botanists. The
beautifiul Cypripedium Haywaldi, was named
in his honor as a botanist.

" By this, the boy that b^' her side lay kiU'd
Was melted like a vapour from her sight,
And in his blood that on the ground lay spill 'd
A purple flower sprung up, chequcr'd with white,
Rcseuiljling well his pale cheeks, and the blood
Which in round drops upon their whiteness
stood."

A question has arisen as to what flower
Shakespeare had in mind when writing the
above in " Venus and Adonis. English com-
mentators make it one of their wild Anemones,
but Venus and Adonis could hardly be Sus-
pected of walking the woods of Britain.

GENERAL NOTES.

Mbehans' Monthly. — As the preservation
of the expensive colored plate is a matter of
first-class importance unusual in magazines of
this class, we have had much difficulty in so
arranging matters with the post-ofiice authori-
ties. Our paste-board roll made it unmail-
able as second-class, and we had to pay two
cents postage on every copy sent, a cost we
could not stand. We then introduced the
paste-board sheets to prevent folding in the
mail, — but this was "not part of the maga-
zine, " and still kept us out of mailing rules.
The thick cover we have now introduced
satisfies the government officials, and hence-
forth we can send at usual magazine postage
rates.

Should any carrier fold the copy during
delivery, a note to your post master will cor-
rect it.

We trust our efforts to place in the hands of
the public, plates at a cost so low as never
before to have been attempted either in this
countrj' or in the old world, will bring to us
friends everywhere to make our work known,
and to save us from pecuniary loss. Of course
the circulation in three short months cannot be
up to the mark of safety to us, — but it is a great
pleasure to say that the result so far has fully
equalled anticipation. If our friends continue
to help us in the ne.xt twelve months as they
have done the past three, we shall be well
satisfied.

English Names of Flowers. — " In 3'our
September number 3'ou say editoriallj' :

' We do not know but it will be as well to call
it Hesse's Weeping Lawson Cypress. In this
part of the world we want names for everj'day
use. '

So this 100,000,000, English-speaking people
say AiiEN. with fervent unction.

Botanical text books in an unknown tongue
form an impassable barrier which stands be-
tween the American people and a knowledge
of that most delightful of sciences.

(64)

In behalf of unnumbered millions who speak
English only but nevertheless love flowers and
would know them better I tearfully ask, must
this barrier always stand ?

Dudley W. Adams,

Tangerine, Fla. ' '

[Botanical names, as now employed, are
regarded by botanists as a necessity in S3-stem-
atic work. The3' do not object to an English
name when it becomes universally accepted,
such as Sweet William, Pan.sy, etc., but wel-
come them as readily as the " common
people. " — Conductor.]

Encouraging Words. — One of the pleasures
connected with our efforts is the encouraging
words accompanj'ing so many subscriptions.
The following from the respected President of
the American Pomological Societj', is a type in
condensed form, of many more freely ex-
pressed :

Augusta, Ga., August 4, 1891.
Messrs. Thom.\s Meehan and Sons,
My' Dear Sirs. — I am glad of an opportunitj'
to secure such a valuable magazine as
" Meehans ' Monthly'," and enclose $2.00
for my subscription.

You have, in your publication, added a most
interesting contribution to sesthetic Horticul-
tural lore and made many of our wild products
appear in an artistic and new light.

With best wishes I am yours sincerely,

P. J. Berkmans.

Our Next Plate. — Our western readers
will be glad to know that we have selected for
our next chief illustration one of the most
beautiful of the wild flowers of the prairies,
Lepachys cohimuaris.

We shall close the first volume of six parts
with a representative of Canada and the North-
eastern States.

;RicDLTr

Vol. I

Plate 5

Lepachys golumnaris

LEPACHYS COLUMNARIS.

COLUMNAR LEPACHYS.

NATURAL ORDER, COMPOSIT.E.

LEPACHYS coLUMXARis, Torrey & Gray.— Strigose scabrous, branched from the base, one to two feet high ; radical leaves
usually undivided, s])atulate-lanceolate. cauliue ones pinnately parted, the upper sessile, segments linear lanceolate or
oblong, rigid, mucronulate, entire, rarely somewhat lobed ; disk columnar, longer than the five to eight oblong or obo-
vate-oval, recurved yellow rays ; chaff with woolly tips. Disk one inch or more long. (Porter's Flora of Colorado. See
also Torrey & Gray's Flora of North America.)

There are few more interesting studies con-
nected with wild flowers than the geograph3" of
plants. Plants are essentially travelers. Not
even the most steadiU' disposed remains per-
petually in one place. The bulb produces a
bulblet at its side, beneath or above it, and then
dies, leaving vacant the spot which it occupied.
Sometimes the plant travels fa.ster by offsets, or
runners, and is still wider distributed b}' buds or
seeds. It is only a question of time for the
slowest plants to advance to immense distan-
ces, and we may reasonably conclude that no
species of plant has been ahva3-s in the loca-
tion where we now find it. There is, of course,
a retrogression as well as an advance, and the
same ground maj' have been occupied and re-
occupied a number of times. It is just possi-
ble that a species abundant in any one loca-
tion may always have been there from its first
appearance on the earth, but bearing in mind
the known essential character of a plant to
travel, we may reasonably believe the proba-
bilities to be against that conclusion, and
hence the effort to trace the plant to its origi-
nal home is clothed with peculiar interest.
There are many agencies by which plants travel,
independently of those which are parts of their
own natures. Animals carry both the plants
themselves and their seeds, and the winds and
waters are ever at work on the task of distri-
bution. Rivers especiall}- have a very import-
ant part, and the plant-geographer generally
finds the range of a species much greater in
the line of a stream than in lateral directions.
As to where any one species first made its ap-
pearance, nothing has yet been discovered.
There is reason to believe that they did not ap-

pear simultaneouslj', — some are certainly more
recent than others ; but though new species are
continually being discovered, no one has yet
been found that could be pronounced a modern
creation in the sense the average mind would
understand by modern times. But though this
field of study seems hopelesslj' impenetra-
ble, the earnest student is often furnished with
glimpses of the interior, and which keep himi
in hopes of a better reward some day. Our
present plant, Lepachys columnaris, is one of
these welcome aids in these interesting re-
searches. It was first discovered by Bradbury
or Nuttall, most probably the former, in the
lower portion of what was once the great Mis-
souri Territory-, and which embraced at one time
nearly all the land we now possess between the
Mississippi and the Rocky mountains ; but
since that time it has been found by almost
every Government expedition along the lines
of most of the streams examined. Thus one
reports it as found on "the Upper Canadian ;"
another, " prairies along the Canadian ;" anoth-
er, in the "Upper Arkansas," and as we pro-
ceed along almost every river that runs into
the Missouri up to its very source the Lepachys
is found. And it exists on the high prairie
ridge which divides the waters of the South
from those flowing north, and the plant follows
the Saskatchawan in its northeast course to-
wards Hudson's Bay. A plant which had its
ancient home in a warm climate would be able
to resist but ver}' little cold, and its northward
travels be limited b}' the winter temperature.
It is therefore probable that the Lepachys sprang
first into life in the Upper Missouri region, and
then spread north and south through the river

(65)

66

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— LEPACHVS COLUMNARIS.

[Nov.

agencies chiefl3', and, once established in new
localities, spread east and west, meeting each
colony from side to side.

We nia}' now say a few words on its botani-
cal history. As already noted, the seeds were
probably collected by Bradbury, who supplied
Mr. Nuttall with many seeds and plants of his
collecting beyond the Missouri, and the seeds
were given by Mr. Nuttall to Mr. Frazer, an
English nurseryman, who flowered it in Eng-
land about 1813. Pursh, in his Flora of Norih
America, issued in 18 14, refers to it, probably
having seen the plant at Frazer's, as he was then
in England preparing his work. It was however
at this time known as a Rudbeckia, and it is
described in Nuttall's Genera of North Ameri-
can Plants as Rudbeckia coliaimaiis. In 1819
Rafinesque, who with many eccentricities, had
a wonderful power of discrimination, made
several new genera out of the old one of Rud-
beckia, and in a French magazine, ih^ fournal
of Physic, described two of them, one Rutibida
and Lcpachys. Botanists who succeeded him
did not recognize his distinctions, and we find
in many authors who succeeded him Lepachys
and Rutibida given as synonj-ms. Torrev and
Gray seem to have been the first to recognize
the validity of the genus Lepacliys, and it is
now generally accepted. Our plant was in
Rafincsque's genus Rutibida, which is not re-
garded as distinct from Lepac/iys, and was Rut-
ibida sulcata.

The name Lepachys is derived from the
•Greek, lepis, a scale, and stachys, thick, accord-
ing to Dr. Asa Gray, which the thickened apex
of the chaffy scale of the receptacle (see a. a.
Figs. 3 and 4), may be regarded as appropri-
ate. Many of the genera allied to Rudbeckia
have, however, hard and peculiar chaflFy scales,
and the variations in these scales are taken
into material consideration in analyzing the
generic relations of this group of composite.

In this genus the scale almost encloses the
flower in its younger condition, as represented
in Fig. 4. In Fig. 3 we have the scale (a)
removed, affording a good view of the imma-
ture achene with its pretty vase-like corolla,
the united short and thick mass of stamens and
the two branches of the pistil with their thick-
ened apices. Almost all composite plants
have their little flowers or florets, very beauti-
ful in form when seen somewhat magnified ;
but this one, though rather heavy in appear-
ance, is by no means unworthy of admiration
by the art critic.

The plant varies verj' remarkably in some
localities, so much so, in fact, that before the
lines of variation in this species were known,
some of these forms were thought to be good
species, and have had distinct names. Some-
times the receptacle with the disk flowers,
which in the illustration herewith is long
and slender, is short and almost globose. In
others the ray florets are much shortened and
are of a much darker color. Indeed, in some
cases the flower reminds one of the common
French marigold of gardens, and, once thought
to be a species, was named Lepachys Tagetes,
in accordance with the resemblance.

Torrey & Gray say the disk has the odor of
anise when bruised, and the bruised leaves
have in some slight degree the same character.
But the plant is not known to have any use
in the arts. As a hardy perennial border flow-
er, it is, however, very welcome. It has the
excellent character of taking care of itself,
though wdth little encouragement from the
florist ; and when once it commences to bloom
in July, it continues through the whole sum-
mer season.

Explanation of the Plate. — Upper portions of the
plant growing about a foot high, from Kansas specimens.
2. Flower over-blown. 3. Floret divested of its encircling
scale (a). 4. Unopened floret enclosed by scale (a).

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

PRIMEVAL CHURCHES.

The groves were God's first temples,

Ere man learned

To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave

And spread the rod above them ; ere he framed

The lofty vanlt to gather and roll back,

The sound of anthems, — in the darkling wood.

Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down

And offered to the mightiest solemn thanks

And supplication. Bryant.

Poisonous Parsnips. — It seems a matter of
surprise that so wholesome a vegetable as the
parsnip should sometimes be poisonous. Every
spring we have accounts in the dail}' papers of
parties meeting their death through eating
them. Late this spring an account came of
three young men of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., ate
them, supposing they were artichokes ; one of
whom died a short time afterwards. To those
not acquainted with the actual facts, it is diffi-
cult to believe that the parsnip really causes
the troubles. It has frequentlj' been attributed
to other plants, of which the well-known Hem-
lock of Socrates, is a member. In order to test
the matter accurately, the writer sent to the
authorities of a town in which some children
were said to have died from eating parsnips, to
get some of the roots for a direct examination.
In one case the roots sent to us had the marks
of the teeth of the children who had eaten of
other portions of the root, showing conclusively
that that was the root of which the children had
eaten. Planting these roots, including that of
the one that was partly eaten, and waiting for
its growth, it was fotind to be the true parsnip.
Just why the parsnip in its early stage should
be poisonous, and not .so at other times, re-
mains to be investigated ; but that it is really
the parsnip that has caused this trouble, is
without the shadow of a doubt.

Red Snow. — The rare phenomenon of red
snow occurred the past spring at Salt Lake
City. This is caused by the development of a
minute fungus which likrs to germinate in
snow under favorable conditions called Proto-
coccus nivalis.

The Structure of Ferns. — When flowering
plants usually make seed, that is generally the
last effort of plant life, — the seed is the begin-
ning of the life of the new plant. Ferns, how-
ever, only produce spores for reproductive pur-
poses. These spores germinate, and go through
the same process subsequently that flowers go
through in the production of seeds. The spores
expand when the germinating time comes, and
form a flat green membrane ; what are then
really the flowers appear on this membrane.
As a general rule, after these fern flowers have
matured, the membrane dries up and disap-
pears. In one family of ferns, however,
natives of New Holland, named Plafy cerium,
this green blade is permanent and continues
to enlarge, becoming really a portion of the
plant. Every year a new blade is formed,
which spreads over the old ones. The large
plant is of a totally different character, having
the fronds of ordinary ferns. The illustra-
tion which we give on page 77 explains what
has been written. The green membranes are
growing over the wooden block, and the fern
proper can be seen growing from the centre.
This particular species is P. alcicome, or, as it
is commonly known in cultivation, the stag's
horn fern. Among flowering planis there is
the analog}' of some plants having permanent
cotyledons. These membranes are not the
exact analogies of cotyledons, but they serve
to illustrate the points made in this paragraph.

Eriogonum Haussknechtii. — European
botanists seem to have got ahead of the botan-
ists of the Pacific coast, by discovering a new
species of Eriogonum, a very large western
genus. One under the above name is dis-
covered and figured in a recent number of the
German Gartenflora. The flower stems are
very short, not longer than the diameter of
the head, which is about one inch. It was
received from Mt. Hood in Oregon, bj* Dr.
Dieck, from his collector, Dr. Haussknecht.
after whom the species is named.

(67J

68

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Nov.

Fire Weeds. — After forest fires numerous
plants spring up in numbers that were not
seen before. They are called "fire weeds."
In New Jersey, and probably elsewhere, the
' ' fire weed " is a composite allied to the Sen-
ecio class, called Erecthtitcs liicracifolia . It
has no beauty. But beauty is characteristic of
the Northern fire weed, which is Epilobium
angustifoliiim. Its beautiful rosy flowers form
one of the prettiest effects in New England for-
est scenery.

A singular fact connected with this skunk-
cabbage is in regard to the odor from which it
derives its specific name. It has been supposed
that this odor is given to the flowers for the
purpose of attracting carrion flies, and thereby
securing cross fertilization. The author of the
paper in the Academy's proceedings states,
however, that the flowers are absolutel}' odor-
less, and that the fetid character rises from the
plant only when the flowers or leaves are broken
or bruised.

The Double Skunk-cabbage. — The calla
lily of our greenhouses is occasionallj' seen
with a double spathe,
and is regarded as a
great curiosity. The
skunk-cabbage of our
eastern swamps, Syni-
plocarpus fatidus is a
close ally of the calla
lily, but no record has
been made that any one
lias ever been found
louble. In the Proceed-
ings of the Academy of
] Natural Sciences just
issued, one is recorded
as having been lound
near Philadelphia. We
give an illustration
showing the two spa-
thes cut through verti-
cally, in order the better
to show their conforma-
tion. It is a remark-
able fact that the same
plant, common in the Eastern States, is also a
native of Japan, and in a Japanese work on
botany, called the " Phonzo Zoufou," there is
one figured with two spathes ; the outer spathe
is a purplish violet, with orange stripes within,
and darker lines without ; the smaller spathe
in the interior is striped with white and having
a greenish border. The botanical explanation
of these double spathes is, that the whole
flower stalk is made up of a mass of leaves
united together, the leaf stalks forming the
solid stem, and the blades forming the spathes.
In these double instances two of the combined
leaf stalks have produced these blades instead
of only one as usual.

DOUBLE SKUNK-
CABBAGE.

Boundaries Between Anijl\ls and Vege-
tables.— A correspondent from the Botan-
ical Department of the University of Blin-
nesota, criticises the expression on page 21,
where, speaking of the toad-stool plant, we
say, "and yet such is the unity of plan in
nature, there are dividing lines, when one may
be well doubtful to which great famih' some
questionable subject should be referred. "
This is, of course, a specimen of slovenly
writing, for if there is an apparent dividing
line it would then be easy to properly refer
the questionable subject. It was intended to
say, that there was no exact dividing line.
We are very glad that correspondents take on
themselves to suggest such corrections as this,
as it is a point with the conductors, that the
magazine should be scrupulously accurate,
and we alwaj-s regret when, for want of care in
properly constructing a sentence, or from some
other weakness, matters are not presented in
their true light ; and besides, it shows a special
interest by our readers in the work, when they
watch everything so closely.

The Tomato. — Few persons know the origin
of this common name. It originated in this
vv'ay : the earlier experimenters with the fruit
believed that it had a great effect on the
spleen, — that is to say, it made persons liable
to crossness, good natured, — gave them, so to
speak, a lovely disposition, and for this reason
the plant was known to the ancient Spaniards
as the Love-Apple. By the name of Love-
Apple it is still known in many English
speaking countries. The word tomato is der-
ived from the same source, that is to say, from
the original Latin word amo, to love, although
we use it now as a Spanish derivative ; tomato
being a Spanish expression.

I89I.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

69

Reproduction of Ferns. — The progress of
knowledge regarding plants and flowers can
onl3' be appreciated by comparing what we
now know with but a few years ago. When
Linnaeus formed his sexual system of botany
he knew nothing of the nature of ferns in this
respect. He called the class he formed for
them Ctyptogamia, because of the hidden con-
dition in which this branch of knowledge
was. To-day we call the study of this branch
Oyptogamic Bot'^-ny. But in 1S44, a German
botanist discovered that they had reproduc-
tive characters in common with other plants.
Since then experimenters have raised innumer-
able hybrids, thus giving practical effect to
the theoretical discovery.

Fragrant Wood. — Few of our native trees
have odoriferous wood like the sandal wood of
the islands in the Indian Ocean ; but a few of
the coniferje on the Pacific slope have sweet
scented woods. The fine church at Metlakatla
built by the civilized Indians of Alaska, is as
fragrant as if incense was continually floating
through the air, from the wood of the great
Arbor ]'itce — Thuja gigantea — of which it is
built. Libocedi'HS decurrens, found further
south, is known as " Incense cedar " from its
fragrance. The yellow cypress, Cupressiis
Nutkac?isis, and the INIontere}- cyjiress, Cupres-
siis macrocarpa have also scented wood. In
the Atlantic States red cedar and arbor vita
have scented wood.

Early Spring Flowers of California. —
A correspondent of Garden and Forest from
Ukiah, California, gives the following as among
the earliest blooming wild iiowers of that sec-
tion : Arctostaphylos i\fe7isiesii — the manzanita,
Dodecatheon Meadia, the American Cowslip,
Cardamine paiisiseeta and C. angnlata — two of
the water-cress famiU-, the California butter-
cup— Ranunculus inacrantkus, and Fritillaria
lanceolata, and one of the "painted cups, "
Castilleja pannflora.

My Lady's Wash Bowl. — Mrs. E. L. H.
Willis says, this is the common name in the
South for the Saponaria officinalis. In this
part of the world its common name is ' ' Boun-
cing Betsy. ' '

Fly Catching Plants. — A number of plants
have long been known as possessing viscid
secretions whereby insects are caught ; others
have particular arrangements for capturing
them ; one of the most remarkable being the
Venus fly trap of North Carolina. The ends
of the leaf blades are like an old-fashioned rat-
trap, and like a rat-trap they close when any-
thing falls between. We give, herewith, an
illustration of the plant. Mr. Darwin was the
first to prove that the viscid secretions acted
like the digest ferment in animals, and in this
waj' plants make use of the insects caught as
food. From this circumstance the class has
been called carnivorous plants, or flesh eating

DION/EA MUSCIPULA--veNUS' FLYTRAP.

plants. Mr. William Canby, of Wilmington,
proved this in a very conclusive manner.
Small pieces of meat were given the plant to
catch, and small pieces of meat placed on a
board ; the meat on the plant wasdisolved, and
disappeared long before 'that on the board,
showing that the plant actually consumed
the food. Attention has recently been called
to this plant again by some additional observa-
tions of great interest, made by Dr. McFarlane
of Edinborough, Scotland, before the American
Association at its last meeting at Washington.
The Doctor showed that some kinds of mater-
ial were more sensitive to the leaf blades than
others. The whole paper was of great interest,
and its publication in full will be eagerly
looked for.

The Chinese Sacred Lily. — This is said
to be one of the numerous forms of Narcissus
Tazetta.

70

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Nov.

Regular Flowers. — In our last we called
attention to a remarkable fact, first brought
prominently to note by Mr. David F. Day, of
Buffalo, that irregular flowers were usually
pendulous on the flower stalk. We have seen
strong confirmation that irregularity and cur-
vature are closely related, by the fact that when
such flower stalks become erect, as they occa-
sionally do, the irregular flower becomes
regular. We have seen a remarkable instance
of this in the well-known greenhouse plant
called Gesneria oblongata . The first flower that
opens in the raceme, that is to say, the terminal
one, is almost always erect, and then perfectly

Heteromeles arbutifolia. — This is one
of the most beautiful of the wild shrubs of
California. The berry-laden branches enter
into Christmas festivities as the holly does
elsewhere. It is closely related to the Haw-
thorn family, and critics will possibly object
to the people calling these haws berries. It has
a number of common names in California
which attest its popularity ; pigeon berry,
red berry, Christmas berry, holly, red holh-,
thorn apple, are some of them. A correspon-
dent of Rural Press, suggests the Indian
name Toyon as better than any.

GLOXINIA, — UPRIGHT FLOWER.

regular. The Gloxinia is a case in point. The
erect forms are always regular, as in the ac-
companying illusti'ation, only the drooping
ones are irregular. We recur to the matter
again because it is one which the young bota-
nist, who loves to study the behavior of living
plants, will find great pleasure in investigating.
The subject is almost wholly new, and there is
a wide field for interesting discoveries.

Hickory Sprouts. — Edward Bancroft, Sou-
derton. Pa., inquires "whether it is a common
thing for the shellbark hickory to send up
numerous suckers." It is so very unusual,
that we should suspect young seedlings had
inarched with the main roots. This inarching
of roots is extremely common.

Chestnut Trees in Rhode Island. — The
progress of civilization, by which land is re-
deemed from the wild forest, is often so unfa-
vorable to the preservation of the wild flora as
frequently to entirely eradicate some species.
A correspondent of Garden and Forest, shows
certainly that in the early history of Rhode
Island, the chestnut was a striking element in
its flora, though none are found in the Island
now. The name Rhode Island, according to
the same correspondent, is derived from the red
clay giving to the Island a reddish tint, and
hence in German " Roodt E3'landt."

Indian Creeper. — Mrs. E. L. H. Willis
tells us that what we term in the North trumpet
vine, or trumpet creeper, is known in some
parts of Georgia and South Carolina as Indian
creeper. Botanically it is Bignonia radicans.
The late Dr. Berthold Seemann had been study-
ing this plant just before he died, and contended
there were two species well distinguished by
the seeds. He also thought that under the
"law of priority" the genus should be called
Campsis and not Bignonia.

Fasting Fish. — It is said that a number of
of the larger fish never eat anything when
traveling up rivers to deposit spawn, at least
nothing is found in them when caught. As
the period of the year is about the time of
Lent, they probably have respect for the oc-
casion.

Azalea viscosa. — A Chicago correspondent
says that in the vicinity ot Nantucket the
Azalea viscosa is known as "swamp apple. "

GENERAL GARDENING.

PLANTING OF THE APPLE TREE.

Come let us plant the apple tree ;
Cleave the tough green sward with the spade ;

Wide let its hollow bed be made ;
Then gently lay the roots, and then

Sift the dark mould with kindly care,
And press it o'er them tenderly.

As round the sleeping infant's feet
We softly iold the cradle sheet ;

So plant we the apple tree. — Bryant.

The Beauty of Evergreen Trees. — In
deciduous trees one of the greatest charms is
the broad head ; the wider the spread of the
branches, the greater is our estimate of the
tree's beauty. In the coniferous evergreen, our
views are reversed ; its chief beauty consists
in the broad spread of its lower branches, al-
though when .some of these coniferous trees
become aged, there is considerable beauty in
the broad spread of the heads, which they
then assume. This is perhaps especially true
in Cedar of Lebanon and the Italian Stone
Pine, the broad spread of the heads of which
form such conspicuous objects in Italian
scener3^

Among evergreens which we particularly ad-
mire on account of the broad spread of its
lower branches, the Norway Spruce is a famil"
iar example ; the wider and richer its lower
branches, the more highly we appreciate ; and
when we say that a Norway Spruce is beauti-
ful, we mean especially, that it has vigorous
and richly colored lower branches. This point
is so well appreciated, that we frequently make
efforts to get Norway Spruces in what is called
good shape, by shearing them into thick conic
masses, in which, however, there is no beauty
whatever to the eye of taste. They resemble
far more the little tree toys used by children
than beautiful natural objects.

It is not generally known, however, that
coniferous trees, and Norway Spruces especi-
ally, may be made to throw extra vigor into
the lower branches, and assume a dense mass
of healthy verdure of a nattiral character, by

simply taking out the leading shoot and train-
ing up one of the side branches to occupy the
position as a leader. When this is done no
further trimming or shearing of any kind is
required to produce the den.se mass of vigorous
green lower shoots so desirable. In cutting
back this leader it is best not to take it wholly
out the first year, btit to leave a portion of it
standing as a stump. To this stump then the
lateral branch is tied, — the lateral branch which
is to take the place of the leading shoot finally.
This lateral branch is tied up to the stump and
so remains for a few months or the first year,
when the stump is cut away close to its base.
But i,t soon heals over and the lateral shoot
then remains erect, and forms the ultimate
leading shoot. This check is all that is re-
quired to force the vital power into the lower
side branches. An actual test with knife and
string will explain more particularly how this
is done. Not only the Norway Spruce, but
all pines and firs can be treated in the same
way, and the result of this simple treatment is
specimens of beauty, which could hardly be
appreciated by those who have had no ex-
perience with such work.

This article applies more especially to the
Norway Spruce, because there is an impression
prevailing in some quarters that this Spruce
is not well adapted to our climate, on account
of its getting poor at the base in so many
instances ; but this all comes from not throwing
the vital power into the lower branches in the
early periods of the tree's life. When treated
in the manner described in this chapter, it will
remain a beautiful object during the most of
its existence. It is only when circumstances
unfavorable to the full development of the
lower branches, either by poverty of the soil,
crowding, exposure to winds, or by allowing
the heavier top branches to overcome by their
strength the lower ones, that Norway Spruces
in our climate ever fail to give the satisfac-
tion, when full grown, that they always do in
the 3'ounger stages of their existence. M.

(71)

72

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Nov.

Trimming Shrubs. — "Will you kindh- tell
me, when is the best time for trimming' bushes
and shrubs ? I have noticed that sometimes
after trimming thej- fail to bloom the following
season . " G. H. N.

[Our correspondent evidently refers to the
annual shearing which it has been customar\-
to give of late, and by which the bushes have
been brought to look like a worn-out broom.
To our mind there is nothing like the natural
form, aided a little bj' art. If we desire a
plant to be kept bush}', and it seems to grow
tall or sprawly, it is best to cut out to the
ground any very strong shoots, so as to throw
strength into the weaker ones. As an abstract
principle this is best done just after ilowering ;
but there is so little diiference found in prac-
tice, that it ma}' be done in winter or summer.
We should not ' ' trim' ' the ends of the branches
at any time, unless a sort of hedge is desired.]

Rhododendron Diseases. — A correspon-
dent says that the leaves of his Rhododendrons
are yellow, dropping off, leaving the plants al-
most wholly denuded of their foliage. He
says they are planted on the outer edge of his
lawn, sloping from the house, and that the
ground is damp where they are, but not any
more so than in places where he has seen Rho-
dodendrons do well. There may be at least
three reasons for this, and it is difficult to tell
which it is. Although Rhododendrons will
grow in damp places they will not grow where
the little fibers are absolutely under water.
They luxuriate if they can get on a rotten log
in a swamp, where the little roots can pene-
trate through the moss which is above the water,
but when they are in heavy ground, where
water or air cannot penetrate, and where water
cannot pass away, the leaves will turn yellow.
They like vapor, but not water. If the ground
is so wet as to hold water, the Rhododendron
ought to be planted right on the surface of the
ground in little hillocks where the water can
come up by capillary attraction, and not be
held in suspension by the earth. Again, leaves
of the Rhododendron frequently get yellow on
account of the attacks of a root fungus, very
imilar to the root fungus which causes the
yellows in the peach. This is the spawn of a
mushroom, called Agaricus melletis. It was
at one time thought that the spawn of a fun-

gus would not attack healthy vegetation, but
this particular fungus seems to be a parasite
on healthy vegetation. Plants which have
their roots attacked by this mushroom have
yellow leaves, and in other ways show signs
of disease. Examine the earth and ascertain
if it has the mushroomy smell, if so, sulphur
worked in the soil will destroy it, as discovered
long ago by landscape gardener Charles H.
Miller, of Fairmount Park. vSolutions of blue
vitrol would also no doubt destroy the fungus.
From what our correspondent states, however,
we should incline to the opinion that the
trouble comes from the soil holding too much
water, and a thorough underdraining, and
mixture of the soil with broken bricks or
gravel, or even sand, to keep it open, would
be all that would be required to make his
Rhododendron culture a success.

Ants in Gardens. — A subscriber desires to
know how to destroy ants which are trouble-
some in flower beds ? There is no known rem-
edy except such as may be troublesome to ap-
ply. Hot water, or hot ss.lt water, poured into
their holes will destroy them ; but, of course,
this injures the plants as well as the insects.
It is one of those difficult questions that have
never been properly answered.

Gardoiing Illustrated says that they may
soon be completel}' rid of these pests by plac-
ing small gallipots about half full of milk and
a little sugar on their ' ' high road, ' ' into which
they will soon find their way, congregating in
hundreds round the edges of the milk, when
by constantly tapping the gallipot the ants are
shaken into the uiixture and drowned. Some
have tried the paraffin and other dodges, but
found none succeed like this. The mixture
must be renewed when necessar}'.

Care of Cemeteries. — The Spring Grove
Cemetery of Cincinnati, one of the most beau-
tiful in the United States, if not in the world,
has a method of keeping forever their ceme-
tery lots in proper order, by the deposit of a
certain amount of money by the owner for that
purpose. On a very large lot, if $i,ooo be in-
vested with the Company, they agree to per-
petually care for all the grass, trees, and shrub-
bery on the lot, and whatever may be necessarj'
to keep the monuments in first-class order.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

73

Day Lilies. — Much attention lia.s been given
of late to recording lists of those plants which
thrive under the shade of trees. Among all
these plants, few things seem to do better than
the family of daj' lilies, of which, in the form
of Fiiiikia ovata, we give herewith an illustra-
tion. The plants will thrive in the deepest
shade, providing the locality is not too dry, and
even in dry situations they do tolerably well.
There are some four or five species in cultiva-
tion, natives of Japan, and they range from
white through all shades of lilac and blue, and
there is one variety with leaves striped with
creamy white. Although we have given this

Pl.\nta!N on Lawns. — A correspondent of
Delaware county, Pa., asks what manure or ap-
plication can be given to a lawn that will de-
stroy plantain. Nothing of this kind will do ;
whatever will destroy the plantain will destroy'
the grass as well. A sure method of getting
rid of plantain, however, is to employ a few
boys to weed them out with a sharp knife.
This is .so easily done that there is no excuse
for having this weed among the grass on lawns.
It seems like a big job to dig them out one by
one with a knife, but it is wonderful how large
an area can be gone over by a smart boy in a
day.

FUNKIA OVATA— JAPAN DAY-LILY.

as the Fwikia ovata, it is proper to saj' that
these species from Japan run so closelj' together
that it is very difficult fo'r botanists to draw
the lines between the species. One form com-
mon in cultivation, under the name of i^ lanci-
folia, and occasionally called iva'/olia, are prob-
ably all forms of this species. Aside from this
the florists of the old world have introduced
garden varieties, so that it is very difficult to
decide positively on what species any particular
form should reallj' be referred to. This, how-
ever, is a matter of little consequence to the
cultivator, as all the forms do well under cul-
tivation.

Lilacs — It has been a matter of surprise to
many that a plant so capable of improvement
as the common lilac has not received more at-
tention. This reproach seems to be in a fair
way of removal, for at a recent meeting of the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society', one col-
lector has thirty-four varieties on exhibition.

Ilex l.Evioata. — This plant is a very attrac-
tive plant in the autumn wild-flower scenery
in the vicinity of Toronto. It is a deciduous
holly, very near the Black Alder, Ilex ver-
ticillatus, but readily detected by a little prac-
tice by the paler green tint of its smooth leaves.

74

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Nov.

Disease in Clejiatis. — A correspondent
from Highland Park, 111., inquires the cause
of the sudden death of Clematises, especially
of Jackmanii. Though the cause has not been
exactly defined, there is no doubt but it is of
fungus origin, and closely allied to what is
known as the fire blight in the pear. It has
been found by experience in other lines of hor-
ticulture that a solution of copper, that is to
say, made by dropping a piece of blue cop-
peras, about the size of an egg, in a barrel of
water, is an effectual remedy against any of
the lower orders of fungi, and we have little
doubt but that if the plants were watered with
this solution early in the spring, it would be
a complete preventive of the disease. The fun-
gus attacks the plant just at the collar, so that
all that would be required would be to draw the
earth away, so as to make a small basin to in-
sure the contact of the solution with the stem
of the plant. It is safe to say that thousands
of these beautiful plants are every year de-
stroyed by this disease. To such an extent
has it prevailed that many florists scarcely dare
to sell a Clematis, for fear of complaints about
poor stock from their customers.

Magnolia stellata. — As this very beau-
tiful Magnolia flowers so young a general im-
pression prevails that it is very much of a
dwarf. On Mr. Saul's grounds at Washington
the writer saw a magnificent specimen, proba-
bly six feet high, and ten or more in diameter.
We should say that its ratio of growth was
in about the same proportion to that of the
purple Magnolias. Though not a mere dwarf
it does not grow so large or so strong as the
well known Chinese species.

Lawns. — A lawn looks best when of one
uniform shade of green. The writer saw a
lawn last spring that had as many shades as a
patch-work quilt. The gardener complained
that he could not account for the patchiness,
as only the best lawn mixture of grasses had
been applied.

Mountain fleece.— This appears to be the
common or English name given to a species of
Polygonutn from the Himalayan Mountains,
namely Polygonum amplexicaule. It is one of
the most beautiful of recently introduced her-
baceous plants.

Pansies. — Pansies flower so freely from seed
the same year that the seeds are sown, that it
is not generally known that they are perennials,
and may be kept over from year to year with
great success ; biit in these cases they must
not be allowed to flower profuselj'. As soon as
first large flowers have been produced, and the
later small ones appear, the flowering branches
should be cut off". People often have peculiar
varieties that they would like to preser\'e, but
do not know that it is very easy to do so under
the .system suggested.

The Swamp White Oak. — "Garden and
Poorest " of the 27th of Maj', has a good word
to say for the Swamp White Oak. This is in
exact accord with our own experience. Notwith-
standing its name of Swamp W^hite Oak, it
thrives in any ground that any oak will grow
in and do well. It is more popular, however,
than people generally suppose, a large num-
ber having been planted by different people on
their grounds in various parts of the Union, dur-
ing the past ten 3'ears.

Sulph.\TE of Iron. — Although recom-
mendations for the use of copperas in the de-
struction of fungi are particular to state that
it must be blue copperas or sulphate of copper,
and not green copperas, which is sulphate of
iron, it is now stated that the latter is extreme-
ly useful for a fungicide. We have not seen
this, however, as a result of our own experi-
ence. When copperas is mentioned in our
pages sulphate of coppei is intended.

Removal of Large Trees. — An elm fifty
years old, measuring at three feet above the
ground 8 feet 2 inches in circumference, with a
height of nearly 70 feet and a head of branches
having a diameter of 50 feet, was removed in
Graceland Cemetery in Chicago last year.
Cost of moving was between six and seven
hundred dollars. It pushed out into leaves
this year and seems I'kely to be a success.

What is Forestry. — Under this title Pro-
fessor B. E. Fernow has prepared an elaborate
treatise which has been published by the
United States Department of Agriculture. It
is full of admirable suggestions, and will aid
considerably those interested in forest planting
or forest management.

iSgi]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAI, GARDENING.

75

Changes in the Forjis of Ivy Leaves. —
A correspondent sends us, a branch, of which
we give an illustration, asking its name. It
is only the common evergreen ivj' of Europe,
of which we illustrate a leaf in Fig. 2, which
has reached its flowering stage. It may be
remarked that almost all plants change their
leaves somewhat when they reach a flowering
condition. Botanists call them when changed
leaf-bracts, — and realU', therefore, these par-
ticular leaves on the ivy are in the nature of
bracts. In the case of the ivy, and indeed in
other things, the changed leaves are so far
below the flower that few suspect
that they are simply changed leaves,
and people frequently imagine that
they have some new form of ivy,
when they recognize the fact that
it is an ivj- at all. This changing
condition of the leaves to bracts in
flowers is so well illustrated by the
ivy, that, for the information of
our younger students, we have
given sketches of the forms.

Cephalotaxus FoRTUNEi.— This
was intro-duced, by Mr. Fortune,
from North China in 1S49, 3"<^ the
English people say that it is rather
tender in their country. In America
it is found as hardy as any ever-
green, and it is rather surprising
that more use has not been made
of it by ornamental planters. It is
fully equal to the famous Yew in
hardiness and beauty.

City Trees. — It is extremely difiicult in
these modern times to have city trees. People
want telephones, electric lights, electric cable
cars, and all sorts of things with overhead
wires, and wherever there are overhead wires
they soon increase in numbers until street
trees are doomed. It should be the effort of
every lover of city trees to endeavor to have
wires placed in conduits under ground.

Shrublet. — This is the term Gardening
Illustrated uses to designate low shrubby plants
like the trailing arbutus, which though woody,
are not large enough to come under the popu-
lar idea of a shrub.

Planting of Nuts. — A correspondent in-
quires how walnuts, hickory nuts, and similar
wild nuts should be treated for planting. The
treatment is verj' simple ; when ti'ey can be
obtained in the fall, they should be planted at
once, if the ground is suflnciently open ; or, if
not, be mixed with earth or sand in barrels,
and sown very earlj' in the spring. It does
not seem necessary to keep the soil particu-
larly damp, otherwise they sprout too soon and
rot. If the earth is comparatively dry, it
seems to be sufficient to
enable those nuts to
grow when sown in the
spring.

THE SAME WHEN IN
TRANSITION TO
BRACTS.

Lindley's Everbearing Strawberry. —
All the everbearing strawberries so far intro-
duced into cultivation have been varieties of
the Alpine, Fragaria vesca. When this was
introduced, we supposed it to belong to that
class. The Alpine has never been ver>' suc-
cessful in cultivation, American summers being
too hot for the Alpine classes. They bear con-
tinuously, but the fruit is very small. A plant
from Mr. Lindley, of Emporia, Va., shows this
one not to be of that class, but apparently of
the ordinary garden strawberry. The speci-
men was received in September, and had a
quantity of ripe fruit on it. They were quite
as large as the ordinary garden strawberr3-.
and we see no reason why it might not be a
very popular amateur fruit.

76

MEEHAN'S MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Nov.

Fruit Packing.— It is interesting to note
how a very small fact, when clearly perceived,
will lead to great commercial results. No one
knew better than the fruit grower that when
an apple was bruised it would rot. When,
therefore, apples first became an article of com-
merce, and were packed in barrels, they usu-
ally arrived at their destination rotten, because
of the bruises they received in transit ; but
when it was discovered that it was the action
of the atmosphere on the bruised portion which
caused decay, and that a bruise, if it did no
expose the interior of the apple to the atmos-
phere, was of no great consequence, then the
transportation of apples became a business.
We majr now take an apple out of a barrel,
squeezed into squares, hexagons, octagons, and
all manner of shapes, without the apple suffer-
ing any material injury, because the pressure
causing the bruise is of such of a character as
not to crack the skin ; in fact, the great success
of apple transportation consists in pressing
them thus tightly into the barrels. It is the
exposure to the atmosphere of the interior por-
tion of the fruit, and not the bruise in itself,
which causes decay. This principle may per-
haps in time be applied to other fruits. Re-
cently fruits have been separately packed in
paper, but possibly a slight pressure to the
fruit in the case, as given to the apple, which
will pack them tightly together without caus-
ing the outside coating to crack, would do just
as well as the paper enclosure.

New Str.\wberries. — The remarkable fact
that while in our countr}^ we have to be con-
tiuuall}' introducing new varieties of straw-
berries, to take the place of varieties which
are continually degenerating, in the old world
those which were originated a half century
ago are just as popular as ever they were. A
variety named Keen's seedling, which is nearly
three-fourths of a century old, is still regarded
as among one of the best English varieties.

Chocho. — In the west a bloom is being
started for this — Scc/tium edule — as a new
vegetable. In the West Indies it is cooked
like a squash, and tastes like it. It is more
troublesome to grow, and less productive than
the squash.

The Grape-vine Phylloxera. — We have
a letter from the Hon. the Consul of the Re-
public of France, inquiring what the different
States of the Union, or the United States, are
doing to prevent the march of this insect
through the vineyards of our country ? In the
old world it is absolutely destroying all the
leading vineyards. It does not yet seem to be
known in some quarters that the phylloxera
does not materially injure the American grape.
They are found on almost all old grape-vines
in our woods and gardens, but on account of
the deep rooting proclivity of the American
grape vine, and the freedom with which branch
roots are formed, they seem to get through the
earth faster than the insect can follow them, and
on this ground no particularlj' serious injurj*
has occurred to make any legislation whatever
necessary. Our markets are filled with an
abundance of grapes, and our vinej-ards yield
in profusion, notwithstanding the existence,
possibl}' for many centuries, of this little root
insect. It is mildews and moulds that affect
the leaves and fruit, which make the great
troubles of the American vine grower — the
phj'lloxera gives him no concern. It is for
this reason that there has been such an im-
mense importation of American vines into
France. The famous wine growing sorts of
that country are grafted on the American kind,
simplj' because the roots of these American
kinds are not materially injured bj' the attacks
of the phylloxera, and not because the insect
does not attach itself to these kinds of grapes.

The Elbert \ Peach. — Every section of the
country has its favorite variety of fruit. As
regards peaches the most popular in the South
appears to be the variety called Elberta. Usu-
ally early peaches are not large. The Elberta
besides being earh' is said to bear fruit of
medium size. Besides these two good characters
it is said to bear more regularly in the South
than some other varieties.

Growing Celery. — There have been man3'
ways suggested for blanching. It is said that
in the old world, where first class celerj' is de-
sired, instead of burying up the plant in the
earth, thej' simply tie up the leaves, and then
wrap them in coarse brown paper. It is said
that much better celerj' can be obtained this
way than bj' any other method of blanching.

iSgi]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

77

An Enemy to the Honey Bee. — At this
season of the year, that is to say, the early
part of September, honey bearing flowers are
comparatively scarce. On ourgronnds bees de-
pend more on the flowers of the Aralia spinosa
and the Franklin tree than on anything else.
The trees are loaded with blossoms, and these
again loaded with the honey-seeking bee.
There is, however, a well-known insect called
the soldier beetle, but which entomologists
call Rcduvius novenarius, which lurks among
the blossoms and captures a large number of
bees. On a single tree one may observe dozens
of this insect preying on the bees. It is not
uncommon to find large spiders capturing bees
that visit flowers, but in
no case have we ever seen
so much slaughter of these
industrious creatures as
the Reduvius perpetrates.
This Reduvius is on the
whole considered a friend
to the cultivator. At other
seasons of the year
it preys largely on
caterpillars and
beetles which are
destructive to vege-
tation. It is only
at this season that
it seems to be ac-
tively engaged in
the war on the den-
izens of the hive.

\Va s h I n g the
Bark of Fruit

Trees. — In spite of stag's horn fe

many professional theories about the nature
of bark, and the injury to them from being
coated with outside material, the German
farmers of Pennsylvania have extremely
healthy apple trees, by washing the bark
with lime. No cleaner or healthier bark may
be seen on apple trees anywhere than these
German trees present. The white color of the
lime is of course objectionable, but that can be
readily obviated by putting a little yellow
clay, or even coal ashes in. There are many
washing receipts for the bark of trees, such as
soda, soap, and other materials, but plain lime
wash alone is all that is necessary to make
healthy bark ou apple trees.

Turni r-ROOTED Celery. — In preparing
celery for the table it is common to cut off
most of the root, leaving only the blanched
stalks for use. To many persons the root is
preferable to the leaf stalks, providing it can
be grown in a tender manner. In the old
world efforts are made in this direction, and if
one has a variety with soft and tender roots, it
is considered quite a fortune. Of late years
particular attention has been given to produc-
ing good and tender varieties of the turnip-
rooted celerj-, as they call it, and some are now
in the market which will weigh under good cir-
cumstances as much as five pounds to each root.
They say that as an ingredient in chicken
salad, and other salads, these im-
proved roots when sliced are far
superior to the ordinary' stalks.
Another great advantage is, that
where there is a great deal of
difiiculty in preserving the stalks
of celery through the winter
season, as they
either rot away or
sprout with the
least rise of the
temperature of the
vegetable cellar,
the turnip - rooted
kinds can be kept
until quite late in
the spring.

The Fig Gar-
den.— It is surpris-
ing that more at-
tention is not given
RN.--SEE PAGE 67. to fig culture by

amateur gardeners, much farther north than we
generally find them. On our table are some
delicious samples at the end of September,
from Mr. J. Sibson, gardener to H. P. M'Kean,
Esq., near Philadelphia. The branches are
bent down and covered with earth in winter.
No doubt they have been grown successfullj-
much further north. We should be glad to
hear of such cases.

A Large Lettuce. — It is said that a variety
called the New York will grow nearly as large
as some cabbages. This is a case where the
name, cabbage lettuce, is certainly not a mis-
nomer.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

HIS WORK SHALL LIVE.

Yet after he was dead and gone,

And e'en his memory dim,
Barth seemed more sweet to live upon,

More full of love, because of him.

— LOWEI,!,.

William H. KemelE. — Mr. William H.
Kemble, whose death has recently been an-
nounced, was well known from the prominent
position he occupied in public life. He was a
good patron of gardening, and his beautiful
place near Philadelphia, named Marylawn,
was an admirable specimen of landscape gard-
ening. It was designed by the well-known
garden artist, Mr. Charles H. Miller. Mr.
Kemble was in a great measure the architect
of his own fortune, having been born at Wood-
bury, N. J. , in comparativel3' humble circum-
stances. As an illustration of his public spirit,
the case of the famous Johnstown flood is
well known in the community. He paid out
at once a half million of dollars for the imme-
diate relief of the sufferers, trusting to the
honor of the State to reimburse him. This
was done at the last session of the legislature.
For rare plants and trees his garden was
famous.

S. S. Shultz. — Among the well known in-
telligent patrons of gardening whose death
has recently been announced, is that of Mr. S.
S. Shultz, the superintendent of the insane
asylum it Danville, Pa. He, probably more
than any other man in the United States, was
among the earliest to note the influence of
gardening and flowers in the treatment of the
insane. The gardens attached to this particu-
lar asylum were especially beautiful, and well
filled with a large variety of trees and flowers.
At the time of his death he was fully impressed
with the great importance of supplying insane
patients with cut flowers, and was preparing
to erect a large range of houses, expresslj' for
the purpose of raising roses, carnations and
other similar things as presents for the insane
in his establishment.

(78)

George S. Conover. — Every American
lover of trees and flowers has heard of Geneva,
second only to Rochester in its floral fame.
Much of this has been due to the influence of
Mr. George S. Conover. In the love of roses
especially Mr. Conover has been well known.
Once honored by the citizens of his town as
]Ma3'or of the village, he still enjoys the love
and respect of his fellow citizens. Probably
the earliest plant of Ampelopsis Veitchii, or
Japan Ivy, which is now so well known over
the Union, had its merits first made known by
the covering of Mr. Conover 's house. Views
and photographs of this early plant helped to
make it known through the country. Mr.
Conover takes great pride in historical studies,
and is the author of a number of excellent
papers in connection with Indian history.
The old ' ' Gardeners' Monthly ' ' had frequently
accounts of historic trees, knowledge of which
had been developed by IMr. Conover 's labors.
Mr. Conover's studies are mainl}' from love of
the subject. A thorough history of Kanade-
saga and Geneva has been prepared by him ;
only three copies, however, are made, one he
will retain for his family ; the other goes to
Buffalo Historical Society, and the third to the
State Library at Albany.

William C. Harding. — Forest Hill Ceme-
tery near Boston, is conceded to have one of
the finest collections of rare trees, shrubs, and
plants, than possibly any other cemetery in
the United States. It is said that this ex-
cellent reputation is due to Mr. William C.
Harding, one of the originators of this ceme-
tery, and whose death has recently been re-
corded in the proceedings of the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society.

H. W. S. Cleveland. — This eminent land-
scape gardener is the designer and director of
the system of parks being developed by the
city of Minneapolis. The members of the
Nurserymen's Convention recently held in that
citj' speak in high praise of the work.

iSgi.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

79

Illustrations of A m e r i c a n \V i l d
Flowers. — It is well known that when the
Flowers and Ferns of Ihc United States was
started it was the hope of the author that it
would be the beginning of an enterprise, that
would end onlj' when all the plants of the
United States should be illustrated. He hoped
within his limited means to do for America
what abundant means had done for many
countries of the old world. When two series
had been finished, the publisher suddenlj' died,
and after waiting a few years in vain for a new
publisher, the author of that work thought
best to issue it in connection with his own
business establishment, because it was evident
that no such a calamity as that which befel the
former publisher, was at all likely to occur.
The author knows of no reason why the work
ma}' not continue for manj' years in the future,
and become a standard work of reference for
American Botany and American Gardening.

We make these remarks now, because the
real foundation of a full volume of twelve
numbers, will begin with the January issue,
and we know our friends will exert themselves
to get in for us a heavy list of subscribers ; and
we want to have suggested to those who may
become subscribers, that our publication is
not an evanescent periodical but one that will
become a work of standard reference for all
time. For hundreds of years to come, as we
have every reason to hope, what we are doing
now will be a welcome addition to any first-
class librar}'. The work will, in fact, get in-
creased value with age, and we are quite sure
the presentation of this fact by our friends will
help us materially.

Dr. W. Woolls. — Dr. Woolls is one of the
active botanists of Australia. About ten years
ago, when residing at Parramatta, he had sug-
gested to him by Baron von Mueller the pro-
priety of providing a list of plants indigenous
to the neighborhood of that town. He has
now prepared and published a similnr list of
the plants indigenous to the neighborhood of
Sydney, embracing an area of twenty or thirty
miles around that city. The mean tempera-
ture in the shade during the coldest month at
Sydney is but 45°, and the mean temperature
of the hottest month at Sidney is 79°. Yet
occasionally, he states, the thermometer will

sink below zero in the winter, and rise in sum-
mer to 114° in the shade, and the climate is
subject occasionally to long droughts and des-
olating floods. Man}- plants in the vicinity of
Sydney have disappeared, he says, through
cultivation, others have been introduced.
These latter number 175. He finds the num-
ber of species to be 1290, including the natu-
ralized species ; of these there are 851 Dicotyle-
dons, 362 Monocotyledons, and 77 Acotj-ledons.
It is interesting to notice how very few of the
natural orders have any correspondents with
the orders which abound in our countrj', al-
though Leguminosae is an exception. Of
Acacia there are 25 species in the vicinity of
Sydney.

William C. Strong. — This gentleman was
educated for the legal profession, and was in
partnership with the well-known Edward Eve-
rett, of Massachusetts, who was at one time
on the national ticket as Vice-President of the
United States, with Mr. Bell, of Tennessee.
With a fondness for horticulture he abandoned
the profession and started a nursery at Brighton,
one of the suburbs of Boston, which was for a
long time the only place where a ver}- large
and varied collection of trees and shrubs could
be obtained. Although like many of us ad-
vancing in years, his love for his profession
seems to increase with time, and he has now
moved the whole of his establishment to
another suburb, Waban, on the Boston and
Albany Circuit Road. It is said to be much
better adapted for the growth of trees and
shrubs than the old locality ; and, remember-
ing how useful Mr. Strong's efforts have been
to horticulture all over the Union, his new
move will have the best wishes of every friend
of this delightful pursuit.

Linus Woolverton. — Mr. Woolverton is
the secretary- of the Fruit Growers ' Society of
Ontario, and has just issued the annual report
of that society, chieflj' the doings of the annual
meeting, in which the representative fruit
growers of the province participated. It is
worthj' of note, in view of the coming Colum-
bian Exhibition at Chicago, that this societj'
dates the great prosperity of Canadian fruit
culture from the Centennial Exposition. It is
now a source of great revenue to the Domin-

GENERAL NOTES.

Names of Plants. — As noticed recentlj',
there is a movement on the part of some bot-
anists to insist that the first name given by a
competent botanist shall in every case be adop-
ted. This has been an acknowledged rule
ever since botany became a science, but the
authors of large dictionaries and botanical
monographs, who ha\'« not been informed as
to the oldest name, and for some other rea-
sons, have not always adopted them . We have
contended that although this law of priority
should undoubtedly prevail, it is scarcely for
what may be termed the rank and file in local
botanies, to make these alterations, because
the practical result is to bring nomenclature
Into general confusion. The pro'per course
should be, it seems to us, that the authors of
these larger monographs, botanical dictionar-
ies, and lexicons should be brought to see that
they should adopt these prior names in these
larger works, and that the authors of local
Floras have done their duty ■•^■hen they called
attention to these prior names. We are glad
to have a note from Prof. E. J. Hill that he
agrees with similar views to those expressed
bj- Prof. Bailey in a recent Botanical Gazette.

Preservation of the Colored Plate. —
We should be glad tohe;ir Irom our subscribers
whether the means we have taken to preserve
the plate from injury through the mails are
successful. Of course, if it comes in good
shape no response is necessarj-. As before
stated, we have difficult}' in meeting the re-
quirements of the postal laws. If we are com-
pelled to fall back on thick pasteboard we shall
have to add 25 cents to the subscription price
for postage.

Post.\l Rules. — We have had to omit from
our blanks sent with the magazine, the request
for the names of such lovers of nature or
gardening as would probably be glad to see a
specimen copj', it being decided to be against
the postal laws. We shall have to ask in this

(80)

place, that friends when sending their sub-
scriptions, will kindly send us such names.

It must be readily seen that this enterprise
is of so costly a nature that theie cannot be
any great profit unless a ver\' large circulation
is reached. We feel that we are in a great
public enterprise, and may fairly look for
public spirit to aid us to success.

The American Garden. — It is announced
that this popular gardening magazine is to be
combined with the equally popular Popular
Gariiciihig. Mr. Elias Long, of the latter,
will be the editor of the former, and the maga-
zine vi'ill be issued hereafter at $1 a year, instead
of $2 a 5-ear. It seems like a good move in the
interests of horticulture, and has our best
wishes for its success.

Our Next Plate. — We shall have for our
next plate an illustration of that peculiar Amer-
ican Pitcher plant, the Sarraceiiia purpurea,
which as a work of art we believe will be con-
ceded to be one of Prang's verj' best productions.
The chapter which accompanies will give an
account of all that has been known regarding
this curious work of nature. Our pictures,
we are pleased to learn, are taken as models
for drawing schools, thus bringing our maga-
zine into a much wider field of usefulness than
that of merel}' ministering to the progress of
horticulture and popular science.

The American Pomological Society. — A
recent meeting of this society at Washington,
was characterized by an unusually large num-
ber of intelligent fruit culturists from all parts
of the Union. In addition to this practical
feature, there were a number of speakers dis-
tinguished in science, among these to make
addresses were Prof Byron Halsted, Prof. L.
W. Bailey, Prof C. V. Riley. It was generallj-
conceded to have been as instructive a meeting
as has been held by the Society for many years.
Mr. P. L. Berckmans was re-elected President.

Vol.

Plate 6.

T^>

Sarracenia purpurea

SARRACENIA PURPUREA.

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER.
NATURAL ORDER, SARRACENIACE.E.

SARRACENIA PitRPiiREA, Liiilucus.— Leaves short, decumbent, inflated most near the middle ; lamina bvoad-cordate. Wood's
Class Book of Bolany. iiee a\so Gray's Arniiiial of Bo/a/iy of t/u- JVoil/ifiii rni!,-d Slales, and Chapman's Flora of thi-
Southern United States.

The history of this curious plant is as inter-
esting, probably, as that of any of our wild
flowers. The pilgrims who landed in the May-
flower paid considerable respect to the Epigcea,
if the ideas of our poets are to be trusted ;
but they did not seem to have noticed this, for
John Josselyn, who styles his profession "Gen-
tleman," and who wrote a work on "New
England Rarities " in 1672, was led to "wonder
where the knowledge of this plant hath slept
all this while, i.e., above forty years." He
gives a rough sketch of the plant and the fol-
lowing quaint description: "Hollow leaved
lavender is a plant that grows in salt marshes
overgrown with moss, with one straight stalk
about the bigness of an oat straw, better than
a cubit high, upon the top standeth one fantas-
tical flower, the leaves grow close from the
roots, in shape like a tankard, hollow, tough,
and always full of Water ; the root is made up
of many small fibres, growing only in the
Moss, and not in the earth, the whole plant
comes to its perfection in August, and then it
has leaves, stalks and flowers as red as blood,
except the flower, which hath some yellow
admixt." But even "John Josselyn, Gentle-
man," might exclaim "there is nothing new
under the sun," for in spite of his wonder
where the " knowledge had slept " till he dis-
covered it, it was known to Charles de Clusius,
who in a hLstor}' of rare plants, published at
Antwerp in 1601, describes it as a plant "allied
to the sea lavender," which then as now was
the common name of the Statice Linionium.
In those days plants were grouped according to
their external resemblances ; and those who
are familiar with the broad, thick, dark green
leaves of our common sea lavender, will not
wonder that our early botanists saw in our
pitcher plant a close ally, but with a hollow
leaf. It may be interesting to observe that
according to Mr. Tuckerman, who edited
Josselyn 's work, "Clusius' figure was derived
from a specijnen furnished to him by Mr.
Claude Gonier, apothecary at Paris, who him-
self had it from Lisbon, whither we mav suppose
it was carried by some fishermen from New-
foundland coast. " So that we maj' look back

on near three hundred years since this remark-
able plant was known to Europeans, and it
was, perhaps, one of the first plants of our
continent to make its bow to the lovers of
plants in the Old World. As a cultivated or
living plant, however, it does not seem to have
been further known till Dr. Sarrazin sent it to
the Royal Garden at Paris, from whence Tourne-
fert described it in 1700. It was about this
time that the true relationships of plants were
becoming understood, and Tournefert, seeing
the distinctness of the plant from Limo7iium —
the Sea Lavender — made a new genus, calling
it San-aceita, after his friend Dr. Sarrazin.
But we have no account of its culture in Eng-
land till the time of Peter CoUinson. In the
notes he made of his garden, and which were
published by Dillwyn under the title of ' ' Hortus
Collinsonianus, " he says, '' Satrace7iia cand-
doisis." which was Tournefort's name, the i
being finalh' added by Linnaeus, "has for some
j-ears flowered annually, being placed in large
pots, and the roots set only in mo.ss, and no
earth, and then the pots set in pans of water,
kept always full ; this makes an artificial bog,
in which they naturally grow ; the plants were
sent to me from New York anno 1755." We
can further trace these plants by the corres-
pondence of Dr. Golden, published some years
ago by Prof. Gray, in which a letter appears
from Collinson to Golden, dated June 9th, 1755,
in which he says "the Sarracenias 3'ou sent
me are now in flower." Of late years the
plants of the genus have been brought stronglj-
before the general public through the impres-
sion that their singular structure was especially
designed for catching insects, and this has led
to a more general culture of our present species
particularly than ever before. It has also been
employed by the late Dr. David Moore, of
Dublin, Ireland, as one of the parents in
hybridizing the various species of Sarracenia,
of which numerous curious and interesting
examples have been produced. The exact use
of these pitchers of water in the economy of
the plant has long been a subject of specula-
tion, and one b3- no means satisfactorily settled.
Philip Miller in the " Gardener's Dictionary, "

(81)

82

MEEHANS MONTHLY — SARRACENIA PURPUREA.

[Dec.

issued in 1758, saw no further use than as a
provision to aid, and not as a lure to living
creatures. He says "The English who first
settled in North America gave to this plant the
title of Side-saddle flower, from the resemblance
of the stigma to a woman's pillion ; and some
of the first writers who described the country
have given imperfect accounts of this plant.
They have taken particular notice of the leaves
always having water in them ; and one of them
mentions his being often refreshed with this
water in great droughts, when he was at a dis-
tance from any other supply." Of the lid at
the top of the pitcher he says : "This top or
'ear is supposed in hot, dry weather, to shrink
and fall over the mouth of the tube, and serve
as a lid to prevent the exhalation of the water ;
so that in the greatest droughts birds and other
animals repair to these plants, where they
always find water to refresh them."

The plant is often called " The Huntsman's
Cup," and it is quite likely Miller's account is
made up in imagination from the name. He
was evidently under the impression that the
cups were filled by rains, and that therefore the
lids were to prevent evaporation, whereas it is
now known that the pitchers are filled through
the roots, and that the process goes on in dry
as well as wet weather. Moreover, the plant
never grows in dry ground or away from water
in the dryest time, so that living creatures
could get all the water they needed w-ithout
resorting to these. As to the Huntsman, who
in a dry time was "refreshed," if he had
attempted it, he would have seen that in the
water were numbers of dead insects, and he
would have been anything but refreshed by the
draught. It seems to have been the custom
with many writers in the past times to give
their impressions for the facts, and is in strik-
ing contrast with the strict fidelity to facts
demanded in the modern writer.

As already noted, insects, as well as water,
are generally, and as far as the writer of this
knows, always found in the pitchers ; and
modern investigators believe that their capture
is the chief design of this wonderful structure,
and that after capturing, the dissolved ele-
ments of the insects are used as food. In New
Jersey, from whence the plant used in illustra-
tion was taken, the writer has never examined
the leaves without finding living larvss which,
as well as the living plant, were evidently

feeding on the dead material, and in plants on
tussocks of wet sphagnum moss, so surrounded
by water that only winged insects could get
there of themselves, others which could not
have crossed the water of their own volition
have been found in the pitchers. Sir James E.
Smith has recorded that a gardener in the
Liverpool Botanic Garden had seen larger in-
sects, probably Ichneumons, carrying others
into the pitchers, and he infers that most of
the insects are thus placed there as food for its
own larvcB.

Besides the common names already noted.
Professor Douglass, of West Point, who accom-
panied the Cass expedition to the Great Lakes
in the summer of 1820, notes in the Fourth Vol.
of Silliman's Journal, that he found the plant
about the upper waters of the Mississippi,
especially at Point Keewenah on Lake Superior,
and that it was known to the Indians as ' ' Owl's
Mockasin " — in their language " Ko-Kc-Moka-
sin."

Sarraccnia pinpinca is the most northern of
all the species, and grows over a greater extent
of territory than any native species. It is
found in Newfoundland and Hudson's Bay, and
extends West to the Mississippi River, beyond
which it has not been seen. Southwardly it
reaches Florida. Generally preferring low
lands, — it is not, however, unusual to find it
in swamps at high elevations. Pursh found it
on the Pocono Mountain, as he records in his
diary, and a correspondent of the second volume
of the "Entomologist and Botanist," notes it
in Northern Wisconsin, and the curious fact
that wherever found it is always in the sub-
carboniferous formation, as if that were the
period when it was first created. It is generally
uniform in its character ; but varies in color
with the season. In early Spring it is quite
green, — in the Autumn dull brown. Ourartist
has taken it just as it is passing from the green
to the brown . The flowers are generalh' always
of a brown-purple ; but sometimes these are
produced as green as the leaves, and with some
leaf variation in connection, and have sug-
gested to some authors to make of the form a
distinct variety as Sarraccnia purpurea hetero-
phylla. Mr. E. S. Miller once found a plant at
Hampton, New Ycrk, with the flowers double.

Explanation of the Plate.— A plant, full size, from
Hammonton, New Jersey, sent by Mr. W. F. Bassett ; taken
at raid-summer.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

OLD MEMORIES IN DECEMBER.

Old fields, and clear blue summer days,
Old meadows, .trreeii with grass and trees.

That shimmer through the trembling haze
And whiten in the western breeze, —

Old faces, — all the friendly past

Rises within the heart again.
And sunshine from our childhood cast

Makes summer of the icy rain.

— Lowell.

Crinkle Root. — A goodly nttmber of friends
have responded. We suppose crinkle root is
from the crinkled appearance of the roots,
though this word in our language has become
obsolete, — wrinkle being the usual word now.
Of the manj- notes, we append that from
W. H. S., Chicago, Ills. : —

' ' This is a common name for Deiitaria di-
phylla. It is also called Pepperwort, Pepper
root, and Tooth wort. It, is often eaten in
spring as a salad — that is the root is. The
root is flesh}', white, brittle and pungent." A
correspondent from Syracuse, N. Y., adds still
another item to this much discussed plant,
stating that the children in that part of New
York collect the root in the woods and eat it
with their bread and butter.

Another friend says that it is good enough
to eat alone, leaving the bread and butter out.
It is interesting to note that so much that has
not been generally known should have been
developed by the simple inquiry as to what
plant this name referred to.

The Red Snowberrv, or Indian Currant.
— Nothing in a wagon tour through North Caro-
lina more impressed the writer with its great
beauty than the Symfihoricarpus vulgaris of
which we annex an illustration. See page 84.
The numerous red currant-like berries are in
themselves striking, but the wand-like branches
give a peculiarly graceful character to the whole
bush. In the vicinity of Asheville large masses
of many feet in diameter where observed, sug-
gesting that it would have an admirable effect
in landscape gardening.

The Fringed Gentian. — A correspondent
states that she has been unable to raise seeds
of the Fringed Gentian, although several
attempts have been made. It so happens that
we have often heard this statement in regard
to this flower, and do not know that any one
ever raised seeds of it. Why this should be so
we cannot imagine ; the seeds seem to be per-
fectly sound. As in the case with orchids, it
may be that some very nice conditions of heat
and moisture are requisite to make them ger-
minate, and that this combination of condi-
tions happens only occasionally. We think
this very likeh'. But the Fringed Gentian
shows no disposition to increase in number
wherever it has been found growing wild ;
about the same number of plants are found in
the same locality every year, which indicates
that the seeds do not germinate more readily
in a state of nature than when we try to grow
them.

The Black Sugar Maple. — Mr. C. L.
Lochman, of Bethlehem, Pa,, asks for the dis-
tinction between the ordinary sugar maple of
the East and the black sugar maple sometimes
called Acer nigrum. The distinction is readily
noted in the growing trees. The tinder surface
of the ordinary sugar maple is somewhat sil-
very ; the black sugar maple is green on both
sides, and curved over at the edges as if they
were suffering for want of water ; the leaves
are usually broader and less lobed. The chief
difference, however, is at the base of the
leaf blade ; in the common sugar maple this is
more or less trumcate, or cut square off ; in the
black sugar maple the base is rounded ; in fact,
occasionally almost cordate. It is proper to
say, however, that in these characteristics the
common sugar maple itself is somewhat varia-
ble, at times being not so pale beneath as at
other times, and having a tendency to the
rounded lobes at the base of the leaf ; still
these characteristics are never so well marked
as in the form known as the ttigruin.

{83)

84

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Dec.

Groups of Wild Flowers. — A correspond-
ent observes : " I note that j'ou call attention
to the beautiful groups, which single species
will often make when growing together by
themselves in a landscape. I doubt, however,
whether these beauties will at all compare with
variety in small masses, which we often see in
nature. Recently I came across a batch not
more than twenty feet square, which had grow-
ing [in the ^centre the common Elder bush,
around it were growing the following plants,
all in full bloom, namely, the white turtle head,
Chelonc obliqiia : the Impatians fiilva ; a very
showy Aster, namel}^ A.puniceus; the Penn-

r. red
buckwheat, o r
P o I y g o n u VI
Pennsyl vanini m
and another

species, P. arifo-
lium, and bone-
set, or Eupator-
ium peifoliaiimi ; Pyc-
7ianthe7num litiifolinm ;
the magnificent golden
rod, Soliilagoca>iadensis.
In among the Elder was
intertwined the Rosa
Carolina, covered with
glossy red berries (of
which we give an illus-
THE RED SNOWBERRY, tratiou ou page 86) and
around the front of
this group was the
low Pninella vulgaris. I took no note of the
grass, sedges, and ferns which were intermixed
among the other species forming this group,
but the observant lovers of wild flowers can
readily imagine how these helped to make up
the beauty of the picture. In a September da^',
if any of your readers know of any combina-
tion of wild flowers prettier than these that
I have described, I am sure I and others would
be glad to know what made it up. "

OR INDIAN CURRANT.
SEE PAGE 83.

Cow Lily. — Prof. Davis, of Alma College,
Mich., says of the yellow pond lily, Niiphar
advcna, which we recently illustrated, that he
never heard the plant called by any other name
than cow lilj' in New Hampshire and Maine.

Edible Aroids. — Mrs. Willis writes that
the roots of Peltandra ]'irgi?iica, closely allied
to our Garden Calla, or Ethiopian Lily, were
used -by the Cherokee Indians as an article of
food. She states also that the colored people
of the South call the plant " Life Preserver,"
for it is very good for medicine. All the plants
of this family have starch}' matter in the
root, and no doubt may all be used as articles
of food. They have, however, to be either
roasted or boiled before the acrid character can
be taken from them. The ordinary Indian
turnip of the woods is also well known to be
edible, as also is the Caladium esculentum.

But though the roots of many species are
thus useful, only one has been found of value
for the sake of its fruit. This is a native of
the Mexican province of Oaxaca, and of Guata-
mala. The fruit is of the size of an ear of
Indian corn, and made up of a number of sepa-
rate berry-like fruits, giving the whole still
more the appearance of an ear of white flint
corn — though a cook would say it was a dirty
white. It is now well known in collections of
rare plants as Monstera dcliciosa, though it has
been distributed as P/iilodeiidron periusum, by
some who consider it distinct from the former
genus. We give an illustration with this on page
89 from a plant growing in the celebrated Mis-
souri Botanical Gardens. It may be seen in
Fairmount Park, Allegheny Park, and other
public gardens or rare collections.

Pink Indian Pipe. — A Philadelphia corres-
pondent says : —

" In the woods two or three times this sum-
mer I have came across little patches of Indian
Pipes, whose flowers, instead of being white
and drooping as I had alwaj's noticed them
before, were erect, with a decided!}' pinkish
cast. Was this, do you suppose, the ordinary
monotropa uniflora ? Gray speaks about the
flower being erect in fruit, but says nothing
about the pink color."

Only that ovir correspondent seems able to
understand the distinctions, one might sup-
pose his query referred to the "Pine Sap"
Monotropa Hypopitys, which is pinkish, and is
found in the woods with the other species. A
truly pinkish '• Indian Pipe " would be con-
sidered a rich botanical find.

)!■]

MEEHANS' MONTH r,Y— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

85

RuDBECKiA iiiRTA. — The note which we
gave recenti}', that in the past year Rudbcckia
liirta had been found with brownish spots at
the base of the golden rays, has very much in-
terested diflerent botanists. Mr. Isaac vSprague,
the eminent botanical artist and botanist, tells
us that no tinge of orange or brown has been
noted near Boston, where the plant sparingly
grows ; but that an allied plant, Lepachys
columnaris, the plant illustrated in our last
issue, has been gathered in some localities with
a spot of rich brown more or less covering the
base of the rays ; and Prof. Davis, of Alma
College, Mich., recalls the fact that Mr.
Sprague has illustrated this peculiarity in
that plant in Part the Fourth of Goodale's
elegant "Wild Flowers of America." The
notes are interesting, as showing that, when

CRIMSON FORMS OF COREOPSIS TINCTORIA.

plants of this class vary, the variation is in
corresponding lines. The well-known garden
plant, Coreopsis tinctoria, is an illustration of
the same point. The yellovr ray florets are
sometimes brown at the base, extending occa-
sionally to the whole of the ray, and there is
really a species of Rudbeckia, — Rudbeckia bicolor
from the southwest, which has been named
expressl}' from having the brown tinted base,
already noted in this Rudbeckia liirta.

Wild Flowers of Ji-niata County. — Mr.
D. E. Robison sends us beautiful specimens of
the Ladies' Traces, botanically Spira?i//ies ccr-
nua ; a delightfully sweet scented full-bloom-
ing orchid, and also of the river Aster, Heletiium
autiimnale. Although usually growing by the
side of river banks, it takes remarkably well
to cultivation, and is a beautiful border plant.
The specimens are from Port Royal.

Odorus Ficrns.— As a general rule ferns have
no odor, but there are a few which have some
fragrance. Mr. Alexander McElwee, Jr. , one of
our most observant and promising young gar-
deners, notes that the West Indian Adiantum
trapeziforme emits a very disagreeable odor, as
he describes, something between that of a
tomato plant and an African marigold. The
odor is so strong as to be perceptible in the
evening sometimes fifteen feet away. Another
fern from Borneo, namely, Davallia Mooreana,
he says also has a very pungent smell. It is
not thrown off, however, except by contact.
The pungent sensation is felt particularly in
the eyes. As in the case of the^other fern the
pungency increases towards evening. Obser-
vations of this character are very valuable.

CRIMSON FORMS OF COREOPSIS TINCTORIA.

Calla pahjstris. — This is one of our
prettiest native bog or aquatic plarits, and is
found along the sea-board Atlantic States from
Pennsylvania northwardly. A colored plate
appears in the Flowers and Ferns of the United
States. The spathe is white like the ^Ethio-
pian lily or calla of greenhouses, which in-
deed, except for the creeping habit of our calla,
it much resembles. Of late it has become popu-
lar as an aquarium plant.

DiPLOPAPPUSLiNARiii-'OLius. — This astcr-likc
plant is one of the most beautiful features of
comparatively dry, barren ground in Eastern
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. Berckmans
tells us that it is an equally beautiful feature
in the floral make up of wild flower vegetation
near Augusta, Ga.

86

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Dec.

Rhododendron^maximum. — A North Caro-
lina correspondent says : ' ' Rhododendro7i max-
imum, as painted in your initial number is too
highly colored for this section, where it is
nearly pure white." Our friend has over-
looked the fact that our illustration is from an
opening head, only five flowers having actually
expanded. Here, also, the flowers are whitish
the day after opening. We think he will find
them in North Carolina, just as it is here
painted, when in the same stage of opening.

The Red Cedar. — Mr. Nagel, of Santa Fe,
New Mexico, sends specimens of red cedars
growing in that vicinity, to show the extraor-
dinary difference in character which the sepa-
rate trees present. This is a common feature
with red cedars ; even this far east no two trees
are found to be exactly alike. By the wa}', Mr.
Nagel thinks that that part of the country is
likely to be one of the best portions of the
United States for the growth of pears and
plums.

The Oak Le.aved Hydrangea. — It is said
that one of the finest specimens of this
hydrangea is growing in the old garden of
Washington, at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In
olden times it was considered polite on the
part of a host to invite a distinguished visitor
to plant a memorial tree as a souvenir of his
visit. It is said that this fine specimen of
hydrangea was planted by Lafayette when on
a visit to Washinarton.

CAROLINA ROSE, BERRIES BR I GHT RED. --SEE page 84

The Golden Rod in California. — The
California Fruit Groiver remarks : —

In a journey of some fifty miles through the
mountainous region of the San Fernando and
adjacent country', made during this month, we
observed some splendid specimens of golden-
rod, and wherever it was in bloom it was
almost bending under the multitude of bees
at work upon it. It has been said that bees do
not frequent the plant for honey, and some say
that the golden-rod does not grow in California,
but man}' of the more sheltered canj-ons, espec-
ially those supplied with constantly running
water, furnish immense quantities and gorge-
ous growths of the National flower. Where it
has once established itself the plant will flour-
ish, even in very dr}- years, and gives consid-
erable bloom that yields good nectar, though
honey made from it is not as light as that pro-
duced from the sages.

Large Oaks. — It would be interesting to
know just how large some of our existing oaks
are, especially in cases where ' Woodman, spare
the tree ! " is a prayer not likely to be responded
to. We often hear of their great size, after
they have been destroyed. One felled in
Branch county, Mich., recently, measured five
feet in diameter, and, " according to the rings
on the stump, was 496 years old. "

The Mistletoe in Florida. — A corres-
pondent of the Farmer and Fruit-grower says :
In thirty feet of my back door stands a large
black jack tree with bunches on it. In fort}'
paces of my front door three-fourths of the top
of a willow oak about fifteen feet high , is covered
with mistletoe. But little of the top shows ex-
cept the mistletoe. At a distance of 100 yards
stands a persimmon bush with a bunch on it ;
and 125 yards another way a scrub oak bu,sh
not over two feet high has a bunch on it. Two
miles north of my place, a scrub oak bush six
feet high, has a mistletoe top entire. I was on
a sneak hunt for deer this morning and I ran
up with a wild plum bush, which had a nice
bunch on it which the deer had been budding.
This was in the sand hills, where I have no
doubt I could collect a ton or two of it from
the black jacks on one square mile.

GENERAL GARDENING.

THE JUNE ROSE.

' Thee, ever sjeiitle Rose, we greet !
Wc worship tlicc, delicious sweet !
For, though by uiighty gods caressed.
You deigu to make us mortals blest. "

Go, Flora " (said the impatient queeu
Who shares great Jove's eternal reign).

Go Ijreathc on youder garden thorn !
Wake* into bloom the emergiug Rose,
And let the fairest flower that blows,

The fairest month adorn. "

— Whitehead.

Transplanted Evergreens. — J. F. M.
says : "Too much cannot be said in favor of
evergreens, for hedges and ornamental plant-
ing that have been transplanted two or three
times. A young seedling naturally needs sup-
port and much nourishment. The roots first
formed, generallj' three or four straight ones,
seek deep soil and moisture, going straight
down, as the surface is too dry to give the neces-
sary food. When the plant is transplanted into
rows from the seed beds, all growth is sus-
pended for a time. When it has become firmly
established in its new situation, and growth
is again resumed the large first roots .send out
fibers which botan}' teaches are really the
mouths ol the plants. Of course the oftener
the tree is moved the more fibers are formed
and more chances for living are claimed.

' ■ Scotch and x\ustrian pines especially need
frequent transplanting in the nurser}-. "

Tamarisk. — A correspondent sends us from
Cape May, N. J. , a specimen for name, which
proves to be Tamarix Gallica. It is not gen-
erally known, what even this specimen indi-
cates, that this plant is one of the best possi-
ble flowering shrubs where there is salt spray.
A considerable quantity of salt water can be
thrown over the plants without their receiving
any material injury ; aside from this theheath-
like foliage gives the plant a peculiar character
among other shrubs ; while the delicate rosy
flowers produced in numerous panicles make
it a showy object in the summer time.

Changing the Colors of Flowers.— It
does not seem to have been recognized as a
fact that what a branch cut and placed in water
will do is no criterion of what the same branch
will accomplish through the aid of its natural
roots, — but there is evidentl}' a great distinc-
tion. No matter what we may water a plant
with, when it is in a healthful, growing condi-
tion, no perceptible influence is made on the
color of the flowers, but if we cut oflT a branch
and place it in water, which contains a little
ether added to a small quantity of liquid am-
monia, the flowers will take on various colors.
This difference is well worth noting, because
man}- of the facts which we accept as such in
vegetable physiology have been founded on
what branches do when they are cut and placed
in water. Man}- persons have supposed that
they can change the color of the Hydrangea
from rose to pink by watering with various
liquids, or bv- adding ingredients to the soil,
but it is now known that H3'drangea flowers
cannot be changed in this way. Whatever it
is that causes the change in the Hydrangea,
it is connected in some way with vital power,
and not with any element in the soil.

Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. —
It does not seem to be well known that there
are two forms of this plant. Hydrangea pani-
culata is a very different plant from Hydrangea
paniculata grandiflora . The latter has a large
artificial-looking head. It is the one in general
cultivation, and the one which is propagated
so largely by florists and others. It is a very
artificial looking thing, notwithstanding its
great popularitj'. The other form. Hydrangea
paniculata simpl}-, is a much more feathery- and
flower-like affair. The spike is long and slen-
der, and the barren flowers comparatively few ;
indeed it is particularly productive, producing
an enormous amount of seed. To many per-
sons this form is much more agreeable, because
less artificial than the one which is so univer-
sa'ly popular.

(87)

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Dec.

The American Oak. — Those who live far
south, as well as those who live far north, can
have no idea of the great variety and beauty
of the many species of oak which are found
everywhere in the central States. This fact
particularly impressed the writer of this para-
graph on a visit to Arlington, the former home
of General Lee. "While the White oak abounds
on these extensive grounds, and forms the
chief feature of oak scenery, there are a large
number of particularlj' handsome specimens
of trees of other kinds of oak, and some trees
of kinds of oak rarelj' seen north or south of
this line. One of the handsomest trees one
may see in a long journey is a specimen of the
Post Oak, Quercus obhisiloba. One remark-
able pecularity of this tree is that there is little
tendency to send out side twigs to the main
branches.; the main branches therefore ex-
teiid from the trunk, like huge crooked limbs
with abundance of foliage along the line, but
no great length of twiggy branches. As we
see it in New Jersey and Maryland, and again
further west in Missouri, it is rare to see any
isolated trees that have had a chance to
develop. At Arlington, where for many years
they have had an opportunitv of growing
singl3', this species shows exceptional beauty.
The same may be said of the Spanish oak,
Quercus falcata. As usually seen this is but
a sprawly, straggly headed tree, but in America
there are some magnificent specimens, — as re-
gular in the formation of their heads as a Red
oak or Black oak. It is pleasant to note, as
showing how great the love of fine trees pre-
vailed in the past age, that when the carriage
drives were laid out at Arlington through the
original forest, occasionally fine specimens of
oaks would come within the lines of the road-
way, yet all these have been suffered to stand
where they were, so long as there is room for
the carriage to go between them. In manj' a
modern improved place no mercy would be
shown to such trees, — they would remorse-
lessly be given over to the woodman's axe,
as interfering with the ofiice of the carriage
drive. Much as we have all come to venerate
the names of the great founders of the Arling-
ton estate, for their many virtues in public
life, the writer felt enlivened veneration when
he saw how tenderly they had dealt with these
children of the forest.

Small Parks. — Every large citj' .should aim
to have one large piece of ground for a public
garden, on which the best features of landscape
gardening could be exhibited, but at the same
time attention should be given to providing a
large number of small squares where the
poorer people, who cannot spare the time or
the cost to go to the larger places, may have
some opportunity of sitting a while in the open
air. Many of our larger cities are now engaged
in looking after these small squares. Phila-
delphia in its earlier career set apart some half
a dozen, which have been highly appreciated
by its inhabitants ; but for a generation or
more since these were established ,*it has gone
on piling up miles and miles of brick build-
ings without a thought for these open places.
Some five years ago it woke up to the neces-
sity of doing something more in this line. It
has, however, only gone so far at present as
the placing of a considerable number, ranging
from one to twentj' acres, on the citj' plan.
This will preserve them for parks in the
future ; but, up to the present time, it has for
financial reasons only taken absolute posses-
sion of three of them. Everywhere, however, as
well as in Philadelphia, the necessit}' for these
open places is grow-ing .stronger every day.

Signs of Successful Transplanting. — An
entirely new and useful fact has been brought
prominently forward by Mr. Joseph Meehan,
in the horticultural department of the Practical
Fanner. He recommends with good reason,
that plants should be set out very early in the
fall. He contends that there is no more harm
in stripping leaves from the trees by hand,
when the wood is ripe, than there would be by
having an early frost do the same work. A
number of leaves, however, are left on the
trees. If the transplanting is to be a success,
the leaves themselves will disarticulate from
the branches, and fall off of their own accord
in a few days. If, however, the leaves die on
the trees and show no indication of falling, it is
a sign that the growing powers of the plant are
weakened, and the plant will probably die. If
the leaves fall off thus freely of their own ac-
cord nothing further is necessary to be done,
but if the leaves incline to stay on without
falling, the use of the knife by pruning off
some of the branches will be a great assistance
in making the transplanting a success.

iSgi]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — GENERAL OARDENING.

S9

Copperas solutions. — Mr. Lochniaii, of
Bethlehem, Pa., remarks that the term cop-
peras in many drug stores is confined to the
green form, or sulphate of iron, and mistakes
may be occasionally made, if simply asked for
under that term. It is better, therefore, in all
cases to expressly state that sulphate of cop-

per is desired, when to be used for the destruc-
tion of small funguses. He thinks also that
much care should be used by fruit growers in
its application, or there may be legislative
measures against its use. He has seen enough
remaining on bunches of grapes to warrant
complaints.

EDIBLE AROIDS--SEE PAGE 84.

90

MEEHAN S MONTHLY GENERAL GARDENING.

[Dec.

Forest Pl.-vnting. — In the coal regions of
Pennsylvania nearly every piece of available
timber has been cut away to form props for
the archways, and for various other uses in
connection with coal mining. Nearlj- everj'
stick and every piece of plank used in these
regions now, all have to be brought from a
distance. The Girard estate has endeavored
to solve the problem by making some small
plantations as a test. Eight years ago a large
number of Larches and Scotch Pines were
planted ; plough furrows were simply driven
through the underbrush growing up where the
old forests had been cut away, and one 3'ear
old seedling Larches and Pines planted. The
Larches average now some 17 or iS feet high,
and are particularly healthj' and thrifty.
There can be no doubt, from these experi-
ments, that forest planting in these regions
would be an undoubted success. It may be
noted that the Larch was the most popular of
forest trees in the earl}' planting on the west-
ern prairie, but the leaves were attacked by a
fungus ; the timber, therefore, did not properlj'
maiure. It finally fell into disfavor for forest
planting. On these early experiments the
Larch has suffered much in reputation, but it
must be remembered that the western prairies
furnish unfavorable conditions for the Larch.
It is a mountain tree, one thriving in compara-
tively poor soils, and the low altitude and rich
earth of western prairies was entirely foreign
to its nature. The Girard plantings are some
i40oor 1500 feet above the level ofthesea ; these
are the conditions of its own home, and the re-
markable healthiness of these trees shows that
they appreciate the position in which thej' find
themselves.

LiLiUJi Wallichianum bulbill.E. — Mr.
James McPherson sa3's: " I am not aware that
attention has been called to the fact that this
splendid lily produces bulblets at the base of the
leaves, in the same manner as L. tigrinum and
L. bilbiferum. This is, so far as I have observed,
exceptional with the longiflorum section, and
is certainly not the case with the South Indian,
L Ncilgherriensc. I have never grown L.
Philippiiicuse, which is no doubt much more
nearlj' allied to L. Wallichiamim than anj-
other of the section, and I would be interested
to hear if the leaf bulblets have been observed
in that species. "

Killing Ants. — A Chicago correspondent
says: — "I note mem. in regard to Ants — I
had lots of trouble here with them and tried
'everything' and failed — I finallj- saw them
killing ' Gophers ' in California with Hydro-
Sulphide (Hydro-Sulphuret) of Carbon and
last year when the Ants showed up I tried it
and succeeded and did the same this year. It
costs, retail, 20 cents per pound. It is a liquid,
and very explosive if in contact with fire. I used
it close to vegetation and found no ill results.
I make a hole about half to one inch in dia-
meter in the ' nests ' and four to six inches
deep and pour in from a teaspoon to a table-
spoonful according to the number of ants in
the nest and immediately cover the hole with
soil and press it down snug. One dose as a
rule does the work. In one case (in grass) this
year I found at last a pint of dead ants had
been brought to the surface by the ants that
had not been killed ! — another dose ' fixed '
the rest of them. They are killed by the
fumes. It smells villainous enough to kill
• the old boy ' himself "

Lawns. — The Country Gentleman makes a
good point, that Kentucky blue grass on soils
where it flourishes is one of the best of all
grasses, without any further mixture for mak-
ing a good lawn ; and it further makes a good
point, which has not received the attention
that it ought to have, that it should not be cut
close. No strong growing grass should be cut
close. There is no way of destroj-ing a lawn
more readily than bj- cutting grass closedown.
If all lawns were not cut lower than a quarter
of an inch from the ground the}' would look
quite as well, and the grass we desire to con-
stitute the lawn would not be cleared out as
they frequently are now by creeping veronicas,
and other weeds of that class.

LoMBARDY Poplars. — A querj' comes to us
as to how to raise the Lombardy Poplar from
seed. It does not seem to be generally known
that this varietj' of poplar never seeds ; it is
simpU' a variety of another poplar, and has to
be increased wholly from cuttings. The pollen
bearing form, so far as known, is not in this
country. The plant is wholly pistillate.

iSgi.]

MKEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL C.ARDENING.

91

Mailing Cases. — We received some speci-
mens of leaves affected by fungus from Secretarv'
Edge, of the Pennsylvania State Board of
Agriculture, which were enclosed in a case,
which seems to us worthy of more general use.
It is made of tin, with a screw in the centre
inverseh' fixed ; the w'ooden lid is then screwed
down tightly to the case, so as to be readily
opened if desired by the postoffice officials. It is
just the thing- for sending cut flowers, specimens
of leaves affected with disease, or any small
samples that are perishable, and yet require to
be sent to long distances. In tin cases, closely
fixed as these are, there is no evaporation
whatever, and nothing is required in the way
of packing to envelop the articles. We have
sent perishable articles of this kind so far as
Australia without any packing whatever, but
just the article itself put in a tin case. These
tin cases ap-

pear to be
made by the
Howe Mailing
Co., of Detroit,
Mich. Any
one who de-
sires to send
anj' perishable
artic'e through
the mail, if it
were only a
piece of wed-
ding cake,
would find a

small supply mailing

of these on hand to be very useful articles.
We append with this an illustration, which will
perhaps more clearlj- explain than the descrip
tion which we have given. It shows the manner
in which the lid is screwed on the box.

Rhus Osreckii. — Mr. Murdock, of Pittsburg,
sends us a branch from a plant, originally grow-
ing near Trenton, N. J. It proves to be a Japan
Rhus, Rhns Osbeckii, and we take the oppor-
tunity to observe that it is one of the best ad-
ditions from Japan that American gardens have
had for many j'ears. It grows larger than most
of the American species of Rhus, and is covered
in September with huge bunches of white
flowers, coming at a time when very few other
shrubs have any flowers at all.

Plum Culture. — A crate of remarkably
beautiful green gage plums, from Mr. S. D.
Willard of Geneva, brings forcibly to mind
how much the fruit world is indebted to this
gentleman. For many years the attack of the
plum curculio was so vigorous that the insects
were left in full posse.ssion of the field. No
one cared to plant a plum. The fruit was
rarely ever seen in any market in eastern
America. It was long discovered that the in-
sect could be kept down and plums obtained
by jarring the trees two or three times a year,
but those who had comparativel}' few trees
could hardly apply this method. It seemed to
take too long to get to work, and to prepare
crutch-like implements to jar the trees, and
with so many matters pressing on the amateur

fruit grower,
no time could
be given to
this extra
work. Mr.
Willard, how-
ever, saw that
by getting an
orchard large
enough to
make it worth
while to em-
ploy one per-
son continu-
ally at this
work, the in-
sect could be very readily kept down. He
started on this track, and by simply making a
business of tree jarring he succeeded beyond
expectation. Since Mr. Willard's grand suc-
cess in this line, he has had numerous imita-
tors. Whereas years ago scarcely a nursery-
man had any demand for plum trees, now the
demand is nearly as regular in every nursery
for these, as for fruit trees of other kinds.

A Large E.\rlv Pe.ach. — Refering to a note
recentlj' made in regard to the desirability of a
large early peach, Mr. Oerther, of German-
town, sends us one from a seedling in his
garden early in August, quite as large as
Ward's late. The flesh is white and juicy,
with quality above the average. Much worse
kinds have been named and distributed.

92

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Dec.

Grape Diseases. — There is no doubt of the
inestimable value of sulphate of copper in pre-
venting the disease of the vine. In Egg Har-
bor Cit3', N. J., the whole prosperity of the
population depends on its grape crop. Every
year for many years mildew and black rot had
been growing more destructive, until the whole
industry of that portion of the country was
threatened with total destruction. Under the
advice of Prof. Lamson Scribner the sulphate
of copper solution was introduced. At first it
was not used until the grapes were the size of
peas, and little good results followed. It has
been found, however, that the solution to be
effective should be applied before the vines
push vigorously into growth. This has proved
remarkabU- successful ; no less that 100,000
gallons of wine have been made this year. It
is not said to be difficult to apply ; two boys
with sprayers apply the liquid, and five or six
acres a day can be applied by one boy. Opera-
tions were commenced on the 2gth of Ma3'. It
is one of those dangerous blessings, however,
that will have to be used with extreme cau-
tion, or else a reaction will arise against its
use. Where it is not properly mixed with the
water, a large portion of the copper Ttrill rest in
one place, and when it is used late in the sea-
son, for which there seems to be little neces-
sity, portions may adhere to the vine stalks.
All of these details should be thoroughly
understood by those who use it ; like gun-
powder in the hands of a child so may be this
invaluable element in successful grape culture.
It is no argument that it is sometimes dan-
gerous, that it should not be used at all ; the
same argument might be applied against the
use of gunpowder. The true course is to edu-
cate the people up to its dangers, and teach
them how to use it properly.

A Large Texas Apple Orchard. — It is said
that Mr. William McKenney, of Garea, Texas,
is the first native born Texan to engage in fruit
culture. He was born in Cass county on the
25th of March, 1847. His orchard is said to
be the largest in North Texas ; apple trees
alone comprising 3500. He is said to have
made it a great commercial success. Among
the largest and most successful of the Texan
orchardists is Mr. William Watson, of Brenhara,
a native of England, but a long time settler in
the Lone Star State.

Beautiful Apples. — It is said of a canny
old Scotch gentleman, giving advice to his son
about to enter into the world, to be particularly
careful of his love affairs. He was told that
in looking after a wife it was just as easy to
find a lady who had money and plenty of the
world's goods, and to fall in love with her, as
it was to fall in love with one who had nothing.
This advice is not often appreciated, and per-
haps ought not to be, —but there is no reason
why it might not apply to a selection of apples.
There are some apples which are pretty good,
and yet are not at all attractive to the eye ; on
the other hand, there is a large class which are
just as good as the plain ones, and have beauty
thrown in. One of these extremely beautiful
and very valuable apples, is the Pewaukee, of
which a very beautiful colored plate appears in
a recent number of the Canadian Horticulturist.
The crimson, red, and yellow are splashed in
equal proportions over the whole fruit, while it
is a fruit of the largest size. It must be noted,
however, that the Horticulturist speaks of it as
being especially valuable for canning, saying
nothing about its eating qualities ; but if our
friend had come across some of the specimens
it has been the good fortune of the writer of
this to test, he would have added that it was
also an excellent dessert fruit. It belongs to
the same class of fruits as a number of other
beautiful applesof which the Duchess of Olden-
burg, and Alexander, and Red Astrakan are
types. All of these are well known for their
beauty, and are generalh- sought for, even in
the smallest collections.

Grafting Persimons. — Dr. Young, of Vine-
land, N. J., inquires as to the method of graft-
ing the Japan Persimon. They are usually in
nurseries grafted on .the common Persimon
without any difficulty. He says he has tried
grafting and budding but failed. Nurserymen
usually graft them precisely as they graft
apples in winter time, only employing collar
grafting instead of cutting up pieces of the
roots. We have never heard of any more
difficulty in making them succeed this way
than follows the grafting of any other fruit
trees.

Profitable Grapes. — It is said that in
Western New York, vinej'ards will yield a
fair profit though the fruit only brings two
and a half cents per pound.

iSgi]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENINf,.

93

The First Orchard in Oregon. — Oregon
was first discovered by Capt. Gray, of Boston,
crossed by Lewis and Clark in 1804. It was
settled as a trading post in iSii, and was
turned over to the United States by Great
Britain in 1.S27. In 1S41 it codified its laws,
and in 1S45 started a provisional government;
made a territory on August 14, 1848, and
became a State in 1854. Before it was even
formed as a territory, in 1847 Mr. Edison Lew-
elling, of Iowa, started across the plains with
a wagon, carrying with him several hundred
3'earling fruit trees ; these were set near the
little township site of Milwaukee, in Clackamas
county, and a fellow traveler, named William
Meek, brought a sack of apple seed. The two
formed the firm of Lewelling & Meek, and thus
the first nursery was started there in 1848. We
gather these interesting facts from the Prairie
Farmer. Mr. Ladd started a nursery in Oregon
in 1850, and Mr. Settlemeir, one of the most
successful of Oregon nurserymen, arrived the
.same j'ear. In 1854, 500 bushels of apples were
shipped from Mr. Lewelling's start, and are
reported to have returned a profit of from $1.50
to $2 a pound. At the present day the fruit
industry of Oregon is said to be something
enormous.

Pears without cores. — Writers often ex-
press surprise that there should be an orange
without seeds, but this experience is met with
in almost all kinds of fruits. There is an apple
called Mennechor's Nocore, so named expressl}-
from the total absence of seeds. An illustra-
tion of this is in the Rutter pear ; it is ex-
tremely rare that seed is found in it, although
they are occasionally there. The common cur-
rant, Zante currant of the stores, is simply a
grape which does not produce seeds. A singu-
lar feature about these varieties is, that they
seem to increase in productiveness by reason of
thiswantof perfection in the seed. The Rutter
pear is especiallj' a great bearer ; there seems
almost as many pears as leaves on the tree.
Unfortunately, if allowed all to come to perfec-
tion, the fruit is of inferior quality, but when
properlj' thinned out the flavor is delicious.

The Benoni Apple. — It has often been a
subject of remark that varieties of pear,
although they maj- be natives of the old world,

generally do just as well or better in this ; on
the other hand, American varieties also do
well in the old world. It has not been found
the case with apples ; varieties originating in
one countrj' have proved generally worthless
in others. Among the exceptions to this is
our American early apple, known as Benoni,
which originated at Dedhani, Mass. This
varietv does well over man)' parts of the
United States, and seems to do equally well in
the old world. The Journal of Horticulture, of
London, has recently called attention to its
value for English planting. It is one of those
small sized varieties that would never be popu-
lar for market purposes, but for a tree in an
amateur's garden, few would excel it in its
season. Mr. Josiah Hoopes, the well known

BENONI APPLE.

pomologist, regards it as second to none of its
season. As a rule illustrations of fr.iit are
somewhat unsatisfactory, as no one can tell
certainly from a drawing what the fruit repre-
sents ; still it is a guide as far as it goes, and
we give with this an illustration of the variety.

The Champion Peach. — Notwithstanding
the large number of varieties in existence.
Western authorities believe that a new one, the
Champion, raised in Illinois, is a good addition.
Its qualitj' is said to be superior, and it bears
regularly when other crops are scarce. More-
over, it is said to be large, often ten inches in
circumference ; ripens in central Illinois about
the 5th of August. It is a white free-stone,
with red cheek.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

A FORSAKEN GRAVE.

Strange that on his burial sod
Harebells bloom, and Golden-rod,
While the soul's dark horoscope
Holds no starr\- sign of hope !
Is the Unseen with sight at odds?
Nature's pity more than God's ?

— WhiTTIER.

Good sentiments. — At a recent meeting of
the Congress of American Physicians at Wash-
ington, Provost Pepper of the University of
Pennsylvania, in a well-merited eulogium on
the remarkable characteristics of the late Dr-
Joseph Leidy, said : —

" Only a few daj's before his death, as I stood
bj- his bedside, he chanced to notice the flowered
pattern of the carpet on the chamber floor and
said : ' How can they work flowers in a carpet ?
We love flowers I No one would tread on
flowers!' And with his heart full of such
gentle thought he lapsed into peaceful uncon-
sciousness, like a tired child falling asleep in
the bosom of the X.^ture be had loved so long
and so well."

Here again we have an illustration of the
conflicting sentiments which govern the human
mind. The conception of such a thought as
that expressed by Dr. Leidy, is surely charac-
teristic of the tender heart and loving soul.
No low or grovelling mind could have taken
such a view of things. Yet Dr. Leidy, as the
writer of this very well knows, would be the
last to recommend that flower patterns should
not be used in carpet designs.

Memori.\l Trees. — We have all heard of
the Charter Oak in Connecticut and the Elm
tree in Philadelphia under which Wm. Penn
stood when making the treaty with the In-
dians. It is not so generally known that the
first colonists of Maryland assembled under a
Mulberry tree to establish their Government.
A shaft 36 feet high with a base six feet has
recently been erected to mark the spot.

(94)

John Thorpe. — ]\Ir. John Thorpe, who
stands at the head of floriculture and intelli-
gent horticulture in our country, was born in
1842 in England, and came to America in 1S74,
and the American Florist well says, "has been
in the van of the wonderful advances made by
horticulture on this continent during the last
thirtjf years. " He was the one who first
thought of the organization of the Society of
American Florists, and was the first president
of the Societ}-. He has recenth' been made
the chief of horticulture for the great Colum-
bian Exhibition, to be held in Chicago. In
his application for this position he was endorsed
by nearh- all the leading floriculturists and
horticulturists in the country. It is believed
that under his management the ver\- best that
can possibly be done for floriculture will be
done in connection with this great exhibition.

The Indian as .\ Cultiv.\tor. — The popu-
lar idea of the Indian roaming over prairies,
living on the fruits of the chase and just what
he can gather, does not properly characterize
all of the tribes. Some of the Indians of the
South and Southwest were excellent agricul-
turists. In Georgia and Alabama, when the
white men first went among the Natchez In-
dians, he found them all cultivating maize,
beans, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, melons,
pumpkins, and a large number of the native
fruits growing in orchards, — persimmons,
honey-locusts, mulberry, black walnuts and
shell-barks of the best kind were sorted and
planted by them. Many of the New Mexican
and Arizona Indians were also far advanced in
the agricultural art.

Hill of Calvary. — The hill near Jerusalem
where the crucifixion of Jesus occurred is formed
of limestone. The shores of the Dead Sea are
lined with pumice stone, showered out of some
volcano that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
which cities finally sank beneath the waters
of the Dead Sea.

i89i.]

MEEHANS MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

95

Benjamin Franklin. — Ainon<:: the many-
sided features of Franklin's character, no one
seems to have noticed that he had any interest
in wine culture, or the improvement of the
grape in our country. In clearing up an old
house belonging to the Livezey estate in Ger-
mantown recently, the following letter to Mr.
Liveze^' was found, which we give in full.

"London, Feb., 20, 1768.

"Sir : — I received per Capt. Falconer your
kind Letter of November 18 with a very wel-
come Present of another Dozen of your Wine.
The former has been found excellent by many
good Judges ; my Wine Merchant in particular
was very desirous of knowing what Quantity
of it might be had and at what Price, in which
I could give him no Satisfaction. I only said
that as the Grapes being uncultivated, were
not verj' Juicy, I apprehended so many of them
must be required, and so much Labour in gath-
ering, and pressing them to produce a little
Wine, That the Price could not be very low.
I shall apply this Parcel as I did the last to-
wards warming the Hearts of the Friends of
our Country, and wellwishers to the change of
its Government. The Partisans of the present
may, as you say, flatter themselves that vSuch
Change will not take place till the Proprietor's
death, but I imagine he hardly thinks so him-
self Anxiety and Uneasiness are painted on
his Brow and the woman who would like to see
how he would look when dead need only
look at him while living. In that respect at
least he appears to be as good a Christian as
one that dieth daily. With great Regard and
many thanks for your kindness to me, I am
Sir,

"Your much Obliged Friend and humble
Servant,

B. Franklin."

" To Mr. Livezey. "

Jean B. J. Van Volxem. — All lovers of rare
plants will recognize Van Volxem as one
frequently' used in plants' names ; a number
have been given in his honor. He died on
September 4th, at Brussels, in his 62d year.
He had a large Arboretum in Belgium, in
which he endeavored to collect everything
that was hardy in the shape of trees and
shrubs. In his youuger days he traveled
largely over many distant portions of the

world in search of rare trees and shrubs. He
did not confine his observations to plants
alone, but was one of those rare minds inter-
ested in ever3thing that concerned humanity.
Even the commonest social custom, if different
from those of his own countrymen, was sure
to attract his attention. On his return from
Japan a number of years ago, he honored the
writer of this paragraph with a call. While
traveling together along one of the public
highways, a lady, the wife of one of the most
distinguished officials of the State of Pennsyl-
vania, stopped to ask a question ; on receiving
the reply, in the politest manner possible she
returned her thanks for the information. INIr.
Van Volxem looked amazed, and remarked
after she had passed on, " Is it not something
very remarkable that an American lady should
thank a gentleman for courtesies extended to
her ? We have an impression in Belgium that
American ladies take everj'thing as a right, for
which no thanks are required." He seemed
indeed surprised to learn that, on the contrarj',
American ladies were probably more courteous
in this respect than the ladies of any other
portion of the globe. The anecdote is men-
tioned as showing this particular characteristic
of jNIr. \'an Volxem, of being a close observer
of everything of interest that was passing from
day to day.

Samuel Parsons, Jr. — Mr. Samuel Parsons,
Sr. , is well known to horticultural literature by
one of the best books on the history and culture
of the rose that has been issued. The son is
now taking steps in his father's literary course,
and has just issued a magnificent work on
landscape gardening. It is beautifully illus-
trated, and although much more might be said
than is here spoken of, and perhaps much more
information given of a practical character,
there is still enough of the highest interest in
the work to render it one of the most useful
contributions to the literature of landscape
gardening. Some of the names attached to
the illustrations have evidently been trans-
posed ; Weigelia rosea, for instance, is evident-
ly the common yellow Corchorus, while the
true Weigelia is labeled for the Corchorus.
These and similar little defects will no doubt
be corrected should another edition be called
for, as the work evidently deserves.

GENERAL NOTES.

CoMPMMExTARv Notices. — The numerous
complimentary notices Meehans' Monthly
receives from the press is very encouraging to
the publishers. The following appreciative
remarks from the Philadelphia Public Ledger z.x&
reproduced for the pretty thought expressed in
relation to the flower illustrated last month : —

"The sphere of usefulness of- " Meehans'
Monthly" is enlarged beyond purely horticul-
iural limits, as the drawing schools are begin-
ning to look for models in the handsome floral
plates lithographed by Prang for the frontispiece
of the monthly. The subject for November is
Lepachys colutnnaris, supposed at one time to
a Rudbeckia. The peculiar shape of this flower
and its glowing color renders it not unlike
a golden shuttlecock poised in mid-air on a
slender stem. The beautiful picture presents
a lively impression of the flower's arrested
flight."

European appreciation of our Mag a- '
ziNE. — a correspondent from Pallanza, places
us under obligations by writing to say that
while staying at the leading hotel at this place
in the edge of Lake Maggiore, it was visited by
the King and Queen of Italj' and the Queen of
Roumania. Our magazine was in the reading
room, and our biographical notes on the two
great Italian botanists highly commended.
The personal card of Signor Rovelli, who will
represent Ital}' in the forthcoming Centennial,
was forwarded to us in token of Italian ap-
preciation of the magazine's notices. We
know that our readers, who are interesting
themselves so warmly in our success, will be
as gratified as we are, with these kindly feel-
ings for our work in these distant lands.

Moon Flower.- — This old plant had a good
run under its new name. — A Kentuckian has
now re-baptized it as Flenr de Lune. In Latin
as the Bona-nox, in English, Moon Flower, —
and French, Fleur de Lune, it is getting rather
over-loaded with common names.

(96)

English names for Plants. — A Cincin-
nati correspondent observes, "that bethinks
the remarks made, commenting on Mr. Dudlej^
Adams' notes, were well timed." He would
like to know, among the multiplicity of Eng-
lish names, which particular one, in any case,
Mr. Adams would adopt for general use. He
says that the common Caladium of gardens is
generally known as the elephant's ear ; at the
same time a low growing Begonia from China,
B. Evansiana, is equally well known as ele-
phant's ear. Which of these would Mr. Adams
choose for the accepted name ? Botanists no
more than Mr. Adams would use Latin names
for plants, if there were any way of avoiding
them. Sytematic botany could not be carried
on with English names. It is a necessity and
not a choice. Instead of railing at botanists
for not doing what they think they cannot do,
it would be better for gentlemen, like Mr.
Adams, themselves to formulate a system
based on English names.

Binding the Magazine. — This month, De-
cember, finishes the first volume of our maga-
zine. It was started last July — an unusual
time for such eflbrts — so that the public might
become thoroughly aware of the nature of the
work before the regular January subscription
time arrived. It was our thought that as the
first volume of six months would be rather
thin, the first and second volumes of eighteen
months would probabl}' be bound in one ; and
we shall therefore prepare a complete index at
the close of the second volume in December,
1S92.

Our January Plate. — With the approach
of spring, we think of buttercups, dandelions,
violets, and other familiar flowers. The most
popular buttercups are foreign introductions.
We shall introduce to our readers' notice a
genuine American, Ranunculus fascicularis, as
the first picture in our new volume.

mn^'

i^MMMd;^

A%^Wm^:?

"'■n

imm^m

.■^,A

^ryjQfydOU

h^^nf\^^'^'^'^-J <ry

'"'i^^mmMmm/

'n^^'^;

,.„J^^^^^?^^^'

nAnO:^A^'^A

\^^^Ml

)/^^■»^o

i^^flA^

^^W.^'^J^,'^^

\r\r\^'

ni^rM

■AaaA;

:^^,^nn^'

^;^o^A^:

M^^^^^rv^

\r\^^^r\

-'^$''£fw^r«^^m^"

'.^Aaa

^A^^O^nO'

■^^'y^^

^■^^&^

s^rNA^^

\f^m^^^^^

^T^A

,/iAn/^O/^AA'^

z^.^r.^rA'

'■^^^v-.