Title: Meehan's Monthly, v. 3

Place of Publication: Phila. PA

Copyright Date: 1893

Master Negative Storage Number: MNS# PSt SNPaAg109.3

SOME

IN THE

ORIGINAL CONTAIN
FLAWS AND OTHER

WHICH

APPEAR ON THE

FILM

Volume 3

J

1893

• «>l>t «,* •• t,* •(

» V ' • »

• I •

t • > II

• I

I 1 •

« • «

• • •

• t ••

• I • • »

• • • »

I •

I *

• t • t 1 1 » 1 »

»* •• It >t •>)

I »

MEEHANS' MONTHLY.

A Magazine of Horticulture, Botany
and kindred subjects.

I

CONDUCTED BY

THOMAS MEEHAN,

FORMERI.Y EDITOR OF THE "GARDENERS' MONTHLY," AND AUTHOR OF THE '* NATIVE FLOWERS AND

FERNS OF THE UNITED STATES." VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY OF NATl'RAI,

SCIENCES OF PHII,ADEI,PHIA. BOTANIST TO THE PENNSYLVANIA

STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, ETC.

ASSISTED BY

THOMAS B. MEEHAN,

J. FRANK MEEHAN,

S. M. MEEHAN.

Volume III,
1803.

ILLUSTRATED WITH COLORED LITHOGRAPHS,

BY

L. PRANG & CO.

AND NUMEROUS COPPER AND WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

COPYRIGHTED.

THOMAS MEEHAN & SONS,

Gkrmantown, Phii,a., Pa.

• • •. :

»

• •

• »

• • •

• < • »

• • «

v
t • (

• « »

• e

< «

f> t •

* »

t '. *

« • I
• . •

• *

J* *

• • •

•• • •

• • • *

• * • •

• »

• • f

• • •

t • •

• • •

Preface to Volume III.

ENTLE READER : We herewith place in your hands the
third vohime of Mkehans' Monthly ; a work which
we trust will continue till all the leading wild flowers
of our beloved United States have been illustrated and
described. There is nothing in it ^'continued.'' Each

volume is a complete book in itself, which you and those who come after

you will enjoy and profit by.

No one can expect to own much of this glorious world ; but he may,

in a certain sense, with our figures and descriptions, own the beautiful

flowers which cover it.

To give you, good reader, this pleasure through all time, is the task
we have set ourselves to do.

^ u5l b

OPUNTIA PROLIFERA.

NATURAL ORDER, CACTACE-^.

Opuntia PROLIFERA, Kngelmaiiii.— All elongated shrub with elongated joints, covered with oblong obtuse tubercles, which
bear three to six or eight spines, obscurely sheathed ; (lowers densely clustered at the ends ofthe l)ranches, small brick-
red ; fruit (green) clavate, obovate.or sub-globose, fleshy, strongly tubercled, without spines, deeplv unibilicate, almost
always sterile and often proliferous: seeds, large, regular, with a broad prominent raphe. iHrewer and Watson's
Botany of the California Geological Suri'ey.)

Opus was a city of ancient Greece, and was
destroyed eventually by an earthquake. The
people of the district round about were called
Opuntii ; and Pliny the ancient Roman writer
tells us that around the city grew a root much
esteemed, and refers also to a fruit produced
without any evident external flower, but bear-
ing seeds within, no doubt referring to the fig.
Hence probably arose the impression that the
Opuntia of the ancients was a sort of fig, and
the application of the name by some of the
botanists of the sixteenth century, to a species
of cactus which was brought from the West
Indies on the early discovery of America, and
which had an edible fig-like fruit, and was in
fact known as Indian fig, is evident independ-
ently of the fact that it does not agree with the
description ofthe plant Pliny writes of as grow-
ing round the city of Opus ; it could have no
relation with it, as the whole cactus family is
a native of the new world, — and, though one
Opiuitia is found wild enough in Italy to de-
serve the character of indigenous, it is well
known to be an importation originally from
America. On the American continent cactuses
are found in numerous species. They abound
chiefly in Mexico, penetrating the United
States to Colorado, chiefly by way of the
dryer regions, in which they find themselves
most at home.

In classifying these numerous species, Lin-
naeus went no further than to divide them into
groups. They were all referred by him to the
genus Cactus. Since his time, several genera
have been made of them — the name of Cactus
simply representing the whole order Cactacciv.
Opuntia, as distinguished from other sections
of the family, is referred to Tournefort, and was
adopted by Haworth, a distinguished writer on
succulents about the middle of the last centur}'.
The section, or genus as it may properly be
called, is generall}' distinguished by the thick

fleshy sections of stems, and flowers having no
tube as in some of its near allies. There are
other characters which those disposed to ex-
amine the order critically will avScertain and
study, — but in this order especially we find
that the divisions are not very clearly drawn
in nature, and there are some species on the
borderland which puzzle the botanist some-
what to place in a decided position.

The species we now illustrate however will
cause no difllcult3' to the student, who will at
once place it in Opuntia, though in its specific
relations it comes closely to some others. It
was first discovered by Dr. C. C. Parry in 1S49
when connected as botanist with Lieut.
Emorj^'s survey ofthe Mexican boundary. He
found it in the dr^^ creek beds and on dr}- hills
about San Diego in California; and it is re-
markable that although the country has been
pretty well explored since that time, this spe-
cies has been found only in a comparatively
limited extent of country as compared with the
usual range of species in members of the cactus
famil}'. The cactuses collected by Dr. Parry
on that expedition were described b^' Dr.
Engelmann in Sitliman's Journal, and this
one named Opuntia prolifcra from the singular
circumstance of one flower growing out of an-
other, as well shown in our illustration ; that
is to say, the flowers are proliferous. The
branch from which our drawing was made was
sent by Mr. Parish and planted in the open
ground in the author's garden, where it rooted
in a few months and flowered as represented in
the illustration. But though this will serve
to educate the student to recognize the species,
it will afford but a poor idea of the peculiar
effect ofthe plant on its native scenery. There
it grows in immense masses, forming impene-
trable thickets often eight feet or more high.
In the earl}' accounts of its discovery the
thickets are likened to immense masses of

(0

1

I

OPIWTIA PROLIFliRA.

XATTRAL ORDI'.R. CACTACIM-.

OprNTiA 1'rolti-i:r A, l^iij^clmatui.— All eloiij^atcd ^lirub witli elongated j jiiits, covered uitli obloiiir ol'ttise tuberelcs, wliicl.
bear tliiee t() six or eii-lit spines, obscurely slieallieil ; tlo\ver> densely elu>U'red at tlif eiuN of the i>r.inelifs, sinal! bri«.lv-
red ; fruit (green) clavate, o])ovate,or sub-i;lobose, fleshy, stroiii^ly tub»-rcled. without ^i>ines, (U-i-pI\- utnbi!ieatt'. altnu-t
always steiile and often proliferous; >feds. lari^'e, rei(ular, with a l)road I'Mnnintnt raphe. lirewrr ai;d Wat-en -
/'o/iun of th>' C\ili fill nia Ciitilo'' ii\il .Sn/Trv.)

Opus was a city of ancient (rreece, and was
destroyed eventually by an eartli({uake. The
people of the district round about were called
Opuntii ; and Pliny the ancient Roman writer
tells us that around the city grew a root much
esteemed, and refers also to a fruit produced
without any evident external llower, but ])ear-
\ng seeds within, no doubt referring to the lig.
Hence probably arose the ini])ression that the
Opioitia of the ancients was a sort of fig, and
the application of the name by some of the
botanists of the sixteenth centur}-, to a species
of cactus which was brought from the West
Indies on the early discovery of America, and
which had an edible fig-like fruit, aiul was in
fact known as Indian fig, is evident independ-
ently of the fact that it does not agree with the
description of the plant Pliny writes of as grow-
ing round the city of ()j)us ; it could have no
relation with it, as the whole cactus famil\- is
a native of the new world, — and, though one
Opiintia is found wild enough in Itah* to de-
serve the character of indigenous, it is well
known to be an importation originally from
America. On the American continent cactuses
are found in numerous species. The}' abound
chiefiy in Mexico, penetrating the United
States to Colorado, chiefly hy way of the
dryer regions, in which they find themselves
most at home.

In classifying these numerous species, Lin-
niL'US went no further than to divide them into
groups. They were all referred by him to the
genus Cactus. Since his time, several genera
have been made of them — the name of Cactus
simply representing the whole order Cactacdr.
(^f>it)itia, as distinguished from other sections
of the family, is referred to Tonrnefort, and was
adopted by Ilaworlh, a distinguished writer on
succulents about the middle of the last century.
The section, or genus as it nuiy properly be
called, is gencrallv distinguished bv the thick

flesh}' sections of stems, and fiowi-is liaving no
tube as in some of its near al Hls. There aic
other characters which those disposed to ex-
amine the order iTiticall\- will ascertain and
study, — but in this o!d«-r ts{)eriai]\' we tind
that the divisions are ni»'. \ci'\- cle.irl\- drawn
in nature, and there aie some species on tlit.
borderland which pu/./le the botanist some-
what to j)lace in a deci<led position.

The species we now iliustrale howevei' will
cause no difficultN' to tlie stuiUiit. wh'> will at
once place it in (^pituiUi, though in its spev.Mtic
relations it comes el(»sel\- tt» some olheis. It
was first discovered by I)r. C C I'.iiry in i'^;';
when connected as botanist with Lieut.
ICmor\''s sur\'L_\' of tlie Mexic.m bonndary. He
found it in the dry cieek beds and on dr\' liill.--'
about San Diego in California: and it is re-
markable that although the cou'Ury has been
pretty well explored since that time, this spe-
cies has been found only in a comparatixely
limited extent of countiy asconii)aie<l with the
usual range of species in numbers of the cactus
family. The cactuses collected i>\ I)r. Parry
on that expedition were described by Dr.
ICngelmann in Sif/ifuafCs /•^urNtil. and this
one named Opuiitia p>o!ifc>'d from the singular
circumstance of one llower -growing oat of an-
other, as well shown in our illustration : that
is to say, the flowers are proliferous. The
branch from which our drawing wa^ made was
sent by Mr. Parish an<l pl.inted in the ()])en
ground in the author's gaideii, wh'-re it rooted
in a few months and flowered as lepresented in
the illustration. Put tliough this will seive
to educate the student to recogni/e the species,
it will aflbrd l)ut .i ])oor idea of the ])eculiar
effect of the ])hint on us native scenerv. There
it grows in immense ni isse.s, loi-min^ im])eiK-
tr.ible thickets often eight feet or more liijli.
In the early accounts of its (liseo\ei-y the
thickets are likened to immense masses of

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y— OPUNTIA PROI.IFERA.

^coral reefs. In these cases the flower-bearing
branches are not always erect, as one would
imagine from our plate, but push out on all
sides of the masses, and indeed are sometimes
pendulous. One distinguished botanist who
saw the plant on the writer's grounds, believes
that the flowers are sometimes larger and more
showy when they first appear from the proper
stems, and before they become proliferous,—
but those given in our plate accord with the
dimensions as given in Brewer and Watson's
*' Botany of California." The effect on the
landscape of the bright flowers on the huge
succulent gray branches must be grand in the
extreme.

In times not very long ago, the fact of one
flower growing out of another in the manner
these do would have been regarded as simply
a monstrosity, and have excited little further
thought. But in these days the facts are very
welcome to the morphologist and physiologist,
as aiding them to unlock the secrets of nature
in regard to plant structure and the way
plants live and grow. There was a time
when the stem of a plant and its flower would
have been regarded as essentially different or-
gans ; and even to this day there are some who
while admitting that the parts of the flower are
modified leaves, would hardly regard the stem
and leaves as primarily identical. But in this
case we see the fruit which .we know to be
modified leaves, acting as stem, and continu-
ing the plants' existence as easily as the nor-
mal stem structure would. At Fig. 2, we note
the flowers coming out of the fruit for the third
successive year, and at Fig. i, we have a fruit,
finding itself in the earth, sending out normal
branches instead of the proliferous flowers.
The only difference notable between the fruit
and the normal stems is, that they seem to
have lost the power of producing spines,
though fine bristles are sometimes found on
them, which make it imprudent for any one
to handle them incautiously.

What especial use the spines serve in the
economy of cactus life, has long been a subject
for philosophic speculation. Some have con-
tended that some fruits are made attractive and
edible as an aid in the distribution of the
seeds. Animals take the fruit to their haunts,
use the flesh, and scatter the undigested seeds
in j^ various directions,--certainly many fruit-

[Jan.

bearing plants are widely distributed in this
manner. Those who think this feature a spe-
cial adaptation will see in the absence of spines
in the fruit of this species, strong confirma-
tion of this view. The plant would be spiny.
It would be contended, in order to protect it
against browsing creatures ; while, when con-
sumption instead of protection became useful
to the plant, the production of spines would
be arrested. It is the misfortune of specula-
tions of this kind, reasonable as they appear in
the solitary instances that suggest them, to be
found wanting in other cases where the same
reasons would seem to be necessary. But there
are many cactuses wholly smooth in cases
where protective spines would seem quite as
desirable, and spiny fruit where it might seem
just as useful to the plant that every induce-
ment should be given to animal life to eat, and
aid in seed-distribution.

Again it might be contended that if the dis-
tribution by birds or other creatures had been
one of the conditions under which the species
was formed, and that the fruit was rendered
spineless in order that animals might be more
readily attracted to the fruit, some color would
be given in order to add to the attractiveness.
Indeed it is generally claimed that the fruits
on which most animals love to feed are beauti-
ful as well as useful to them. In many plants
of the cactus family the fruits are very highly
colored. In this particular species, however,
the fruit is green even when mature, and unless
the creature desiring to feed on it had an edu-
cated eye, would most likely pass it wholly by.
Perhaps a reply might be offered that as the plant
IS proliferous, seldom perfecting seed, there was
no necessity for making attractive fruit.

The earlier botanists believed that the plant
never produced perfect seed.— but "the Botany
of California" says " almost always " sterile.
And this qualification is correct, for out of
about twenty cut open the writer found one
with a single seed in the centre, which we have
illustrated in Fig. 3.

As already noted it is found in but a limited
geographical area. The "Botany of Califor-
nia" says "up the coast to San Beunaventura,
and southward into the peninsula."

KXPLANATIONS OF THE PLATE.— I. Fruit producillC- HOI

mal branches. 2. Proliferous flowers. 3. Fruit with a siu^
seed m the centre. • * siu^i

or-

e

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW.

The silvery snow : — the silvery snow : —
Like glory it falls on the fields below ;
And the trees with their diamond branches appear
Like the fairy growth of some magical sphere ;
While soft as music, and wild and white,
It glitters and floats in the pale moonlight,
And spangles the river and fount as they flow ;
Oh ! who has not loved the bright, beautiful snow.

Chari.ks Swaix.

PiCEA Breweriana.— This beautiful Spruce
is one of the more recently discovered, and was
named after the well known, eminent botanist.
Prof. Brewer. Ithas been supposed to be but
local, having been found in but a very few
localities. Mr. Thomas Douglas, son of the
well known horticulturist, Robert Douglas,
has now found a group of them in the Coast
Range Mountains, in Oregon. Mr. R. Douglas
writes very enthusiastically of the great beauty
of this spruce. He styles it emphatically the
"Weeping Spruce," and it might be as well
that it should be known as the Pacific Weep-
ing Spruce. Although it has been understood
to be a very beautiful species, Mr. Douglas
thinks it still more beautiful than it has been
reputed to be. It grows at an elevation of from
7,000 to 8,000 feet on the Oregon boundary.

Asters in Wisconsin. — Mr. John W. Dun-
lop, Milwaukee, Wis., under date of October
31, 1892, writes : —

'• As the season of wild flowers is now a
thing of the past, we have time to reflect on
what pleased us most during the summer. The
season has been remarkable for the beauty of
its flowers and for the great variety in flower
simultaneously. This has been especially
true of the Asters (Compositie) of Wisconsin.
They came in bloom in this order : ^s/er ter-
rnmalis and ^. ptannicoides were first and were
found in marshy ground. The next two, A.
corymbosus and A. macrophyllus, are botanical
curiosities. They were found on timber land
adjoining the marshes. A. turbinellns, A.
hrvis, and A. livvigatus ought to be cultivated
in every good garden. A. patens and A.
Shortii, two more blues, but taller, ought also

to be in cultivation here as they have been in
Europe for the last fifty years. A. cordif alius
and A. sagittifolius have been very gay in the
ravines around Milwaukee. - /. viultijlarus, a
small white species, has been like bouquets on
the prairie. A. ?niSt'r and -/. Tradescanti, to-
gether with several other varieties, are not
showy enough to gain a place in the garden.
A. sericeus and . /. linifalius are two of the
most beautiful and desirable for cultivation.
They are fine for rock- work as they are found
on lime-stone ridges. We have a few strong
species which grow on rich bottom lands that
would make a fine show in among the shrub-
bery of a lawn. The}' are . /. Xoz'ir-.higla\
A. pufiicrus, .1. longifalius, A. pycnanthaidcs.
They could be cultivated with ease. The list
I have given is not the full amount of the spe-
cies in Wisconsin. We have over thirty spe-
cies. I will tell you of our golden rods in
another letter."

Natural Variation in 1m:rns. — Mons. H.
De Varigny of Paris, makes an inquiry, given
below. American ferns probably vary little,
less even than flowering plants, still the exper-
ience of others would be very desirable.

"Page 164 of Meehans' Monthly I note
that many ferns vary, and that Mr. G. J. Lowe
has raised new varieties from bulblets. On the
other hand, I see in H. Correvou's very inter-
esting and valuable Les Fougcrcs Rustiques
(2 Chemin Daucet, Geneva, Switzerland), that
variation is very frequent among ferns. A
curious fact is that according to the Swiss
writer variation in the wild state is more fre-
quent in England than elsewhere. Some
genera are recorded as more variable than
others, such as Scalapeminum, or Aspkniinn,
Could you, or any of your readers, inform me
whether any genus seems to be particularly
variable, or, contrariwise, particularly liable
to variation, among American ferns /// situ .'
And does any such genus seem to vary more
in America, or one part of the United States
than elsewhere ? Information would be grate-
fully received by one of your constant readers."

f3^

MKEHAN'S monthly — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Jan

Significance in Leaf Variation.— Mrs.
W. A. Kellerman, observes : — "There is some-
thing particularly fascinating to me in the
variation of leaves. Every herb, shrub or tree
is full of autobiographical sketches. Look at
the leaves of the hop vine {Humulus Lupu-
lus) ; pull down a limb or branch of a mulberry
tree, or notice the common elder {Sambucus
Canadensis) and what curious variations you
will see among their leaves. The more care-
fully you study these variations, the more sig-
nificant they appear to be. They indicate so
obviously their derivation from a primitive
brotherhood. Here for instance, is a figure of
a little Viola aiculiata, Par. pcilmata. There
is one leaf which "runs back" to Ciicullata ; it
shows at once where the plant belongs, and

VIOLA CUCULLATAVAR PALMATA.

the other leaves are gradual developments
which have proceeded by virtue of the two
great fundamental laws underlying all prog-
ress ; viz. : adaptation and evolution. Al-
though we cannot say that plants think or
reason, we must admit that they contrive
most admirably to meet the obstacles which
beset them, and arm themselves for their tour-
naments and life-struggles with something
akin to intelligence ; and Var. palmata needed
more " luxuries" (just as our children now-a-
days, claim almost as their right, what were
luxuries to us) and grew its leaves in accord-
ance with this need, deepening and increasing
its lobes. At first the variation of these chil-
dren of Cucullata was so slight that no atten-

tion was paid to it, but it went on and on, till
botanists could no longer endure to include
them among the old heart-shaped leaves, and
hence set them off by themselves as a variety.
But botanists cannot keep them where they
have placed them, for plants outgrow old de-
scriptions, in spite of all the painstaking care
spent upon them."

As Mrs. Kellerman suggets, few studies
give more pleasure than those connected with
variation. Possibly some "hard headed'*
critic might ask whether it is really a fact that
the polymorphic character of the leaves in the
white mulberry, hop vine and others are
modern and not ancient variations, — but a
great beauty of such notes as these Mrs.
Kellerman presents, is in the suggestive
thoughts they originate.

An Enormous Balsam Poplar. — Near Gen-
eva, New York, is a Balsam Poplar tree, 120 feet
high, diameter of the top 115 feet, and with a
trunk 23 feet in diameter. It is probably the
finest specimen of this tree in the world. It
is on the home grounds of Charles Bean, Esq.
It has been taken for the common Canadian
Poplar, but Dr. Sweet is authority for the cor-
rected name. It is believed to be about 100-
years old, and is called the Century Tree ; but
as this would make an average increase of
nearly three inches in diameter a year, it must
be older than supposed.

Northward Tree Limit. The Birch seems
to have advanced nearer the pole than any
other tree, though the spruce, Abies orientalis
is not far behind it. No evergreens were seen
by the recent Peary Expedition to North
Greenland. The late Finnish Expedition to
the Kola peninsula found this spruce crossing
the peninsula in a sinuous line between
70° and 71°,— but Lieut. Melville on Greeley's
expedition found it on the islands north of
the Lena river as far as 75°.

Benthamia Japonica. — According to Amer-
ican Gardening, which figures the plant, Ben-
thamia Japonica, is to be called Comns kousa
It takes the place of our Cornus Florida in
Japan, and has enlarged bud-scales simulating
an involucre as our Dogwood has. The union
of the separate berries in a syncarp like a
strawberry separated Bentha7nia from Cornus^

1893.]

meehans' monthly—wild flowers and nature.

Plants Turning to the Light.— Though
plants take an upright growth, seemingly "to-
wards the light," it is by no means certain
that it is light which they seek by striving in
this direction. Potato sprouts in the darkest
cellars, still strive upwards ; and a recent scien-
tific paper shows that even a mushroom push-
ing downwards from a bank, or even in the
darkness of a coal mine will curve upwards.
Referring to the latter. Prof K. J. Hill says :—
** In reading the article ** On the Direction of
Growth in Cryptogamic Plants," I was re-
minded of the mosses, which I have mainly
studied among cryptogams. The stems, pedi-
els, and fruit of these are usually at right
angles to their support, at least, I do not recall
any bending up from any position in which
they may be placed, though I never made
special study of this feature. Having handled
a great many, if there had been a peculiarity of
this kind at all general, I think it would have
been noticed. As they grow in almost all posi-
tions on trees and branches, logs, stones and
on the ground, their attitude may be observed.
I do not here refer to the curvature of the cap-
sule, which may occur in any position of the
plant,— that, and the twisting of the pedicel to
the right or left, or sometimes the upper part
one way and the lower another, has always
seemed very cuiious to me. But why ?

I have often noticed plants kept over night,
or for a day or two in the tin collecting box
liad the floral end of the stem bent upward.
They are in the dark except for brief intervals
when the box may be opened to remove some
specimen, which I should not deem a suflicient
cause for the strong curvature seen in some
cases. I noticed it in a few hours in the case
oi Ranunculus abortivus a short time since."

Sterility of Hybrids. — It has been known
of late that hybrids between species of plants
are by no means sterile as generally supposed-
On the other hand Mr. G. J. Lowe, who was
the earliest, and has been the most persi.stent
experimenter in hybridizing ferns, states that
hybrids between these are usually sterile. He
has been experimenting since 1S55. No other
manipulation is required in hybridizing ferns
than that spores of two species should be
mixed in sowing. The cross-fertilization oc-
curs during the sprouting and development of
the spores.

Moss Bunches on the Poison Vine. — The
Mist tree, or, as it is sometimes called, the green
fringe, is among the most interesting of our
ornamental shrubs, by reason of the great pro-
fusion of moss-like stalks which are produced
on the fruit bearing plants. The male plants
have no moss or fringe. We do not know that
it has been noticed in any botanical periodi-
cal that the common poison vine, which is
a close neighbor of the Mist, indeed belongs to
the same genus, namely, Rhus, frequently pro-
duces huge bunches of moss, very similar to
thai which is produced b^' the Mist tree. We
suppose the dread which most people have of
the poison vine has led to the ignoring of this
special beauty. It is worthy of remark in this
place that some scientific writer has recently
alleged that the poisoning from the poison vine
is of a bacterial nature. It is usually the case
that when some prominent truth is brought
forward in connection with the microscopic
organisms, that it is very likely, to use a com
mon expression, " to be run into ihe ground,"
and this is probably the case here, for we are
quite sure that hundreds of people have taken
the poison without actual contact with the
plant, and it is not at all unlikely that these
minute organisms will travel directly from the
plant to the patient without some actual con-
tact. On the other hand, there are hundreds
of people who can handle and tear to pieces,
even chew the poison vine, without suffering
the least therefrom, and one would suppose
that if bacteria had anything to do with the
poisoning of people, this actual contact would
be far more favorable to propagation than the
mere walking by, without contact with the

plants at all.

A remarkable fact in the history of the poi.son
rhus is that cows, sheep, and probably all herbi-
vorous animals, eat the plant greedily, but there
is no record of any disastrous results.

Rhododendron maximum.— A new locality
has been discovered for the Mountain Laurel
by Park Commissioner Brown of Rochester,
New York, who has found it only nine miles
from that city. The Rochester Post Express
condenses what Meehans' Monthly (July,
1891) says of it, and credits it to Gray s Man-
ual. It extends further north towards the
east, but the Rochester station is possibly the
most western one.

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Jan.

N i

A Winter Scene in Nevada.— Since the
opening of railroad lines across the continent,
the unique beauty of the Rocky Mountain
scenery, as it appears in summer time, is well
known to most travelers ; but the particular
fascination of the winter views is comparatively
unknown. We have much pleasure in giving
with this, an illustration of a winter scene in
Reno county, Nevada. The arborescent vege-
tation is made up in great part of alders, var-
ious spruces, the pine, and arbor vitoea-like
plants, in the character of Libocednis decurrens,
and cedars, — the prevailing characteristic,
however, being of evergreens. It is interest-
ing to note, as if there might be a certain par-
ticular intention of nature to repeat associa-
tions, that, while in the East, the mistletoe is

Spraying Plants. — Noting a lady in her
small conservatory recently, with a light water
pot trying to sprinkle the plants through an
old fashioned rose, the thought occurred how
slow is progress in all matters of public inter-
est, and in gardening not excepted. With the
great advance made in "sprayers" of late
years, water pots and syringes are now things
of the past. Especially are sprayers desirable
wherever plants are grown, since so many so-
lutions for the destruction of insects and fun-
gus troubles, have been found so effective.

Early Spring Flowers in California. —
The American Cowslip, Dodccatheon Meadia, is
said to be one of the earliest if not the earliest
spring flower in Monterey county, California.

A WINTER SCENE IN NEVADA.

always found on deciduous trees, in this part
of the world nature has made the mistletoe to
grow on evergreens, that is to say, it is a mis-
tletoe to all intents and purposes, although
classed by botanists as a distinct genus, called
Arceuthobium, This is found chiefly on the
Libocedrus. While our mistletoe has broad,
green leaves, this species has none, the green,
slender stalks seeming to act as leaves.

Winter scenery is well worth a study. The
snow falling on all plants alike, one would
imagine it would present a uniformity of ap-
pearance ; but it usually follows the conforma-
tion of the branches and foliage of each tree,
and thus the snow character of two closely re-
lated species of pine will yet have different
effects, corresponding with the slight difference
in foliage.

It was open the past springjon ' January '15th.
On the prairies of the Atlantic slope it does
not flower till May or June. Some botanists
have made the Pacific forms distinct species.

The Rose Acacia. — The Director of the
Royal Gardens at Kew, writes for a seed vessel
or seeds of Robinia hispida. The conductors
of Meehans' Monthly never saw a seed ves-
sel under cultivation,— nor in the mountains
of Tennessee, where the senior conductor has
found the plant in abundance. Has an3'^ ever
seen, or do they possess a seed vessel ?

It was at one time supposed that a barren;
plant had been first introduced to cultivation,
and that all plants in gardens propagated from
this had preserved the barren character. But
if so, wild plants should seed.

GENERAL GARDENING,

THE CASCADE.

" Unconscious nature, with voice subdued,
Soothes the soul with its various tones —
The inufBed roar of the wintry wood.

Or the sigh of the pines where the south wind
moans ;
Or here, where the spray of the foam-cascade

Keeps green forever the moss-robed walls
Whose ferns and vines are an emerald braid.
Amid the nuirnmr of waterfalls."

— " Howard Worcp:stkr Gilkert."

Arneiua cornuta. — The following note by
a good correspondent of Meehans' Monthly,
Mr. Oskar Lindkvist, of Ulricekamm, Sweden,
refers to a beautiful Siberian annual which has
appeared in vSome catalogues as a Lithosper-
mum. The specific name, Cornuta, refers to
small horns at the base on the inside of the
Forget-me-not, — like flowers :

"Among the prettiest and most interesting
annual plants, recently introduced in culture,
the Boraginacece above mentioned must be
reckoned. It probably originates from Abys-
sinia, of which countrj' several of the perennial
species at least are natives, and forms a herb
50-60 cm. high, richly and bushly branched,
with narrow lanceolate leaves. The flowers,
plentifully produced in the axils along the
branches, as these grow, or in the tops of them
collected in small clusters, are gamopetalous,
with long tube and spreading five-cleft limb,
about 2 cm. in diameter, bright-yellow colored,
with five dark brown (almost black) cordate
spots, very well contrasting with the bright
ground. The entire herb is very hispid.

The pretty, brilliant, curiously spotted flow-
ers, which are richly produced all the summer,
ought to assure Artiebia cornuta (as it becomes
generally known) a place in every garden.
There, no doubt, it will prove suitable both for
middle-sized groups and as solitary plant.
It also produces charming bouquets

The seed, yet very dear, must be sown, or
rather laid, very thinly (at an interspace of
8-10 cm.) in a hot-bed, a-d the seedlings trans-
planted in due time. The plant requires much
room, good and nourishing soil, open place as
sunny as possible. Also some support might

sometimes be necessary in case of violent winds
or showers.

I called this Aniebia (for also other, peren-
nial species are, as hinted, to be found) not
only a pretty but also an interesting plant, and
I did so on account of the singular shifting
color of the flowers. As these opened last sum-
mer, I soon observed some of them had the
color and spots above described, while others
had only three spots, and still others were mere
yellow ; besides the spots were sometimes very
dark, sometimes quite pale. I then thought
the flowers had an uncommon propensity to
vary (as do a great many plants), and so thought
little on the subject. Toward the end of the
summer, however, I began to examine the phe-
nomenon closer : I m.'»rked some flowers (by ty-
ing^a fine thread very loosely round them) and
so day by day followed their development. The
results of my observations were as follows :
All the flowers, recently opened had the normal
color and marks, but some day later two of the
spots grew pale and continued so till they
quite vanished ; then the remaining three spots
in the same manner began to fade till they also
were effaced and the flower was mere yellow.
Some days afterwards it decayed.

This wonderful shifting of color (which also
occurs in the perennial species) passes of course
faster in the middle of the summer than at the
end of it. It is also especially characteristic
for the genus Anicbia and besides not to be met
with in the vegetable kingdom. In the species
in question it gives a single specimen or a
small group a peculiar variation and in a man-
ner sets off its beauty.

The reason of the name Cornuta must be a
secret to everybody, except to the author him-
self. More reasonable it would have been to
name the plant Arncbia mutabitis, though (as
I hinted before) the singular shifting of color
is not characteristic for this species atone.''

It might be added to this ver>' interesting
note, that many boraginaceous plants have the
power of changing color— the Pulmonaria or
Lungwort for instance— but none to the extent
described in Arncbia.

(7)

. •..f-'^'y':'*-:>''-i-<}'Ul'J'(\. ':*

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Jan.

A Winter Scene in Nevada.— Since the
opening of railroad lines across the continent,
the unique beauty of the Rocky Mountain
scenery, as it appears in summer time, is well
known to most travelers ; but the particular
fascination of the winter views is comparatively
unknown. We have much pleasure in giving
with this, an illustration of a winter vScene in
Reno county, Nevada. The arborescent vege-
tation is made up in great part of alders, var-
ious spruces, the pine, and arbor vitaja-like
plants, in the character of Libocedrus dcciirrcns,
and cedars, — the prevailing characteristic,
however, being of evergreens. It is interest-
ing to note, as if there might be a certain par-
ticular intention of nature to repeat associa-
tions, that, while in the Kast, the mistletoe is

Spraying Plants. — Noting a lady in her
small conservatory recently, with a light water
pot trying to sprinkle the plants through an
old fashioned rose, the thought occurred how
slow is progrcvss in all matters of public inter-
est, and in gardening not excepted. With the
great advance made in ''sprayers" of late
years, water pots and syringes are now things
of the past. Especially are sprayers desirable
wherever plants are grown, since so many so-
lutions for the destruction of insects and fun-
gus troubles, have been found so effective.

Early Spring Flowers in California. —
The American Cowslip, Dodccatheon Mcadia, is
said to be one of the earliest if not the earliest
spring flower in Monterey count}^ California.

,^

V . i

*JA*

A WINTER SCENE IN NEVADA.

always found on deciduous trees, in this part
of the world nature has made the mistletoe to
grow on evergreens, that is to say, it is a mis-
tletoe to all intents and purposes, although
classed by botanists as a distinct genus, called
Arceuthobitim. This is found chiefly on the
Liboccdrus. While our mistletoe has broad,
green leaves, this species has none, the green,
slender stalks seeming to act as leaves.

Winter scenery is well worth a study. The
snow falling on all plants alike, one would
imagine it would present a uniformity of ap-
pearance ; but it usually follows the conforma-
tion of the branches and foliage of each tree,
and thus the snow character of two closely re-
lated species of pine will yet have different
effects, corresponding with the slight difference
in foliage.

It was open the past springjon January '15th.
On the prairies of the Atlantic slope it does
not flower till May or June. Some botanists
have made the Pacific forms distinct species.

The Rose Acacia. — The Director of the
Royal c;ardens at Kew, writes for a seed vessel
or seeds of Robin ia /lispida. The conductors
of INlEEHANs' Monthly never saw a seed ves-
sel under cultivation,— nor in the mountains
of Tennessee, where the senior conductor has
found the plant in abundance. Has any ever
seen, or do they possess a seed vessel ?

It was at one time supposed that a barren
plant had been first introduced to cultivation,
and that all plants in gardens propagated from
this had preserved the barren character. But
if so, wild plants should seed.

GKNHRAL GARDIiNINC;.

THE CASCADE.

'* I'ncoiiscious nature, with voice subdued.
Soothes the soul with its various tones —
The uuifTled roar of the wintry wood.

Or the sigh of the pines where the south wind
moans ;
Or here, where the spray of the foam-cascade

Keeps <^rccn forever the moss-robed walls
Whose ferns and vines are an emerald braid.
Amid the nuirnuir of waterfalls."

— " Howard WoKCHSTKR Chjuckt."

Arnep.ta cornuta. — The following note by
a good correspondent of Michhans' Monthly,
Mr. Oskar Lindkvist, of riricekamni. Sweden,
refers to a beautiful Siberian annual which has
appeared in some catalogues as a Lithospcr-
muni. The specific name, Corfintii, refers to
small horns at the base on the inside of the
Forget-me-not, — like flowers :

'♦Among the prettiest and most interesting
annual plants, recently introduced in culture,
the Boraginai'Ccc above mentioned must be
reckoned. It probably originates from Abys-
sinia, of which countr\* several of the perennial
species at least are natives, and forms a herb
50-60 cm. high, richly and bushly l^ranched,
with narrow lanceolate leaves. The flowers,
plentifully produced in the axils along the
branches, as these grow, or in the tops of them
collected in small clusters, are gamopetalous,
with long tube and spreading five-cleft limb,
about 2 cm. in diameter, bright-yellow colored,
with five dark brown (almost black) cordate
spots, very well contrasting with the bright
ground. The entire herb is very hispid.

The pretty, brilliant, curiously spotted flow-
ers, which are richly produced all the summer,
ought to assure Anicbia cornuta (as it becomes
generally known) a place in every garden.
There, no doubt, it will prove suitable both for
middle-sized groups and as solitary plant.
It also produces charming bouquets

The seed, yet ver>' dear, must be sown, or
rather laid, very thinly (at an interspace of
8-10 cm.) in a hot-bed, a-d the seedlings trans-
planted in due time. The plant requires much
room, good and nourishing soil, open place as
sunny as possible. Also some support might

sometimes be necessary in case of violent winds
or showers.

I called this . Iniehia (for also other, peren-
nial species are, as hinted, to be found) not
only a pretty but also an interesting ])lant, and
I did so on account of the singular shifting
color of the flowers. As these opened last sum-
mer, I soon observed some of them had the
color and spots above described, while others
had only three spots, and still others were mere
yellow ; besides the spots were sometimes very
dark, sometimes (juite pale. I then thou-ht
the flowers had an uncommon i)r<)pensity to
vary (as do a great nu\uy plants), and so thought
little on the subject. Toward the end of the
summer, howexer, I l)egan to examine the phe-
nomenon closer : I m;.rked some flowers (by ty-
iuir'a fine thread verv looselv round them) aiul
so day by day followed their development. The
results of my observations were as follows :
All the flowers, recently opened had the normal
color and marks, but some day later two of the
spots grew pale and continued so till they
quite vanished ; then the remaining three si)ots
in the same nuinner began to fade till they also
were effaced ami the flower was mere yellow.
Some days afterwards it decayed.

This wonderful shifting of cohjr (which also
occurs in the perennial species) passes of course
faster in the middle of the summer than at the
end of it. It is also especially characteristic
for the genus .Irncbia and besides not to be met
with in the vegetable kingdom. In the species
in question it gives a single specimen or a
small group a peculiar variation and in a man-
ner sets oft' its beauty.

The reason of the name Cornuta must be a
secret to everybody, except to the author him-
self More reasonable it would have been to
name the plant Arndna mutahilis, though (as
I hinted before) the singular shifting of color
is not characteristic for this species alone:'

It might be added to this very interesting
note, that many boraginaceous plants have the
power of changing color-the Puhuonaria or
Lungwort for instance— but none to the extent
described in Arncbia,

(7)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

•8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAI. GARDENING.

I

Growing Window FloweRvS. — Growing
window flowers is, like the art of ripening
fruit, one of those matters which can only be
well learned by experience and careful observa-
tion. It is not uncommon to see windows,
attended by ladies who have not the slightest
knowledge of any of the principles of gardening,
showing the most successful growth of flowers
—not even first-class florists being able to com-
pete with the ladies in the excellence of their
productions ; still there are some few general
principles which can be given, by which every-
body may profit. For instance, in the use of
-water, strange to say, even some college students
who had been educated by a very eminent
professor of horticulture, could give no intelli-
gent reason why there should be a hole in the
bottom of a flower pot. In a general way
they knew that it was to carry off" water— but
why the water should be carried off" was a mys-
tery to them. They knew that plants could
not live without water, and yet they remem-
bered that if a plant was continually in a basin
or vessel of water it would soon die. The'teal
explanation of this apparent contradiction is
that plants do not want water so much as they
want air. They want moisture, but they must
have air also, and the continual watering which
plants require is just as much to provide them
with a new supply of air as it is to give them
water. No plant adapted to growth on land
can live long without a supply of oxygen. It
is the oxygen which prepares the food which
the plant has to take up ; and good earth, espe-
cially when comparatively dry, is full of air.
The plant takes out from this supply the oxy-
gen it requires, and what is left is then im-
pure. And this impure air is driven out when
the earth is thoroughly soaked with water.
When that water again disappears, air follows.
Watering then is just as much to drive out the
impure air as it is to furnish the plant with
moisture. Now when we remember this, we
can apply it practically to the cultivation of
many kinds of window plants, especially those
which are grown in baskets or on blocks. One
of the best lady cultivators of basket plants,
whom we know, has each basket dipped, until
it is thoroughly soaked, in a bucket of water
every morning, and is then taken out and suf-
fered to drain. If a plant in a basket were to
be thoroughly soaked in water a dozen times a
day, it would not hurt it, but would rather be

[Jan.

1S93]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

a benefit, because in that way a continual sup-
ply of fresh air would be furnished to the roots.
Again, in the culture of plants in pots, we see
the necessity for drainage, so that the water
may rapidly pass away. If the hole at the
bottom of the pot be so completely choked
that water cannot pass rapidly, the water
remains in the soil and thoroughly prevents
the circulation of air through the soil, then, to
use a common expression, it " sours"— that is
to say, it has not oxygen enough to sweeten it,
and everyone knows that the result of sour
soil is the rotting of the roots, followed by yel-
low and sickly leaves,— and if the trouble con-
tinue long enough, the final death of the plants.

Disease on the California Mammoth
Trees.— A correspondent, Mr. A. A. Cope, of
Haverford, Pa., inquires for the best method of
preserving young Mammoth Trees healthy. It
is generally known that, on account of a small
fungus which follows the tree from California,
the healthy growth of these wonderful trees in
the East is rendered practically impossible.
The fungus spreads through the growing sea-
son, and before fall nearly every green shoot is
destroyed. Since, however, the discovery of
the copperas solutions there is hope that this
fungus may be destroyed. The conductors
have tried it on one tree for one season, which
was very nearly destroyed by the fungus, and
it seems to be entirely successful. The tree
was brought from California with a number of
others in 1883. Every summer the disease
spread as the trees grew, until eventually all
but one was thoroughly destroyed,— that one,
two years ago, had only about six inches of
healthy green leaves left at the apex. The
past season, just before growth commenced, it
was treated to a syringing of the copperas so-
lution, with another dose some four or five
weeks afterwards. To-day the specimen has a
mass of healthy green foliage at the top of the
bare stem, some two feet thick and two feet
wide, a result which certainly would not have
been obtained except for the use of the cop-
peras solution. There is every reason to be-
lieve that if the young plants from California
seed were thoroughly washed with this solu-
tion during the first year of their growth, the
fungus would be so entirely destroyed that the
tree would probably remain healthy during the
whole of its life afterwards.

A Seaside Walk. — Occasion was taken
recently to note in the cases of rockeries, the
incongruity of placing rough rocks in situa-
tions out of character with the surroundings ;
and this brings to mind that one of the princi-
ples most difficult to accomplish in landscape
gardening is that of introducing such things in
harmony with these surroundings. Vases and
statuary are entirely out of place in natural
scenes of landscape gardening ; and it is only
in very rare instances that the art of a land-
scape gardener can so combine these artificial
characteristics with natural beauty as to make
the whole a pleasure to the beholder. One of
the most successful instances of this combina-

ous geometrical forms, kept continually var-
nished for its perpetual preservation. Along
the sides of this broad avenue, at regular dis-
tances, are pairs of vases, which, in summer
time, are filled with blooming flowers. The
cooling breezes of the ocean make this walk
a popular promenade ; while the huge elm
trees, with their spreading branches overhead,
add to the coolness which the sea breezes
afford. When this piece of landscape gardening
was first accomplished some fifty years ago, it
was considered one of the best specimens of
artificial gardening in England. In the early
days of the reign of Oueen Victoria, on her
marriage with Prince Albert, St. Clare was a

SEA-SIDE WALK--ST. CLAIRE. ISLE OF WIGHT.

tion is on the grounds of vSt. Clare, the
country-seat of Augustus Vernon Harcourt,
Esq., but recently occupied by a well-known
American lady, especially- fond of gardening,
Mrs. Wheeler, of Bryn Mawr, near Philadel-
phia, who for several seasons has had her
summer residence in I^ngland there. The
view fronts on the Solent Sea, the shores
of which are kept in place by a high sea
wall. Nearly level with the top of this wall
a flat plateau has been formed, through the
centre of which is a broad, straight avenue,
terminating in a rustic summer house. This
structure is formed of boards, on which are
fastened split branches, all arranged in vari-

frcquent visiting place, and this particular
promenade a favorite walk. It was one of the
early lessons to the writer of this, that human
nature is the same whether the heart beats in
a queen or in a subject. It is not uncommon
to see young folks together in the early days
of life, one perhaps leading the other, on some
dangerous spot, as for instance trying to walk
along the iron rail of a railroad track. In like
manner, the writer of this can see, although
now so long ago in the distance, the young
(Jueen trying to walk albng the narrow top of
a sea wall here depicted, with the Prince hold-
ing her hand to steady her for fear of falling in
the waves. ' ' Would the Queen be pleased with

•8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

Growlvg Window Flowers. — Growing
window flowers is, like the art of ripening
fruit, one of those matters which can only be
well learned by experience and careful observa-
tion. It is not uncommon to see windows,
attended by ladies who have not the slightest
knowledge of any of the principles of gardening,
showing the most successful growth of flowers
—not even first-class florists being able to com-
pete with the ladies in the excellence of their
productions ; still there are some few general
principles which can be given, by which every-
body may profit. For instance, in the use of
water, vStrangetosay, even some college students
who had been educated by a very eminent
professor of horticulture, could give no intelli-
gent reason why there should be a hole in the
bottom of a flower pot. In a general way
they knew that it was to carry off water— but
why the water should be carried off was a mys-
tery to them. They knew that plants could
not live without water, and yet they remem-
bered that if a plant was continually in a basin
or vessel of water it would soon die. The teal
explanation of this apparent contradiction is
that plants do not want water so much as they
want air. They want moisture, but they must
have air also, and the continual watering which
plants require is just as much to provide them
with a new supply of air as it is to give them
water. No plant adapted to growth on land
can live long without a supply of oxygen. It
is the oxygen which prepares the food which
the plant lias to take up ; and good earth, espe-
cialh when comparatively dry, is full of air.
The plant takes out from this supply the oxy-
gen it requires, and what is left is then im-
pure. And this impure air is driven out when
the earth is thoroughly soaked with water.
When that water again disappears, air follows.
Watering then is just as much to drive out the
impure air as it is to furnish the plant with
moisture. Now when we remember this, we
can ai^ply it practically to the cultivation of
many kinds of window plants, especially those
which are grown in baskets or on blocks. One
of the best lady cultivators of basket plants,
whom we know, has each basket dipped, until
it is thoroughly soaked, in a bucket of water
every morning, and is then taken out and suf-
fered to drain. If a plant in a basket were to
be thoroughly soaked in water a dozen times a
day, it would not hurt it, but would rather be

[Jan.

1S93-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENHKAL GARDENING.

a benefit, because in that way a continual sup-
ply of fresh air would be furnished to the roots.
Again, in the culture of plants in pots, we see
the necessity for drainage, so that the water
may rapidly pass away. If the hole at the
bottom of the pot be so completely choked
that water cannot pass rapidly, the water
remains in the soil and thoroughly prevents
the circulation of air through the soil, then, to
use a common expression, it '• sours "—that is
to say, it has not oxygen enough to sweeten it,
and every one knows that the result of sour
soil is the rotting of the roots, followed by yel-
low and sickly leaves,— and if the trouble con-
tinue long enough, the final death of the plants.

Disease on the California Mammoth
Trees.— A correspondent, Mr. A. A. Cope, of
Haverford, Pa., inquires for the best method of
preserving young Mammoth Trees healthy. It
is generally known that, on account of a small
fungus which follows the tree from California,
the healthy growth of these wonderful trees in
the East is rendered practically impossible.
The fungus spreads through the growing sea-
son, and before fall nearly every green shoot is
destroyed. Since, however, the discovery of
the copperas solutions there is hope that this
fungus may be destroyed. The conductors
have tried it on one tree for one season, which
was very nearly destroyed by the fungus, and
it seems to be entirely successful. The tree
was brought from California with a number of
others in 1883. Every summer the disease
spread as the trees grew, until eventually all
but one was thoroughly destroyed,— that one,
two years ago, had only about six inches of
healthy green leaves left at the apex. The
past season, just before growth commenced, it
was treated to a syringing of the copperas so-
lution, with another dose vSome four or five
weeks afterwards. To-day the specimen has a
mass of healthy green foliage at the top of the
bare stem, some two feet thick and two feet
wide, a result which certainly would not have
been obtained except for the use of the cop-
peras solution. There is every reason to be-
lieve that if the young plants from California
seed were thoroughly washed with this solu-
tion during the first year of their growth, the
fungus would be so entirely destroyed that the
tree would probably remain healthy during the
whole of its life afterwards.

A Seaside Walk. — Occasion was taken
recently to note in the cases of rockeries, the
incongruity of placing rough rocks in situa-
tions out of character with the surroundings ;
and this brings to mind that one of the princi-
ples most diflicult to accomplish in landscape
ganlening is that of introducing such things in
harmony with these surroundings. Vases and
statuary are entirely out of place in natural
scenes of landscape gardening ; and it is only
in very rare instances that the art of a land-
scape gardener can so combine these artificial
characteristics with natural beauty as to make
the whole a pleasure to the beholder. One of
the most successful instances of this combina-

ous geometrical forms, kept continually var-
nished for its perpetual preservation. Along
the sides of this broad avenue, at regular dis-
tances, are pairs of vases, which, in summer
time, are filled with blooming flowers. The
cooling breezes of the ocean make this walk
a poi)ular promenade ; while the huge elm
trees, with their spreading branches overhead,
add to the coolness which the sea breezes
afford. When this piece of landscape gardening
was first accomplished some fifty years ago, it
was considered one of the best specimens of
artificial gardening in ICngland. In the early
days of the reiirn of (Jueen \'ictoria, on her
marriage with Prince Alljert, St. Clare was a

SEA-SIDE WALK--ST. CLAIRE. ISLE OF WIGHT.

tion is on the grounds of St. Clare, the
country-seat of Augustus \'ernon Ilarcourt.
Esq., but recently occupied by a well-known
American lad}', especially fond of gardening.
Mrs. Wheeler, of Bryn INIawr, near Philadel-
phia, who for several sea.sons has had her
sunmier residence in Plngland there. The
view fronts on the Solent vSea, the shores
of which are kept in place by a high sea
wall. Nearly level with the top of this wall
a flat plateau has been formed, through the
centre of which is a broad, straight avenue,
terminating in a rustic summer house. This
structure is formed of boards, on which are
fastened split branches, all arranged in vari-

frecinent visiting i>lace, and this particular
promena<le a faviuite walk. It was one of the
early les.sons to the writer of this, that human
nature is the same whether the heart beats in
a queen or in a subject. It is not uncommon
to see young folks together in the- early days
of life, one perhaps leading the other, on some
dangerous spot, as for instance trying to walk
along the iron rail of a railroad track. In like
manner, the writer of this can see. although
now .so long ago in the distance, the young
(jueen trying to walk along the narrow top of
rTsea wall here depicted, with the Prince hold-
ing her hand to steady her for fear of falling in
the waves. ** Would the Oueen be pleased with

intentional second exposure

lO

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Jan.

! I

this?" once said che writer timidly to one
near her. '* Why not, " was the reply ; ''hu-
man nature is the same everywhere." And
it is.

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

II

Grafting for Amateurs.— It is now nearly
a century since the father of the writer of
the present paragraph invented a method by
which amateurs who were not well acquainted
with the ordinary processes of scientific graft-
ing might very readily accomplish the same

object by a species
of inarching, which
is now popularly
known as bottle
grafting. Inarching
is simply drawing to-
gether the branches
of two trees growing
side by side, slight-
ly shaving the bark
down to the wood
and then fitting the
two shaven sides
closely together and
tying them tightly
with bast or even
cotton yarn. In a few
weeks the two bran-
ches will be united
together when the
one desired may be
cut from the parent's stem. By this method
moisture is conveyed to the grafted portion
until it is united. The same thing is accom-
plished by the use of a bottle of water which
keeps the graft moist in the same way as if it
was really attached to the mother plant. Half
ripened wood is the best for this kind of graft-
ing. Wood of last year or, as gardeners say,
old wood, is not so good for the purpose. Or-
anges, lemons, camelias, or in fact anything
of this kind which amateurs desire to increase
can be propagated easily this way without the
nice care which other more complicated sys-
tems of grafting require.

The Rose Polyantiia Stock. — French
rose growers of Lyons claim that roses grafted
on the Polyaiitha, will bloom fifteen days earlier
and have double the bloom than those grafted
on the dog-rose, which hitherto has been the
popular stock with European rose growers.

Cosmos. — Mr. N. F. Cressman suggests that
some brief notes on the history of this now
popular flower, might be interesting. The
name is, pure Greek, Kosmos, that is beautiful,
and was given by the celebrated Spanish priest-
botanist, Cavanilles, to this genus, from the
beauty of the purple and yellow flowers of the
original species on which the genus was
founded. They favor low grounds and brook-
sides in parts of Mexico, as our Bide?is do
here. They are closely related to the latter
genus, and to the Dahlia. Though C. bipirma-
tifida has been introduced to European culti-
vation for nearly one hundred years, it is only
of late years that the " daisy *' family has
gained a place in popular fancy, and that Cos-
mos has been found to be an annual eminently
suited to American taste and American gar-
dening.

A National Road Department. — A letter
from Col. Albert A. Pope, of Boston, suggests
that a National Department, having the over-
sight of road improvement throughout the
nation, should be establiched at Washington.
Meehans' Monthly hardly considers this ad-
visable. Every one knows the importance of
good roads, the difficulty is to find the money
to improve them. It would seem that the mat-
ter might be simplified by allowing townships
or counties to issue bonds wherewith to im-
prove the roadways ; and tjie revenue de-
rived from the higher assessments of proper-
ties along the line of the road which would
surely follow from these improvements, would
eventually pay the bonds. This is probably
the only solution that will ever be arrived at in
regard to the general improvement of roads.

A Large Rose Tree.— At Cologne there is
a rose tree which is believed to be 300 years
old, and has a trunk of four feet in circumfer-
ence. California has one at Ventura which is
now three feet in circumference at the ground.
It was only planted in 1876, and now covers.
2000 square feet,

To Restrain Shifting Sand. — Popular
Science Monthly recommends the Ailantus as an
excellent tree to plant near the sea-shore or
elsewhere where it may be desirable to restrain
shifting sand.

Plants in Heavy Boxes — Miss Katherine
Rhoads, of Haddonfield, N. J., refers to the
great difficulty which so many people find in
moving large tubs with ornamental plants
from the lawn to the cellar for protection in the
winter time. The plant in question is a very large
Crape Myrtle. It does not seem to be gener-
ally known that a large number of these plants
can be shaken out of their tubs in the fall and by
themselves taken into the cellar, or other place
for protection. The tub can follow, the earth
can then be carried down and placed in again,
and the plant thrive and do just as well, or if
not better, as if the enormous weight was
undertaken to be placed down in one job. This
treatment can be particularly applied to large
American Aloes, Sago plants, and similar
kinds, which are in themselves particularly
heavy. Some of these, in fact, can be taken
and kept in cellars with a little earth around
them, without any tubs or box at all, and then
replanted again in the spring in the tubs in
which they were growing the year before.
This practice lightens the work and, in many
cases, is far better for the plants than if they
were suffered to remain from year to year in
the same tub.

FK^ITS SSB ¥E^ETiflPLES.

Horticulture in South Dakota.— A cor-
respondent of Meehans' Monthly from
Watertown, speaks enthusiastically of the
great love for horticulture in South Dakota.
And horticulture there does not mean simply
the mere commercial aspect of gardening,
which is well encouraged, but the amateur
love of horticulture for its own sake, and with-
out which commercial gardening would be
shorn of support. There is a flourishing
horticultural society already there.

An Old Rose Bush. It is said that at Hil-
dersheim, an old town in Hanover, there is still
existing a rose bush planted by the Emperor
Charlemagne a thousand years ago. It is
said to have been planted in commemoration
of a visit from the author of the •« Arabian
Nights." Possibly this part of the story is
apochryphal, for we have no certain know-
ledge that it was customary in olden times to
plant memorial trees or flowers, still this is the
accepted history.

The Art ok Ripening Fruit.— A corres-
pondent remarks that we say the proper ripen-
ing of fruit is an art, and he would like to have
further details as to how that art is to be
learned. Unfortunately this is just one of those
points which cannot be taught by printed les-
sons, but is one of those little things which
each one has to learn by hard experience.
Taking pears, for instance, no two varieties of
pear require the same treatment — each one has
a favorite line for itself— which those who
would like to master the art must find out esi)e-
cially in each case,— and in like manner no two
persons have exactly the same facilities, and,
therefore, no treatise on the art of ripening
could instruct the fruit grower as to the best
method of ripening them. Some pears, for in-
stance, require to remain on the trees as long
as it is possible before frost reaches them ; and
even in the summer time some varieties of
pears are much better left on the trees until,
by slightly lifting the fruit, it is found to sep-
arate easily from the parent stem ; but, again,
there are some varieties of pears which, if suf-
fered to remain this length of time, would rap-
idly, in technical language, rot at the core.
Where one finds that he has a pear which is
liable to this rapid decay from the interior, he
has to gather the fruit a week or two before it
reaches this stage of maturity, and even then
very nice conditions of light and shade, and of
heat and cold, will make all the difference be-
tween a first-class pear and a poor one. While
there is undoubtedly a great art in ripening
pears and other fruits of this character, to our
mind it is utterly impossible that any lessons
of detail could be given that would be of the
slightest value to any one ; and all that can be
done is to suggest to the grower that there is
such an art, which, by a little careful observa-
tion and experience he could learn for himself.

California in New York.— It is said that
for all the cost of transportation, prices which
the California garden products bring in New
York, bring profitable returns to the grower.
In the early part of February canned asparagus
wholesaled at $4 per dozen ; raisins, 5 V cents
per pound; prunes, 7/i cents per pound;
Lima beans, Si. 50 P^r bushel.

(12

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Jan.

!l

Special Culture of Fruit Trees.—
Meehans* Monthly had occasion recently to
refer to. the fact that the management of pears
after they were mature, had as much to do
with their quality as anything that the tree
itself could do, that a good pear was as much
a work of art as of nature. Special reference
was made in this connection to the Kieffer
pear. A small illustration is now before us in
connection with the he Conte. As usually
found in markets, this is a pear that is
scarcely worth eating when other varieties are
to be had. The specimen before us is of a
different character. It would be regarded by a
connoisseur as far above the average of pears
in all that makes a good eating pear desirable.
This specimen was prepared, so to speak, by
Mr. Joseph Meehan, the well known horticul-
tural writer, in connection with the IVeekfy

1892.]

meehans* monthly— general gardening.

13

Press and Practical Farmer, In like manner,
we have seen pears taken from trees that have
been carefully trains d and cared for by skilled
cultivators, that have an excellence of charac-
ter far beyond the same varieties that are
simply gathered from trees that are left to
grow just as nature makes them. This skill
in the treatment of pear trees is particularly
evidenced by the work of the Belgium pear
culturists. Few people ever eat a pear outside
•of Belgium equal to those of the same varie-
ties grown by the skillful cultivators of that
land. They take pains to train them on trel-
lises, or even on the sides of a house, and it is
just from these skillfully trained trees that the
specimens of particular excellence are usually
obtained. We give with this, an illustration

of a pear tree trained over the side of a cottage,
for which we are indebted to the "Journal of
the Horticultural Society of Tuscany," which,
however, gives the original credit to M. Bur-
venich, of Brussels. The Journal takes the
opportunity of recommending that some such
care should be given to the training of fruit
trees in Italy as is given in Belgium, if the
same admirable results are expected. One
great advantage to fruits of training in this
way, comes from the horticultural lessons
which such experience give. If you can suc-
cessfully train trees in this manner so as to be
able always to keep healthy leaves and first-
class fruit equally at the base of the tree as at
the extremity of the limb», which he must do to
be a successful trainer, he will have solved a
very large number of problems that vex the
fruit grower in these directions.

Cooking Potatoes.— 77^^ California Fniit
Grower, an excellent practical paper of the Paci-
fic coast, well observes that cooking potatoes
is an art, and though it is the most common
of all vegetables on the table, no one vegetable
comes before mankind so often in a poor con-
dition. Those of mankind who have had ex-
perience in •' camping out" may well claim
to have some knowledge of cooking this escu-
lent, and one might say that whether a potato
is, or is not well cooked is often a difference of
opinion between those who eat it. Some peo-
ple have a taste for the dry, mealy condition ;
while others prefer that firm texture which is a
peculiar characteristic of the new potato. The
misfortune generally is that the potato comes
on the table soggy, which is generally caused
by a desire to keep it hot. A potato to be
good should be allowed to have a considerable
portion of the steam carried away before the
dish cover is placed over it, and this, after
all, is one of the best hints that could be given
for having a potato in the best condition. The
Fruit Grower states that the great injury to
potatoes in cooking is from boiling them too
rapidly. They should be placed over a moder-
ate fire and boiled slowly, and when apparent-
ly nearly done, a small quantity of cold water
should be thrown in, in order to retard the
effect of the heat when allowing it to boil the
second time. This seems to be the only novel
point brought out, beyond those which are al-
ready well known to good potato cooks.

Forcing Tomatoes.— There are few occu-
pations that the amateur gardener can indulge
in more satisfactorily than the forcing of toma-
toes. To be sure early in March, and perhaps
sometimes earlier, tomatoes can be had from
ij.rmuda in the markets of the eastern States,
but the quality is so miserable in comparison
with the rich, melting character of the forced
article that one might almost suppose them to
be of different varieties. No more delicious
luxury can be had in winter in the eastern
States than well grown forced tomatoes. Prof.
L. H. Bailey, of Ithaca. N. Y., has been mak-

ing shows the inside of a house of forced toma-
toes on the grounds of the Agricultural Ex-
periment Station at Orono, Maine, under the
successful management of Prof. ^lunson.

A Large Pear.— We have no record of the
largest pear raised in our country, but English
papers report a fruit of the Pittmaston Duchess
which weighed one and three-quarter pounds,
and this is regarded as possibly the largest ever
known in the old world. It seems to us that
California might beat this weight. It would
be worth while to have the exact figures.

A TOMATO FORCING MOUSE.

ing experiments and finds that seeds sown on
the 9th of August, yielded their first fruits on
the 20th of December : plants started on the
loth of November had their first fruits gathered
on the 6th of May. He finds that no soil can
be too rich for them, and if even a fouith part
of the bulk of the soil be well rotted manure
so much the belter, and even liquid manure is
found to be useful. He finds that artificial
pollenization, by pressing the stigma with
pollen, is a great advantage in having large
and symmetrical fruit. The annexed engrav-

Enc.lish Walncts in CAuroRNiA. —The
United States has reason to be proud of the
industrial progress of California. vScarcely a
year passes but what some new feature is add-
ed to its commercial products. For grapes,
figs, almonds, and oilier fruits, it has long
been famous, and now we find added to the
number the English Walnut, which is be-
ing raised in enormous quantities. A recent
California paper informs us that a single train
from Rivera, in Los Angeles county, carried
east for transportation 2ck) tons of these nuts.

12

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Jan.

!^.

Special Culture of Fruit Trees.—
Meehans' Monthly had occasion recently to
refer to the fact that the management of pears
after they were mature, had as much to do
with their quality as anything- that the tree
itself could do, that a good pear was as much
a work of art as of nature. Special reference
was made in this connection to the Kieffer
pear. A small illustration is now before us in
connection with the Le Conte. As usually
found in markets, this is a pear that is
scarcely worth eating when other varieties are
to be had. The specimen before us is of a
different character. It would be regarded by a
connoisseur as far above the average of pears
in all that makes a good eating pear desirable.
This specimen was prepared, so to speak, by
Mr. Joseph Meehan, the well known horticul-
tural writer, in connection with the JVtrA'/y

1892.]

meehaNvS' monthly— general gardening.

13

Pnss and Practical Farmer. In like manner,
we have seen pears taken from trees that have
been carefully trained and cared for by skilled
cultivators, that have an excellence of charac-
ter far beyond the same varieties that are
simply gathered from trees that are left to
grow just as nature makes them. This skill
in the treatment of pear trees is particularly
evidenced by the work of the Belgium pear
culturists. l\nv people ever eat a pear outside
of Belgium equal to those of the same varie-
ties grown by the skillful cultivators of that
land. They take pains to train them on trel-
lises, or even on the sides of a house, and it is
just from these skillfully trained trees that the
sp-cimens of particular excellence are usually
obtained. We give with this, an illustration

of a pear tree trained over the side of a cottage,
for which we are indebted to the "Journal of
the Plorticultural Society of Tuscany," which,
however, gives the original credit to M. Bur-
venich, of Brussels. The Journal takes the
opportunity of recommending that vSome such
care should be given to the training of fruit
trees in Italy as is given in Belgium, if the
same admirable results are expected. One
great advantage to fruits of training in this
way, conies from the horticultural lessons
which such experience give. If you can suc-
cessfully train trees in this manner so as to be
able always to keep healthy leaves and first-
class fruit equally at the base of the tree as at
theextremity of thelimb*, which he must do to
be a successful trainer, he will have solved a
very large number of problems that vex the
fruit grower in these directions.

Cooking Potatoes.— 77/^ California Fruit
Grower, an excellent practical paper of the Paci-
fic coast, well observes that cooking potatoes
is an art, and though it is the most common
of all vegetables on the table, no one vegetable
comes before mankind so often in a poor con-
dition. Those of mankind who have had ex-
perience in ''camping out" may well claim
to have some knowledge of cooking this escu-
lent, and one might say that whether a potato
is, or is not well cooked is often a difference of
opinion between those who eat it. vSonie peo-
ple have a taste for the dry, mealy condition ;
while others prefer that firm texture which is a
peculiar characteristic of the new potato. The
misfortune generally is that the potato conies
on the table soggy, which is generally caused
by a desire to keep it hot. A potato to be
good should bf- allowed to have a considerable
portion of the steam carried away before the
dish cover is placed over it, and this, after
all, is one of the best hints that could be given
for having a potato in the best condition. The
Fnn't Grower states that the great injury to
potatoes in cooking is from boiling thein too
rajndly. They should be placed over a moder-
ate fire and boiled slowly, and when apparent-
ly nearly done, a small quantity of cold water
should be thrown in, in order to retard the
effect of the heat when allowing it to boil the
second time. This seems to be the only novel
point brought out, beyond those which are al-
ready well known to good potato cooks.

Forcing Tomatoes.— There are few occu-
pations that the amateur gardener can indulge
in more satisfactorily than the forcing of toma-
t...s. To be sure early in March, and perhaps
sometimes earlier, tomatoes can be had from
U^rmuda in the markets of the eastern States,
hut the quality is so miserable in comparison
with the rich, melting character of the forced
article that one might almost suppose them to
be of different varieties. No more delicious
luxury can be had in winter in the eastern
States than well grown forced tomatoes. Prof
L. 11. Bailey, of Ithaca. N. V.. has been mak-

in*-- shows the inside of a house of forced tonia-
toes on the grounds of the Agricultural i:x-
perimcnt Station at Orono, Maine, under the
successful management of Prof Munson.

A Large Pi:ar. — We have no record of the
largest pear raised in our country, but ICnglish
papers report a fruit of the Pittmaston Duche.'^s
which weighed one and three-(iuarter pounds,
and tliis is regarded as possibly the largest ever
known in the old world. It seems to us that
California might beat this weight. It would
be worth while to have the exact figures.

A TOMATO FORCING HOUSE.

ing experiments and finds that seeds sown on
the 9th of August, yielded their first fruits on
the 2oth of December : plants started on the
loth of November had tht'ir fust fruits gathered
on the 6th of May. He finds that no soil can
be too rich for them, and if even a fouitli part
of the bulk of the soil be well rotted mainire
so much the belter, and even liciuid manuie is
found to be useful. He finds that artificial
polleni/ation. by pressing the sti<:nia with
pollen, is a great advantage in liaving large
and svmmetrical fruit. The annexed engrav-

KNr.ijsH Wai.nlTS in Cai.hoknia. —The
United States has reason to be proud (»f the
industrial progress of California. vScarcely a
year passes but what some new feature is add-
ed to its coininercial products. I-'or grapes,
figs, almonds, and other fruits, it has long
been fiinous, aii<l now we find a(UK'd to the
nuaiber the ICnglish Walnut, which is be-
ing raised in enormous (piantities. .\ recent
California paper informs us that a single tiain
from Rivera, in I.os An-eles county. carric<l
cast for transportation 200 tons of these nuts.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

«893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

15

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

HOPE ON.

-These naked shoots,

Barren as lances, among which the wind
Makes wintry music, sighing as it goes,
Shall put their graceful foliage on again.
And, more aspiring, and with ampler spread,
Shall boast new charms, and more than they have
lost. COWPER.

A New Location for the Garden op
Eden. — A lady, congratulating the senior
editor of Meehans' Monthly on the safe re-
turn of his son from the Peary Arctic Relief
Expedition, informed him that she was sure
some time before that he would never discover
the North Pole. She said she was sure of this
from the wonderful display of the Aurora
^ Borealis, which occurred while he was on the
Expedition. She remarked that the exact
site of the Garden of Eden had never yet been
located; but, said she. "You remember that
when Adam and Eve were driven out of Para-
dise, cherubims were placed at the gate, with
flaming swords, to prevent them from returning
thereto. " '« Now, " she continued, " You know
that every place on the earth has been ran-
sacked to find the Garden, and the only place
not yet visited is the North Pole. There is
no doubt in my mind that the North Pole is
the Garden of Eden and that the Aurora
Borealis is the flaming swords of the cheru-
bims that are still guarding the gates." No-
ting that the lady was uniquely constituted,
it was quietly remarked to her that the re-
mains in a fossil condition of tropical ferns and
plants, and of elephants, found in the Arctics,
might seem to confirm her views. The conver-
sation ended with the feeling that the notions of
people, whom all would regard as peculiar, are
yet often sustained by what might seem to
be good collateral evidences.

Mr. L. H. Bailey. -Professor Bailey having
recovered his former health, again assumes
the editorship of American Gardening,

(14)

Prop. F. Lamson Scribner.— The ''Grasses
of Tennessee," Part I. The cultivators of
Tennessee are in luck, and are to be envied.
To have such a work as this, botanically accur-
ate, beautifully illustrated by a facile pencil,
and with a full popular account of the grasses
of the State, issued freely to all who apply, is
surely a privilege not often enjoyed by citi-
zens elsewhere. Prof. Scribner is one of the
leading authorities on grasses, and this gives
this work additional value. The man of mere
science as well as the mere practical man, will
find himself equally well served in these
papers.

Indians as Fruit Growers —Many of the
native tribes of Indians were good gardeners,
and quite progressive ones at that. Through
the earlier missionaries, European fruits and
vegetables were introduced to this continent by
which some of the Indians were glad to profit.
Mr. Geo. C. Conover has an ancient map of a
vSeneca settlement near Geneva, whereon is
located the site of an orchard of apple trees
planted by that tribe.

Mr. Canby's Herbarium. — Mr. William
N. Canby, of Wilmington, Del., has sold his
herbarium to the New York College of Phar-
macy for $6,000. This is probably one of the
best private herbariums in the United States,
and as is usual in such cases, many public
institutions are now saying, "We wish we
had known that it could be obtained. We
would have liked to have had it for our institu-
tion."

Josiah Hoopes.— It is gratifying to the
lovers of botany and ornithology to learn that
Josiah Hoopes who has rendered so much good
services to these special branches of intelli-
gence in the past, is enjoying good health
with advancing years, and that ornithology
especially continues an active branch of study.

The Educational Value of Plants'
Names. — Few accomplishments are more valu-
able than the ability to clearly and fluently
express our thoughts. A broad acquaintance
with our mother tongue is an admirable aid
in this direction. Modern language is an out-
growth of ancient roots, and botanical names
furnish a sort of connecting link between the
old and the new, aiding wonderfully in giving
clearer ideas, and thus more fluency to the
language we use, Mr. C. F. Saunders, of
Philadelphia sends the following, which sug-
gests this preface :

" I wonder if all tyros in botany, who read
the Monthly, know the significance of the
specific names of their plants. Gray's " Man-
ual " is very complete in meanings of generic
names, but is silent as to the specific. To
me it has been a great help and pleasure to
study out the English equivalents of the
Latin specific terms, and to endeavor to under-
stand their application ; and the knowledge
thus gained has, at the same time, served to
fix the name in the memory. To do this
does not require any special previous acquain-
tance with Latin, although if something is
remembered of our school-day declensions,
it will not be amiss ; but a good lexicon will
be suflicient for practical purposes. Occa-
sionally a Greek term is used, in which case
a Greek lexicon would be needed, and this,
of course, would necessitate the student's
knowing the Greek alphabet— but that is
easily acquired.

To one who has been lumbering his memory
with a long list of dead names, which were
without meaning to him, it is the beginning
of a new life to know that these words have a
real significance, descriptive, in most cases, of
the plant. For instance, I for a long time con-
sidered Polyg07iu7n dumetorum a cumbersome
sort of name for the climbing plant we have all
seen stringing its little buckwheat-like fruit
over roadside thickets. To be sure Gray's ex-
planation oi polygo?i2im was clear enough, but
dnmctonim was meaningless and hard to re-
member ; until one day it occurred to me to
look it up in the Latin dictionary. It is the
genitive plural of a word signifying thicket^
and so means of the thickets, which exactly
describes the vine's favorite haunt. So, too,
Spinea salici folia (/. t\ willow -leafed) is fairly
descriptive of the w411ow-like leaves of the

common meadow-sweet. Enpatorium perfolia-
turn {per, through, and folium, a leaf) is accu-
rate for boneset, whoi-e united opposite leaves
seem literally pierced by the stem of the plant.
Crotalaria sag it talis (from sagitta, an arrow)
calls attention to the arrow-shaped stipules
decurrent on the stem, which a careless ob-
server might overlook. In Anemonella thalic-
troides, (/. e. somewhat like thalictrum) the
specific name alludes to the marked similarity
of the foliage of this plant to that oi thalictrum
or meadov%r-Tue. Repens, creeping ; cinhosus,
curly; procumbens, prostrate: riscidus, sticky;
quadrifolins, four- ieaved,— are specimens of
scores of expressions used to designate species,
and which are so used because they represent
some characteristic feature. One that has al-
ways seemed to me particularly beautiful is
cerniius (as in trillium icniuum) meaning ivith
bowed head, from cenierc, to perceive, as one
who looks on the ground to see— the same root
as our discern. Any one who knows this lovely
flower will see how well its attitude is described

by this word.

Of course, the appropriateness of all specific
names is not so apparent as in the case of
these I have just cited, but I think they will
always repay study. By the way, can any one
tell me the signification of Amsonia Tabcrncc-
montona .' The specific name would seem to
mean mountain of the tavern, but why this
variety oi Amsonia, a chnnp of which is grow-
ing in our yard, should be so called, is a mys-
tery to me, for the solution of which I should
be thankful.

Shirley Hibberd.— It may be well re-
membered that flowers have their martyrs
as well as their lovers and admirers. Mr.
Shirley Hibberd, one of the most pleasant
and effective writers on horticulture who have
adorned its annals during the present and past
generations, is said to have sacrificed his life
to the cause of the Chrysanthemum in 1890,
by over work in connection with the efforts
that were being then made to bring the plant
into popular use. At the time of his death he
was editor of the "Gardeners' Magazine,"
which had been continuously in exi.stence in
some form or other since 1833. The magazine
is still continued and edited with great ability
by Mr. George Gordon.

GENERAL NOTES.

The Boston Puruc Garden. — It is known
to be difficult to get good talent for public grar-
dens, — not because such talent does not exist,
but because those who have to engage it do not
know just where to look for it when needed.
Boston is one of the fortunates, and its
** Public Garden," under Mr. Doogue, meets
praise everywhere. A funny paragiaph in a
daily paper makes St. Peter tremble for the
appearance of things in Paradise on the entry
of a spirit familiar with this garden.

Prof. C. S. Sargent. — This eminent botan-
ist and promoter of arboriculture has returned
from the trip to Japan of which we made a
note some months ago. It is pleasant to know
that he regards his exploration as a remark-
ably succcvssful one. He traveled nearly all
over the Empire ; made a very large herbar-
ium, and brought home a number of species of
trees and shrubs, of which a considerable por-
tion has never yet been brought into cultiva-
tion. Every lover of trees, plants, and general
gardening, will extend cordial welcome to the
Professor on his safe return.

American Weed Seeds.— Prof. Byron D.
Halsted, New Brunswick, N. J., is doing good
service to cultivators by making herbariums of
American weeds, which he sells in sets of loo
each at $io per loo. Possibly nothing could so
well educate the cultivator than preparations of
this kind. Seeds really afford better distin-
guishing characteristics than any other portion
of a plant ; and with a common pocket lens,
one could tell the name of a weed by these
specimens more readily than by a large herba-
rium of dried plants themselves.

Dr. J. T. Stewart.— Good local herbariums
are of inestimable value in the study of geo-
graphical botany. Dr. J. T. Stewart of Peoria,
Illinois, has a good one of that section. Alto-
gether the herbarium has over 3000 species,
and all this has been accomplished in the time
snatched from a large medical practice.

(16)

The Next Plate.— Though it was an-
nounced in the last issue that the Trailing
Arbutus would be the subject of this month's
illustiation, it seems a little too early for even
this early harbinger of Spring. It has been
thought best to defer it a month, and give
California with its earlier season the post of
honor.

As a work of art, it is believed nothing
heretofore given will excel this pretty cactus
picture. The conductors at least are proud of it.

The Age of Turtles.— The age of turtles,
like the age of some excellent women, will
never be known. In many parts of the country
boys cut their initials on the shell of the tor-
toise, with the date, and then watch for them
in later years. At Hatboro, in Pennsylvania,
one was found with L. W., 1833, cut on the
shell. Mr. Levi Walton, who cut the lettering,
is still living, but the slow going turtle will
probably out-do him in the race of life.

Wild Flower Studies.— Most of the lead-
ing horticultural societies now encourage the
knowledge of wild flowers, by offering prem-
iums for properly named collections. At the
recent annual meeting of the Hartford, Conn.,
Horticultural Society, Mrs. W. Seliger obtained
the highest premium. She had fifty varieties
in her collection, beautiful berried kinds being
among them.

Splitting Wood. — The California Fruit
GrOiVcr takes issue with Meehans' Monthly,
and contends that the proper way to split a
stick or log is to commence at the narrow end.
It is another illustration of doctors differing.
Has the Fruit GrOiCcr's axeman ever split an
oak }

M. B. Faxon & Co. — This well known firm
of Boston seedsmen have removed to Saugus,
a suburb ten miles from that city.

V

n

>

i

* EPIG/EA REPENS.

MAY-FLOWER.

NATURAL ORDER, ERICACR.^.

V.VIGVA RFPENS Unn.-Corolla salver-form ; the tube hairy inside, as long as the ovate-lanceolate pointed and scalejike
neadv distinct sepals. Stamens ten. w th slender filaments ; anthers ohlonK. awnless. opening lengths se. M>le
slender its apefus in Pyrola) form ng a sort of ring or collar around and partly adnate o the fi ve ittle lobes of the
Sma Pod depreie^^ five-lobed, five-celled, manv seeded. A prostrate or trailing scarcely .shrubby plant,

bri^X with rust> Ws, w^^^^^ andVeticulatedrounde<l and heart-shaped alternate leaj-e.s. on ^^^^^-^ i^]^"^

and with rose-coiored flowers in Lillary clusters from scaly bracts, (Gray s ^'^!" ^.)^i'':^^^''^^^^^^^^

United States. See al.so Chapman's Flora of the Southern United States. \\ ood s Llas^-Book oj Botany, and Grays
Synoptical Flora of North America.)

There are few American wild flowers that
have excited alike the interest of the botanist
and of those pursuing the various branches of
a polite education as this one has. In a short
chapter like this we shall be able to do little
more than briefly allude to these points of in-
terest.

In the earlier botanical times the plant was
popularly known as ground Ivy, and Trailing
Arbutus ; and later Mayflower. The English
Ivy is evergreen and climbing, and many
things the emigrant found here, reminded
him of the famous plant of the old world,
and hence the numerous *' ivies" which are
found in the popular American language of
the day. Arbutus is evidently from the resem-
blance of the flowers to those of the popu-
lar strawberry tree of European gardens,
Arbutus Unedo, with which genus in fact the
Trailing Arbutus has a relationship, both be-
longing to the great order Ericacecr. It may
be here noted that the prevailing pronunciation
is incorrect, the accent should be on the first
and not the second syllable. It is ^r-butus,
not Ar-i^«-tus. Mayflower, the more recent
name, appears to have had its origin from
poetical imagination, connecting with it the
history of the Pilgrims who arrived from Eng-
land in the Mayflower, and not as many Eng-
lish writers have stated because it " blooms in
May." Longfellow uses it in connection with
the early Pilgrims in his courtship of Miles
Standish.

«(

So through the Plymouth woods John Alden went

on his errand ;
Crossing the brook at the ford, where it brawled

over pebbles and shallow.

Gathering still, as he went, the May-flowers

blooming around him,
Fragrant, filling the air with a strange and

wonderful sweetness,
Children lost in the woods, and covered with

leaves in their slumber."

Whittier also connects the plant with emi-
grants of the " Mayflower " :

'* Sad Mayflower! watched by winter stars,
And nursed bv winter gales.
With petals of the sleetetl spars,
And leaves of frozen sails !

What had she in those dreary hours,

Within her ice rimmed bay,
In common with the wild-woovl flowers,

The first sweet smiles of May !

Yet, * God be praised ! ' the Pilgrim said,

Who saw the blossoms ^xjcr
Above the brown leaves, dry an 1 dead.

Behold our Mayflower here ! "

Then follows a very pretty lesson of hope for
the future emigrants of the ♦•Mayflower," when
the Mayflower of Plymouth Rock bloomed so
well after all the wintry storms. A very pretty
essay on the " Mayflower's" Plymouth history
appears in the American Naturalist iox 1S67.
♦' The Mayflower," it reads, ''has become his-
torical, in consequence of its association with
the Pilgrims, or properly with the Pilgrim
ship ' Mayflower.* Its starry loveliness could
hardly have failed to arrest the attention of
our worthy forefathers, whose high purposes
and imperative necessities left so little room
for the play of sentiment. " " Pretty little
branches of this early gem," continues the
author, " may now (April) be purchased along
the thoroughfares and at the flower shops of
Boston," and concludes by quoting from "a
certain poet of New Bedford.

(17)

' ILPKiJLV RlLPliXS.
MAY fi.()\vi:r.

NATURAL ORDI'R, I{RICACI:.t:.

l.,.H IV RiiM-xs Linn.-Corollasalvfr-tonn; the tul.r hairy insi.U-. a. I<m-,^ :.s thr ovau-latice-.lau- puiuU-il -uul scak-like

,;^,lv(listinc %naN Stamens ten %vith >leii.ler tilauK-nts ; ai.tht-is c.hlcim. autilt--^, upt-nnm Ir ^th n sc-. M>Ie

^n ^, i i^K-x as^n P vr!"a VrmiuK a sort .>f r;n^ or coHar around and ,,artlv a-lnat. to the '■-''^^ -';;;;; '; . , '^

^ i m ' rod .IcDresse.l ol,,l,ular tive-luhcd. five eel k-d. tnaiiv seeded. A i vo^fate or traili iK ^eatceh >hi uhb\ .laiit.

ni^th ui\ n,Sv h^i^s. witl^ev^^^^ aud'reticdated rounded an.l hea, t.>l,apol altenuUe lea^^> o. -"TT,'^;

and with rose-colore<l flowers in axillarv clusters, from sea y Sraet^ "■'%' ^^:' " '^: "'/''■■■. ■ nu\ r^v"

Cntrd Slatrs. See also Chapman's Floui of the Southern I nit.d SUi:r,. \\.u.<i> (,..■■ /.-.^ ■ /•■ .-''■, an.l «...i> s

S\Hi'ptii-al Floia of .\otth Atntfioa.)

There are few American wild flowers that
have excited olike the interest of the Imtanist
and of those pursuing the various branches of
a polite education as this one has. In a short
chai)ter like this we shall be able to do little
more than briefly allude to these points of in-
terest.

In the earlier botanical times the plant was
popularly known as ground Ivy, and Trailing
Arbutus ; and later Mayflower. The ICnglish
Ivy is evergreen and climbing, and many
things the emigrant found here, reminded
him of the famous plant of the old world,
and hence the numerous "ivies" which are
found in the popular American language of
the day. Arbutus is evidently from the resem-
blance of the flowers to those of the popu-
lar strawberry tree of luiroi)ean gardens.
Arbutus Tnedo, with which genus in fact the
Trailing Arbutus has a relationship, both be-
longing to the great order lu-iuwcu. It may
be here noted that the prevailing ])ronunciation
is incorrect, the accent should be on the first
and not the second syllable. It is . /r-butus.
not Ar-/>/^-tus. Mayflower, the more recent
name, appears to have had its origin from
])octical imagination, connecting with it the
history of the Pilgrims who arrived from ICng-
land in the Mayflower, and not as many Ijig-
lisli writers have stated because it " blooms in
May." Longfellow uses it in connection with
the early Pilgrims in his courtship of Miles
Standish.

•' So through the Plvnunith woods John Aldcn went
on his errand ;
Crossing the brook at the ford, where it l^rawlcd
over pci)bles and shallow,

(;:ilhcring still, as he went, the Ma\-tl<)wers

Idooniing arcund hitn,
I'rai^rant, filling the air with a strange and

wondcrUil sweetness.
Children l()>t in the wo-xK. and ooycred with

leaves in their shiniber."

Whittier also connects the ])l.int with emi-
crrants of the " Ma\ tlower " :

•* Sad Mavllower: watehe.l by winter stars,
And nnrsed !•> winter gales,
With ]»etals «d" the sleeted spars,
And lea\es of fm/en sails I

Wliat had she in those dreary honrs,

Within her iee rimmed bay,
In i-oiiitnun uitli the uild-uool n(»wers.

The lirst ^weet smiles (d' Ma\ !

Vet. • U.od be ])raised ! ' the Pil-riin said.

Who saw the blossoms ]>eer
Ab()\c the l)rown leaves, dry an 1 i\ijA^\,

Hcholil ciir Mayflower here : ""

Then follows a very ])retty lesson of hope for
the future emigrants of the "Mayflower," when
the Maytlowei of Plymouth Rock bloomed so
well after all the wintry storms. A very ]>retty
essavon the '• Mayflower's" Plymouth history
ai)pears in i\\K: Am erica n Xiifuralist (nv iN'>7.
" The M.iyflower, " it reads, "has beouR- his-
torical, in conse(iuence of its association with
the Pilgrims, or i)roperly with the Pilgrim
ship • Mayflower.' Its starry lovt-liness could
hardlv have f.iiled to arrest the attention of
(Hir worthy forefathers, whose high purposes
and imi)erative necessities left so little looni
for the play of sentiment. " " Pretty little
branches o{ this early gem," contintu.s the
author, " may now (April) be purchased along
the thoroughfares and at the flower shoi)S of
Boston." and concludes by quoting from "a
certain poet of New Bedford.

• 17)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

ir

IB

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — EPIG^A REPENS.

[Feb.

w

H

I

■** Dear to my heart thy rock-ribbed hills,
Thy valleys green, thy gentle rills,
Thy sunny works, where neath the snows,
The fragrant Epigaea blows ;
And tempts, «cre winter yields her sway,
The blooming maidens steps away.
In many a wooded warm recess.
To seek its starry loveliness."

In reference to the flov^ers appearing before
winter has scarcely resigned her sway, Pro-
fessor Chickering notes in the third volume of
the same magazine '* this, among the very
earliest, is also the choicest gift that Flora has
in New England to offer us, alike for its beauty
of form and color, and its charming habit of
peeping out, almost from the edge of the re-
treating snowdrifts, "

Where there is no snow to hide the bashful
flowers, they are, as lyongfellow remarks,
"Mike the lost children in the woods, covered
by the drifted autumn leaves," and this pretty
point seems to have attracted the attention of
most authors, and to have suggested numer-
ous poetical associations. Conrad, whose
closest acquaintance with it was on theWissa-
hickon near Philadelphia, says :

*' 'Tis not for me sweet Epigcca trails

Its strings of pearls o'er beds of fern and moss."

Park Benjamin has some very good thoughts
suggested by the blooming under old dried
leaves.

*' Thou comest when spring her coronal weaves,
And thou hidest thyself mid dead strewn leaves ;
Where the young grass lifts its tender blade.
Thy home and thy resting place are made ;
And in thcspot of thy lowly birth.
Unseen, thou bloomest, in modest worth :
The richest jewel, the rarest gem
May never grow in a diadem."

Miss Gould sings in much the same vein :

■*' And while my hand was brushing
The seary leaves from thee.
It seemed that thou wert blushing.
To be disclosed to me.

Thou didst reward my ramble

By shining at my feet.
When, o'er brake and bramble,

I sought thy lone retreat :

As some sweet flower of pleasure

Upon our path may bloom,
Mid rocks and thorns, that measure

Ourjourney to the tomb."

It is well that "Mayflower" does not
■wholly refer to its time of flowering, for it is
more generally an April than a May flower,
even in New England. In 1864, the Rev. J. ly.

Russel, a distinguished botanist of Salem,
Mass., contributed to the United States De-
partment a table of the first appearances of
many New England plants in flower. In 1837
he found the first flowers on the historic Ply-
mouth Rock on April 29th, while at Hubbard-
ston in the same year, they did not open till
May 13. In 1841 he found it just open on the
17th of April at Chelmsford.

To the students of botany it is interesting
as being up to recently, when the writer of this
discovered the same peculiarities in Andro-
meda Catesbcci, the only ericaceous plant
know to approach a dioecious character. In
some plants the pistil is long and the plant
fertile, in others the pistil is short, and the
plant barren. Michaux, in 1805, observed
that entire plants were often barren ; but the
dioecious structure does not appear to have
been noted till the writer of this communicated
the facts to the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia in May, 1868. In Silliman's
Journal for July, 1876, Dr. Asa Gray places
the same facts on record, having evidently for-
gotten the paper previously published. In the
paper in the ** proceedings," the great number
of forms are referred to, and these variations
seem to have attracted the earlier botanists.
Writing to Bartram in 1743, Collinson, as
Darlington has it in his Memorials, records,
" I find I have three distinct species of Epignea,
this last sent me differs from the others." The
passage has also an interest to the student of
botanical chronology. John Mitchell, a
learned Virginia botanist, did not know in
1769 that the plant had been named Epigcra,
and proposed Memcccylum for it.

Most writers refer to the fragrance of the
flowers, but it is a remarkable fact that if a
bunch of the short styled and of the long
styled flowers are gathered separately, the
female form is found almost scentless.

In the sixth volume of the American Natur-
alist, Dr. Gray records the finding of a double
flowered plant by Mrs. Arba Pierce.

Dr. Gray in his "Synoptical Flora of North
America" locates it from "Newfoundland west-
ward to Saskatchewan, and south to Kentucky
and Florida."

Explanations of the Plate. — 1. Branches from a
Massachusetts plant. 2. Enlarged flower with pistil having
imperfect stigma, but perfect stamens. 3. Enlarged flower
with perfect pistil and no stamens. 4. Pollen grains from
perfect anther.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

SPRING.

In the spring a fuller crimson comes upon the
robin's breast,

In the spring the wanton lapwing gets himself an-
other crest,

III the spring a livelier iris changes on the burn-
ished dove,

In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to
thoughts of love.

— Tennyson.

Cana Agra.— Mr. William Saunders of the
United States Agricultural Department, and
who possesses a vast fund of valuable infor-
mation in regard to economic plants, kindly
contributes the following :

"The Caiia Agra, mentioned at page 192 of
Meehans' Monthly, is a name given to the
roots of Rumex hymcnosepalus (Torr). These
roots are produced in clusters like some kinds
of sweet potatoes, and contain about 24 per
cent, of tannin."

Prof. Trelease also says :

" Canaigre— Monthly, 192— is Rumex hyjtien-
osepalus. Extensive experiments on its propa-
gation and cultivation in the arid region, and
on feasible ways of shipping its tannin in con-
densed form are being carried on by Professor
CoUingwood of the University of Tucson.
The dried roots are already largely exported
from the arid region of Texas."

A New Linaria.— Under the name of Un-

uria Rcvcrchoni, Prof. Wittrock the eminent

Swedish botanist describes and figures a new

species of Snap dragon, which he says is

closelv allied to L. Clcmentei of Boissier, but

differs chiefly in the structure and color of

the corolla, and the form and sculpture of the

seeds. The general interest in the matter is

that such a beautiful species should only just

now be for the first time found near so old a

settled place as Malaga in Spain, where it was

found growing in June, 1S88, in dry places on

the Sierra de Miyas, by the famous collector

Reverchon.

Ocean Foam. — Ocean Foam is the common
name given on the Pacific, to Spinra aricr/olia.

Hybridizing Distinct Species.— Mr. Luther
Burbank sent recently a large series of photo-
graphs of the leaves of different individuals —
hybrids between different species, blackberries,
dewberries, and raspberries. It is a remarkable
variation. Some have leaves as finely divided
as ferns ; others are palmate, like the horse
chestnut ; others have but a single leaf It
would puzzle the scientific botanist to know
how to distinguish a variety from a species.
Considering the ease with which even different
species hybridize, it is not at all unlikely that
considerable crossing is going on in nature ;
and when the some four hundred species of
blackberries of Europe are critically examined,
it is most likely that many will be found to be
nothing more than natural hybrids, or varia-
tions from these hybrids. Mr. Burbank is do-
ing an excellent work, not only in the line of
scientific botany, but also for the practical
fruit grower.

Rhododendron maximum at Ho.me.— At p.
22 is an illustration of the Northern Rhododen-
dron, A', tnaximjau, as it appears in its native
haunts. The picture was taken on the mountain
sideat Henry ville, MonroeCounty, Pa. It seems
in loving company with the trunk of a Sugar
maple, while further to the right the Hemlock
branches spread themselves. The density of
the mass makes the forest quite dark— and
the Rhododendron selects from among these
darker spots, the lighter ones for its special
enjoyment.

Large Plane Trees.— The Buttonwood or
Plane tree, divides with the Deciduous cypress
the honors of having the widest trunk of any
tree on the Atlantic slope of the United States.
The Garden and Forest states that a large speci-
men of Eastern Plane near Constantinople is
thirty-nine feet around at three feet from the
ground. What is the largest specimen of the
American Plane or Buttonwood that our readers
know of? The conductor believes the largest he
has seen were along the river lines in Kentucky.

(19)

j ft

20

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Felx.

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

21

P!

11

) ii)

. . m

I; y

History of Pavonia. — The Pavonia be-
longs to the mallow family, or, botanically,
MalvacccE, of which the Hibiscus^ or com-
mon Althcea, is a familiar example. It was
at one time classed with Hibiscus but taken
therefrom by Cavanilles, a Spanish botanist,
now nearly a hundred years ago, who gave
it the name it bears. In his own language
he distinguished it " because the fruit was di-
vided into five sections (see Fig. 3, Dec. 1892),
while in Hibiscus there was but one. ' ' Some of
his contemporaries, however, objected to the
division. Curtis, writing in 1799 ^^ Cavanilles'
Pavonia aaiei folia, remarks that he must still
regard it as a Hibiscus, because he was "not par-
tial to the multiplyings of genera, unless there
be an obvious necessity for it." In the order
Malvacece there is such a general resemblance
running through the whole in consequence of
the union of the stamens into a central col-
umn, that the necessity of dividing them
"wherever any fair character can be seized on
is perhaps more obvious to the modern bot-
anist than it was to Mr. Curtis, for the genus
is regarded as a very good one, and now con-
sists of several dozen good species, the greater
part of them natives of the new world, Mex-
ico and the West Indies claiming the most
of them. The difficulties, however, of divid-
ing a very natural order into genera on
grounds satisfactory to botanists generally, are
always great, and it has been found so in
relation to the species allied to Pavonia, for
nearly a dozen different names of genera ap-
pear among the synonyms of Pavonia.

( ( (

Orchids in Ork(iON. — Species of this inter-
esting family are not numerous in Oregon,
nine species it is believed, comprise the entire
list. Cypripedium viontanum, Epipactis z^gan-
tea, Goody era Menziesii, are the most common.

ti .

On the Equisetum or Horsetail Family.
— Mr. Josiah W. Leeds, Seal P. O., Pa., con-
tributes the following interesting sketch :

** Noticing the communication upon the
textile value of the Hibiscus in the Monthly
for the current month, I am reminded of a
hint contained in a letter from a correspondent
some months ago relative to a possible eco-
nomic use of a species of horsetail. My corre-
spondent, writing from Asheville, North Caro-
lina, says :

A leafless HorsetsLil, Eguisettim Icevigatum,.
was brought home. This I put into one of my
coat pockets alongside my lead-pencil, and im
either this act, or in removing it, rubbed it
against one of my finger nails. Yesterday,
I cut my nails and they were still a little rough,
and it occurred to me to try the file-like horse-
tail against the edges of these nails. I was
surprised at the good work this natural imple-
ment did, so far superior to knife's edge or the
coarse little file that usually covers a portion of
one of the smaller blades of the pocket-knife.
I will send for trial a section of the one stem
that I brought back. Chapman gives the South
but a single species of horsetail, the one above
named, but this species may not make any
better nail file than one or more of the five,
six or eight species credited to the North by
Gray.'

*' My correspondent makes the further apt
suggestion : 'A good plan would perhaps be
to take an inch section and after opening it out
flat, apply glue and lay it over a round pencil
or pen-handle. Dixon, or some other pencil
manufacturer, might tip his pencils with a bit
of Equisetum and so draw attention to his
make.*

' ' The above writer was not aware of the
various uses to which the horsetail, especially
the introduced European species, hyemale, had
been applied in the arts and in household
economy. Gray says of it : ' Formerly in
common use for polishing wood and metal. *'
It was hence commonly known as Scouring^
rush or Shave grass. Wood says, of the horse-
tail genera : ' They abound in silex, and hence
are used by cabinetmakers, combmakers, etc. , in
polishing their work.' Dr. Darlington, in his
Flora Cestrica, observes of the Winter Equise-
tum or Scouring rush : ' The cuticle of this
plant abounds in siliceous earth, and its rough
file-like surface is well adapted to the scouring
and polishing of hard wood, metals, etc'

" It is more than likely that the combmakers
who formerly used Equisetum stems to smooth-
surface and polish their fabrications, knew all
about what it would do to neatly round off their
finger nails. Nevertheless my correspondent's
practical hint is passed on to pencil-maker
Dixon, or any other manufacturer who may be
disposed to give the Equisetum a fresh trial.
The specimen that was sent me did admirably
all that was claimed for it. "

The Wild Flowers of Greenland.— For
years Professor Thomas Meehan rarely missed a
monthly meeting of theGermantown Horticul-
tural Society to be present and give an extempor-
aneous address on the flowers, fruits and vege-
tables exhibited. These lectures, it is believed,
did much to maintain the popularity which
this society has continued to enjoy to this day.
Prof. Meehan has withdrawn from all evening
engagements, believing that after fifty years'
teaching he is entitled to this limited rest at
any rate. At the last meeting his place was
filled by his eldest son, Wm. E. Meehan, one
of the editors of the well known Public Ledger,
who was a member of the Heilprin Peary Re-
lief expedition in the Arctic region. In regard
to the wild flowers of Greenland he said, after
describing the journey to the North, the vege-
tation of Greenland coula be divided into three
belts : one class of vegetation beginning at
Cape Farewell and ending a short distance
above Godthaab, one extending to Melville
Bay, and the other beyond that point. In the
first belt there were found spruce trees, dwarf
willows and birches ; in the second the spruces
disappeared, and in the third the birches. In
like manner many other plants existing in the
first belt disappeared in the second and third,
but through them all were found the poppies,
dryas, buttercups, dandelions and grass grow-
ing in profusion wherever they could gain a foot-
hold in wet or dry places, or in the crevices of
the rocks, and they were even found sometimes
in the melted spots on the great inland ice it-
self, and often they buried old-time glaciers in
a mass of green. The vegetation was due to
the warm summers and the continued day-
light which began in April and ended in Sep-
tember-the summer beginning in the middle
of May and lasting until the middle of August.

Pine Cones for Fuel.— The fashionable
city of Cannes has obtained considerable celeb-
rity of late on account of the sad affairs con-
nected with the Hotel Metropole, which is a
brilliant affair about a mile from the city. A
recent correspondent states that here and else-
where in this fashionable quarter coal is a thing
unknown, and that the only fuel being used is
the cone of a pine, Piuus Pinaster. It is quite
an item in the industry of that part of the world
to collect the cones which are in that way used
for fuel.

Plant Hairs.— It has often seemed to the
writer as one of the weaknesses of some scien-
tific speculations, that because an organ in a
plant or animal is capable of certain functions,
it was especially formed for that purpose and
nothiu:! else. A careful survey of nature will
show that a great variety of objects can be ob-
tained by means of the same organ, and no
one would be justified in selecting anyone as
the one especially selected for certain purposes.
In a recent able paper the author takes the
ground that ' ' the office of plant hair is to assist
the epidermis in protecting the plant from
natural enemies. ' ' That they do so assist some-
times maybe conceded, but that this is "the "
office one would hardly admit when it is noted
that hairy plants abound in localities where
animal enemies are least offensive. One might
as well assume that *• the office " of legs is to
kick with, when a man is assailed ; but surely
locomotion is just as ably served, while the
terpsichorean might contend that - the office "
of legs is to dance with. Hair has many use-
ful offices. Darwin affords good reason for
supposing that glandular hair at least, absoibs
nitrogen and thus aids in the nutrition of
plants. On sunny places they serve to break
the direct rays of the sun. and save excessive
transpiration: while in malvaceous plants they
permit the entrance of pollen tubes to the .style
without the necessity of enteringby the stigma,
as in so many other plants, and thus they are
of immense service in aiding the flower to self-
fertilization. No one can .say that hair in plants
is for any one special office, -nor can it be said
of any organ that anyone special purpose only

is evident. '

Seedless Fruit.— Mrs. Kellerman kindly
sends samples of Persimmons exhibited at a
recent meeting of the Columbus (Ohio) Ilorti-
cultural Society. The tite producing them
grows in the southern portion of the State.
A large number of kinds of trees produce
seedless fruits, of which the -currant" of
commerce and the Sultana grape, are familiar
examples. Just how this condition is brought
about has never been fully made out by vege-
table physiologists, so far as Meehans'
Monthly is aware. Usually fruits are not
formed in the absence of pollenization.— but
whether seedless fruits are formed with or
without being pollinated,-^r whether fertili-
zation occurs in part only is not clear.

II

22

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — ^WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[l^^eb.

[1

History of the Epio.ea. — In addition to
points made in the main chapter, it may be
noted that Linnaeus describes it in the volume
of the Amoenitates Academicce published later,
but the name seems by the given extract
to have been familiar to Bartram and Col-
linson long before. Ray says it was first
sent to Europe by Dr. Vernon from Mary-
land. It was in those days supposed to be
a Pyrola, and Clayton sent it to Gronovius
as Pyrola ajfinis, and s?iy s Planta csthumilliina,

Trees of Greenland. — Mr. W. E. Mee-
han, botanist of the Peary Relief expedition,
says :

" In our journey to the North we found no-
birches north of Melville Bay, but willows in
abundance.

As far as I could ascertain, Abies Orientalis,
on the west coast of Greenland, ceased a short
distance above Godthaab, the capital of the
southern Inspectorate of South Greenland. At
Godhavn, the capital of the northern Inspec-

RHODODENDRONS IN HEMLOCK FOREST.--SEC P. 19.

\

nunqnam a term assiirgcfis, that is, "a humble
plant that never rises from the ground, " and it
may have been from this expression of Clay-
ton that the name Epig.xa, was suggested,
which is from the Greek, meaning simply "on
the ground."

Dr. Barton in his "Elements of Botany" says
the plant is reported as poisonous to sheep, but
this is probably part of the fictitious character
given to so many ericaceous plants. In like
manner it has been thought impatient of cul-
ture ; but those who have put it in partial
shade have had success.

torate of South Greenland, we found willows
and birches in great profusion, as we did further
south. At Upernavik we also found willows
and birches. At Duck Islands, near the south-
ern entrance to Melville Bay, plenty of willows
but only a few birches, and these small and
sickly,— and that was the last trace of this tree
that we came across. If I did not strangely
overlook the birch, therefore, that plant does
not exist on the Greenland coast beyond the
73rd or 74th degree of latitude.", A botanical
report of the expedition is in course of prep-
aration.

GENERAL GARDENING.

THE LANDSCAPE GARDENER.

"Between the foaming jaws of the white torrent
Tlie skilful artist draws a sudden inound ;
By level long he subdivides their strcni^th.
Stealing the waters from their rocky bed,
First to diminish what he means to conquer,—
Then, for the residue he forms a road,
Easy to keep, and painful to desert,
And guiding to the end the planner aimed at.

— The Engineer.

The Boston Public Garden. — The Boston
papers are calling attention to the remarkably
successful management of the Public Gardens
under Mr. Doogue's administration. Plants
are so judiciously selected and arranged that
from the earliest spring until the autumn
frosts there is a continual succession of bloom;
whereas, in many gardens, by reason of the
want of this intelligent selection, nearly the
whole spring and early summer are left with-
out anything particularly attractive. And an-
other feature of the Boston public gardening is
that the style and material is so changed from
year to year as to avoid anything like mono-
tony in the seasonal successions. The past
season, one of the special features was the
selection and arrangement of plants for the so-
called Tropical Garden. With the bright colors
of these tropical growths, evergreens have been
so finely blended that the particular colors and
tints of the exotic have been brought out in a
rare and unique manner, presenting pictures
of grand coloring as well as of artistic design.
A particular feature this year has been the in-
troduction of Asters, in order to make a spe-
cialty of the later fall season.

New Parks for Cleveland, Ohio.— By
the will of Cleveland's wealthy merchant, W.
J. Gordon, who died recently, a magnificent
park comes into possession of the city. It was
laid out expressly with the purpose of making
it a beautiful place of public resort,— and
which now becomes a f^ict accomplished.

The valuable Wade Park of four acies has
also been made over to the city.

Blue Hydrangeas.— Mrs. S. B. Strout, of
Evergreen, Alabama, referring to recent para-
graphs in Mkehans' Monthly about Blue
Hydrangeas, writes :

*♦ A lady here has an enormous blue hydran-
gea. She gave a cutting to another lady, and
from this second lady I obtained mine.

When mine blossomed, it was pink. I spoke
to the first mentioned lady about it, and she
told me the plant from which she obtained hers
had pink blooms, but her flower garden was
formerly the site of a blacksmith shop, and she
thought the iron in the soil had changed the

color,

I procured some sweepings of a forge, and
with my trowel dug them into the soil about
the plant ; and what was my astonishment ta
see in a few days the pink blossoms changing
to a dingy blue, or purple rather. Since then
the blossoms have been blue."

The only thing clear about the whole ques-
tion is that while it is well known that the
colored calices which form the "flowers" of
the Hydrangea, are leaves that have been
modified in order to form these calices,— in
the blue stage there is much more vegetative
vigor than when in the rosy stage. The only
way, then, in which soil can efl"ect the
question, would lie in the direction of vege-
tative vigor. A plant or branch in a hij^h
state of vegetative vigor is more likely to
have blue flowers, than when vegetative vigor
is in crreater check. Iron may check vigor.

Fungus Growths. — For a number of years-
writers even of scientific renown used the ex-
pression -fungoid growth" when referring ta
the small microscopic funguses that are found
on vegetation. Prof. Riley first objected to this
abuse of the word fungoid, which simply means
having a likeness or resemblance to fungus,
when the organizations are actually fungus
growths. Since Prof. Riley called attention to
this abuse of the word, it has been in a measure
dropped, but yet it continues to be used by
many writers of eminence.

(23)

22

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Veh,

History oe the Ivi'Ki.EA. — In addition to
points made in the main chapter, it may be
noted that Linnaeus describes it in the volume
of the Amtrnitates Academicc^ published later,
but the name seems by the j^iven extract
to have been familiar to Bartram and Col-
linson long- before. Ray says it was first
sent to Ivurope by Dr. Vernon from Mary-
land. It was in those days supposed to be
a Pyrola, and Clayton sent it to Crronovius
as Pyrola ajjlnis, and says Planta est humillima.

Trees of Greenland. — Mr. W. E. Mee-
han, botanist of the Peary Relief expedition,
sa3'S :

*' In our journey to the North we found no
birches north of Melville Bay, but willows in
abundance.

As far as I could ascertain, Abies Oriental is ^
on the west coast of Greenland, ceased a short
distance above Godthaab, the capital of the
southern Inspectorate of South Greenland. At
Godhavn, the capital of the northern Inspec-

RHODODENDRONS IN HEMLOCK FOREST. --SEC P. 19.

JiJoiquam a terra assur^ois, that is, "a humble
plant that never rises from the <;round," and it
may have been from this expression of Clay-
ton that the name ^:p^^^'ea, was sugj2:ested,
which is from the Cireek, meaning simj)ly 'on
the <.,nound."

Dr. Barton inhis "h:iemcnts of Botnny" says
the i)lant is repoitcd as poisonous to sheep, Init
this is probably part of the fictitious character
<rivcn to so many ericaceous plants. In like
manner it has been thought impatient of cul-
ture ; but those who have put it in partial
shade have had success.

torate of vSouth Greenland, we found willows
and birches in great i)rofusion, as we did further
south. At rpernavik we also found willows
and birches. At Duck Islands, near the south-
ern entrance to IMelville Ba}', plenty of willows
but only a few birches, and these small and
sickly, — and that was the last trace of this tree
that we came across. If I did not strangely
overlook the birch, therefore, that plant does
not exist on the Greenland coast beyond the
73rd or 74th degree of latitude."^ A botanical
report of the expedition is in course of prep-
aration.

GHNEKAL GARDILNINC;.

THE LAXDSCAPK (VARDIvXKR.

Between the foaming jaws of the white torrent
Tlie skilful artist draws a sudden mound ;
By level long he subdivides their strcn.i^th,
Stealing the waters from their rocky bed,
I'irst t() diminish what he means to con(juer, —
Tlieii, f«>r the residue he forms a road,
Kasv to keep, and painful to desert.
And guiding to the end the planner aimed at.

— Tlic Engitu'cr

Tiiic Boston Public Garden. — The Boston
papers are calling attention to the remarkably
successful management of the Public Gardens
under :Mr. Doogue's administration. Plants
are so judiciously selected and arranged that
from the earliest spring until the autumn
frosts there is a continual succession of bloom;
whereas, in many gardens, by reason of the
want of this intelligent selection, nearly the
whole spring and early summer are left with-
out anything particularly attractive. And an-
other feature of the Boston public gardening is
that the style and material is so changed from
year to year as to avoid anything like mono-
tony in the seasonal successions. The past
season, one of the special features was the
selection and arrangement of plants for the so-
called Tropical Garden. With the bright colors
of these tropical growths, evergreens have been
so finely blended that the particular colors and
tints of the exotic have been brought out in a
rare and uni(iue manner, presenting pictures
of grand coloring as well as of artistic design.
A particular feature this year has been the in-
troduction of Asters, in order to make a spe-
cialtv of the later fall season.

Nicw Parks i-or Cleveland, Ohio.— By
the will of Cleveland's wealthy merchant, W.
J. c;oidon, who died recently, a magnificent
park comes into possession of the city. It was
laid out expressly with the purpose of making
it a beautiful place of public resort,— and
which now becomes a fact accomplished.

The valuable Wade Park of four acres has
also been made over to the city.

Blue IIvdranu.EAS. — Mrs. S. P.. vStrout, of
Evergreen, Alabama, referring to recent para-
graphs in Mi:ehans' Munthlv about Blue
Hydrangeas, writes :

" A ladv here has an enormous l)lue hydran-
^rea. She gave a cutting to another lady, and
from this second lady 1 obtained mine.

When mine blossomed, it was pink. I s})(>ke
to the first mentioned lad>- about it. and she
told me the plant from which she obtained hers
had pink blooms, but her llower garden was
formerly the site of a blacksmith shop, and she
thought the iron in the soil had changed the

color,

I i)rocured some sweepings of a forge, and
with my trowel dug them into the soil about
the plant ; and what was my astonishment to
see in a few days the pink blossoms changing
to a dingy blue, or purple rather. vSince then
the blossoms have been blue."

The only thing clear about the whole ques-
tion is that while it is well known that the
colored calices which form the - tlowers " of
the Hydrangea, are leaves that have been
modified in order to form these calices.— in
the blue stage there ii» much more vegetative
vigor than when in the rosy stage. The only
way, then, in which soil can eflect the
(piestion. wouM lie in the direction of vege-
tative vigor. A plant or branch in a hi-h
state of \egctative vigor is more likely to
have l)lue llowers, than when vegetative vigor
is in -leater check. Iron may check vigor.

FuNC.rs GuowTiis.-r'or a numl.er of years
writers even of scientific ixiiown use<l tl;e ex-
jH-ession " fungoid growth" xvheii lekning to
the small microsc(^inc lunguses that are found
on vegetation. Prof. Kilev first objected to this
abusJ^of the word fungoid, which sim])ly means
having a likeness or reseinblaiK e to fungus,
when^the organizations are actually fungus
growths. Since Prof. Riley called attention to
this abuse of the word, it has been in a measure
dropped, but yet it continues to be used 1 y
many writers of eminence.

(2\

O)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

tT

«4

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAI, GARDENING.

[Feb.

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

25

^

! y

t^ F

1^ ■

The Morel. — Since the paper on the Morel
in Meehans' Monthly appeared, we have
noted an excellent chapter on the same subject
in the Cou7itry Gentleynen, from the pen of the
eminent mycologist, Prof. C. H. Peck, of Al-
bany, which gives additional information con-
cerning this interesting group of fungi. The
name Morel is said to be of German derivation.
They grow in America from two to four inches
in height, larger under favorable conditions.
According to Prof. Peck they are rather fragile
and tender when fresh. At Albany he says
they are found during May and early in June.
He has not found them later than June, and
they are most abundant in wet weather. They
grow in any kind of soil, but prefer certain
kinds of trees.

The one we figured, Morchella esculenta, is
most often found near pine, or ash trees. Six
different species have been found in New York
State, all of which are edible, and no species of
the genus is positively known to be dangerous.
They are cooked as ordinary mushrooms, but
should be fried in butter and duly seasoned, as
they have not as much juice as the ordinary
mushroom. Dried Morels are recommended
as a flavoring ingredient in soups and broth.
Though they are about equally good, it may
be useful to know how to distinguish them,
for this purpose we give below the key as
furnished by Prof. Peck.

Margin of the cap united to the stem :
Cap rounded, egg-shap6d or oval, M. esculenta.
Cap narrowly oblong or cylindrical, 3f. deliciosa.
Cap narrowly conical or obloug-conical :

Much broader at base than stem, 31. conica.
Scarcely broader at base than stem,

M. au^usticeps.
Margin of the cap free from the stem :
Cap free half its length, spores eight

in a sack, M. snnilibera.

Cap free to the top of the stem, spores

two in a sack, M. bispora.

Corn Stalk Bean Poles. — A correspondent
suggests that the party who recommended to
plant Lima beans and corn together, so that
the corn stalk might be a substitute for the
regular bean pole, is probably one of those
ingenious writers that abound in horticultural
literature, who think their mission is to think
of things for other people to try. Our corre-
spondent says that thirty years ago when his
horticultural experience was young, he read the
same advice and then tried it. The result was
that he hadtogetpolesto sustain thecorn stalks!

Hardiness of Evergreens. — It is not the
low temperature which destroys evergreens so
much as it is light. As a rule evergreens love
shade. The same kind under the shade of
trees, although that shade may be quite par-
tial, will get through a severe winter without
the slightest injury, when one exposed to the
sun will loose all its leaves and frequently be
entirely destroyed. This is particularly no-
ticed in the case of evergeen climbing vines,
and notably the English Ivy. Throughout
most of the Eastern States this beautiful and
historically valued plant never suffers in the
slighest when grown on a northern wall where
it gets no sun in the winter time, while on the
south side of the same building, it is usually
killed with the thermometer scarcely at zero.
The same plant suffered to grow up trunks of
trees where it is simply shaded by nothing but
the bare branches in the winter time, will pass
through the severest winters uninjured. Even
Rhododendrons, hardy as they are known to
be, suffer more or less when exposed to the
full sun in winter, and those who desire to
grow them with the greatest success usually
cover with some sort of light material during
the winter season. It is not absolutely neces-
sary to success with Rhododendrons, but adds
very much to the ' beauty and vigor of the
plants.

The English Gooseberry.— The superior
character of the English gooseberry in size and
flavor is well known. Unfortunately the plant
does not thrive well in high temperatures. In
Canada they are nearly as successful as they
are in England. Those who desire to cultivate
them successfully, in most parts of the United
States, have to set the plants in positions
where the sun has no great power and the
soil is comparatively moist. Where in the full
sun, they can be grown fairly well by having
some material under the bushes, which will
prevent the soil from becoming very warm.

Acer Nik kcense.— This is a Japanese spe-
cies of maple, not yet introduced into cultiva-
tion, and was found by Professor Sargent, in
his recent exploration in Japan, to be more
brilliant in autumn than any of the other spe-
cies of that country. It is hoped that the Pro-
fessor's labors will result in its introduction to
American gardens.

Grass for Lawns.— Where the locality de-
sirable for a lawn is naturally free from weeds,
the modern suggestion of making it by plant-
ing patches of one particular kind, which will
run together in a few months, is particularly
desirable. Nothing can be more beautiful than
a lawn which is wholly made up of one
species only. For small gardens, especially
where the new plantation can be hand-weeded
during the summer, it is the best of all methods.
No lawn made of grass seeds will be confined
strictly to one kind, and on account of the dif-
ferent shades of green in the grass will always
have a more or less patchy appearance. Those
who- supply mixed lawn grass seeds usually
keep this in mind, and endeavor to get their
kinds so generally alike in tint of green as to
avoid this objection. One advantage of the
mixed system is that one can rarely tell by the
description of a customer what particular kind
of grass will thrive to best advantage. A mix-
ture is, therefore, likely to best serve the pur-
pose, in this that the one which is the most
suitable will eventually crowd out those not so
well adapted to the soil and circumstances. We
have seen a lawn made of mixed grasses which
had to be secured under the shade of large
trees, eventually become wholly occupied by
the Sheep Fescue. In the course of a few
years every other kind was crowded out, and
this particular species alone occupied the land.

Wild Gardens. — Mr. Edward J. Canning
kindly contributes the following note :

"Around country residences may often be
found waste ground neither suited to a lawn
nor to vegetables. To any having such I
would suggest turning it into a "wild garden."
If covered with grass and rocks, so much the
better, as there are so many beautiful hardy
plants suited to such conditions. The plant-
ing should be irregular — the object being to
imitate nature as much as possible. Among
many plants adapted are Polygonum cuspida-
tum (or Sieboldii, as it is .also called), which
may be used either as a screen or background.
Clumps of Digitalis purpurea and alba, Rud-
beckia subtomentosa and R. incisa, Boltonia
asteroides, and clumps of the best varieties of
Asters, clumps of Funkia ovata, are good, and
among these Lilium trigrinum, also Lilium
Canadense. L, Candidum, L. bulbiferum and
L. speciosum roseum, should be set. In shaded

positions, Lily of the Valley, Trilliums and
Snowdrops are useful, and under trees Crocus,
Aconites, Scillas do well. Narcissus and Or-
nithogalums thrive in open spaces among the
grass. Around rocks or tree stumps, climbing
Roses, Honeysuckles, the beautiful Hydrangea
scandens and Forsythia suspensa, have a pretty
effect. If the rocks should be partially buried
plant on them Sedum acre or [ ^eronica tupestris;
the latter is well suited for hanging over a ledge
of rock forming a perfect picture when in flower.
Arabis albida is also a plant peculiarly adapted
for rock work. Many other plants will also
suggest themselves. For moist and shaded
positions plant hardy Ferns. The taller plants
should be planted in irregular clumps ; the
bulbs and smaller plants may be more scat-
tered. If a ravine should run through the
garden, the beauty may be enhanced by plant-
ing aquatic and half aquatic plants.

A judicious selection will give a succession
of flowers the whole season, and if carefully
planted and well arranged, will be a constant
source of pleasure."

Abies Frazeri. — This is probably one of the
handsomest of all the hardy Firs ; and yet,
strange. to say, a specimen in cultivation is
rarely met with. The reason for this seems to
be that for a number of years past seeds sent to
the old world for Abies Frazeri were simply of
forms of the common Balsam Fir. The true
Frazer Fir seems to be confined to the moun-
tains of North Carolina, wherein Fraser orig-
inally discovered it. Two of our advertiz-
ers, Kelsey & Co., and Russell Bros., are
doing great service to lovers of our coniferae
by introducing the genuine plant into culti-
vation.

Grafted Roses.— Roses are usually budded
on a stock known to the trade as the Manetti,
which is a strong, vigorous and healthy grower.
If parties who have these budded roses under-
stand the management, they are far superior
than when growing on their own roots. The
chief care required is to see that no suckers or
sprouts are ever allowed to come out from the
stock. Where these are permitted, the grafted
portion soon dies. Those who can give grafted
roses their proper care, do well to plant them.
Those who cannot do so, but have to trust the
others, had better have roses on tlif ir own roots.

i

■U'ic^

ir

.!;^i

26

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Feb.

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

n

,1

i \
i I

Incarvillea Delav^yi. — It is difficult to
imagine a Trumpet flower, as plants of the
bignonaceous order are termed, as any thing
than a tree or woody climbing vine; but in the
genus Incarvillea we have an herbaceous family,
with flowers quite as beautiful as any Trumpet
vine could give. The plant was first made
known nearly a hundred years ago by a zealous
missionary botanist, Father Incarville, a Jesuit
priest in China. But they have only recently

INCARVILLEA DELAVEYI.

been obtained for cultivation. Our knowledge
of the plant is through the well known house
Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co, of Paris. An in-
teresting feature of the flower is that the cloven
stigma, when touched, closes like the leaves
of the sensitive plant.

Hydrangea Culture.— Mr. R. G. Potter,
of Kingston, Rhode Island, contributes the
following valuable note :

"I have never seen any article in maga-
zines about keeping Hydrangeas in the winter
as they are kept here. A gardener at the
Pier has for years had the finest I have ever
seen. He digs a hole late in the season,
puts the plants in, covers with earth and then
sod. One this year had five hundred flowers.
Others kept in same w^ay had one 190, an-
other 164 flowers. I have a great many, but

do not cut them down as they do, preferring
to see the flowers droop.

The gardener's name is Charles Yost, Nar-
ragansett Pier. "

It may be added, that a covering with earth
is one of the best methods of preserving half
hardy woody plants during the winter, and the
good gardener often practices it with roses,
grape vines, raspberries, cabbage and other
things, — but it has not been practiced before
for Hydrangeas, so far as records show. No
doubt magnificent specimens can be had by
following Mr. Yost's method.

The Pepper Tree of California. — Visi-
tors to California regard this tree with ad-
miration, and have a feeling of regret that it
is not hardy in the northeastern states. Its
botanical name is Schifius Molle. It belongs
to the same family, with the Rhus, to which
our poison vines are referred. Strange to say,
the tree is regarded as a nuisance by Califor-
nians. It is said to grow so rapidly that the
roots push up pavements in every direction, —
and that wherever even the smallest branch is
broken, a gummy substance drops, rui^^ing
everything it falls on. It is said that so great
is the annoyance caused in this way, that some
of the cities in southern California compel the
owners to cut off" every branch that spreads
over sidewalks or roadways. The pollen is
collected by bees, but the odor is so strong as-
to unfit the honey in the hive for human use.
The Blue Gums, that is to say, \.\\^ Eucalyptus y.
are said to be preferable for street trees in every
w^ay.

Winter Flowering Carnations. — The
Bulletin of the Horticultural Society of Tus-
cany gives a colored plate of seven different
forms of winter blooming carnations, which it
considers a vast improvement on the varieties
formerly in cultivation ; but w^e should judge
by the appearance of these forms, that America
is far in advance in the production of im-
proved varieties — certainly a large number of
American varieties are much more beautiful
and distinct than these illustrated in the Bul-
letin. Altogether we think that American
carnation growlers may congratulate them-
selves on having taken the lead of the whole
world in the improvement of this beautiful
class of flowers.

History of the Fuchsia. — It is said that
the first Fuchsia was introduced into England
by a sailor from Chili, in 1746. A plant from
this was sold to an English nurseryman for
over $400. Between 1830 and 1840, hybrids
became rather common. The modern race of
Fuchsias dates from the introduction of Fuch-
sia fuloens. The white corolla varieties ap-
peared in 1855. The raiser of them dying
about the time that they were produced, left no
knowledge as to how he obtained them.
There are a large number of species in South
America, many of them in many respects far
more beautiful than the hybrid varieties, but
not having been pushed by florists, they
have, in a great measure, gone out of cultiva-
tion.

Edging Plants. — Many persons do not like
box-edging, and yet desire bordering of some
kind. Mr. Geo. Woolson of Passaic, N. J.,
find the following very useful in different
situations :

Achillea tomentosa, Anthemisnobilis, Aren-
aria verna, Aubrietias in sorts, Cerastium Bier-
besteini, Cerastium Boissieri, Cerastium to-
mentosum, Dianthus deltoides, Herniaria gla-
bra, Lysimachia Nummularia, Mitchella re-
pens, CRnotheraspeciosa, Phloxes, Moss Pinks
in sorts, Pyrethrum Tchihatchewi, Sedum
acre, Stellaria graminea aurea, Stellaria
Holostea, Thymus lanuginosus. Thymus nion-
tanus albus, Tunica Saxifraga, Veronica re-
pens, Veronica cercicoides, Vinca minor.

Magnolia Watsoni.— A large number of
the trees and shrubs of Japan have been put
in cultivation through the energy of Parsons,
Sons & Co., of Flushing, N.Y. Among these,
several beautiful Magnolias. One which was
introduced by them, through Mr. Thomas
Hogg, in 1875, was supposed by them to be
the Magnolia paii^ijlora, long ago described
by botanists who have made Japan plants a
study. Sir Joseph Hooker contested that this
was not parviflora, but an entirely new species,
which he has named JAz^w^Z/V^ Watsoni. Ac-
cording to this statement of Dr. Hooker's, the
true Mag7iolia parviflora has not yet been in-
troduced. It may be here noted that Mr.
Hogg who brought so many beautiful plants
in addition to this, died on December 30th.

FK^ITS m. ¥E<SET/^PLES.

• Ground Blanching of Sea Kale. — Mke-
HANS' Monthly recently called attention to
the neglect in America of this delicious vege-
table, and gave some suggestions as to methods
of culture. This brings the following ex-
cellent note from one of the readers of the mag-
zine, Miss L. Shackleton, Lucan, Ireland, where
the plant is intelligently grown :

"E. S. Delamer, in 7he Kitchen Garden,
writes : ' Some time in December, not too
soon, when the foot stalks of the leaves have
fairly separated themselves from the crown of
the plants, heap over each about a quarter of a
peck of sea sand or wood ashes, or those from
turf, if not to be had, any light, unmanured soil
will do. Then earth up the plants from a trench
dug along the space between the rows, deep
and not too near them to avoid approaching
the roots, exactly as if you were earthing up
celery, only that no leaves appear above the
top of the ridge. The earth should be heaped
up till it is eighteen inches or two feet above
the crowns of the plants, and then regularly
rounded like a donkey's back, flatted down on
the sides with the spade and made smooth and
neat.' Mr. Delamer cautions against blanch-
ing and protecting with leaves which, he says,
often heat and ferment, giving the sea kale
an unpleasant taste.' We treat it as he recom-
mends above, except that we use coal ashes."

Vegetable Curiositihs.— Some very pleas-
ant surprises for children may be obtained by
getting fruits to grow inside of glass bottles.
Some, especially of the cucumber family, can
be inserted into the narrow mouths of bottles
while young, the bottles attached to the branch,
and after full growth, it will be a mystery how
these fruits got inside the bottles or jars.
Besides the pleasant surprises many a useful
lesson on plant growth can be furnished by
these tests. It is stated that King George the
Third, of England, in the earlier stages of the
insanity which subsequently overtook him,
used to express his surprise to those who were
dining with him, as to how the apple got in-
side of the dumpling ; but with these fruits in
glass jars, the surprises to even sane people
are quite as interesting to intelligent people as
the apple dumpling was to this unfortunate
monarch.

M i I

■'Pi s

28

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Feb.

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHIvY — GENERAL GARDENING.

29

i;

H

' '

"I

f

i . I

lyETTucE. — In former times there were two
popular classes of lettuce, one known as the
Cos class, and the other as the Cabbage. The
one requires to have the leaves tied up when
the blanching process takes place in the cen-
tre ; the other the head becomes pale in
the interior naturally ; or, as one might say,
of its own accord. Of late years the Cos class
has nearly gone out of use, the Cabbage being
the kind almost usually seen. Those who
know a good thing, however, when they see it,
have still a tender regard for the memory of
the old Cos kind. It is far superior to the
generality of lettuce such as we generally get.
The reason for comparative disappearance is
probably the extra labor envolved by the tying
process. Man seems to have come to the
•opinion thatineverylinehe has but a short time

Horse-radish. — Of late years it has
become the practice to buy horse-radish al-
ready grated for table use ; and the result has
been that a large portion of it is adulterated
with cabbage stalks and some chemical sub-
stance to give it the hot taste of the genuine
article. This renders the cultivation of horse-
radish by amateurs, who want the proper ar-
ticle, more desirable than ever. It is propagated
by cutting roots into sections of about an inch
in length and planting these pieces where it is
desirable to have a plantation made. One very
good method is to make a hole with a crow-bar
and drop the pieces of root into the hole, so that
it is a foot or so beneath the surface, — the new
growth never has any difl&culty in finding its
way to the surface, — and that new growth is
what makes the future root. One has then a
clean, straight root when ready for use, which
is much preferable for culinary purposes to the
stumpy looking affairs sometimes seen in
markets. The soil cannot be too rich for this
vegetable, — and if damp and cool so much the
better.

ii

A COS LETTUCE.

to live and, therefore, that which is the easiest
accomplished, although accomplished indiffer-
ently, is the wisest line of industry to pursue.

But is it?

It is just possible that many do not know
the difference between the two. It will there- •
fore be instructive to take from Vilmorin's
great work on vegetables, •' Les Plantes Pota-
geres, ' ' sketches of each kind . It is there that the
Cos, as it is called in English literature, is known
as the Roman Lettuce, while the Head Lettuce,
(seep. 29), is described as Laihic PommL It is
difficult to believe that two such distincts forms
originated from the one wild species, but Vil-
morin thinks there is no doubt of it. These
authors also believe that the native country is
unknown, though possibly it was Central Asia.
It has been under cultivation prior to modern
iiistory.

Planting Blackberries and Raspberries.
— Probably more complaints in relation to
plants dying after transplanting are heard in
connection with the raspberry and blackberry
than with any other fruit. In almost all
cases the cane should be cut nearly to the
ground when planted, and the plant should
not be set more than a few inches under the
surface ; if planted deep the buds will rot be-
fore the young sprouts get to the surface. In
shallow planting it is, of course, very desirable
that the earth should be hammered in very
tightly around the plants at transplanting.

Figs in California. — Mr. Charles H. Shinn
states that this is likely to be one of the
most productive fruit culture industries of
California, — that they thrive well in much
dryer ground than almost any other tree would
stand. At the Foothill station, near Jackson,
in Amador county, they are found to endure
twenty degrees of temperature without being
in any way injured. Over fifty-one varieties
of figs are now being tested at that station,
and kinds known as Brown Ischia, Constan-
tine, Monacia, Bianca and White Adriatic are
named as doing remarkably well there.

Tomatoes in England,— A recent issue of
the Garde?iers' Chrofiicle states that although
the tomato was introduced into England as far
back as the sixteenth century, and notwith-
standing it has been a common and popular
article of food in the United States for nearly
fifty years, it is only during the past ten years
that they have come into general use in Great
Britain. But popular public favor once started
in that direction, the increase in consumption
has been enormous, and it is believed at the
present time over a million square feet of glass
surface is devoted to their cultivation, the fruit
bringing from eight to sixteen cents a pound,
and occasionally going up as high as fifty cents
in the middle of winter. In the Channel Is-
lands, where the climate is much milder, to-
mato culture has developed amazingly for the
purpose of supplying the London market.
The value of the imports from these Islands
the past year . amounted to $250,000. France
and Spain are also going into their cultiva-
tion for the purpose of supplying the immense
demand arising for them in Great Britain.
The Chronicle states, ''From present appear-
ances, in ten years the consumption will be
five times what it is to-day." and they are
looking forward to America to help them out.
Strange to say, no attempt seems to have been
made by American growers to profit by this
new condition of things in England, although
it must be evident that tomatoes could very
readily be carried there, from the fact that
passengers on board of our line steamers have
the fresh American article on their tables all
the way across the Atlantic until they reach
the docks in Liverpool harbor, being quite as
good and fresh after ten days' travel as they
were on the first day they were shipped.

A Hedge of U-ei.io't^ovis..— The Los Angeles
Express states that ISIrs. Shepherd, of whose
good work in gardening Meehans' Monthly
has before spoken, has a hedge 200 feet long,
consisting solely of heliotrope. Low posts
were first placed and wire stretched across in
order to support the small plants of the helio-
trope which were planted out five years ago ;
now they are six feet above the walk, drooping
down and lining the promenade with the frag-
rant masses of purple, lavender and white
blossoms. The flowers are said to be great at-
tractions to humming birds, butterflies and in-
sects. It may be noted here that the heliotrope
is a native of Peru, and that the vernacular
name with the Peruvians is Vanilla,— and on
account of the identity in the aroma between
this fragrance and that of the fruit of the cele-
brated orchid, the name has been transferred to
this particular fruit, which is known m com-
merce as the Vanilla bean.

Chenango Straw^berry Apple.— A report
of the Hartford Co. , (Conn.) Horticultural Soci-
ety speaks in terms of praise of a set of the
beautiful apple known as the Chenango Straw-
berry. Though one of the most beautiful and
delicious of apples, it is rarely seen in market
through not possessing those carrying pecu-
liarities which give value to inferior kinds.
Nurserymen keep in stock only those gener-
ally asked for, and these are usually kinds that
bring back a money return to the market
grower, with whom this is naturally the first
consideration .

ACABBAGE HEADED LETTUCE--«te P. 2«

Sowing Cahbage.— As a general thing the
best early cabbage comes from plants that are
raised from seed in the fall, and somewhat pro-
tected ; but there is always a chance of its
running to seed if sowed early in the fall, or if
the winters are open and mild. Veiy excellent
results are obtained by sowing seeds in a slight
hot-bed hot-house in February or March, and
planted out. If the soil is good and rich such
cabbages are more tender and in every way
better than those raised from fall seeds.

Planting Asparagus.— It is said that
whether the white part of asparagus be soft
or stringy depends in a great measure on the
depth of planting : the farther it has to grow
beneath the ground the more stringy the
sprouts become. Tender, white asparagus is
rather the effect of blanching than of mere
growth.

I;

'>BJ^W''!'

I*

II

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

31

11 .jj

I*'

I \

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

"SELF-PRAISE IS NO PRAISE/'

All summer the breath of the roses around
Is naught but a delicate, passionate sound ;
And when from a trellis, in holiday places.
They croon and cajole, with their slumberous faces,
A lad in the lane must slacken his paces.

Fragrance of these is a voice in a bower ,

But low by the wall is my odorless flower,

So pure, so controlled, not a fume is above her.

That poets or bees should delay there and hover ;

For she is a silence, and therefore I love her.

IvOUiSR Imogen Guiney.

Professor Angelo Heilprin. — This emi-
nent scientific man v^'as born in Hungary, but
has been connected with the Academy of Na-
tural Sciences of Philadelphia for some years
past. In scientific directories he is classed as
a geologist, but as in the case of Prof. Agassiz,
Prof. Leidy, and other great names, it would
be difiicult to find a branch of science in which
he does not take an intelligent interest. The
Philadelphia Academy owes much of its fame
and its importance to the great reputation so
many of its members have acquired for it, and
in more recent years a large share is due to the
labors of Prof. Heilprin. A number of years
ago it was determined to build a magnificent
museum and lecture hall adjoining the present
one, but all attempts to get the Legislature to
see its duty failed. Prof. Heilprin 's fame had
reached the Legislature, and when he went be-
fore it and pleaded, it voted $50,000. At the
last session he repeated his mission and ob-
tained $50,000 more. As an explorer his cour-
age and leadership of a small party across the
hitherto almost unknown territor}' of Yucatan
brought rich results to the academy. As
the leader in the escort party to Peary's winter
quarters and safe return he won golden opin-
ions. And when, about a year ago, fears were
expressed over the whole Union, that Peary had
met with disaster, he volunteered to lead a
search party, the wonderful success of which is
fresh in the minds of all. Few members of the
academy have brought more renown to the in-
stitution than Prof. Heilprin, and Philadel-
phians generally are very proud of the young
Professor.

(30)

Clark, the Famous Explorer. — It must
be true that if it is worth honoring a person at
all, it is important that he should be honored
under his own name, and not under that of
some other. Having to refer to the famous
explorers Lewis and Clarke, as generally
written, Meehans' Monthly followed Ltp-
pincotVs Biographical Dictio7iary, and wrote it
Clark. The propriety of this has been ques-
tioned. The matter was referred to Dr. Elliott
Coues. His reply settles the question : —

•' In reply to your question : I am in posi-
tion to speak positively. The name of the
famous explorer with Lewis was Clark, not
Clarke. My authorities are: i. A verbatim
copy of family Bible records of the Clark fam-
ily» going back to 1724 — not an e in one of
the names. 2. Many autograph letters of
Clark with his signature, which I have ex-
amined—invariably ''Wni. Clark." — no sign
of an e. He wrote the k large, like a capital,
and with a long flourishing lower loop, but
never a mark that could be mistaken for an e.
3. Many ofiicial and other letters addressed to
him, always Clark. 4. Copies of various com-
missions issued to him by at least three presi-
dents of the United States — invariably Clark.
5. Copies of letters to him from Nicholas Bid-
die, editor of the famous " Travels," always
Clark. 6. Copies of legal, commercial, etc.,
notices, advertisements, etc., in early news-
papers of St. Louis — always Clark. 7. Re-
peated notices in Billon's " Annals of St.
Louis" — always Clark. 8. Letters to me from
his only surviving son, Jefferson K. Clark. 9.
Various other authentic sources of informa-
tion.

The wrong spelling with an e seems to have
first come into vogue in 1807, in Gass's "Jour-
nal," w^here it is invariably Clarke, as it is in
all the four later editions of Gass. Then the re-
gular authentic edition of the *' Travels, " Phil-
adelphia, 1847, has Clarke throughout the
text, but curiously, Clark on the title page.
So, also, Clarke in later editions, following
suit of the princeps.

So it has turned out that a man whose fam-
ily name was Clark, who was Ensign Clark,
Lieutenant Clark, Captain Clark, General
Clark, and Governor Clark— who was William
Clark in all commercial, legal and ofiicial
functions, who was doubtless " Bill Clark" to
his cronies, has passed into literature and his-
tory as a Clarke. Pursh was right in naming
the genus Clarkia (not Clarkea)."

Isaac C. Martindale.— Natural history has
suffered few severer losses than by the
death of the banker-
botanist Isaac C. Mar-
ti n dale of Camden,
New Jersey, which oc-
curred suddenly by
apoplexy, on the 3rd
of January. He was
as universally beloved
for his personal char-
acter, as held in high
esteem for his scien-
tific eminence. He
was wholly a self-
made man, having
been raised on a farm
in By berry, near Phila-
adelphia, where he was
born on July 15, 1842.
While a lad at the
plough, he would stop
to track birds to their
homes in order to
know all about them
and books that would
tell of them were his
familiar friends. By
self study he acquired
a fair education and
became a clerk in a
bank. Here, as elsewhere, he strived for
excellence, and was promoted from a junior
clerk to the highest office, that of cashier.
By his devotion to the interest of the bank,
his health broke down, and he was granted
a vacation to Europe. It was here that
his fondness for botany became fixed.
Brooding over some trouble and wondering
what use he was in the world, while sitting
to rest in Switzerland, his eye fell on a
little plant, struggling in the cleft of a rock,
^without any soil that was visible, and

ISAAC C. M

yet in perfect health and blooming beauty-
full y. Accustomed to reading lessons from
nature, he took it as a hint to himself. If
in the midst of such disheartening surround-
ings such beauty and perfection could result,
surely, there was yet a place for him in the
world ! He made collections of plants from
that time. His herbarium became one of the
finest in America, and his botanical correspon-
dence was world-wide. His young son, now
about thirteen, developed, when quite a lad, a
taste for insect study, and during the last few

years the father was
led by the child's taste
into similar pursuits,
and he was fast be-
coming as great an
authority in the ento-
mological world, as
he was in botany. He
was vice-president of
the ICntomological
Society of Philadel-
phia at his death,
treasurer of the
Academy of Natural
Sciences, correspond-
ing secretary of its
botanical section, a
member of the Ameri-
can Philosophical
Society. Fellow of the
American Association
for the Advancement
of Science,— besides a
member of many other
useful institutions ot
similar import. The
portrait is from a
photo taken in 1879.

ARTINDALE.

WiLLKOMM'S IlERHARILM.— Mr. ThoUiaS

Hanbury has presented to the Botanical Insti-
tute at Genoa the very rich collection of vascular
plants made by the late Prof. WiUkomm, of
Prague. It comprises as many as 14,472 spe-
cies, the greater number being European or
from the adjacent districts of Asia and Africa.
It is especially rich in plants of the Spanish
Peninsula, and includes most of Willkomm's
original type specimens. The herbarium of
that Institution is one already much consulted
by botanists.

w

1893-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

31

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

-SKIvF-PRAISK IS NO PRAIvSE."

All siiiniiicr the l^rcath of the roses around
Is iiauj^ht but a delicate, passionate sound ;
And when from a trellis, in holiday places,
They croon and cajole, with their slumberous faces,
A lad in the lane must slacken his paces.

Fra.t(rance of these is a voice in a bower ,

But low b}- the wall is my odorless flower,

So pure, so controlled, not a fume is above her.

That poets or bees should delay there and hover ;

For she is a silence, and therefore I love her.

Ivouisic iMor.Kx Guinp:y.

Professor Angelo Heilprin. — This emi-
nent scientific man was born in Hungary, but
has been connected with the Academy of Na-
tural Sciences of Philadelphia for some years
past. In scientific directories he is classed as
a geologist, but as in the case of Prof. Agassiz,
Prof. I.eidy, and other great names, it would
be difficult to find a branch of science in which
he does not take an intelligent interest. The
Philadelphia Academy owes much of its fame
and its importance to the great reputation so
many of its members have acquired for it, and
in more recent 3'ears a large share is due to the
labors of Prof. Heilprin. A number of years
ago it was determined to build a magnificent
museum and lecture hall adjoining the present
one, but all attempts to get the Legislature to
see its duty failed. Prof. Heilprin 's fame had
reached the I^egislature, and when he went be-
fore it and pleaded, it voted $50,000. At the
last session he repeated his mission and ob-
tained 550,000 more. As an explorer his cour-
age and leadership of a small party across the
hitherto almost unknown territory of Yucatan
brought rich results to the academy. As
the leader in the escort party to Peary's winter
quarters and safe return he won golden opin-
ions. And when, about a year ago, fears were
expressed over the whole Union, that Peary had
met wdtli disaster, he volunteered to lead a
search party, the wonderful success of wdiich is
fresh in the minds of all. Few members of the
academy have brought more renown to the in-
stitution than Prof. Heilprin, and Philadel-
phians generally are very proud of the young
Professor.

130)

Clark, the Famous Explorer. — It must
be true that if it is worth honoring a person at
all, it is important that he should be honored
under his own name, and not under that of
some other. Having to refer to the famous
explorers Lewis and Clarke, as generally
written, Meehans' Monthly follow^ed Ltp-
pincotVs Biographical Dictionary, and wrote it
Clark. The propriety of this has been ques-
tioned. The matter was referred to Dr. Elliott
Coues. His reply settles the question : —

•' In reply to your c^uestion : I am in posi-
tion to speak positively. The name of the
famous explorer with Lewis was Clark, not
Clarke. My authorities are: i. A verbatim
copy of family Bible records of the Clark fam-
ily, going back to 1724 — not an e in one of
the names. 2. ]\Iany autograph letters of
Clark with his signature, which I have ex-
amined—invariably **\Vni. Clark." — no sign
of an e. He wrote the k large, like a capital,
and with a long flourishing lower loop, but
never a mark that could be mistaken for an e.
3. Many official and other letters addressed to
him, always Clark. 4. Copies of various com-
missions issued to him by at least three presi-
dents of the United States — invariably Clark.
5. Copies of letters to him from Nicholas Bid-
die, editor of the famous " Travels," alway^s
Clark. 6. Copies of legal, commercial, etc.,
notices, advertisements, etc., in early news-
papers of St. Louis — always Clark. 7. Re-
peated notices in Billon's ** Annals of St.
Louis" — always Clark. 8. Letters to me from
his only surviving son, Jefferson K. Clark. 9.
Various other authentic sources of informa-
tion.

The wrong spelling wnth an c seems to have
first come into vogue in 1807, in Gass's "Jour-
nal," where it is invariably Clarke, as it is in
all the four later editions of Gass. Then the re-
gular authentic edition of the " Travels, " Phil-
adelphia, 1847, lias Clarke throughout the
text, but curiously, Clark on the title page.
So, also, Clarke in later editions, following
suit of the pri)iccps.

So it has turned out that a man whose fam-
ily name was Clark, who was Ensign Clark,
Lieutenant Clark, Captain Clark, General
Clark, and Governor Clark— who was William
Clark in all commercial, legal and official
functions, who was doubtless " Bill Clark" to
his cronies, has passed into literature and his-
tory as a Clarke. Pursh was right in naming
the genus Clarkia (not Clarkea). "

Isaac C. Martindale.— Natural history has
suftered few severer losses than by the
death of the banker-
botanist Isaac C. Mar-
ti n dale of Camden,
New Jersey, wdiich oc-
curred suddenly by
apoplexy, on the 3rd
of January. He was
as universalh' beloved

for his pensonal char-
acter, as held in high
esteem for his scien-
tific eminence. He

was wdiolly a self-
made man, having

been raised on a farm

in Byberry, near Phila-

adelphia, where he was

born on July 15, 1842.

While a lad at the

plough, he would stop

to track birds to their

homes in order to

know all about them

and books that would

tell of them were his

familiar friends. By

self study he acquired

a fair education and

became a clerk in a

yet in perfect health and blooming beauty-
full y. Accustomed to reading lessons from
nature, he took it as a hint to himself. If
in the midst of such disheartening surround-
ings such beauty and perfection could result,
surelv, there was yet a place for him in the
world ! He made collections of plants from
that time. His herbarium became one of the
finest in America, and his botanical correspon-
dence was world-wide. His young son, now
about thirteen, developed, when quite a lad, a
taste for insect study, and during the last few

years the father was
led by the child's taste
into similar pursuits,
and he was fast be-

coming as

great an

authority in the ento-
mological world, as
he was in botany. He
was vice-president of
the ICntoinological
S(^cicty o{ Philadel-
phia at his (Uath.
treasurer of the
Academy of Natural
Sciences, correspond-
ing secretary of its
botanical section, a
member of the Ameri-
can Phil oso ph i cal
Society, I'ellow of the
A merican Association
for the Advanrement
of Science,— besides a
nunibcrof many other
useful institutions ot
similar iinpoit. The
portrait is from a
photo taken in 1S79.

ISAAC C. MARTINDALE.

bank. Here, as elsewhere, he strived for
excellence, and was promoted from a junior
clerk to the highest office, that of cashier.
By his devotion to the interest of the bank,
his health broke down, and he was granted
a vacation to PAirope. It was here that
his fondness for botany became fixed.
Broodincr over some trouble and wondering
what use he was in the world, while sitting
to rest in Switzerland, his eye fell on a
little plant, struggling in the cleft of a rock,
without any soil that was visible, and

Wii.LKoMM's Hi:ui'.AHiiM.— Mr. Thomas
Hanburv has presented to the Botanical Insti-
tute at (ienoa the verv rich collccticm of vascular
plants made by the late Prof. WiUkouim. of
Prague. It comprises as many as I4.47^ spe-
ciL^s, the greater number being l-uropcan or
from the adjacent districts of Asia and Africa.
It is especiallv rich in plants of the Spanish
Peninsula, and includes most of Willkomm's
original type specimens. The herbarium of
that Institution is one already much consulted
bv botanists.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

GENERAL NOTES.

I i

*

*i

ill

'^!

MeehaNvS' Monthly for 1893. — The large
number of appreciative letters while renewing
subscriptions has about overwhelmed the pub-
lishers, who can only take this poor method of
returning thanks. Universal surprise is ex-
pressed that Meehans' Monthly can give a
plate botanically accurate and of such a super-
ior style of art, with so much gardening and
matters of natural history, for $2 a year. It
could not be done only for the hope of an im-
mense subscription list some day. The pub-
lishers have faith that, as time rolls on, every
person who has a taste for art or science — out-
side of the mere love of gardening — will feel
compelled to have it as a work of reference in
their libraries. While we can yet only
speak of subscribers in the thousands, we
hope for the hundred thousands one of these
days.

Vegetable Physiology in Practical Gar-
dening. — A correspondent from Greenport,
N.Y., calls attention to a paragraph in Garden
and Forest, of January 22nd, 1890, in which a
correspondent suggests that vegetable physio-
logy, or any other department of botany, is in-
jurious to one who desires to be a first-class
practical gardener. Of course, this is but the
opinion of the correspondent, and we are sure
would not be endorsed by our eminent contem-
porary. If a gardener were asked why it is
necessary to have a hole in the bottom of a flower
pot, he might perhaps answer, ' ' Because it is. "
*'I have found by experience that a plant grows
better by having a hole there." But he cer-
tainly would not be the worse gardener because
he also knew, in addition to this, that the hole
was in the bottom of the pot in order that the
roots might get fresh supplies of air, which
they could not do while wholly under water, as
they would be if the hole was not there ; the
latter points he could not know, unless from
vegetable physiology.

The article seemed to be aimed at " Profes-
sors of Horticulture" in American colleges.
Certainly some of these know nothing practi-

(32)

cally of the sciences they teach, and are as bad
leaders as the extremes of the other sort.
When the writer of this was a student, some
fifty years ago, of some two hundred which,
'•came and went " during two years in a cer-
tain institution, less than a dozen cared any-
thing for science. The argument of the major-
ity was, * ' We shall probably be able to raise
cabbages and potatoes as well as any of you
with all your science." This is about all they
ever did raise, while every one of the twelve
became ''healthy, wealthy, and wise" with
all the expression implies. " The proof of the
pudding, etc."

Sill's Window Garden Sprayer. — In last
Meehans' Monthly surprise was expressed
that sprinkling plants with a watering pot
had not wholly give place to the modern
sprayer. These have been wonderfully improved
of late. Sill's Sprayer is especially well adapted
to house plant work. It is of rubber, the end
of the tube being placed in the vessel of water^
and the air-bag which pumps the water being
in the hand near the plant. The whole plant
can thus be reached — the under surface of the
leaf as well as the upper. It is just the thing
for the amateur gardener.

A Watch as a Compass. — Hold the watch
in such a position that the hour-hand is point-
ed in the direction of the sun, then the point
midway between the position of the hour-
hand and XII., will be due-south. If, for in-
stance, the hour-hand point toV., due-south
will be between II. and HI., or halfway be-
tween XII. and V.

Pell.EA gracilis. — Those readers who have
been asking, when shall we have another fern,
will be gratified next month, when Pellcsa gra-
cilis will have the field. The last fern plate —
Asplenium montanam had many encomiums —
possibly its companion in the next issue will
merit as much praise.

i

'■%

1

'111! -^

!)!5

M\

j irii

i i

' ■•f

I

PELL/1 A GRACILIS. ,

SLENDKR CLIFF-BRAKE.

NATURAIv ORDER, FILICKS.

PITT T ;^A ruACiLis Hooker —Fronds smooth, three to six inches hijih, delicately membraneous and slender, of few pinric.
fhe louer oiek on?e or ^ into three to five decurrent divisiot.s. those of the fertile froTul o >lonK or

Htfear obloni entire^^^^ sparifi^ly incfsfd ; of the sterile ovate or obovate. -^^f^f-!^^-^^,^:^^^^'^^^^^
mostly once forked. (Gray's Manual of the Botany of the Northern ( ntted States, bee also Wood s Llass iwok oj
Botany, and Eaton's Ferns of Notth America.)

The poets seldom tire of beautiful flowers.
Flowers constitute a perpetual burthen of their
songs. Most people love flowers ; and regard
this love as one of the marks whereby man is
to be distinguished from the brutes below
him. Some, in these days, believe that man
was little beyond a brute in his earliest times,
and that his present superiority is the result
of continuous stages of developmental pro-
gress. It is singular to note that our Con-
necticut poet, Percival, in his " Prometheus,"
published in 1820, seemed to have had the
same idea, for he paints the primeval man as
indifferent to flowers : —

" With brute, unconscious gaze, man marks the
earth
Take on its livery of early flowers ;
He sees no beauty in this annual birth.
No ceaseless working of creative powers ;
His soul, lethargic, wakes not in those hours
When air is living, and the waters teem
With new-born being, and the mantling bowers
Are full of love and melody, and seem
The happy Eden of a poet's raptured dream."

It would seem that if an admiration for the
gayer flower is a proof of man's advancement,
the growing love for ferns which have no pretty
blossoms to commend them must be regarded as
greater evidence of human pi ogress. Ferns
have few outward accessories to recommend
them. They take little interest in the livery
furnished by the early spring growth of other
forms of vegetation, nor are there many ex-
pectants eager for their annual birth. Our deli-
cate little species especially is an evergreen,
and what it contributes to Nature's charms it
gives perpetually. It is about the same to-day
as yesterday, and goes on throughout the year.

The only change in its garb is in the narrower
character of the spring frondlets over those
which are produced in the fall. These narrower
ones (Fig. i ) produce the sporangia which w e see
within the rolled edges on the under surface,
as shown in Figs. 3, 4. I^^ter in the season
the broader ones are produced (Fig. 2). These
furnish no reproductive organs, as they are
the barren fronds. They are the ones which
give the plant its evergreen character, and they
remain green until after the fertile fronds have
been produced, dying away only as newer
ones of the same character appear towards
the end of the following summer. Now many
ferns add somewhat to the gaiety of nature by
producing bright golden or brown sporangia,
sometimes in round or at other times in linear
masses ; but our little species makes little effort
to attract the eye. The narrowness of the
frondlets alone indicate the fruiting stage— all
the rest must be sought for, and best with a
pocket lens to aid the search. It is one of
those captivating little things which one learns
to love for themselves alone.

Nor are we to look where the waters teem
with new-born being and the mantling bowers
are full of love and melody to find out where it
dwells. Its home is in the shady recesses of
rugged rocks— not even in flowery climes, but
chiefly in those northern regions where flowers
are scarce or chiefly come and go with the
springtide sun. Our specimens come from the
rocky faces of the dells of the Wisconsin, and
all who have found it anywhere describe similar
locations. It attaches itself to the friendly
rock with wonderful tenacity. In the •• Ento-
mologist and Botanist " for 1870, Mr. William-

(33)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

PELL. 1 A GRACILIS. .

SLKNDKR CLIFF-r,RAKK.

NATURAL ORI)r:R, KILICI'.S.

/>.,>..-.... 0../1 vr^f/^tiV /r,i,. c /)/ \',iifh .A nit t till .\

/>•(?/</« V, aiul Katon'.s /'r/z/i »/ Xioth Atutum.)

The poets seldom tire of beautiful flowers.
Flowers coustitute a perpetual burthen of their
songs. Most people love flowers ; and reij:ard
this love as one of the marks whereby man is
to be distinguished from the brutes below
him. vSome, in these days, believe that man
was little beyond a brute in his earliest times,
and that his present superiority is the result
of continuous stages of developmental pro-
o-ress. It is singular to note that our Con-
necticut poet, Percival, in his " Prometheus,"
published in 1820, seemed to have had the
same idea, for he paints the primeval man as
indifferent to flowers : —

** With brute, unconscious ga/.c, nmn marks the
earth
Take on its livery of early flowers ;
He sees no beauty in this annual birth,
No ceaseless working of creative powers ;
His soul, lethargic, wakes not in those hours
When air is living, and the waters teem
With new-born being, and the mantling bowers
Arc full of love and melody, and seem
The happy Kden of a poet's raptured dream."

It would seem that if an admiration for the
gayer flower is a proof of man's advancement,
the growing love for ferns which have no pretty
blossoms to commend them must be regarded as
greater evidence of human piogress. Ferns
have few outward accessories to recommend
them. They take little interest in the livery
furnished by the early spring growth of other
forms of vegetation, nor are there many ex-
pectants eager for their annual birth. Our deli-
cate little species especially is an evergreen,
and what it contributes to Nature's charms it
gives perpetually. It is about the same to-day
as yesterday, and goes on throughout the year.

The only change in its garb is in the narrower
character of the si)ring frondkts over those
which are produced in the fall. TIilSc nairower
onesd'ig. i) produce the sporangia which we see
within the rolkd edges on the under sui face,
as shown in Figs. ;.. ;. Fater in the season
the broader ones are produced (iMg. ::). These
furnish no reproductive organs, as they are
the barren fronds. They are the ones which
give the plant its evergreen character, and tliey
remain green until after the fertile fronds have
been produce!, dying away only as newer
ones of the same character appear towards
the end of the following summer. Xow many
ferns add somewhat to the gaiety of nature by
producing bright golden or brown sporangia,
sometimes in round or at other times in linear
masses ; but our little species makes little eflbrt
to attract the eye. The narrowness of the
frondlets alone indicate the fruiting stage— all
the rest must be sought for, and best with a
pocket lens to aid the search. It is one of
those captivating little things which one learns
to love for themselves alone.

Nor are we to look where the waters teem
with new-born being and the mantling bowers
are full of love and melody to And out where it
dwells. Its home is in the shady recesses of
rugged rocks— not even in flowery climes, but
chiefly in those northern regions where flowers
are scarce or chiefly come and go with the
springtide sun. Our specimens come fnmi the
rocky faces of the dells of the Wisconsin, and
all who have found it anywhere describe similar
locations. It attaches itself to the friendly
rock with wonderful tenacity. In the " Ento-
mologist and Botanist " for 1870, Mr. William-

(33)

34

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — PELL^A GRACILIS.

[March

■\' 1

Pi

i I- II*

V

son remarks that on an occasion when he met
with it, the roots were so deep in the fissures
of the rocks that the rock had to be broken to
get the root out. Prof. Eaton confines the
species to "calcareous " rocks, but many spe-
cies once believed to have absolute prefer-
ences have occasionally been found feeding at
other tables. As already suggested, it is com-
mon only in boreal regions. Chapman does not
admit it into his Flora of the Southern United
States nor does it find a place in Mr. William-
son's Ferns of Kentucky, but it is not at all
unlikely that some one will find it some day in
some of the southern mountains, as new
locations are occasionally being found. At
present, it has not been collected south of the
Pennsylvania AUeghenies. A few years ago,
Mr. T. S. Brandegee discovered it in the
mountains of Southern Colorado, leaving an
immense gap between that and more northern
locations, and which will at no distant day be
filled by stations from other collectors. It was
long wholly overlooked in our own country.
It is first believed to have been found in Siberia
by John George Gmelin, whose Flora of that
country appeared between 1747 and 1769, and
described as Pteris Stelleri. At that time the
ferns with an indusium bending back over the
edge of the frond or frondlet were all known as
Pteris. All our earlier botanists overlooked it
on the American Continent till Michaux
found it near Malbaye, in Canada, and he
describes it under Pteris gracilis in 1803 in his
Flora of North America. This is to say, the
slender Pteris or brake-fern. Botanists are by
no means agreed that the Pteris Stelleri of
Siberia is exactly the same as our species. If
it were proved to be, we should have to call cur
plant under the laws of priority Pteris Stelletiy
provided the plant should not be regarded as a
Pellaea or some of the genera made out of
Pteris since Gmelin's time. When a plant is
taken from one genus to another, the one who
discovers the new relationship is not obliged
under the laws to take the specific name from
the old to the new genus, though it is regarded
best to do so if there do not happen to be a
specific name of the same kind already in the
genus the old plant is removed to. It remained
as Pteris gracilis until Sprengel and Kaulfuss'
time, when it was taken to the genus Cheilan-
thes made by Swartz in 1806. Kaulfuss, in
1824, described it as Cheilanthes gracilis. It

does not appear to have been collected by any
one in the United States till Dr. Lewis C. Beck
found it in great abundance on the rocks near
Whitehall about the year 1830, who still held
out against Sprengel's attempt to class it with
Cheilanthes. In 1806, Bernhardi, a professor of
botany at Erfurt, made another genus out of
the old Pteris, called Allosurus. Our little
plant was removed to it, as Allosurus gracilis,
under which name it appears in the earlier
editions of Gray's "Manual." Hooker, in
"Species Filicum," published at various times
between 1844 and 1864, removed it to the
Pellaea, a genus founded by Link in 1841, and
which is made up of species taken from the
old genus Pteris, with some Cheilanthes and
Allosurus — and in this genus it seems to remain
undisturbed by more modern authors. Since
Beck's time it has been found in various places
along the line west of New York and Northern
Pennsylvania to Nebraska according to Pro-
fessor Hughes and, as already noted, leaping
far below this to Southern Colorado. On the
east it is found in Labrador — from whence the
writer has beautiful specimens collected by the
Rev. Mr. Butler — and from there extends to
Siberia, if the form Stelleri is the same, till it
reaches the Himalaya Mountains, where it
ends, so far as now known, its geographical
travels. That it will, however, be found in
many more northern subalpine regions is prob-
able, as it is a fern very likely to be overlooked,
from the obscure locations in which it has
hitherto been found.

The pretty figure in Eaton's Ferns of North
America illustrates a fern with much more
difference between the fertile and barren fronds
than our specimen does. Some of his fertile
frondlets are an inch in length and not over
two lines wide ; narrower, indeed, than any
found on our plant. The differences between
the characters of these two classes of fronds
are well worthy of note by the student of
ferns. They often afford good specific charac-
ters, and come often as aids to generic dis-
tinctions. In some cases, as in the common
Polypody for instance, there is no difference at
all between the barren and fertile fronds.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

THE ADVENT OF SPRING.

- Rich mosses o'er the brown and mouldering bole
Crept many-tinted, with their broidery rare
And others gemmed the shadowy runnel s side
\Vith clustered stars green as the emerald-stone.
While the arbutus trailing lowly near
Her fraprant and auroral buds and bells
Made pale with greater beauty now o^^ce more.
The matchless carpet which they wove anew.

—Howard Worcester Gilbert.

Explanation of the Plate.— A plant sent by Mr. A. C.
Tuttle, fiom the dells of the Wisconsin, i. Fertile spring
frond. 2. Barren summer one. 3. Under surface slightly
enlarged, showing a dotted character of indusium approach-
ing Cheilanthes. 4. Still more enlarged, with indusium
thrown back showing the terminal forked vein.

SEEDS Sprouting in Fruit. — Observers
must have occasionally noticed seeds sprout-
ing inside the fruit. In squashes particularly
is this phenomenon occasionally seen. On
the table is a specimen of Citrus decumana (see
p. 41) sent by the Rev. Lyman Phelps, of
Sanford. Fla., showing a similar occurrence.
There is one matter connected with this sub-
ject which has not received the attention of
scientific men to the extent it deserves-and
that is the green coloring of the leaves in what
must be the deep shade of the centre of the
fruit. It is the general impression that the
coloring matter can only be derived through
the agency of light. These young orange
plants were just as green and fresh as if they
had been growing in the full sunlight. Simi-
lar facts have been recorded before. Some
two years since a paper was read before the
American Association for the Advancement
of Science, calling attention to the fact
that sometimes the cotyledons of Celas-
trus scandcns were perfectly green in the
seed, but no one ventured any explana-
tion' In addition to these points, there is
yet another. As seen in the sketch made,
the plant is growing inside the fruit vertically,
just as it would do if growing in the ground ;
the fruit of course is pendant from the branch
—the stem end therefore being uppermost.
The plant is growing in that direction, and
Prof. Phelps says they always grow so.
Prof. Hill called attention in - Meehans'
Monthly " not long since to the fact that even
in the total darkness of a botanical box
specimens would curve upwardly, confirming

similar points that had already been made in
the magazine. It is evident that the law
which imposes on plants the necessity of
growing erect and also for obtaining green
coloring matter, yet needs more elaboration.

Natural Variation In Ferns.— Mr. P. H.
Oberwetter, Austin, Texas, says :

" In the January number of Meehans*
Monthly there is an inquiry of Mons. H. de
Varigny, of Paris, whether there is natural
variation of ferns in America. One instance
has come under the observation of the writer.

In May, 1886. the writer of this had a chance
to botanize in the Granite Mountains of Bur-
net County, sixty miles above Austin, lexas.
In the clefts of the rocks I found what was to
me a new fern ! It had the pinnx arranged in
whorls around the stipe.

Sending a specimen to Prof. Asa Gray, he
said it was onlv a variety of Pelhra atropurpu-
,^^,which is simply pinnate, though otherwise
the two resembled each other very much.

This is the only instance that came under

my observation."

At a recent meeting of the Botanical Section
of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sci-
ences, Mr. Crawford exhibited a series of forms
of Asplenium montanufn, recently gathered
from a newly discovered station-York Fur-
nace, on the Susquehanna in Southern Penn-
sylvania-varving from very finely dissected
fionds to fronds with all the segments very
broad, and varying in other respects.

The Grasses of Pennsylvania. — The
grasses of Pennsylvania number 150 species
and 10 strong varieties. These have been
prepared for the World's Fair, under the
auspices of the State Board of Managers, by
Prof T C. Porter. It was hoped long ago
that a complete flora of Pennsylvania, by
Prof Porter, would be one of Pennsylvania's
great works, but it seems destined not to be.

(35)

36

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — WII^D FI.OWERS AND NATURE.

[March

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

37

Iftii*

iW

^

;iii

I

it I.

' "... .'

Rhododendron maximum, L. — Mr. David
Day kindly furnishes additional notes on the
western range of Rhododendron maximum : —

" As long ago as 1867 or 8, I found Rhodo-
dendron maximum, Iv, growing in consider-
able abundance at Hamburgh, (then White's
Corners), Erie county, at the distance of about
ten miles directly south of the city of Buffalo.
The fact was reported to Mr. Peck, the botanist
of the state, and was by him announced in the
220 Annual Report of the Regents, at page
103, 1869. Subsequently I met the plant at
Machias, in Cattaraugus Co., growing at the
edge of a sphagnous swamp, near Lime lake.
This was at the distance of about 40 miles
south-easterly from Buffalo. Later vStill, I dis-
covered a third station of the plant, at Clear
Creek, Chautauqua Co., at the distance of
about 38 miles from Buffalo. This locality is
the most westerly of the three. All these
stations are given in my ** Plants of Buffalo
and Vicinity," 1883. The plant was also
announced by Prof. E. S. Burgess in his
"Chautauqua Flora," (1877), as occurring at
"Stockton, towards Jamestown," in that
county. I have no doubt, however, that still
farther west in Chautauqua Co., and in War-
ren and Crawford Counties, of Pennsylvania,
the plant will be found, if searched for in such
situations as it affects. I should not expect
to meet it in Ohio. But it occurs, according
to Gray and Chapman, in the mountains of
Georgia, which places it at least 400 miles
west of the meridian of Rochester, and makes
its appearance likely in eastern Kentucky and
Tennessee. ' '

DressinCx for Lawns. — Mr. George Wool-
son, who has paid special attention to the
making of lawns, states that nitrate of soda, at
the rate of 200 to 400 pounds to the acre, is
one of the best possible fertilizers for lawns.
The great advantage of fertilizers of this kind
over ordinary manure is that it is entirely free
from weeds and gives off no offensive odor.
This ought to be a good point with those who
have the charge of parks and city gardens.
Trees and grass suffer more in these situations
from the want of food than city gardeners have
the slightest idea of ; and the great objection
to applying ordinary manure has generally
been the offensive odors which make them a
nuisance to surrounding property owners and

passers by. He also recommends that the
grass should not be cut at all the first year.
This is all in the line of the teachings of
Meehans' Monthly, that very early pruning
tends to weaken plants ; and what is true of
shrubbery is true of grass also. No plant
should be trimmed or pruned the first year.

Beautiful Pacific Flowers. — Mr. G. W.
Hammond, in a recent enumeration of beauti-
ful Oregon flowers gives great praise to the
Cynoglossom grande. The medium sized flowers
are in panicles and of a "Phlox purple,"
and finally become a Campaiiula blue ; both
colors are often side by side and produce the
effect of watered silks. Others which come in
for praise are Dodecatheon Hendersoni, Delphi-
7iium ]\Ienziesii, Aquilegia Jormosa — * * often
called Honeysuckle," and several Valerianell as
and Collinsias, Phlox adsmgens, "no wild
flower more" delightfully pretty, and Siie?ie
Hookeri, which is of a deeper shade than the
Phlox and in this respect more attractive.
The "cat's ear" — Calochortus Tohnei — gets a
share of good praise, and two composites.
Madia elegajis, and Hemizo?ua tnincata, are
great aids in Oregon wild flower beauty. The
native Sweet V^2i, Lathyrus NevadensiSy "not
so conspicuous as the Gaillardia,'' "is not
surpassed by many in its delicate shades of
purple and blue." Various Irises cut "con-
spicuous figures," and Dog-tooth Violets in a
variety of colors, with the "Chequer lilies"
{Fritillaria), are large and handsome. The
statement is made, of which the writer of this
paragraph was before ignorant, that the flowers
of F. pudica are deliciously fragrant.

Encouragement of the Love of Flowers.
— In a recent paragraph, notice was made of
the beautiful exhibition of wild flowers made
at the Hartford Co. Horticultural Society by
Mrs. Seliger. The note was made up from a
report in a Hartford paper, which stated that
the lady received a premium therefor ; instead
of premium it should have been praise, as
she exhibited not in competition, but for the
encouragement of the children. It appears
that premiums are offered for these flowers to
children under fifteen years of age ; but the
lady's beautiful collection, accurately named,,
was more to aid these children than for any
special reward to herself.

PiCEA Breweriana. — California Weeping
Spruce, as it has been named, is a compar-
atively new species, and represented as being
very beautiful ; and it is one of the rarest, — pos-
sibly m the three localities where it has been
found are there not more than a hundred trees
all told. Every effort to get seed has hitherto
failed, and Messrs. Thorburn & Co., who now
offer a small lot, have the honor of being the
first to give cultivators the chance to try it.

Elongation of Tree Trunks.— Mr. Edwin
Jellett, Philadelphia, says:

"In reading your editorial upon the * ' Length-
ening of Tree Trunks," in the December num-
ber of Meehans' Monthly, it seemed to me
that you had opened, or rather had re-opened,
a good subject for discussion and investigation.
While I have not the inclination to doubt, nor
the ability to question your conclusion, still
the decision, as announced, does not satisfy
me theoretically. It would seem to me that if
there had not been a vertical elongation in the
timber, the first branch from the surface would
be nearer the earth, or the line of measure-
ment, at the end of a greater number of years,
than at the end of a less number of years, by rea-
son of the increase in the diameter of the hori-
zontal growth. If the distance from the first
branch to the line of measurement be the same,
the line of the horizontal axis must conse-
quently be higher, thus : —

3-]

^. ■ IV... I. "f

i2-c3

{X'

w

J

Say at the end
of 5 years.

Say at the end
of 10 years.

My theory is that there is not an actual
growth in mature wood, but that there is an
elongation by compression, and that the ex-
tent of the compression, and consequent elon-
gation, is in direct ratio inversely, to the
square of the diameter of the trunk, which
theoretically may be indicated thus : —

ITERMINAL END ^ , . . ,. „

i- Z , Wood sponjo* and yield jntf

/_ freely .vertical deTclopmeut

' marked.

Wood harder and less yield-
ing: vertical development
less marked.

Wood hard and yielding reluct-
antly: vertical development im-
perceptible.

Dotted lines indicate ratio olclon-
gation.

I have not the opportunity for investigation
and observation to confirm this theor>'. I
merely offer it with the hope that it may prove
of interest."

To which may be added that of course a
horizontal branch will have its exterior surface
nearer the ground just in proportion to its
annual increase in thickness, but the centre of
the branch must be understood when taken in
reference to the elongation of the main trunk.
This centre is always at the same distance from
the ground, provided the branch is perfectly
horizontal, as in pines and spruces referred to.

Evolution of the Leaves of the Cin-
QUEFOH. OR Common Fivefinger. — The
following from the pen and pencil of Mrs.
W. A. Kellerman, will have great interest
to students of plant life :—

"Almost any plant we take up becomes
more and more interesting to us as its life
history unfolds in response to our question-
ing observation and continued study of it.
For several years past, I have been very
much interested in our common Cinquefoil
or Fivefinger {Potentilla Canadensis).

This rather dainty, trailing little vine has
bright green leaves, resembling those of the

strawberry.

Although this species of Potentilla is called
"Fivefinger," because of the fancied resem-
blance of its leaflets to the digits of the hand,
there is considerable variation from this five-
leaved form, in every vine we may examine.

At the extremity of the vine small, three-
lobed, leaf like appendages are seen, as shown

hi

III

•'|i* I

i\

It

I

f

I I

I

' I

•. ;i

38

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[March

in the accompanying illustration. These occur
with little regularity, here and there, along
the whole length of the vine. Following back
from the extremity we find a single leaf, bear-
ing two small stipules, instead of the five
leaflets.

Now, it is right here that the question of
evolution, which has been puzzling me, arises.
Although according to orthodox botany, the
stipules of leaves are considered to be an out-
growth from the base of the leaf or petiole, it
seems to me, in this case, that this single leaf,
with its stipules is an evolution from the three-
lobed appendage or bract. It seems clear that
the middle lobe has been pushed forward, and

CINQUEFOIL. POTENTILLA CANADENSIS

developed into the leaf, while the lateral lobes
have become more or less aborted and are the
stipules of the present leaves. This lobe or
bract occurs just as leaves would occur, and
is sometimes developed into what we might
term an ancestral form, such a one is figured
at I in our illustration. At 3 we have a more
highly developed leaf, the margin is typical of
our normal leaves, but the lateral lobes (?) are
still larger than the ordinary stipules. Did
not this single leaf then, give rise to the tre-

foliate form, by the process known as leaf
branching, so commonly seen in the black-
berry {Rubus villosus) ?

The transition stages which occur frequently
appear to affirm this interpretation of the evo-
lution of the leaves. At 2, 4 and 5 transition
forms are represented illustrating the evolution
from three to four, and from four to five leaf-
lets.

In these "^ancestral ' ' or single leaves, there-
is no petiole present, the leaf being sessile ; it
has not yet outgrown the hereditary influence
of the primitive type, viz.: the three-lobed
bract, which is still far less developed, having
no differentiated petiole, but being attached to-
the stem by the contracted base of blade.

We sometimes hear people talk of " ances-
tral forms," and •♦ present types," as if there
were but two variations, as if plants (like
everything else) were not constantly changing,,
in harmony with changing conditions. But a
form beyond the cinquefoil or fivefinger is rep-
resented at 6 and 7, where we have six and
seven leaflets. I have thus far never found
these "progressive" leaves on the vine, but
always as radical leaves. I have found a num-
ber of them, and here, too, the transition
stages occur. The simple, naturally precedes
the complex. Such is recognized as the fun-
damental law of evolution, and the leaves of
the cinquefoil seem but another illustration of
this law."

It is but fair to the reader to say that the
changes noted in the suggestive remarks of
Mrs. Kellerman, can scarcely be due to chang-
ing conditions of environment or outward in-
fluences. Are they not more likely to flow
from varying powers of life energy within the
plant itself?

Range of Rhododendron maximum. — Mr.
Calvin C. Laney, of the Rochester Park Com-
mission, says : —

** In your issue of January, 1893, you say in
regard to Rhododendron maximum, "that
Rochester station is possibly the most western
one." Mr. Wm. McMillan, superintendent of
the Buffalo Parks, has informed me that he
has found Rhododendron maximum in a swamp
a few miles from Buffalo. It has also been
found in Chautauqua County; Taly HilU
Gates County and in Danby, Tompkins
County,'*

GENERAL GARDENING.

THE ORANGE TREE.

•• lust then, beneath some orange trees,
Whose fruit and blossoms in the breeze
Were wantoning together, free,^^
Like age at play with infancy.

— Moore.

Frozen Plants.— The exact manner in
which frost acts to the injury of vegetation is not
yet well understood. It is known that injury
is always more pronounced in light than in
darkness. Roots of trees exposed to frost in
the day time usually rot, while if they are
frozen and thawed in the darkness they seldom
suffer. Nurserymen understand this better
than the amateur. Boxed plants, usually
hardy, may have their roots frozen, and yet,
if thawed in a dark cellar, or suffered to re-
main in cases until thawed, are seldom injured.
In small conservatories or frames, when by
•accident the plants in them get frozen, should
be darkened and the frozen plants allowed to
thaw in that way, and the injury is much less,
if any at all, than when thawed by the sun-
light. Again, with half-hardy evergreens,
which are supposed to be somewhat tender.
These suffer little under low temperature in
January, when in February they would be ut-
terly killed under the same circumstances, and
this is attributed to the much brighter light
prevailing in that month than in the former
one. The general impression is that evapora-
tion is much greater under bright light than
in darkness, and it is rather the heavy loss of
liquid under low temperature which destroys,
than the expansion and disruption of the tis-
sues by frost. Indeed, there are some who
contend that as long as the plant retains a hold
on life the sap does not freeze, and if any ice
is found in the tissue of plants, that portion of
the tissue is practically dead. Ice is sometimes
found in the centre of the trunks of trees, and
during its formation will expand to such an
extent as to split the trunk, but, of course, the
interior of such trees is composed practically
of dead material.

Gardens of Nathaniel T. Kidder, Mil-
ton, Mass.— According to the proceedings of
the' Mass. Horticultural Society, one of the
best arranged conservatories near Boston is
owned by Mr. Nathaniel T. Kidder. It is a
lean-to ; but is filled with extremely beautiful
plants, which are selected chiefly with the
view of having interesting blooming flowers
in winter time, of a character which could not
be obtained at the florists. Among specimens
of remarkable beauty, which attracted the at-
tention of the committee of the Mass. Society,
were fine Acacias, of which the Acacia
pubcscens is especially mentioned. What is of
especial interest is the fact that the beautiful
heaths ofthe Cape of Good Hope, and Australia,
which are rarelv seen in collections in this
country, on account, it is said, of the dryness
of our summer climate, are here represented
by excellent specimens of several species.
Another remarkably pretty plant, Chorozcma
cordata, from New Holland, which has pea-
shaped flowers of orange and purple color,
and though seldom seen, is not at all difficult
to grow, is represented here by a splendid
specimen. Notwithstanding the number of
our Australian and Cape plants, of which this
beautiful collection is chiefly composed, more
popular plants of a temporary character, such
as squills, stocks, primroses, cyclamens and
daphnes help to give an additional interest to
the choice collection. The camellia, which has
nearly gone out of cultivation since florists
abandoned it for roses and carnations, is still
in favor in this beautiful conservatory.

Oranges and Le>"^s. - Notwithstanding
all the active competition of Florida nnd Cali-
fornia. Europe manages to ship profitably,
enormous quantities of oranges and lemons
to America. Philadelphia is one of the great
centres of this trade, and the arrivals are
generally distributed by auction. On one day
in February 7.796 boxes from Palermo brought
about $2 30 per box for best samples, and 4.432
boxes of lemons at $370 for the highest price.

(39^

40

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAI, GARDENING.

[March

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDEi:iNG.

41

i

I

1/

:

The History of the Canna. — Our excel-
lent French contemporary, the Lyon-Horticole,
gives a history of the Canna, from which it
appears that the first species known was the
one discovered by the famous John Bartram in
South Carolina, in 181 1, which was named by
Philip Miller, Canna flaccida. Between 18 17
and 1820 a large number of species were intro-
duced, and a still greater number between 1820
and 1830. It was not, however, until 1850,
when the dark-leaved canna, Warszewiczii^
was introduced that hybridization commenced.
Since that time every year produces some beau-
tiful forms that have been raised by hybridi-
zation, or through cross fertilization by the
florists. It is hard now to tell one species
from another, as they have been mixed up so
considerably. The magazine from which we
have condensed these facts gives the credit of
the first attempt at hybridization to a diplo-
matic agent of the French government, named
Annee. This hybrid was obtained in 1847,
and was called Ca?ina Annci. It was raised
between Ca?ina indica and Canna nepalensis.
After this gentleman came Jean Sisley, re-
cently deceased, and a number of others. In
America, however, as recently stated in Mee-
HANs' Monthly, there have been a number of
successful improvers. The plants thrive bet-
ter in our country than in the old world and
give quite a tropical appearance to our sum-
mer gardening and this of itself gives encour-
agement to our own improvers.

Hollyberries. — Does anyone know of a
solitary holly tree, a long way from any other
holly treee that ever bore a berry ? The writer
never has seen one. Knowing its proclivity to
have purely sterile flowers, he once placed three
in a group, but they all proved sterile. Still
it is a joy as it is. The group makes a mass
about fifteen feet high and twelve feet wide,
and early in June, with its young leaves and
myriads of greenish white flowers, is far hand-
somer than many shrubs, though no bright
red berries follow. Berry-bearing trees have
been selected from the nursery rows for lawn
planting, never, however, to bear a berry after.
The holly is one of the easiest trees to trans-
plant, if very severely pruned at the time, but
they rarely live without this treatment. As
a general rule we believe both the American
and English holly to be dicccious.

Osage Orange Hedges. — Nothing shows
more the advantage of scientific knowledge,
practically applied, than in the treatment of an
Osage Orange hedge. It is particularly de-
sired that the Osage Orange plant should grow
very strong for a few years, and then compara-
tively weak after the hedge is formed — yet
Osage Orange hedges, as we see them, grow
comparatively slow for several years, and only
form a vigorous growth when somewhat

•

neglected. The reason for this is that no plant
can grow strong without an abundance of
leaves. The first two or three years of the
plant's life it should have all the leaves that it
can get. By the time the roots get strong the
plants will then be able to take care of them-
selves. For this reason we would not cut an
Osage Orange hedge until three years after it
was planted. It should be allowed to 'grow in
its own way and vigorously as it had a mind
to. Then it should be sawed or cut with an
ax close to the ground and suffered to sprout.
After such treatment, the sprouts, if un-
touched, would be 7 or 8 feet in height, more
or less, according to the richness of the
ground ; but the following summer after this
cutting down, the pruning should commence.
It might be cut at midsummer to the shape we
want, and we have, as if by magic, a complete
hedge in one season. The continual cutting
away of young plants weakens them, and it
takes a long time, if ever, for a plant trimmed
often in infancy to make a strong protective
hedge.

Longevity of Trees. — In the Eastern
States, trees do not live over 300 years at
most, even under the most favorable circum-
stances— the climatic conditions being un-
favorable to longevity. In the old world,
however, and especially in England, most
trees live to a great age. The Yew and the
English Oak are familiar examples — a thou-
sand years seem to be nothing to these
trees. The "Gardeners' Chronicle" states
that the sweet, or as we call it, the Spanish
chestnut, also lives long ; and it gives a sketch
of one, which was quite a large tree, in the
reign of King Stephen, that is to say, 1135.
We doubt whether any specimen of the
Spanish chestnut would remain particularly
healthy l^ng over 100 years in our climate.

The Henna Plant.— Under the name of
Mignonette tree, Lawsoyiia alba, has long
been cultivated and esteemed for its delicious
fragrance, in the Southern United States. It
is about as hardy as the crape myrtle and will
succeed where that will. Mr. H. C. Mitten, of
Rija Park, Cassipore, East India, gives the
readers of Meehans' Monthly the following
interesting sketch of it as it appears in that
far away corner of the Magazine's domain : —
Name, Lawsonia alba., Lat.; Mendika, Saka.
Chara, Ssins.; Htnna, Arab.

Habitat. — A small, handsome and sweetly
scented bush first grown on the borders of
Persia, and then its use and cultivation prob-
ably spread from
that region west
into Africa and
eastward to the
several provinces
of India, such as
the Punjab Sind,
the Northwestern
Provinces, Madras,
Bombay and Ben-
gal. Flower small,
pale, greenish and
fragrant.

Uses and appli-
cations.— The use
of the dye prepared
from its lea ves
pounded with cate-
chu or lime, as a
cosmetic is evident-
ly of Mahommedan
origin, being chief-
ly used by the wodien of that race for stain-
ing the hands, fingers, nails, and feet. The
simple decoction of the leaves also is frequent-
ly used in dyeing cloth and handkerchiefs ;
color produced is a shade of yellowish or
redish brown or red. The second use is a
paste prepared with water from the powders
of Lawsonia alba and Indigo/era .^lil, each
two parts, and of dried myrtle leaves and
emblie myrobolans, each one part, for dyeing
the hair.

Properties.— Embalming, medicinal orchem-
ical. The seeds yield an oil, and the flowers a
fragrant otto or attar. The leaves possess the
property of curing ulcers of all kinds, and a
decoction of them is used as an injection for

gonorrhoea and cases of burns, scalds, etc.,
The bark is given in jaundioe, ei>larg«xaent of
the spleen, also in calculous affections, and an
alterative in leprosy and obstinate skin dis-
eases. An infusion of the flowers cures head-
ache. The only chemical substance in the
leaves is gallic acid. They also possess the
properties of tannin.

This elegant shrub is grown in gardens as
a hedge. The value of the leaves averages a
rupee for twelve seers.

Artificial Aid in Landscape Gardening.
— A lady correspondent from Cheltenham,
Pa., in reference to a recent note says :—

"In the article on

'A Seaside Walk'
in the January
number of the
Monthly, I read,
*• Vases and Statu-
ary * * * it is
only in rare instan-
ces that the art of
a landscape garden-
er can so combine
* * * " May
I recall to your re-
collection the truly
beautiful landscape
gardening of Mr.
Downing, at * Med-
ary ' — where the
vases on the terrace
and on the lawn at
the foot of the ter-

GRECN-LEAVED SEEDLI NCS I NSI DE A CITRUS FRUIT.- .cc p 3-

race are as prettily
placed, (as I am sure you will agree with me),
as in any small bit of landscape in this
country or even England.

Mr. Sergeant, of Wodenethe, used to say
there were few prettier bits of lawn to be
found in this part of the world. My love for
Medary prompts me to send you these gentle

reminders."

The Monthly's correspondent has good
reason for loving the beautiful effects of the
vase and balustrade gardening at Medary.
Besides the successful instances named, there
are some admirable illustrations on the
grounds of Mr. H. H. Hunnewell, at Wellcsley,
near Boston, and though the instances are rare,
others might be named.

I *#M

40

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAL GARDENING.

[March

1893-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

41

The History of the Canna. — Our excel-
lent French contemporary, the Lyon-Horticole,
gives a history of the Canna, from which it
appears that the first species known was the
one discovered by the famous John Bart ram in
South Carolina, in 1811, which was named by
Philip Miller, Canna Jlaccida. Between 18 17
and 1820 a large number of species were intro-
duced, and a still greater number between 1820
and 1830. It was not, however, until 1850,
when the dark-leaved canna, Warszcwiczii,
was introduced that hybridization commenced.
Since that time every year produces some beau-
tiful forms that have been raised by hybridi-
zation, or through cross fertilization by the
florists. It is hard now to tell one species
from another, as they have been mixed up so
considerably. The magazine from which we
have condensed these facts gives the credit of
the first attempt at hybridization to a diplo-
matic agent of the French government, named
Annee. This hybrid was obtained in 1847,
and was called Canna Annci. It was raised
between Canna indica and Canna ncpalensis.
After this gentleman came Jean Sisley, re-
cently deceased, and a number of others. In
America, however, as recently vStated in Mee-
hans' MoxVThly, there have been a number of
successful improvers. The plants thrive bet-
ter in our country than in the old world and
give quite a tropical appearance to our sum-
mer gardening and this of itself gives encour-
agement to our own improvers.

HoLLVHERRiES. — Does anyone know of a
solitary holly tree, a long way from any other
holly treee that ever bore a berry ? The writer
never has seen one. Knowing its proclivity to
have purely sterile flowers, he once placed three
in a group, but they all proved sterile. Still
it is a joy as it is. The group makes a mass
about fifteen feet high and twelve feet wide,
and early in June, with its young leaves and
myriads of greenish white flowers, is far hand-
somer than many vShrubs, though no bright
red berries follow. Berry-bearing trees have
been selected from the nursery rows for lawn
planting, never, however, to bear a berry after.
The holly is one of the easiest trees to trans-
plant, if very severely pruned at the time, but
they rarely live without this treatment. As
a general rule we believe both the American
and Ivnglish holly to be dicucious.

Osage Orange Hedges. — Nothing shows
more the advantage of scientific knowledge,
practically applied, than in the treatment of an
Osage Orange hedge. It is particularly de-
sired that the Osage Orange plant should grow
very strong for a few years, and then compara-
tively weak after the hedge is formed — yet
Osage Orange hedges, as we see them, grow
comparatively slow for several years, and only
form a vigorous growth when somewhat
neglected. The reason for this is that no plant
can grow strong without an abundance of
leaves. The first two or three years of the
plant's life it should have all the leaves that it
can get. By the time the roots get strong the
plants will then be able to take care of them-
selves. For this reason we would not cut an
Osage Orange hedge until three years after it
was planted. It should be allowed to 'grow in
its own way and vigorously as it had a mind
to. Then it should be sawed or cut with an
ax close to the ground and suffered to sprout.
After such treatment, the sprouts, if un-
touched, would be 7 or 8 feet in height, more
or less, according to the richness of the
ground ; but the following summer after this
cutting down, the pruning should commence.
It might be cut at midsummer to the shape w^e
want, and we have, as if by magic, a complete
hedge in one season. The continual cutting
away of young plants weakens them, and it
takes a long time, if ever, for a plant trimmed
often in infancy to make a strong protective
hedge.

Longevity of Trees.— In the Eastern
States, trees do not live over 300 years at
most, even under the most favorable circum-
stances— the climatic conditions being un-
favorable to longevity. In the old world,
however, and especially in Ivngland, most
trees live to a great age. The Yew and the
Knglish Oak are familiar examples — a thou-
sand years seem to be nothing to these
trees. The "Gardeners' Chronicle" states
that the sweet, or as we call it, the Spanish
chestnut, also lives long ; and it gives a sketch
of one, which was quite a large tree, in the
reign of King Stephen, that is to say, 1135.
We doubt whether any specimen of the
Spanish chestnut would remain particularly
healthy l^ng over 100 years in our climate.

The Henna Plant.— Under the name of
Mignonette tree, Lawsonia alba, has long
been cultivated and esteemed for its delicious
fragrance, in the Southern United States. It
is about as hardy as the crape myrtle and will
succeed where that will. Mr. H. C. Mitten, of
Rija Park, Cassipore, East India, gives the
readersof MEEHANS' Monthly the following
interesting sketch of it as it appears in that
far away corner of the Magazine's domain : —
Name, Lawsonia alba., Lat. ; Mendika, Saka.
Chara, Sans. ; Hinna, Arab.

Habitat. — A small, handsome and sweetly
scented bush first grown on the borders of
Persia, and then its use and cultivation prob-
ably spread from
that region west
into Africa and
eastward to the
several provinces
of India, such as
the Punjab Sind,
the Northwestern
Provinces, Madras,
Bombay and Ben-
gal. Flower small,
pale, greenish and
fragrant.

Uses and appli-
cations.— The use
of the dye prepared
fro m its lea ves
pounded with cate-
chu or lime, as a
cosmetic is evident-
ly of Mahommedan
origin, being chief-
ly used by the women of that race for stain-
ing the hands, fingers, nails, and feet. The
simple decoction of the leaves also is frequent-
ly used in dyeing cloth and handkerchiefs ;
color produced is a shade of yellowish or
redish brown or red. The second use is a
paste prepared with w\ater from the powders
of Lawsonia alba and Indigo/era Anil, each
two parts, and of dried myrtle leaves and
einblie myrobolans, each one part, for dyeing
the hair.

Properties.— ICmbalming, medicinal or chem-
ical. The seeds yield an oil, and the flowers a
fragrant otto or attar. The leaves possess the
property of curing ulcers of all kinds, and a
decoction of them is used as an injection for

gonorrhoea and cases of burns, scalds, etc.,
The bark is given in jaundice, eiilar;:-ement of
the spleen, also in calculous affections, and an
alterative in leprosy and obstinate skin dis-
eases. An infusion of the flowers cures head-
ache. The only chemical substance in the
leaves is gallic acid. They also possess the
properties of tannin.

This elegant shrub is grown in gardens as
a hedge. The value of the leaves averages a
rupee for tw^elve seers.

GREEN -LEAVED SEEDLINGS INSIDE A CITRUS FRUIT.- sec p 3«

Artii-icial Aid in Landscape Gardening.

A lady correspondent from Cheltenham,

Pa., in reference to a recent note says :—

"In the article on

'A vSeaside Walk'
in the January
number of the
Monthly, I read,
"Vases and Statu-
ary * * * it is
only in rare instan-
ces that the art of
a landscape garden-
er can so combine
* * * " May
I recall to your re-
collection the truly
beautiful landscape
gardening of Mr.
Downing, at ' Med-
arv ' — where the
vases on the terrace
and on the lawn at
the foot of the ter-
race are as ])rettily
placed, (as 1 am sure you will agree with me),
as in any small bit of landscape in this
country or even Kngland.

Mr. Sergeant, of Wodenethe, used to say
there were few i)rettier bits of lawn to be
found in this part of the world. My love for
Medary prompts me to send you these gentle

reminders."

The Monthly's correspondent has good
reason for loving the beautiful etTccts o: the
vase and balustrade gardening at Medary.
Besides the successful instances named, there
are some admirable illustrations on the
grounds of Mr. H. II. Hunnewell. at Wellesley,
near Boston, and though the instances are rare,
others might be named.

intentional second exposure

42

« «

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[March

I

Mm

"K^^

Sp.iB4i:A PRL'NUfOLiA.— Among the beautiful
flowering- shrubs of spring that are now gen-
ally appreciated, few sustain popularity better
than the Spircea prunifolia^ or plum-leaved

Spiroea. The flow-
ers are double, and
come out in immense
profusion at the ends
of the branches in
early spring.
Strange to say, the
original single-flow-
ered species, which
must be wild some-
where in Japan, has
never been introduc-
ed into cultivation,
and all botanists
know of the species
is from this double-
flowered garden
form. There is one
attraction to the
plant which is not
generally observed,
and that is the beau-
tiful, rosy red color
which the leaves as-
sume in the fall of
spiR^A PRUNiFOLiA. the year. This

makes it as much desirable for ornamental
purposes as the profusion of handsome white
blossoms in the spring. Possibly this over-
sight has been due to the fact that so many
American trees take on a beautiful tint, and
no effort has been made to distinguish one
from I he other in gardening ; but the beauty
of the leaves of this plant themselves, in con-
nection with the brilliant fall color, gives an
opportunity to place the plant in opposition
against evergreens, for instance, or other
shrubs or trees which do not change color,
and thus bringing out by contrast, the special
beauty which the plum-leaved Spireca in this
condition presents.

Hardy Apples. — The Vermont Watchma7i,
which has an agricultural department of high
order, makes the good point that the term
"hardiness" in fruit trees may be variously
understood. A plant may be hardy in a sense
to resist the vicissitudes of climate ; on the
other hand, a fruit tree, or any other plant

may be liable to attacks of parasitic fungi, and
in that way easily die in the wintertime, when
a variety free from these attacks would be
hardy. It makes these suggestions in connec-
tion with the hardy varieties of apples, and it
speaks especially of three kinds, namely : the
Alexander, the Astrachari and Oldenburgh,
Russian varieties, which have been found not
only hardy from the one standpoint, but also
from the other, and a new variety. Yellow
Transparent, which is so hardy as to adapt
itself to a great variety of contingences and
thus to be found to do well over the whole
continent. These distinctions are well worth
noting.

A New Yucca, Yucca Hanburyi. — "The
Gardeners' Chronicle " gives a description of
a new Yucca from Colorado, under this name,
which is found growing in company with the
common Yucca of that region. Yucca angusti-
folia. The description reads very much like
one which has long been known here — having
been first collected by Dr. C. C. Parry. Dr.
Parry thought it worthy of being regarded as
a new species ; but Dr. Engelmann contended
that those who were familiar with Yucca an-
gustifolia with us, were acquainted with its
tendency to vary in many directions, and he
hesitated to recommend it as a new species.
The foliage is precisely the same as the com-
mon form of angustifolia — the difference being
chiefly confined to the flower. If the same as
we suppose it to be, and which is growing in
our collection, one great difference is that the
blossoms open during the day, while those of
the normal forms of angustifolia are noc-
turnal.

1893]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

43

Grafting the Pecan Nut. — It does not
seem to be known that all the different species
of Hickory, including the pecan, which is one
of that family, can be very readily grafted by
taking a plant one or two years old and graft-
ing at the collar, just as fruit growers do with
their apples and pears in the winter time.
Among the hickories, shellbarks and pecans
there are often some trees with larger fruit
than others, or with thinner shells, qualities
very desirable in this class of nuts and desirable
to preserve them and increase the number of
trees by grafting in the winter. As we have
described it is easy to increase them in any
quantity.

DiERViLLA —As a general rule, when a plant
has been named by a competent botanist and
sent out into the horticultural world, where it
appears under such a name in hundreds
of catalogues, it is almost impossible to
change it, although it should be shown
that a prior name given by another bot-
anist ought to have been used. Thus
Weigela is now the name by which a
popular shrub is universally kno.vn, al-
though it is said that Dietinlla is its prior and
therefore proper name. In England, however,
they seem to have succeeded in getting the
horticultural world to adopt the change and
the plant is now much more frequently called
Diervilla than Weigela.

Improvement of the Carnation.— The
winter flowering carnation, though vastly im-
proved during recent years, has not reached
the size that the old summer flowering kinds
produced. An old newspaper, printed in Nor-
wich, England, dated June 29, 1S33, records a
florist of that city had them blooming four
inches across. These were not even those en-
tire edged, broad^petaled ones, which they es-
pecially demonstrated carnations, but the
fringed-edged dwarf, those cut-edged ones,
which they knew as pinks, and between which
two classes our winter blooming carnations are
intermediate.

FK^IITS S5S ¥E^ETi^PLE5.

Yucca Aloifolia,— Mrs. T. H. McC, writ-
ing from Los Angeles, California, remarks :—

*' Noticing your inquiry in your very inter-
esting magazine as to how old a ' Yucca aloi-
folia' must be before flowering, that one
flowered here in 1886, when three years planted
and has flowered every year since. It was
about one foot high when planted and is about
eight feet now. ' '

Heating Small Greenhouses and Con-
servatories.—It is easy to heat large green-
houses, but small conservatories attached to
dwellings are often troublesome to manage pro-
perly in this respect. The ordinary cellar
heater gives out too dry a heat and sulphurous
vapors get into the heat flues, and which are
very injurious to plants. Mr. Ingram of 106
North Third street, Philadelphia, claims to have
combined hot water with an ordinary stove, to
be placed in each greenhouse, which is entire-
ly satisfactory.

Fertilization of the Fig.— As recently
noticed, Californians have been to a great deal
of trouble to introduce an insect from the old
world, which is supposed to be an agent in the
fertilization of the fig. The fig itself will come
to considerable perfection without any fertili-
zation, as is well known. The seeds, however,
being without any germ are of course imper-
fect. As the result of an examination by the
editor of this magazine years ago, he was
satisfied that the fig is not by any means uni-
sexual, but, in a large number of cases, has
both forms of flowers inside one fig. In such
cases there is no reason why one individual fig
tree might not produce figs with perfect seeds.
It is now stated in the Califofnia Fruit Groiver,
that a committee recently examined some fruit
of the Smyrna, at Los Gatos, in Santa Clara
County, and found them full of perfect seeds,
without the intervention of the supposed fig
insect. It so happened that the last letter of
the eminent botanist. Dr. Ravenel, of Aiken,
S. C, to the writer of this paragraph, sent just
before his death, so strongly combated the pos-
sibility of a fig coming thus to perfection, that
the editor has never strongly expressed his own
views,— Dr. Ravenel having been so very acute
an observer in these matters ; still the facts
now related certainly tend to show that the fig
is by no means the unisexual fruit it has gen-
erally been supposed to be. On the other hand
attempts have been made on trees belonging to
Mr. Shinn, at Niles, to effectually fertilize by
the use of the staminate figs, with no better
results than on trees where no pollen was em-
ployed.

Parsley. — It is common to sow parsley in
spring in the open ground ; but some amateurs
state that they get better success by sowing
in boxes in February, and then setting the
plants out in good rich earth when the spring
time comes. Of course the plants have to be
well watered at the time of transplanting. If
not sown until the proper time for open air
work commences, the plants do not get large
enough to be of any service until late in the
season. The general impression is that parsley
does not transplant well ; but this is said not
to be the case by those who have given it care-
ful treatment, as above noted.

44

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAIv GARDENING.

[March

\'i

Tender Asparagus. — The annoying feature
of some asparagus, in many cases, is the
stringiness of the lower portion. It is very
aggravating, as to many people the lower or
white portion is the most toothsome of the
whole. But there is sometimes asparagus
which, from tip to toe, throughout its whole
length, from the thick base to the green or pur-
ple top, is as tender as a sprig of cauliflower,
so tender that it will almost melt in one's
mouth. Few know how this is done, and if
the readers of Meehans' MonthIvY will keep
the secret to themselves, it shall now be told
to them. This tender, luscious character is
imparted to the thick ends by bleaching, just
as celery is bleached, only in those coun-
tries where special attention is given to the
production of good asparagus, it is done in a
different way. The plants are set out in beds
about four feet wide and when the spring
comes, very light rich earth is placed some six
inches deep over the plants, to be raked off into
the alleyways, and again thrown over the
plants in spring. Much the same results can
be obtained by deep planting, provided the soil
be very light, and this saves the labor and
trouble of the annual labor which the specialist
in asparagus culture gives to the culture of
the plant. In our country where good labor
is hard to get, and costs much when found,
the deep planting will be best for obtaining
nice, tender asparagus.

The Cos Lettuce. — A Florida paper notes
that the Cos lettuce is the only class that can
be grown to any satisfaction in Florida— the
round-headed kinds get much sand in them
and it is impossible to get this sand out with
any amount of washing ; but the Cos lettuce,
which has to be tied up in order to blanch
properly, is free from sand. This is an advan-
tage that we have never heard of before, in
connection with this class of lettuce.

Cauliflower. — It is remarkable how slowly
the cauliflower has become a staple American
vegetable, probably because it is not quite as
hardy as the rest of the cabbage tribe. If the
plants can be protected somewhat in the fall
they do remarkably well. Dr. Crozier, who
has been a successful market grower for seven
years, has recently published a complete work
on the subject.

Names of Fruits. — T/ie Gazette^ of Allegan,
Mich., has an excellent horticultural column,
in which appears a paper by Mr. T. T. Lyon,
on the necessity of having some authority de-
cide the proper names which fruits shall bear.
He thinks that the best way to settle this ques-
tion would be for the horticultural division of
the Department of Agriculture at Washington
to be that authority, and whatever nomencla-
ture is decided on by that department should
be the one adopted by fruit growers. This
body is to be also the arbiter upon all
questions pertaining to the identification of
varieties and the determination of their com-
parative values. It is not clear that this
tribunal will be any greater than the authority
of the American Pomological Society, which
was established expressly to decide these quest-
ions ; still it is pleasant to find that the best
pomologists are awake to the necessity of in
some way or another crowding out the enor-
mous amount of trash which is continually
being thrust on the American fruit grower.

Persimmons — A correspondent of TheFlofida
Farmer, writing from Japan, has some merri-
ment over the fact that Americans wait to eat
persimmons until they have been partially
decayed, in order to get rid of their bitterness.
He states that in regard to the persimmons in
Japan it has been found that their bitterness
resides only in the skin, and they peel their
persimmons, therefore, and these fruits are as
good after that, when just taken from the tree,
as if they were to wait, as in America, for the
fruit to blette.

Peach Growing in Kentucky — Professor
Cross, of Louisville, Kentucky, writes en-
couragingly to Meehans' Monthly, of peach
culture near that city. There have been five
full crops in six years, and the prospect for
the coming year was at that date, January
loth, excellent for the coming season.

Pepino. — Garden and Forest identifies the
Solaniim which has attracted considerable at-
tention as tree tomato, pepino, and has
even been named Solanum Guatemalense, as a
species long since named by Aiton, ^S*. muriea-
turn. Its native place is credited by Aiton, to
Chili and Peru.

1893-]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

45

A Large Pear Tree in Louisiana.— Col.
M. B. Hillyard, of New Orleans, writes in
reference to a pear tree in the northern part of
Louisiana, which was a very large tree, and
growing where it now stands as early as 1845,
and is now six feet in circumference a foot
above the ground. It is low and wide spread-
ing ; the head having a diameter of limbs es-
timated at 32 feet. It seems to be about 20 feet
high. It is the picture of health, though it
has never had any artificial fertilization and
the ground has not been stirred around it for
probably 30 years. From the description
given it vSeems closely related, although not
quite the same apparently, to the old French
Pear, Brown Buerre. It is probably some
other French varietj^ brought by the early
French settlers of Louisiana. It ripens about
November. The facts indicate that Alabama
and northern Louisiana are admirably adapted
to pear culture, although it is supposed that
neither the pear nor the apple are well adapted
to Southern fruit growing. More information
in regard to the possibilities of these localities
would be very desirable.

Japan Plum. — A plum has been introduced
into our fruit culture that is really a desir-
able addition to our list of fruits. But
it is liable to be confused with another fruit
grown in New Orleans and the South, which
is known as Japan plum, though really of the
medlar tribe. This has been known as
Mespilus Japonica, though other botanists call
it E>iobot}ya Japonica. This last flowers in fall
and ripens towards January, so cannot be grown
where the frost descends below the freezing
point. The fruit is golden, more like an apri-
cot than a plum.

Early Radishes and Lettuce. — Consider-
ing how easy it is to get these favorite spring
vegetables early by the use of glass frames, it
is rather surprising that amateur gardeners do
not more often take pains to have these luxu-
ries. Frost does not hurt them and they grow
on with every few warm days, resting only
when the ground is frozen. If the seeds are
sown thinly under a common hot-bed sash, they
may be had for several weeks in use before
they could be obtained from the open air.

Indian Fruit Orchard Near Geneva. —
Mr. Geo. S. Conover contributes the following
especially interesting note, regarding the
Indian fruit orchard before referred to: —

" In connection with the paragraph ' Indians
as Fruit Growers ' in the January number of
the Monthly, the following may be of interest.
The site of the capital village of the vSenecas,
near Geneva, is now occupied in part by the
New York State Agricultural Experiment
Station. This place was completely destroyed
by the army of General Sullivan in September
1779, the palisade fortification which had been
built by Sir \Vm. Johnson to protect the
vSenecas during the French war was burned
and the large Apple and Peach orchards
girdled. Sprouts from the roots however soon
sprang up and in 1797, only 18 years later, 100
bushels of peaches were sold to a distillery, and
cider to the amount of $1200 was sold, the
product of these orchards. Sergeant Moses
Fellows, of Sullivan's army, records in his
journal under the date of Sept. 9, i797. as

follows :

• By Reason of the Heavy Rain last night we
were Not able to move this Morning till 12
o'clock for Geneses ; what Corn, Beans, peas.
Squashes, Potatoes, Inions, turnips, Cabage,
Cowcumbers, watermillions. Carrots, pasnips
&c our men and horses Cattle &c could not
Eat was Distroyed this Morning Before we
march ; ' — A pretty good assortment I think
for that place in those days."

1

Enemies to Fk; Culture.— In all our hor-
ticultural works great merit has been claimed
for the fig, that neither fungus disease, nor
any insect's ravages seemed to distress it. It
is now stated, however, that a small beetle is
playing great havoc with the fig trees about
New Orleans, Its method of procedure is to
girdle the branches.

Plum Prince of Wales. — The Canadian
Horticulturist for November, 1892, gives a
beautiful colored plate of the Prince of Wales
Plum, introduced from the old world by Mr. S.
D. Willard, of Geneva, who gives it much
praise as doing well in that portion of New
York. It is a round plum, reddish-purple,
medium in size, and so abundant a bearer, that
thirteen plums are on a branch less than twelve
inches long.

i893-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

47

It;

^1

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

ROTHA.

While I sit and muse as the shadows deepen,
Scenes of youth's bright morn reappear before me,
And the days long past, in their dewy freshness ;
Sweet resurrection !

Thro' the wide-spread boughs of a lofty elm-tree.
Where their pendent nest orioles are weaving,
Sunbeams glide and dance on the running brooklet,
Spotted with foam-flakes.

Silvery minnows sport in the crystal waters ;
Round the hawthorn-blooms butterflies are flitting;
Humming sounds are heard, and the air is balmy,
lyaden with odors.

Fairer far than these, in her virgin -beauty.
Full of grace, she comes, like a fawn advancing,
Ivight of footstep, where violets and bluets
Broider the green bank.

Loose her tresses fall underneath a garland ;
Every feature tells how the joyous springtide
All her soul hath filled with its life and splendor ;
Darling of Nature !

Brief her sojourn here as the vernal flowers* !—
Angel-pinions gleam in the gate of Heaven,
And immortal Love to her bosom gathers
Rotha, the blue eyed.

— Professor Thos, C. Porter.

The Name Tabern^montana. — Regarding
a recent inquiry by Mr. Saunders, Prof. G. J.
Hill says : —

"The specific name of Ainsonia TaberficB-
montana comes from the employment of a gen-
eric name for a trivial one. It is derived from
Tabernaemontanus, a botanist of the sixteenth
century, who died in 1590. In 1703 Plumier
published at Paris a work on American plants,
and dedicated a group of apocynaceous plants
to the botanist who had lived more than two
hundred years before, Jacobus Theodorus Ta-
bernaemontanus, stating that he received the
last name from the place of his birth, Berg Za-
bern, for which Tabernce Montanoe is given as
the Latin equivalent. Linnaeus adopted this
generic name when he published "his Genera
Plantarum. " The plant was called by him Ta-
hemocmojitana Amsonia. In 1788, Walter, in
the Flora Caroli?tia7ia, reversed the order of the
two words, and we have the name as it now

(46)

stands. Amsonia is at present limited to a
small genus of herbaceous plants of North
America and Eastern Asia, while Taberno^mon-
tana comprises a much larger number of woody
plants of the tropical parts of the globe. Plu-
mier says Tabernaemontanus was an industrious
man, especially devoted to the study of botany.
He published two works on botany, one in
Latin, the other in German, a " New Book of
Blants," on useful plants. To write in the
vernacular on scientific subjects was very un-
usual for the time, and the author deserves re-
membrance for it. The translation of the
name, Mountain of the Tavern, may be the cor-
rect one, though Plumier gives it in the plural,
which would be Mountai7i Taverjis. It was
evidently in some such sense that Plumier took
it, for Bergzabern is a towm of the Palatinate,
at the eastern foot of the Vosges Mountains.
The specific name of the plant has, as in many
other cases, no descriptive value, only histori-
cal or philological. The desire of Mr. Saunders
to know the meanings of plant names is a very
commendable one, and adds much to one's
knowledge of botany, and to the pleasure de-
rived from the study of its nomenclature. The
vicissitudes of names in natural history is very
great, owing to the numerous changes, legiti-
mate or whimsical, to which they are subject,
but those who take delight in a name as some-
thing more than a definite arrangement of let-
ters to designate an object, will always be re-
warded for their efforts."

It may be added that the conductors had it
in mind to explain the substantive character of
the adjective in this instance, but the paragraph
passed before it was done, a lapse not regret-
ted now, since the result has been Mr. Hill's
instructive paragraph. It may be further noted
that it is customary when these proper or
generic names are employed as adjectives or
" specific " terms, to continue the capital ini-
tial, and hence we have Amsonia Taberncemon-
tana and not A. taberncemoyitana.

Mr. Michael Barker kindly sends a similar
note to that supplied by Mr. Hill.

Dr. EIvLiot Coues.— Few scientific men are
better known by reputation than the subject of
this sketch ; and in those lines of natural his-
tory relating to rural affairs, w^hich it is the
province of Meehans' Monthly to cultivate,
his reputation is especially wide. In the de-
partment of ornithology particularly, he stands
pre-eminent. Aside from his devotion to natur-
al history, properly so-called, he has paid very
successful attention to physical science. He
was born at Portsmouth, N. H., September
the 9, 1842. His father was a business man ;
but who possessed many of those scientific at-
tributes for which his son has since become so
famous. The family moved to Washington in
1853, where Dr. Coues has
always resided, except when
serving in the army, or in
scientific explorations. He
graduated from what is now
the Columbian University, in
1863. Among his earliest
labors was a collection of the
birds of Labrador for the
Smithsonian Institution ; but
his scientific love has drawn
him from the extensive prac-
tice of medicine and surgery.
He was Secretary and Natu- .;
ralist of the United States
Geographical Survey of the %^
Territories, under Dr. Hay-
den. He was elected in 1877
a member of the Academy of
Natural Sciences, of Phila-
delphia, being probably the
youngest man who ever re-
ceived that honor. He resigned finally his
position in the army, and has been connected
more or less ever since closely with the Smith-
sonian Institution, at Washington. The num-
ber of scientific institutions which have honored
Prof. Coues with membership is phenomenal.
One might say, in a general way, that there
is scarcely an institution of distinction over
the whole world that has not Dr. Coues' name
on its membership roll.

land, on June 10, iSio, and early in life became
eminent as a landscape gardener. He engaged
with the famous nurseryman Robert Buist of
Philadelphia in 1S37, and in 1S38 sailed as
naturalist on the celebrated four years cruise
of the Wilkes' exploring expedition. To him
was committed the preparation of the work on
the Ferns of the expedition, for which he was
eminently fitted by a three years course under
Prof. Otto of the Berlin Botanical Garden . The
result was a noble work. After a few sample
copies had been distributed, the whole was
lost by fire. Mr. Brackenridge's copy is one
of the treasures of the library of the Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

DR. ELLIOT COUES.

W. D. Brackenridge.— Intelligent horti-
culture suffers a severe loss in the death of Mr.
W. D. Brackenridge, which occurred near Bal-
timore on February 3rd. He was in his
eighty-third year. He was born at Ayr, Scot-

Robert Douglas . — Rob-
ert Douglas was the first
American (though he was not
born in America) to show
that evergreens could be
raised in America as cheaply
and as easily as in Europe,
and who gave the first great
impetus to practical forest
planting. He not only pre-
pared the seedlings— but un-
dertook the work of planting
the forests— and what he did
in this line, has been the great
American exemplar of good
forest culture. It will gratify
his many friends to know
that though in his Soth year,
he is still ready on any occa-
sion to climb a mountain and
enjoy a genuine forest outing,
with any one above 60— or even very much
younger if they do not dare him too much.

Francis Darwin.- Mr. Francis Darwin, who
makes a fourth in the direct line of descent from
the original Darwin, has been appointed deputy
professor of botany in the Kngland Cambridge
University, as an aid to the aged Prof. Babing-
ton, of whom we have made a note recently.

Prof. Emory E. Smith.— Emory E. Smith,
Professor of Horticulture in the Leland Stan-
ford, Jr., University of California, has re-
turned from the long European journey under-
taken with the view of studying the best
methods of teaching horticulture as practiced
in the old world.

GENERAL NOTES.

TheFIvOwkRvS and Ferns of the United
States. — Mr. C. F. Saunders, of Philadelphia,
after purchasing a copy of "Flowers and Ferns' '
as offered in our advertising pages, was kind
enough to send the following letter to the au-
thor : —

'* I received from your firm on Saturday the
volume of ** Native Flowers and Ferns of the
United States," and cannot forbear sending
you a line of acknowledgment, as the money
which I sent you does not begin to be an equiv-
alent for the pleasure which I have already de-
rived from only a superficial examination of the
book. As I sat by the fire Saturday evening
turning over the pages, with my little niece,
who has been an enthusiastic companion in
many a botanical ramble, it seemed like going
** a-Maying " again. We lost sight, for the
nonce, of our wintry environment — the shrill
whistle of the wind died away into the drowsy
hum of bees and we were off "down Jersey,"
despite the frozen Delaw^are and the snow
drifts. So please accept our thanks for the
book which I find to be the key that unlocks
a hundred delightful memories. "

So much interest was felt and is continued
in that work, that though the author lost three
thousand dollars by the sudden death and the
subsequent insolvency of the estate of the
publisher, Mr. Charles Robson, the conscious-
ness of the pleasure his labors gave thou-
sands, has always kept him from seriously re-
gretting the loss. He seldom uses the titles
and honorable appellations bestowed on him by
scientific institutions and associations of learn-
ing, much as they are prized, and he may
therefore be more readily pardoned, perhaps,
for being touched by unsought testimonials of
this kind.

Knglish and Latin Names oe Plants. —
Botanists complain of English names some-
times, and now it is Prof. Lemmon who com-
plains of botanists that they will lazily coin
an English name sometimes, when there are
already good ones in circulation. The English

48)

botanists, for instance, speak of the "Douglas
Fir," when the regularly accepted name is
Douglas Spruce. As to whether the plant is
a Fir or a Spruce, is no more a question when
it comes to an English name, than whether the
" Tulip Poplar" of the people is a Poplar in
botany.

Proe. Porter's Poem. — The beautiful poem
by our great botanist. Dr. Porter, will have a
special interest to the readers of the present
issue of Meehans' MonthIvY. Many of us
have had our " Rotha's " — the early loved
and the long since lost. Amidst sorrow that
can hardly be suppressed, it is still a pleasure
to see the picture of their young and happy
lives, under leafing trees, and garlanded with
spring flowers, and to feel that though their
lives might have been prolonged, their short
careers were supremely happy.

MiTCHELivA REPENS. — For the April leading
illustration a famous popular Eastern plant
has been prepared — the Partridge Berry,
Mitchella repens, selected for April because of
its early flowering, though for its beautiful
red berries, of interest all year round. To the
student of plant life it commends itself as well
as to the mere lover of wild flowers, by much
the same opportunity for peering into the
secrets of nature which the trailing arbutus
afforded us.

Floriculture in the United States. — At
the annual meeting in Washington last August
there were 2,000 members in attendance.
$40,000,000 is invested in the business in the
Union — and the sales last year are estimated
at over $26,000,000. When it is remembered
that the florist's business is chiefly confined to
cut flowers and plants for decorative purposes,
the immensity of the business is astounding.
In many cases the demand is from mere
fashion, and does not represent real floral love,
but much of it is from real love.

MITCHELLS REPENS.

PARTRIDGE BERRY.

NATURAI. ORDER, RUBIACE.lv.

M

.TCHELUA REPP-NB, I.inn.-eus.-Stem prostrate six to t-elve inches 'o;,^ '>r.nchinj from ,J1- ™°'. -^ Tf^.^^^.t'-.'e'Js'ln
ChapmL's Flora 0/ i/ie Southern Umted States, and Wood's Uass-Hook oj JhHany.)

The Partridge berry is a distinctively Amer-
ican plant, and is an important element in
American forest scenery. It is an inhabitant
of almost every portion of the United States
east of the Mississippi river, extending from
its extreme northern to its southern limit, and
it is rare that any intelligent writer gives de-
tails of the attractive vegetation of any part
which interests him, without including the
Mitchella repens in the list of species found

there.

For instance, William Bartram in his " Tra-
vels through the Carolinas and Georgia to
Florida," published in 1791, is describing the
spot in the Cherokee country where he first
discovered the Magyiolia auric ulata. All
alone he ''entered upon the verge of the
dark forest, charming solitude!" He found
** rushing from rocky precipices under the
shade of the pensile hills, the unparalleled cas-
cade of Falling Creek. " Further on he says,
*' I have seated myself on the moss clad rocks,
under the shade of spreading trees and flori-
ferous fragrant shrubs in full view of the cas-
cades," and then noted " in this rural retire-
ment the assemblage of the charming circle of
mountain vegetable beauties." In this circle
with Anemone thalictroides. Anemone Hepatica,
various Trilliums, Cypripediiim, Sangninaria,
and Epigcea, Mitchella finds a place. It may
be noted here that this plant is not only
a native of the United States,— it extends
into Mexico. But even in these southern
locations it shows its northern proclivities by
always choosing the coolest places. Generally
it is along partially shaded river banks, or
under the shade of lofty trees. In the warmer
latitudes, however, it is chiefly at home in the

higher altitudes. Its love for coolness is well
shown by an incident recorded by Mr. J. R.
Lowrie in the fiist volume of the Botanical
Gazette. It appears that in the Alleghanies of
Central Pennsylvania, on Tussey and Bald
Mountains, at an altitude of 1400 feet, there is
a tract of land which exhibits the curious
phenomenon of perpetual frost. Even in
August it seldom thaws to a greater depth
than three feet from the surface. The list of
plants growing here as given by Mr. Lowne
is very meagre, chiefly a few Rosacar, but the
Mitchella repens is recorded as one. When,
however, it finds itself in a warmer climate,
which from its wide distribution it is ver>^
likely to do, a very little warmth brings the
flowers forward so as to show a wonderful dif-
ference between the time of flowering in such a
spot, and localities not so very far away. For
instance. Dr. Baldwin, who was appointed
Naturalist to the Long Exploring Expedition,
but died at Franklin. Missouri, before the ex-
pedition had well started on its way, found it
on Cumberland Island, in the txtreme south-
east corner of Georgia, in bloom on the 22d ol
December. 1S13. Here, near Philadelphia, on
this 4th davof June, iSSr, the first flowers are
just open, or nearly six months of difl"erence,
in only about six hundred miles as the crow

flies.

It has been long known to botanists, as Ray
mentions it in 1704 as having been communi-
cated to him by Dr. Sloane, who -received
it from Dr. Vernon, who collected it in Mary-
land." Plukenet. who wrote in 1769, gives
a figure of the plant, and ascribes its place of
growth to ''the Province of Florida." The liv-
ing plants, Aiton says, were introduced to

(49)

MITCHHLLA REPKNS.

PARTRIDGE llKRRV.

XATTRAT. ORDKR, RUBIACI- .i:.

MITC..KI.I.A KKPKNS. Uuu^us.-SU.u prostrate, six t.. t.welve inches l-"^.- ^"-"^';;;>^ [^ ^l^^'^^'u^l^tZr^'^iu^^

ircctions ; leaves roundish ovate, suh-cnlate. dark -reen w, h a ^^^'iVl -n^nf//^ . iin >U^^^ x hite ; pcdunchs

k-nuth; petioles one-quarter to half an Y^^\^'^^]^-^^^''''^''f,^YJ'r:^ ""''' ^^''^-'''^

two-Mouered.axillarvand terminal ; berries twin subKl..l.ose :cd J^'^.^r" ;.")'! '.*;;'' *'^ !' {•„,;,,, ,,, r,,,.Vc/ .s/w^..
C(,me a^ain. DarlinRtons /7... .: T.v/, „v:. ^^e also <(, ray s U,;;y;<z/w/^^^^^ " -^"'^' •

Chapman's /•Vtv/ a 6>/ ///.'. V.>«///.-;// r;///,</ .s/./A.. andWoods CAn.s-A.xK .v /.,'.«). )

The Partridge berry is a distinctively Amer-
ican plant, and is an important element in
American forest scenery. It is an inhabitant
of almost every portion of the United States
east of the Mississippi river, extending from
its extreme northern to its southern limit, and
it is rare that any intelligent writer gives de-
tails of the attractive vegetation of any part
which interests him, without including the
Mitchclla rcpcns in the list of species found

there.

For instance, William Bartram in his " Tra-
vels through the Carolinas and Georgia to
Florida," published in 1791, is describing the
spot in the Cherokee country where he first
discovered the Magnolia annciilata. All
alone he "entered upon the verge of the
dark forest, charming solitmle I " He found
"rushing from rocky precipices under the
shade of the pensile hills, the unparalleled cas-
cade of 1< ailing Creek. " Further on he says,
" I have vSeated myself on the moss clad rocks,
under the shade of spreading trees and llori-
ferous fragrant shrubs in full view of the cas-
cades," and then noted " in this rural retire-
ment the assemblage of the charming circle of
mountain vegetable beauties." In this circle
with Anemone thalictroides, Anemone Hcpatica,
various Trilliums, Cypripediion, Sangninaria,
and Epigwa, Mitchella finds a place. It may
be noted here that this plant is not only
a native of the United vStates,— it extends
into Mexico. Put even in these southern
locations it shows its northern proclivities by
always choosing the coolest places. Generally
it is along partially shaded river banks, or
under the shade of lofty trees. In the warmer
latitudes, however, it is chiefiy at home in the

hicrher altitudes. Its love for coolness is well
shown by an incident recorded by Mr. J. K.
Lowrie in the fiist volume (^i the Ih^tanical
Gazette. It appears that in the Alkghanies of
Central Pennsylvania, on Tussey and Paid
Mountains, at an altilu.le of 14""' ^^''-'t- ^^i^'^^' ^^
a tract of land which exhibits the curious
phenomenon of ])erpetual frost. I'ven in
August it seldom thaws to a greater depth
than three feet from the surface. The list of
plants growing here as given by Mr. I.owrie
is very meagre, chielly a few Kosaetu\ but the
Mitchella repens is recorded as one. When,
however, it finds itself in a warmer climate.
which from its wide distribution it is very
likely to do. a very little warmth brings the
fiowers forward so as to show a won.lerful dif-
ference between the time of fiowering in such a
spot, and localities not so very fir away. I'or
instance. Dr. Paldwin. who was appointed
Naturalist to the Pong I'.xploring ICxpedition,
but die<l at P'ranklin. Missouri, before the ex-
pedition had well started on its way. foun-l it
on Cumberland Island, in the extreme south-
cast corner of U.eorgia. in bloom on the Jjd of
December. iSi v Here, near Philadelphia, on
this 4th day of June. iSSr. the first fiowers are
just open, or nearly six months of difiereuce.
i„ only about six hun.lred miles as the crow

fi ies.

It has been long known to botanists, as Kay
mentions it in 1704 as having been communi-
cated to him by Dr. Sloane, who -received
it from Dr. \'ernon. who collected it in Mary-
land." Plukenet. who wrote in 1709. gives
a figure of the plant, and ascribes its place of
_ rowth to "the Province of Florida." The liv-
Tng plants. Alton says, were introduced to

cr

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

50

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— MITCHELLA REPENS.

[April

I*!

England in 176 1, by Mr. John Bartram. Gro-
novius notices it in Flora Virginica ; but by all
these early botanists it was regarded as a sort
of Honeysuckle or Lonicera, to which it was
referred even by Linnaeus in his earlier works.
In our description from Dr. Darlington, the
student will note it said that the berries are
•' twin." This is the same with some of the
Honeysuckle family, and on this account
chiefly, it was probably classed with them.
Dr. Mitchell, after whom the genus was sub-
sequently named was the first to note its dis-
tinction, and in a small work describing many
new American genera, gave this the name of
" Chamsedaphne. " Of this work Dr. Gray
thus writes in •♦ Silliman's Journal " for 1840.
"Dr. Mitchell had sent to CoUinson, perhaps
as early as in the year 1740, a paper in which
thirty new genera of Virginian plants were
proposed. This CoUinson sent to Trew at
Nuremberg, who published it in the Epheyyie-
rides and Natural Curiosoriim for 1748, but in
the meantime most of the genera had been
published, with other names, by Linnaeus or
Gronovius. Among Mitchell's new genera
was one which he called Chamcedaphne ; this
Linnaeus referred to Lonicera, but the elder
(Bernard) Jussieu, in a letter dated February
19, 1 75 1, having shown him that it was very
distinct both from Lonicera and Linnaea, and
in fact, belonged to a different natural order,
he afterwards named it Mitchella. If Mitchell's
name was published in 1748, and Linnaeus did
not name it till " after" Jussieu' s letter in
1 75 1, under the law of priority which prevails
among botanists, Mitchell's name should be
the recognized one ; but as the adopted name
honors a good early botanist, there would pro-
bably be no disposition to change, even were
there no other reasons.

In regard to Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Gray says,
" Linnaeus had another correspondent in Dr.
John Mitchell who lived several years in Vir-
ginia, where he collected extensively ; but the
ship in which he returned to England, having
been taken by pirates, his own collections, as
well as those of Governor Golden, were mostly
destroyed. " He seems to have come to Vir-
ginia about 1700. He resided about seventy-
five miles from Richmond, at Urbana, on the
Rappahannock. He appears to have resided
there for a number of years, for we find John

Bartram, under date of June 3, 1744. answer-
ing a letter, telling Dr. Mitchell, he passed
through his country '* in 1738," and should
have been pleased if he had been acquainted
with him then. Mitchell was well acquainted
with the Duke of Argyle, Lord Bute and
others, and when sending Bartram an order for
plants and seeds for them quaintly remarks,
"This is the only way I ever knew botany to
be of any service to anybody ; for botany is
at a very low ebb in our country since the
death of Lord Petre. " It is pleasant to reflect
since this, on how many ways botany is of value
now, and that it does not depend for its suc-
cess in these days on the patronage of any one
man, however good or great he may be.

As already noted its common name is " Par-
tridge berry." A lady, Helen E. Watney,
writing to the "London Gardeners' Chronicle"
in 1879, says : "The general name for these
berries is ' cats' eyes, ' because the two calyces
marking the two ovaries appear on the same
fruit, which is the joint product of two flowers.
Why the plant is called Partridge berry I do
not know." Emerson in his "Trees and
Shrubs of Massachusetts," says, "it furnishes
food for the Partridge and other birds which
remain in our climate during the winter. " It
may be here remarked that the flowers appear
about mid-summer, and the berries which fol-
low continue, if they are not devoured, till the
flowering time next year.

It is remarkable that a plant so attractive in
so many ways should not have become more
attached to the public mind, or received more
attention from polite writers, but the author
can recall no instance in American poetry or
general literature in which the Partridge berry
plays a conspicuous part. The discovery of
the white berried form was first made by Miss
Kate Fisher Kurtz, of York, Pa., and proved a
source of great delight when communicated to
Prof. Asa Gray.

Rafinesque says the berries are used in New
England as tea, to cure dropsy and gout, and
in North Carolina are a popular remedy in
diarrhoea and dysentery.

Explanations of the Plate. — i. A Pennsylvania plant
drawn in June. 2. The exserted styles. 3. Portion of another
plant with included styles, and exserted stamens. 4. A berry
with "cats eyes,'' and, as often occurs, a pair of leaves
united with the fruit.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

THE FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING.

Yes, 'twas the spring ; and the gray willow now
And the red-flowering maple bloomed again —
The alder hung its tassels o'er the brook,
Freed from its thrall.

Howard Worcester Gilbert.

Abnormal Rudbeckia. — The writer when
young in botany, sent to the late Prof. Asa
Gray, a specimen of Echinacea purpurea, which
instead of the usual purple ray petals, had
them greenish; and instead of a pistil a little
branch, with numerous small flower buds,
came from the centre of each floret. His reply
was very interesting. * ' It is a case of a flower
gone crazy." On the table is a specimen of
Rudbeckia hirta, an ally of the Echinacea, which
exhibits similar ' ' craziness. ' * Such cases afford
valuable lessons in morphology. They teach
that a flower, or a floret in a composite flower,
is but an arrested branch. In these instances
the power, whatever it be, that decides whether
an embryo cell shall be a flower or a branch
was weak in purpose, and had started to make
a branch before it had fully decided that it
should be flower. This is speaking metaphori-
cally, but metaphors in these cases, give the
best explanation.

Rocky Mountain Douglas Spruce. — A
correspondent of Meehans' Monthly, writing
from Chester, England, desires to know
whether the Abies Douglasii, of Colorado is
distinct from the same species found on the
Pacific coast, and whether the Rocky Moun-
tain tree is as good for timber purposes as the
one from the Pacific. The latter question is
one to which both yes and no can be answered.
The Rocky Mountain tree is a much slower
grower than the one on the Pacific and does
not grow by any means so tall. If long,
straight, rapid-growing poles are desired, the
Pacific coast species is decidedly the best ; but as
for the quality of the timber, the Colorado one
is said to be much more durable. When used

as railroad ties, it is almost as indestructible
as the Eastern Arbor Vitce, which is saying a
good deal. An advantage in the Colorado
form is that it would endure without injury a
very much lower temperature than the one
from the Pacific coast. It is rather remarkable
that botanists have not made the Colorado
form into a distinct species as they have with
some of the other spruces and pines of that
region. In cultivation, as our Chester corres-
pondent well remarks, they appear so distinct
that even ordinary nursery laborers can see the
difference.

Vitality of Girdled Trees.— Prof. W. H.
Ragan, Secretary of the Indiana Horticultural
Society, speaks of a Scotch pine tree which had
been girdled for many years, and yet continued
on growing as usual ; the upper portion of the
tree is described as being five or six times
thicker than the part below ; the lower portion
never seemed to increase in size after the gird-
ling had been once effected— it is only the
upper portion that continues to increase in
diameter. Any tree may have the bark com-
pletely stripped off" of it during the few weeks
near midsummer, and it will make a complete
new layer without injury whatever to the tree,

but frequently with great benefit. This has

been often remarked in deciduous trees, but we
do not know of any case, except in coniferous
trees, where trees will live as this has, not only
when the outer layer of bark but the living layer
of wood also have been destroyed .

The Persistency of Bulbs.— As a general
rule bulbs are annual — a new bulb grow-
ing every year in the place of the old one.
Those who grow gladioluses are well aware of
this fact. Sometimes, however, some bulbs
are very persistent. A statement is made in
one of our exchanges, " that a Persian Cycla-
men is known to be 23 years old, and shows
every evidence of much greater longevity. ' '

52

MEEHANS* MONTHI.Y — WILD I^LOWERS AND NATURE.

[April

1S93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHIvY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

53

1

Nature as a Teacher. — The following in-
tellectual treat from the pen of Mr. Krnest
Walker, of New Albany, Indiana, will be read
with interest. It did seem to the writer of
the paragraph criticised that as in • ' in nature ' '
the Magnolia glauca and some other trees are
never found but in swamps, and "man ' ' found
out the tree did better in dry than in moist
ground, it was man and not nature who taught
us that lesson. Still, what is natural and what
is unnatural is capable of so many interpreta-
tions, that possibly no one can object to the
manner in which Mr. Walker so ably puts the
question : —

"I will have to take the Monthly totavsk for
the closing comment in the article "Vigor of
Introduced Plants," given on page 149, Octo-
ber number, 1892, in which it says : "The cul-
tivator can not learn much by taking nature
as a pattern of propriety." With what goes
before I agree. Nature never makes conditions
to suit individuals, but individuals to conform
to her conditions, or within certain limits se-
lect from the infinite variety of her conditions,
the one or ones most suitable.

I object to the closing statement, not because
there is not a good deal of truth in the assertion
as it reads, but because some will be apt to sub-
stitute teacher for and as synonymous with
pattern of propriety. Nature is not always a
pattern of propriety, but is always, I have
found, the best of teachers. Some look for
positives when nature as often instructs by
negatives. Many are inclined to limit the term
nature to a few facts connected with wild
plants in their native haunts. But I claim all
is nature that rCvSults from conditions beyond
man's control, even though the plant be culti-
vated in a garden. For instance, roses when
the cool weather of fall comes take on a glory
scarcely dreamed of during the hotter days of
summer. It is plainly due to the moister
nights and cooler temperature of autumn. The
gardener catches the hint and takes it into the
green house. In this he has learned from na-
ture. In the case of marsh plants nature may
fail us as a pattern, but never as a teacher.
The seeds germinate more readily under these
conditions is said to be the reason these plants
are confined to those places. That's a lesson
for the gardener from nature. While the seeds
germinate better in the moist ground the plants
thrive better in dryer soil. Now I'll venture

the discovery of this fact originally came from
nature. Take the Saiininis cemuus or almost
any simi-aquatic. They grow^ in shallow
streams or in the edges of marshes. While in
spring or early summer they will be found in
water, yet later when the dry weather comes
the streams or borders of the pools become dry ;
and in the case of the lizard-tail, some plants
growing in fairly dry soil, which I saw^ last
summer, were stronger than those growing in
the water. In the case of the Dianthefa
Americana, I have never seen any striking ad-
vantage exhibited by plants growing in soil
out of the water over those growing in the
water. The water plantain varies in some
cases. I remember having seen better in the
dryer soil, some feet back from the water' sedge
than in the water, during the summer. In
these plants it seems to be not the growing in
or out of water that is important to the pres-
ence of the plants in these places, so much as
the moist conditions of the air resulting from
proximity to w^ater. All this is useful and
suggestive to the florist.

As for plants sometimes thriving better in
other places than their native home, this does
show that these plants in nature have not found
the conditions most favorable to their vigor.
But it does not prove that within the original
limits of their native land they had not sought
and found the locations best suited to their
needs. Take away the ocean's barriers to
their wanderings and long ago they would have
been natives here and science would have re-
corded the fact that the conditions here were
more suited to their needs than those else-
where within the limitations set by nature
to wandering. I believe that the majority of
plants have sought and found their proper
homes. If they be found to thrive better in
another place, take away the barriers to their
spread and they would not be long in finding
these more favorable homes."

Large Plane Trees, or Buttonwoods.—
Mr. William T. Harding, of Mt. Holly, refers to
a paragraph in the former " Gardeners' Month-
ly," which gives a specimen growing on the
farm of Henry Peters, Upper Sandusky, Ohio,
as being about 160 feet in height, and at 4
feet from the ground the trunk measured 48
feet in circumference. At the height of 15 feet
from the base, the trunk branches into eight

large column-like shafts, the round measure-
ment of which is from 10 to 15 feet. The spread
of the branches covers an area of 700 feet. Mr.
Harding, who has been a world-wide traveler,
both among the large Mammoths of California
and of Australia, considers this the largest tree
of any kind that he has ever saw. In addition
to this note, Mr. Benj. Heritage of Mickleton,
N. J., refers to one in Monroe Co., Ky., which
is also 48 feet in circumference. At Muhlen-
berg, Ky., is a white oak 36 feet in circum-
ference, and a black oak 18 feet.

Noting Facts in Natural History.—
Those who are fond of watching the operations
of nature should never go out without a note
book, and mark dowm at the time
the interesting points worth record-
ing. It is too much the habit to
depend on memory, and hence many
imperfect observations are recorded
which are rather injurious than
otherwise to the progress of science.
We give with this an illustration of
an observer who is in the midst of
a Southern Cypress swamp, and
during his observations has come
across some interesting facts sug-
gesting thoughts worthy of record-
ing. As we see in the picture, he
doesn't wait until he gets home to
do the work ; but at once, with
pencil and paper, is setting down
at the momtnt just what occurs to
him. It is such accurate and care-
ful observers as these who do the
most service in the advancement of
science. The remarkable point he
is probably recording, is a shoot to

as cultivated in California, grafting on the
riparia and Lenoir is being extensively resort-
ed to in order to succeed.

Jack Pine — According to Mr. Johnson, of
Snow Flake, Mich., this is the common name
in that part of the world of Finns Banksiana.
It has always been a matter of surprise that
this beautiful tree has not been more popular
with cultivators, possibly on account of the
difiiculty of getting seed. In the Northeastern
States it is only a small, scrubby bush, scarcely
worth the name of tree, but the form that grows
in northern Michigan, is very different. It is
one of the most graceful and handsome of the
smaller class of coniferous trees.

make a tree from a cypress knee, which sup-
ports an English hypothesis, that these knees
are in the nature of suckers.

The Phylloxera in America.— Mr. Bur-
net Landreth has been engaged by the French
Government to examine the present status of
this destructive root insect on the grape vines
of the United States. Everywhere the reports
he gathers are the same, that the improved
native grapes, which are the kinds grown for
fruit east of the Rockies, have no bad results,
indeed few growers are conscious of the exis-
tence of the insect; but on the European vine.

A SPROUT FROM A CYPRESS KNEE IN A FLORIDA SWAMP.

The Range of the Holly.— A Washing-
ton, D. C, correspondent would be glad to
know how far north the native Holly has been
found hardy or indigenous. He does not re-
member seeing any specimens in Central Park,
New York, and therefore inclines to the beliet
that it may not be found hardy there. Our
own opinion is that in sheltered woods, where
it would not be exposed to thesnn in winter,
it would be found perfectly hardy, even in
Canada. But all this is a matter for actual
experience. Shade aids hardiness in ICver-
greens. The English Holly is hardy far north
when not in the full sun.

52

MKKHANS' MONTPITvY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[April

^^•^3-]

MEEHANS'

MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATIKK.

Nature as a Teaciiicr. — The following in-
tellectual treat from the pen of Mr. Ivrnest
Walker, of New Albany, Indiana, will be read
with interest. It did seem to the writer of
the paragraph criticised that as in "in nature"
the Magnolia glauca and some other trees are
never found but in swamps, and "man ' ' found
out the tree did better in dry than in moist
ground, it was man and not nature who taught
us that lesson. vStill, what is natural and what
is unnatural is capable of so many interpreta-
tions, that possibly no one can object to the
manner in which Mr. Walker so ably puts the
question : —

"I will have to take the Monthly to task for
the closing comment in the article "Vigor of
Introduced Plants," given on page 149, Octo-
ber number, 1892, in which it says : "The cul-
tivator can not learn much by taking nature
as a pattern of propriety." With what goes
before I aofree. Nature never makes conditions
to suit individuals, but individuals to conform
to her conditions, or within certain limits vSe-
lect from the infinite variety of her conditions,
the one or ones most suitable.

I object to the closing statement, not because
there is not a good deal of truth in the assertion
as it reads, but because vSome w ill be apt to sub-
stitute teacher for and as synonymous with
pattern of propriety. Nature is not always a
pattern of propriety, but is always, I have
found, the best of teachers. Some look for
positives when nature as often instructs by
negativCvS. Many are inclined to limit the term
nature to a few facts connected with wild
plants in their native haunts. But I claim all
is nature that residts from conditions beyond
man's control, even though the plant be culti-
vated in a garden, h'or instance, roses when
the cool weather of fall comes take on a glory
scarcely dreamed of during the hotter days of
summer. It is plainly due to the moister
nights and cooler temperature of autumn. The
gardener catches the hint and takes it into the
green house. In this he has learned from na-
ture. In the case of marsh plants nature may
fail us as a pattern, but never as a teacher.
The seeds germinate more readily under these
conditions is said to be the reason thCvSe plants
are confined to those places. That's a lesson
for the gardener from nature. While the seeds
germinate better in the moist ground the plants
thrive better in dryer soil. Now I'll venture

the discovery of this fact originally came from
nature. Take the Saururus cermais or almost
any simi-aquatic. They grow in shallow
streams or in the edges of marshes. While in
spring or early summer they will be found in
water, yet later when the dry weather comes
the streams or borders of the pools become dry ;
and in the case of the lizard-tail, some plants
grownng in fairly dry soil, which I sawMast
summer, were stronger than those growing in
the water. In the case of the Diantheya
Avicricana, I have never seen any striking ad-
vantage exhibited by plants growing in soil
out of the water over those growing in the
water. The water plantain varies in some
cases. I remember having seen better in the
dryer soil, some feet back from the water's edge
than in the water, during the summer. In
these plants it seems to be not the growing in
or out of water that is important to the pres-
ence of the plants in thCvSe places, so much as
the moist conditions of the air resulting from
proximity to water. All this is useful and
suggestive to the florist.

As for plants sometimes thriving better in
other places than their native home, this does
show that these plants in nature have not found
the conditions most favorable to their vigor.
But it does not prove that within the original
limits of their native land they had not sought
and found the locations best suited to their
needs. Take away the ocean's barriers to
their wanderings and long ago they would have
been natives here and science would have re-
corded the fact that the conditions here were
more suited to their needs than those else-
where within the limitations set by nature
to wandering. I believe that the majority of
plants have sought and found their proper
homes. If they be found to thrive better in
another place, take away the barriers to their
spread and they would not be long in finding
these more favorable homes."

Large Plane Trees, or Buttonwoods. —
Mr. William T. Harding, of Mt. Holly, refers to
a paragraph in the former " Gardeners' Month-
ly," which gives a specimen growing on the
farm of Henry Peters, Upper SandUvSky, Ohio,
as being about 160 feet in height, and at 4
feet from the ground the trunk measured 48
feet in circumference. At the height of 15 feet
from the base, the trunk branches into eight

large column-like shafts, the round measure-
:nctit of which is from 10 to 15 feet. The spread
lUie branches covers an area of 700 feet. Mr.
Harding, who has been a world-wide traveler,
hoth among the large Mammoths of California
and of Australia, considers this the largest tree
of any kind that he has ever saw. In addition
to this note, Mr. Benj. Heritage of Mickleton,
X. J., refers to one in jNIonroe Co., Ky., which
IS also 48 feet in circumference. At Muhlen-
berg, Ky., is a white oak 36 feet in circum-
ference, and a black oak 18 feet.

as cultivated in California, grafting o\\ the
riparia and Lenoir is being extensively resort-
ed to in order to succeed.

Noting Facts in Natural History.—
Those who are fond of watching the operations
of nature should never go out without a note
book, and mark down at the time
the interesting points worth record-
ing;. It is too much the habit to
depend on memory, and hence many
imperfect observations are recorded
which are rather injurious than
otlierwise to the progress of science.
We give with this an illustration of
an observer who is in the midst of
a vSouthern Cypress swamp, and
during his observations has come
across some interesting facts sug-
gesting thoughts worthy of record-
ing. As we see in the picture, he
doesn't wait until he gets home to
do the work ; but at once, with
pencil and paper, is setting down
at the momtnt just wdiat occurs to
him. It is such accurate and care-
ful observers as these who do the
most service in the advancement of
science. The remarkable point he
is probably recording, is a shoot to
make a tree from a cypress knee, which sup-
ports an English hypothesis, that these knees
are in the nature of suckers.

Jack Pini: — According to Mr. Johnson, of
Snow Flake, Mich., this is the common name
in that part of the world (jf Piniis Banksiana.
It has always been a matter of surprise that
this beautiful tree has not been more popular
with cultivators, possibly on account of the
dilTiculty of getting seed. In the Northeastern
States it is only a small, scrubby bush, scarcely
worth the name of tree, but the form that grows
in northern :\Iichigan, is very dilTcrent. It is
one of the most graceful and liands«>nie of the
smaller class of coniferous trees.

The Phylloxera in America.— Mr. Bur-
net Landreth has been engaged by the PYench
frovernment to examine the present status of
this destructive root insect on the grape vines
of Ihe United States. Everywhere the reports
Ho gathers are the same, that the improved
native grapes, which are the kinds grown for
fruit east of the Rockies, have no bad results,
indeed few growers are conscious of the exis-
tence of the insect; but on the European vine.

A SPROUT FROM A CYPRESS KNEE IN A FLORIDA SWAMP.

Thi- RANCiE OF Tin: IIoLi.v.— A Washing-
ton, D. C, correspondent vvould be glad to
know how far north the native Holly has been
found hardy or indigenous. He does not re-
member seeing any specimens in Central Park,
New York, and therefore inclines to the beliet
that it may not be found hardy there. Our
own opinion is that in sheltered woods, where
it would not be exposed to the sun in winter,
it would bj found perfectly hardy, even in
Canada. But all this is a matter for actual
experience. Shade aids hardiness in ICver-
greens. The l-nglish Holly is hardy far north
when not in the full sun.

r-^', V

■•^.f;'

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

54

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[April

II

MiTCHELLA REPENS. — The flowers have a
pleasing waxy consistency, and a delightful
fragrance; while the bright green leaves, con-
tinuing all the winter season, exposing brilliant
scarlet berries, often in profusion, should sug-
gest at least as many themes as the Holly or
the Bay. In modern scientific literature it is
however conspicuous. An interesting fact is
that it is so often found in companionship
with the plant named in honor of Linnaeus,
Linncea borealis. In many notes of collectors,
now before the writer, extending from Maine
to Michigan and Minnesota, this fact is record-
ed. In classification they are placed in separ-
ate natural orders, the Partridge berry in Ru-
biacecB and the Linnaea in the Capri foliacece ,
but after all the two natural orders have so
much in common that it is not always easy to
distinguish them. The most interesting fact
in connection with the plant is the discovery
of the dimorphism of the flowers, which seems
to have been made about the same time by
Prof. Asa Gray, and the present writer. The
stamens in some flowers are exserted, in others
they are included within the corolla, and the
stigmas are exserted. Mr. Darwin experi-
mented with these different classes in 1864, and
found that they could be made productive by
the use of their own pollen in each case. He
refers also to Mr. J. Scott's experience in the
Edinburgh Botanic Garden, where a single
plant produced an abundance of berries. This
is not the experience of the writer of this.
Some years ago he found on the Wissahickon
a plant covered with an abundance of snow-
white berries. Anxious to cultivate so inter-
esting a variety a large quantity was removed
to his garden, where they are to this day, flow-
ering profusely every year, but not producing
one berry. On another part of his grounds is
a plant of the normal red-berried form, which,
since its removal to the garden, has not borne
any fruit. Both of these are forms with ex-
serted pistils.

shades to almost blush. I supposed the color
due to the effects of frost, as it was then late in
October, ^hile the normal time of blossoming
here is July or August. Some of the speci-
mens were put to press and not thought of
again for a fortnight ; then, instead of having
turned black as they commonly do in a day or
two at most, the peculiarity in color which had
at first attracted my notice was still retained to
a considerable extent ; parts of the plant were
dark, others scarcely changed. This feature
aroused my curiosity and the specimens were
then daily cared for until completely diy.
Then they were dark but with a reddish shade
by which they could readily be distinguished
from others of the species.

Last year I watched their appearance eager-
ly, and was pleased to find some early in Sep-
tember before any chilling breezes had come,
thus proving that the variation in color was
not caused by the cold weather. There were
young plants still nestled in the leaf-mould
and old ones with heads erect, the color equal-
ly noticeable in either case. Specimens of ^.
Hypopitys of a rich red, instead of "reddish"
as described by Gray, were found at the same
time. As this species is new to me, I am not
sure that the deep color is uncommon. They
were growing in a wood composed principally
of maple, oak, and beech trees, but were in-
variably found near the latter.

It is known that these plants derive their
nourishment from decaying vegetation and to
some extent from living matter. The ques-
tion is, what causes the change not only in
color but in the general structure of the plant,
enabling it to retain its original appearance
for so long a time after the process of drying
has commenced. * *

Color Changes in the Monotropa. —
*'Ruth Raymond," Crawford Co., Pa., re-
marks: ''It is nothing uncommon to find
specimens of i1/(?;^^/r<7/>« uniflora slightly tinged
with pink. Two years ago I found several
clusters of a much deeper tint than any pre-
viously found ; indeed, the stems and ovaries
were red, the petals varying through lighter

Variation in Ferns. — Miss Pinckney re-
marks that in South Carolina, the only really
valuable fern is Adiantum pedatum, the com-
mon maiden - hair fern. It often loses the
semi-circular form of the pinnule so as to take
on at times something of the appearance of its
sister species, Adiantum capillus-veneris.

The Bird's Foot Violet.— Mr. T. C. Thur-
low, of W. Newbury, Mass., notes that in that
part of the world the Viola pedata grows abund-
antly in the poorest ground — dry, exposed
places where very little else will grow.

GENERAL GARDENING.

SPRING BEAUTY.

Of all the months that fill the year.
Give April's month to me.

For earth and sky are then so filled
With sweet variety :

The apple-blossoms' shower of pearl,
Though blent with rosier hue —

As beautiful as woman's blush.

As evanescent too. — MiSS Landon.

Pruning Large Trees. — Wherever one
travels he may see evidences of the improper
pruning of large trees, — snags many inches
in thickness are left which rot down to the
main trunk— the rot not stopping there, but
penetrating the whole body of the tree ; or if
a side branch is taken ofif, it may be several
inches from the trunk, and this rots in like
manner. All branches should be cut as close
as possible to the main trunk and then painted
to prevent damage by water until the wound
shall have thoroughly grown over. One would
think that any one going through the world
with his eyes open, would easily see the result
of this ignorant pruning and profit by experi-
ence against such bad practice, but it seems
not to be the case. Although any one may see
across the street his neighbor's trees dying
from this kind of mutilation, he will in all
probability have trees done in the same way.
Trees in public gardens and parks especially
suffer from this ignorance. Trees are planted
comparatively close when they are young, in
order to make an immediate shade. Not hav-
ing the opportunity to branch in a lateral di-
rection they naturally go upwards and are then
considered too lofty and are headed back, with
the mistaken idea that this will cause the lat-
eral spread. This also any one might see from
experience is a fallacious idea. Trees try to
grow upwardly all the stronger for this kind
of heading back, and then usually rot within a
few years afterwards. A judicious thinning
when young gives the tree a chance to have its
natural characteristic, which is to spread lat-
erally as well as vertically. Very often for
street trees kinds are selected that have a tend-

ency to grow vigorously upwards, because of
their affording shade somewhat earlier in life
than trees which persist in spreading. The
temptation to cut back usually follows from
employing this class of trees. It will be much
better to select at first those which have greater
natural tendency to spread, although they may
not grow so rapidly at first. It is possibly the
rage for fast growing trees, which induces this
improper selection, and which finally leads to
the destruction of all street trees.

Macadam Roads.— For all the talk about
macadam roads one may travel a long dis-
tance before seeing one that is constructed on
the principles that Macadam himself laid down.
The underlying principle of his system was
that the stone should pack together so closely
that, no matter what kind of a vehicle drove
over the road, not one of the stones would be
disturbed ; but, in our so-called macadam
roads, vehicles crush and grind the stones in
every direction. Macadam's plan was to have
all the stones that formed the upper stratum of
the road so small that all could go through a
two-inch ring. This small size of stone when
thoroughly rolled, pack together so tightly
that it would take a very small wheel indeed
to drive the stones apart. In this case, there
is no grinding or crushing of the stones, and
the road bed has to do nothing more than bear
the dead weight of the vehicles. When these
roads needed repairing, which under his sys-
tem was very seldom indeed, the surface would
be torn up by a pair, or even four horses with
a heavy drag harrow, and the new resurface
applied. When rolled down this was almost
as good as a new road. It would be amusing,
if it were not so costly to the tax payers, to
see the manner in which the so-called macadam
roads of our country are repaired, especially in
the vicinity of large cities, certainly, in the
vicinity of Philadelphia. After some three or
four inches are worn away, the custom is to
put three or four inches of broken stone, some
of the stones nearly as large as goose eggs over

(55)

56

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[April

the road surface. The wheels then grind up
these stones or push them away in every direc-
tion, so that in the course of a few months like
coffee in a mill, these are ground completely to
powder. Within the knowledge of the writer,
a resurfacing of this character, costing $3000,
placed on a road 80 feet wide and 600 feet
long, was ground to mud within twelve
months. Such macadam roads as these, and
such repairing of the so-called macadam roads,
are the best illustration of municipal ignor-
ance, possibly, that could be adduced. In the
management of public affairs we expect more
loss than in private ones, but the ignorance
displayed in the making and care of macadam
roads beats all.

say, there were thousands of real annual fibres
and yet die afterwards ; no one seeming to un-
derstand why it should be so ; but the trouble
is, that this large mass of sponge-like threads
prevents the earth from coming into contact
with the large roots, and then, they are far
more of an injury than a benefit.

Fibrous Roots. — We find a surprising want
of knowledge as to what is a fibrous root.
Really a fibre, as technically understood, is
not a root any more than a leaf is a branch of
a tree. Roots, to be sure, are formed out of
fibres, and when a tree has a number of small
roots, it is not uncommon to say, that it has
an abundance of fibres. Fibres are the small
white, thread-like, that are principally engaged
during the growing season in gathering and
collecting food for the plants, just as leaves do
the same work for the branches. Towards the
fall of the year nearly all these fibres die ; on-
ly a very few that are present, live over until
the next season. They are not roots. If, how-
ever, one lives over, it eventually becomes a
root. Fibres, as thus limited, are of no sort of
benefit to a tree in transplanting. What is
needed is an abundance of healthy, vigorous,
one or two year old roots. Sometimes people
say that in order to transplant a tree success-
fully, it is well to dig around it one year ; first
cutting off the main roots, and in this way get-
ting a number of " fibres " for the next year.
It is in this sense that the word tends to mis-
lead. Fibres are not thrown out when these
larger roots are cut, but small roots.

One cannot have too many of these small
one or two year old roots in transplanting.
They are full of life and vigor, and aid materi-
ally in supporting a plant. But fibres, as limit-
ed in their definition in this paragraph, are
of absolutely no consequence, and in many re-
spects are rather an injury than a benefit. We
have known evergreen trees moved with what
were supposed magnificent roots, that is to

Pruning and Transplanting. — There is a
difference of opinion among some planters as
to the propriety of pruning in the branches of
fruit trees when they are planted. There is no
question among those who have had extensive
experience, — they all concur as to the wis-
dom of pruning in under most circumstan-
ces when trees have been transplanted. It
is chiefly from the evaporation of their juices
faster than the roots can draw in sap to supply
the place of that waste that they die, and prun-
ing in the branches prevents too great an evap-
oration, and that is the reason why the practice
of pruning in is to be commended. When the
trees have been planted without such pruning,
in the pear, for instance, it is not unusual for
them to remain a whole season and send
out only a few leaves, and without making
any growth of branches, indeed, sometimes
pear trees remain the whole season alive,
without making any leaves at all. They
are just able to meet the demands of evapor-
ation, leaving nothing for growth. Whenever
a transplanted tree does not show signs of
pushing out leaves when the proper time comes
to make leaves, the pruning knife should at
once be called in, and the branches pruned.
Hundreds of transplanted trees which die
might be saved by a judicious use of the prun-
ing knife.

Succession in Magnolias. — The Yulan or
Chinese Magnolia — Magnolia cofispiaia — is the
first to open, blooming before the leaves ex-
pand, — though Soulange's hybrid, magnolia
Soulangeana — is not more than a day or two
behind it. The dwarfer kind and newer. Hall's
magnolia, M. stellata, is almost co-eval with
them. Just as they fade magnolia purpurea
opens, closely followed by M. Frazeri, This
is barely gone before the umbrella magnolia,
Mag. tripetda, comes out. Before these have
scarcely dropped, the cucumber magnolia, M,
acuminata, opens. These are not, however,
showy, and the yellow petals will often be seen

TS93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

57

on the ground, before observed on the trees.
In this line there are successions of flowers
troni April to the end of May. The beautiful
red cones and seeds which many have in the
fall, are as interesting as the blossoms, making
the magnolia admired through the whole sea-
son. A few good kinds, like Mag, grandiflora,
M. macrophylla, and some of the newer Asiatic
kinds, are omitted from the list, because the
exact ' chronology of their flowering periods,
has not been carefully noted.

RuBUS DELiciosus.— Some attempt
has been made to introduce the Rocky
^Mountain Raspberry into cultivation .
Its merits rest chiefly on its specific
name. The original discoverer. Long,
or at least some of the botanists on
Long's expedition, pronounced the
fruit delicious. In the writer's own
exploration in the earlier times of
Colorado, its delicious character was
only apparent when those who gath-
ered them were particularly hungry ;
but occasionally some fruit would be
quite agreeable. Another feature
seemed to be that there were never
many fruit at a time on the plant.
It would be a pretty large bush from
which a pint of berries could be
jrathered. It would be well to know
from those who may have had it in
cultivation in the East, whether its
character is at all improved by cultiva-
tion. To the general observer, the
plant looks more like a mock orange
than any of the ordinary forms of
raspberry ; and as an ornamental
shrub, ought to be particularly desir-
able.

Salt as a Manure. — In a general
way every one knows that salt is a
j^ood fertilizer for the asparagus plant.
It is not so generally known that it is
very useful in other instances. Its
chief advantage is in attracting mois-
ture from the atmosphere, therefore it
is an admirable help to fertility in soils
that are likely to become compara-
tively dry. In heavy wet soils salt is
worse than useless. For lawns, salt
has been found of great value ; and as

before noted, especially wlren it is likely to dry
out in summer time. It has been common to
say, in lawn practice, to scatter it over the
lawn so that it would look like one of the light
sprinklings of snow.

Fibre plants. — Mrs. Kellerman, of Colum-
bus, Ohio, referring to the textile value of the
fibre of Hibiscus juoschcutos, sends specimens
of extremely strong fibre, obtained from our
common milkweed.

SEA KALE.--««c p. eo.

56

MKEHANS' MONTIIIvY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[April

1 u)3.]

MEEHANvS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

:>/

the road surface. The wheels then grind up
these stones or push them away in every direc-
tion, so that in the course of a few months like
coffee in a mill, these are ground completely to
powder. Within the knowledge of the writer,
a resurfacing of this character, costing $3000,
placed on a road 80 feet wide and 600 feet
long, was ground to mud within twelve
months. Such macadam roads as these, and
such repairing of the so-called macadam roads,
are the best illustration of municipal ignor-
ance, possibly, that could be adduced. In the
management of public affairs we expect more
loss than in private ones, but the ignorance
displayed in the making and care of macadam
roads beats all.

say, there were thousands of real annual fibres
and yet die afterwards ; no one seeming to un-
derstand why it should be so ; but the trouble
is, that this large mass of sponge-like threads
prevents the earth from coming into contact
with the large roots, and then, they are far
more of an injury than a benefit.

Fibrous Roots. — We find a surprising want
of knowledge as to what is a fibrous root.
Really a fibre, as technically understood, is
not a root any more than a leaf is a branch of
a tree. Roots, to be sure, are formed out of
fibres, and when a tree has a number of small
roots, it is not uncommon to say, that it has
an abundance of fibres. Fibres are the small
white, thread-like, that are principally engaged
during the growing season in gathering and
collecting food for the plants, just as leaves do
the same work for the branches. Towards the
fall of the year nearly all these fibres die ; on-
ly a very few that are present, live over until
the next season. They are not roots. If, how-
ever, one lives over, it eventually becomes a
root. Fibres, as thus limited, are of no sort of
benefit to a tree in transplanting. What is
needed is an abundance of healthy, vigorous,
one or two year old roots. Sometimes people
say that in order to transplant a tree success-
fully, it is well to dig around it one year ; first
cutting off the main roots, and in this way get-
ting a number of " fibres" for the next year.
It is in this sense that the word tends to mis-
lead. Fibres are not thrown out when these
larger roots are cut, but small roots.

One cannot have too many of these small
one or two year old roots in transplanting.
They are full of life and vigor, and aid materi-
ally in supporting a plant. But fibres, as limit-
ed in their definition in this paragraph, are
of absolutely no con.seqnence, and in many re-
spects are rather an injury than a benefit. We
have known evergreen trees moved with what
were supposed magnificent roots, that is to

Pruning and Transplanting. — There is a
difference of opinion among some planters as
to the propriety of pruning in the branches of
fruit trees when they are planted. There is no
question among those who have had extensive
experience, — they all concur as to the wis-
dom of pruning in under most circumstan-
ces when trees have been transplanted. It
is chiefly from the evaporation of their juices
faster than the roots can draw in sap to supply
the place of that waste that they die, and prun-
ing in the branches prevents too great an evap-
oration, and that is the reason why the practice
of pruning in is to be commended. When the
trees have been planted without such pruning,
in the pear, for instance, it is not unusual for
them to remain a whole season and send
out only a few leaves, and without making
any growth of branches, indeed, sometimes
pear trees remain the whole season alive,
without making any leaves at all. They
are just able to meet the demands of evapor-
ation, leaving nothing for growth. Whenever
a transplanted tree does not show signs of
pushing out leaves when the proper time comes
to make leaves, the pruning knife should at
once be called in, and the branches pruned.
Hundreds of transplanted trees which die
might be saved by a judicious use of the prun-
ing knife.

Succession in Magnolias. — The Yulan or
Chinese Magnolia — Magnolia cojispicua — is the
first to open, blooming before the leaves ex-
pand, — though Soulange's hybrid, magnolia
Soulangeana — is not more than a day or two
behind it. The dwarfer kind and newer. Hall's
magnolia, M. stcllata, is almost co-eval with
them. Just as they fade magnolia purpurea
opens, closely followed by M. Frazeri. This
is barely gone before the umbrella magnolia,
Mag. tripetcla, comes out. Before these have
scarcely dropped, the cucumber magnolia, M.
acuminata, opens. These are not, however,
showy, and the yellow petals will often be seen

: the ground, before observed on the trees.
■ 1 this line there are successions of flowers
Moni April to the end of May. The beautiful

,-1 cones and seeds which many have in the
fall, are as interesting as the blossoms, making
the magnolia admired through the whole sea-
son. A few good kinds, like Mag. grandijlora,

\f. macrophylla, and some of the newer Asiatic
kinds, are omitted from the list, because the
exact chronology of their flowering periods,
has not been carefully noted.

before noted, especially when it is likely to dry
out in summer time. It has l)een common to
say. in lawn practice, to scatter it over the
lawn so that it would look like one of the light
sprinklings of snow.

Fihric tlants.— Mrs. Kellerman, of Colum-
bus, Ohio, refcrrino^ to the textile value of the
fibre of I/ihiscus vioschtutos, sends specimens
of extremely strong fibre, obtained from our
common milkweed.

RuBUS DELiciosus.— Some attempt
has been made to introduce the Rocky
Mountain Raspberry into cultivation.
Its merits rest chiefly on its specific
name. The original discoverer. Long,
or at least some of the botanists on
Long's expedition, pronounced the
fruit delicious. In the writer's own
exploration in the earlier times of
Colorado, its delicious character was
only apparent when those who gath-
ered them were particularly hungry ;
but occasionally some fruit would be
quite agreeable. Another feature
-eemed to be that there were never
many fruit at a time on the plant.
it would be a pretty large bush from
which a pint of berries could be
;,;athered. It would be well to know
"r-oni those who may have had it in
iiltivation in the East, whether its
baracter is at all improved by cultiva-
'on. To the general observer, the
lant looks more like a mock orange
lian any of the ordinary forms of
'aspberry ; and as an ornamental
hrub, ought to be particularly desir-
ble.

Salt as a Manure. — In a general
vay every one knows that salt is a
^ood fertilizer for the asparagus plant.
• t is not so generally known that it is
■ cry useful in other instances. Its
hief advantage is in attracting niois-
«-ure from the atmosphere, therefore it
»s an admirable help to fertility in soils
that are likely to become compara-
tively dry. In heavy wet soils salt is
worse than useless. For lawns, salt
has been found of great value ; and as

nWw^

L...

.J

SEA KALE.--«tc p. eo.

> 1 ■ '

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

58

MEEHANS' MONTHIyY — GENERAIy GARDENING.

[April

^^93-]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

59

l'«

Specimen Fuchsias. — Plant growing has be-
come almost a lost art. Very few understand
enough of physiology and the nature of plant
growth sufficiently, either as a science or an
art, to know how to make a beautiful plant out
of a rough and straggly one. One can see this
lack of knowledge even in the popular Chrys-
anthemum culture. Although some tolerably

ik^mS:^

^iS-

SPECIMEN FUCHSIA.

fine specimens may be seen occasionally at
Chrysanthemum shows, one may ask in vain
any of the exhibitors why it should be that
two plants of exactly the same variety in the
hands of two different cultivators should show
flowers considerably larger in one case than
another. The one who grew the large flowers
could not tell why the others were small ; nor
could the one growing the small flowered plants

tell why the other flowers were superior. Plant
growth in such cases is simply a matter of
chance. We give with this an illustration
taken from "The Gardeners' Chronicle" of how
a plant grower, who is master of the art, would
grow a Fuchsia. It will be seen that in the
whole plant, from base to apex, healthy leaves
and fair sized flowers are just as abundant at
the base as anywhere else. Nature would not
do this for us. The result is wholly the work
of a highly successful cultivator. We question
very much whether there is to-day in America
a dozen plant growers who could produce a
specimen of a Fuchsia so perfect in every re-
spect as this one is.

Forest Park, Springfield, Mass. — In the
great movement for parks and breathing places,
a number of our leading towns and cities
are now in friendly contest. Springfield,
Mass., is one among the number which boasts
of a beautiful one. It goes under the name of
*' Forest Park," overlooking the Connecticut
river, and comprises 340 acres, and of this 75
acres was first given by Mr. O. H. Greenleaf,
of that city. To this Mr. E. H. Barney added
109, on condition that the city secured 92
others. A number of influential citizens con-
vened, purchased and gave to the city other
tracts, making 340 in all. Among the magni-
ficent trees which adorn this Park, specimens
of the common Chestnut tree are said to be pre-
eminent, some of them being 100 feet high and
six feet in circumference. There are a num-
ber of artificial ponds on the grounds, stocked
with water plants. Mr. Barney, who is still
living, still spends much money in beautify-
ing the Park. His mansion stands in the
midst of the Park. A monument, intended
as a lookout for visitors as well as a memorial
of his son, is now being constructed in the
Park at a cost of $40,000.

Rockeries for Small Gardens. — One of
the pleasantest features in gardening for small
places is a rockery, that is say, small banks,
or bluffs made of projecting stones and earth,
in which certain kinds of plants love to grow.
A considerable degree of taste is, however, re-
quired in order to make these little rockeries
ornamental. The great idea should be to
make them look as natural as possible. It is
not uncommon to see a little mount of stones

and earth of this character in the center of a
grass plot far away and disconnected with any
other artificial features. These rarely look
well, they are entirely out of place, but if they
can be made to appear as if they were being
projected from some bank, or as if they sprang
out of the ground in some natural way, the effect
is very different. Under the shade of trees
especially, a little rock garden can be made
particularly effective by the use of ferns and
other shade loving plants. The great effort in
all these attempts should be to make art and
nature seem to gradually merge the one into
the other. It is a great dividing line, the
gulf between the two, which renders hideous
very often that which might be beautiful, both
from a natural and artificial point of view.

FlR^fiTS £55 ¥E^ETi^PLES.

Lilies of the Valley. — It is not generally
known that these beautiful flowers are pro-
duced to much better satisfaction under the
shade of trees than elsewhere. Wherever there
is a clump of trees no better plant can be in-
troduced to grow under them than the Lilies of
the Valley. In order to get them, however, to
best advantage under the shade of trees, they
require an annual top dressing of manure, or
some other rich soil. This is after all doing
good to the trees ; for on lawns and in places
somewhat under cultivation, where the leaves
of the trees are gradually cleaned up for neat-
ness' sake, they suffer very much for want of
food. When the Lily of the Valley is grown
in this way, therefore, the trees get a portion
of the food as well as the plants, and thus we
do ourselves a double service by adding to the
health and longevity of the trees while culti-
vating the beautiful flowers beneath them.
More fine old trees die early from want of food
than from any other cause.

Easter Lilies. — In the old world the Easter
Lily is the White Lily, Liliiun candidum, or
the variations of the White Japan Lilies. In
our country the Calla or Richardia Ethiopica
usually receives this designation. The word
Easter is a corruption of Eostro, who was an
Anglo - Saxon goddess, worshipped in the
month of April in Britain, with peculiar cere-
monies. When the island was converted to
Christianity, the name was retained and the
Christian festival supplanted the older cere-
monies.

Sowing Seeds — Those who deal in seeds
are frequently puzzled at the reports of some
purchasers that seeds bought of them fail to
grow. Seedsmen who have had themselves
practical experience, understand why, but the
majority have not had this advantage, and the
whole subject remains a puzzle to them. One
of the chief causes of the failure of seeds to
grow is that they are sown too deep. AlmOvSt
every one has heard, if they have not actually
experienced, that seeds several inches deep in
the ground, or perhaps in some cases several
feet, will remain without germinating for
numbers of years ; while the seeds, under
ordinary circumstances, would naturally have
grown the year after maturity. The reason for
this is that they are wholly excluded from the
atmosphere ; the converse of this proposition
is that seeds require atmospheric air in order
to germinate well, if they are near the surface
of the earth where there are extremes of tem-
perature ; but with atmosphere excluded they
simply rot. Perhaps no better illustration of
the necessity of atmospheric air, in order to
get seeds to germinate, is furnished than by a
visit to some old fruit tree — say, for instance,
the cherry, where the seeds have fallen and
covered the surface of the ground. In early
spring these cherry stones will be observed
to be sprouting in every direction ; while seeds
from the same tree set by the nurserymen, will
fail to grow at all— the reason being that they
were planted so deep as to exclude the atmos-
phere. What is true of these larger seeds is
equally true of small garden seeds. Where
they fail to germinate, in the vast majority of
cases it is from being sown too deep. The late
Peter Henderson so well understoo<l this that
he advised many of his customers to simply
tramp the seeds into the ground. He would
choose a dry day to sow when the earth
would rather powder under pressure than be-
come pasty ; the garden line would be stretched;
the seeds sowed either on the surface or in a
mere scratch, and then tramped in with the
feet along the surface of the line. Very few
failures ever occur under these circumstances.
As to the seeds being bad, every purchaser
should examine carefully before sowing, in
order to ascertain whether they are good or
not. With a common pocket lens in hand,

\\>

■' 1

(.,-»)',•■ Vl 4,-+,

6o

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[April

IS93-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

6l

i^^

M

and the seed carefully divided, no one could
fail to be satisfied whether the seed was in
germinating condition or not — imperfect seeds
being yellowish ; while sound seeds, usually,
being of ivory white. In brief, seeds require,
to germinate well, atmospheric air, moisture,
and some shade ; with these essentials very
little more knowledge is required as to how to
germinate seeds successfully.

Sea Kale. — In recent issues, notice was
taken of some excellent but neglected vege-
tables worthy of a better fate. Sea Kale was
one of these. Prof. Cote, of the Oregon Agri-
cultural Experiment Station at Corvallis, finds
it easy to cultivate there,— and the illustration
on p. 57 shows how well he succeeds. The
seeds w^ere sown April loth ; on the next Feb-
ruary 1 2th transplanted in rows lo inches
apart. The crown buds were cut out at trans-
planting to prevent flowering. They were set
in an eight inch trench, and the crown an inch
below the surface. The plants made a strong
growth during the summer. In December
the earth about them was loosened by a digging
fork, an inverted nail keg set over each plant,
then stable manure and leaves, fifteen inches
deep, over the whole. By March 4th, under
this light forcing, the plants were ready for
table use.

An Error in Tree-planting. — The follow-
ing timely note comes from Mr. Ernest Walker,
of New Albany, Ind.

" Nothing connected with trees or an orchard
is of more importance than careful setting of
the trees. It is a kind of sowing, and as is the
sowing so will the harvest be.

In places where the sub-soil is of the heavy
impervious sort and not drained, it is a serious
mistake in setting trees to dig great deep holes
and fill them with light, rich soil. Such holes
become drainage pits for the water of surround-
ing soil and, except in dry weather, will be a
fourth or half full of water. Trees planted in
, them are theoretically shown the kindest treat-
ment, but practically are subjected to killing
cruelty.

When set in the fall they are liable to be
either drowned out or frozen out. And if they
survive, the water in the bottom of the hole is
as a knife to the formation of the deep and an-
choring roots.

Select a better piece of ground or else drain
that at band, is the w^riter's first recommenda-
tion ; if neither can be done, however, the ad-
vice then would be, don't make a bad matter
worse by digging holes, rather make mounds
on which to set the trees.

This has been done and with great success.
One of the finest orchards of Ben Davis apples
in Indiana was planted after this method which
might appropriately be called stiff ace-planti7ig ,
The ground being undrained and heavy, in-
stead of digging holes it occurred to the gentle-
man in planting his trees to try another plan.
Accordingly after plowing the land three cart-
loads of soil were dumped at the spot where
each tree was to stand. Having been smoothed
off and formed into a low mound, on one of
these each tree was set. Between the rows a
little grading provided for the running off of
most of the surface water.

In this orchard of ten-year-old trees, bearing
twelve to sixteen bushels each, there was not
a specked apple seen. Had the trees been set
in the same ground according to the prevalent
method, the probabilities are the kindest care
would not have reaped such glowing rewards.
Some years have passed since the writer saw
for the first time his theory reduced to success-
ful practice, though entirely independently of
any suggestion of his. Further observation
and experience have confirmed the correctness
of his view of the matter.

The writer would not be understood as re-
commending surface pla7iting for all soils. By
no means. Only in flat, undrained, or rather
wet land is it advised as largely compensating
for natural disadvantages, out of which the
planter may not otherwise see his way.'*

One of the finest apple orchards one of the
conductors ever saw was in Indiana, where the
land had been plowed into narrow and steep
ridges, and the trees planted on the apex of
the ridges. All trees hate water. Rich
food, dampness and oxygen is what the roots
require.

Cherry Culture. — In an excellent report
on experiments with cherries, IMr. John Craig,
of the Experiment Farm, of Ottawa, Canada,
speaks of well drained, sandy loam as being
excellent for this fruit. A large number were
planted for experiment, — one of a kind, — so as
to judge of their comparative merits. They

^vcre set 25 feet apart, kept clear of weeds by a
liorse cultivator up to midsummer, manured
oriijinally with good barn-yard manure, and
later with unle^ched wood ashes, at the rate of
about 1 25 bushels to the acre. Canada is especi-
ally favorable to the hardier varieties of cherry.
It IS interesting to note that one of the oldest
varieties known to our cultivators, the Carna-
tion, is regarded as still one of the healthiest
and best— even meriting a trial, Mr. Craig
says, where other kinds fail. He speaks of
the variety, Griotte du Nord, as having been
first introduced to
America by Prof.
lUuld, from Sile-
sia, not many
years ago. It has,
however, been in
cultivation in the
vicinity of Phila-
delphia for nearly
half a century —
possibly introduc-
ed by the late
P e t e r K i e ff"e r ,
whose name is at-
tached to a well-
known pear. The
Montmorency is
spoken of as in
some sections
superseding the
Early Richmond.
If this could be
generally borne
out, it would give
this variety a good
character, — for
Vhe Early Rich-
mond in this part VACCINIUM CO
of the world continues to stand ahead of all
competitors. It is one of the sour cherries—
^nly used for table — and when a little over
ripe, if one may use that expression, it is still
rather acid when in a condition that would
make other sour cherries palatable.

Amelajichiet botryapium. It will help to in-
form the public and counteract the bad im-
pression whir-h disappointment with this mis-
nomer may occasion, to give an illustration of
the true thing. This particular one now illus-
trated is l^accinium conmhosiim , native of the
whole sea-board ot the eastern United States,
from Canada to Florida. The readers of
Meehans' Monthly have probably never
seen a more beautiful specimen than this now
illustrated ; and, strange to say, it was grown
in California and made from a photograph fur-
nished to us b}'
^Ir. Luther Bur-
bank, of Santa
Rosa. Like many
other plants with
very fine, hair-
like roots, it is
not adapted to cul-
tivation in stiff,
heavy soils ; but
in an}' light,
gravelly ground,
which never
bakes under the
hot summer sun,
it will thrive well;
and there is no
part of the United
States in which
it might not be
grown if a little
care be taken to
select the soil
suited for it.

Vaccinium corvmbosum. — Pictures ot the
huckleberry or blueberry have been going the
rounds in some quarters representing fruit of
enormous size, but w^hich does not represent a
huckleberry at all ; it is simply the dwarf
form of the common Juneberry, botanically,

TheCrandall
Currant. — We
RYMBOsuM. have had a sus-

picion, from the description, that what has
been sent out as the Crandall currant is noth-
ing more than the Utah variety of the common
Mo. currant, which has been on sale in leading
nurseries in the East for the last quarter of a
century. Mr. A. G. Heaver, of Boyre, Ontario,
states in the "Canadian Horticulturist" that
he has grown and fruited it, and finds that it is,
precisely as we supposed it was, only the Mo.
currant sent out at high prices, on account of
its having been given a new name. Any one
may give a plant a new English name,— and
pay twice for the same plant.

6o

MERHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[April

-3-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

6l

1

and the seed carefully divided, no one could
fail to be satisfied whether the seed was in
germinating condition or not — imperfect seeds
being yellowish ; while sound vSeeds, usually,
being of ivory white. In brief, vSeeds require,
to germinate well, atmospheric air, moisture,
and some shade ; with these essentials very
little more knowledge is required as to how to
germinate seeds successfully.

Sea Kale. — In recent issues, notice was
taken of some excellent but neglected vege-
tables worthy of a better fate. Sea Kale was
one of these. Prof. Cote, of the Oregon Agri-
cultural Experiment Station at Corvallis, finds
it easy to cultivate there, — and the illustration
on p. 57 shows how well he succeeds. The
seeds w^ere sown April loth ; on the next Feb-
ruary 1 2th transplanted in rows lo inches
apart. The crown buds were cut out at trans-
planting to prevent flowering. They were set
in an eight inch trench, and the crown an inch
below^ the surface. The plants made a strong
growth during the summer. In December
the earth about them was loosened by a digging
fork, an inverted nail keg set over each plant,
then stable manure and leaves, fifteen inches
deep, over the whole. By March 4th, under
this light forcing, the plants were ready for
table use.

An Error in Tree-planting. — The follow-
ing timely note comes from IMr. Ernest Walker,
of New Albany, Ind.

*• Nothing connected with trees or an orchard
is of more importance than careful setting of
the trees. It is a kind of sowing, and as is the
sowing vSo will the harvest be.

In places where the sub-soil is of the heavy
impervious sort and not drained, it is a serious
mistake in setting trees to dig great deep holes
and fill them with light, rich .soil. Such holes
become drainage pits for the water of surround-
ing soil and, except in dry weather, will be a
fourth or half full of water. Trees planted in
them are theoretically shown the kindest treat-
ment, but practically are subjected to killing
cruelty.

When set in the fall they are liable to be
either drowned out or frozen out. And if they
survive, the water in the bottom of the hole is
as a knife to the formation of the deep and an-
choring roots.

Select a better piece of ground or else drain
that at band, is the w^riter's first recommenda-
tion ; if neither can be done, however, the ad-
vice then would be, don't make a bad matter
w^orse by digging holes, rather make mounds
on which to set the trees.

This has been done and with great success.
One of the finest orchards of Ben Davis apples
in Indiana was planted after this method which
might appropriately be called S2i>face-pla?iti7ig.
The ground being undrained and heavy, in-
stead of digging holes it occurred to the gentle-
man in planting his trees to try another plan.
Accordingly after plowing the land three cart-
loads of soil were dumped at the spot where
each tree was to stand. Having been smoothed
off and formed into a low mound, on one of
these each tree was set. Between the rows a
little grading provided for the running off of
most of the surface water.

In this orchard of ten-year-old trees, bearing
twelve to sixteen bushels each, there was not
a specked apple seen. Had the trees been set
in the same ground according to the prevalent
method, the probabilities are the kindest care
would not have reaped such glowing rewards.
Some years have passed since the writer saw
for the first time his theory reduced to success-
ful practice, though entirely independently of
any suggestion of his. Further observation
and experience have confirmed the correctness
of his view of the matter.

The writer would not be understood as re-
commending surface- plant hig for all soils. By
no means. Only in flat, undrained, or rather
wet land is it advised as largely compensating
for natural disadvantages, out of which the
planter may not otherwise see his way."

One of the finest apple orchards one of the
conductors ever saw w^isin Indiana, where the
land had been plowed into narrow and steep
ridges, and the trees planted on the apex of
the ridges. All trees hate water. Rich
food, dampness and oxygen is what the roots
require.

Cherry Culture. — In an excellent report
on experiments with cherries, Mr. John Craig,
of the Experiment Farm, of Ottawa, Canada,
speaks of well drained, sandy loam as being
excellent for this fruit. A large number were
planted for experiment, — one of a kind, — so as
to judge of their comparative merits. They

' -r set 25 feet apart, kept clear of weeds by a
se cultivator up to midsummer, manured
oriirinally with good ])arn-yard manure, and
later with unleiched wood ashes, at the rate of
about 1 25 bushels to the acre. Canada is especi-
allv favorable to the hardier varieties of cherry.
]f IS interesting to note that one of the oldest
varieties known to our cultivators, the Carna-
tion, is regarded as still one of the healthiest
.tiul bCvSt— even meriting a trial, :Mr. Craig
says, where other kinds fail. He speaks of
the variety, Griotte du Nord, as having been
first introduced to
America by Prof.
Hudd, from Sile-
sia, not many
years ago. It has,
however, been in
cultivation in the
vicinity of Phila-
delphia for nearly
half a centur\' —
])ossibl3' introduc-
ed by the late
l^eter KiefTer ,
whose name is at-
tached to a well-
known pear. The
Muutniorency is
spoken of as in
M>uie sections
superseding the
l"':irh' Richmond.
' ^ this could be
nerally borne
U, it would give

iiisvariet3-agood
JiKiracter, — for

•:e Early Rich-

uoud in this part

Amclanchier hot}rapinni. It will help to in-
form the public and counteract the bad im-
pression wlnV-h disappointment with this mis-
nomer may occnsion, to give an illustration of
the true thing. This particular one now illus-
trated is W^ccinium corymbosiim, native of the
whole sea-board ot the eastern United States,
from Canada to Florida. The readers of
Meehans' Monthly have })robably never
seen a more beautiful specimen than this now
illustrated ; and, strange to say, it was grown
in California and made from a photograjdi fur-
nished to us by
iNIr. I.uther Bur-
bank, of Santa
Rosa. Like many
other plants witli
very fine, hair-
like roots, it is
not adapted to cul-
tivati(^n in stifl',
heavy soils ; but
in any light,
o-ravellv ground,
which never
bakes under the
hot summer sun,
it will thrive well;
and there is no
part of the United
States in which
it might not be
grown if a little
care be taken to
select the soil
suited for it.

VACCINIUM CORYMBOSUM.

TheCrandall
Cur KANT. — We
have had a sus-

■f the world continues to stand ahead of all
nipetitors. It is one of the sour cherries —
-nly used for table — and when a little over
tipe, if one may use that expression, it is still
■ather acid when in a condition that would
make other sour cherries palatable.

Vaccinium CORYMBOSUM. — Picturcs ot the
huckleberry or blueberry have been going the
"iounds in some quarters representing fruit of
enormous size, but which does not represent a
huckleberry at all ; it is simply the dwarf
form of the common Juneberry, botanically,

picion. from the description, that what has
been sent out as the Crandall currant is noth-
ing more than the Utah variety of the common
Mo. currant, which has been on sale in leading
nurseries in the Ivast for the last quarter of a
century. Mr. A. G. Heaver, of Boyre, Ontario,
states in the ''Canadian Horticulturist" that
he has grown and fruited it, and finds that it is,
precisely as we supposed it was, only the Mo.
currant sent out at high prices, on account of
its having been given a new name. Any one
may give a plant a new Knglish name,— and
pay twice for the same plant.

intentional second exposure

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

SPRING FLOWERS.

'Tis sweet to love in childhood, when the souls
that we bequeath

Are beautiful in freshness as the coronals we wreathe;

When we feed the gentle robin and caress the leap-
ing hound,

And linger latest on the spot where buttercups are
found ;

When we see the bee and ladybird with laughter,
shout, and song,

And think the day for wooing them can never be
too long. — EwzA Cook.

Lewis and Ci^ark's Expedition. — We
could not have placed our inquiry in relation
to the proper spelling of Clark's name, into
better hands than Prof. Coues, whose decisive
note in Meehans' Monthly for January,
finally settled the question, for we now find
that the Professor has been engaged on the
study of the Expedition under the command
of Lewis and Clark, which went across the
continent in 180^-5-6. The history of this
Expedition is one of the most remarkable on
record, and the curious facts gathered then re-
lating to wild nature, show that the general
features of the American continent will soon
themselves be matters of history as little by
little the press of civilization causes the orig-
inal features to disappear. Even now, as he
reads the details as given by these heroic trav-
elers, one can scarcely imagine many of the
facts related to ever have had a real exis-
tence, so rapid has been the advance of civili-
zation over the whole continent. When rising
from his blanket spread on the ground in a part
of these weird regions, only twenty years
ago, a Mexican ox driver remarked to the
writer of this paragraph, that he hoped civili-
zation would not be thrust on them too fast.
To see it now the full force of the Mexican's
fear can be well realized.

Joseph Harris. — Probably few men have
done more to bring American agriculture and
that department of horticulture which is, in a
measure, agricultural, up to its present ad-
vanced condition than Joseph Harris. As a

(62)

writer in periodicals and of agricultural books
his name is well known. His death at Moreton
farm, about five miles from Rochester, has re-
cently been announced. He was one of the
first to bring into great notice the famous
apple, the Northern Spy. He was also one of
the first to demonstrate by actual practice that
an orchard was more permanently profitable
by not having the surface continually torn to
pieces .by the plow or harrow. His practice
was to keep the coarse grass and weeds down
by the use of swine for pasturing. For many
years he was the editor of the famous Ge?iesee
Farmer. His work on fertilizers has been espe-
ciall}^ popular. Mr. Charles A. Green, in his
Fruit Grower^ has recently paid a very hand-
some tribute to the memory of this especially
useful man.

The Empress Josephine. — Some of the best
botanical works of the past generation were
issued under the patronage of the Empress
Josephine, who was herself very fond of gar-
dening. A recent account says of her :

Josephine's favorite employment — it was
more than a diversion — was horticulture. She
was not in any sense a scientist. She loved
nature for nature's sake, and her hothouses
and gardens were her long and lasting delight.
In those days such pleasures were costly, and
more than once after her divorce, complaints
were made that she overdrew her rather large
annuity. Napoleon was liberal himself, but
the State interfered, and on one occasion he
was compelled to delegate a minister to warn
her of the consequences of her horticultural
extravagance.

GooDALE's WiivD Flowers and Eaton's
Ferns of North America. — These magnifi-
cent works on American Botany, are now being
a^ain advertised . The beautifully colored plates
and descriptive text render the work popular
with intelligent people and should be well
supported.

^>3■]

meehans' monthly — biography AND LITERATURE.

63

Prof. Louis Agassiz — There is scarcely a
Mjrson interested in science but who ha§ heard
-.f this great man, and yet we find that his por-
trait is unfamiliar to a large circle of his ad-
mirers. By the courtesy of Prof. Harlan H.
]5allard, of Pittsfield, Mass., who founded the
Ai^assiz Association in 1875, two years after
Prof. Agassiz 's death, the accompanying por-
trait comes before the readers of Meehans'
Monthly. It was not merely his great scien-
tific eminence, great as it was, which endeared
Prof AgHSsiz to so large a circle, but also the
lovable character of the man which, as in the
case ot Prof. Leidy, attached to him all who
knew him, and which character seemed to
make students of nature
of every one with whom
he came in contact. The
writer of this well re-
members when many
years ago at the in-
stance of a large educa-
ational institution in
Philadelphia the Profes-
sor gave an evening
lecture, how the school
teachers of Philadelphia
crowded around him,
and it was interesting
to hear their remarks in
relation to his affability.
Thej' seemed to imagine
'hat on account of his
• ligh position in the
A'orld of science, he
would have to be looked
np to as if he w^ere an object of adoration ;
ut as one remarked to the writer, he was
simply just the same as one of ourselves."
t. was the surprise w^hich accompanied the
remark which seemed to show how heartfelt
was the appreciation of the Professor's char-
acter— the feeling himself to be simply one
of the world. It may not be out of place to
^?ay in this connection, that he was born in
Montier, near Lake Neufchatel, in Switzerland,
n the year 1807 ; and yet so early and success-
ful in life were his studies in natural history
^hat at the age of 20 years he was appointed
by the author of the " Flora of Brazil" to work
up the fishes collected on Spix's Expedition,
which he did in an able work wholly in the
l^atin language. He visited America in 1846,

and so thoroughly delighted was he with our
country that he determined to make it his per-
manent home, and did not return. During his
residence in this country very tempting offers
were made to him to go back to the Old World,
but nothing moved him to leave America. His
death occurred on the 14th of December, 1873.

PROF. LOUIS AGASSIZ.

The National Flower. — Meehans'
Monthly has taken very little interest, in the
discussions concerning a national flower, be-
lieving that national flowers never become na-
tional until connected with some great nation-
al event. National flowers are like the poets ;
they are born and not made. However, as

some of our intelligent
correspondents seem
still interested in the
question, it may be
noted that Mr. T. C.
Thurlovv writes warmly
in regard to the Colum-
bine, especially remark-
ing, " As this is the
Columbus year." But
the Columbine is scarce-
ly an American flower
in the true sense of the
word, as the great home
of this flower is in
northern Europe.
America has but a very
few species to boast of,
and these by no means
common. There is one
matter, however, con-
nected with this flower which always had an
interest for the writer. The Latin word for
dove is Columba, and it is a matter of ancient
history that the dove, Columba, was sent
out of the Ark to find a new world. In like
manner, Columbus, whose name is evidently
derived from Columba, was sent out from
the old world to find the new world we now
enjoy— a singular and remarkable coincidence.
Further the Columbine was .so named from the
fact that when the flowers are looked at upside
down, the curved nectaries give the flower the
appearance of a number of young doves, all
sitting round and drinking out of one dish,
and in this way the flower derived the name
of Columbine. The three remarkable facts,
all coinciding, form a remarkable symposium.

GENERAL NOTES.

i

m

I

Nursery Exhibits at Chicago. — A Western
paper states that a small plot of ground, 50
feet by 35, in all, " three blocks," has been set
apart for Mr. Pinney to exhibit varieties of
coniferae. " He is informed no other nursery-
man exhibiting coniferae has asked for more
than one block, " and '* that it is not thought
probable that they will do so."

It is but fair to some of the leading nursery-
men of the United States, and probably else-
where to say that if "applications " in form
were not made, it was due to the failure of cor-
respondence to make anything out of the
management.

One firm can be named who earnestly desired
to make an exhibit of over one thousand kinds
of trees and shrubs— possibly the finest the
world had ever seen,— but the whole subject
was knocked about, from one " agent " to an-
other ••agent," who seemed to be thriving on
salaries with wonderful prolificacy, but with
corresponding paucity of the knowledge neces-
sary to comprehend the wants of a nurvSeryman,
that the whole matter had to be abandoned.
Mr. Pinney is to congratulated on having been
able to secure even this small space.

Love for Inteluornce.— A correspond-
ent from a large Connecticut city with some
reputation as a centre of intelligence, says :—
'• In this splendid library of our city there is
a whole alcove and jnore full of books on
botany, but no readers or students, at best
only a few. How could it be otherwise when
the common people know nothing, so to say,
of such priceless treasures. Money, and how^ to
get it seems every body's vsole purpose tolive for."

This is not merely true of botanical work
but of almost all classes of books except novels
and romances. And this latter remark would
lead to the conclusion, that it is not mere
money-making treatises that take the place of
substantial reading, but rather that •' culture"
has run in the wrong direction. It is the mis-
sion ot works like Meehans' Monthly, to
improve this neglected field.

(64)

Alexander Murdoch.— Among the horti-
cultural losses of last month must be chronicled
the death of Mr. Alexander Murdoch, one of
the well known nursery firm of J. R. & A.
Murdoch, of Pittsburgh. He died February
the 9th, in his 53rd year. His father was one
of the first to engage in the nursery business
in Pittsburgh, having started it in 1840. He
was well known for his advanced intelligence
in everything connected with plants, fruits and
flowers. His son inherited, in a great mea-
sure, the peculiar horticultural gifts of his
father and took an active interest in everything
connected with the advancement of his profes-
sion. The Home Wood Cemetery, a very beauti-
ful place, received a large share of his atten-
tion, he being one of the directors.

Ernst Benary.— While going to press notice
comes of the death of the eminent horticulturist
Ernst Benary, of Erfurt, which occurred on the
19th of February, in his 74th year. He was
one of the rare men who, starting in a humble
way, determined to make horticulture a life-
long pursuit, and he spared no exertion to make
himself a master of the art. He commenced
the seed business in 1843— and so has been
nearly a half century at the head of the seed
firm bearing his name.

A Book on Celery Culture. — Messrs. W.
Atlee Burpee & Co., of Philadelphia, have
issued a small paper covered treatise of eighty-
five pages on the most profitable methods of
cultivating celery, which is timely and useful.
New methods have simplified what was once a
troublesome culture, and a perusal of the trea-
tise shows that even an experienced celery
grower has much to learn.

Abies Frazeri. — It should have been Mr.
Harlan P. Kelsey to whom credit is due for
introducing the beautiful Fir, the true Abies
iv-^-cr^/'/ to cultivation, and not Kelsey & Co.,
which is not a North Carolina firm.

7y- ;v ; 1

ASCYRUM CRUX-ANDRE.E.

.« I

ST. ANDREW'S CROSS.

NATURAL ORDER, HYPERICACE.^.

m

1i

AscYRi'M CRUX-ANnRE.i5, Linnaeus— Stem nine to eijjhteen inches high, much branched from the base 1 eaves obovate-
oblong. narrowed at the base, half an inch to three-quarters of an inch in length, with numerous t^^TJl^^ y"'*^^^*-'*',^ *^^:'; *^"
both sides. Fl -...«-.-. .. -

petals linear oblong

Cnited States. Chapman's Flora of ,

>wed at the base, half an inch to three-quarters of an inch in length, with numerous tiajtc colored aois on
:^^lowers yellow, in terminal few-flowered corvmbs, and sub-terminal from the axils, on short peduncles;
oblong ;"stvles two. Darlington's Flora Cestrica. .See also Gray's Manual of thf Botany of the x^orthet n
f. Qhapmau's Flora of t/ie Southern Cnited States, and Wood's Class-Boo^ of Botany.

One of the most beautiful pieces of rural
scenery near the great city of Philadelphia, is
the valley of the Wissahickon. The great
diversity of its tree clad hills, and fern-covered
rocks, with the cool shade which the rapid
stream gives to the umbrageous trees, are by
no means the chief of its charms. A large
]iart of its interest lies in the great variety of
its vegetal forms. Its botany is as diversified
as the lovely hills themselves. Few areas of
similar extent could offer more species to the
collector, and there is something special to
attract at any season of the year. The low
trgreen plant now about to be described oc-
curs in many places, but the writer does not
neniber it as producing the same effect in
liter scenery anywhere else as along the
"issahickon. On the slopes of the hills among
rocks bunches over eighteen inches wide
1 nearl}^ a foot high, may be seen aiding in
'eving the dreariness of winter when the
'>w is on the ground. It is quite as green as
- box-edging of our gardens, but far more
uitiful, because it has none of the set stiff-
s which box has. Its fringy form, amid the
ite snow% and among the brown, rough
' l<s, is particularly pleasing. In summer
-e the soft green foliage is brightened by
pale yellow and very singular flowers.
'- ich flower does not last long, but they are
'titinuousl}' produced, and some may be found
1' at any time from the end of June to the
•'iZi lining of August. The profusion of bloom
' ^ owing to the immense number of little
^'T inches which form the bush, and which give
lii^' whole plant its pleasing winter character,
l^esides these general features there are many
I'eculiarities which render it ver}^ acceptable
^" Uiose lovers of wild flowers who delight in

looking at nature in detail. The little woody
stems at the base of the plant are quite round,
but as the summit is examined the branches
are found to be two-edged. As the growth of
the season ceases, or among the short and
sturdy growths on the branchlets, there will be
found some cases where the stems are square.
An examination will show that from the edges
of the leaf near the base two membraneous
tissues run down to the node below. As the
leaves are opposite, there are thus four lines,
and which, in the last condition noted,
make the stem appear four-edged or square.
In the more vigorous branches, where there is
the widest distance between the nodes, the
two edges of the membrane connected with
each leaf, meet the edges of those opposite,
unite, and then we have the two-edged condi-
tion. This membrane forms only the outer
cortical or bark layer, and lasts only one sea-
son ; when it decays the normal round condi-
tion remains. The finding of three forms on
the one plant affords a good lesson, and gives
the clue to the formation of all two-edged and
square-stemmed herbaceous growths. It is
from the union or separation of edges which
seem to run down, or be decurrent from the
bases of leaves at the node above ; and only
among plants with opposite leaves are square

stems found.

Another 'interesting study is furnished by
the inflorescence,— the sepals, petals, and other
parts of flowers might have been leaves. By
the agency of .some law operating at a very
early stage of the organ's existence, what
might have been leaves, are transformed into
floral organs. In many plants the process of
transformation is very gradual, in others sud-
den and seemingly fitful. In our plant the

(65)

v-''-^V r<

ASCYRUM CRUX-ANDRH.l:

ST. ANDRKW'S CROSS.

NATURAL ORDER, HYPKRICACIM:.

-CN

Ki-M CRT-x-ANDRK.K, l.imucns — Stem nine to citrhteen intbcs hiuh. much hrnnclu'd fr.>m tlie base I envi-s obovnte-
nhlonir, narrowed at the base, hallan inch to three-cinarters ot an inch in lentil, u itii numeri)ns (i.uk col. 'ic.l dots on
both sides, l-lowers vellow, in terminal rew-flowered corymbs, an<l snl)-termin:il Irom the axils, on short iit^fhmcles ;
petals linear oblontr ;-tvles two. Darlington's F/oia Crsti hd. See also (".ray's Manual ot' Ui'^ JhUany of tiw y.otiht'>n
Initcd States. Cha\nuan'iiFIo/aot't/u'Si>nt/irin Cnitrd Stat, > , and Wood s i'la>>.-I!ofk of Hotany.

( )ne of the most beautiful pieces of rural

soL-ncry near the great city of Philadelphia, is

ibe valle\' of the Wissahickon. The great

Hversity of its tree clad hills, and fern-covered

locks, with the cool shade which the rapid

-'ream gives to the umbrageous trees, are b\'

! ' means the chief of its charms. A large

rt of its interest lies in the great variety of

\-cgetal forms. Its botany is as diversified

the lovely hills themselves. Few areas of

Hilar extent could offer more species to the

Tiector, and there is something special to

'.'act at an\' season of the year. The low

rgreen plant now^ about to be described oc-

^ in many places, but the writer does not

'- niber it as producing the same clTect in

■ vr scenery anywhere else as along the

~;diickon. On the slopes of the hills among

KX'ks bunches over eighteen inches wide

1 nearly a foot high, may be seen aiding in

N'ing the dreariness of winter whtn the

" i^ on the ground. It is quite as grten as

'•x-edging of our gardens, but far more

itiful. because it has none of the set stiiT-

' which box has. Its fringy form, amid the

' * snow, and among the brown, rough

-^. is particularly pleasing. In summer

the soft green foliage is brightened by

pale yellow and ver\- singidar flowers.

'1 llower does not last long, but they are

nuonsly produced, and some may lie found

'• at any time fnnu the end of June to the

''I'ing of August. The profusion of bloom

wing to the immense number of little

-lies which form the Inish, and which give

vliole plant its pleasing winter character.

' ^ sides these general features there are many

unities which render it ver}* acce])table

•se lovers of wild flowers who delight in

looking at nature in dttail. The little woody
stems at the base of the plant are quite round,
but as the summit is examined the l)ranches
are found to be two-edged. As the growth of
the .season ceases, or among the short and
sturdy growths on the branchlets. there will be
found some cases where the stems are square.
An examination will show that from the edges
of the leaf near the base two memi^raneous
tissues run down to the node below. As the
leaves are opposite, there are thus four lines,
and which, in the last condition noted,
make the stem apjjear four-edgeil or scjuare.
In the more vigorous branches, where there is
the widest distance between the nodes, the
two edges of the membrane connected with
each leaf, meet the i-dges of those o])posite,
unite, and then we have the two-edged condi-
tion. This membrane forms only the .-^iter
cortical or b.irk layer, and lasts only one sea-
son ; when it decays the normal round condi-
tion remains. The finding of three forms on
the one plant alTords a good lesson, and gives
the clue to the f)rmati<>n of all twv)-edgtd and
scpiare-steinmed herbaceous growths. It is
from the union or separation of i:{\\;c<> which
seem to run down, or be decurrent from the
bases of leaves at the no<k- alx-ve: and only
among plants with opposite leaves <ire square

stems found.

Another 'interesting stndy is furnished 1'y
the inllore.scence,— the sepals, petals, and other
parts of llowers might have been leaves. !'>•
the agency of some law operating at a very
early stage of the organ's existence, what
might have been leaves, are transformed into
floral organs. In many plants the process ot
transformation is very gradual, in others sud-
den and seemingly fitful. In our plant the

165)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

•.\

-•rr

■»-

66

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— ASCYRUM CRUX-ANDREA.

[May

series of leaves at each node is remarkably
even and regular. In many successive series,
scarcely a leaf will be found larger or varying in
form from another.but when the flower condition

appears, instead of a gradual decrease of the
size of the leaves till they become mere bracts,
a pair of very minute ones are formed at once,
and to the next pair is given large ovate forms
very different from the regular leaves. With
this fitful effort the growth force seems
measurably exhausted, and the next pair of
leaves are but little larger than the small
leaves, — the "mere bracts" already noted.
The first small set has a low vital power, and
soon dies, so that the office of calyx falls to
the other two series, — the pair of large ovate,
and the pair of very small inner ones, forming
the " four parted calyx ; " after this we have a
vigorous growth, apparently embracing two
nodes at once, and which, therefore, results in
four petals of very nearly equal size, — and in
which the irregular arrangement is very re-
markable ; and suggested its specific name,
Cnix-andrecE — or the St. Andrew's cross.

Passing from its morphological characters to
its relation with history, it may be remarked
that Ascyro7i was a plant used in medicine by
the ancient Greeks and Romans, and seems to
have been some plant of the order HypericacecE
to which our plant belongs, — perhaps the
European plant now known as Hypericum
Ascyron. According to Pliny, the Ascyron of
that day had a "coma" — probably referring to
the head of hair-like stamens — which, when
bruised, turned as red as blood. The old
herbalists in their endeavors at system, had a
section of Hypericum in which those related to
the supposed Ascyron found a place ; and our
plant first sent to Europe from Virginia by the
Reverend John Banister, was placed therein.
When systematic botany was revised by Lin-
naeus, the old Ascyrons were found to be true
Hypericums, and the American member of the
family found to be a distinct genus ; audit was
thus left wnth the ancient name, though the
genus of about half a dozen species is wholly
an American one. Separated from its ancient
family relations, it has not only borne with it
a part of the name of the family, but also one
of its common names, that of St. Peter's w^ort,
by which the whole family of Ascyrons is
sometimes known in American works. Hy-

peficum perforatum was the original St. John',
wort. In old times it was believed that if the
herb was gathered on the eve of St. John's day,
it was blessed by that saint to this extent, that
if hung in a window during a thunder storm,
the occupant of the room was perfectly safe.
The Hypericum Ascyrum was believed to be
under the patronage of St. Peter, and St, Peter's
wort has evidently been transferred to our
plant with the transfer of the name. Plukenet.
an early English author, writing soon after its
introduction, adopts the name suggested by
the American botanist Banister, and writes of
it as St. Andrew's wort. It would be as well
to let the name of St. Peter's wort drop,—
especially as there is already a St. Peter's
wort in the samphire of Shakespeare, botanic-
ally Crithmum maritimum, — and there hap-
pens to be no plant offered to St. Andrew
in the Monkish calendar. Our St. Andrew's
wort, has made for itself no name in poetical
literature, nor become related to any art other
than that of gardening. It may, however,
have some use in the art of healing according
to a suggestion thrown out by Dr. Francis
Peyre Porcher in his " Resources of Southern
Fields and Forests. ' ' He says that an infusion
of the bruised root and branches of Ascyrum
Cfux-andrecB was used with success by an
Indian in the case under his observation,
of a female with an ulcerated breast which
had resisted all other attempts at relief; and
he speaks of having since used the plant with
success in similar cases. It is interesting to
note in connection with this observation, that
Pliny, the ancient Roman writer, records much
the same properties of the Ascyron of that
time, and which plant as we have already
noted, is in all probability closely related to
our St. Andrew's wort.

The geographical range of the plant is con-
fined to the States east of the Mississippi. It
does not exist except in limited locations north
of New Jersey, though one of these limited
locations is so far north as Nantucket. It
varies somewhat in different locations, and
these variations have produced several syno-
nyms, but which are now rarely used.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

MAY DAY.

" The veil-like verdure of the early spring
Thickened and deepened to the green of May,
The lady's-slipper, in the hidden dell,
( )nce more her frail and rosy bubble hung,
And lace -like vines the summer decks with bells,
Miiiitled the towering rocks moss-stained and gray,
W liilc from the clefts the scarlet columbine
Ilcr j^'oldcn-lined herns hung lower still
Heavy with black wild bees that murmuring
Were gathering honey there the livelong day."

Howard Worcester Gii.bp:rt.

Explanation of the Plate.— i. Foliacious segment of
the calyx in unopened flowers. 2. Small branch from a
thick dense plant from the Wissahickon.

Variation op the Horse-radish Leaves.
—Mrs. W. A. Kellernian contributes the fol-
lowing admirably suggestive paper :

Late in autumn, once, I noted that the
Horse-radish leaves had undergone a curious
transformation. The familiar leaves (Fig. i),
p. 77. with broad blarle and crenate margin
(1-ig. i), had disappeared, or had become
notched, lobed anri cut (Figs. 5, 6), until they
sieiiied but skeletons.

Upon referring to " Gray's Manual " I find
in his description of the leaves, " rarely, cut-
I'innatifid."

< )bservation has satisfied me, that the leaves
:• not "rarely, cut-pinnatifid," but pass
tirough an annual cycle of variation, in which
^ne '* cut-pinnatifid " form is as constant as
''broad crenate leaf. The cut leaves begin
^ make their appearance about the middle of
'^ igust. From this time on, there is a gradual
transition from the ordinary leaf to the pin-
- iiifid form. The first stages have but the
; i'cx cut (Figs. 2, 3), the remainder of the leaf
I Uiining the shape common to the typical
^af. The divisions continue to extend towards
^i'C base of the leaf until the entire leaf is
^ perseded by the cut-pinnatifid form. The
'J' o;id crenate leaves are killed by the hard
f'osts in the fall, while the small, almost "dis-
sected " leaves (Fig. 9), which fill the crown at
^'i^s time remain green throughout the winter,
Although growth ceases when cold w^eather
Sets in. These finely divided leaves are
necessarily the first to appear in the early
spring, since they are but a continuation

of the fall growth. As the season advances
they pass back through transition forms to
the ordinary crenate leaf. These are the
simple facts in the case, and as Mr. Squeers
says, " facts, sir, are what we want."

During the carboniferous era, it is said,
plant life cleared the poison from the murky
air and thus prepared the way for animal life.

Presumably, plants behave now as they did
in those early times, consume carbon dioxide
and liberate oxygen. Is it mere speculation,
therefore, to claim that there is an appreciable
difference between the air of the springtime
and that of the iall ? That the difference be-
tween the conditions for vegetable growth
during the coal age, and the present time, is,
in a measure, comparable with the difference
in the conditions for the growth of vegetation,
between our spring and fall ?

From this standpoint, the "cut-pinnatifid"
leaves of the Horse-radish (and of many
other plants appearing late in the fall), be-
come intelligible. The rationale of their trans-
formation becomes apparent. They must
adapt themselves to their environment or
drop out altogether. As the struggle for
existence is rendered more severe, both on
account of the increase of neighboring com-
petitors, and because of the decreased amount
of carbon dioxide in the air, the leaves must
adjust themselves to these changed conditions,
hence they become notched, lobed, cut, to
better facilitate the more thorough sifting of
the atmosphere ; to better admit the sunlight.
Nature's magic wand, to all parts of the foilage.

The large crenate leaves, like the old ladies
who "went early to get the first run o' the
tea, " come early in the spring, sit at the first
table, as it were, and dine right royally. As
the season advances, over-population and a
diminished food supply seive to bring about
the curious variation of its foilage.

Migration ok Birds.— How do robins, and
other migratory birds, find their way to and
from their Summer homes ?

(67)

•'' ■

68

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[May

,v]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

69

I

' i

1 ' *ii

U

Leaning Sea-side Trees. — Observers by
the sea-shore all note that trees by the sea-
coast lean either by their trunks or branches
landward, and away from the ocean lines. In
a pretty poem by Mary Darmesteter called
"The death of Prester John," recently pub-
lished in the New York Independent, this sea-
side peculiarity is thus referred to :

"Then up and spake the eldest Seer (and he was
white as rime,
Beut as a sea-blown apple-stem, solenm as night
at sea.)"

The authoress, evidently, nor possibly any
one ev^r gave a thought to the real cause of
the leaning, for they are not reall}^ "blown**
in the direction noted. The early branches
while still young and tender have their points
killed on the sea-exposed side by the cold sea
breezes of early spring. These would not suffer
by later summer breezes. The secondary shoots
thus get through uninjured. But those on the
leeward side do not suffer, and hence these have
the double chance to extend, and thus event-
ually give a "lopsided" appearance to the
tree's growth, and which in time present the
appearance of having had the branches " wind-
blown " toward the land.

The Home oe the Sugar-Cane. — It is often
a subject of comment that mankind know the
leavSt about things with which they are in some
respects the most familiar. This is certainl}^
true of sugar and the sugar-cane. Though for
so many centuries sugar has been in common
use, few could tell his neighbor where it came
from and where was the sugar j)lant's original
home. The sugar-cane is a species of gravSS
and not distantly related to our Indian corn
and, like the Indian corn, is not now found
wild in an}- part of the world. Wherever it
originally grew, it must have been destroN'ed
by the advance of civilization. It is said that
a Chinese literary compilation, which was put
together in the thiid century-, states that the
Province of Bengal sent sugar-cane as a tribute
to China ; but it is not known that the vSolid
sugar itself was extracted from the cane. The
first indication of the solid sugar has been
located between the third and the sixth
centur}^ in India ; while the Chinese do not ap-
pear to have been acquainted with the method
of extracting the sugar from the cane until
about the year 640. Cane-sugar was first intro-

duced into Europe by the Saracens in 827, —
from thence it extended into Spain. From
some snatches of history it would appear that
it found its way into Germany first from
Venice. Just when it was introduced into
America does not seem clear. On his second
voyage plants were taken by Columbus ; but
it does not appear to have finally established
itself from this early introduction. The first
sugar refinery known was establivShed in 1573,
at Augsburg, in Saxony. The largest refinery
was in 1597 at Dresden. These facts are
gathered from the Louisiana Pla7iter.

ScHiNUS MoivLE. — " Referring to your notes
on Schinus Molle, page 26, and Vegetable Curi-
osities, page 27," says Mr. Wm. Saunders, of
the United States Department of Agriculture,
" attention might be called to the action of the
leaves of the Schinus when placed in water.
These, after Ijdng a short time on the surface
will begin to start and jump as if they were
alive, while at the same instant of start a jet
of oily matter is discharged, acting as a pro-
peller. Lindley states it thus : * The leaves
expel their resin with such violence when im-
mersed in water as to have the appearance of
spontaneous motion, in consequence of the
recoil.'

So far as I know, this peculiarity of motion
in leaves is confined to another plant of the
same family as the Schinus, called Duvaua
lati folia, a South American plant also."

The American species of Rhus possess, in a
more or less degree, the same peculiarities.

Green Leaves in the Dark. — A corres-
pondent from Charleston, S. C, suggests, in
reference to the young green-leaved orange
plants occasionally found in fruits, that the
pulp and rind become so thin as to be semi-
transparent, and that there is vSufhcient light
in such cases to produce the green of the leaf.
This is a matter for actual observation. Those
living in the vicinity where these green-leaved
seedlings inside the fruit occur, could perhaps
test it. In the absence of this actual ex-
perience, one would hardly suppose there
would be vSufiicient light, for, in taking the
thin rind of some oranges and placing it
against brilliant gas jets, no appearance of
transparency is evident.

Tiiiv American Plane Tree. — The interest
in the King of the Eastern American forest is
unabated, and a number of correspondents send
valuable contributions to its history.

Mr. Robert Ridgway, of the Smithsonian
Institute sends in the following, and notes of
other famous trees will follow :

" In the February number of your excellent
and always welcome magazine you ask for in-
formation respecting large American plane
trees. Having paid much attention to the
study of our forest trees and taking many
measurements, I am glad to be able to con-
tribute something which may be of interest.

Fourteen trees of this species {Plata?ius
occidentalis) standing within one square mile
of forest in Gibson County, Indiana, were, in
1875, measured

f)^

by me with the
following result :
Girth, average,
well above swell
of roots, 23^ feet;
the extremes, 14
and 30 feet ,
respectively .
Spread of top,
average, 127 feet,
the extremes
being 100 and 135
feet.

Altogether, I
li a V e measured
ihe circumference
- f 27 trees ; the
average girth of
these, above the

"Jewell," was 23.22 feet, the smallest being
' ne feet and the largest 33.50. The average
vould have been considerably greater had
riot several comparatively small trees been
measured on account of their long, clean
trunks ; for example, the tree girting nine feet
measured 83 ^ feet to the first limb. As may
be well known, few trees vary more in the
cnaracter of their trunk than the present
species. Usually, the trunk divides at a com-
paratively low elevation, often very near the
ground. It is not uncommon, however, in the
heavy forests bf the western bottom-lands to
find shafts of the "sycamore" which are as
straight and mast-like as the trunk of any
pine or spruce. The longest trunk measure-

ments which I have been able to make (always
from felled trees) are as follows: (a) length,
83;^ feet, circumference, nine feet ; (b) length,
74 feet, circumference, 18 feet; (c) length, 68
feet, circumference, 25 feet ; (d) length, 50 feet,
circumference, 27 feet ; (e) length, 60 feet, cir-
cumference, 30 feet.

The total length has been measured by me
of only eight trees, all but one of which had
been felled and were measured with a loo-foot
tapeline. The average length of these eight
trees was i45,'4f feet, the longest being 168 feet
and the shortest 129 feet.

Perhaps, the largest tree of this species
hitherto recorded is mentioned in Case's Botan-
ical Index, for April, 18S0, p. 44- It stood
near Worthington, Greene County, Indiana, in

the White River
bottom. It was
48 feet in circum-
ference, and had a
solid trunk which
at 25 feet from the
ground divided
into three or four
main branches,
the largest of
which was more
than five feet in
diameter.

I send you with
this a photograph
of a tree which,
in November,
1875, when the
view was taken,

A LARGE AMERICAN PLANE TREE. ^, ^^J .^ /U^f

measured 42 teet
in circumference at the ground and 30 feet
round the smallest part of the trunk. It
was about 160 feet high (as determined
by triangulation and measurements with a
"dendrometer"), the massive crown spread-
ing 112 by 134 feet, and elevated 70 or 80
feet above the ground. This tree stood on
the Indiana side of the Wabash River, near
Mt. Carmel, Illinois, and was still standing in
1890, though a wreck through attempts to
burn it dovvn as a cumberer of the ground.

In conclusion, I would say that while these
gigantic plane trees were by no means rare
twenty years ago, few of them, comparatively,
have survived the demands for lumber and the
requirements of the farmer. Thousands of

68

MEEHANvS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Ma\

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

69

Leaning Sea-side Trees. — Okservers by
the vSea-vSliore all note that trees by the sea-
coast lean either by their trunks or branches
landward, and away from the ocean lines. In
a pretty poem by Mary Darmesteter called
"The death of Prester John," recently pub-
lished in the New York Independent, this sea-
side peculiarit}' is thus referred to :

"Then up and s]xikc the eldest Sccr (and he was
\vhitc as rime.
Bent as a sea-blown applc-stcni, solemn as night

at sea.) "

The authoress, evidently, nor possibly any
one ever gave a thought to the real cause of
the leaning, for they are not really "blown"
in the direction noted. The early branches
while vStill young and tender have their points
killed on the sea-expo.scd side b}' the cold sea
breezes of earl 3- spring. These would not suffer
by later summer breezes. The secondary shoots
thus get through uninjured. But those on the
leeward side do not sufler, and hence these have
the double chance to extend, and thus event-
ually give a "lopsided" appearance to the
tree's growth, and which in time present the
appearance of having had the branches " wind-
blown " toward the land.

The Home of the Sik-jar-Cane. — It is often
a subject of comment that mankind know the
least about thiuirs with vvliich tliev are in some
respects the most familiar. This is certainl}-
true of su"fir and the suirar-cane. Thouirh for
SO many centuries sugar has been in common
use, few could tell his nci'j^hbor where it came
from and where was the sugar }>lant's original
home. The sugar-cane is a species of grass
and not distantly related to our Indian corn
and, like the Indian corn, is not now found
wild in any i)ait of the world. Wherever it
originall\' grvw, it must have been destroyed
b\' the advance of civilization. It is said that
a Chinese literary c(Mupilatiou, which was put
together in the thitd century, states that the
Province of Bengal sent sugar-cane as a tribute
to China ; but it is not known that the solid
suirar itself was extracted from the cane. The
first indie. ition of the solid sugar has been
located between the third and the sixth
century in India ; while the Chinese do not ap-
])ear to have been acquainted with the method
of extracting the sugar from the cane until
about the year 640. Cane-sugar was first intro-

duced into Europe by the Saracens in 827,—
from thence it extended into Spain. Fron
some snatches of history it would appear thai
it found its way into Germany first from
Venice. Just when it was introduced into
America does not vseeni clear. On his second
voyage plants were taken by Columbus ; but
it does not appear to have finall}^ established
itself from this early introduction. The first
vSugar refinery known was established in 1573,
at Augsburg, in Saxony. The largest refinery
was in 1597 at Dresden. These facts are
gathered from the Louisiana Planter.

ScHiNUS MoLLE. — " Referring to your notes
on Schi}ius Molle, page 26, and Vegetable Curi-
osities, page 27," says Mr. Wni. vSaunders, of
the United States Department of Agriculture,
" attention might be called to the action of the
leaves of the Schinus when placed in water.
These, after lying a short time on the surface
will begin to start and jump as if they were
alive, while at the same instant of start a jet
of oily matter is discharged, acting as a pro-
peller. Tindley states it thus : ' The leaves
expel their resin with such violence when im-
mersed in water as to have the appearance of
spontaneous motion, in consequence of the
recoil.'

So far as I know, this peculiarit\' of motion
in leaves is confined to another plant of the
same family as the Schinus, called Duvaua
lati folia, a vSouth American plant also."

The American species of Rhus possess, in a
more or less degree, llie same peculiarities.

Greicn Li:a\ i:s in the Dark. — A corres-
pondent from Charleston, S. C, suggests, in
reference to the young green-leaved orange
])lants occasionally found in fruits, that the
])ulp and rind b(x"ome so thin as to be semi-
transparent, and that there is suflicient light
in such cases to produce the green of the leaf.
This is a matter for actual observation. Those
living in the vicinity where these green-leaved
seedlings inside the fruit occur, could ])erhaps
test it. In the absence of this actual ex-
perience, one would hardly' suppose there
would be sufilcient light, for, in taking the
thin rind of some oranges and ])lacing it
against brilliant gas jets, no appearance of
transparency' is evident.

iii: American Plane Tree. — The interest

I lie King of the Eastern American forest is
■inabated, and a number of correspondents send
N.iluable contributions to its history.

Mr. Robert Ridgway, of the SmithvSonian
Institute sends in the following, and notes of
oilier famous trees will follow:

" In the February number of your excellent
and alwa\'S welcome magazine you ask for in-
formation respecting large American plane
trees. Having paid much attention to the
study of our forest trees and taking many
niLasurements, I am glad to be able to con-
tribute something which may be of interest.

h'ourteen trees of this species {Plataiius
occidentalism standing within one square mile
of forest in Gibson County, Indiana, were, in
1S75. measured
by me with the
following result :
<'. irtli, average,
^vell above swell
of roots, 23;^ feet;
the extremes, 14
and 30 feet,
respectively.
Spread of top,
average, 127 feet,
''■■'- extremes

ing 100 and 135
iVet.

Altogether, I

I v e measured

^ circumference
27 trees ; the

erage girth of
i v'se, above the

veil," was 23.22 feet, the smallest being

ne feet and the largest 33.50. The average

■uld have been considerably greater had

I several comparatively small trees been

• I'.asured on account of their long, clean

^ ".inks ; for example, the tree girting nine feet

•'Oasured 83;^ feet to the first limb. As may

well known, few trees vary more in the

racter of their trunk than the present

-: ecies. I'sually, the trunk divides at a com-

r tratively low elevation, often very near the

.^ ound. It is not uncommon, however, in the

'-avy forests bf the western bottom-lands to

'-^d shafts of the "sycamore" which are as

^^traight and mast-like as the trunk of any

pine or spruce. The longest trunk measure-

S^>''v.

<i^i^ .

'•'h^>- ..^i

f>ik

A LARGE AMERICAN PLANE TREE.

ments which I have been able to make (always
from felled trees) are as follows: (a) length,
83 ,'2 feet, circumference, nine feet ; (b) length,
74 feet, circumference, 18 feet; (c) length, 6S
feet, circumference, 25 feet ; (d) length, 50 feet,
circumference, 27 feet; (e) length, 60 feet, cir-
cumference, 30 feet.

The total length has been measured by me
of only eight trees, all but one of which had
been felled and were measured with a 100- foot
tapeline. The average length of these eight
trees was 145 V ^^^et, the longest being 168 feet
and the shortest 129 feet.

Perhaps, the largest tree of this species
hitherto recorded is mentioned in Case's Botan-
ical Inde.w for April, 1880. p. 44. It stood
near Worthington, Greene County. Indiana, in

the White River
bottom. It was
48 feet in circum-
ference, and had a
solid trunk which
at 25 feet from the
ground divided
into three or four
m a i n branches,
the largest of
which was more
than \\\'Q feet in
diameter.

I send you with
this a photogiaph
of a tree which,
in November,
1875, when the
view was taken,
measured 42 feet
in circumference at the ground and 30 feet
round the smallest part of the trunk. It
was about 160 feet high (as determined
by triangulation and measurements with a
"dendrometer"), the massive crown spread-
ing 112 by 134 feet, and elevated 70 or 80
feet above the ground. This tree stood on
the Indiana side of the Wabash River, near
Mt. Carniel, Illinois, and was still standing in
1890, though a wreck through attempts to
burn it down as a cumberer of the ground.

In conclusion, I would say that while these
gigantic plane trees were by no means rare
twenty years ago, few of them, comparatively,
have survived the demands for lumber and the
requirements of the farmer. Thousands of

^j^:

5#*''

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

70

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WII.D FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[May

t
f

1:1

tr

i2

magnificent trees of this species have been
killed by "girdling" and afterward burnt,
simply to get them out of the way. More
recently, the wood of the "sycamore" has
been used in enormous quantities for the
manufacture of tobacco boxes, the extent of
this demand being indicated by the fact that,
in 1890, the St. Louis Box Company purchased
from land-owners along the Embarras River,
in Jaspar County, Illinois, 3,75o.ooo feet of
sycamore lumber ; and I was informed, during
a visit to that locality in the summer of that
year, that a single mill had a contract for saw-
ing 11,000,000 feet."

dodendrons where they never dreamed before
of being able to have the luxury of thij
class of handsomely foliaged and gorgeously
flowered shrubs.

"I shall be glad if any of the readers of
Meehan's Monthly can apprise us of a more-
sou therly station for Kalmia latifolia than the
one here noted. ' '

The Range of Kalmia latifolia. — Mr.
Harlan P. Kelsey, of Highlands Nursery,
N. C, finds the Kalmia further south than
generally supposed.

"While on a hurried business trip to the
progressive and rapidly-growing little town of
Florence, S. C, I had the opportunity of en-
joying a most charming boat ride on a large
artificial lake or pond, through the courtesy of
Mr. A. A. Cohen, the proprietor and one of
the most prominent business men of this
* New South ' town.

' * As I was drinking in the truly delightful
and tropical scene of a * Cypress Lake ' — wind-
ing our way among the peculiar-enlarged
bases of the smooth straight-trunked trees of
the ♦Bald-Cypress' {Taxodium distichum),
whose limbs were draped with tons of the
beautiful ' Southern Grey Moss ' hanging in
long festoons even to the surface of the water,
I was greatly surprised and delighted to espy
a hillside which formed the rather abrupt
south bank of the lake, completely covered
with a jungle of our lovely evergreen Mountain
Laurel, or Kalmia latifolia ; and I afterward
learned that it grew elsewhere in the im-
mediate neighborhood.

" Noting the fact that Florence is only 80
miles from the Atlantic, and but a few hundred
feet elevation, and further, only a little over a
hundred miles from the truly southern and
almost semi-tropical city of Charleston, it
makes the discovery particularly interesting,
proving as it does in what varied soils and
among what widely diff*erent environments
our ericaceous evergreens will thrive, and
encouraging our southern gardeners to plant
these beautiful broad-leaved Kalmias and Rho-

The Carolina Jasmine. — Miss Maria
Pinckney, sends from Charleston specimens
of Gelsemium nitidum, with remarkably large
and pale yellow flowers. The leaves are also
long and narrow. The plant is very different
from the one the conductors are familar with,
which has flowers scarcely half the size of
these, and of a deep orange color ; with the
leaves broadly ovate.

When the differences were first brought out
by correspondence it was suspected there were
dimorphic forms, which, as the conductors
have since noted. Prof. Pond long ago ob-
served to exist in this plant.

In these specimens from Miss Pinckney, the
stamens and pistils are both of equal length,
and absolutely perfect. This is probably a
distinct species, hitherto overlooked by bo-
tanists.

An Edible Thistle.— In the search for im-
proved vegetables, the Rocky Mountain Thistle
should not be forgotten. It rolls up its young
leaves after the fashion of a cabbage lettuce,
and was food for Indians who, as Dr. Coues
has determined, called it Shanataque. The
writer of this paragraph has collected them in
Colorado as large as small cabbages. They
ought to be as good as an artichoke, which is
the flower head of an ally of the thistle. Dr
Gray named it Cnicus edulis. A few seeds
would be acceptable for experiment.

Cowslip.— This in the Old World, is a well
known form of the Primrose. In the Eastern
States the name is applied to Caltha palustns,
which, in the Old World, on the other hand,
is called Marsh Marigold. The confusion in
the common names is very misleading. In-
quiries often come as to whether the Cowslip
of New England is the real Cowslip of the
poets, which, as will be seen by this paragraph,
it is not.

GENERAL GARDENING.

SONG OF THE FLOWERS.

" We are the sweet flowers.

Born of sunny showers,
(^Think, when'er you see us what our beauty saith;)

Utterance, mute and bright,

Of some unknown delight,
\Vc fill the air with pleasure, by our simple breath :

All who see us love us —

We befit our places ;
Unto sorrow we give smiles, and unto graces, races."

— Leigh Hunt.

Pruning Trees. — Many trees suffer from
excessive pruning ; while as many probably
fail to meet the results anticipated by culti-
vators, through a want of pruning. No one
can be taught how to prune properly, unless
the object to be attained by such pruning is
clearly kept in view. The student of this
branch of practical horticulture, coming into
Philadelphia by the Pa. R. R. may see an ad-
mirable lesson in this line from the large forest
trees in the vicinity of the Zoological Gardens.
I'hese have evidently suffered at some time or
another from starvation. In natural woods,
trees receive a great deal of food from the decay
'f fallen leaves which accumulate beneath
hem; this collects sand and other mineral
latters, and forms an excellent opportunity of
living food to the roots. When the surface is
^^ept clear, as it ought to be kept clear for
• opular enjoyment, the trees have no opportu-
nity of getting the nutrition necessary to sus-
lin vigorous hold on life. When a dry season
omes of extra severity, or an extra severe win-
cr is experienced, the vital power being low,
vrge branches get weak, or in many cases,
early die. In the illustration we have above
cferred to, these trees simply had their heads
'^i^t off. The trees were, in common language,
follarded; but the branches shot out with little
more vigor than before, because the real trouble
"vvas not this excess of branches, but the defi-
ciency of food. As a consequence, the stumps
are rotting away at the centre, and it will not
'^e many years before these fine specimens of
the ancient forests of Pennsylvania will disap-
pear. If a large amount of surface manuring

had been applied instead of heading off the
trees, it would have been a life-saving, instead
of a life-destroying operation.

It will be seen then, that the object for
which we prune must be first considered before
pruning is resorted to.

In connection with orchard trees, the same
thoughtfulness before commencing to prune is
required. It is essential that a tree should
have a large amount of healthy foliage rather
than the same quantity of half starved leaves.
Branches in the interior of the tree, bearing
only half shaded or weak leaves, are of little
use. If these are taken out, the vital energies
are directed into the healthier branches, which
are made still more healthy, and great good
results. But it may be that the trees have
been allowed to overbear and the larger
branches have had their life-principle some-
what exhausted. In such a case, instead of
pruning out the younger branches in the in-
terior, it is better to cut away the larger and
somewhat exhausted ones and leave a younger
race of shoots to take their place. These illus-
trations are given to show that the whole
question of whether pruning is or is not an
advantage, is wholly dependtnt on the object
which it is attempted to gain, and this can
only be answered by the facts in each individ-
ual case.

CoRVDALis NOBiLis.— Mr. E. Canning says,
"Just a word in favor of this beautiful, yet
but little known plant, (or to me. it seems
little known, as I so seldom meet with it out-
side ray own garden). It belongs to the
natural order Fumariacece, and is among the
earliest of spring flowering plants. Its bright
spikes of pale yellow flowers, tipped with
green, standing above a tuft of fern-like
foilage. It is perfectly hardy, and requires
little attention, growing in almost any sit-
uation. It is well adapted for a border plant
as its height when in flower is only about nine
inches. Being bulbous-rooted it may be in-
creased by offsets."

(71)

i|«'

K'

72

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[M:

3-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

73

Feeding Roots of Trees. — It must not be
forgotten in all lessons in practical fruit cul-
ture, that there are two classes of roots to
trees ; one are permanent and are truly roots,
the others endure only one year, and are called
fibres. When therefore, the term fibrous roots
is used, it is calculated to mislead. There may
be dozens of fine threads which are intended
to make permanent roots, and which appear
like fibres, but are not truly fibres in the
sense already intimated. True fibres are
annual, and are the feeders. Thev collect the
food which goes to the nourishment of the
main roots and branches, just as the leaves of
a tree prepare the food which goes to the per-
manent shoots and branches. As in the case
of the leaves, these usuall}^ die after a short
period — usually a year. As the food of the
tree has to be near the surface, in order to be
prepared properly by oxygen from the atmos-
phere, it is essential that these fibres should
be near the surface, and for this reason it is
not always wise to cultivate, as continual
stirring of the surface is called, during the
season. When these fibres are in actual
rest in an orchard, there is no harm what-
ever resulting from a plowing or harrowing of
the ground in early spring ; but the repeated
use of the harrow during the summer, thus
disturbing these feeding fibres, is a positive
injury.

It is for the reason given that trees suffer
from deep planting. The real roots do not
care how deep they go. Sometimes these
have been traced as much as 15 or 20 feet be-
low the surface. Deep planting does not
injure these roots, but by preventing the access
of the fibres which feed the plant, to the at-
mospheric air, injury follows. It is from the
injury to the fibres or feeding roots, that trees
should not be set too deep.

Testing the Fertility op Land. — Ac-
cording to a writer of many years ago, a per-
son in buying a piece of ground for horticul-
tural uses, dissolved a handful of earth from
the land in question, in water. After leaving
it settle for vSeveral hours, if the water was
tasteless the land was considered fit for use.

Possibly these old fashioned people only
knew that some good came from this test, and
they may have been laughed at as a set of
agricultural "cranks." Since moderns have

discovered that the fertility of a soil depenc ,
on its power to absorb and retain nutritive
matter, the old-time practice is seen to have
been a sensible one. The purity of water
showed that the land had properly absorbed
the fertilizing material in the water.

A blind man was once laughed at for goin^
to select a farm. On being helped out of the
vehicle, he asked that the horse might be lead
to a bunch of thistles. He was told there were
none. Then he remarked that docks would
do as well. This request they were able to
gratify. He subsequently bought the farm.
When asked the reason for his '* cranky"
desires, he replied that thistles grew on poor
land, docks only on rich soil.

Some versifyer says :

** Though justly prized are modern science rules,
It will not do to call our fathers fools. ' '

and there seems force in the remark.

Destroying Insects in Plant Houses. —
Mr. P. J. Berckmans, the eminent horticul-
turist of Augusta, Georgia, notes that few
greenhouses may be said to be free from either
of the following insects, viz : Green Fly or
Aphis, Thrip, Red Spider and Mealy Bug.
Whenever plants are infected with either of
the above, immediate measures for their des-
truction must be resorted to. For Green Fly
use tobacco, either in the form of snuff* or in a
weak solution, or by burning tobacco stems to
create a dense smoke. For Mealy Bug and
Red Spider use Persian Insect Powder, Cole's
Insect Destroyer, or a strong solution of Whale
Oil Soap, in addition to the tobacco smoke.
These ingredients may be obtained from lead-
ing druggists.

Fruit-bearing Hollies. — Miss Kate Kurtz,
of York, Pa., tells of two American Hollies in
the same cemetery, though on separate lots,
one sterile and one berry-bearing. At first
thought, it might seem that the berry-bearing
one was self- fertile, and the conductors so
wrote to Miss K. But when it is remembered
how wonderfully abundant pollen is, and how
easily it is taken by wind or insects to the
flowers which thereby become fertile, it is
possible the tree bearing berries receives its
pollen in one of these ways and is not self-
fertile.

'lAGNOLiA HYPOLEUCA.— In the issue of
' hardening" of September the 15th, there is
,:i illustration of the beautiful Japan Magnolia
hvpoleuca, recently introduced, showing it in
fi uver. We now supplement this by giving
an illustration of the fruit from a specimen
which has matured on the grounds of the
proprietors of " Meehans' Monthly. " " Gar-
dening " states that in its opinion it has
' • the most beautiful foliage of any species we
grow." And "Meehans' Monthly'' can
well endorse this character. As will be seen,
the fruit very much resembles that of Magnolia
tripetala. It is more ovate and less slender
than that species,. but has the beautiful rosy
tint, previous to the expulsion of the seeds,
which gives that species a high claim to a
prominent place in
ornamental garden-
ing. The habit of
the tree appears
intermediate
between Magnolia
tripetala and M.
macrophylla, and it
would be fair, per-
haps, to say that it
i s the Japanese ana-
1 '^ue of the Mag-
nolia tripetala of
^lis country. As

'•-Tore noted, there

'^ a close relation-

■''ip between the

Prints of Japan and

he plants of the

Ulantic portion of

bush of it which is 7 feet high and nearly as
much across, and which is nearly always in
bloom. In regard to propagating roses, Mr.
Bosanquefs plan is to tie the cuttings up into
bunches and bury them about a foot deep in
the ground for a few weeks ; after which they
are taken up and planted with the eyes two
feet above the ground ; each cutting starts at
once into growth, and failure is rare.

MAGNOLIA HYPOLEUCA.

Almonds.— It is not generally known by
cultivators, though people well informed in
historical matters understand it, that the peach
and the almond are both originally of the same
stock. It is indeed believed that the peach
sprang from the almond. The peach is little
more than an almond, with a succulent, fleshy

coating to the seed,
the almond having
adryer shell, which
cracks and falls
away, much as the
shell of a Horse
Chestnut would do.
There are some al-
monds with stones
like peaches — the
softer shelled ones
being difTerent from
the other in no other
respect except in
that character, —
leaves and flowers,
and all the parts of
the plant are pre-
cisely the same.
In almond grow-

• he United States — sometimes exactly the same
pecies occur in both of these places so widely
•eparated ; and where the species is not exactly
J lentical, a very closely related one, as in this
instance, is frequently found.

Grafted Roses. — Mr. Louis Bosanquet, of
i^raitland Park, Florida, writes to the Farm
• ./ Fruit Grower, that he finds the McCartney
•ind Cherokee roses first-class stocks on which
to bud the finer kinds. He has a La Marque
rose grafted on a Cherokee, only one year old,
wliich has had 20 shoots more than 6 feet
^f^"g. As a climbing rose of the South, Mr
r^osanquet believes that one of the very best
^s the Duchess de Brabant. He says he has a

ing countries the shells of the fruit on
some trees do not open well, and the profit of
the crop depends in a great measure on this
point. When the fruit is ripe it is knocked
off" the trees with poles, and if in the splendid
condition which the almond grower delights
in, a very little raking or working will get the
almond to fall easily out of the shell. Many,
however, will not open easily— in this case,
they have to be selected and thrown into heaps
by themselves. It would not pay, however,
to grow almonds largely if there were many
shells which refused easily to open. The
almond finds itself at home in California. It
has become a staple there, and one of the most
profitable.

72

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[M

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

/J

Feeding Roots oe Trees. — It must not be
forgotten in all lessons in practical fruit cul-
ture, that there are two classes of roots to
trees ; one are permanent and are truly roots,
the others endure only one year, and are called
fibres. When therefore, the term fibrous roots
is used, it is calculated to mislead. There may
be dozens of fine threads which are intended
to make permanent roots, and which appear
like fibres, but are not truly fibres in the
sense already intimated. True fibres are
annual, and are the feeders. Thev collect the
food which goes to the nourishment of the
main roots and branches, just as the leaves of
a tree prepare the food which goes to the per-
manent shoots and branches. As in the case
of the leaves, these usuall}^ die after a short
period — usually a year. As the food of the
tree has to be near the surface, in order to be
prepared properly by oxygen from the atmos-
phere, it is essential that these fibres should
be near the surface, and for this reason it is
not always wise to cultivate, as continual
stirring of the surface is called, during the
season. When these fibres are in actual
rest in an orchard, there is no harm what-
ever resulting from a plowing or harrowing of
the ground in early spring ; but the repeated
use of the harrow during the summer, thus
disturbing these feeding fibres, is a positive
injury.

It is for the reason given that trees suffer
from deep planting. The real roots do not
care how deep they go. Sometimes these
have been traced as much as 15 or 20 feet be-
low the surface. Deep planting does not
injure these roots, but by preventing the access
of the fibres which feed the plant, to the at-
mospheric air, injury follows. It is from the
injury to the fibres or feeding roots, that trees
should not be set too deep.

Testinc; the Fertility oe Land. — Ac-
cording to a writer of many years ago, a per-
son in buying a piece of ground for horticul-
tural uses, dissolved a handful of earth from
the land in question, in water. After leaving
it .settle for several hours, if the water was
tasteless the land was considered fit for use.

Possibly these old fashioned people only
knew that .some good came from this test, and
they may have been laughed at as a set of
agricultural "cranks." Since moderns have

discovered that the fertility of a soil depen'
on its power to absorb and retain nutrili
matter, the old-time practice is seen to ha\
been a sensible one. The purity of wattr
showed that the land had properly absorbed
the fertilizing material in the water.

A blind man was once laughed at for going
to select a farm. On being helped out of the
vehicle, he asked that the horse might be lead
to a bunch of thistles. He was told there were
none. Then he remarked that docks would
do as well. This request they were able to
gratify. He subsequently bought the farm.
When asked the reason for his "cranky"
desires, he replied that thistles grew on poor
land, docks only on rich soil.

Some versifyer says :

" Though justly prized are modern science rules,
It will not do to call our fathers fools."

and there seems force in the remark.

DEvSTroying Insects in Plant Houses. —
Mr. P. J. Berckmans, the eminent horticul-
turist of Augusta, Georgia, notes that few
greenhouses may be said to be free from either
of the following insects, viz : Green Fly or
Aphis, Thrip, Red Spider and Mealy Bug.
Whenever plants are infected with either of
the above, immediate measures for their des-
truction must be resorted to. For Green Fly
use tobacco, either in the form of snuff or in a
weak .solution, or by burning tobacco stems to
create a dense smoke. For Mealy Bug and
Red Spider use Persian Insect Powder, Cole\^
lUvSect Destroyer, or a strong solution of Whak
Oil Soap, in addition to the tobacco smoke.
These ingredients ma}' be obtained from lead-
ing druggists.

Fruit-bearing Hollies. — Miss Kate Kurtz,
of York, Pa., tells of two American Hollies in
the same cemetery, though on separate lots,
one sterile and one berry-bearing. At first
thought, it might seem that the berry-bearing
one was self- fertile, and the conductors so
wrote to ]\Iiss K. But when it is remembered
how wonderfully abundant pollen is, and how
easily it is taken by wind or insects to the
flowers which thereby become fertile, it is
possible the tree bearing berries receives its
pollen in one of these ways and is not self-
fertile.

; >(,NOLiA HYPOLEUCA. — In the issue of
.idening " of September the 15th, there is

,i lustration of the beautiful Japan Magnolia

.'/c/u-a, recently introduced, showing it in
, rvver. We now supplement this by giving
.:i illustration of the fruit from a specimen
wiiich has matured on the grounds of the
proprietors of " Meehans' Monthly." " Gar-
dening " states that in its opinion it has
the most beautiful foliage of any species we
mow." And "Meehans' Monthly" can
well endorse this character. As will be seen,
the fruit very much resembles that of Mag?iolia
tripctala. It is more ovate and less slender
thiui that species, but has the beautiful rosy
tint, previous to the expulsion of the seeds,
which gives that species a high claim to a
])roniinent place in
ornamental garden-
ing. The habit of
the tree appears
intermediate
between Magfiolia
tripctala and M.
macrophylla, and it
would be fair, per-
haps, to say that it
* > the Japanese ana-
; .^ue of the Mag-

'■ia tripctala of
- countrv^ As

fore noted, there
I close relation-
i) between the

lilts of Japan and
plants of the

. .. .. c MAGNOLIA

.antic portion of
ie United States — sometimes exactly the same
"cies occur in both of these places so widely

arated ; and where the species is not exactly
vutical, a very closely related one, as in this
■stance, is frequently found.

bush of it which is 7 feet high and nearly as
much across, and which is nearly always in
bloom. In regard to propagating roses, Mr.
Bosanquet's plan is to tie the cuttings up into
bunches and bury them about a foot deep in
the ground for a few weeks ; after which they
are taken up and planted with the eyes two
feet above the ground ; each cutting starts at
once into growth, and failure is rare.

^^^^^'

T^>^:

'Vrai-tivD Roses. — Mr. Louis Bosanquet, of

litland Park, Florida, writes to the Farm

' Fruit Grower, that he finds the McCartney

'I Cherokee roses first-class stocks on which

' hud the finer kinds, lie has a I.a Marque

■ •'^e grafted on a Cherokee, only one year old,

'hich has had 20 shoots more than 6 feet

'•'"g. As a climbing rose of the South, Mr

^Hisanquet believes that one of the very best

•^ the Duchess de Brabant. He says he has a

»

Almonds.-— It is not generally known by
cultivators, though people well informed in
historical matters understand it, that the peach
and the almond are both originally of the same
stock. It is indeed believed that the peach
sprang from the almond. The peach is little
more than an almond, with a succulent, fleshy

coating to the seed,
the almond having
adryer shell, which
cracks and falls
away, much as the
shell of a Horse
Chestnut would do.
There are some al-
monds with stones
like peaches — the
softer shelled ones
being dilTerent from
the other in no other
respect except in
that character. —
leaves and flowers,
and all the parts of
the plant are pre-
ciselv the same.
HYPOLEUCA. ii^ almond grow-

ing countries the shells of the fruit on
some trees do not open well, and the proflt of
the crop depends in a great measure on this
point. When the fruit is ripe it is knocked
ofl'the trees with poles, and if in the splendid
condition which the almond grower delights
in, a very little raking or working will get the
almond to fall easily out of the shell. Many,
however, will not open easily— in this case,
they have to be selected and thrown into heaps
by themselves. It would not pay, however,
to grow almonds largely if there were many
shells which refused easily to oi)en. The
almond finds itself at home in California. It
has become a staple there, and one of the most
profitable.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

74

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[M.y

r^M

^•]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

75

U

^1

Cercidiphyllum Japonicum. — Prof. Sar-
gent in a recent *' Garden and Forest," states
this to be a leading forest tree of Japan, often
reaching a hundred feet, and a circumference
of twenty or twenty -four. Like most forest
trees all over the world, the flowers are insig-
nificant, and the sexes are on separate trees.
The finest specimen at the Meehan nurseries,

Good Roads. — Mr. Wm. H. Rhawn, a pub-
lie spirited Philadelphian, who has done much
to attract attention to road reform, kindly
sends the proceedings of the National League
for Good Roads, held in Chicago in October
last. Some great good must surely come from
these disinterested noble efforts. The numer-
ous illustrations, showing miserable roads in
America, and grand roads in the Old
World, are all very well as object lessons,
but before we slight America we must
not lose sight of the financial problem.

To make these good ro ds and similar
great works in the Old World, the popu-
lation is so ground down by taxation,
that the lower classes have to flock in
thousands to the New World, and cheer-
fully accept the bad roads in exchange.
The great Roman Appian Way of which
we hear so much , was probably made by
the unpaid labor of the captives taken in
war.

There is possibly not an American
who drives a horse but fully understands
the good economy of a good road over a
bad one. The great problem is how to
get them without excessive or unfair
taxation.

CERCIDIPHYLLUM JAPONICUM.

Germantown, is i8 feet high, and 15 inches in
circumference at the base. The habit is that
of the Lombardy poplar, as shown in the
annexed illustration, and this manner of
growth will make it valuable where landscape
gardening of an artificial type will be in char-
acter. The plant above referred to is from
seed distributed some years ago, by Prof.
Clark, of Amherst College.

Hot Water to Destroy Insects. —
In the early numbers of the ** Gardeners'
Monthly,'' over a quarter of a centur}
ago, it was shown that pot plants infest-
ed with red spider, mealy bug, green
aphis, or other insects could be readily
ridden of them by inverting the pot and
dipping the plant hastily in water heateci
to 125 or 130 degrees. The instantan-
eous dipping does not hurt the plant ;
while certain death to the insects. Re-
^'^ cently this method of destroying insects
by hct water has been tried with outdoor
plants, and especially with the rose
beetle ; but the attempts to use this
plan effectively in this way have failed, on
account of the rapid cooling of the water. It
is said that where heated to 200 degrees and
thrown over plants by a whisk-broom, it gets
so cooled as to be no benefit in destroying
insects. Where plants, however, can be
dipped, as before stated, it is one of the very
best remedies in the hands of the window
plant grower.

u^

Ampelopsis YmrcHU.'-Ampelopsis Veitchii,
or as it is more properly A. tricuspidata, is one
of the hardiest of plants, and would probably
endure a winter at the North Pole. It is how-
ever subject to a disease similar to that which
afllicts the Clematis and the Pear— in the
latter case known as ''Fire blight.*' In
these cases something, the exact nature of
which has not been clearly demonstrated,
girdles a branch for an inch or two, destroying
bark both and wood, when all that is above
the injured spot dies. Whatever it is that
makes the attack, it evidently commences the
injury before we can see the fatal effect, as the
branch which is to die has leaves of a paler
tint than those which are on the other
branches ; sometimes indeed taking in some-
what of the rosy tint of the autumn leaf. The
disease does not effect the part of the plant
below the point of attack. Hence though the
whole side of a large wall may be killed, the
plant will soon recover the lost ground. A
plant even badly hurt, may never again be at-
tacked, though sometimes the same plant
continually suffers. Those unaware of these
facts consider the plant "tender in some
localities."

S SSS ¥E^ET/^PLES<

Forestry Advancement. — The writer of
this paragraph, having some public business
at Harrisburg, was pleased to see Prof J. T.
Rothrock, from the Speaker's desk in the hall
of the House of Representatives, addressing
the members of the Legislature on the subject
of forestry. A very large number of the Legis-
lators were present listening to the Professor's
entertaining address. In other States, as well
as Pennsylvania, public interest is being cen-
tred on this question. A Forestry association
has just been established in the State of Wis-
consin— a State which is above all interested
:n the preservation and extension of its forests.

Growth OF THE White Pine. — Mr. Edmund
Hersey, Superintendent of the Bussey Farm,
Mass., shows that it does not take so long to
raise timber trees as many persons believe.
Four White Pine trees set out 31 years ago,
measure three feet from the ground 160 inches
in circumference, 165 inches and 266 inches.
These were year old seedlings when set out,
He thinks that 160 to 170 trees to the acre is
the best number for successful forest planting.

Seedless Fruit. — Recently " Meehans'
Monthly" called attention to the value of
improvements in the direction of seedless fruit.
For many purposes in domestic economy, seed-
less fruit is desirable. In the grape, as is well
known, the currant has held its own in this
respect from time almost immemorial, and yet
the currant of the grocery stores is nothing
but a seedless grape. Fruits which seem, so
to speak, to avoid seed bearing, never are as
large as those which produce seed, — and this is
the reason the currant seems so small in com-
parison to the raisin.

In the orange a great advance has been made
in the line of the variety called the Navel.
This also never, or rarely produces seeds.
But in the apple and pear, and other popular
fruits, although seedless varieties have been
brought to popular notice, few of them have
reached deserved popularity. In relation to
the class, known as stone fruits, no attention
has been given. If only a seedless peach could
be obtained, it would prove a bonanza to com-
mercial men,-and yet, so far as vegetable
physiology is concerned, there appears to be
no reason why a seedless peach could not be
originated as well as seedless varieties of other
fruits. The whole subject is well worthy of
careful attention to those improvers whose
chief object is to derive a fortune from scienti-
fic truths reduced to practice.

Early Tomatoes. — A few very superior
tomatoes, from the hothouse of Mrs. S. A.
Harrison, grown by her gardener, Mr. James
Lawler, reached us on the 9th of March, and
leads to the remark that few branches of vege-
table gardening are more profitable and pleas-
ant than the forcing of tomatoes. Even from
the South tomatoes had not reached the market
up to that date ; and yet. one of the objections
of forcing fruits and vegetables, common
many years ago, is that it is so easy now
to get them naturally from points further
south. Forced tomatoes have also an advan-
tage, which forced fruits and vegetables gene-
rally do not possess, in this, that to most
taste they are far superior in flavor when
forced to those grown in the open air.

76

MEEHANS' MONTH r^Y—GENERAI, GARDENING.

[May

- 1

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

77

The Culture oe Raspberries. — It is not
generally known that the raspberry cane is
hardy just in proportion to the amount of
healthy leaves which will continue healthful
to the last. If the leaves fall before the natural
time for leaf-ripening, the wood has but a very
low vital power, and is very easily killed by
the first frost. Every effort, therefore, should
be made to keep the leaves of raspberry canes
healthy. Small and weak canes, should be
kept down, and good manure, or other enrich-
ing food applied to the plants. The raspberry
is especially fond of cool earth to grow in. It
is indifferent to the temperature of the atmos-
phere, but does not like extra heat at the roots.
To this end a mulching of any half-rotten
material is an excellent practice in cultivating
this fruit. Sometimes, in spite of all precau-
tions, rust will attack raspberry leaves, or
some other kind of fungus will make a home
on the foliage — the leaves then die early,
and the canes are not very strong. Under
these circumstances, much profit ensues from
bending the canes down and covering them
with earth during winter. This prevents great
evaporation from the canes, which is the chief
source of injury. Early in the season, as soon
as the frost is gone, the earth must be taken
from the canes, otherwise the buds will push
early and rot. With a little care in cultiva-
tion, with some such treatment as that des-
cribed, the raspberry is one of the most
successful of amateur grown fruits.

t:^

Corn Stalk Bean Poles. — Ruth Ray-
mond, Harmonsburg, Pa., remarks, "Beans
have been successfully grown with corn stalk
support, notwithstanding your correspondent's
skepticism. Sunflowers are also used with
beans for the same purpose ; and if the Mam-
moth Russian variety is chosen, there is no
danger that extra supports will be needed for
either plant. The sunflowers, however, are
apt to shade the beans too much by their rank
growth of foliage ; this can be remedied by
keeping most of the lower leaves picked off.
It is doubtful if the beans, grow as luxuriantly
under either of these methods as when poled
in the regular way. A part of the nourishment
in the soil which should go to the bean, and
possibly a very generous share, is appropriated
by its neighbor. Yet it is a saving of labor,
and that, too, of labor that cannot well be per-

formed by women, to whom the work of gar-
den-making often largely falls."

It may be noted that the earlier reference
was to the Lima Bean, which is very heavy.
It is common to grow soup beans and corn to-
gether. These are not so heavy as the Lima.

The English Blackberry. — As a mere mat-
ter of size and flavor, the English blackberry
does not begin to compare with the American,
but in enormous productiveness it is far supe-
rior. It is remarkable that this fact has not
been discovered until of late years. Under
the name of Evergreen Blackberry, the cut
leaf variety of the English blackberry, namely,
Rubus discolor laciniatus, is getting wide at-
tention in the West. It is a trailer, and is
not so bush-like as the American blackberry,
and the leaves remaining on all winter, justifies
to some extent the name of evergreen. A
picture issued by J. B. Hershberger & Co.,
which has been handed us as a possible ex-
aggeration, can by no means be classed in
this category. The picture is not in the least
overdrawn. It is certainly one of the most
abundant bearers, setting aside size and qual-
ity, of all the species of blackberry. Although
long known in cultivation as a curiosity, it is
only of late that its merit as an inmate of
the fruit garden has been prominently brought
out.

Healthy Leaves— Healthy Trees. — A
Geneva, N.Y., correspondent expects good crops
of fruit the coming year, because last autumn
the foliage continued healthy to the last. A
more valuable lesson was never better told.
Healthy leaves make healthy wood, and per-
fect health brings perfect functions. It should
be the aim of all cultivators of fruits or flowerj;
to retain the health of leaves up to the latest
possible moment.

Weight of Tomatoes. — A correspondent of
the London Gardeners' C//r<9;^/V■/^, who has been
raising plants under glass, finds twelve pounds
to be the average weight produced by a single
plant. There seems to be no record of the
greatest weight a single plant would produce
in America ; but we should not be surprised if
fifty pounds would not be an average for a
plant under favorable circumstances.

K(;oT PruningTrEES— Amateurs who have
snail gardens, frequently desire to have trees
come tnto bearing before the lapse of many
years. For this reason rapid growing trees
are <;rafted on those of slower growing pro-
clivities. For instance, the pear, which is a
strong grower, is grafted on the slower grow-
iticr quince. This checks the vegetative vigor,
which is the desired point in inducing early

fruitful ness.

Sometimes, however, it is not desirable to
have trees grafted on these weaker growing
stocks, but to have the early fruitfulness on
trees with their own
roots. The pear
on the pear root,
for instance, is pref-
erable in many re-
spects to the pear
on the quince, pro-
viding it will only
come into bearing
without waiting
lonj; for this desir-
able result. Gird-
\\\v^ is sometimes
employed, but this
IS dangerous to the
inrinanent health
V ' the branches
gi'dled, and those
V lio have the time
* ^ spare have belter
ilts from root
ning. Thissim-
means digging
' nul the tree so
1 to cut off some
f " its roots. The
. stance will de-
11(1 on the age and size of the tree. Suppose,
instance, a pear tree to be as thick as one's
i^t, perhaps eight or ten years old, and still
g: )wing too vigorously to bear, — a trench may
''- ' *lug out, four feet from the stem of the tree,
''vo feet deep, and the earth filled in again ;
tiic usual result is that fruit bearing buds are
formed the next year, or, at the most, a fair
crop may be expected the second year after
such an operation. If the tree had not thus
l^een treated, it might have been several
years later before fruit could have been
obtained.

First- class Grapes for the Amateur. —
It is a well known fact that we rarely get the
best varieties of fruit in the markets. The
market man has to consider what varieties
will travel best and what varieties can pro-
duce most abundantly; productiveness and
carrying facilities are the chief elements which
he necessarily has to look after. The amateur
grower can always get much better fruit than
he can get in market. In the matter of grapes,
for instance, the Concord is the most popular
with the market grower ; it has the special
qualifications which lead to profit ; but the

Concord in its best
state will never
equal many other
varieties — some of
them even very old
kinds. "The Rural
New Yorker" very
pointedly states
that a number of
the Roger's seed-
lings, which were
anion<^ the first of
the great modern
advance in grape
growing, are still
far ahead of the
Concord in those
properties which
give value to a
grape for the ama-
teur, and it es-
pecially names,
among these, the
Wilder, the Lindley
and the Agawam.
The Ddiware is
however one of
those kind which has been found both profit-
able and of high character otherwise.

VARIATION IN HORSE RADISH LEAVES. --sec p. 67.

Thk Vladimir Chi-rrv.— The late Mr. Oibb,
in the Kighth Report of the Minnesota Horti-
cultural vSociety, says of this cherry that it is
one of the most popular in Russian fruit gar-
dens,—that it is a comparatively dwarf kind
and is grown in bush form, and that even
seedlings from it produce trees of. a similar
dwMrf and bushy character, —varying, how-
ever, a little in habit— some being more up-
right and some more drooping than others.

n-"

'^^ Wi.,>

, -, MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

/oucrh bark. We notice by the report of

79

'.?

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

THE MAY QUEEN.

Of gauzy white her simple dress,

Which they with garlands have enwound,
And on her youthful brow did press

The wreath with which they her had crown 'd.
I gazed upon the fragile child

Who sat enthroned upon the green,
And watched her whilst she sweetly sniil'd
On those who claimed her for their queen."

John Ingram.

Isaac Burk. — It is well to sing in praise
of the modest violet, but unfortunately, it is a
flower not often seen unless sought for. Thou-
sands of useful people die unknown, while
numerous less useful get fame and glory. This
thought comes strongly forward while reading
the obituary of Isaac Burk, one of the most use-
ful botanists possibly of the many useful Phila-
delphia has produced. He died in Philadelphia
on the 30th of March, in his 77th year. He
put an immense amount of time and labor on
the Herbarium of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia, and much of the emi-
nence of this great collection of dried plants
in the earlier of its modern stage is due to
him. In early life a merchant tailor, his
health suffered, and in order to get open air
exercise, he purchased "a route" as carrier
on the daily Public Ledger, the balance of his
time being devoted mainly to botanical pur-
suits. Under his guidance and example his
family has become useful like the father.
Reverend Jesse Y. Burk, an eminent Episco-
palian Divine, is also Secretary of the Board of
Trustees of the Pennsylvania University. Ad-
dison B. Burk is Chief Associate Editor of
Mr. Geo. W. Childs' well known Public Ledger .
Dr. Wm. H. Burk also on the editorial staff"
of the same paper, was the Botanist of the ex-
ploring party which carried Lieut Peary to
Greenland, and Charles W. Burk is at the
head of one of the great printing establish-
ments. Mr. Burk, though his modesty
brought him few honors while living, has
surely not lived in vain. His good works will
live long, though his name may not be
brilliantly recorded.

(73)

Young Forests and their Industries.—
This is a concise work, though in pamphlet
form, by Dermot O'C. Donelan, and published
in Dublin by H. M. Gill & Son for the price
of sixpence. Ireland was at one time well
wooded and harbored the true shamrock —
Ox alls acelosella, under the shade of its forest
trees. No woods are there now, but there is
no reason why for^ts should not again be
planted. Mr. D. points out the one reason
why they are not is no reason ; namely that a
tree would be of no service until it is half a
century old. There are numerous trees that
would come into great profit in half that time.
Mr. D. believes the Government should take
Irish forestry in hand. In our country we
would rather offer premiums for people to do
it themselves.

John L. Russell. — Rev. John L. Russell,
one of the earliest of the Unitarian clergymen
of Mass. , was among the foremost in advancing
the knowledge of small microscopic fungi,
which has come to be so important a part of
horticultural education. He was really far iri
advance of his contemporaries in his knowl-
edge ol these destructive agencies, and much
of the great pleasure which the writer of this
derived from his scientific correspondence is
associated with the letters of Prof. John L.
Russell ; his title coming from his having
been elected as Professor of Botany to the Mass.
Horticultural Society. Long before it was
announced in any scientific serial. Prof.
Russell's correspondence gave the writer his
first knowledge of the agency of cork cells ir
causing the rifting of the bark in trees. Be-
fore Prof. Russell's researches, the doctrines
taught in all botanical text books was that
the rifts were caused simply by the mechanical
expansion of the trunk. Prof. Russell dis-
covered that the development of these cork
cells at various periods in the life of the bark,
was the real cause of these clefts. After this
discovery it was easy to understand how every
species of tree had its own style of taking on

. Mass. Horticultural Society that Prof.
j.issell left $1000 in trust to the Mass.
Horticultural Society, as a fund ; the interest
nf which is to be paid annually to some com-
petent person, who shall deliver a lecture on
the latest discoveries of the connection of
fungi with horticultural pursuits. In this way
ihe^'professor happily thought to continue the
work in his favorite study.

lished in the Proceedings of that Society— a
compilation of all the leading points that have
been brought out in connection with the his-
tory of the celebrated water lily, Victoria regia,
It is illustrated by a beautiful frontispiece of
the plant as it bloomed last year in Washing-
ton. It is one of the most useful contributions
to our knowledge of this beautiful plant that
has appeared for a long time.

David Douglass.— Exploration to day is
very different to what it was a half century
or more ago. Now we can get all the com-
forts of modern life up to
the verge of the unknown,
and return to civilization
almost before we are missed.
The labors and dangers of
the earlier collectors for our
ti^ardens c m scarcely be ap-
preciated in our day, some
of them losing their lives in
our behalf. Few names are
1 letter known to flower lovers
than that of David Douglass
-the Douglass spruce alone
would make him well re-
membered— and he too was
t.ne of those whose life was
;• sacrifice to science. Far
away from home and friends
lie was killed by a w41d
tv^ast in the Sandwich
Tlands. In the early part
the century gardeners
' re a remarkably intelli-
:.;t'nt class of men. Broad culture would
•en be found hand in hand with the spade
atui hoe. David Douglass was one of those
humble but learned gardeners, born at Scone
• Perthshire in 1798. His botanical tastes
ore fixed by a short term in the Glasgow
"^ )tanic Garden. Between 1823 and 1827 he
explored the central and western part of our
continent. It was on a second visit to
A merica that he died as aforesaid in 1 834.

DAVID DOUGLASS

Dr. Vasey. — To the large list of able botan-
ists of the past generation that have recently
passed away must now be added the name of
Dr. Geo. Vasey, for many years Curator of the

United States National Her-
barium, who died on the 4th
of March in Washington.
Like his predecessor. Dr.
C. C. Parry, he was a native
of England, having been
born in Yorkshire, England,
in 1822, butcame to America
at an early age. He tock
the degree of Doctor of
Medicine in his twenty-
fifth year, at Pittsfield,
Mass., and shortly after re-
moved to Illinois to practice.
His love for botany soon
placed him in the front
line, and in the knowledge
of grasses especially he be-
came a leading authority.
Besides his work on the
National Herbarium, he
has written leading treaties
on trees and grasses.

The Victoria Regia. — Dr. William H.
Seaman, of Washington, District of Columbia,
has issued, as a souvenir of the meeting of the
American Microscopical Society in Washing-
ton, a beautiful folio edition of a paper pub-

The Flora ok Pennsylvania.— A corres-
pondent sends to MEEHANS' Monthly the ex-
pression of his delight that Professor Porter
may issue some day a Flora of Pennsylvania.
By such an eminently fitted authority he con-
siders it would be a work of reference for all
time, just as Dr. Darlington's local work.
Flora Cestria for the wild flowers of Chester
county continues to be.

Ghiesbrecht.— August B. Ghiesbrecht, a
native of Belgium, but one of the best botanical
explorers of Brazil and I^Iexico, and whose
name is familiar to plant lovers, died at San
Cristobal, February 7th, in his 82d year.

■•■ ■5-. ,..•.

!

I

I*

GENERAL NOTES.

Our Native Fi.owkrs and Ferns. — The
conductors appreciate the hearty welcomes
which • continually come from intelligent
people. The following sample from a North
Carolina friend is the more appreciated, be-
cause it recognizes as Meehans' Monthly
does, the good work done by contemporaries,
whose success is as heartily desired as that of
this publication :

" I wish to say that I think Meehans'
Monthly is a credit to America, as it is doing
a work for our * American plants ' that has
been sadly neglected, so much so, that our
American citizens hardly know what a Native
plant is, — the majority not knowing that within
our borders grow some of the finest trees,
shrubs and plants that the world can produce,
and having the peculiar advantages of adap-
tability and freedom from disease. And it
seems to be the work of Meehans' Monthly,
and we might add Garden and Forest, and in
part the American Gardcni)ig, to teach our
people of the treasures we have at our very
doors. I sincerely wish 3'ou much success."

Science. — Light reading, and general news-
paper literature, has made a wonderful advance
of late years, with a rush to the extreme as
frequently good things do. Solid information
has been neglected until well educated Ameri-
cans compare unfavorably with similar classes
in the old world. A reaction now is taking
place. Magazines, like Meehans' Monthly,
find good encouragement, and general science
is becoming more popular than ever. The
weekly magazine known as Science, published
in New York, now in its eleventh year, reports
good encouragement, and it deserves all it gets.

Sending Specimens by Mail. — Correspond-
ents sending plants for name or examination
to newspaper offices, should have their names
on the envelope. With hundreds of letters
arriving, it is often extremely difficult to con-
nect the articles sent with the person sending it.

(80)

Early Death of Large Trees. — At page
59 occurs the sentence, ''More old trees die
early from want of food than from any other
cause." A friend whose kindly criticism is
always appreciated, remarks, ^' old trees die
earlv — impossible!" In a strictly literary
sense, the point raised by our friend is well
taken, and yet the expression is fairly defen-
sible. A man at 60 reaches old age — that is to
say its early stage. If he reaches 90 that
would be a late .stage. There seems to be an
early and a late stage to maturity as to all
earthly things.

PoGONiP. — This is an Indian word for fog,
used only by the Washoe and Piute Indians.
A correspondent, Mrs. Lewers, gives a graphic
account of the great beauty of the trees of that
section of the country under a pogonip that
was suddenly succeeded by frost. Although
with no snow, the shrubs and sage bush were
covered with long, fine, snowy forms, some
hanging down from the branches, others
clustered and looking like flowers. The pa:
ticular one referred to lasted eight days. In'
mediatelj^ on the sun coming out the frosted
mist thaws and falls like dust, forming
picture of beauty rarely told in natur.
history.

The Next Plate. — One of our prett;
native ferns, Trichomafies Pctersi, will be th
subject of the next illustration. This will b
a treat to those who are strictly botanical, a.
it is among the rarest of American ferns
while the mere lover of wild flowers willl
delighted with the delicate beauty- of thv
fronds.

Indian Names oe Plants. — United States
Commander A. O. Ingalls, stationed at Mur-
ray, Idaho, is making a specialty of the stud}
of Indian names of plants, and would be thank-
ful for any aid any readers of Meehans'
Monthly can give him.

TRICHOMANES PETERSII.

PETERS' HAIR FERN.
NATURAL ORDER, FILICES.

obovate, entire or variously piniiatifid llarro^^ed >"jo f .^'/""f^^j^^^^^^^^ involuoe solitai y. letnniial,

^£ t^r^^o^^^Vi;!^ ^^^^^y t^H.!p;^:?e^^Ucle included. (C.apnan's ,..a of .. So.Uu.n
United States: See also Katou's Ferns of No, th A merica.

This very singular looking fern would not
be called pretty by the mass of observers ; for
under the idea of pretty we should have to
consider gaiety, gracefulness or other elements
of beauty ; none or at least few of these does
our little fern possess. Yet those who are
favored by nature with the key to her secrets
will see beauty where others fail. Tennyson's
"Character" illustrates the lesson which may
])e taught here.

" He spake of beauty : that the dull
Saw no divinity in grass,
Life in dead stones, or spirit in air;
Then looking on as 'twere in a glass,
He smoothed his chin, and sleeked his hair,
And said the earth was beautiful."

After all if it should be decided that there is
no great beauty in this species of fern as we
see it in a picture or as a dried specimen in a
herbarium, it adds remarkably to the beauty of
the natural scenery amongst which it is found
according to those few who so far alone have
had the privilege of observing it. For it is
one of the rarest of our native ferns, and has
only been discovered wnth certainty in modern
times. The first account of it in any text-
book appeared in i860 in the work of Chap-
man above cited, though it was described for
the first time and named by Prof. Asa Gray in
v^illiman's "American Journal of Science and
Arts" for 1853, in honor of Judge Peters, its
<:hscoverer.

The brown rock which line the mountain
streams, or form the basin around which the
spray collects from the waterfall, would lose
half their charm but for the green mosses or
ferns which have taken up their abode in the
vicinity, and it is in just this useful work that
our little fern is found engaged. It was first
noticed on the eighth of January, 1853, by Mr.

Peters on the I.ipsey River in Winston County
(then Hancock County), Alabama. In the
compass of a square mile in the vicinity of its
habitat, it has been found in only four locali-
ties, and always between the river and the
bluffs, closely attached to sand rocks near a
waterfall. On the shady side of these large
sand rocks, it grows in bright green patches.
The exact spot where it was first found was in
Township 9, above the crossing of the Lipsey
River, known as the Pidgeon Root Ford, and
is now found above and below that on the east
side of the river. vSince then it has been found
in other localities in the State, of which Mr.
Charles Mohr. of Mobile, writes as follows
under date of October 18, 1880. "The first
time I found it in a new locality was on the
Falls of Black Creek, on Lookout Mountain.
Etowah County, Alabama, at an altitude of
1060 feet above the gulf, and subsequently in
the rocky glen on the Lipsey fork of the Black
Warrior River, near where Judge Peters made
the first discovery. In the larger watered
valleys of the Lookout and the Sand Moun-
tain, open numerous chasms, penetrating into
their deep table lands. The walls of these
mountain gorges, often over 500 feet high, are
almost perpendicular and built up by the
rugged ledges and bold cliffs of sandstone, ter-
minating in terraces over which the waters of
the high lands rush on to the abyss, forming
grand falls. Surrounded by the primeval forest,
and shaded by mighty pines and gigantic de-
ciduous trees, they present a sceneiy of grand
and imposing aspect. Around these falls, in
the gloomiest recesses among the rocks, in
narrow clefts, or in or beneath the overhang-
ing cliffs perpetually damp by the dripping
water and completely secluded from the rays

(81)

TRicii()MANi:s pinr:Rsii.

PKTKRS' HAIR 11:RN.

xATruAL (nu)i:R, injci:s.

. Novate, entire or variouslvi,ninatUid,narn.we«l ^^ ,^.^^ ' ^'^ ^ \ 'm. M^m i.u.'K.-. .. • ,- : . v n M,nrn!,

rmtrd Statr>. See al>o l-aloirs /V; ;/,s t>y Ai^;//^ Anu-) na.

This very singular looking fern would not

•, called ])retty by the mass of observers ; for

under the idea of pretty we should have to

. .Misider gaiety, gracefulness or other elements

,.: beauty ; none or at least few of these dees

;r little fern possess. Vet those who are

ivored by nature with the key to her secrets

will see beauty where others fail. Tennyson's

Character" illustrates the lesson which may

• laught here.

•He s])akc of beauty : thai the <lull
Saw no divinity in grass, ^
Life in dead stones, or spirit in air;
Then U>oking on as 'twere in a glass,
He smoothed his chin, and sleeked his hair.
And saitl the earth was beautiful."

After all if it should be decided that there is
) great beauty in this species of fern as we
•• it in a ])icture or as a dried specimen in a
: rbarium, it adds remarkably to the beauty of
natural scenery amongst which it is found
^rdin^'- to those few who so far alone have
; 1 the privilege of observing it. For it is
,' of the rarest of our native ferns, and has
dv been discovered with certainty in modern
nes. The first account of it in any text-
-ok appeared in iS6o in the work of Chap-
in above cited, though it was described for
A first time and named by Prof. Asa Cray in
"inian's "American Journal of vScience and
.lis" for 1S53, in honor of Judge Peters, its
•scoverer.
fhe brown rock wdiicli line the mountain
:eams. orform the basin around which the
pray collects from the waterfall, would lose
-:r their charm but for the green mosses or
rns which have taken up their abode in the
vicinity, and it is in just this useful work that
ir little fern is found engaged. It was first
.'. 'liced on the eighth of January, 1S53. l)y Mr.

Peters on the Pii)sey River in Winst-ni County
(then Hancock County ^ Alabama. In the
compass of a s.piare mile in the vicinity of its
habitat, il has been found in only four locali-
ties, and always between the river ami the
bluffs, closely attached to sand rocks near a
waterfall. On the shady side of lluse laige
sand rocks, it grows in bright gueii patches.
The exact spot where il was first found was in
Township 9. above the ero.ssiiig of llu' I.ii)>ey
River, known as the I'idgeim Koot 1-onl, an<l
is now found above ami below that on the east
side of the river. Since then it has JKeii found
in other loe.dities in tlie Sl.ite. of which Mr.
Charles :\Iohr. of Mobile, writ. > a> follows
under date of October iS. l^^o. -The first
lime I found it in a new localilv was on the
brills of Plack Creek, on I.ookoiit Mounlaiu,
lUowah Counly, Al.d)aina, al an altitude of
l,,M) feet above the gulf, and subs., iiieull v m
the rockv glen on the Pip.sev fork <>! Uu- P.laek
Warrior River, near wheie Jud-e Teteis made
the first discovery. In the larger watered
vallevs of the l.ookcnit and the Sar.d M<»un-
tain.'open numerous chasms, penetrating into
their deep table lands. The walls of tlie.se
mountain gorges, often over 5">> ^^<^^ ^ii:-^>- '^'^*
almost perpendicular and built up bv the
ru-ged kdges and bold cliffs of sand.stone, ter-
minating in terraces over which the waters of
the high lands rush on to the abyss, forming
grand falls. Surr(ninde<l by the primeval foiLsl,
and shaded bv mighty pines and gigantic de-
ciduous trees, thev present a sceneiy of grand
and imposing aspect. Around ihe.-e falls, in
the gloomiest recesses among the rocks, in
narrow clefts, or in c^- beneath the overhang-
ing cliffs perpetually damp by the dripping
w^ter and completely secluded from the rays

(Si)

1

■

1

Ip'

1

i

1

X,

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

m

82

MEEHANS* MONTHI«Y — TRICHOMANES PETERSII.

[Juv

1^

of the sun, this rare and peculiar fern spreads
in dense masses over the rocky surface resemb-
ling at first sight a large liverwort. In this
secluded spot it finds among plants of a higher
order no associates, and only a few mosses and
hepatica of an habit similar to its own inside
its home."

In regard to Judge Peters whose name is so
pleasantly associated with the discovery of this
fern, the liberty may be pardoned of giving an
extract from a private letter which is among
the writer *s botanical correspondence. ' * While
I was wandering through these woods (northern
Alabama) I met another person on the same
errand of plant collecting, whom I soon found
to be Thomas Minott Peters, of Moulton in
I^awrence County, whom I found to be one
of the kindest and most amiable of men. He
was the son of a farmer at Clarksville, Tennes-
see, where he was born in 18 10. They settled
in Alabama in 18 19. Thomas studied in the
University of Alabama, graduated, and was
admitted to the bar in 1836. He opened a law
office in Moulton, and established and edited a
newspaper there. In 1845 ^^ is found in the
Legislature, and in 1847 i" the Senate of his
State. When the Secession hostilities com-
menced he opposed the movement, abandoned
his home, and entered the Union lines. His
love for his native State however never de-
serted him, and his botanical library and herba-
rium has been generously bestowed on the
University."

It is quite likely that new localities will
be discovered, and possibly some new species
added to the genus when the Southern country
has been thoroughly explored. Pursh in his
Flora notes having found in the mountains of
Virginia what he caUs //vmenop/iy/lum d/tat?im
which no one has since gathered. It was for
a long time regarded as "mythical;" but in
the light of two plants like Trichoma7ies tadi-
cans and Trichomayies Petersii, so nearly allied
to Ifymenophyllum, being found there, it is not
unlikely that the plant Pursh says he saw,
may yet be rediscovered. The species abound
in other countries, and each generally has a
wide geographical range.

It has already been noted that the plant as it
grows on the rocks under the spray of water-

falls looks very much like patches of mos>
and it is remarkable that in many respects the
plant has the character of moss. Indeed the
Hytnenophyllous Ferns, as these may be called,
form a sort of connecting link between mov^scs
and ferns. In most ferns the fronds last only
a few months, and in those which are called
evergreen, continue but about twelve months
before they die ; but the fronds of some 7>/-
chomanes have been known to continue several
years, and in some cases they continue to grow
after having apparently matured, and fre-
quently they alter their form somewhat in
these successive growths so as to lead botan-
ists sometimes to believe that they have new
species. In this persistent character of the
foliaceous parts of the fronds they very much
resemble mosses. But they resemble them
still more in the cellular arrangement of these
fronds. Sachs in his "Text-Book of Botany,"
notes that the lamina of the leaf consists in
HymenophyllcEa only of a single layer of cells
as in mosses, in all other ferns it is formed of
several layers. Dr. J. Gibbons Hunt, of Phila-
delphia has confirmed these observations of
Sachs, and further that the leaf blades are
wholly destitute of stomata, or, as they are
sometimes termed, breathing pores. But it
will be at once seen that in a blade with but a
single layer of cells they are unnecessary if
the object be to bring the interior cells into
contact with the atmosphere ; for in this single
layer they have all such contact directly. One
might infer from a lesson like this what the
uses of stomata were, though direct observa-
tion had not already taught their use.

There have been differences of opinion as to
the derivation of the word Trichomaiies . Sir
W. J. Hooker says it is from trichas, thrix^ hair,
and fnania, excess, " from the numerous hair-
like exserted receptacles," — that is to say the
little thread-like columns around which the
sporangia are gathered in the involucre (Fig.
2). But in olden times, many ferns were col-
lected together under the name of Trichoma ncs.
our present genus among others, — the name
belonging originally to that which is now
known as Asplefthim Trichomanes, — and when
the old genus was divided these plants were le:t
with the old name.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

MOUNTAIN SCENES.

E'en now, where Alpine solitudes ascend,
1 sit down a pensive hour to spend ;
And, placed on high above the storm's career.
Look downward where a hundred realms appear:
Lakes, forests, cities, plains extending wide.
The pomp of kings, the shepherd's humbler pride.

— OuvER Goldsmith.

The Vanilla Bkan. — In a paragraph
recently, occasion was taken to refer to the
Vanilla Bean of commerce as an orchid. A
correspondent expresses interest in this and
suggests that very few know this to be the
case. We happen to have an admirable work
in German, called Steen's " Orchideenbuch."
in which are some magnificent illustrations
of orchids, superior to anything in that line
that we have ever seen, and we take from that
for an illustration, see p. 90, Vayiilla phalaenop-
sis, which will serve to show the characteristic
of the Vanilla of commerce, which is, however,
not the same, but a closely allied species,
namely. Vanilla planifolia. It will be seen
that this plant of commerce is not only useful,
but pre-eminently beautiful.

Only peculiar species of insects can fertilize
the flowers ; cultivators of the Vanilla bean in
localities where the insect does not naturally
t'xist, go over the flowers with a needle, and
remove the obstruction which prevents the
natural access of the pollen.

It might be made a profitable crop in
. outhern Florida or southern California. It
is propagated by cuttings of the climbing
shoots.

Seneciosagittifolius.— Just imagine a wild
flower with leaves three feet long, and flower
stems seven feet or more high, bearing about
J 40 flowers on a stalk, with each flower having
white ray petals half inch long, and a yellow
disc an inch wide ! This is literally "a daisy."
The American Senecio aureus will give an idea
of what a wonderful thing this monster 5t'w^<:7d?
sagittifolius must be. It is a new species re-
cently discovered in Uruguay by M. Andre,
and figured in the Gardener's Chronicle.

Bees and Clover.— Statements are being
made that the clover never perfected seed in
New Zealand until bumble-bees from Europe
were introduced there,— now statements are
made that since the introduction of these bees
clover produces seed abundantly. A few years
ago the statement was made that the bumble-
bee was essential to the proper fertilization of
the clover. It was said that the position of
the stamens and stigma was such that it was
impossible for the plant to receive any aid
from its pollen without the assistance of bees.
The bumble-bee was supposed to enter the
mouth of the clover flower, carrying on its
exit pollen which was then introduced to the
stigmas of the other flowers which the bees
visited, and in this way the fertilization of the
flower was brought about. This was the hypo-
thesis presented in America. However it has
been found by careful observers that the bumble-
bee never enters the mouth of a clover flower, —
it simply slits the tube of the flower on the out-
side and goes off" with the nectar, without in
any way touching the stamens or the pistil of
the flower. Just why the bees of England and
the same creature introduced into Australia
should behave differently to the bumble-bee of
America has never been explained. In America
it is found that the first crop of clover rarely
produces seed, while if this crop is cut and a
new growth starts, the second crop produces
seeds abundantly, and yet the visits of the bees
to both crops may be exactly the same. vSo
many statements of similar character to this
of the relation of bees to clover are made with-
out proper authentication that it leads one often
to doubt the value of many scientific hypotheses .

Range op Rhododendron maximum. —
Miss Bessie L. Putnam, of Harmonsburg, Pa.,

notes :

'• Your correspondent in March number was
right in thinking Rhododendron maximum
might be found in Crawford Co., Pa. It has
been found in Pymatuning swamp in western
Crawford, not far from the Ohio line."

(83)

>1

V

I

I""

r

84

MEKHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Juiu-

r '-'i

Caltha Palustris.— Says Mr. C. h. Saun-
ders :

**Mrs. W. S. Dana, in her book entitled,

'• How to Know the Wild Flowers," published

recently, claims that this flower is identical

with the "Winking Mary-buds" in the song

in " Cymbeline" :

" Hark ! hark ! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs

On chaliced flowers that lies ;
And winking Mary -buds begin to ope their

golden eyes."

She makes this claim without citing specific
authority, except the statement in Mr. Robin-
sons "Wild Garden" that the marsh mari-
gold is so abundant along certain English
rivers as to cause the ground to look as though
paved with gold at those seasons when they
overflow their banks.

Prior refers "Mary-buds" without the ex-
pression of a doubt, to the garden marigold.
Calendula officinalis; but Britten and Holland's
-"Dictionary of English Plant Names" says
that while Calendula officinalis is almost cer-
tainly meant, the subject has been the occasion
of much discussion. Has Meehans' Monthly
any facts in the case ? I must confess that my
sympathies are with Mrs. Dana's view of the
matter, and I should be very glad if this lovely
couvsin of the buttercup might rightly be asso-
ciated with so beautiful a fancy as that of the
song quoted. I suppose we all have our pets,
and there is no accounting for tastes, but I
cherish a special affection for this flower, and
I think I have a substantial pleasure for life in
the recollection of my first sight of it in its
home— a secluded, boggy meadow, upon whose
vivid green the quiet sunshine of an April Sab-
bath lay ; and here and there, to my delighted
gaze, a little clump of the gleaming yellow
flowers, round, chubby, and eager to live all of
life — their radiant color overflowing by reflec-
ion into the placid little pools that spread
about their feet. They seemed the personifica-
tion of gladness — a veritable smile of the
morning."

Keep on sympathizing with Mrs. Dana.
Prior and other moderns are but following
others in advance. Thomas Green (1820) quotes
James Rowley, a dramatist co-temporary with
Shakespeare, " The Marybudde that shootethe
with the light " as being the "marigold" of
moderns.

It is evident that Shakespeare had another
plant than marigold in mind, because he uses
the term "marigold" in " Winter's Tale ;"
though there may have been different plant
names then as now, it is hardly likely the
same person would use one day one name and
another the next. Again, Shakespeare is des-
cribing an English scene in nature ; but the
marigold is a garden and not a wild plant as
the Callha is. And it is probable from the
whole context of the play that it is a Spring
scene, but the marigold is not in bloom till
Summer begins.

Another argument is derived from the name.
The months in the Roman calendar are derived
from great personages or myths. May is from
Maia, the mother of Mercury. The month of
May, the month of Mercury and of Mary, the
mother of Jesus, have become almost synonym-
ous. The festival on the first of May to Maia
is as often given in honor of Virgin Mary in
the North of Europe. The Caltha in these
boreal regions is the earliest Spring flower, and
is often not fairly open on the first of May.
Still the buds wnth their yellow tips were
gathered and wreathed into chaplets to crown
statues of the Virgin during the festival.

It seems not unreasonable that "marsh buds"
should be called "Marybuds." Somewhere the
writer has seen the statement that Mari, Marish,
or some such form of word is the original of our
modern " marsh," and if so Maribud would be
simply " marsh buds " which would have done
as well for an unopened flowers in those days
as "Rose bud " does in ours.

Range of the American Holly. — Mr.
Ellis B. Noyes, Lewistown, Pa., has found
American Holly in sheltered woods at Abing-
ton, Plymouth Co., Mass, 15 miles from the
coast, with a few berries on one of the trees.
W. L. Foster, Hanover, also in Plymouth Co.,
Mass., finds it "quite common in the moister
and richer woodlands of this county, near the
coast. It must be rare north of Boston. Twenty
miles south of Boston, it will make a small
tree, six or eight inches in diameter of trunk,
It is never found aglow with berries as further
south. In Martha's Vineyard are trees three
feet in circumference. Sheltered from the
Winter's sun. it would probably be hardy con-
siderably north of Boston."

1S93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

85

The Odors of Flowers.— The Germantown
Horticultural Society has a committee on in-
struction. It is the duty of this committee
to address the assembled audience at each
monthly meeting, explaining what may be
peculiar or interesting about the plants ex-
hibited. Mr. Meehan gave till recently this
monthly address for a number of years. They
always drew largely from the best classes in
the community as listeners. As these ad-
dresses were extemporaneous, of course, as ap-
plying to what may be present in the room,
reporters for the public newspapers, not familiar
with the subject, often mixed up matters con-
siderably. In one address on the odors of
flowers, his remarks as they have been reported,
but not with very great accuracy, have been
widely distributed. He
called attention to the fact

that out of the 100,000

flowering plants known to

botanists, possibly not 10

per cent, of them had any

odor. The large majority

of plants are in fact scent-
less. Among other points

he called attention to the

remarkable circumstance

that in many large families

there were only one or two

sweet species : for instance

in the mignonette family,

of 50 species known, only

the one in our gardens was

sweet. Among 100 of

violets there are not a dozen sweet ones.

In many other large families also, begonia for

instance, the scentless ones are as a hundred

to one. Among our wild flowers the number

of sweet smelling flowers is very slim.

dies, and leaves the old bulb to die some dis-
tance from the new one. By the aid of these
underground runners the new bulb is some-
times carried a long distance from the old one.

MansaniTA. — The singular beauty and
fragrance of the Mansanita, Arbutus Mcnzicsii
the ally and representative in the far west of
our Trailing Arbutus, were referred to recently
in the Monthly. A vase filled with it from a
photograph kindly sent by ISIrs. Ross Lewers,
of Western Nevada, is here represented. Its
reputation has certainly not been unworthily
gained.

Chicken Flower.— Mr. George S. Conover
sends us from Geneva, flowers of the Pedicul-

Travels of Bulrs— A Philadelphia corre-
spondent placed stakes around a ciown impe-
rial. Next season it came up outside the circle.
He asks, do bulbs travel? They do. Most
bulbs are but annuals. They make a new one,
and then die. Often, as in the case of the
gladiolus, the new bulb grows at the top of the
old one,— again, as in the Hyacinth, the new
one grows out by the side of the old one. This
kind of travel is slow. But in others, as in some
lilies, the new bulb is projected some distance
on the end of a "stolon" or thread, which

MANSANITA.

aris canadensis, which he says, from fanciful
resemblance, is commonly called in that part
of the countrv chicken flower. Cert;imly the
keel of the flower, with its projecting portion
of the pistil, bears a great resemblance to the
head of a bird with its beak, although some
might, with equal justice suggest, that it was
the head of a serpent with its fiery tongue.
There is no accounting for notions in the pop-
ular names of flowers.

RANGE of PELL-EA GRACILIS- AV/.r^ ^r^^-

//5was collected at Case^viUe. Illinois, oppo-
site St Louis and about seven miles from that
city by Mr. Charles E. Smith. Southern
Illinois' is a good p^ace for rare ferns. The
writer of this paragraph has collected Aspie-
7iium pinnatifidum there.

t •

i

84

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Jniv:-

.3.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD ELOWI-RS AND NATX'RI-

S^

Caltha Palustris.— Says Mr. C. h. Saun-
ders :

"Mrs. W. S. Dana, in her book entitled,
" How to Know the Wild Flowers," published
recently, claims that this flower is identical
with the " Winking Mary-buds " in the song
in '* Cymbeline" :

" Hark ! hark ! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'j^ins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs

On chaliccd flowers that lies ;
And winkin^,' Mary-buds begin to ope their

jijoldcn C3'es."

She makes this claim without citing specific
authority, except the vStatement in Mr. Robin-
son s ''Wild (harden " that the marsh mari-
gold is so abundant along certain English
rivers as to cause the ground to look as though
paved with gold at those seasons when they
overflow their banks.

Prior refers "Mary-buds" without the ex-
pression of a doubt, to the garden marigold,
Caleyidula ojficiualis ; but Britten and Holland's
■"Dictionary of English Plant Names" says
that while Calendula officinalis is almost cer-
tainly meant, the subject has been the occasion
of much discussion. Has Mkehans' Monthly
any facts in the case ? I must confess that my
sympathies are with ^Irs. Dana's view of the
matter, and I should be very glad if this lovely
cousin of the buttercup might rightly be asso-
ciated with j^o beautiful a fancy as that of the
song quoted. I suppose we all have our pets,
and there is no accounting for tastes, but I
cherish a special aflection for this flower, and
I think I have a substantial pleasure for life in
the recollection of my first sight of it in its
home— a secluded, boggy meadow, upon whose
vivid green the quiet sunshine of an April Sab-
bath lay ; and here and there, to my delighted
gaze, a little clump of the gleaming yellow
flowers, round, chubby, and eager to live ^// of
life — their radiant color overflowing by reflec-
ion into the placid little pools that spread
about their feet. They seemed the personifica-
tion of gladness — a veritable smile of the
morning."

Keep on sympathizing with Mrs. Dana.
I'rior and other moderns are but following
others in advance. Thomas Green (1820) quotes
James Rowley, a dramatist co-temporary with
Shakespeare, " The Marybudde that shootethe
with the light " as being the " marigold " of
moderns.

It is evident that Shakespeare had anothv
plant than marigold in mind, because he uses
the term "marigold" in " Winter's Tale ; '
though there may have been different plant
names then as now, it is hardly likely the
same person would use one day one name ano
another the next. Again, Shakespeare is des-
cribing an English vScene in nature ; but the
marigold is a garden and not a wild plant as
the Callha is. And it is probable from the
whole context of the play that it is a Sprint
scene, but the marigold is not in bloom till
Summer begins.

Another argument is derived from the name.
The months in the Roman calendar are derived
from great personages or myths. May is from
IMaia, the mother of IMercury. The month of
INIay, the month of IMercury and of ^lary, the
mother of Jesus, have become almost synonym-
ous. The festival on the first of May to Maia
is as often given in honor of Virgin Mary in
the North of Ivurope. The Caltha in these
boreal regions is the earliest Spring flower, and
is often not fairly open on the first of INIay.
Still the buds with their yellow tips were
gathered and wreathed into chaplets to crown
statues of the Virgin during the festival.

It seems not unreasonable that "marsh buds"
shotild be called " Marybuds." Somewhere the
writerhasseen the statement that Mari, Marish.
or some such form of word is the original of oiu
modern " marsh," and if so Maribud would be
simply " marsh buds " which would have done
as well for an unopened flowers in those days
as " Rose bud " does in ours.

Ranc.k op thk Amkrican Holly. — Hr.
p:ilis B. Noyes, Lewistown, Pa., has found
American Holly in sheltered woods at Abing
ton, Plymouth Co., :\Iass, 15 miles from the
coast, with a few berries on one of the trees.
W. Iv. P'oster, Hanover, also in Plymouth Co..
Mass., finds it "quite common in the moistei
and richer woodlands of this county, near the
coast. Itmust be rare north of Boston. Twenty
miles south of Boston, it will make a smal:
tree, six or eight inches in diameter of trunk.
It is never found aglow with berries as further
south. In Martha's Vineyard are trees three
feet in circumference. Sheltered from the
Winter's sun, it would probably be hardy con-
siderably north of Boston. "

The Odors of Flowkrs.— The Germantown
horticultural Society has a cotnmittee on in-
i ruction. It is the duty of this committee
1 . address the assembled audience at each
!nonthly meeting, explaining what may be
])eculiar or interesting about the plants ex-
liibited. Mr. Meehan gave till recently this
monthly address for a number of years. They
always drew largely from the best classes in
the community as listeners. As these ad-
dresses were extemporaneous, of course, as ap-
l)lying to what may be present in the room,
reporters for the public newspapers, not familiar
with the subject, often mixed up matters con-
siderably. In one address on the odors of
flowers, his remarks as they have been reported,
l)ut not with very great accuracy, have been
widely distributed. He
called attention to the fact
that out of the 100,000
tlowering plants known to
botanists, possibly not 10
per cent, of them had any
odor. The large majority
of plants are in fact scent-
less. Among other points
he called attention to the
remarkable circumstance
that in many large families
there were only one or two
sweet species : for instance
in the mignonette family,
of 50 species known, only
the one in our gardens was
sweet. Among 100 of

\iolets there are not a dozen sweet ones.
In many other large families also, begonia for
instance, the scentless ones are as a hundred
to one. Among our wild flowers the number
of sweet smelling flowers is very slim.

dies, and leaves the old bulb to die some dis-
tance from the new one. Hy the ai«l of these
underground runners the new b\db is some-
times carried a long distance from the old one.

Mansaxita. —The singular beauty and
fragrance of the Mansanita, Aybntus Mcnzicsii
the ally and representative in the far west of
our Trailing Arbutus, were referred to recently
in the ^Monthly. A vase filled with it from a
photograph kindly sent by Mrs. Ross Lewers,
of Western Nevada, is here represented. Its
reputation has certainly not been unworthily
gained.

Chicken Flowkr.— Mr. (George S. Conover
sends us from Geneva, flowers of the Pcdicul-

Travels or BuLHS — A Philadelphia corre-
spondent placed stakes around a ciown impe-
lial. Next season it came up outside the circle.
He asks, do bulbs travel? They do. Most
Indbs are but annuals. They make a new one,
and then die. Often, as in the ca.se of the
.u:ladiolus, the new bulb grows at the top of the
nld one,— again, as in the Hyacinth, the new
one grows out by the side of the old one. '1 his
kind of travel is slow. But in others, as in some
lilies, the new bulb is projected some distance
on the end of a "stolon" or thread, which

MANSANITA.

.7;'/;. canadensis, which he says, from fanciful
resemblance, is commonly called in that part
of the countrv chicken fl nver. Cert linly the
keel of the flower, with its projecting portion
of the pistil, bears a great resemblance to the
head of a bird with its l)eak. althou-h s(mie
mi<'-ht. with equal justice sug-:est. that ii was
the" head of a serpent with its fiery tongue.
There is no accounting for notions in the pop-
ular names of flowers.

Ranc.e or Pi:i.i..r.\ (.kacii.is.

-PclL.a _::raci-
//s- was collected at Ca^eville. Illinois, oppo-
site St Louis and a])oiit .stveu miles from that
city bv Mr. Charles IC Smith. Southern
Illinois" is a Kood place for rare ferns. The
writer of this paragraph has collected . /./>/.-
ninm pinnatifidnm there.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

86

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[June

PiNUS EDULis. — A correspondent in Nevada
kindly sends samples of Piiion, much larger
than the nuts usually seen from Pinus edulis^
almost as large as those from the well
known Pinus Pinea, the Italian Pine. Sus-
pecting some different species — the lady
writes about them:

•♦ Every fall when the Washoe Indians are
going to pine nut, about 40 miles south
of Washoe Valley I ask them to bring nie burrs
and branches, and still they just bring me
pine nuts to eat. They cannot imagine what
else I want with them. From what I can learn
from an Indian woman to-day, about the large
nuts, I think she gathered them of young
trees. She said, ' small trees, large burrs four
or five inches long, and not many, — large
trees, small burrs, and plenty all the same kind
of tree. ' ' '

The Odor of Closed Rooms. — A lady
asks, * * Why do textile fabrics when kept wet
in summer time become offensively sour smell-
ing? Is it due to the development of life
germs or to lower orders of plant or animal
existence?"

With little thought one would answer — mil-
dew generates in close dark rooms where there
is moisture to develop it, — but on careful re-
flection it would seem that the odor referred to
from carpets and similar fabrics, is not the
same as the odor from a mildewed wall. Very
careful observation by a "specialist" would be
required to answer the question intelligently.

The Yellow Trumpet T.eaf. — Mr. Charles
W. Henry, one of the Commissioners of Fair-
mount Park, Philadelphia, sends from Pass
Christian a beautiful bunch oi Satracenia flava,
the first living specimens seen b}^ the con-
ductors, who learn for the first time, that
these beautiful flowers are odoriferous, the
fragrance resembling that of the tulip poplar
or some of its allied magnolias.

The IvIFE of Bees. — Bees seldom live over
a year, and but a few months — it is generally
supposed in most cases. Large numbers of
dead bees are found under Wistarias, Judas
trees, and other early flowering plants, and it
is often attributed to some poisonous quality
in the flowers. It is simply cases where the
bees' *• time has come. "

Jerusalem Artichoke. — The pretty native
plant of the Atlantic States, Helianthus doro-
nicoides, and of which the double perennial
sun-flower of gardens is a form, has tuberous
roots, is believed to be the parent of the Jeru-
salem artichoke, not a bad, though now sel-
dom used vegetable. A native of North
America, efforts have unsuccessfully been
made to trace the origin of its name. Gira-
sole signifies in Italian turning with the sun,
and, as Helianthus is a "sun flower," from
the sun-picture style of the flower, it was
thought to have started the corruption Jeru-
salem from Girasole.

Dodder. — The well known parasites, spe-
cies of Ctiscuta, which seem like masses of
coarse threads over the plants they feed on,
are great pests to the farmer in the old world.
The flax dodder — the kind preferring flax — is
Cuscuta Epilinnm, the one favoring clover, is
C. Epithymum. Farmers are fined who allow
them to spread, and children in the public
schools are taught to know and destroy them.

Clover Devil. — Clover devil is the common
name in Germany of the Orobatiche minor^ a
fleshy and rather pretty plant, parasitic on the
roots of clover. It has been introduced to
America with European clover seed, but some-
thing in soil, climate, or conditions seems to
be unfavorable to its spread. It sometimes is
so abundant in cloverfields in the old world as
to render the whole crop valueless.

Note on Mitchella repens. — Miss Bessie
Putnam says :

**We were much pleased with the plate in
April number ; it is a fit companion for the
Trailing Arbutus in February magazine. Did
you ever try putting the leaves in the grate
where it is so hot as to almost but not quite
burn them ? They become inflated and resemble
miniature puff balls in form.*'

Proliferous Dandelions. — Mr. Frank N.
Tillinghast, of Greenport, N. Y., sends the
finest specimen of prolification in the dandelion
flower that we have ever seen. The stalk was
as thick as an average asparagus ; while the
head of flowers more resembled a huge chry-
santhemum than the ordinary dandelion head.

GENERAL GARDENING.

PARK SCENERY.

Parks with oak and chestnut shady,
Parks with ordered gardens great,

Ancient homes of lord and lady,
Built for pleasure and for state.

— Tennyson.

also grown, as well as kinds required for florist
decorations. The management is under the
immediate direction of Mr. H. W. C. Dihm.

American Floral Enterprise. — Seibrecht
& Wadley, the w^ell-known florists of New
York, according to a correspondent of the
"Gardeners' Chronicle,'* have a very fine
establishment fourteen miles from the Port of
Spain, in Trinidad, which they carry on under
the name of the United States Tropical Nursery
Co. Here they raise immense quantities of
Pahns, Dracaenas, Pandanuses, and other
plants, which they use in their American
sales. These are shipped to New York during
June, July and August. For transit purposes
they contract with steamers, which set apart a
certain portion of their space for the purpose.
Even large cocoanut palms have been brought
fru!n Trinidad to New York in that way with
p'.rfect success. Although they have com-
paratively, or really nothing, that we would
Call here winter, it is still found better to raise
\.\\^' seeds of many things artificially, and for
tlis reason they have glass houses there as we
siiould expect to have in this climate, although
the;/ are built very low and close to the ground,

- li'deed while we have to protect against frost,
tiicy have to protect against heavy tropical
^•ii!s, which would completely wash seeds
.V if dependent wholly on the open ground.
I. '. irmous numbers of the beautiful fern, Adi-
'^n Farleye?tse ?it^ also raised there for im-
i I ition here. Latania borbonica, one of the

• 1 known and useful of palms for American
• »!ative purposes, are raised here in im-
'■ -iSe quantities. A large number of other
''l ecies are also grown on a smaller scale.
^> 'e they also experiment with rare palms,
^i'' 1 smaller trees from other countries. The
^^'t^lirated palm, called the "Travelers' tree,"
^^'^'cnala Madagascar iensis, is growing here,
^Tul last year commenced to produce seeds.
Curious plants, like the Black Pepper tree, are

Arsenites for the Destruction of In-
sects.— Lee, the Chicago gardener, who first
seems to have made use of Paris green to
destroy the potato beetle, deserves as much
renown as Parmentier who made the potato
popular. It is wonderful how the idea has
grown, — and still more the practical results.
Not only insects but fungus diseases are no
longer dreaded by the intelligent cultivator.
Copper sulphate is now kept on hand as a
necessity equal to the manure pile. Professor
John Craig, horticulturist of the Canadian
Central "Experimental Farm" (Experiment
Farm is probably intended), at Ottawa, uses
Paris green with the copper sulphate for spray-
ing as follows :

4 lbs.
. 4 lbs.

4 oz.
. 50 gallons.

This may be prepared by dissolving in a
barrel, four pounds of powdered copper sul-
phate. In another vessel slake four pounds
of fresh lime with as many gallons of water.
Spread a piece of coarse sacking, held in place
by a hoop, over the top of the barrel in which
the copper sulphate has been dissolved. Strain
thfough this the creamy mixture of lime and
water. Paris green may then be added, after
which the barrel should be filled with water.
This forms an excellent insecticide as well as
fungicide, and is, therefore, useful to destroy
codling worm, bud moth, and canker worm.
It should be used soon after being prepared.

Copper Sulphate .
Lime

Paris Green
Water

Paraguay Tea.— Prof. E. J. Wickson, of
the Agricultural Experiment Station at Berke-
ley, California, has reason to believe that the
Paraguay tea, Ilex Paraguayensis, could be
profitably grown in California. He would be
very glad if any one who has the opportunity
will send him a few seeds for trial.

(87)

88

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAL GARDENING.

[June

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

89

Budding. — Propagation by budding is sim-
ple. A bud is cut out
of a half mature shoot,
and then inserted un-
der the bark of another
branch, called the
stock. It can be done
only when the bark is
found to lift easily.

Sometimes this may
be till late in summer.
Seedling peaches may
often be operated on
till the first of Sep-
tember. It is only by
the edges of the shield-
like bud that the union
takes place, and hence

American propagators wonder why their En glish

friends take so much trouble to

take the wood out from under

the shield. The annexed cuts

show this effort in the old world,

where even a piece of thread is

used to get the wood out easily.

No American thinks of it.

Winter Room Gardening. — Miss Putnam
says :

"It is not generally known that blossoms
of apple, peach, cherry, etc., or any plant
that perfects flower buds in autumn, may be
easily secured in midwinter. If twigs of said
plants are placed in a glass of water and
given plenty of light with as much of sun-
shine as the season allows, they will soon
present a mass of bloom."

Coal Tar to Protect Trees from Injuri-
ous Insects. — Discussions continue off and on
in agricultural and horticultural newspapers as
to whether coal tar is or is not injurious to the
bark of trees. It has often been recommended,
in order to paint around the base of trees that
are liable to the attacks of borers — for instance,
the apple borer, quince borer and peach borer.
Certainly, the writer has known of cases where
it has been applied without the slightest in-
jury, while there are undoubted cases of trees
having suffered by its use. Just how this
variation in effect comes about is not clear, nor
does it much matter to the practical man. It
is safe to say that sometimes coal tar so applied
is a serious injury; but why use coal tar at all ?
Pine tar is just as effectual in preserving trees
from the ravages of these noxious insects, and
certainly does no damage to the tree. It is one
of the best preventatives against the inroads of
stem borers, that is, when these borers operate
near the ground, and it is also effectual in pre-
serving the trees from the ravages of mice in
winter time. Many trees, especially in regions
where the ground is covered by snow in the
winter time, suffer seriously from the attacks
of mice.

A New American Rose.— Notwithstanding
the favorable conditions for raising new roses,
very little attention has been given in America
to this interesting branch of floriculture. Just
now California is credited with a new and
valuable variety, which is called Sarah Isa-
bella Gill. It is said to be a deep yellow, quite
equal to the famous *' Pearl of Gardens," yet
has a bud of the character of the well known
Mermet.

Valued Timber Trees. — In our country
where timber is so abundant and prices, as a
rule, are low, it is difficult to estimate the high
figures which are placed on trees in some parts
of the old world. A German paper states that
in the prosecution of a railway line it became
necessary to remove a large cherry tree ; the
proprietor demanded about $1,500 for it; this
the railroad company objected to paying.
But after some legal work the owner was
awarded $1,100 for the tree. We suppose it
would be a long time before any one would gi"e
such a high price for any single tree in orr
country.

The Dahlia Stem Borer. — Mrs. Wilht'-
mina Seliger describes in the Hartford Times a
borer affecting the main stems of the Dahlin.
As in all cases of stem borers, the flowers are
much injured in size and thewhole plant weak-
ened by the operation of the insect. So far as
Meehans' Monthly knows this is the first
public intimation of the existence of such an
enemy to the Dahlia.

r.KRDENiNG in THE DESERT. — One can
scarcely understand the full force of the ex-
prrssion, '* To make the desert blossom as the
rose." than by going across the deserts of our
continent before human beings settle thereon,
— and then to follow a few years after, when
civilization has once obtained a foothold. The
writer of this paragraph once traversed the
great Nevada desert when there was little else
besides alkali, rock and sage brush. To see
such a pretty little picture as the one now illus-
trated on just such a spot, seems remarkable.
It is a portion of the garden of a good cor-
respondent of Meehans' Monthly, at Frank-

the case of hybrids, very different kinds of
plants have been obtained from the same seed.
The writer of this paragraph crossed one
flower of the ru^osa with the pollen of Gen.
Jacciueminot, and, although two plants were
raised from this single seed vessel, one of
them was as near Gen. Jacqueminot as it pos-
sibly could be, while the other was truly and
simply rugosa and nothing else.

Spraying Insecticides and Fungicides. —
Mr. Craig, the intelligent horticulturist of the
Canadian Central Experiment Station, well
observes that in order to make spraying effec-

*

^^..^j|h

^?'^. 1

1^

^ : ^■iMj.'-jiStil^^^

<; V J"

r^

'^^F- >^'^^^^'>^^^i. ,

x\^k<4»,T»

Jr;\-

V - » ;

>- ^«f v;

A GARDEN IN THE NEVADA DESERT.

t'^vn, Nevada. The large, shrubby bush,
' '^st prominent in the picture, is evidently
^!ii" Mist Tree, or, as it is sometimes called,
' -een Fringe Tree,— the Rhus Cotinus.

HosA RUGOSA. — A very large number of
• >brids between Rosa nigosa and other garden
•oses are now being introduced — all of them
>^<^k1 to be extremely hardy and very beautiful.
One of the most remarkable features in con-
nection with this rose is its great variation in
^^le size and form of the fruit. Even without
^^y chance of hybridization, some of the seed-
lings will produce fruit as large as plums. In

tive it must be commenced early. All parts
of trees or plants must be reached with the
preventive agent. Drenching is not necessary
and is expensive. A thin film or coating of
the fungicide deposited upon the foliage will
prevent the development of the spores as
well as a complete soaking ; but it is impor-
tant that all the leafy surface should be wetted
at least on the upper side.

Large Carnations. — Mr. John Thorpe
thinks the model Carnation should be four
inches in diameter. It is well to have a
standard to work up to.

1

88

MKEHANS'

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[J^

MONTHLY — GENERAL (iARDENINCi.

S9

Budding. — Propagation by budding is sim-
ple. A bud is cut out
of a half mature shoot,
and then inserted un-
der the bark of another
branch , called the
stock. It can be done
only when the bark is
found to lift easily.

Sometimes this may
be till late in summer.
Seedling peaches may
often be operated on
till the first of Sep-
tember. It is only by
the edges of the shield-
like bud that the union
takes place, and hence

American propagators wonder why their English

friends take vSo much trouble to

take the wood out from under

the shield. The annexed cuts

show this effort in the old world,

where even a piece of thread is

used to get the wood out easily.

No American thinks of it.

Winter Room Gardeninc,. — Miss Putnam
says :

"It is not generally known that blossoms
of apple, peach, cherry, etc., or any plant
that perfects flower buds in autumn, may be
easily secured in midwinter. If twigs of said
plants are placed in a glass of water and
given plenty of light with as much of sun-
shine as the season allows, they will soon
present a mass of bloom."

Coal Tar to Protect Trees from Inji :-
ous Insects. — Discussions continue off and n
in agricultural and horticultural newspapers is
to whether coal tar is or is not injurious to the
bark of trees. It has often been recommendcfl,
in order to paint around the base of trees tbnt
are liable to the attacks of borers — for instane ,
the apple borer, quince borer and peach borer.
Certainly, the writer has known of cases where
it has been applied without the slightest in-
jury, while there are undoubted cases of trets
having suffered by its use. Just how this
variation in effect comes about is not clear, nor
does it much matter to the practical man. It
is safe to say that sometimes coal tar so applit il
is a serious injury; but why use coal tar at all ?
Pine tar is just as effectual in preserving trees
from the ravages of these noxious insects, and
certainly does no damage to the tree. It is one
of the best preventatives against the inroads of
stem borers, that is, when these borers operate
near the ground, and it is also effectual in pre-
serving the trees from the ravages of mice in
winter time. Many trees, especially in regions
where the ground is covered by snow in the
winter time, suffer seriously from the attacks
of mice.

A New American Rose. — Notwithstanding
the favorable conditions for raising new roses,
very little attention has been given in America
to this interesting branch of floriculture. Just
now California is credited with a new and
valuable variety, which is called Sarah Isa-
bella Gill. It is said to be a deep yellow, quite
equal to the famous "Pearl of Gardens," yet
has a bud of the character of the well known
Mermet.

Valued Timber Trees. — In our count! v
where timber is so abundant and prices, as i
rule, are low, it is difficult to estimate the hiizii
figures which are placed on trees in some par'.s
of the old world. A German paper states tli t
in the prosecution of a railway line it becar '
necessary to remove a large cherrj^ tree ; t!
proprietor demanded about $1,500 for it; th ^
the railroad company objected to payin ■
But after some legal work the owner w ,s
awarded $1,100 for the tree. We suppose t
would be a long time before any one would gi -
such a high price for any single tree in o
country.

The Dahlia Stem Borer. — Mrs. Willu -
mina Seliger describes in the Hartford Times i
borer aflecting the main stems of the Dahlia
As in all cases of vStem borers, the flowers a;e
much injured in size and the whole plant weal -
ened by the operation of the insect. So far iS
Meehans' Monthly knows this is the fir>t
public intimation of the existence of such rti
enemy to the Dahlia.

DicNiNc; IN the Desert. — One can
ly understand the full force of the ex-
pr- ssion, •• To make the desert blossom as the
: ■ than by going across the deserts of our
( onlinent before human beings settle thereon,
;"y1 then to follow a few years after, when
( i\ liization has once obtained a foothold. The
writer of this paragraph once traversed the
.■nat Nevada desert w^hen there was little else
I R sides alkali, rock and sage brush. To see
such a pretty little picture as the one now illus-
tiMted on just such a spot, seems remarkable.
It is a portion of the garden of a good cor-
respondent of Meehans' Monthly, at Frank-

the case of hybrids, very difTerent kinds of
plants have been obtained from the same seed.
The writer of this paragraph crossed one
flower of the rN^osa with the pollen of Gen.
Jacqueminot, and, although two plants were
rai.sed from this single seed vessel, one of
them was as near Gen. Jacqueminot as it ])os-
sibly could be, while the other was truly and
simply }-iigosa and nothing else.

Spraying Insecticides and Fungicides. —
Mr. Craig, the intelligent horticulturist of the
Canadian Central Experiment vStation, well
observes that in order to make spraying effec-

A GARDEN IN THE NEVADA DESERT.

11, Nevada. The large, shrubby bush,
>-^t prominent in the picture, is evidently

Mist Tree, or, as it is sometimes called,
-tMi Fringe Tree,— the Rhus Cotinus.

'SA RUGOSA. — A ver\' large number of
'jrids between Rosa rugosa and other garden

• s are now being introduced — all of them
i to be extremely hardy and ver}' beautiful.

of the most remarkable features in con-
aon with this rose is its great variation in

• ^ize and form of the fruit. Even without
^ chance of hj-bridization, vSonie of the seed-

''^?> will produce fruit as large as plums. In

tive it must be commenced early. All parts
of trees or plants must be reached with the
preventive agent. Drenching is not necessary
and is expensive. A thin film or coating of
the fungicide deposited upon the foliage will
prevent the development of the spores as
wc'l as a conii)lete soaking ; but it is impor-
tant that all the leafy surface should be wetted
at least on the upper side.

Large Carnations. — Mr. John Thorpe
thinks the model Carnation should be four
inches in diameter. It is well to have a
standard to work up to.

intentional second exposure

\v

90

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Jvne

C893J

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

91

The Prairie Rose. — Recently garden litera-
ture has much to say of the beauty of the wild,
single form of this American rose. It has been
long cultivated in the nurseries of theconduc-
tors of this magazine, and they can cheerfully
bear testimony to the special beauty of this
species. It comes into flower just as the ordi-
nary garden roses are going out, and before
the fall blooming roses appear, and the flowers,
though each comparatively small, are borne in
such immense clusters that the effect from

VANILLA PHAL^NOPSI8.--sKC p. ea.

the beauty standpoint is very grateful. One
singular point about the rose is, that when
found growing wild north of the Potomac, as
it often is — indeed the specimens under culti-
vation as before cited are from Pennsylvania
plants — they seem to be perfectly sterile, never
attempting to make any seed, and for this
reason no opportunity has been afforded to
endeavor to improve the race by seed ; but it
must produce seed further south, as the Balti-
more Belle and Prairie Queen, were raised in

Baltimore from these wild plants' by the bte
Mr. Samuel Feast. In native localities further
south, it seems to produce seed freely, at least
the writer of this noticed it producing seed
abundantly in the cave regions of Kentucky,
and round the Kahokia mounds in Illinois near
St. Louis.

Double Flowers. — A correspondent in-
quires how double flowers are produced.
Nearly all the double flowers of gardens were
first found wild. Double buttercups, double
primroses, double daisies, double roses, and
many other things were first discovered among
their wild fellows and introduced into the gar-
dens. The florist, however, can produce double
flowers. He watches this tendency in nature.
If a flower usually has five petals, and he dis-
covers that some of the stamens have somewhat
of a petal-like character, the pollen is taken
from these flowers and others in a normal con-
<lition fertilized with this pollen. This ten
dency once started is then given to the progeny.
Almost any species of plant will in this way
be capable of producing double flowers. It is
surprising that with this knowledge, more at-
tempts at this line of improvement in ordinary
garden flowers are not made.

Steam Heating. — Judging by the horticul-
tural literature of the old world there seems to
be a doubt whether steam heating can be made
a great success — hot water being in general use
there. The dread seems to be that steam rt
quires much more personal atteni^ion than hot
water. But American invention has so simpli-
fied things that it really requires little, if any
more labor to look after the houses, or a larg
series of houses heated by steam than wher
heated by hot water, — while the advantage of
carrying heat to long distances very rapidly
are so much in favor of steam that instead 01
its being a question with us as to whether
steam or hot water is the best, hot water i
really going out of existence.

Rose Acacia. — One of the most beautiful
of garden shrubs, Robiyiia hispida, has nearl)
disappeared from cultivation through the
ravages of the locust borer. The pretty Ro-
binia viscosa meets the same fate. All of the
many varieties so popular in European gard-
ening suffer equally with these.

Thk Christmas Rose. — This is not a rose
but more near a buttercup, deriving its name
from flowering about Christmas time. Near
Philadelphia, this season, it was in bloom on
Christmas day — the season being more open
than usual at that period. It is entirely hardy
and may always be had in the open air in our
country, provided the plants are sheltered a
little with dry leaves. The flowers will open
and blossom under these leaves. It is very
common when cultivated in gardens of the
old world, but not nearly as much in our
gardens as it deserves to be. What is remark-
able is, that the flowers in the open air with
us are odorless, but when cultivated in green-
houses, as they frequently now are by florists,
for the sake of their flowers, are quite sweet.
Possibly if this clew be followed up by a close
observer, it might lead to a discovery of the
causes of odor in flowers.

FK^yiTS MS ¥E^1ET/^PLES.

Disease in Carnations. — During the past
year or two a very troublesome fungus disease
of a rust has appeared among winter blooming
carnations to the dismay of the florist, cutting
down the product of his plants nearly one-
half. It has been discovered that this species
of fungus belongs to the genus Uromyces ; and
on account of its affinity for the carnation has
bt'tn named Uromyces ca^yophyllinus. Like so
many of these, it easily gives away to the
copper sulphates. Prof. Arthur says that the
sulphates of iron, or green copperas have been
found to be generally as effectual as the sul-
pnate of copper, or blue copperas. He says
tilt'- there is already prepared in the drug
St res a mixture known as copperdine, which
1^ ^unloniated copper carbonate. This ready
preparation may be of great service to those
who have not the time or disposition to make
<i *..:xture for themselves.

XING Roses.— It is often very desirable

'' ve hybrid perpetual roses flower freely in

^hc lall ; to accomplish this the plants should be

severely pruned after the June flowering. Some

growers cut almost the whole of the flowering

>ranch away, leaving young shoots from near

^"t bottom to take their places. An abundance

of flowers usually follows this treatment.

Those who cut their rose buds before mature,

^^ ^s soon as the petals fade, have fall flowers

ireely.

Vigorous Growing Pear Trees. — A Chest-
nut Hill correspondent speaks of the extreme
vigor of pear trees planted out a few years ago,
and inquires what will bring them into a bear-
ing condition. It is to be remembered that
what is known as the vegetative force in plants
is in antagonism to what is known as the re-
productive force, — and it is generally after the
vegetative force has been in some respects
checked that the reproductive forces have a
chance of showing much energy. For this
reason it is the custom of many, when they
wish to bring into bearing trees which show a
great propensity for growth rather than flower-
ing, to dig around them, and in that way cut
off some of the roots, which lessens their power
of nutrition, and this generally throws them
into a bearing condition in a year or two.
Others carry out the same object by compara-
tively starving the trees, that is, shortening
the supply of top dressing ; but root pruning
is the method generally employed. In one
sense it is all the better for trees to grow vigor-
ously and to be a rather long time in coming
into bearing, because such trees have veiy long
and fruitful lives, while those which come into
bearing early in their existence are usually
short lived, and are much more subject to dis-
ease than those which grow healthily along
for several years. The cultivator must judge
a little for himself in this matter. Sometimes
a very healthy tree can spare a little of its
vegetative vigor without any serious injury, —
then one may root prune : but unless the vigor
is extraordinary and something unusual, the
best method is to allow the trees to come into
the reproductive stage naturally, and without
aid from art.

Pears for Amateurs. — The characteristics
of good market pears, — solidit3% abundant
bearing, standing rough usage, and similar
points — are not always the best characteristics
for a fruit that we would desire to grow for
themselves. The Bartlett, Sheldon, Belle
Lucrative, Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre Bosc,
Seckel, and for an early kind Doyenne
d'Ete, can seldom be had in the market, but
are very desirable for one's own garden. Even
kinds like Buffum, taking little room, have
advantages for small gardens.

.•II

%

92

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[j'me

iS^'.

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

93

Pruning Fruit Trees. — In traveling
through Pennsylvania and Maryland, one is
especially struck with the want of correct in-
formation in regard to the pruning of fruit
trees. In many cases apple trees are as thick
with branches as if they were gigantic brooms.
Branches should never be allowed to set as
thick as this. Trees to be healthy require an
abundance of healthy leaves. An abundance
of poor and half-starved leaves is of little con-
sequence. When branches are thickly crowded
as these are, the mass of leaves are inferior and
of very little good. Branches should be kept
thinned out, so that those which are left have
abundance of room to develop healthy leaves.
In most cases under observation, the trees have
twice as many branches, at least, as ought to
be left. It is, however, generally too late to
think of pruning after trees have been left for
many years in this unkempt condition. The
best time for pruning is in the summer when
the shoots are made. A proper thinning at
that time, and carried on every year, would
keep the main branches in first class condition.

Corn Culture. — In 1890 experiments were
made in the Cornell Experiment Station in
regard to the value of cutting off the tassel
from every other row. The increased yield of
corn was 50 per cent. In the Delaware College
Experiment Station last year, experiments
were repeated and gave an increased percentage
of 7 per cent. Many similar experiments have
been made, usually with the result of an in-
creased weight of corn. Although the percent-
age varies considerably, it would appear that
on the whole it is an advantage. The tassel
has to be taken out very early, — as soon as
it can be perceived within the upper leaves, —
with a twisting and pulling motion, it snaps
easily and is then withdrawn.

Plum Culture. — As a general rule our or-
chard trees, after being set out, are left entirely
to nature, and when the question of pruning
comes, as it frequently does in discussions be
fore horticultural societies, it is interesting to
note that no one can give any sensible reason
for advocating pruning on the one hand, or
no pruning on the other. But the plum is a
tree that is especially healthful only when a
limited number of branches are left on the
trees ; and for this reason the weaker and

poorer class of shoots should never be allovved
to exist. When the trees are young, one
should keep an eye to the branches that are
likely to be the most vigorous, and many of
the weaker ones should be at ones taken away.
This suggestion is, in a measure, true of all
fruit trees. A limited number of large, heavy
vigorous leaves is of much more consequence
to the vital power of the tree than a large
number of half starved leaves would be ; but,
true as this is with most fruit trees, it is par-
ticularly true of the plum. The go-as-you-
please style of raising plum trees rarely results
in remarkable profit.

Dwarf Apples. — There are two kinds of
apples which never attain a large size — species
which always continue low, and have a
meagre growth. One of these is called the
Paradise Apple, and the other the Doucain
Apple. For those who wish to have apples
fruit very early, and not to occupy much
space, the ordinary kinds of apples are grafted
on these stocks. These are known com-
mercially as dwarf apples. Those grafted on
the Paradise are the dwarfest. Those on the
other stock frequently make trees nearly as
large as those grafted on the ordinary apple
stock used for orchard trees. So far as we
know these dwarf apple trees in our country
are only used as curiosities in small gardens.
A correspondent, however, desires to know
whether any attempt has been made to grow
these as a crop for profitable market purposes.
Our impression is that they have not, nor do
we think it is possible that they could be ; bnt
we should be glad to know whether anyone
has actually tried the experiment.

Time for Grafting. — It is not generally
known, but Meehans' Monthly takes pleasure
in giving the secret to its readers, — that the
longer scions can be retarded, the more c« :-
tainty there is of success. For instance, if
grafts of Pear are cut in the winter, and stuck
in the ground like cuttings, they will ke p
green without sprouting for months. Ti'.e
Pear tree to be grafted may push into leaf in
May, — but the grafting may not be done t^U
June or later. The unsprouted cuttings used
as grafts, grow with surprising success. 1 he
writer has known some of these to be success-
fully grafted even at the end of July.

Kai'id Growth of Trees. — It has often
been said, that as soon as you can excite a
personal interest in the planting of trees, the
forestry question will set^'e itself. One of the
mistakes too frequently made is, however, the
encouragement of the idea that it takes cen-
turies to get trees large enough for timber pur-
poses. If properly planted and properly cared
for. as they ought to be in a well ordered forest
plantation, growth is extremely rapid, and
<H)0(\ timber trees could be obtained within a
quarter of a century. Near where this para-
j^raph is written, there is a specimen of Silver
Miple, Acer dasycarpinn, not fifteen years since
it was a seed, which is 4 feet 6 inches in cir-
cumference ; and an American Elm, about the
same age, which is 5 feet in circumference.
Facts like these could be easily multiplied,
showing how easy it is to get profitable forests
in a very short time when the great public
nccessit}' and consequent profit becomes a
matter of exact figuring.

Champagne. — " Lippincott's Magazine" for
December says that the vineyard district of
France, from which is produced substantially
the world's supply of champagne, is contained
williin an area of thirty miles square', with
Rt ims as its commercial and cathedral city.

The vine-lands in this area produce the white.
It I, and black grapes from which champagne
is made, and yet these same roots planted
bc-yond the confines of this district fail to pro-
duce grapes from which the high fiuality of
wine, perfect in bouquet and flavor can be ob-
t -ined. Again, with all the care and attention
u''\en to the cultivation of the grape here, it
! impossible, from year to year, to attain to
'> thing like uniformity in the quality of the
I'.irvest from the same vines. Even in the best
:• ars some portion of the harvest will fall so
fa- below the required standard that its product
t >n only be labelled and sold as a cheap or
Ejected wine. There is no doubt, however,
•■'^ the champagne houses of France, after
1 i.rning something of the nicety of the palate
^'' their customers, cater accordingly.

< trape Culture in California. — The Euro-
pean grape which does not succeed in the East-
ern States, finds itself at home in California.
Mie vineyards of California are chiefly made
"P of varieties of the European stock. So

successful is it in that climate, that it fre-
quently attempts to make two crops a year.
The effort in cultivation there is to prevent it
making the second crop, as it is believed that
this interferes with the abundance of the earlier
crop the following season. The yield of grapes
per acre is usually four tons, but it is believed
that if the grape there could be prevented from
bearing a second crop, that the yield per acre
would be six tons. It is said that particular
systems of pruning are more responsible for
this second crop than peculiarities of climate.

Beurre d'Anjou Pear. — Where this fine,
early winter pear is handled with intelligence,
with knowledge how to mature it properly, it
is one of the very best of all Winter pears for
the amateur. Every one knows how apples can
be preserved by being packed tightly in bar-
rels ; but very few can do this with a pear.
But this particular variety, under the hands of
such intelligent managers as EUwanger cS:
Barry, of Rochester, has been preserved in bar-
rels pretty much as one might do with apples,
and they can be kept for a considerable time
in this condition. Where they are suffered to
ripen on the trees, just as nature perfects them,
this good character cannot be obtained.

The Early Ohio Grape. —This grape, which
has already been favorably noticed in MiCE-
hans' Monthly, was a chance seedling found
in the vineyard of Mr. R. A. Hunt, of Euclid,
Ohio, being one of twelve that was selected
to be allowed to grow up to fruiting condi-
tion. Its comparative earliness is evidenced
by its being ten days earlier than the well
known Moore's Early. Early grapes of first-
class quality are still desideratums, and this
one, if it confirms by experience all that has
been said of it, will certainly be a valuable
addition to an already large list of varieties.

Dried Bananas.— A new thing under the
sun seems to be the attempts of vSouth Ameri-
cans to dry bananas. ' ' The Rural New Yorker' '
states that American evaporators are now
getting to be quite common in Central and
South America for drying these fruits, and
that after drying the bananas are ground into
meal and are used eventually for making bread,
puddings, cakes, and other toothsome things.

si

.■■'

1 8c

1
J

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

95

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

WASTED LIVES.

Yet oft a sigh prevails, and sorrow fall,

To see the hoard of human bliss so small ;

And oft I wish, amidst the scene, to find

Some spot of real happiness consign 'd.

Where my worn soul, each wandering hope at rest,

May gather bliss to see my fellows blest.

— Oliver Goldsmith.

Death of Ghiesbreght. — "The Natural
Sciences are in mourning ! The great Belgian
botanist, Augustus B. Ghiesbreght died at San
Cristobal Las Casas on the 7th of February last,
at the age of 82 years and 1 1 months.

This great man, after his profitable studies
begun in Brussels and finished in Paris ; after
the various honors w^hich he received from the
King Leopold I. for his valuable services
given to science in his explorations of Brazil
and made under commission of the same
sovereign, in company with the illustrious
Linden ; after his repeated journeys in Mexico,
which revealed to old Europe the beauties of
the Mexican flora and fauna, came at last to
fix his residence in the ancient capital of Chia-
pas, where he collected the multitude of pre-
cious plants which to-day enrich the herbaria
of Europe. 'The botanical collections of Ghies-
breght are distributed among the Museums and
Academies of Belgium, England, France,
Switzerland, Germany and Russia. The num-
ber of new species sent to those herbaria or in-
troduced to the gardens of those countries is
immense.' *

Though the illustrious Belgian, in his scien-
tific explorations, figures by the side of Linden,
as a zoologist only, it appears that his favorite
study was botany, since it was to that he de-
voted himself in Tobasco and Chiapas, from
the moment he arrived upon their shores. In-
deed, the monumental work of Hemsley, •' Bio-
logia Centrali- Americana," registers in almost
all the orders of its plants, a multitude which
were collected by the industrious savayit, as
well as many that have been dedicated to him,

* Jos^* N. Rovirosa— Life and labors of the Relgian natur-
alist. Augustus B. Ghiesbreght, explorer of Mexico, La Na-
turaleza, and series, Vol. I, p. 211.

(94)

of which we may mention the following :
Lomaria GhiesbfCghtii, Bkr. ; Polypodium (Co-
niopteris) Ghiesbreghtii, Linden ; Philodendron
Ghiesbreghtii, Linden ; Quercus Ghiesbreghtii,
Martens ; and the remarkable Scrophularaceous
Tree, Ghiesbreghtia grandiflora, a new genus
which the celebrated Dr. Asa Gray took occasion
to name after its illustrious discoverer. The
name of the studious Belgian is also borne by
several species in the zoological kingdom,
among which we record the bird of prey, Urn-
bitinga Ghiesbreghtii, Du Bus, and the mol-
lusks, Glaiidina Ghiesbreghtii, Pfeiifer; Am-
piillafia Ghiesbreghiii, Reeve ; and Heliciua
Ghiesbreghtii, Pfeiffer.

In his visit to the Grotto of Cocona in the
vicinity of Teapa, made July 16, 1890, oiir
esteemed friend D. Jose N. Rovirosa, already
cited, honored one of the chambers of that cave
with the name of the illustrious Belgian ex-
plorer, as a new tribute of admiration to the
merit of the man who has rendered such great
service to the progress of the study of nature,
no: only by his great knowledge, but by his
enthusiasm and persistence in dissection and
herborization.

The great botanical labors of Ghiesbreght
were not limited to the collection of drit^d
classified plants, but what is more, he also
sent large consignments to various points in
Europe, of living plants, preserved by his skill
and careful pains in glass cases, with the prai.^^e-
worthy object of making the riches of the Am-
erican Flora better known to the old continei'
•K- * ^t- » # « -^

From his establishment in our State, about
the year 1838 or 1839, this traveling naturalirt
did not cease for a moment to collect the rar-?
plants of those which grow in such profusion
in our fertile zone, whether on the coasts c^^
the gulf, or the marshy interior of the terri-
tory, or along the cascades of the Sierra known
to be most abundant in the rarities of Ameri-
can vegetation. Doubtless these wonderfully
multiplied rarities encouraged the modest
Ghiesbreght to fix his residence in the centre

of liiat virgin and privileged region, the
climate of which is exceptionally healthy,
where the panoramas presented are so varied
and peculiar, and where the perspective of the
mountains displays such creative power. ^ ^ *
Nor was he a mere naturalist forgetful of his
philanthropic and social duties, for the refining
fire of patriotism kindled its flame in the breast
of Ghiesbreght, for his biographer tells us that
in 1830 he gave proof of his love for liberty,
enlisting as a physician among the defensive
forces of his country, when it was threatened,
an action which the Belgian government re-
warded with a diploma and a cross of honor.
The same courage was manifested under
another very distinct aspect, every time that
he exposed his precious
life to make the conquest
of a rare plant among the
mountain clefts or the
deep ravines. Nor was it
at all extraordinary that
the man who had exposed
his breast to the cannon-
shot in defence of his
country, should have
placed his feet upon the
peaks of Colima, of Ox\-
zar.a, of Jorullo, and of
Cempoaltepec.

vSo also the merits of
Jenner and of Monthyon
.^^"ne upon the brow of
eminent naturalist,
we know that he liber-
. l)estowed not merely
• treasures of his medi-

knowledge, but also his slender savings
»" 1 the needy classes. 'For this reason
his biographer) the people of Chiapas
proud to retain him in their capital, to call
;i their compatriot, as those should be called
'O love the progress of the sciences in
xico'— and for this reason we who love
progress lament his disappearance from
^h. and from the bosom of science, but we
'^ole ourselves by remembering that he has
iianged the American skies for the skies of
5 ''^^* Feupe a. Margalu.

"^" ^^PTiSTA DE Tabasco. March lo, 1893.

Jo the above communication it may be
''^•^^led that European journals often spell the
n^nie Ghiesbrecht.— Ed.]

fc

ALPHON8E DC CANDOLLE.

U

De Caxdollf.— The death is announced at
Geneva, Switzerland, on the 4th of April, of
Prof. Alphoiise de Candolle, whose name at
the present time stands at the head of botanical
knowledge everywhere. He was the son of
another botanist quite as great. Augustin
Pyramus de Candolle, originally Professor of
botany at Montpellier, but subsequently at
Geneva. He was born at Paris, on October
the 27th, 1806. His early studies were in the
direction of medicine, but he finally became
assistant to his father, and afterwards successor
in the Professorship of botany in the Institute
at Geneva, and for eighteen years was Director
of the Botanic Garden there. Although the
author of a number of independent botanical

works, possibly his great-
est was the completion of
the "Prodromus," which
his father left unfinished
in 1 84 1. Notwithstanding
his advanced years, the
announcement of his death
came with bome surprise
to his botanical colleagues
in America, where he has
been for many years held
in the highest estimation.
The cut used is from the
London ** Journal of Horti-
culture." the one in the
writer's collection going
back to younger days.
Like all truly great men.
he was beloved for his
broad sympathies as for
his learning. No true
searcher for botanical truths, however humble,
but found a friend in De Candolle.

Ci

The Garden of Eden. — The notice in
Meehans' Monthly regarding a fanciful
location of the Garden of Eden at the Noith
Pole, brings for us a note from Miss Maria
Pinckney, of Charleston, to the effect that
the lady referred to is not alone in her glor}',
as Miss P. read some years ago a 500-page
book, by a well known professor in a Northern
college, whose name has escaped her, to prove
the same point ; and she remarks that if his
arguments were not conclusive, the facts gather-
ed and fitted together were certainly most
wonderful.

1

\i

hi

GENERAL NOTES,

it". ^

Compliments to the Magazine. — A little
over forty years ago, the writer of this para-
graph started with a bundle of manuscript
under his arm, on a tour amongst book pub-
lishers. It was on "American Ornamental
Trees." Only one gave even a reason for de-
clining it. •* If it were something like ' Uncle
Tom's Cabin' we could make it go." But the
author had more faith in the American love for
solid reading than these publishers. He could
not then afford to risk much, so he cut down
the manuscript two-thirds, and then risked the
little seventy-five cent book by a guarantee to
the publishers who issued it !

He has had faith in American love of gard-
ening. He was told that "something to eat"
was the true basis for a horticultural magazine,
and that unless it be shown that there was
" money in the garden," it was useless to pre-
sent gardening to the American mind. Yet
for thirty years he kept prosperous a magazine
the main effort of which was to show that
gardening was for living souls as well as for
mortal bodies.

He could not find a publisher for the second
series of "Flowers and Ferns of the United
States " without becoming a silent partner in
the firm itself ! and when that publisher died
he spent vainly several years in looking for
another.

Even when the younger members of the
firm of Thomas Meehan & Sons undertook to
take on themselves the burden of publication,
it was a whisper among the knowing ones,
'* who will care for a work like that ? "

It would not be so difficult to find a pub-
livshers to-day. The complimentary letters
from end to end of our great country, would
show the grand mistake in regarding an Amer-
ican as but a slight remove from a Digger
Indian. "I anxiously await the coming of
each number," says Mr. Thomas E. Fahey, of
I.enox in the Berkshire Hills, — and so say
they all.

Not being publishers, and without the
machinery to make the work known a regular

(96)

publishing firm would have, much dependence
has to be placed on the good will of friends in
making the work known. In reply to some
friends, whose inquiries have suggested thivS
paragraph, it may be here noted, that a few
full sets have been saved for those who come
in at the later hour.

The BeautifuIv Pirates. — The praises of
Meehans' Monthly have been so continuous
and are echoed from so many varied centres of
intelligence, that it could not be supposed that
these unsurpassed encomiums could be vStill
surpassed. For the remarkably flattering
manner in which the press of the country and
numerous correspondents have expressed their
pleasure at the plate of Epigcea repens — the
Partridge berry — and of that number generally
the conductors are proud. A substantial testi-
monial was the increase in the number of orders
for the bound volumes irom the beginning show-
ing the growth of the feeling it is desired to
encourage, that the work is not one of tempor-
ary concern, but will become a standard library
book of reference for all time. A limited Jrct
of bound volumes can still be furnished.

Strange Grass from Algeria. — It "s
stated in the newspapers that a peculiar gr.tss
has been discovered that will grow around ibe
craters of the volcano of Oran, a seaport cn
the Mediterranean Sea. No other plant, it s
said, can endure the temperature as this gra^s
can. It is reported to be in quantities sufficient
for profitable export, and large quantities are
being used as tying material. No inforniaticn
is given, however, as to what species of gra>s
this may be.

The Next Plate. — Having given our 1 -
tanical friends a rich feast in a rare fern, tre
real flower lover, pure and simple, shall ne i
be ministered to, and Comarnm pa lustre, i
beautiful purple flowered native of the Nort)i-
east will be illustrated.

B
Hi'

i

COMARUM PALUSTRE.

I

MARSH CINOUEFOIL.

NATURAL ORDER, ROSACE.^.

CoMARUM PALUSTRE, LiNN.F.i's.— Stems Creeping at the base, one to two feet hi^h, nearly smooth, branching : leaflets three,
five, or seven, crowded, one and a half to two and a half inches long and half as wide ; oblong-lanceolate, hoary beneath,
obtuse, sharply serrate, subsessile ; petiole longer than the scarious, woolly, adnate stipules at the base ; flowers large ;
calyx segments several times larger than the petals; petals about three lines long", ovate-lanceolate, and with the
stamens, styles, and upper surface of the sepals, dark purple ; fruit permanent. (Wood s C/iiss-Book of Botuny. See also
Torrey and Gray's Flora of North America, and Gray's Manual of thr Jiofativ of the Xorthern Untied States under the
name oi Potent tlla palustris).

of

of

The interesting wild flower here illustrated
affords us some valuable lessons in botany as
a science, and in botanical history.

Few of our modern names for plants can be
traced back more than three or four hundred
years, as beyond that we have few works extant
except those which were written by the learned
men of ancient Greece and Rome. Still there
were in all the intervening ages some who
studied plants more or less intelligently in the
little light vouchsafed to them, and the names
given to plants in these times have been
handed down to us, but often with little
knowledge as to why they were so named, or
any clue to their meaning. Our present plant
bv.ing common to the north of Europe as well
.^s to northern America, and with some fame
^^ a medicinal plant, must have attracted
Uention even in early times, when it was
irobably associated with Potentilla, under
•hich name the common Potent ilia anscnna
our modern system, has been known for
: iJiny ages. With the revival of learning
' hich followed the dark ages, botany came in
a share of attention, and attempts were
^iiide at classifying plants in some natural
'vay. Bauhin in 167 1 separated plants allied
t ' the one we are now discussing, and made
une genus Quinquefolium, because, he says, of
number of leaves they have, and our plant
oecame Quinquefoltum pa lust re rubrmn. So
little was known of the real structure of plants
'^t that time, that often the appearances of the
haves decided the genus, and we might expect to
find even an Aynpclopsis in the same genus with
the Strawberry, simply because both had five
leaflets. Before Bauhin's time Gesner had estab-
lished a genus Pentaphyllnm , in which was our

plant; and Rudbeck, the predecessor of Lin-
naeus, re-established it, and our plant became
Pentaphyllu m aqitaticu m .

Tournefort who wrote about the beginning
of the last century, and whose views of the
structure and affinities of plants were so correct
that man}' of his views were adopted by Lin-
nceus, and continue to this day, made a new
genus for our plant, and it became Pcntaphyl-
hides pa lustre nibrum. LinUcX-us, following,
again gave it a new place, and called it Co-
yyiarum, thus removing it from the true C7//^///^-
foils, among which in some form or another it
had so long appeared. This was in the Flat a
iMpponiea, or Flora of Lapland, in 1737. Thus
it remained till 1772, when Scopoli, in the Flora
Carnioliea, or Flora of the Italian Alps, took it
back to its old relations, and made it Potentilla
palustris. This however did not seem to meet
with general approval. So recently as 183S,
our own great botanists, Torrey and Gray, in
the Flora of North America, followed Linnreus
in regarding it as Comarum palustte, but in his
more recent writings Dr. Gray has followed
Scopoli in regarding it as a mere Potentilla,
As there have been no new facts discovered in
relation to our plant and its immediate con-
nections than were known to Linnx'us. it shows
that genera in botanical systems are more or less
artificial, and that there is nothing absolutely
definite in the botanical mind as to what should
constitute a generic character. It may be here
remarked that in establishing genera of the
plants allied to the one under present considera-
tion, Linnreus looked to the behavior of the
receptacle for the best distinguishing character.
In the Raspberry, for instance, the fleshy matter
covers the seeds, and when mature falls from the

(97)

i

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

COM ARUM IVVLUSTRli.

MARSH CL\(JL i:i()IL.

NATTRAL ORDIvR, ROSACI-M:.

xKi'M PALi'srRK, I.iNN.ia'S.— Stetns crff])ii!fj nt thf base, one t<> two fcrt liiyli. TieaTiv >m()i'tli, hr.'uiclniii; : IcniKts tlirt-t ,
:ivt". nr .seven, crt^wdetl, one and a half to two and a halt inches lon.i; and halt as \\ ide ; i)l>l()ni;-!ancc<)!ate, ]u)ar\- hem at h,
>!>tuse, sharply sei rate, siihsessile ; petiole lonj^jer than the scarioiis, w'Mlly, athiate stipules at the base : tl^wers larj^e;
.ahx se<;nients several times larger than the ])etals ; ])etals alx.iit three lines lotii;', ovate-lancenlate, and with tlie
>t.inie!is, st\les, and nj)i)ei' surfai.e of the sepals. <lark }>urt)le ; triiit permanent. ' Wmid •< ( '.'<.' •-/»''('<• -' lUiUm \ . Se«- also
i'orrey aii(l <iray's /7(^;« t»/ A'(>/ //t ./w/r; /(•<;, and (iray's .!/(/;/ /f,/.' ,/r ///, /; - -lu- yot ■'':■ i ti I'v : s; . rii'lcr the

•tame n( PotrntiH.i palusti is).

ihe interevSting wild flower here illustrated
athnds lis some valuable lessons in botany as
A science, and in botanical history.

l\\v of our modern names for plants can be

traced back more than three or four hundred

r.s. as beyond that we have few works extant

r})t those which were written by the learned

t"^^n of ancient Greece and Rome. Still there

I', in all the intervening ages some who

; lied plants more or less intelligenth' in the

' '• Hi^lit vouchsafed to them, and the names

en to plants in these times have been

. ided down to us, but often with little

\ ledge as to why they were so named, or

' luL' to their meaning. Our present plant

i!^ common to the north of ICurope as well

' northern America, and with some fame

V medicinal plant, must have attracted

'•ntion even in earU' times, when it was

ably associated with Potoitilla, under

h name the common Potoitilla afiscnua

'ur modern system, has been known for

ny ages. With the revival of learning

!i followed the dark ages, botany came in

I share of attention, and attempts were

' at classif3Mng plants in some natural

i^auhin in 167 1 separated plants allied

jiL' one we are now discussing, and made

;4^enus Qui)iqucfoUi(m, because, he says, of

'lumber of leaves they have, and our plant

Hie Ouinqucfolium palustrc nifuioii. So

^ was known of the real structure of j)lants

'it time, that often the appearances of the

• "^esdtcided the genus, and we might expect to

vcn an Ampc/opsis in the same genus with

Strawberry, simply because both had five

■''lets. Before Bauhin's timeOesner hadestab-

' '^ a genus PcntaphyUitvi, in which was our

plant; and Ruilbeck. the ])redecessor of T,in-
n;eus, re-established it, and t)ur plant became
l\)itaphyllu})i aqitaticH))} .

Tournefort who wrote about the beginning
of the last century, and whose views ol the
structure and affinities of plants were so correct
that many of his views weie ad(^])ted by I.in-
n:uus, and continue to this day. made a new
genus for our plant, and it became Poitaphyl-
liiitfcs paliistii rKhnon. Linn;eus. following,
again gave it a new j)lace, and called it C'^-
wamni, thus removing it from the true cV//r//<'f'-
foils, among which in some form or another it
had so long appeared. This was in xXxK^Floia
Lappo)Uia. or Mora of Lapland, in i;.;;. Thus
itremaine<l till 1772. when Scopoli. in the Mora
Caniiolica, or Mora of the Italian Alps, took it
back to its old relations, and nia<le it rotcntilla
piihistris. This however di«l not seem to meet
with general approval. So recently as iS;^.
our own great botanists. T(jrrev and (".ra\'. in
the Flora of North America, followed Linn.ius
in regarding it as Cofnanon palnsffL\ but in his
more recent writings Dr. Grav has followed
Scopoli in regarding it as a mere Pi'tenfii/a.
As there Iiave been no new facts discovered in
relation to our plant and its imnie<liate con-
nections than were known to Linn. ens, it shows
that jj-enera in botanical svstems are more or less
artificial, and that there is nothing absolutely
definite in the botanical mind as to what should
constitute a generic character. It may be here
remarked that in estaldishing genera of the
plants allied to the one under present considera-
tion, Linn.eus looked to the behavior of the
receptacle for the best distinguishing character.
In the Raspl)erry, for instance, the tleshy matter
covers the seeds, and when mature falls from the

^97)

98

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— COM ARUM PALUSTRE.

[July

** core" like a thimble. In the Blackberry the
seeds are covered also, but when the fruit falls
the " core" falls with it. The Strawberry also
falls from the calyx as the Blackberry does, but
the seeds are naked — set on the fleshy matter
and not covered by it. The Potentilla or true
Cinque/oil family has no pulpy matter, and the
seeds are set in a dry almost flat receptacle.
Now Comaruvi is an intermediate between the
Strawberry and the Potentilla, for the receptacle
is round, somewhat like a Strawberry in form,
but is spongy instead of being fleshy. In this
respect it rather approaches the Strawberry,
while the leaves favor the Potentilla family.
Linnoeus himself saw the difficulty of separ-
ating such a natural family into different
genera, but he thought on the principle he
adopted Coynanivi must stand separate, or else
we should have to put Rubns, Rosa, Geicm,
Dryas, and others together under one name.

The origin of the name Covianim cannot be
certainly traced. Johnson says it is from the
Gr^€^ Komaros, the Ardut?is Unedo, — or Straw-
berry tree, — because the fruit is like that,— but
there is no suggestive resemblance between
these fruits. Prof. Wood says, from Kofnaros,
the Strawberry tree, which the *♦ plant" re-
sembles, but here again there is no resem-
blance. Linnaeus who named the genus merely
tells us he found the name in Apuleius, and
adopted it for this genus. This Apuleius was
a distinguished Athenian scholar, who ffourish-
ed in the second century of the Christian era,
and emigrated to Rome. Here he was smitten
by the charms of an exceedingl}^ rich widow
named Pudentilla, whom he married ; but
•under such a storm of jealous envy, that he
set to work to defend himself in writings so
-able, that it was chiefly through these that he
became famous. It is remarkable that there
has seemed no adequate reason for the name
Potentilla. Dr. Gray remarks in his "Manual,"
*' name a kind of diminutive from potens, pow-
erful, alluding to the reputed medical power,
of which in fact these plants possess very
little." Bauhin and Linnaeus merely say that
the name is derived from its power over men —
using the worrl vir— or man in the masculine
sense ; and as he had Apuleius in mind when
he separated Cojnaru?n from it, his explanation
of Potentilla is strongly suggestive of the power
of Pudentilla over the celebrated writer. One
might be scarcely pardoned for suggesting this

fancy, if it were not that writers in the past
ages were not as particular in repeating ns
accurately as the present era demands. \ nx
instance, in respect to this very plant, l)r.
Withering in his "Arrangement of British
Plants" in 1830 wrote, "The root dyes a
dirty red. The Irish rub their milking pails
with it to make the milk appear richer and
thicker." Miss Pratt in her " English Wild
Flowers" says, "It is called Cowberry in
some parts of England, probably from a
practice common among the Irish o^f rubbing
the inside of their milk pails with this plant."
Dr. Prior does not include "Cowberry" at all
among his ' * Popular Names of British Plants, "
and we may see some tendency to vary from
the original statement of Dr. Withering. In
the "Treasury of Botany," 1874, Rev. C. H.
Johns writes, "The roots dye a dirty red. In
some parts of Scotland the fruits are called
Cowberries on account of their being used to
rub the inside of milk pails for the purpose of
thickening milk." It is by no means clear
that Dr. Withering was not speaking of the
root only ; but Miss Pratt varies it to the
"plant," and makes the "English" call it
Cowberry because the "Irish" use it, while
the Reverend Mr. Johns carries the practice to
"Scotland' ' and limits the use to the "fruit."

The original Potentilla, P. ansenna, was very
famous in old times for its medical properties.
There was scarcely any disease it was not etu-
ployed in. It w^as not merely Potentilla, ' ' little '
power, but a great power over the troubles of
both men and women — in agues, wounds, and
sores of every description. Griffiths in his
"Medical Botany" regards it as having some
real astringent qualities, and so far useful.

The plant has had many common names
suggested for it. Dr. Gray uses "Marsh fiv?-
finger." But as it seems desirable that on'
one should come into general use. Marsh ci' -
quefoil is employed here as the oldest, and the
one which seems to be in the most general u-c
in the old world.

It is confined to the northern parts of the
United States, extending to the Arctic Circle.
Our illustration is from a Massachusetts speci-
men.

Explanation of thb Plate. — 1. Creeping root stock.
2. Portion of a branch, showing seven, five, and three lean<-ts
to one leaf on the same plant. 3. United stipule. 4. Flower,
showing proportion in size of petals to the colored sepals.
5. Showing bracts at base of calyx, also seen in Fig. 4-

^-J^■>■.••

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

FORETELLING THE WEATHER.

But. more than all, the setting sun survey,

Wlicti down the steep of heaven he drives the day :

For oft we find him finishing his race,

With various colors erring on his face.

If licry red his glowing globe descends,

Hij^liwinds and fiery tempests he portends :

lUit, if his cheeks are swoln with livid blue,

He bodes wet weather by his watery hue ;

If dusky spots are varied on his brow.

Ami, streaked with red, a troubled color show ;

Tliat sullen mixture shall at once declare,

Winds, rain, and storms, and elemental war.

But, if with purple rays he brings the light,

And a pure heaven resigns to quiet night.

No rising winds or falling skies are nigh, —

But northern breezes through the forests fly,

And drive the rack and purge the ruffled sky.

Dryden's Virgii..

Honey Making. — Nectar in flowers is not
honey. This nectar is gathered by the tongue
of the bee, and enters what is called the honey
ba<,^ from which it is regurgitated by the bee
on Us return to the hive, and deposited in the
honey cell. Even then it is thin and watery,
and does not become really honey until the
watery parts have evaporated. In collecting the
sweets the bees do not confine themselves wholly
to llowers. The writer of this paragfraph has for
a next neighbor a professional bee keeper, whose
bees depend almost wholly on the flowers
from the writer's garden — that is to say, there
aj'j few other flowers, except wild ones, on
which the bees can collect their material. Un-
Tortunately for him they are not satisfied with
the flower, but also carry away the fruit. It
1 hnost impossible in raspberry time to get
enough from his garden to make a respectable
air>h for the tea table — nearly every berry is
sucked to pieces before it is absolutel}' ripe.
It IS the same with the grape ; in order tt)
seinre them from the ravages of the bees the}'
have to be protected by paper bags. Last
season, and for the first time, they have been
found to carry away peaches also. How they
tirst penetrate the skin is not clear ; but it
^"^y possibly have been from the puncture
of the curculio. The curculio frequently cuts
the skin without depositing the ^g%, and this

single break may be borne along without in-
jury to the peach, permitting it to ripen. It
is possible that they get a first entrance here.
At any rate certain it is that before the peach
is fairly ripe little is left on the peach but
the stone. Other fruit growers likewise com-
plain of the ravages of bees. Bee keepers
contend that this cannot be so — that the bee
is incapable of perforating fruit. This ma}^ or
may not be — certainly what perforations might
exist before the bees discovered them would
not injure the fruit — the following up of this
by the bees is just as bad as if they made
the original perforations for thenivSelves.

The Snow Plant. — The full history of the
growth of the Snow Plant of the Nevadas,
Sarcodes sanguinea, has not yet been fully as-
certained. A remarkably observant corres-
pondent, Mrs. Ross Lewers, of Washoe Co.,
Nevada, finds that the plants are pushing up
from the ground by the ist of October, — all
ready, as a Hyacinth would be, to push up its
flowers as soon as the spring opens. This
shows that the whole of their growth must be
made the year before the flowers appear, and
this fact has not before been recorded, and
helps considerably with its history. A very
large mass of coralline appearance, is formed
before the flowering stage is reached, and it is
hardly likely that from the time the seed ma-
tures in the fall, the whole of this mass is
formed before October. It all goes to show
that the plant may possibly take more than
one year to perfect itself.

Beggar Weed. — It is very hard to keep
up with the common names of plants, as they
are changing from year to year, if not oftener.
But it is important to watch the drift of
things in this line. It appears that Richard-
sofiia scabra is known in the South as " Beg-
gar weed." It is an immigrant from Mexico,
and is becoming a well known weed in the
South.

(99)

,f

Vl

rf:
\

lOO

MEEHANS* MONTHIyY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[July

■I

Ir ^

I

r 1

III

Yucca filamentosa. — Although pictures
of the pretty Yucca, familiarly known as
Adam's Needle, are not at all un frequent,
rarely is seen anything so pretty as the plant
here illustrated, and which was grown in the
garden of Mrs. Cornelia Boecklin, of Burling-
ton, Iowa. This particular species of Yucca is
probably the easiest to cultivate of all, and it
is now getting a very wide distribution in
pleasure grounds. It is an extremely interest-
ing plant outside of its mere beauty. Through
the labors of Prof. Riley and the late Dr.

YUCCA FILAMENTOSA.

Kngelmann, it was made known some years
ago that a particular night moth, which Prof.
Riley named Pronuba, is always associated
with the plant in order to its fruitfulness. No
seed is ever produced where this moth is ab-
sent ; wherever it visits the flowers, seed usu-
ally follow in abundance. Dr. Englemann
noted that the pistil in this plant was deep
down in an orifice at the apex of the style ; and
Prof. Riley found that the insect brought the
pollen and thrust it into this orifice. It seemed
almost instinctive on the part of the insect
which deposited its ^%^ in the immature seed

vessel, that it was necessary that the flowers
should be fertilized, in order that the fruit
might come to perfection, and thus afford frod
for the larvae. Possibly no more wonderful
discovery of the relation between plants and
insects was ever made. There have been differ-
ent views as to the physiological value to the
plant of this work of the insect ; but no dif-
ference of opinion as to the great honor due to
those eminent observers for our knowledge of
the interesting facts.

Forestry. — While this paragraph is being
written thousands of acres of valuable timber
is under fire in New Jersey, and reports of
similar forest conflagrations are in every news-
paper. It is remarkable that those who are
interested in the forest interests of our country
do not see that the great obstacle is the ex-
istence of underbrush. With no underbrush
there could be no forest fires. It is the dead
wood and accumulation of leaves, and dead
material which is encouraged by underbrush,
that feed the fire. Although leaves may
burn underneath forest trees, where there is
no brush, the bark is a sufficient protection,
and trees never suffer from these light burn-
ings. The whole subject of forestry has been
made too much a question of meteorology and
meteorological influences so far as leading to
springs and streams ; but the practical man
who wants money from forests will not plant
merely for the sake of public interest, and until
we can show him that there is money in the
planting, very little is likely to be done. Uii-
til he feels sure that he is secure against a
forest fire, he is not likely to invest much.
The great campaign in the interest of forestTV
should be against the existence of underbrush,
as much as for the preservation of old trees.

Cypress Knees. — In the Southern swamps,
the deciduous cypress sends up curious knobs,
called Cypress Knees, the object or purpose of
which is a subject of discussion in some quar-
ters. It has been said they never behave in
this way except when growing in wet places.
Mr. Burnet Landreth, at Bristol, Pa., having
some trees, informs us that two of his trees
are growing on the edge of a swamp, and one
on the high and dry ground. They all throw
up knees as well on the dry as on the wet
situation.

tS93-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

lor

CiTRLS TRiFOLiATA. — Mr. W. Sauudcrs, of
United States Department of Agriculture, con-
tributes the following note on this valuable
introduction :

In the Spring of 1869, the Department of
Agriculture received an invoice of orange
trees from Japan. In crossing the Rocky
mountains they encountered severe weather,
and reached here a solid mass of ice.

They looked bad. After unpacking them
they were placed under a greenhouse staging
where they would recuperate if any life was
left in them. Very few of the tops recovered,
but the stocks upon which they had been
worked budded forth in profusion. These
growths puzzled us for some time, they did
not show much externally to class them
with the Citrus family. After a time a
drawing and description of the plant was
found in an old botanical work, w^here it
was named Citrus trifoliata, Linn.

Supposing that this might prove to be a
superior stock for oranges, an order was sent
to Japan for a quantity of seed. This order
was duly fulfilled and from it several thous-
ands of plants wTre produced, and for several
years these were used as stocks for budding
oranges of different varieties. It was evi-
dent that this stock dwarfed the orange, the
trees making but little growth, and it was
abandoned, wnth one exception.

Citrus Japonica, the Kum-quat of China, a
v^mall orange much used by the Chinese for
prtserves, thrives best when budded on this
-^'ck, indeed, it is difficult to grow it upon
*"iuy other.

Some plants of Citrus trifoliata having
been planted in the shrubbery border, proved
tiiem to be perfectly hardy in this climate,
aii«l their growth indicated a remarkable
<'» biptability as a hedge plant. For the purpose
* " introducing it as such, further orders were
i K>ed for seed from w^hich many plants have
«)een produced and distributed for trial as a
lialore plant. In climates where it will stand,
^ do not know of a more formidable plant for
f^trong hedges for live stock inclosures.

Hedges for Shady Places. — It is often
desirable to have hedges along lines where
large trees are already growing. Evergreens
^rc wholly unfitted for these situations ; only
deciduous shrubs can be employed. Among

the best of these are the various varieties of
Privet. They stand dry ground better than
almost anything else. It is not so much the
shade which injures the hedges in these situa-
tions as it is the drying of the ground bj' the
roots of the trees. When we imagine the
enorn;ous amount of moisture transpiring from
thousands of leaves of trees, we can readily
see how dry the ground must be which has to
supply this moisture. But those who have
practical experience understand this without
even a thought of the philosophy involved.

CrTRUS TRIFOLIATA.

ROBINIA HISPIDA. — A correspondent from
Rutherford County, N. C, states that Robinia
hispida, the rose-colored Acacia, is quite abun-
dant in that locality. It is a very easy plant
to raise in nurseries, and is usually found in
all good collections. But the chief interest
connected with it is in its supposed inability
to perfect its own seed. Those who have the
opportunity would do good serv-ice to botanical
science by watching for seed vessels. No
botanist seems ever to have seen any. A few
seed vessels would be very valuable to botanical
collectors.

n

K

I ).

lOO

MEEHANS MONTHI.Y — WII.D FLOWERS AND NATURE.

U

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

ID

Yucca eilamentosa. — Although pictures
of the pretty Yucca, familiarly known as
Adam's Needle, are not at all un frequent,
rarely is seen anything so pretty as the plant
here illustrated, and which was grown in the
garden of Mrs. Cornelia Boecklin, of Burling-
ton, Iowa. This particular species of Yucca is
probably the easiest to cultivate of all, and it
is now getting a very wide distribution in
pleasure grounds. It is an extremely interest-
ing plant outside of its mere beauty. Through
the labors of Prof. Riley and the late Dr.

YUCCA FILAMENTOSA.

Hngelmann, it was made known some j-ears
ago that a particular night moth, which Prof.
Riley named Promt ba, is always associated
with the plant in order to its fruitfulness. No
seed is ever produced where this moth is ab-
sent ; wherever it visits the flowers, seed usu-
ally follow in abundance. Dr. Englemann
noted that the pistil in this plant was deep
down in an orifice at the apex of the st} le ; and
Prof. Riley found that the insect brought the
pollen and thrust it into this orifice. It seemed
almost instinctive on the part of the insect
which deposited its ^^g^ in the immature vSeed

vessel, that it was necessary that the flo- ^
should be fertilized, in order that the t t
might come to perfection, and thus afford f 1
for the larvre. Possibly no more wonderiid
discovery of the relation between plants and
insects was ever made. There have been difilr-
ent views as to the physiological value to the
plant of this work of the insect; but no dif-
ference of opinion as to the great honor due I
those eminent observers for our knowledge of
the interesting facts.

(>

Forestry. — While this paragraph is being
written thoUvSands of acres of valuable timber
is under fire in New Jersey, and reports of
similar forest conflagrations are in every news-
paper. It is remarkable that those who are
interested in the forest interests of our country
do not see that the great obstacle is the ex-
istence of underbrush. With no underbrush
there could be no forest fires. It is the dead
wood and accumulation of leaves, and dead
material which is encouraged by underbrush,
that feed the fire. Although leaves may
burn underneath forest trees, where there is
no brush, the bark is a sufficient protection,
and trees never suffer from these light biiiii-
ings. The whole subject of forestry has been
made too much a quCvStion of meteorology ntid
meteorological influences so far as leading '
springs and streams ; but the practical iiKiii
who wants money from forests will not plant
merely for the sake of public interest, and unld
we can show him that there is money in i
planting, very little is likely to be done. \
til he feels sure that he is secure against i
forest fire, he is not likely to invest nuu
The great campaign in the interest of fores'
should be against the existence of underbrii.
as much as for the preservation of old trees.

Cypress Knees. — In the Southern swami
the deciduous cypress sends up curious knol
chlled Cypress Knees, the object or purpose :
which is a subject of discussion in some qu i •
ters. It has been said they never behave .1
this way except when growing in wet placc;^.
i\Ir. Burnet Landreth, at Bristol, Pa., havir.,;
some trees, informs us that two of his tre •
are growing on the edge of a swamp, and one
on the high and dry ground. They all thr()v%-
up knees as well on the dry as on the w*-
situation.

;:s5

V 1 IRIS TRiFOLLVrA. — Mr. W^ Saunders, of
I iiitcil States Department of Agriculture, con-
. :tcs the following note on this valuable
]!ii rod notion :

In the Spring of 1S69, the Department of
A.c;nculture received an invoice of orange
tre-es from Japan. In crossing the Rock}'
ir,»iuiitains they encountered severe weather,
and reached here a solid mass of ice.

They looked bad. After unpacking them
they were placed under a greenhouse staging
where they would recuperate if any life was
left in them. Yer\' few of the tops recovered,
l)nt the stocks upon which the}' had been
worked budded forth in profusion. These
growths puzzled us for some time, they did
not show much externallv to class them
with the Citrus family. After a time a
drawing and description of the plant was
fonnd in an old botanical work, where it
was named Citrus trifoliata, Linn.

Supposing that this might prove to be a

sui)erior stock for oranges, an order was sent

to Japan for a quantity of seed. This order

•vas duly fulfilled and from it several thous-

•nds of plants were produced, and for several

> ears these were used as stocks for budding

orant^cs of different varieties. It was evi-

d"nt that this stock dwarfed the orange, the

> making but little growth, and it was

-mdoned, with one exception.

Citrus Japouica, the Kum-quat of China, a

^raall orange much used b}' the Chinese for

' rves, thrives best when budded on this

k. indeed, it is difliicult to grow it upon

>ther.

'Hie plants of Citrus trifoliata having
a phinted in the shrubbery border, proved
n to be perfectly hardy in this climate,
their growth indicated a remarkable
I't ability as a hedge plant. P'or the purpose
intrr)ducing it as such, further orders were
' i for seed from which many plants have
i' produced and distributed for trial as a
'/^ plant. In climates where it will stand,
not know of a more formidable plant for
■'^ hedges for live stock inclosures.

.f

Hkdi.es for Shady Places. — It is often

^i'-Mrable to have hedges along lines where

larvif trees are already growing. Evergreens

^^ holly unfitted for these situations ; only

duous shrubs can be emploj-ed. Among

the best of these are the various varieties of
Privet. The}' stand dry ground better than
almost anything else. It is not so much the
shade which injures the hedges in these situa-
tions as it is the drying of the ground 1)y the
roots of the trees. When we imagine the
enorn]ous amount of moisture trans})iring from
thousands of leaves of trees, we can readily
see how dry the ground must be which has to
suppl}' this moisture. But those who have
practical experience understand this without
even a thought of the philosophy involved.

CITRUS TRIFOLIATA.

RoiJixiA Hisi'iDA. — A correspondent from
Rutherford County. X. C states that /x'>^>ifiia
Iiispidii. the rose-colored Acacia, is (juite abun-
dant in that locality. It is a very easy ])lant
to raise in nurseries, and is usually found in
all good collections. But the chief interest
connected with it is in its supposed inability
to perfect its own seed. Those who have the
opportunity would do good service to botanical
science by watching for seed vessel.-^. No
botanist seems ever to have seen any. A few-
seed vessels would be very valuable to botanical
collectors.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

t!'

I02

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — ^WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[July

'i

The Osage Orange. — Value of Scien-
tific Facts. — The question is often asked, —
what is the practical use of abstract science ?
The answer generally is, that a new thought,
or a new fact is like a new born babe, of no
particular use at that time. We have to wait
and see whether the new fact or the new babe
is of any practical use in the world. A good
illustration of this is connected with the his-
tory of the Osage Orange. The great journey
across the continent projected by Lewis and
Clark, had for its object the collection of ob-
jects of natural history as much as of the gen-
eral facts in physical science. No one could
tell before they started whether anything dis-
covered could be made of practical use. This
expedition was planned in the house of Bernard
McMahon, an Irish exile and gentleman of
means in his own country, but who had to sus-
tain himself as a seedsman and florist in Phila-
delphia. His great intelligence drew around
him many learned and active spirits, and it is
more than probable that it was he who sug-
gested to Jefferson, who frequently visited him
at his home, the exploration which Lewis and
Clark afterwards made. The herbarium of
dried plants which these explorers made, was
given to McMahon, as also were the seeds
which they collected. Among others were a
few Osage Orange seeds, and the plants raised
from these seeds were still standing until about
two years ago, when both the trees and the
house were destroyed, in order to make car
sidings for the Reading Railroad Company.
The few Osage Orange trees were simply looked
upon as curiosities, and probably, if seeds
could have been sold at that time, a few cents
a package would have been considered their
full value. But it came about that the Osage
Orange proved to be one of the best hedge
plants that had ever been introduced, — to say
nothing of the famous Hawthorn of the old
world. When this became evident, our enter-
prising western nurserymen took hold of it in
earnest, and with much earnestness, — and the
present eminent forest planter and nurseryman,
Robert Douglass, gave as much as $50 for a
bushel of the seed, when now the seeds can be
had for nearly the asking in many localities.
When we remember how little was known of
the value of this tree when Lewis and Clark
first gave McMahon a few seeds, who would ever
have supposed that they would reach such

value that a nurseryman eagerly would pa\ as
much as this a bushel for them ? And so it is.
Science must go on pursuing its thankless
course. It is only after it has gained the fads
that we can possibly tell of what value they
are to mankind.

The Union of Parts. — Of late years a
branch of botany, known as morphology, has
advanced so as to be one of the most useful, as
well as fascinating, of the many divisions into
which botany is now divided. The concep-
tion is that all parts of plants are leaf blade
modified. It has been stated, for instance,
that a peach fruit is nothing more than a bun-
dle of modified leaves. Of course they never
were leaves, except in the sense of a formation,
so early, that even the microscope could not
perceive them. We know this only by results.
Accidental occurrences give the confirmation
to these truths. The honeysuckle sometimes
has the leaves so completely united that the
stem seems to have been forced through the
centre of one single leaf; but lower down on
the stem, it can be seen that the two leaves are
entirely separate and that the seemingly separ-
ated leaf above must have been united in the
very early stage. This happens as a regular
thing with the honeysuckle, but we see similar
things occasionally in other plants. With
this is an illustration of a leaf of Magnolia
Kobus, a comparatively rare Japanese species,
in which the edges of the lower portion of the
leaf have become united so that the leaf has the
form and appearance of a Call a spathe. As ;i
principle it may be said that there is no reason
why what a plant does in one leaf it might not
do in all, providing the forces which influenced
the change in one leaf should prevail through-
out the whole ; and hence it would not be im-
possible to have a Magnolia in which every
leaf would have the characteristics representel
in the picture. At one time these monstrosi-
ties were simply looked upon as something
curious, and that was all. In these days they
are made to teach valuable lessons, which
could not be taught in any other way.

Unfortunately the illustration referred to in
the above text was not ready when the printer
called to his feast, and shows that Burns might
have included editors among those with whom
things, "gang aft aglee." It will appear iti
next issue.

GENERAL GARDENING.

A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN.

-Thus was this place

A happy rural scat of various view, —
Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums

ar-d balm ;
Others whose fruit, burnished with golden

rind.
Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true,
If true, here only, and of delicious taste :
Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and

flocks
Grazing the tender herb, were interposed ;
Or palmy hillock or the flowery lap
Of some irriguous valley spread her store,
Flowers of all hue, and without thorn the

rose. Milton.

The Holly. — In a cemetery lot at Wood-
lands, near Philadelphia, known as the Drexel
Mausoleum, there is a magnificent specimen
of the English Holly, which has been there a
number of years. Occasionall}- other fine speci-
mens are seen in this part of the world. There
are also very fine ones in some of the parks at
Washington. It is very rarely planted from a
belief that it is too tender for this latitude ; but
this seems to be only the case where it is
I'ianted in open, sunny places. Where it has
a little shade from the sun in summer and pro-
tection from severe wintry blasts, it seems to
t'irive very well. One remarkable point about
't is, that thus isolated they rarely- fruit, if in-
fleed they ever produce the beautiful red ber-
vxs for which the Holly in the old world is
•^.'lebrated. Miller, the well known English
' tanist of the last age, contended that the
, int was absolutely dicecious, and conse-
^i'iientl}' isolated plants could not bear fruit.
^Ve do not believe this is accepted bj' modern
' nglish botanists, because they see the Holly
^ aring everywhere ; but it is more than prob-
'^hle that it is really so dioecious that the
fact that it bears berries so freely in the old
^vorld is due to the conveying of the pollen
everywhere by wind, bees or other insects.
The beautiful green of the foliage, however,
''^nd its famous historical associations would
render the Holly worthy of cultivation every-
'^vhere though a red berry was never seen.

The Oriental Spruce. — The " Rural
New Yorker " makes a point that among all
evergreen trees on the Rural grounds, nothing
is more valued than the Oriental Spruce. A
feature of this tree, it states, is not half appre-
ciated, namely, its beautiful, little, scarlet
cones that resemble strawberries in shape and
color. Endorsing this good character of the
editor of the *' Rural New Yorker," it might
be added that an extremely beautiful feature is
the young shoots when they are first issuing
from their scaly buds. The old foliage of the
tree is of the darkest possible green, while the
light shade of the newly growing shoots
makes one of the most beautiful contrasts to be
seen in evergreen trees. They are so numer-
ous too as to have quite an effect. On the end
of one single branch, the writer of this counted
no less than fifty-six growing buds. As the
"Rural New Yorker" says, it also thrives
where even the Norway Spruce will sometimes
fail. Among the few botanical specimens
brought by the one survivor of the unfortunate
De Long expedition to the Arctics, Lieut.
Melville, was a specimen of this tree, gathered
in the Asiatic seas near the mouth of the Lena
River.

Improvements in Gladiolus.— In the last
issue of Meehans' Monthly notice was made
of the great improvements in the Gladiolus in
the old world, by which some new races of
great interest had been introduced. Our Cali-
fornia experimenter, Mr. Luther Burbank, has
been working in the same line, and, by six or
seven generations of selections from various
hybrids, he has produced a race which may
well be termed the California strain. Some of
these, by those who have seen them, are said
to be extremely beautiful. Many of them
growing all around the spike like a hyacinth
instead of being on one side of the stem as usu-
ally seen, and some of theni are as double as
the hyacinths are. It is said to be a strikingly
beautiful and distinct race.

s\

104

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Jvjy

1.;". <
»
i

i

t

I

Destroying Poison Vines and Other
Weeds. — A number of correspondents inquire
how to destroy poison vines and other noxious
weeds. Nothing is more easy. No tree can live
without leaves. When the young leaves push
out in the spring, they take from the roots and
woody trunks, if they have any, whatever food
has been stored up in the winter, and the
plants are in practically an exhausted state.
If, at this time, the plants are cut off near the
junction of root and stem, they will probably

not push out again,
but occasionally
some few^ will, — a lit-
tle nutrition being
left in the roots. But
if the plants are
watched and again
cut, should any
leaves appear the
second time, they will
not push out again.
Anyone may readily
try this experiment
for himself by cut-
ting down a tree —
large or small makes
no difference — just
after the leaves have
pushed. Some
sprouts will occa-
sionally come out
from the stem after
this. If they do, and
these sprouts are
taken off soon after
they appear, they will
not push out the
second time, — the
trees die absolutely.
This knowledge is of
great value in the case of cutting down trees
where yards are paved, and it may not be
desirable to take up the pavement to grub out
the roots. If cut to the ground and the sprouts
taken off, as described, the tree will die, and
the portion of the trunk left beneath the ground
soon rots and decays .

no. 9.'-^. 10S.

Truffles. — A number of inquiries come
about the Morel, on which a chapter recently
appeared. It might be obseived, that the
various kinds of puff balls are almost as good

and to some tastes much better than the ordin-
ary mushroom or Morel. They are taken wlvm
quite young and fresh, and cut up into slices
like egg plants. Fried, these are particularly
good, — but there is one kind of puff ball, called
a Truffle, which grows wholly under tlie
ground. The'se are collected by dogs whivh
are trained to tell by the scent where they lie
hidden. As recently stated in Meehans' Mon-
thly, it is believed that the Truffle has occa-
sionally appeared in America, — but there is
no authentic record of any places where thev
were found. They are usually collected in the
vicinity of oak forests in the old world, — and
it is said that they are seldom found in the
same place two years successively. So far as
known all experiments to cultivate them have
been failures.

FuNKiA AND Hemerocallis. — This is one of
the most satisfactory of any class of herbaceons
plants for growing under the shade of trees.
They have a praiseworthy habit of taking care
of themselves. Once planted they endure till
the end of time. Besides their striking leaves,
the flowers of many of them are as pretty as
lilies. Indeed the common name of Day-Lily,
is very expressive.

Potato Stem Borer. — In the Eastern
States there was trouble for many years with
a small stem borer in the potato, which des-
troyed the plant before the potatoes were
more than half grown ; after which, of course,
the tubers ceased to grow, and the crop was
very small. The larvae of the borers remai^i
in the stem some considerable time befoc
they go out to finish their transformation ii'
the earth ; and in consequence of this habit,
it was very easy to destroy the whole cro.
by pulling up the stalks as soon as the;
would fade, and burning them. In con.s--
quence of this practice, the borer has not bee:
very destructive to the potato crops in the Ka
during the past few years. During the past
five or six j^ears, a similar trouble has been
found in the West, that we would suppose t ^
be caused b}^ the same insect; but Pro:
Popenoe, of the Agricultural College of Man-
hattan, Kansas, in which state the injury ha-
been particularly destructive the last five ot
six years, states that it is the work of anothe*
species, known as Gotivna fiitela. It does not

ISO.-;.!

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

1 05

confine itself there to the potato, but he says
that it attacks cockleburs, corn, and tomatoes
as well ; still it would seem that the same
practice of pulling up and burning the stalks
tarlv in the season would be an effectual way
of ridding Kansas of this destructive pest.

Sexual Flowers in Indian Corn. — An ex-
tremely interesting lesson in vegetable morpho-
\o%\ may be derived from the study of Indian
corn. If we take what is known as an "eight
rowed" ear of corn, we can often see that it
is made up of four pieces,
the seeds being arranged
on either side of each
piece. If these four pieces
were separate but joined at
the base, and then drawn
up through the hand so
that the four pieces were
to unite by their backs,
and then these pieces were
to become a little succu-
lent and adhere, we should
have precisely the ear
of corn. Now if wx take
wliat is known as the tas-
sel of the Indian corn, we
see that it is usually made
U| of four pieces, just as
ill this theoretical concep-
tion, with a row of stam-
llowers at the edges
' leh piece ; and if they
drawn up through the
^ 1 so as to touch back
^ : back, and then become
' ulent. we should
Ily have the ear of
' 1 ut with male flowers.

.lier words, the method of forming the ear
in and the tassel is precisely the same,
we can see that one can be formed out of
'ther if only there were less power of ad-
^ '^n in the ear of corn, and a greater power
' hesion in the tassel. Just what is the
piAvcr that induces cohesion and succulency in
the one case, or the lack of it in the other, is
the one thing that has not yet been ascer-
tained. It is however a great gain to see the
"letiiod by which nature forms the different
sexes of flowers, although we may not be able
to understand the exact details of these

methods. The conditions however required,
must be very nice, for we frequently find grains
of corn among the tassels instead of barren
flowers ; on the other hand, we frequently find
barren flowers coming out of the ear of corn,
just as if nature was uncertain in either case
whether to make the barren or the fertile
flowers. Herewith are illustrations, (see page
104, fig. 2) of these cases. In the one case an
ear of corn has taken on a considerable amount
of the characteristic of the barren tassel, with
its male flowers ; while in the other case, a

a-

b,

SEXUAL FLOWERS IN INDIAN CORN. --no. 1.

very large number ot the male flowers of the
ta.<isel have become fertile and produced grains.
Some seasons are more prolific in these changes
than others. Illustrations in these sea.sons
may often be seen. — at other season* these ab-
normal results are rarelj' to be found. This
would tend to show that the power underly-
ing the whole is in some wa^' or another con-
nected with nutrition. We say as a general
principle, that various phases of nutrition
decide whether the flower should be barren or
fertile, without being able to state exactly in
what manner these phases of nutrition act.

1^

I04

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[J

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

n>:

DEvSTroying Poison Vinics and Other
Weeds. — A number of correspondents inquire
how to destroy poison vines and other noxious
weeds. Nothing- is more easy. No tree can live
without leaves. When the young leaves push
out in the spring, they take from the roots and
woody trunks, if they have any, whatever food
has been stored up in the winter, and the
plants are in practically an exhausted state.
If, at this time, the plants are cut off near the
junction of root and stem, they will probably

not push out again,
but occasionally
some few will, — a lit-
tle nutrition being
left in the roots. But
if the plants are
watched and again
cut, should any
leaves appear the
second time, they will
not push out again.
Any one may readily
try this experiment
for himself bj' cut-
ting down a tree —
large or small makes
no difference — just
after the leaves have
pushed. Some
sprouts will occa-
sionall}' come out
from the stem after
this. If the}' do, and
these sprouts are
taken off soon after
they appear, thej' will
not push out the
second time, — the
trees die absoluteh'.
This knowledge is of
great value in the case of cutting down trees
where yards are paved, and it may not be
desirable to take up the pavement to grub out
the roots. If cut to the ground and the sprouts
taken off, as described, the tree will die, and
the portion of the trunk left beneath the ground
soon rots and decays .

no. 3.

106.

Truifles. — A number of inquiries come
about the Morel, on which a chapter recently
appeared. It might be obseived, that the
various kinds of puff balls are almost as good

and to some tastes much better than the or
ary mushroom or Morel. They are taken wr :'
quite young and fresh, and cut up into sli .
like egg plants. Fried, these are particul.ii >•
good, — but there is one kind of puff ball, caV* <]
a Truffle, which grows wholly under tiic
ground. The'se are collected by dogs wliih
are trained to tell by the scent where the} lie
hidden. As recently stated in Meehans' jMc>n-
THLV, it is believed that the Truffle has occn-
sionally appeared in America, — but there is
no authentic record of any places where tli< v
were found. They are usually collected in the
vicinity of oak forCvSts in the old world, — and
it is said that they are seldom found in the
same place two years successively. So far as
known all experiments to cultivate them have
been failures.

FuNKiA AND Hemerocallis. — This is one of
the most satisfactory of any class of herbaceous
plants for growing under the shade of trees.
They have a praiseworth}^ habit of taking care
of themselves. Once planted they endure till
the end of time. Besides their striking leaves,
the flowers of many of them are as pretty i^
lilies. Indeed the common name of Day-Lily,
is very expressive.

Potato Stem Borer. — In the Eastci 'i
States there was trouble for many years wiiV
a small stem borer in the potato, which di
troj'ed the plant before the potatoes wc'
more than half grown ; after which, of coui>
the tubers ceased to grow, and the crop \n
very small. The larvic of the borers renio
in the stem .some considerable time beff
the}^ go out to finish their transformation
the earth ; and in consequence of this hah;
it was very eas}' to destroy the whole cT'
by pulling up the stalks as soon as thr
would fade, and burning them. In cons
quence of this practice, the borer has not be '
very destructive to the potato crops in the Ka
during the past few years. During the pa
five or six years, a similar trouble has bt^
found ill the West, that we would suppose t
be caused b\' the same insect ; but Pr<
Popenoe, of the Agricultural College of INIai
hattan, Kansas, in which state the injury h;
been particularh' destructive the last five i
six years, states that it is the work of anotne-
species, known as Gortvna )iitcla. It does n^ ■

^ > itself there to the potato, but he says
t' ,L .. attacks cockleburs, corn, and tomatoes
veil ; still it would seem that the same
t)rnctice of pulling up and burning the stalks
trM'lv in the season would be an effectual way
., ^(i<]ing Kansas of this destructive pest.

Skmal Flowers in Indian Corn. — An ex-
tremely interesting leSvSon in vegetable morpho-
kn',v may be derived from the studv of Indian
corn. If we take what is known as an " eight
nnved " ear of corn, we can often see that it
is made up of four pieces,
the seeds being arranged
on either side of each
piece. If these four pieces
WLMV separate but joined at
tlu base, and then drawn
\\\) through the hand so
that the four pieces were
to unite by their backs,
and then these pieces were
t« "oecome a little succu-
It ni.md adhere, we should
])recisely the ear
' rn. Now if we take
V, is known as the tas-
f the Indian corn, we
' l.at it is usually made
■i four pieces, just as
"is theoretical concep-
with a row of stam-
il owers at the edges
ii piece ; and if they
^Irawn up through the
so as to touch back
"k. and then become
nlent, we should
ly have the ear of
' ut with male flowers.

'<. r words, the method of forming the ear

' »i and the tassel is precisely the same,

^ve can see that one can be formed out of

ther if only there were less power of ad-

•n in the ear of corn, and a greater power

' ^.esion in the tassel. Just what is the

that induces cohesion and succulency in

'>ne case, or the lack of it in the other, is

•^ne thing that has not yet been ascer-

^ ^^tied. It is however a great gain to see the

i; ' : m] by which nature forms the different

^ '»f flowers, although we may not be able

^' ^niderstand the exact details of the.se

methods. The conditions however required,
must be very nice, for we frequently find grains
of corn among the tassels instead of barren
flowers ; on the other hand, we fre(|uentlv find
barren fiowers coming out of the ear of corn,
just as if nature was uncertain in either case
whether to make the barren or the fertile
flowers. Herewith are illustrations, (see i)age
104, fig. 2) of these cases. In the one case an
ear of corn has taken on a considerable ainc>unt
of the characteristic of the barren tassel, with
its male flowers : while in the other ca.se, a

I-
th

SEXUAL FLOWERS IN INDIAN CORN. --fig. 1.

verv larsfe number ol the male flowers of the
tassel have become fertile and i)roduccd ,^^rains.
Some seasons are more prolific in these changes
than others. Illustrations in these .seasons
may often be seen. — at other .season/; these ab-
normal results are rarely to be found. This
would tend to show that the power underly-
ing^ the whole is in .some wav or another con-
nected with nutrition. We say as a general
principle, that various phases of nutrition
decide whether the flower should be barren or
fertile, without being able to state exactly in
what manner these phases of nutrition act.

intentional second exposure

''■y?

io6

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[J-^'^iy

i^

...]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

lo:

l*\

Plants in Heavy Boxes. — A Florida cor-
respondent, referring to a suggestion made in
Meehans' Monthly, that many large plants
could be taken out of their boxes and replaced
again in the cellar or other places for protec-
tion during severe weather, instead of lowering
the heavy boxes themselves, questions whether
this woulH apply well to the Sago plant. He
doubts whether the Sago plant would well en-
dure such treatment. The writer of this para-
graph can only say, that with him Sago plants
are planted in the open ground during Sum-
mer, and then replaced in pots or boxes for the
storehouse during Winter, and again set out in
the Summer season. No difficulty whatever is
experienced with the plants under this treat-
ment, and it would be difficult to see why the
same result should not apply to a plant grow-
ing in a box as to one growing in the open
ground. Certainly succulent plants raised in
boxes, such as the American Aloe, do remark-
ably well under the treatment suggested, —
and there seems to be no reason why, if plants
of these varying characteristics do well under
the treatment, it might not be a general rule
with most plants.

Seedling Dahlias. — A very pleasant occu-
pation for the amateur flower grower, is the
endeavor to raise new varieties of garden
flowers from seed. The Dahlia especially offers
good inducements, as they change remarkably
from seed. It is not necessary to use any cross-
fertilization. Several kinds of Dahlias are
grown together, and seeds taken from these.
The seedlings are almost certain to be of differ-
ent varieties to or to differ from the parent.
The early flower of the Dahlia should be the
selected. It is better to cut off* some of the
petals soon after they have faded, or, otherwise,
during a rain storm, the whole head rots. The
seeds can be cleaned out in the fall, and set in
the ground early in the spring. They usually
flower the first year from seed.

Vines Climbing Over Trees. — Some
people suppose that Ivy is injurious to trees.
This is not the case as long as the branches
grow in a perfectly upright condition. When
the Ivy or any other vine is allowed to effcircle
a trunk, in this way, checking the perfect flow
of the sap, it will injure the trees ; but in no
other way. Sometimes branches will be allowed

to extend over the spreading portion of the
trees, getting up among the leaves and inl^r-
fering, thereby, with the ability of the spread
of the trees to get nourishment through its
leaves ; then it is also an injury. It is no un-
common thing to see trees and shrubs entirely
destroyed by the vines which grow over them,
not because of any injury by the attachment,
but simply by the leaves of the vine oversha-
dowing those of the tree over which the vines
are straggling.

Chorogi. — This is the Japanese name of a
vegetable derived from the tubers of Stachys
Sieboldii. These tubers are not very large— not
much larger in fact than good sized peanut
pods, but are produced in immense quantities,
are easily washed and cleaned, and consequent-
ly give no great trouble to boil. It is a Japan
species, but is closely related to our eastern
American, Stachys palustris, though botanists
can easily tell the distinction. We think it
quite likely that if the American species were
closely examined, it would be found occasion-
ally to have tuberous roots also. The writer
of this paragraph, a year or so ago, found very
large tubers in great quantity — tubers as \^x%^
as Lima beans, around the roots of a closely
allied plant, Lycopiis Americafia. Although it
was known that this plant occasionally pro-
duced small tubers, it was not until this dis-
covery understood that they were so large or so
numerous.

The Pepper Tree of California.— IMrs.
D. B. Fritch, of Pasadena, California, dissei'ts
from the opinion expressed in some Californnm
papers, and referred to recently in Meehans
Monthly, that the tree exudes a gummy stib-
stance to an extent as to be found annoys i ,'
She says that at Riverside, Redlands, Colton
and Los Angeles the trees are being still
planted for shade trees in large numbers, and
appear fully as popular as they ever were.

Propagating the Wistaria. — It is ik^
generally known that the Wistaria grows frciu
root cuttings. Layering however is a very
good method where there is room for it. Tt-e
trailing shoots root by being buried in tlie
earth a little,— but root better if a slit is fn'^t
made in the shoot. There are now a white atui
double purple, besides the old purple kit^^.

Thk Japan Chestnut. — The introduction of
the Japan Chestnut brings up again before
botanists the question of the specific differ-
ences between the chestnut of the old world,
Casfanca vesca, and the forms found in other
countries. There are still some who class them
all as mere varieties of forms of this species.
Those who are with them constantly, however,
and see them grow, have no difficulty what-
ever in observing characters which would be
considered entirely specific, although perhaps
these characters may not be observed by those
who have only herbarium specimens. The
American chestnut is very readily disting-
uished from the European by its branchlets —
these are always slender and twiggy, while the
European are thick and heavy. The American
chestnut leaf is very thin, while the European
one is extremely thick and shining. The Japan
is twiggy in common with the American spe-
cies, but the leaves are plicate and very deeply
serrate. There is certainly just as much dis-
tinction of a specific character between C.
Americana and C Japofiica, and the C. vesca of
Europe, as there is between the dwarf chestnut
of eastern America, Castatiea pinnila, and the
Jai)an chestnut ; yet these two latter are
rej^^arded as distinct by those who do not ad-
mit the others. They are perhaps more closely
related than species are in other families, — but
as the several kinds always retain their dis-
tinctive characters generation after generation,
t-'.ere is no particular reason for considering
t. in all one thing. It is one of those cases

V iu.re the horticulturist cannot follow the
botanists, as, for all practical purposes, the
i'> MIS must be kept distinct. A nurseryman

V ). ) sent out a Japan chestnut for the Spanish,

^ le Spanish for the American, would not be
i ' -oned.

FKqiTS m. ¥E^ETi^PLES.

•^ New Primrose. — The whole tribe of
I'viniroses, give us delightful company. What
onr gardens would be without the Chinese
I'riuirose it would be hard to tell, and the
^^any forms of the English Primrose, especially
the Polyanthus, many lovers of hardy flowers
^^'^'ild seriously miss. Primula obcouica is a
very good addition to the class. In the old
world they have another which is spoken
^^ohly of, from the Himalayan mountains
^vhich no doubt will be hardy here. It is
known as Ptimula sikkimensis.

Peach Growing under Difficulties. — In
countries unfavorable to the outdoor cultiva-
tion of the peach glass houses are built for
their accommodation, and great success follows
this method of treatment ; in fact, it has been
asserted that under proper management, a
house of not particularly large size would grow-
as many peaches as one could get in an ordin-
ary orchard, covering half an acre of ground.
This, how^ever, must be under extremely favor-
able circumstances ; But still it cannot be de-
nied that remarkable and wonderful success
follows this artificial system of culture. They
are not only grown in the open ground, or in
borders, as the practice is technically called,
but are often made to produce enormously
when grown in pots. Illustrations frequently
appear in horticultural papers, showing this
method of pot culture and what excellent
results can be had from it. A number of
growers, however, in America have them in
this way, — not so much because of any dif-
ficulties in outdoor culture, as to have them
early ; in other words, for forcing. They can
be produced in this manner so as to have the
fruit ripe in April and May ; and indeed it is
said that some have been gathered under ex-
tremely careful and intelligent culture as early
as March. This, how^ever, it is presumed not
to be very often the case.

Remedy Against the Pixm Knot.—" The
Rural New Yorker " states that a correspon-
dent paints portions of his plum trees, on which
the plum knot appears, with coal oil. and that
this eventually stops the growth of the swell-
ing, known as "the knot." By taking it in
time he says that the disease does not spread
and that the knots eventually peel off, leaving
only a scar to mark the spot. As this disease
is caused by a minute fungus, there can be no
doubt of the accuracy of this observation.
Oils of all kinds are well known to be fatal
to all fungous organisms. It is more than
likely that if the plum trees were to get a paint-
ing of pure linseed oil, or any other vegetable
oil once a year, they would continue at all
times healthy,— as in this case the spores from
which the fungus germinates would be des-
troyed before they had the opportunity to do
any damage at all.

1

io8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

[July

i'S93-]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

109

II.

ifr-\'

-/-fr^i'-'i*"',".

Bagging Grapes. — If any more were needed
to prove the point made by the scientific men
that many diseases of plants are caused by
microscopic fungi, the spores of which are
borne through the atmosphere, the result of
bagging grapes would afford the necessary
-evidence. Scientific men prove beyond a doubt
that rot, mildew, and other so-called diseases
of grapes are caused by the growth of small
species of microscopic fungi which originated
on the fruit from spores borne by the atmos-
phere.

When the bunches of the grapes are inserted
in paper bags at once after flowering, they are
kept perfectly clear of all these diseases. No
further argument need be necessary to show
the origin of the disease. The bags keep away
the spores, and the fruit remains perfect ; but
the bagging teaches us another lesson of great
advantage in practical cultivation. Some peo-
ple believe that the coloring of grapes is a
result of light, and they thin out leaves fre-
quently, in order that the sun may gain some
advantage, as they suppose, in the coloring of
the grape ; but careful obvservers have long ago
known that this was an injury, and that
grapes ripen to the full perfection of their color
just as well in deep shade as with abundant
sunlight. Grape vines growing on the ground,
where the leaves have kept the surface in utter
darkness, will still produce the finest and best
of black or red grapes ; while, on the other
hand, grapes exposed to full sunlight are
known not to ripen any better than those in
comparative darkness. The old and intelligent
■cultivator of the grape under glass when he
wished to produce the finest colored grapes,
would frequently shade the grapes just before
ripening, with the special view of getting
darker and blacker grapes. However, if all
these results of practical experience went for
nothing, the modern practice of bagging would
teach the lesson. Grapes in the total darkness
of a paper bag yet produce their proper dark
colors to absolute perfection. Ripening is, in
fact, a vital process, and not altogether a
chemical one, — and vigorous, healthy leaves
are essential in this vital process. Another
point, showing that ripening is a vital and
not wholly a chemical process, is evidenced in
the act of ripening in the bags. When a tree
is somewhat diseased, as cultivators well
know, the fruits precociously ripen. A peach

tree, afflicted with the disease known as yel-
lows, ripens before one that is perfectly heal-
thy. A bunch of grapes in a bag does not
ripen quite as soon as one fully exposed, and
the reason is that there is less of a struggle for
life, less of a strain on vital power when it is
protected from its enemies by the bag than
when exposed ; and this increased vitality is
best evidenced by a little later ripening of the
grape — ^just as we find it in the case of the
diseased peach alread}'^ noticed. It is custo-
mary sometimes to deride the scientific horti-
culturist ; and it must be confessed that some-
times he allows his theories to run away with
him ; but in the large majority of ca^es, culti-
vators owe largely of modern success to the
great advance made in scientific knowledge.

Cultivating Strawberries. — The straw-
berry leaf disease, known as the spot, has been
much more injurious during the last quarter of
a century than it was in former times ; and
growers are looking about for some explana-
of the spread of this trouble. In most all
cases a new variety soon " runs out," as it is
called, and chiefly through the operation of
this disease. New varieties are continually
being introduced — not because they are much
better than the varieties that have preceded
them — but on account of the older varieties
going back ; in fact, no one will contend that
the strawberries of to-day, as a rule, are e^ en
as good as they were in former times. It is
thought that the old method of cultivation,
which moderns have laughed at, might not
have been such bad practice after all. Tlie
practice was to grow the strawberries in beds ;
as soon as the crop was gathered the leaves
were mown off with the scythe and burnt, nnd
a new crop of leaves came up before wint' r.
With the progress of vegetable physiology tl^^s
was thought to be very bad practice. The argu-
ment was that leaves make food, and the more
leaves the better. This would be true if the
leaves were healthy leaves ; but diseased leaves
are worse than no leaves at all. No one e' er
thought of the strawberry spot in those days ;
in fact a specimen of this disease was rarciv
seen. It is now believed that the practice of
mowing and burning the leaves was advantajre-
ous, in this that it destroyed all attempts of this
fungus to propagate itself, and was therefore
beneficial rather than otherwise. It is an illus-

tration of a point frequently made that though
our forefathers were not able to philosophize on
their garden practices as closely as we may,
the\ were able to find out a great deal from
nothing at all but practical experience. One
thin^ our strawberry amateurs might do, which
is not done now, and that is to cut off during
tlie season and burn every leaf which shows a
spot as soon as it is observed. This probably
would preserve their favorite varieties from de-
generating.

Origin of the Peach. — Nothing is now
more universally accepted than the fact that
the Teach is an improved variety of the Al-
mond. The Almond has a thin shell around
the stone, which splits open and exposes the
stone when mature. This outer skin has sim-
ply become fleshy in the peach, so that is all
that gives it its specific character. It seems
now clear from investigation in the history of
ancient Babylon, that in their gardens, now
nearly 4000 years ago, the Peach was cultiva-
ted then as it is now. It must have been many
years before this that the Peach was improved
from the Almond, and this fact goes to show
the great antiquity of the fruit. Possibly
gardening in some respects, at least so far as
it relates to many of our cultivated fruits, was
. far advanced six, or perhaps eight or 10,000
years back, as it is to-day.

'*h(L'necians, many thousands of years ago,
.- proved by the records, had in their gar-
df-ns almonds, apricots, bananas, citrons, figs,
l)es, olives, peaches, pomegranates, and
•^•n sugar-cane was in extensive cultiva-
t! n. Certainly this shows how very far ad-
v.\nced these nations were in garden culture

f ',

ci.jse many years ago.

The Coming Fruit Crops. — Mr. L. N.
T't lu, of Mt. Vernon, 111., reports on the end
or April admirable prospects for plums, peaches
ii'id strawberries the coming year, notwith-
standing the plants seemed to suffer from the
remarkable drought of last fall. A a general
tulc the drought would indicate that large
crops would follow. In the house-cultivation
ot plants and fruits it is customary to subject
the plants to a drying period. Strawberries
for instance, cultivated in pots, towards the
end of the season are usually laid on their
sides, expressly to get dry ; and Callas and

other bulbs are " dried off"," as it is termed,
expressly with the view of increasing the
productiveness of flowers and fruit the follow-
ing season. We do not know that this point
has ever been brought out prominently in re-
gard to orchard trees; but it is no doubt just
as true, and we may take it for granted that a
comparatively dry fall practically means an
uncommon fruit crop the following season.

Plum Culture on the Pacific. — Fruit
growers in the East can have but a very faint
impression of the immensity of the fruit in-
terest in California. It is questionable to
which California owes the most of its wealth —
its gold mines or its fruit orchards. Take, for in-
stance, the plum. One single grower, says the
Hanford {^?\\{oxn\2i) Journal, has 544 acres all
set to the prune variety. On this tract are
66,000 trees. This one orchard contains as
many trees as some whole states do in the
eastern part of the Union.

Blacki^rry and Raspberry Stem Borers.
—It has long been known that the blackberry
and raspberry are often very much injured by
a borer which penetrates the stem and leaves
the cane comparatively hollow. The "Bul-
letin of the New Jersey State Agricultural
Experiment Station" states that the insect
which does the boring is known as Agrilus
nifiiolUs. It usually leaves a gall where it
penetrates the stem, and if these are cut off*
and burnt as soon as apparent, the insect is
very readily kept under.

Everbearing Raspberries.— The marvel of
four seasons— a variety of the European stock
—and theCatawissa, a variety of the American
Black,— have hitherto been our best autumn
bearing raspberries. Mr. Hatfield, of Wayne
County, Indiana, writes that he has discovered
a variety that will yield 250 berries to a cane
in the middle of August.

Rocky Mountain Cherry. — Under this
name Cerasus pumila, the ordinary sand-cherry,
was formerly distributed. More recently, the
Cerasus deviissa, a species scarcely distinct
from the ordinary choke cherry— Gr^i/zi Vir-
giniana—\s being circulated under the same
name.

^\

»1

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

M

YOUTH IN OLD AGE.

He who plants a tree
He plants youth ;
Vigor won for centuries, in sooth ;
Life of time that hints eternity !

Boughs their strength uprear,

New shoots every year

On old growths appear.
Thou Shalt teach the ages, sturdy tree,
Youth of soul is immortality. —

Lucy Larcom.

Gardening and Farm Notes.— Under the
title of *' Market Gardening and Farm Notes"
Mr. Burnet Landreth, formerly Chief of the
Bureau of Agriculture at the Centennial In-
ternational Exhibition, has issued a neat little
book of 213 pages, treating of many leading
topics in practical market gardening. It treats
of the subject practically as well as scientifically.
Chemical manures and stable manures get equal
attention, — the manner of sowing seeds, — the
best methods of transplanting, — relation of
treating crops ; with discussions on diseases and
garden insects, and an especially interesting
chapter on heredity in plants, are prominent
topics discussed. On some of the more staple
crops for market, such as celery, onions and
mushrooms, special chapters are given. It is
not possible in a country so large as North
America, to get explicit directions for the
operations of the garden, but Mr. Landreth
has divided the calendars into Northern and
Southern, and this gives some advantage.
The firm of D. Landreth & Sons, of which Mr.
Burnet Landreth is a member has been so long
known in connection with progressive market
gardening operations, that a work of this kind
by one of the firm must have many special
advantages.

Benjamin J. Smith. — Mr. B. J. Smith, one
of the principal colleagues of Col. Wilder in
establishing and sustaining the famous Ameri-
can Pomological Society, and still its esteemed
Treasurer, is eminent in other branches of
gardening, as well as specially an amateur
fruit grower. A correspondent of the Boston

(no)

Traveller notes that his garden at Cambri'ige
is one of the beauty spots of that suburb.—
grand Norway spruces and Scotch pine, — some
of them 60 feet high, though only planted forty
years ago, give a special character to the
grounds. Tubs of hydrangeas line the walk
from the street to the house ; and orange trees,
palms and fine specimens of fuchsias are in
front. It is one of the homes of amateur
rose growing, over 100 kinds being on the
grounds. Though possibly past his three
score and ten, Mr. Smith is the picture of
health, much of which he believes to be due to
his love for and interest in gardening.

*'Outi.ines of Forestry, or the Elemen-
tary Principles underlying the Science of For-
estry," by Edwin J. Houston, Professor of Na-
tural History in the Central High School of
Philadelphia. This is a treatise of some 254
pages, published by J. B. Lippincott & Co.,
Philadelphia. It gives, in a condensed form,
nearly all that has been brought out in rela-
tion to forestry science scattered over numer-
ous works and treatises. To get all these
differing views together in one work is of it-
self a useful task. Many of the so-calltd
principles are untenable, but that does not m
the least lessen the value of Prof. Houston s
work. Every one should know what is being
taught, whether all that is taught is on solid
foundation or not.

•• How TO Grow Cut Flowers," — by M. v.
Hunt, published by the author, Terre Han:
Indiana. This little book of 228 pages, ( -
presses its object in its title. It is unique
among books, in the fact that it is confintd
wholly to the experiences of the author. E\ <
in matters where it might be proper to refer 1<»
the experience of others, as corroborating I' ^^
own thought, the author generally remarks
that so and so has been said, but that he has
had no experience of his own in connection
with the subject. It is undoubtedly the best
practical effort that has come before the public.

i.^-,-,.l

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

Ill

iKAXCOis Andre Michaux. — Andre Mi-
cl:aux, the great French Botanist, who over
one hundred years ago made a botanical ex-
ploration of America, and published a Flora of
Xorth America which became a standard work,
was born at Versailles in 1746. F. Andre
Michaux, his son, whose portrait is here given
was born also at Versailles in 1770, and like
his father traveled extensively over Eastern
North America, collecting seed and especially
studying the trees for the French Government.
He wrote a history with illustrations in four
volumes of the trees of North America, and
died at Vaureal, France, on the 23d of October,
1855, leaving in trust to the American Philos-
ophical Society a large sum of money, the in-
come to be devoted to the
encouragement of American
arboriculture.

the critic might, perhaps, desire to object to in
the first place. Every lover of wild flowers
may profit by reading the book.

"How TO Know the
Wild Flowers," by Mrs.
William Starr Dana. — A
young friend places on our
table a copy of this book,
with the remark, ''This is
just the work I had long
be(^n looking for. Botany
a' ways seemed to me a dull
.-ludy. The text books are

Iry. I think, after read-
ing Mrs. Dana's book, I do
know something of botany
'ud the mere love of
s ^ iiering the wild flowers. "
I' 'king through the book,
the expression is appre-
ci.Ucd. Botany as taught in the schools is dry.
Tiie writer of this paragraph has been for eigh-
^ 1 years a Director of Public Schools. In
"^ -10 of the higher schools botany is supposed
^ ' e taught. Nothing is more amusing than
t sten to the teachers, teaching botany. It
s 'US as if the teachers .should first be taught.
Pupils know little more after going through
tbe botanical course than when they begun.
U may be said in brief, that a book like this
^vill do more to create a love of botany among
young people than all the text books ever
^vntten. The critical botanist might of course
l^nd a great deal to object to,— but after master-
ing a book like this thoroughly, the student,
himself or herself, will be able to find out what

American Grape Training. — " An account
of the leading forms now in use of Training of
American Grapes," by Prof. L. H. Bailey, pub-
lished by the Rural Publishing Co., of New
York. Prof. Bailey has found, like so many
other teachers, that a large number of works
have to be studied in order to get a fair view of
all that has been taught. It has been thought
wise therefore to put together in one little
book his notes gathered from these various
sources with his own judgment as to their
value. He well remarks that all grape growers

are still students, and he
believes there is 3'et much
to learn, especially as the
native grape requires differ-
ent training and manage-
ment to the foreign grape,
— and we are only just in
the infancy of a successful
knowledge of what our na-
tive grape requires. As a
plain, practical account of
the methods of training in
use, there can be nothing
better.

r. A. MICHAUX

TheRose,— by H. B. Ell-
wanger, New York, — Dodd,
Mead & Co. New edition.
Death took from the world
of horticulture the accom-
plished author of the first
edition of this admirable work on the Rose. The
"Old, Old Story"of the Rose, like the story of
young lovers is ever new,— and valuable as this
book was in the first instance, the "bringing it
up to the times" by Mr. George H. ICllwanger,
adds again to the value of the original story.
The lover of roses will find it an excellent aid
in Rose culture, and even those who cannot
grow but can admire and profit in reading it.

D. B. WiER. — Western horticulture owes
considerable to the intelligent energy of Mr. D.
B.Wier. He removed from Illinois to California
in 1888,— planting a small fruit farm in Sonoma
County. He died in San Francisco suddenly
from an apoplectic stroke on the 24th of May.

u

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

I I I

u

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

YOUTH IN OLD AGE.

He who plants a tree
He plants youth ;
Vigor won for centuries, in sooth ;
Life of time that hints eternity !

Boughs their strength uprear,

New shoots every year

On old growths appear.
Thou slialt teach the ages, sturdy tree,
Youth of soul is immortality. —

Lucv Larcom.

Gardening and Farm Notes.— Under the
title of *' Market Gardening and Farm Notes"
Mr. Burnet Landreth, formerly Chief of the
Bureau of Agriculture at the Centennial In-
ternational Exhibition, has issued a neat little
book of 213 pages, treating of manj^ leading
topics in practical market gardening. It treats
of the subject practically as well as scientifically.
Chemical manures and stable manures get equal
attention, — the manner of sowing seeds, — the
best methods of transplanting, — relation of
treating crops ; with discussions on diseases and
garden insects, and an especially interesting
chapter on heredity in plants, are prominent
topics discussed. On some of the more staple
crops for market, such as celery, onions and
mushrooms, special chapters are given. It is
not possible in a country so large as North
America, to get explicit directions for the
operations of the garden, but ^Ir. I^andreth
has divided the calendars into Northern and
Southern, and this gives some advantage.
The firm of D. Landreth & Sons, of which Mr.
Burnet Landreth is a member has been so long
known in connection with progressive market
gardening operations, that a work of this kind
by one of the firm must have many special
advantages.

Benjamin J. Smith. — INIr. B. J. Smith, one
of the principal colleagues of Col. Wilder in
establishing and sustaining the famous Ameri-
can Pomological Society, and still its esteemed
Treasurer, is eminent in other branches of
gardening, as well as speciall}' an amateur
fruit grower. A correspondent of the Boston

(no)

Traveller notes that his garden at Caml)ri'":i;e
is one of the beauty spots of that suburl),—
grand Norway spruces and Scotch pine, — soine
of them 60 feet high, though only planted forty
years ago, give a special character to the
grounds. Tubs of hydrangeas line the walk
from the street to the house ; and orange trees,
palms and fine specimens of fuchsias are in
front. It is one of the homes of amateur
rose growing, over 100 kinds being on the
grounds. Though possibly past his three
score and ten, Mr. Smith is the picture of
health, much of w^iich he believes to be due to
his love for and interest in gardening.

''Outlines of Forestry, or the Elemen-
tary Principles underlying the Science of For-
estry," by Edwin J. Houston, Professor of Na-
tural History in the Central High School of
Philadelphia. This is a treatise of some 254
pages, published by J. B. Lippincott & C<'.,
Philadelphia. It gives, in a condensed form,
nearly all that has been brought out in rtl.i-
tion to forestry science scattered over numer-
ous works and treatises. To get all these
differing views together in one work is ol" it-
self a useful task. Many of the so-caV I
principles are untenable, but that does not 1
the least lessen the value of Prof Houst«
work. Every one should know what is Ix
taught, whether all that is taught is on s*
foundation or not.

•' How TO Grow Cut Flowers," — b}- M. •
Hunt, published by the author. Terra Hai:
Indiana. This little book of 22S pages,
presses its object in its title. It is uni'
among books, in the fact that it is confn
wholly to the experiences of the author. Iv
in matters where it might be proper to refei
the experience of others, as corroborating \ ^
own thought, the author generally remarks
that so and so has been said, but that he 1 ' "■'
had no experience of his own in connecti n
with the subject. It is undoubtedly the Ix '-
practical effort that has come before the publi

\cois Andre Michaux. — Andre Mi-
:, the great French Botanist, who over
iiindred years ago made a botanical ex-
tion of America, and published a Flora of
Nort!. America which became a standard work,
V,., born at Versailles in 1746. F. Andre
Miohanx, his son, whose portrait is here given
- .is horn also at Versailles in 1770, and like
\v< father traveled extensively over Eastern
Noitli America, collecting seed and especially
stndving the trees for the French Government.
Ik- wrote a history with illustrations in four
volumes of the trees of North America, and
die.1 at Vaureal, France, on the 23d of October,
1S55. leaving in trust to the American Philos-
ophical Society a large sum of mone}', the in-
come to be devoted to the
l:-. uuragement of American
arboriculture.

the critic might, perhaps, desire to object to in
the first place. Ivvery lover of wild flowers
may profit b\' reading the book.

■ IIow TO Know the
Wn.i) Flowers," by Mrs.
William Starr Dana. — A

^ friend places on our

\ a copy of this book,

the remark, " This is

i 'i the work I had long

W w looking for. Botany

tys seemed to me a dull

V. The text books are

v. I think, after read-
ers. Dana's book, I do

V something of botany

n 1 the mere love of

• ring the wild flowers."

<ng through the book,

expression is appre-

1. l^otany as taught in the schools is dry.

writer of this paragraph has been for eigh-

years a Director of Public Schools. In

"f the higher schools botan}' is supposed

I light. Nothing is more amusing than

-icu to the teachers, teaching botan\'. It

.'> as if the teachers should first be taught.
s know little more after going through

•otanical course than when they begun.

' ly be said in brief, that a book like this

lo more to create a love of botany among
:• /aug people than all the text books ever
^vrittcn. The critical botanist might of course
•ind a great deal to object to,— but after master-
^^^% a book like this thoroughly, the student,
^linisclf or herself, will be able to find out what

American Grape Trainin(..— *' An account
of the leading forms now in use of Training of
American Grapes," by Prof. L. II. Bailey, pub-
lished by the Rural Publishing Co., of New
York. Prof. Bailey has found, like so many
other teachers, that a large number of works
have to be studied in order to get a fair view of
all that has been taught. It has been thought
wise therefore to put together in one little
book his notes gathered from these various
sources with his own judgment as to their
value. He well remarks that all grape growers

are still students, and he
believes there is yet much
to learn, especially as the
native grape re(iuires difler-
ent training and manage-
ment to the foreign grape.
— and we are only just in
the infancy of a successful
knowledge of what our na-
tive grape requires. As a
plain, practical account of
the methods of training in
use, there can be nothing
better.

F. A. MICHAUX

The Rose. —by II. r>. i:il-
waiiger. New York. — Dodd,
Mead c^ Co. New editicMi.
Death took from the world
of horticulture the accom-
plished author of the first
ediUon of this admirable work on the Rose. The
''Old. Old Story"ofthc Rose, like the story of
young lovers is ever new,— and valuable as this
book was in the first instance, the "bringing it
up to the times" by Mr. George H. l-llwanger,
adds again to the value of the original story.
The lover of roses will find it an excellent aid
in Rose culture, and even those who cannot
grow but can admire and profit in reading it.

D. B. WiER. — Western horticulture owes
considerable to the intelligent energy of Mr. D.
B. Wier. He removed from Illinois to California
in 1888,— planting a small fruit farm in vSonoma
County. He died in vSan Francisco snddenly
from an apoplectic stroke on the 24th of May.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

GENERAL NOTES.

Open Spaces in Cities.— Under the lead of
Councilman, Thomas Meehan, Philadelphia,
during the past ten 3'ears, has embarked in the
project of securing open spaces, of between 5
and 10 acres, for its massed population. That
city is under the disadvantage, so far as it may
be a disadvantage in some cases, of not being
allowed by the constitution to borrow more
than 7 per cent, of the amount of the assessed
valuation of its property, and that 7 per cent,
was reached before the passage of the new con-
stitution. It is unable to borrow, and these
small spaces have to be acquired out of annual
taxation. It is to its credit that, under these
circumstances, it has already secured a number
of open spaces to the value of probably three
million of dollars, and the work of locating is
still going on, though necessarily slow under
these financial conditions. These open spaces
are not intended so much as mere beauty spots,
laid out as gardens, which the eye of the aesthetic
can alone revel in, but are for practical use, —
for physical enjoyment as well as mere mental
recreation and the supply of pure air. Other
cities are going on in the same line, and espe-
cially in the old world. — the City of London
especially leading in the good work. In a
great measure these results are owing to the
establishment of organizations which look
after these special objects. In Philadelphia
they have a City Park Association, which
backs up and encourages the progress of the
movement ; and the City of London has a
Public Garden Association, which follows up
the same work there. Philadelphia is not de-
pending alone on the city, but private parties
frequently subscribe, or even donate the squares
wholly. In the case of one of the squares,
known as Vernon Park, costing $175,000, the
citizens subscribed $20,000 towards helping the
city pay for it, — and two or three similar parks
have been free gifts. The same is true of the
London Association, — and much is made of the
fact that recently the Princess Louise, well
known to Canadians and Americans, sub-
scribed a considerable sum towards it. A sub-

(112)

scription of $25,000 was also made recently for
the improvement of Soho Square — the arrancre-
ment of which open space was wholly the work
of the Association. The city itself only paid
$15,000 towards it. Three million dollars are
also being raised to make an open space of
what is known as the Hackney Marshes. In
addition to this one great society, London has
in connection with it, what are known as Open
Space Associations, which take in especially
the collection of funds to help the city in the
w^ork. The great misfortune with most people
is that they expect municipal bodies of counties
or of cities to do everything out of taxation.

"Flowers and Ferns of the Unitkd
States." — It is not as generally known as it
might be, that Meehans' Monthly, so far
as the colored plates and leading chapters are
concerned, is an exact counterpart of the
'• Flowers and Ferns of the United States,"
the stopping of the publication of which by
the death of its former publisher, caused so
much regret. Subscribers to Meehans'
Monthly who wish to bind the volumes, will
therefore practically have a continuation of this
splendid work. Mr. Thomas Lyman, of
Downer's Grove, 111., referring to this fact
writes, after receiving the bound volumes so
far as they have gone, that with those that
have gone before and those to follow, ''will
make a very desirable addition to one's libra:; .
I like it very much indeed. " We should i)e
very glad if the friends of Meehans' Month:. ;
will let those who may have been subscribers
to the "Flowers and Ferns of the Unitc<l
States," know of the facts herein noted.

The Next Plate. — The whole northern
continent will be interested in the next plate,
which will represent our great ^laiden-Hair
Fern, Adia^itiim pedatum, which is found from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. A friend at the
conductor's elbow believes the historical ainl
popular chapter which accompanies the plate,.
one of the most instructive yet written.

ADIANTUM PEDATUM.

COMMOxN MAIDEN-HAIR.

NATURAL ORDER, FILICES.

ADIANTUM PHDATUM. LiNN.Eus.-Froud forked at the summit of the upright slender stalk (nine to fifteen inches hiirh) the
recurved branches bearing on one side several slender spreading diVisicns, which bear numerm.s tria g Ur ol^^^^^^^
obhqueshort-stalked pinnules: these are as if halved, being entire on the lower margin fUm which the vei^
proceed, and cleft and fruit-bearlng on the other. (Gray's ^fanual ofliotanv of the ^'t7^///." « A/ v' / SV /A See also

This very handsome fern grows to such large
proportions that it was difficult to decide
whether to take only a portion of a mature
frond for our small page, or to select a com-
plete plant of moderate size that would serve
to show all its general characteristics, giving
only enlarged views of the various parts of the
fructification. Now, with the picture before
us, the wisdom of the last course is apparent,
as it is doubtful whether so complete a view of
the whole plant could be better presented in so
small a space. It is well, however, to remark
that when the plant is growing vigorously it
has a thick rhizome or creeping underground
stem as thick as a lead pencil, from which the
straight fibrous roots descend into the earth,
and the fronds ascend into the atmosphere. In
the experience of the writer no specimen has
ever been found that had not a forked rhizome,
and this tendency to divide, especially in some
ol its parts in one direction is a characteristic
almost peculiar to this fern, and on account of
lis very marked disposition in this respect, its
name pedaUim was suggested to the earlier
botanists,— pedate in botany signifying divided
like the hand, or, perhaps, more strictly, like
tlie foot of a bird. The habit of forking, which
^'L find in the rhizome, is exhibited in the
stems of the frond, which divide into two equal
portions at the top (Fig. 2), and in large speci-
mens, each division takes a downward curve,
Willie the branchlets come out always on the
dipper side of this curve. This is shown to
some extent on our small specimen. On the
ric^lJt hand branch of the fork only one branch-
^^t appears from the upper side, but on the left
I'^nd one two appear. In vigorous specimens
as many as six of these branchlets will come
out from the outside of the curve ; and, occa-

sionally, the lowermost branchlet will again
have one or two secondary branchlets, also on
the outside line. If we now examine the en-
larged frondlet (Fig. 3), we see the same char-
acteristic. As noted in the description of Dr.
Gray, it has the appearance of being but half
a leaf, — the original leaf having been cut
through the midrib, leaving the veins on the
side. The little veins, when the}- fork, have
also the one-sided character to a great extent.
The reason for this peculiar unilateral character
does not appear.

Another peculiarity^ is in the unfolding of
the young fronds. While most ferns uncoil in
one graduating curve, this has a double bend
(Fig. 6), first curving over to the right, and
then returning to the left, taking, indeed, what
might be called a serpentine course in devel-
opment. In the end the stipe is perfectly
straight and stiff. The long wiry black roots,
which obtained for the long known European
species the common name of *• Maiden-hair
Fern," are not very apparent in this species ;
but the general characteristics already de-
scribed are so marked that one can scarcelj''
mistake the relationship whenever a " Maiden-
hair Fern " is found for the first time, for they
are found in great numbers in tropical regions.
Its more strict botanical characters, as used
in classification, are so essentially distinct
from other ferns, that there have been few
attempts to make other genera out of it, as
there have been in Pteris. Aspidium, and other
genera handed down to us from the botanists
of the Linmuan age. Mr. Thomas Moore, the
distinguished English student of ferns, thus
describes what these characters are : — *' They
have all black shining stipites, and mostly
roundish or rhomboidal or ternately-curved

(113)

}

\

^

ADIAiNTUiM PEDATUM.

COMxMOX MAIDEN-HAIR.

NATURAL ORDER, FI LICKS.

MiM I'EDATUM. LiNN.q- rs.-Froiul forked at the summit of the iipiij^ht slender stalk rnine to fifteen inches hi-h^ the
-vurved branches bearing on one suie several slender spre;^^^

M,l,.,ne short-stalked pinnules : these are as if halved, hein^' entire on the lower mar^-in. from wirieh the vJ n.s 1
l.n.ceed, and cleft and fruit-hearlng on the other. (Gray's Manual of liotanv of (fu Xo^Th.i n Cniud Siatr^ Nee aNo
Uiapman s Lotanyof the Southr, u Cuttcd States, and Woods Class-Hook ofBotanx .• l-;aton> /-;//. ofSo.th \ntn,ca
'A\\a\\\\\\:\\\\^Qn i^ Fetus of Kent Hcky.) ' . « /lu,

ll
<t

This ver}^ handsome fern grows to such Lirge
proportions that it was difficult to decide
wlKtlier to take only a portion of a mature
frond for our small page, or to select a coni-
p'ac plant of moderate size that would serve
Lu show all its general characteristics, giving
only enlarged views of the various parts of the
fructification. Now, with the picture before
1^. the wisdom of the last course is apparent,
! > It is doubtful w^hether so complete a view of
i' whole plant could be better presented in so
small a space. It is well, however, to remark
tliat when the plant is growing vigorously it
a tliick rhizome or creeping underground

II as thick as a lead pencil, from which the
^ht fibrous roots descend into the earth,
the fronds ascend into the atmosphere. In

• -xperience of the writer no specimen has

: hoen found that had not a forked rhizome,
this tendency to divide, especially in some

> parts in one direction is a characteristic
St peculiar to this fern, and on account of

> v ry marked disposition in this respect, its

pcdatnm was suggested to the earlier

nists, — pedate in botany signifying divided

the hand, or, perhaps, more strictly, like

'ot of a bird. The habit of forking, which

nd in the rhizome, is exhibited in the

> of the frond, which divide into two equal
'>ns at the top (Fig. 2), and in large speci-

each division takes a downward curve,

the branchlets come out always on the

^ side of this curve. This is shown to

extent on our small specimen. On the

*^ hand branch of the fork onlj'one branch-

I)cars from the upper side, but on the left

'>ne two appear. In vigorous specimens

iny as six of these branchlets will come

•>ni the outside of the curve ; and, occa-

sionallv. the lowermost branchlet will a«:ain
have one or two secondary branchlets, also on
the outside line. If we now examine the en-
larged frondlet (Fig. 3), we see the same char-
acteristic. As noted in the description of Dr.
Gra\', it has the appearance of being but half
a leaf, — the original leaf having Ikvu cut
through the midrib, leaving the veins on the
side. The little veins, when they fork, have
also the one-sided character to a great extent.
The reason for this peculiar unilateral character
does not appear.

Another peculiarity is in the unfolding of
the young fronds. While most ferns uncoil in
one graduating curve, this has a double bend
(Fig. 6), first curving over to the right, and
then returning to the left, taking, indeed, what
might be called a serpentine course in devel-
opment. In the end the stipe is perfectly
straight and stiff. The long wiry black roots,
which obtained for the long known ICuropean
species the common name of "Maiden-hair
Fern," are not ver\' apparent in this species ;
but the general characteristics already de-
scribed are so marked that one can scarcelv
mistake the relationship whenever a " Maiden-
hair F'ern " is found for the first time, for thc\'
are found in great numbers in tropical regions.
Its more strict botanical characters, as used
in classification, are so essentially distinct
from other ferns, that there have been few
attempts to make other genera out of it, as
there have l)een in Pteris. Aspidium, and other
genera handed <lown to us from the botanists
of the Linn;ian age. Mr. Thomas Moore, the
distinguished Ivnglish student of ferns, thus
describes what these characters are: — "They
have all black shining stipites. and mostlj*
roundish or rhomboidal or ternately-curved

(113)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

114

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— ADIANTUM PEDATUM.

pinnules, the fronds being very various in size
and general character. The structure is very
peculiar,— unlike that of any other fern. The
sori are marginal, covered by the indusia.
which are either roundish and distinct, or be-
come blended into a linear form, these two con-
ditions respectively resembling the fructifica-
tion seen in Cheilanthes and Pteris ; but it is
resemblance only, the fructification (spore
cases) being in the latter genera seated on the
frond itself, and covered by the indusium ;
while in Adiantum they are not attached to
the frond, but to the under side of the indu-
sium, and are therefore turned upside down on
to the surface of the frond. This structural
peculiarity distinguishes Adiantum from all
other ferns but Hewardia, which is known by
having a reticulated venation, that of Adian-
tum being free." In order that the student
may the better understand this description of
Mr. Moore, we have given the enlarged Figs.
4 and 5, — in Fig. 4 the sporangia are just seen
at the edge of the indusium. Fig. 5 is the
same, v^rith the indusium turned back, and
showing the sporangia at the apex of the
veins.

The common Maiden-hair Fern has a very
ancient history. The younger Tradescant—
the name being very familiar to lovers of our
wild flowers in the Tradescantia-^mdA^ one of
the earliest botanical visits to this country,
and brought with him to England from Vir-
ginia in 1628 a fair collection of living plants,
among which were Cystopteris bulbifeta and
our present plant. These were, therefore, the
patriarchs of American ferns in British gar-
dens. Cornutus, however, was not long after
in getting a knowledge of it, for he wrote a
work on Canadian plants in 1635, and desig-
nates it as the Adiantum Canadense, by which
it was known till the time of Unn^eus. In
1671 Bauhin writes of it as having had it from
J. Burser, who obtained it from Brazil, on
which account he named it " Adiantum fruti-
cosum Brasilianum." It is singular that where
Bauhin refers to plants " from J. Burser from
Brazil " they are all North American plants,
and in those early times Burser had not prob-
ably a clear idea where "Brazil" was. In
1686 we find Ray describing it as the " Black
Maiden-hair," and he refers to Tradescant's
bringing the plant to England in the first place
from Virginia. In 1695 Plukenet figures it,

[A ug.

and says at that time it was quite common in
the gardens around London. At the present
time it is one of the most popular ferns in
English collections.

Of Amercan authors, John Josselyn,
*' gentleman,' in his " New England Rari'
ties," published in 1672, is the first to notice
it. He says: "The Maiden-hair, or Capillus
veneris verus, which ordinarily is half a yard
in height. The apothecaries for shame will
substitute Wall-rue no more for Maiden-hair,
since it grows so abundantly in New England,
from whence they may have good store." The
Wall-rue, it may be noted, is Asplenium ruta-
muraria, a very small species of fern. Kalm
notices it in his travels, and seems to be the
first to refer to its **pedate" character, and
which suggested to Linnaeus its specific
name.

The extract from Josselyn of its use by the
apothecaries, brings to mind how celebrated
the Adiantum capillus-veneris was in medicine
in ancient times. Ray refers to a Doctor Peter
Formius, of Montpellier in France, who issued
a work in 1644, to show that this fern was a
universal panacea, bearing health to all parts
of the body. In these days our Grifiith simply
says of this, and Adiantum pedatura, "they
are considered as pectoral and demulcent," and
this is all.

If advantageous it would be a good con-
sideration that it could scarcely be destroyed.
It has a geographical range, accorded to few
ferns. It is found as far south as the mountain
district of Alabama, becomes very abundant in
southern Illinois, and then goes up through nil
the states east of the Mississippi into Canada,
except those which jut on the Atlantic Ocean,
though as it gets northwardly it loses this
peculiarity, as it has been collected at East
Hampton in Long Island by Mr. E. E. Miller.
It is found at Leavenworth in Kansas, a.d
again in California, curiously, as Prof. Eaton
remarks, skipping the mountains of Colorado.
Crossing by wayof Behring's Strait, into Asia,
it is found over most of that quarter of the
globe.

Explanation of the PlAte. — i. a small plant ^^

ith

4. Part of a pinnule showing the sporangia on the inii^J'
surface near the edge of the indusium. 5. The same with
the indusium pressed back, showing the sporangia on the
end of the veinlets. 6. Shows the tight serpentine growth of
the unfolding stipe.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

SONG TO A PET CICADA.

Cicada, you who chase away desire.

Cicada, who beguile our sleepless hours ;

You song-winged muse of meadows and of
flowers.
Who are the natural mimic of the lyre.
Chirp a familiar melody and sweet,

My weight of sleepless care to drive away ;

Your love beguiling tune to me now play.
Striking your prattling wings with your 'dear

feet.

In early morning I'll bring gifts to you

Of garlic ever fresh and drops of dew.

From the Greek oj Meleager.

Variation in the Leaves of Horse Radish.
— Meehans' Monthly felt that Mrs. Keller-
man's deductions (see p. 67) would not prove
acceptable to botanists generally,— but that
they suggested much that would greatly aid
botanical progress. The following note from
M. H. de Varigny, of Paris, will not, therefore,
be ranked amongst the unexpected criticisms :

"Facts are required before we can accept
Mrs. Kellerman's interpretation. It must be
shown that carbonic acid is less abundant in
the air during autumn or summer than during
spring, and till this has been conclusively de-
'iionstrated we have nothing but * mere specu-
lation.' All the experiments go to show that
iie proportion of oxygen, carbonic acid, nitro-
j'on, are the same the whole year round, and
• I'fore the sub-pin natified leaves, are explained
' y reason of carbonic acid, it must be shown
•lat the experiments are wrong, and that there
•^ a positive decrease of carbonic acid. I do
^•<^t know of any reliable experiments going to
^'iiow this last point."

-V Beautiful Display of Violets.— The
AVa- York Sun notices that along the line of
^he railroad plying between Jamaica and the
^iear neighborhood of Babylon in Long Island,
^f»e country in early spring was one dense mass
'- beautiful violets— the description indicating
that Viola pedata was the kind referred to. It
•"Egrets that sweet odor wasn't given to this
violet as well as singular beauty.

The Asphodel of Homer.— The following
correspondence in regard to the identity of the
modern Asphodel with that of the ancients, will
interest our classical readers : —

" A good many years ago, as you will see by
the following letter, I wrote to Prof. Gray, say-
ing that I believed the Asphodel of Homer was
the Xarcissnspoeticus of botanists, quoting from
the ' Odyssy,' XI, 538, the passage :

* * * V'^/'i ''^ Toor/jziov A'.a/.iod cnira, naxza
[^'.^'imna^ '/jL-:d(7(foa-).z'.iio)\>a,

His obliging reply will, I think, be inter-
esting to many of your readers.

Very truly yours,
Howard Worcester Gilbert.""

Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Mass.,

Sept. 15, 1S75.
Dear Sir, — The best thing to consult is
"Prior's Popular Names of British Plants."
The Asphodel of Greek poets is supposed to be
Narcissus poeticus, of Lucian — that of modern
botanists, Asphodelus, L. ; of earlier English
and French poets — Narcissus pseudo-narcissus.
That with edible roots, mentioned in later
Greek writers, to which Charon alludes, in
Lucian's AV/rar/ov^ is doubtful wholly.

Truly yours,

A. Gray.

Stuartia. — This beautiful hardy shrtrb„
which is one of the few American species
related to the tea plant of China, is sometimes
written Steuartia. "The Gardeners' Chronicle"
notes that the plant was named in honor of
John Stuart, the third Earl of Bute, who was
very much interested in botany.

A Large Buttonwood Tree,— Josiah W.
Leeds states that, on the banks of the Wabash
river in southwestern Indiana, due west from
Princeton, is the remains of an enormous Syca-
more which, in 1863, bis brother found to
measure 33 feet around the base. The stump
was about 15 feet high.

(IIS)

ii6

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[An.cr.

i^'93.]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

117

The Seat of Vitality in Trees. — Mr. T.
Wheeler, of Moscow, Vt., in reference to a
recent note in Meehans' Monthly on the
'• Vitality of Girdled Trees," page 51, makes
the pointed inquiry, as to where life and death
meet in a tree, and how can that point be dis-
covered ? It may be difficult to answer this
inquiry clearly in a few words, but it may be
said, that a tree is merely a collection of innu-
merable individuals — one single small cell
really comprises that individual — and the
millions of cells of
which a tree is com-
posed, make the com-
pound organism
which we call a tree.
To continue the life
of a tree new cells
germinate from the
old cell, and after
the new cell has been
formed, vitality, as
we understand it,
ceases in the old cell.
The new cells simply
constitute a living
tree. In our ordinary
trees these mother-
cells produce the
young or daughter-
cells during mid-
summer, that grow
out of the old cells.
It is very doubtful
whether, after these
new cells have been
formed, there is
really any great vital
power in the old
ones. We may prac-
tically say, there
fore, that all of the
structure around the

outer layer of wood cells, is destitute ot life.
The whole trunk of a tree is simply a mass of
skeletons of what have been living cells. They
have the physical power of absorbing moisture,
and perhaps aiding in carrying up this mois-
ture by capillary attraction to the upper por-
tions of the tree, — and in that way aiding and
assisting in carrying on the vital powers, — but
for all practical purposes are destitute of life
in themselves. Mr. Wheeler refers to chips of

the Redwood tree, growing occasionally wYnn
scattered from the trunk by the axeman,— but
growth in these cases can only come from the
living cells, which are just beneath the bark of
the tree. New growth could not possibly
come from the old interior wood.

Wild Roses of the West. — In the far West
one of the most common and beautiful of the
wild roses is the Cinnamon Rose, I^osa cinna-
momea, with its close ally, the Rosa nutkcrnsis.

The peculiar light
rosy tint is possessed
by few other species.
In the Rocky Moun-
tain region, Rosa
blanda, and its close
ally Rosa Arkansana
take its place. A
vase with specimens
probably of the last
named, as grown in
western Nevada, is
here presented.

WILD ROSES OF NEVADA

The Nectar oi-
Flowers. — An in-
teresting question
connected with the
nectar of flowers is
whether the bee is
simply an agent
transferring it i^s
honey to the comb,
or whether it undei-
goes some transforn: -
ation in the honey
bag before it becomt
honey. The opinio-;
generally entertair
ed is that honey is ■
mere transfer, i'-
which case thert
would be no use in trying to improve Apic rac-
as one might desire to improve a race >
cows for improved milk, — though the in-
dustrious creatures might commend then-
selves by a still greater industry in oiu:
race than in another. There are, however,
some apiarists who believe there is a change m
some slight degree effected. These point to the
fact that the bee certainly can make wax out
of precisely the same material as honey is mack

The Rocks of the Wissahickon. — Who
has not heard of the attractiveness of Wissa-
hickon ? One of the best art critics in the
United States stated to the writer, that he
could not concede it to be one of the most
beautiful pieces of scenery in the United States,
but it certainly was the prettiest. The reader
will have to draw the line between these two
interpretations. Among the chief of its charms
is the singular beauty of the stratification of
the gneiss rock. In many cases large blocks
have fallen out, so as to give the rocks a cave-
like appearance. This only occurs where there
is a peculiar twisting in the formation. Of

Grease Wood.— A correspondent, writing
from the far west describes the Grease Wood,
Rhus aromatica, as being remarkably beautiful
this year, the bushes being completely covered
with their yellow, coral berries. Another
••grease- wood" is Piirshia trident at a, which
has in the flowers deliciously fragrant. The
Indians use the wood, she says, for medicine.
It is unfortunate that the plant is bisexual,
and, in consequence, there is an absence of
berries from isolated plants when under culti-
vation. In the writer's recollection the berries
of the Rhus are eaten by squirrels, and other
creatures which inhabit the mountain region.

ROCKS OF THE WISSAHICKON.

c Hirse caves to any great extent only exist in
limestone regions. The action of strong acid
^^ears away the limestone, and in this way
linles of subterranean passage w^ays are formed
the dissolving of rocks. However, as in
t.ie case illustrated, hollows or caves of con-
^i^lcrable size occur on the Wissahickon. The
l^ne illustrated is of considerable depth and is
'^nown as the •'Hermit's Cave." It is said
^'i^it a famous astronomer of very eccentric
'i^^^bits, many years ago made his home there.
^ iie figure standing at the mouth of the cave,
represents one of the Arctic explorers who w^as
o" the Relief Expedition in the interest of Lieu-
tenant Peary.

Large Trees in California. — The mam-
moth Sequoias are not the only trees that reach
huge dimensions in California. At Arlington
a cedar was measured last j'ear which was 68
feet in circumference, and near the ground
aroimd the knotty roots, it was 99 feet ; about
75 feet from the ground it forks into four im-
mense branches — beneath one of which is a
large knot hole — five men have been able to
climb into the hole and get into the interior of
the trunk at one time. It is nothing but a
mere shell at present, though still bearing a
considerable amount of green foliage, so says
a California paper — but the species of cedar is
not given.

f

ii6

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[A

3.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY- WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

117

The Seat of Vitality in Trees. — Mr. T.
Wheeler, of Moscow, Vt., in reference to a
recent note in Meehans' Monthly on the
"Vitality of Girdled Trees," page 51, makes
the pointed inquiry, as to where life and death
meet in a tree, and how can that point be dis-
covered ? It may be difficult to answer this
inquiry clearly in a few words, but it may be
said, that a tree is merely a collection of innu-
merable individuals — one single small cell
really comprises that individual — and the
millions of cells of
which a tree is com-
posed, make the com-
pound organism
which we call a tree.
To continue the life
of a tree new cells
germinate from the
old cell, and after
the new cell has been
formed, vitality, as
we understand it,
ceases in the old cell.
The new cells simply
constitute a living
tree. In our ordinary
trees these mother-
cells produce the
young or daughter-
cells during mid-
summer, that grow
out of the old cells.
It is very doubtful
whether, after these
new cells have been
formed, there is
really any great vital
power in the old
ones. We may prac-
tically say, there
fore, that all of the
structure around the

outer layer of wood cells, is destitute ot life.
The whole trunk of a tree is simply a mass of
skeletons of what have been living cells. They
have the physical power of absorbing moisture,
and perhaps aiding in carrying up this mois-
ture by capillary attraction to the upper por-
tions of the tree, — and in that way aiding and
assisting in carrying on the vital powers, — but
for all practical purposes are destitute of life
in themselves. Mr. Wheeler refers to chips of

the Redwood tree, growing occasionally v l
scattered from the trunk by the axeman,— )
growth in these cases can only come from 1
living cells, which are just beneath the bark
the tree. New growth could not possibi)
come from the old interior wood.

r

Wild Roses of the West. — In the far West
one of the most common and beautiful of the
wild roses is the Cinnamon Rose, Rosa china-
rnofnca, with its close ally, the Rosa ?iutkuvisis.

The peculiar light
rosy tint is possessed
by few other species.
In the Rocky Moun-
tain region, Rosa
blanda, and its close
ally Rosa Arkaiisaua
take its place. A
vase with specimens
probably of the last
named, as grown in
western Nevada, is
here presented.

WILD ROSES OF NEVADA

The Nectar 01
Flowers. — An in-
teresting question
connected with tl l
nectar of flowers .
whether the bee \
simply an agent
transferring it
honey to the comb,
or whether it unde:
goes some transforn
ation in the hont
bag before it becom
honey. Theopini'
generally entertain
ed is that honey is
mere transfer, ^
which case tlu
would be no use in trying to improve Apic rac
as one might desire to improve a race
cows for improved milk, — though the 1 -
dustrious creatures might commend ther
selves by a still greater industry in oi
race than in another. There are, however,
some apiarists who believe there is a change in
some slight degree effected. These point to th^?
fact that the bee certainly can make wax ori
of precisely the same material as honey is mack

fm- Rocks of the Wissahickon. — Who
;..is not heard of the attractiveness of Wissa-
hirkon ? One of the best art critics in the
I'nited States stated to the writer, that he
oonld not concede it to be one of the most
i)'jautiful pieces of scenery in the United States,
but it certainly was the prettiest. The reader
will have to draw the line between these two
interpretations. Among the chief of its charms
is the singular beauty of the stratification of
tlie gneiss rock. In many cases large blocks
have fallen out, so as to give the rocks a cave-
like appearance. This only occurs where there
is a peculiar twisting in the formation. Of

(iREase Wood. — A correspondent, writing
from the far west describes the (Urease Wood.
Rhus aromatica, as being remarkably beautiful
this year, the bushes being completely covered
with their yellow, coral berries. Another
" grease- wood" is Purshia tridcntata, which
has in the flowers deliciously fragrant. The
Indians use the wood, she says, for medicine.
It is unfortunate that the plant is bisexual,
and, in consequence, there is an absence of
berries from isolated plants when under culti-
vation. In the writer's recollection the berries
of the Rhus are eaten by squirrels, and other
creatures which inhabit the mountain region.

ROCKS OF THE WISSAHICKON,

>'rse caves to any great extent onlj- exist in
'.estone regions. The action of strong acid

' Hrs away the limestone, and in this way

• '^es of subterranean passage ways are formed
the dissolving of rocks. However, as in
case illustrated, hollows or caves of con-

■ ''^rable size occur on the Wissahickon. The

' illustrated is of considerable depth and is

•own as the "Hermit's Cave." It is said

*t: a famous astronomer of very eccentric

|i 'bits, man}' years ago made his home there.

' ^'t- figure standing at the mouth of the cave.

r^'iHesents one of the Arctic explorers who was

*"*'' 'he Relief Expedition in the interest of Lieu-

Unant Peary.

Large Treks in Califorxia. — The mam-
moth Secjuoias are not the onh' trees that reach
huge dimensions in California. At Arlin.i^ton
a cedar was measured last year which was 68
feet in circumference, and near the ground
around the knotty' roots, it was 99 feet ; about
75 feet from the ground it forks into four im-
mense branches — beneath one of which is a
large knot hole — five meti have been al>le to
climb into the hole and get into the interior of
the trunk at one time. It is nothing but a
mere shell at present, though still l)earing a
considerable amount of green foliage, so says
a California paper — but the species of cedar is
not given.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

ii8

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Aug.

RoBiNiA HISPID A — Mr. David F. Day, Buf-
fallo, New York, writes : —

'•Several years ago, I had this species of
Ivocust in cultivation. As is usual, it flowered
freely, but did not fruit. In apparent compen-
sation for this failure, it spread rapidly by the
root. As my plant showed no difference be-
tween it and other specimens, which I saw in
gardens, I was quite disposed to believe that
all cultivated plants of the species had grown,
as root-offsets from one original plant. Hav-
ing never seen a legume of Robiiiia hispida, '
and desiring one for herbarium use, it occured
to me that one might be easily obtained, if I
took pains, to secure perfect pollination, when
the plant was in flower. I had no suspicion
that the blossoms were not perfect ; but I
thought that they needed extraneous aid for
fertilization. But when I came to make my
experiment, I met with a great surprise. There
was a perfect development of pistil. The
stamens seemed complete, having large an-
thers upon the tips of long filaments. But
upon opening the anther cells, I found them
void of pollen. The plant was injaci ujiisexual.
It is much to be desired that the problem,
whether the species is really dicecious, should
be resolved by some botanist, who has the
opportunity to study the plant in its native
soil."

The writer of this paragraph, having the infer-
tility of the cultivated plant in mind, met with
considerable quantities of it on Lookout Moun-
tain, Tennessee, where it forms a considerable
portion of the undergrowth in the open woods
in that locality, but could not find a solitary
seed vessel. The examination was made in the
end of August.

Variation in Wild Flowers.— The florist
is generally credited with producing the great
variety of colors in species of flowers under culti-
vation, but he does little more than select that
which nature prepares for him. The sharp eye
can see variations in the woods and fields as
well as in gardens. Mr. John K. Goodrich, of
Waterbury, Ct., notes that on the 30th of May
he found the first flower oi Arethusa bulhosa—
one of our most beautiful orchids — and which
had the brighest color he ever saw in that
species. He regards it justly as a gem of the
first water among our wild flowers. He thinks
tiiat Calypso borealis, which he saw in flower
on the 28th of March from bulbs perfected in
Oregon, comes next. The two he thinks are
the most beautiful of all the orchids of New
England.

Forestry Notions. — General J. S. Brisbin,
in a work on "Trees and Tree planting," states
" that others say," a desert may be reclaimed
by first planting its belt with trees. Then rain
falls on these trees. By adding to the planted
belt from time to time rain will fall on the whole
desert in time ; and this is called the "science"
of forestry. It is a great pity that such char-
latanry should get so much respect. Trees are
the result, and not the cause, of climatic con-
ditions.

The Manzanita. — Those lapses of memory,
which are frequently miscalled ' ' slips of the
pen," are often remarkable, and just how the
term Manzanita came to be applied to the illus-
tration given in a recent number of the
magazine, is a case in point. It should have
been Madroiia. The Manzanita is a large
shrub or small tree, and is Arctostaphylos pun-
gcns. Arbutus Alenziesii is the Madron a. The
error is the more inexcusable as a specimen of
the Manzanita is on the writer's table as a paper
weight. A number of correspondents have
kindly sent us corrections.

Maltese Honey. — The honey of the Malta
bees is noted for its purity and delicious flavor.
This is due to the extensive crop of sulla (clo-
ver), from which the bees extract most of their
honey. Some one has estimated that to col-
lect one pound of honey from clover 62,000
heads of this flower must be examined, and
3.750,000 visits must be made by the bees.

The Wild Beet.— Probably few vegetables
have been developed to such a remarkable
degree as the beet. The writer has gathered
it along the shores of the south of Europe
without finding the slightest trace of succu-
lency in the root. Its development to the
extent we find it in modern gardens is ex-
tremely remarkable.

The Walking Fern.— Mr. lohn K. Good-
rich finds a locality for the Walking Fern on
the Naugatucket river near Waterbury — As-
plenium viride being a companion to it.

GENERAL GARDENING.

SUNNY ITALY.

Could nature's bounty satisfy the breast,
The sons of Italy were surely blest,
Whatever fruits in different climes are found,
Tliey proudly rise, or humbly court the ground;
Whatever blooms in torrid tracts appear,
Whc^e bright succession decks the varied year ;
Whatever sweets salute the northern sky
With vernal lives, that blossoms but to die ;
These here disporting own the kindred soil,
Nor ask luxuriance from the planter's toil ;
While sea-born gales their gelid wings expand
To winuow fragrance round the smiling land.

Oliver Goldsmith.

Coal Oil as a Protection Against In-
SFCCTs. — It has long been known that oil is one
of the best agents to be employed in the de-
struction of insects, but unfortunately the best
methods of using it have never been drawn out
to a fine point. Insects mostly breathe through
pores, and the oil closing these pores suffo-
cates the insects ; but if used in its full strength
oU will, at the same time, close the breathing
pores of the plant, and be just as destructive
to one as to the other. About one-half a wine
j?lass of oil, with a gallon of rain water, is the
quantity recommended for the destruction of
sijc'i insects as red spider, thrips and aphis.
T.» mix the water and oil it has to be boiled
With soap, in the proportion of about one part
of soap and eight of water. When the mixture
01 soap and water is near the boiling point it is
r ' ed into bottles and the oil added at that
time. The nearer the liquid is to the boiling
point at the time the oil is applied the better it
^•iil mix. Corked in bottles it can be kept for
^'^^. It is said that many of the insecticides
advertised for amateur flower growers are made
in this way, — preparations being occasionally
yai led,— and where it can be bought cheaply it
1*^ «^rten better to get it in that way than to go
^' ^^'e trouble of making it oneself. Sometimes
tilt material obtained in this way may be di-
hjUd further by water, but it is impossible to
?»ve exact directions in these cases. Those
^'lio try them must watch results and learn a
I'Ule from their own experience.

Root Fungus. — Intelligent raisers of trees
and plants must be familiar with the work of
root fungus, and with its effects on the foliage.
In most cases the result is to turn the leaves
from deep green to a golden yellow, as in the
Peach, the Norway Spruce, and the White
Pine. In the Carnation the glacous gray
green is changed to a sea green, and so on
with other things. The rapidity with which
the mycelium, or "spawn," as gardeners term
it, travels under ground is wonderful. In a
bed of carnations planted out in early spring
for removal in the fall to the carnation house,
the writer saw a circle containing a few less
than TOO plants infected, and which lot had to
be rejected.

This fungus had started from some half
rotten wood, and then had radiated some
fifteen feet to the circumference of the circle
infesting every carnation root in its march,
and this fifteen feet had been all developed in
four months, certainly, and probably much less
judging by the fact that the leaf tint had all
been completely changed. Just how the change
is effected so as to give the yellows to the Peach,
Spruce, Pine, and other plants, is not known.
No trace of the original fungus can be found
in the woody structure, — yet the wood impreg-
nated with some deleterious substance, is
capable af carrying the disease to other plants
by inoculation. But the fact remains that root
fungus is the primary cause.

Growth of the White Pine. — In reference
to the rapid growth of the White Pine in New
England, noticed at page 75, Mr. Robert Doug-
las kindly states that, as one year seedlings
barely reach an inch in height, and in three
years are no larger than lead pencils, he thinks
that a tree seven feet in diameter could not be
obtained in thirty-one years. He would give
it three times thirty to reach that dimension.
Just how theses errors occur it is very hard to
say, but they detract very much from the value
of forestry literature.

.J

I20

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAI, GARDENING.

[Aug:.

i%3.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

121

Japan Snowballs— Vtdurnum Plicatum.—
Few hardy shrubs have pushed their way so
rapidly to wide popularity as the Japan Snow-
ball, and though much has been said and wi it-
ten about it, inquiries show that much more
has to be told. It has not only held its own
as one of the most valuable floral ornaments
of our gardens, but enters largely into florists'
sales in the demand for cut flowers. The orig-
inal species was long ago described by Thun-
berg as Viburtmm plicatum. The variety is
known in botanical work as V, plicatum plen-
um, the specific name from the singularly
plaited leaves which give the plant great interest
even when not in blossom. Even two-year
old plants flower, but it takes a strong five-
year old to produce the eftect of the one given
in the illustration on the opposite page.

The flowers are all barren, the variety being
a sport from the normal form propagated in
Japanese gardens. It was introduced from
Japan by Fortune, the English botanical col-
lector, about fifty years ago : but has only in
comparatively recent times become abundant
enough for cheap popular planting.

Beautifying the Waste Places. — It is
said that few farmers have any great taste for
gardening, that farming is simply a mere ques-
tion of getting the most out of the ground that
is possible, in other words, it is a business in
which money-making rules supreme. This is
a very good principle to take as the basis of
successful farming, yet beauty never does any
harm, even in connection with the solid facts
and figures of business, especially when it can
be accomplished without the expenditure of
much cash. Pennsylvania is a State famous
for its number of springs, — there is scarcely a
farm in the whole of its wide territory but has
a spring of water somewhere about it, and the
original settlers endeavored, as far as practica-
ble, to build their houses near these springs,
over the outlets of which they erected what
are known as spring houses, in which the var-
ious operations of the dairy were conducted.
In passing through a portion of Pennsylvania
recently, the writer was interested in noting
that in a case where the pathway had to be cut
several yards through the surrounding earth
to get to the spring, on account of its being
some feet below the surface of the earth, the
little embankment formed by this cut, was

thickly studded with large stones or rocks, and
in among these rocks were set native feri.s,
evidently collected from the woods in the local-
ity. To prepare this could scarcely have oc-
cupied more than a day, and yet the result
was as the poet would say, " A thing of beau-
ty," which was certainly, *' a joy forever.'*
There is no reason why these little evidences of
superior taste in the owner of a farm might
not be much more extensively exhibited than
they evidently are.

Philosophy of Drainage. — Few cultiva-
tors understand how water operates in soil cul-
ture. One of its chief uses is to purify the
soil. The roots of plants require the agency
of oxygen in preparing food, just as much as
the leaves do ; and after the air has lost its
oxygen it is impure and unfit for the use of the
plant. A heavy fall of rain completely satur-
ates the soil and drives out the impure air, and
as this water passes away a new supply of air
follows. In no other way can the soil be ren-
dered free of impure air than by this curious
process of nature. In brief, rain is a purifier
of the earth. Of course the soil retains mois-
ture, and from this moisture the roots subse-
quently are enabled to draw their supply. This
is necessary, but air is no less necessary than
the water. One of the most interesting treatises
on the subject, and by which this paragraph
has been suggested, is an essay, delivered be-
fore the Marion County Horticultural Society
of Salem, Oregon, by President John M. Bloss,
of the State Agricultural College, and Director
of the Agricultural Experiment Station. The
Bulletin is sent free to all who think proper
to ask for it, — and we could wish nothing
better than that every reader of Meehans'
Monthly had a copy for perusal.

Color of Flowers. — Blue Roses, or blue
Dahlias, at one time thought impossible, and
probably still impossible as a natural product,
may now be obtained by placing the cut flowers
in a solution of analine substances. Indigo
carmine produces beautiful blue tints. For a
while there was quite a rage for having these
artificial colored flowers. Lily of the Valley,
Dahlias, Hyacinths, and others being so suc-
cessfully treated ; but this has entirely gone
out of use. Except where people wish to try
the matter as a simple chemical experiment.

JAPAN SNOWBALL.--seK i>. 120.

« '

'■WHS^M^--'

%

I20

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[All.

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

121

Japan SNO\\']iM,hS—Vid?/m7im Plicahim.—
Few hardy shrubs have pushed their way so
rapidly to wide popularity as the Japan Snow-
ball, and though much has been said and wi it-
ten about it, inquiries show that much more
has to be told. It has not only held its own
as one of the most valuable floral ornaments
of our gardens, but enters largely into florists'
sales in the demand for cut flowers. The orig-
inal species was long ago described by Thun-
berg as Vibiirvum plicatiim. The variety is
known in botanical work as V. plicahim plen-
U7n, the specific name from the singularly
plaited leaves which give the plant great interest
even when not in blossom. Even two-year
old plants flower, but it takes a strong five-
year old to produce the eftect of the one given
in the illustration on the opposite page.

The flowers are all barren, the variety being
a sport from the normal form propagated in
Japanese gardens. It was introduced from
Japan by Fortune, the English botanical col-
lector, about fifty years ago : but has only in
comparatively recent times become abundant
enough for cheap popular planting.

Beautifying the Waste Places. — It is
said that few farmers have any great taste for
gardening, that farming is simply a mere ques-
tion of getting the most out of the ground that
is possible, in other words, it is a business in
which money-making rules supreme. This is
a very good principle to take as the basis of
successful farming, yet beauty never does any
harm, even in connection with the solid facts
and figures of business, especially when it can
be accomplished without the expenditure of
much cash. Pennsylvania is a State famous
for its number of springs, — there is scarcely a
farm in the whole of its wide territory but has
a spring of water somewhere about it, and the
original settlers endeavored, as far as practica-
ble, to build their houses near these springs,
over the outlets of which they erected what
are known as spring houses, in which the var-
ious operations of the dairy were conducted.
In passing through a portion of Pennsylvania
recently, the writer was interested in noting
that in a case where the pathway had to be cut
several yards through the surrounding earth
to get to the spring, on account of its being
some feet below the surface of the earth, the
little embankment formed by this cut, was

thickly studded with large stones or rocks, <i
in among these rocks were set native feri.-.
evidently collected from the woods in the loc ,
ity. To prepare this could scarcely have oc-
cupied more than a day, and yet the result
was as the poet would say, " A thing of beau-
ty," which was certainly, " a joy forever '*
There is no reason why these little evidences of
superior taste in the owner of a farm mi^lit
not be much more extensively exhibited than
they evidently are.

Philosophy of Drainage. — Few cultiva-
tors understand how water operates in soil cul-
ture. One of its chief uses is to purify tlie
soil. The roots of plants require the agency
of oxygen in preparing food, just as much as
the leaves do ; and after the air has lost its
oxygen it is impure and unfit for the use of the
plant. A heavy fall of rain completely satur-
ates the soil and drives out the impure air, and
as this water passes away a new supply of air
follows. In no other way can the soil be ren-
dered free of impure air than by this curious
process of nature. In brief, rain is a purifier
of the earth. Of course the soil retains mois-
ture, and from this moisture the roots subse-
quently are enabled to draw their supply. Tliis
is necessary, but air is no less necessary than
the water. One of the most interesting treativSes
on the subject, and by which this paragraph
has been suggested, is an essay, delivered be-
fore the Marion County Horticultural Societs
of Salem, Oregon, by President John M. Bloss,
of the State Agricultural College, and Director
of the Agricultural Experiment Station. Tlv
Bulletin is sent free to all who think proper
to ask for it, — and we could wish nothin^jc
better than that every reader of Meehans*
Monthly had a copy for perusal.

Color of Flowers. — Blue Roses, or blr.
Dahlias, at one time thought impossible, an<l
probably still impossible as a natural product,
may now be obtained by placing the cut flowers
in a solution of analine substances. Indigo '
carmine produces beautiful blue tints. For .
while there was quite a rage for having thcs
artificial colored flowers. Lily of the Valley,
Dahlias, Hyacinths, and others being so suc-
cessfully treated ; but this has entirely gon
out of use. Except where people wish to ti>
the matter as a simple chemical experiment.

JAPAN SNOWBALL.--SCC w. lao

* INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

^

122

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Au:

nSoi ]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

Straightening Crooked Trees. — Mr.
Ernest Walker, of New Albany, Indiana, fur-
nishes the following very valuable hints for
straightening crooked trees :

' • Young trees that are bent or crooked may
easily be straightened without cord or stakes,
and a good many of them in a short space
of time, if it be done in the right season.
The right time is m the spring, when the buds
are swelling and until the trees are in full
leaf. At this time the trunks are in a degree
plastic and incline to remain the way they are
bent. All kinds of trees with trunks from a
half inch to two and a half inches in diameter
may be made to grow straight in this way.

Trees in the nursery row often become lean-
ing, or bent from the direction of prevalent
winds, which unless remedied detracts from
their market value. Such trees may be straight-
ened at a slight expense, and with great profit
by simply bending them forcibly in the oppo-
site direction. The writer had a block of
several thousand yearling peach trees several
years ago, the trunks of which were all curved
from the southwest winds. A man went over
the lot in about a half a day, and straightened
the trunks. It was an experiment, but proved
a very successful and valuable one.

It is not sufiicient simply to pull the top
over and bend the trunk by one big curve, ex.
cept in the case of larger trees which cannot be
otherwise treated. Where the size of the trunk
will admit it the bending should be a succes-
sion of forcible short curves along the trunk.
If there is any damage done the cells on the
short side of the trunk it will be immed-
iately remedied unless the trunk be abruptly
broken, which must be guarded against."

123

Destroying Weeds. — Several correspond-
ents have written to Meehans' Monthly re-
cently, as to how to destroy noxious weeds.
Poison Ivy, Dock, Canada Thistle, and Dande-
lions are the subjects of these varied inquiries.
Intelligent gardeners know that no plant can
live long without leaves. If, therefore, a plant
is cut ofl to the ground soon after making
leaves in Spring, it is generally destroyed at
once ; but sometimes another or second growth
will appear, of a more or less weak character,
and if this is again cut, the plant will surely
die. Nothing is easier than to destroy these
weeds when this principle is kept in mind.

The writer of this paragraph has known a
whole half acre of Canada Thistle entirely
eradicated by having a boy cut them beneath
the ground with a knife early in Spring. Very
few shot up leaves the second time, but these
were again cut as soon as perceived, and the
result was to eventually destroy every plant.
It did not cost $10. to do it.

The English Primrose. — Few American
flower lovers, familiar with English literature,
but have a warm affection lor the English
primrose, as the primrose of Northern Europe,
is called. What are known as Polyanthuses,
closely related to the wild forms of English
primroses, are included in this thought. As a
class they are extremely beautiful, aside from
the interest derived from their literary rela
tions. They are extremely subject to attacks
of the red spider in a warm, dry climate. Our
warm and dry summers are always against
their success ; but if planted where they can
be shaded from the hot sun in the day time,
and yet have some light, by reason of eastern
or western walls, or better still, northern ex-
posures, and to be put in soil not allowed to
get dry by reason of the incursions of the
roots of rapid growing trees, they may be
grown in our climate with considerable suc-
cess.

A Double Gloxinia. — Some cultivated
flowers seem to have a much greater tendency
to produce double varieties than others :
while others, cultivated for many years, rarely
exhibit the double flowering tendency. It is
said that in England a double Gloxinia has
now been produced. As it is over fifty years
since they have been in very general cultiva-
tion, it is remarkable that it has taken so
long a time to produce the double form.

Variation in Nature. — The paragraph in
Meehans' Monthly, calling attention to the
great variation which may be found in any one
species of plant in a state of nature, is interest-
ing a great number of the readers of the
magazine. Mrs. Fannie E. Briggs, of Wash-
ington State, writes that, "among the native
Lily, Liliiim Humboldtii, flowers usually spot-
ted are on some plants entirely unspotted ; in-
stead of being brown, as is characteristic of the
species, the stem is often wholly green."

Classification op Chrysanthemums. —
The American Chrysanthemum Society ap-
pointed a committee to classify this popular
fall blooming flower. In the report before us
they have shown how well they have accom-
plished the task they were appointed to do.
One would hardly suppose there could be so
many varieties, yet here so many are named
and fully described, as to occupy a pamphlet
of thirty-seven pages. The officers of the
Society are William K. Harris, of Philadelphia,
E. J. Hill, Richmond, Ind., Edwin Lonsdale,
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, and Myron W.
Hunt, of Terre Haute, Ind.

Rosa rugosa. — A very beautiful rose, Rosa
Camtschatica of Ventenat, a native of Russia,
as its name implies, has long been cultivated
in some few choice American gardens. A few
years ago Rosa rugosa of Thunberg, a native
of Japan, was introduced, but no one saw any
difference between the two, and there was a
suspicion that in some way the two had been
confounded. A French rose grower, Souchet —
suggests that the real R. rugosa has stipules
and bracts comparatively undeveloped, while
the A*. Camtschatica has them very large.
It is said that a pure white variety of the latter,
perfectly double, has been produced in France.

Pka Weevil. — Many remedies have been
given for the destruction of the little weevil
vliich bores holes in peas. No one cares to
sow such and introduce the insect at the same
til 12. Mr. James Fletcher, of the Experimen-
tal Farm, of Toronto, states that peas are just
as i-ood two years old as when but one year.
H' ound two year seed all grew. The insect
vvi not live that long, so that those who
i-v/ not care to introduce the pea weevil
^•1 <i any particular variety, have only to hold
tu' li over for a couple of years, in order to
li them certainly clear of this trouble.

^Vatering Cactuses.— Mrs. Frederick John -
«0' noting a visit to the Cactus House in the
^lissouri Botanical Gardens at St. Louis, re-
in arks that they are only watered once in three
uic :,ths. This used to be the rule in old times.
but the practice has been changed more re-
cently. These are probably watered oftener
^han is supposed. Cactuses do not dislike
^'-^ter if the pots are well drained.

f K^ITS £2S ¥E<qiET/fl©LESo

The Bloodgood Pear. — An intelligent
contemporary, the " Florida Fruit Grower,"
replete with valuable suggestions, remarks
that the Bloodgood pear is superior in quality
to the Bartlett, but is not considered profitable
by the grower of pears for market, because of
its lack of attractiveness. This can scarcely
be a reason why the Bloodgood pear, is not
generally grown for market, for among this
class of fruits, as well as among apples, numer-
ous varieties remarkably lacking in attractive-
ness, are extremely popular. Who would, for
instance, see anything particularly attractive
about the Rhode Island Greening Apple ?
There are scores of varieties considerably more
attractive, and yet are not grown. In relation
to the Bloodgood pear in the Eastern States,
it has rarely been considered as of even second
quality, to say nothing of first. .If it is so
superior in quality in Florida, it must be a case
often noted, wherein varieties of no reputation
in one locality, will get to the head of the list
under other circumstances.

Apple Orchards in Iowa. — Mr. H. W.
Lathrop, of Iowa City, states that the first
apple orchards were planted in Iowa between
1799 and 1802. He thinks that if successive
generations from these trees had been carefully
selected, some very hardy varieties might have
been by this time obtained. This is quite
likely. Though environment has not much to
do, in the opinion of some botanists, with any
very material changes in the fonn and general
characters of plants, it is believed that hardi-
ness is achieved by successive generations of
comparatively tender plants grown in severe
climates.

Crops of Currants. — A European paper
states that one currant bush there produced
17K pounds, which was thought to be some-
thing extraordinary. It strikes us that at least
as great a weight of fruit has sometime been
produced from American bushes, but we have
no positive knowledge, and shall be glad to
have a note from some one who has made a
positive test. At Haywards, in California, we
have certainly seen bushes that must have had
a weight of fruit approaching these figures at
any rate.

124

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAI^ GARDENING.

[^^Vlg.

1893-]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

125

Growing Peaches in Pots. — One of the
prettiest sights in ornamental gardening is a
house for forcing fruits. It is not generally
known that fruit trees can be raised in pots
pretty nearly as well as oranges or lemons, —
and aside from the beauty of a house filled with
ripe fruit, is the satisfaction of having first
class fruit for the dessert table. One of the
most successful of these fruit houses, which
but a few years ago the writer had the pleasure
of seeing, is on the grounds of the Hon. J. D.
Cameron, United States Senator, near Harris-

PEACHES IN POTS.

burg. The sketch given with this paragraph,
illustrates how easily peaches can be grown in
this way, and how handsome they must look
when in perfection. Notwithstanding the ease
with which fruit can be transported from
southern regions to more northern ones, forced
peaches can be had before the earliest southern
crops are ready.

that the Morell was not more frequently met
with in America and more generally used.
This paragraph attracted the attention of Mr.
Isaac Shepardson, a good neighbor of the con-
ductors of this magazine, who reports that tliey
have been as long as he can remember, fre-
quently found under apple trees during apple
blossom time, and to confirm his statement
brought a fine basket of them during the June
month. They were prepared as a test with the
common mushroom and in the same way, and
a large number of those who participated in the
feast regarded them as far more delicious than
the ordinary mushroom, and especially when
prepared as a gravy. It seems remarkable,
considering the excellence of this species of
the mushroom tribe, that the spawn has not
been prepared and offered for sale in markets,
just as the spawn of the common mushroom
is. Possibly it will not bear such treatment,
but then no record has been made of any ex-
periment on the contrary.

The Peach Tree Borer.— Many remedies
are given for the destruction of the peach borer.
It seems wiser to keep the insect out than the
worry so much about it after it has obtained
possession of the tree.

Any kind of greasy matter applied to the base
of the tree will keep the borer away. The
best thing that we know of, is wheel grease,
made up with various fats in connection Nvith
pine tar ; pine tar alone has been found effica-
cious, but the danger is from its being con-
fused with gas tar by fruit growers not well
informed. Gas tar is very liable to destroy
the tree. So far as we know, pine tar has 1 ot
been found injurious. What is true of vlie
peach is true of all trees that are liable to be
affected by the borer near the ground : the
apple and quince being particularly in mind ;iS
this paragraph is being written.

The Morell. — In a former number of
Meehans' Monthly surprise was expressed

IvARGE Watermelons. — The season v."-\
soon come around when the amateur horticul-
turist will be twitting his neighbor on the
superior products of his garden. Who h ^s
the largest watermelon is one of the qu '^-
tions frequently coming up in this friendly '•-
valry. In California last year, Mrs. Hendtr-
son, of Chula Vista, boasted of one weighing
1 13/4 pounds. The Eastern States can scar-
cely equal this.

The House by the Medlar Tree. — A
bonk by this title has recently been translated
into English from the German, by a New York
publishing house.

Several friends inquire what is a Medlar Tree ?
This is a common garden fruit in Northern Ger-
many, the Mespilns Germanica of botanists. It
belongs to the same family as the apple, pear,
and cherry, but does not thrive well except in
rather northern regions. As is the case with
onr persimmon the fruit is too austere until de-
cay has partially set in. The word decay is
not an acceptable one, so the French term
"blette " is used. A bletted medlar is fit for
use. The Japan Plum of the South is very
close to the medlar, it is known as Mespilus
Japonica,

Mythology of the Apple. — A recent note
in Meehans' Monthly on the " Mythology of
the Apple Tree,*' is made the text of a highly
interesting paper on the subject by Mr. John
J. janne3% before the Columbus Horticultural
Society of Ohio. Mr. J. brings together all
that has possibly ever been written on the sub-
ject, but winds up the paper by the very prac-
tical statement that, on a tree of Newtown Pip-
pins, presumably on his own grounds, he
gathered no less than sixty-three bushels of
perfect apples. Those which dropped to the
gnmnd or were imperfect were not counted.
This is pretty good for Ohio. We should be
glad to know whether this record has ever been
reached elsewhere.

The Canker Worm. — Few, except those
actually living in districts where this insect
abounds, can have any idea of its destruc-
tive nature. Orchard trees infested with them
look precisely as if burned over. Since the in-
tro<!uction of spraying machines, whereby a
solution of Paris green can be easily employed,
tli-: insect is not so much feared as formerly.
It is one of the most certain remedies that
have ever been introduced.

•'OOD Pears. — Although the list of pears
has been largely added to by introductions
di.ring the past few years, some of the older
Kinds still lead in popular favor. In a list of
six best pears, we would be almost sure to find
tlie names of the Bartlett, Sheldon, Seckel,
l^awrence and Howell.

New Strawberries. — In America straw-
berries rapidly deteriorate, and new varieties
continually appear to replace the worn out
kinds. Rarely can we find one retaining popu-
lar favor for over ten years. In striking con-
trast is the persistency^ of varieties in the old
world. In a recent issue of the Lyon Ilorticole
the kinds recommended for general culture
have, some of them been a half century before
the public. It seems strange to read of La
Constante, British Queen, Wonderful, Jucunda,
Duke of Malakoff, Victoria, and similar old
kinds, being yet the best strawberries for the
French to grow.

The Chili Strawberry. — Along the cooler
regions of the Pacific slope, both northwardly
and southwardly from the equator, the pre-
vailing species of strawberry is F. Chiloensis^
or, as it is often written abont, the Chili Straw-
h^xxy. As the writer has seen it in its native
localities, it is a much more luxurious grower
than our breed from the Virginia Scarlet. It
appears from a note in the American Garden,
that the South Americans have improved it as
we have our kind, and in the Copiapo \'alley in
Chili, the correspondent found kinds six inches
in circumference, growing in gardens.

Resistant Grape Vines. — The Phylloxera
is an American insect, but does not injure the
American vine, as it does the European.
Hence there is not so much concern in Ameri-
can vineyards when the insect appears on the
roots as in European vineyards. These Amer-
ican vines are called " resistants " bj' those
who grow the foreign grape. These are grafted
on American or "resistant " stocks.

Currants and Gooseberries — These are
very easily raised from cuttings. Lengths of
about five or six inches are usually employed.
They need to be buried about two-thirds their
length in the open ground. If cut a week or
two before using, and packed in moss slightly
damp, they root much more rapidly when
placed in the ground than if put in at once on
cutting. Partial shade is an advantage.

The Best Currants. — Orchard and Garden
has come to the conclusion that after all the
introductions of late years, the best currant
for the amateur to grow is the White Grape.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

THE WANDERER'S NIGHT SONG.

FROM GCETHE : BY THOS. CONRAD PORTER.

[This beatiful lyric was written at night upon the
wall of a little hermitage on the Kickelhahu, a hill
in the forest sf Ilnienau, where the poet composed
the last act of his Iphigenia]

Ueber alien Gipfeln

1st Ruh ;

In alien Wipfeln

Spiirest du

Kaum einen Hauch ;

Die Vogelein schweigen im Walde ;

Warte nur, balde

Ruhest du auch.

Over all the hill-tops

Quiet reigns now ;

In all the tree-tops

Scarce stirs a bough

By Zephyr caressed ;

Ceased in the grove has the little bird's song ;

Wait ! and ere long

Thou too shall rest.

Potash in Agriculture. — A very useful
and suggestive essay on ♦• Potash in Agricul-
ture '* has been issued by Dr. B. Von Herff,
99 Nassau street, New York. There is one quo-
tation from Prof. J. B. Smith, of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture at Washington, which we
think must be a misquotation. Surely, Prof.
Smith never said that " Many a New Jersey
peach orchard has recovered from an attack
of the yellows after a free application of
Kainit" — kainit being a form of potash. It
is a prevalent belief, and a belief probably
impregnable against any attack, that when
once a peach tree has an attack of yellows it
cannot be preserved by anything known. The
wood is changed in character by the disease
and never returns to a normal state. It must
be remembered in connection with the potash
question, that almost all soil which is derived
from the disintegration of granite rock con-
tains natural potash, and that this potash,
when stable manure is applied to it, makes
one of the most fertile of soils. But there are
different results by different methods of treat-
ing the soil itself. Different combinations of
materials will produce different results. Land

(126)

may indeed be sterile from too much potash.
It is sometimes so sterile by an oversupply of
decayed feldspar, which is a form of potash,
that nothing but the common mullein will
grow in it. It is not uncommon to find par-
ties ignorant of this lact apply special fertil-
izers, containing potash, to such soils with ab-
solutely no result at all. A knowledge of what
is in the ground before we apply other mate-
rials to it, helps wonderfully in the success of
practical operations.

John Bartram. — It appears that Bartram,
like many other famous men, was not merely
interested in botany, but in every good work
that had relation to humanity. His name ap-
pears among the contributors to the first sub-
scription library in the State of Pennsylvania,
in the borough of Darby, and which was estab-
lished on the loth of March, 1743. He had,
as his correspondence shows, many varied
interests at heart, and a letter is extant from
Jonathan Bonsai, the Secretary of the Library,
to Peter Coll in son, who was a friend of Bar-
tram, and who it appears had advised Bonsai to
correspond with the celebrated Peter Collinsoti,
to purchase some English books to start the
library with. Collinson was asked to ship ^he
books to the care of John Bartram. Bona!
writes to Collinson: " Be so good as to g.t
the books lettered on ye backs if that car. i)e
done without much trouble or cost, or as ma iv
of them as conveniently can be. We also desire
thee to send the price of each book purchase<^. . "
Collinson sent forty- two volumes, ani< :r
them, as appears in I he invoice, '• Rawleigi/s
History of ye World. " The Library Compa' y
is still in existence, with one of Johii's
descendents, Deborah W. Bartram, Librari:. ''.

Judge Peters.— We regret to learn that tliis
excellent botanist, who discovered the beauti-
ful fern named in his honor, and which v^as
figured in the June number of the magazine,
died about three years ago at his home at
Moulton, Ala.

1S93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

127

A Hand-book of Evergreens. — Mr. T. C.
Tliurlow expresses a hope that Mr. Hoopes, or
some other capable authority will get up a new
Book of Evergreens, so that nurserymen could
decide what name to adopt. He remarks that
firs, spruces, and other common names have
become inextricably mixed, and the Latin
names also, — that while one authority calls a
fir /'icea, another will call it Adtes, — and again,
others just the reverse. He wonders which of
these names will be adopted in Meehans'
Monthly? It is proper to say that in all
these cases, Meehans' Monthly simply
adopts the name which is used in what might
be termed the latest botanical lexicon or dic-
tionary. If the names of plants are to be
changed merely to correspond with views in
magazines, no matter how ably and intelli-
gently the subjects may be discussed, there
would be no end to the confusion. For the
present it is the practice of this magazine to
take the great botanical work of Bentham and
Hooker as the authority for the names em-
ployed, just as it takes Webster or the Century
Dictionary as the referee on any other literary
question. When this great work, or some
other great work in universal use, adopts the
many changes suggested, this magazine will
follow in line. Any other course would only
tend to throw nomenclature into inextricable
confusion,— there would be a Babel of names
in which no one would understand the other.

Apocryphal Stories about Plants. — It
>aid of a large number of plants, that, on
ti eir first introduction, they met with difl^cul-
t.^s in transportation, when steam and rapid
vv ages were not known ; for instance, theie
^ <:: at least half a dozen accounts of scientific
I- n bringing plants in boxes of earth and
i^^crificing their own drinking water in order
'^ ' sustain the plant's life on the long voyages.
> -iong these stories is one regarding the Cedar

Lebanon. It is said that the elder DeCan-
^oile brought a Cedar of Lebanon to Europe in
way ; the voyage was prolonged — cedars
^'•id passengers were put on a short supply of
Water --- but DeCandolle denied himself and
giwe his scanty portion to the little tree to save
It from perishing. This is the story, similar
to that referred to above, about many plants.
'The oldest Cedar of Lebanon in Europe was,
however, planted by DeCandolle more than a

fi'.

century ago, and is supposed to be the oldest
one now known in Europe, though the drink-
ing water story has no foundation in fact.

Ladies' Traces. — These very interesting
fall orchids, among the last wild flowers to
cheer us before winter comes, get a good word
in a recent number of the America?i Gardcu.
Drawings are given of these species, Spiranthes
simplex, S. gracilis, and 6*. ceni7ia. The
American Garden adopts the modern render-
ing of "Ladies tresses " for these plants. The
old English people who gave the plant its
common name, called them ladies "traces,"
an old word signifying a cord, and of which
the word trace, as used in harness, is still sig-
nificant. It is to be supposed that a ladies
trace might be a silken cord, which these
flowers much resembled. These flowers might
in some respects be suggestive of a curl on the
head of some venerable grey-headed dame, but
as for a tress, as tresses are generally under-
stood, there is nothing in the flowers to sug-
gest them. At any rate the old English name
is Ladies traces, and not tresses.

Scarlet Fruited Ariu tus. — A cjuestion
has been raised as to the plant referred to by
Cowper, in the following lines : —

-Glowing bright,

Beneath, the various foliage, widely spreads
The arbutus, and rears his scarlet fruit.

The question natuially arises from our famil-
iarity with the Trailing Arbutus, Epigcca
repeus. Cowper's plant grows indigenously
in Europe only on the Lakes of Killarney. and
is a small growingericaceous evergreen, which
has large strawberry -like red fruit. Its botan-
ical name is Arbutus L'nedo. It will stand
some frost, and ought to do in some of the Mid-
dle States. •

Original Orchards. — In various parts of
the West, they are discussing where the first
orchards were planted. In California, at the
present time, one of the earliest, if not the
earliest, is claimed for the town of Butte. That
orchard was planted, it is said, by a Mr.
Thresher, in 1852. Some of the pear trees then
planted now bear about a thousand pounds per
tree annually, at least these are the statements
recorded in some of the California newspapers
recently.

GENERAL NOTES.

M

Botany for Beginners. — Senor Roberto
Jaime Berri, Durango, Mexico, thinks
Meehans' Monthly, might do good work in
directing students how to study botany in
some easier manner than the usual text books
do. He refers to the difficulty he had, when
in the United States, to determine plants from
the works of Asa Gray and others ; but these
works are not intended so much for beginners,
but for those who have already mastered the
rudiments of the science. Teachers have among
themselves different views as to what is best
for beginners. To the writer's mind there is
nothing better than enthusiasm in collecting
and preserving little specimens of everything
seen, whether wild or cultivated, without any
regard the first year to getting the names.
After a large number have been collected one
learns, by comparison, more in a day, than by
the early puzzling by books for a long time.
The second year, the ' ' text books ' ' referred
to, are found, then, to be just the thing.

Odor From Closed Rooms. — In reply to a
note in the June issue of Meehans' Monthly
a Providence correspondent say« : —

•'Perhaps it hardly needs a specialist to
account for the odor arising from damp textile
fabrics or from closed rooms. It is due in great
part to the '• size" used in weaving or finishing
such fabrics — starch in cotton and glue in
woolen. In the weaving of carpets (tapestry
and Brussels especially) large quantities of glue
are used and often of a low grade. A little
dampness under such conditions will easily
give rise to unpleasant odors."

Horticulture in Burlington, Iowa. — It
must have been with great regret that one of our
correspondents, who has one of the most beau-
tiful suburban residences and grounds near
Burlington, should bring herself to wTite as
follows : •' I am so fond of this place. I have
planted every tree and shrub on it, watching
them all grow — but as I and my husband are
now left wholly alone, we shall have to let it

(128)

go. The house is one of Downing's original
designs, and in the thirteen years that I have
been on it I have had an eye to the planting
of everything now^ growing. As we shall have
to give it up, I should so much desire that
some good lover of trees and plants would get
to be its owner." Should any of our friends
desire to settle in that part of the world, we
would gladly hand them our correspondent's
address.

Golden Rod. — Some one has suggested that
the Golden Rod might make ' * a national flower' '
because it was distinctly an American genus —
very few species being found in other, parts of
the world. The answ^er was, "which species
of Golden Rod?" for there are numerous.
Certainly no plant enters so grandly into the
remarkable beauty of American autumn scenery
as the numerous Golden Rods, — and the fall
season is coming. To help their study a very
pretty one — Solidago petiolaris will be the sub-
ject of the next plate.

Large Tulip Trees. — In the writer's own
experience, the mountain ranges of Virginia
seem to be the home of the tulip tree, at least,
if the idea of feeling perfectly at home is an in-
dication of a plant coming under this idea of
home life. In the Garden and Forest, of
June the 8th, a correspondent speaks of a speci-
men which is nineteen feet in circumference,
four feet from the ground. It is probable
that no part of the world can show larger tulip
trees than West Virginia and Tennessee.

Healthful Gardening. — English statis-
tics, recently issued, give the longest averag*^
of life to clergymen, but next to them couu
flower lovers. Gardeners are so nearly equal
to clergymen in a long lease of life, that a
slight change in the average, would place theni
at the head of the list. Physicians have the
shortest lives of any class in England, probab-
ly because they seldom take their own medi-
cines.

¥•

. )Ol,l|).\(M) |'|-:i K il..\|;|.s

SOLIDAGO PETIOLARIS.

LATE-FLOWERING GOLDEN ROD.
NATURAL ORDER, COMI'OSIT.ii.

Leads large, twenty to'twenty five flowered ra^^^^ ah,,,',?",?:' V^!^^ ^';l,'il"'/.i^?'^!'^ ■ y'"''^]f racemose or oblong :

le

oj Botany.

or elliptical, acute, rouRh on the mafeins anbiit the in^.^Zf -«.♦*' ='/^^'S'V' ^'^^^ '^'a^v : leaves oblong-lanceolat<
heads large twenty to twenty ffv^fl^^^^^^^ entire, and nearly sessile ; panicle racemose or oblong

outer ones more or lesrsprkding achlnia Imoo^^^ ""^ -^^.^ involucre linear, pubescent; th(

Gray's Manual of the NorfHe^nU^iufsZll ^^ Wood' s cL'Ji^K^^/^'^^;;^^^.)''''' ^''^"^'"'" ''''''' ^^'''^'' ^^ "'-

Few American wild flowers are better
known than Golden Rods and Asters, as
together they play an important part in giving
beauty to a rural autumn scene. The number
of species of the Golden Rod is very large, and
some one or another may be found in every
variety of soil and situation. It makes no
difference whether we are in the swamp or on
the rocky hill side, by the stream or in
dry places, in the woods or out in the
open meadow, it will be strange if some species
of Golden Rod be not found among all the
autumn flowers. Some commence to bloom in
vSeptember, others continue until November,
and very often they are among the last of all
flowers to mark the floral year. It is not
uncommon to find a Golden Rod in bloom
when some trees have been wholly bereft of
foliage,— indeed sometimes the wind drifted
leaves will gather in small hillocks about the
Oolden Rods, leaving the spikes of the flowers
I'e little flags flying from the tops of the
li nnds.

A painting of American autumn scenery
v'ould scarcely be complete without the Golden
P-od as a leading feature, and there are few^
American poets who have not offered something
11^ Us praise. Bryant's reference to the Golden
^'^d in his beautiful lines on the " Death of
tl' Flowers" is so well known that it would
be almost superfluous to quote them here, only
tlw'it they are particularly applicable to the
one we have now before us, as it is among the
l^^'^tfst to flower of this remarkably late flower-
^''K class. Bryant is describing a very lonely
scene, and says :

"^hc wind flower and the violet, they perished
. long ago,

Alia the wild rose and the orchis died, amid the
sunmier glow;

But on the hill the golden-rod, and the aster in

the wood,
And the yellow sunflower by the brook, in autunm

beauty stood.
Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven as falls

the plague on men.
And the brightness of their smile was gone, from

upland, glade, and glen."

The emblematic poets have also made fre-
quent use of the Golden Rod, and in the
language of flowers it is made to stand for
•'encotiragement." But this is apparently
derived more from its name than from anything
particularly suggested by the flower itself In
ancient mythology the rod, virga, was the em-
blem of power, and particularly of what in these
days is popularly called the "one-man power."
as a bundle of rods or fasciculus was regarded
as typical of collective power. A king is
generally' represented as having in his hand a
golden rod or sceptre, and only as he held it
towards those who sought an interview with
him, were they encouraged to proceed. Thus
we read in the Book of Esther, " And it was so
when the king saw Esther the queen stand-
ing in the court, that she obtained favor in his
sight; and the king held out the golden sceptre
that was in his hand. So Esther drew near
and touched the top of the sceptre."

As already noted, our species, Solidago
petiolaris, is a late flowering kind. Many
3'ears ago, when our native solidagos were not
known as they are now, and when only a small
portion were grown in European gardens, this
received the name of "Late-flowered Golden
Rod;" and though some others now known
will keep in flower as long as this, it is not
worth while to change the popular name. It
seems to have been under culture in Europe
ever since the middle of the last century. It
is recorded as having been grown by Philip

(129)

SOLIDAGO Fini( )LARIS.

lATE-FLOWERIXG OOI.DEX ROD.
NATURAL ORDKR, COMl'OSIT.i:.

\('.

o PETioLARis. AiTON.-Minutelv ntibesccnt • stem

'"(.stly simple. >lrai-ht, very kafv ; leaves ..bleiiK-IaiK-e.-latf

..r elliptical, acute, rough on the martrii'^ all h ,t t w> lo«-,. t V M'npie. >lrai-lit, very leafV ; leaves ..l.l..nK-IaiK-e..latf.-

l>ea<ls lari^e, twe„{y to^we,Uv-hve flc^w ^V^ a 0,^ tern t h nv;'- ^'H^Jl^'^'V iT'"' '■ ,^'""'S'" r^^^-^^^'^- or obh.n, ;

-liter ones more or less spreading- achen t smn >,; i, Vz-v " •. ','}'^^ "^ ^'''- "'volucre linear, pubescent; the

0

1 cw American wild flowers are better
known than Golden Rods and Asters, as
to<^ather they play an important part in giving
beauty to a rural autumn scene. The number
• species of the Golden Rod is very large, and
some one or another may be found in every
variety of soil and situation. It makes no
dilRrence whether we are in the swamp or on
lib rocky hill side, by the stream or in
<nv places, in the woods or out in the
meadow, it will be strange if some species
.<jlden Rod be not found among all the
^•^ nun flowers. Some commence to bloom in
' i'tcmber, others continue until November,
very often they are among the last of all
'^is to mark the floral year. It is not
•nimon to find a Golden Rod in bloom
'■' some trees have been wholly bereft of
age,— indeed sometimes the wind drifted
■s will gather in small hillocks about the
■ en Rods, leaving the spikes of the flowers
little flags flying from the tops of the
' nds.

painting of American autumn scenery
'd scarcely be complete without the Golden

•IS a leading feature, and there are few

ncan poets who have not offered something

'^ praise. Bryant's reference to the Golden

HI his beautiful lines on the " Death of

Mowers" is so well known that it would

iHost superfluous to quote them here, only

they are particularly applicable to the
-e have now before us, as it is among the
t to flower of this remarkably late flower-
^«iss. Bryant is describing a very lonely
". and sa3's :

^^ilul flower and the violet, tlicv perished

loiiKago,
lie wild rose and the orchis died, amid the
smiiiiier glow ;

But on tho hill the gulden-rod, and the a>tcr in

the wood,
And the yellow sunllowcr by the brook, in autumn

hcauty stood,
Till fell the frost from the clear c«.l(l heaven as falls

the I'laj^uc on men,
And the hrii^ditncss of their smile was ;^^one, from

upland, ,i,dadc, ami -len."

The emblematic poets have also made fre-
quent use of the Golden Rod, and in the
language of flowers it is made to stand for
'encouragement." lUit this is ai)parently
derived more from its name than from anything
particularly suggested by the flower itself. In
ancient mythology the rod. :iro(7, was the em-
blem of power, and particularly of what in these
days is popularly called the "one-man power."
as a bundle of rods or /asrh'/dns was regarded
as t\pical of collective i)ower. A king is
generally represented as having in his hand a
golden rod or sceptre, and only as he held it
towards those who sought an interview with
him, were they encouraged to jiroceed. Thus
we read in the Book of l^sther, " And it was so
when the king saw Ivsther the fpieen stand-
ing in the court, that she obtained favor in his.
sight: and the king held out the golden sceptre
that was in his hand. vSo Ivsther drew near
and touched the top of the sceptre."

As already noted, our species, So/ii/ai^o
pctiohDis, is a late flowering kind. Many
years ago, when our native solidagos were not
known as they are now, and when onlv a small
portion were grown in Ivuroi)ean gardens, this
received the name of "Late-flowered (iolden
Rod;" and though some others now known
will keep in llower as long as this, it is not
worth while to change the popular name. It
seems to have been under culture in Ivurope
ever since the middle of the last century. It
is recorded as having been grown by Philip

(129)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

130

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— SOLIDAGO PETIOLARIS.

[Sept.

i;:

Miller, at Chelsea, near London, in 1758. In
the latter part of the last century a calendar
of flowers was made up by French monks, in
which the date of the first opening of flowers
was associated with whatever Saint's day
•occurred at that time. Our plant, cultivated
in their gardens, opened about October 26th,
and in that way became dedicated to Saint
Evaristus, who is commemorated by the
Roman Catholic Church on that day. Eva-
ristus was born in the same city which gave
Jesus birth, Bethlehem in Judea, and became
Pope just one hundred years after the date
fixed for the birth of Christ. During the reign
of Trajan he suffered martyrdom on October
26th, 109, the same date on which the "late-
flowered Golden Rod" became, with these old
observers, a candidate for that frost which
"like a pestilence" is soon to take it away.
It must be remembered, however, that the
time of flowering with such plants as these,
depends on the precise locality wherein they
are grown. As we have seen the plant is in
bloom about the end of October in France. In
England Aiton gives from October to December.
In our country Chapman, fiom whom we have
taken our description, notes it as only bloom-
ing in September in the Southern States,
-while in Philadelphia a cultivated plant is just
^oing out of flower as November comes in.

The name petiolaris signifies having a leaf
stalk, but this species has none. Torrey and
Gray in the "Flora of North America " remark,
"this plant is a native of pine barrens and
sandy, usually dry soil, from North Carolina to
Georgia, Florida and western Louisiana. The
lower leaves are very much narrowed at the
base, but very slightly petioled. The extreme
forms would seem to belong to different species,
but a full suite of specimens furnishes every
gradation between them. No species can less
deserve the name of Solidago petiolaris than
this, or at least in its ordinary forms; if the
leaves may be said to be petiolate, they are so
slightly so, that we believe no author has
identified the plant by that character; but as
this is certainly the plant described in the
Horius Keivensis as well as by Smith, we do
not feel at liberty to reject it." Sir James E.
Smith, however, says that the leaves of the
species he refers to have the leaves "stalked,' *
and grows from "New Jersey to Carolina."
Muhlenberg in his catalogue says that the

petiolaris he refers to ' * grows in Pennsylvania."
Dr, Engelmann has found a form growing so
far north as the vicinity of St. Louis, — but in
the more eastern States, none that we now
recognize as Solidago petiolaris have been found
northwardly beyond North Carolina, — so that
it is likely that the plant now known was not
the one originally intended to bear the name —
the name, perhaps, became accidentally trans-
ferred. But however this may be, botanists do
not lay much stress on the meaning of a name.
If it be the one originally used with the
description, it is generally adopted, whatever
the meaning may be.

As already noted in the extract from Torrey
and Gray, the species is a very variable one.
The form found by Dr. Engelmann near
St. Louis is the one we have selected for
illustration and is known in botanical works
as Solidago petiolaris var. squarndosa. This
form has the involucral scales with points
more spreading than others, or as botanists
would say squarrose. Besides this the flower
stems seem more branching than other forms.
It is the custom, however, in these times to
expect variations from an assumed type in all
species, and it is scarcely worth while to retain
Latin or Greek names for these different forms;
but rather to amend the descriptions so that
all forms may be included under them.

Most species of Golden Rod have the flowers
arranged on one side of the stem, giving ti:e
branchlets a wand-like appearance. This s; t-
cies has very little of this character, thouKii
occasionally there is a tendency to this arran^re-
ment. The heads are individually larger tli .'»
in most Golden Rods, and the shade of yellow
is peculiar among the species of this gen i^.
It bears cultivation remarkably well. Nothi ::
is more interesting in a garden, especially l-'e
modern "wild garden,'* than a collection of
Golden Rods, and among them all there is notu
more conspicuous than our "Late-Flowen'j
Golden Rod," Solidago petiolaris.

Botanists usually dread the study of Goldvn
Rods. The dividing lines are slight. I^ ^^
nothing is more valuable in the making of a
good botanist than a good eye, which Gol<i ''
Rod studies cultivate. They seem, and tl' y
are difiicult, — the greater the victory.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

AN AUTUMN NIGHT.

It was night in autumn, and the moon

Was visible through clouds of opal, laced

With gold and carmine, — such a silent night

As fairies love to dance and revel in,

When winds are hushed, and leaves are still, and

waves
Are sleeping on the waters, and the hum
And stir of life reposing. — Percivai,.

Elongation op the Trunks of Trees.—
Prof J. F. Jameson, of Brown University,
describing in the New York Independent a
visit to an old graveyard in Jamestown,
Virginia, writes :

''The oldest inscription is that of Hannah
Blair, the wife of the Rev. Mr. Blair, a most
important man in his time, Commissary of
\Mrginia and founder of old William and Mary
College. Her tombstone, dated 1670, origin-
ally lay flat upon one of those altar-shaped
tombs which are frequent in old Virginia
graveyards. But a sycamore tree which has
.^rown up beside it has seized this top slab,
and now the stone has become imbedded side-
v»'ise and immovably in the trunk of the tree,
and has been bodily lifted from its place by
the tree's growth."

It is just possible that a root, by thickening,
has lifted the slab,— but it is impossible that a
tree trunk can elongate. The whole interior
oi a tree is of practically dead wood, the only
live wood is on the exterior ; granting that live
^vnod might elongate, which from what we
'^now of the manner of formation of the annual
owth of wood in the trunk is not admissable,
•'*>w could the lifeless wood of the interior
elongate ? Still Dr. Jameson 's case is a curious
one, and deserves further investigation.

Explanations of the Plate.— i. Upper portion 0; a
main flowering stem. 2. Lower portion of the same. 3- ^'-^'
larged floret. 4. A small brauchlet.

Insects in the Far North.— It is a matter
of surprise to all who, for the first time, have
<^ny experiences in high northern latitudes, to
"ote the great abundance of insect life in
Alaska. The writer of this paragraph was
especially interested in noting the large
amount of larvae and other low conditions of

animal life which was carried down from the
melting glaciers into the rivers and streams
which flowed from them. It is to this that we
have to attribute the great abundance of the
higher forms of animal life which prevails.
Fish especially are in such quantity near the
coast, attracted by this abundance, that it
seems like repeating the tales of Baron
Munchausen to the listener. The young son
of the writer, who was with him in this expe-
dition, was, with a couple of Indians in a
boat, able to drive salmon into narrow creeks
in such abundance that the boat would be
driven against the fish in their endeavors to
escape. They could have been dragged up in
shoals by any strong and ordinary^ net. In the
earlier history of Colorado very much stress
was laid on the fact that Fremont saw a bee
on one of the high elevations while crossing
the Rocky Mountains. Lieutenant Peary in
his recent expedition to north Greenland found
a humble bee on the north coast of Greenland
— the highest point of land yet reached by a
human being so far as known. This explorer
states that not only bees but other insects
abound as soon as the spring fairly opens.
Flowers of manv kinds are particularly beauti-
ful and abundant, affording a good chance for
honey and pollen-collecting insects to lay up
rich stores in advance of their long Arctic
winters.

Odor in Sarracknia. — Mr. C. F. Saunders
says of odor in Pitcher plants : —

•' Referring to your note in tlie June number
about the odor of Sarracenia Jlaz'a, I might
mention that I collected a number of the
blossoms of S. purp?irea on Decoration Day,
and found them decidedly odoriferous. The
perfume was strongest on the day I picked
them, but some which are near me as I write
this, still retain enough to be quite perceptible.
I had never noticed this fact before. The odor
was very pleasant in the open air, but proved
somewhat rank in the house."

(130

132

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y — WII.D FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Sept.

Abnormal Digitalis. — Mr. W. C. Egati, of
Highland Park, Illinois, calls attention to an
abnormal form of Digitalis purpurea, the com-
mon Fox Glove, in the upper flower. At page
50, Vol. I, this remarkable departure from the
normal type is figured, and the curious circum-
stance commented on that what should have
been an irregular figure has become regular

solvable. In this case it is clear that the
cause for the difference in the order of anthesis
lies within the plant itself and in no condition
of environment, and thus limits materially the
field of inquiry. To explain matters more
clearly the cut is reproduced.

Fertilization of Cypripedium acaule.—
C. F. Saunders, Philadelphia : ** Cyprepediuvi
acaule — I have just been reading your inter-
esting description of this plant in •' The Na-
tive Flowers and Ferns," and notice
Dr. Gray's supposition that the bees
which fertilize these flowers enter
one of the lateral openings and
make their exit by the other, I
might mention that I was fortunate
enough this spring to observe an
actual operation, which was accom-
plished somewhat differently from
the above. Instead of entering
through a lateral opening, the bee
butted his way through the cleft in
the lip, and after remaining hidden
a few seconds appeared at one of
the lateral openings, through which
he dragged himself with great exer-
tion, and when free, flew gaily ofl.
It was a tight squeeze to get out, and
his back after contact with the pollen mass of
the anther looked bedraggled and wet, like
that of a kitten after a wetting. **

ABNORMAL
DIGITALIS.

Duration of the Sxowplant. — Mr. C. F.
Sonne says, "that the facts about the snow-
plant in No. 7 of the Monthly have been
known to the writer for a number of years, and
in October, 1888, he sent a cluster of snowplants
to the California Academy of Sciences in San
Francisco, and the same was exhibited at the
meeting on Nov. 5, 1888, and my note on
same read. (See Proceedings)."

when it assumed an erect position. Mr. Egan
now calls attention to another point then over-
looked, that while the inflorescence is usually
centrifugal (flowering from the bottom up-
wards) in this changed condition the upper
flower opens first. Observations of this char-
acter are of great value in vegetable biology,
as giving the clue to mysteries not otherwise

Manzanita. — Mr. C. F. Sonne, Truckee.
California, notes that botanists have made two
distinct sub-species out of what was originall)
Arctostaphylos pungeyis, and that the Frank-
town specimens, recently illustrated, are Arc-
tostaphylos ptmgens, var. platyphylla, of Di'.
Gray, but Dr. Parry deemed it distinct enough
to be considered a full species and named it
Arctostaphylos Manzanita. Watson saw its
distinctness, but mistook it for A. glauca.

* I

i%3.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

133

Variation in the Wild Carrot. — A cor-
respondent sends a sample in which three
umbels are fastened together by their backs on
one stem, and the stem itself is channeled like
a leaf stalk. There are many things of inter-
est in these wild flowers, if people would only
look for them. A distinguivShed Professor in
the Pennsylvania University has recently noted
that the wild carrot he^ds of flowers hang
down at various times of the day and at other
times of the day are erect. These regular
periods occur at the same time daily. No
doubt there are man}^ other extremely interest-
ing facts about even such a common thing as
the Wild Carrot. Just before Mr. Darwin's
death he was interested in the observation that
the center flower in the umbel of the Wild
Carrot was colored, and that it was also usu-
ally infertile, — in this respect having some
analogy with birds in which the males are
always more highly colored than the females.

The Pixon Pine. — It is not generally known
that there are two species of Pine which go
under this name. The more southern form is
Pin?(s edulis, which is abundant in New Mex-
ico, extending into Colorado; the other is
J'i?ius 7nonophylla, which is found farther
north. The former has generall}- two leaves
in a sheath, although occasionally branches
are found on which are two leaves united
iv)gether so as to form a single leaf In the
northern form, on the other hand, the two
leaves are alw^ays united, — and thus originates
he name •* monophylla." A new point has
'^cently been brought to our attention through
^he kindness of Mrs. Ross Lewers, of Nevada,
—namely, that the seeds of the monophylla
are larger than the seeds of the southern
form.

The Owl. — Not among the least attractions
^i the mountains of North Carolina to the
yearly increasing number of summer tourists,
^s the number of owls which exist there and
^'^lich amuse by their quaint ways. The bird
^^■'13 taken as their emblem b3' the ancient
^Uhenians ; and, as Athens was the great seat
^^< Grecian learning, the owl has been taken as
the symbol of learning and wisdom by Athe-
n^tuiuis and other scientific institutions. Just
^Hy such an ungrammatical creature as this
bird which insists on shouting all night

'•to-whoo, to-whoo," instead of "to whom,"
should be regarded as a patron of intelligence
in a city like Athens is not clear, and the text
books of the day tell us nobod\' knows. But
if Meehaxs' Monthly may hazard a guess,
it came about from the owl being the chief
companion of the student who •'burnt mid-
night oil."

The chief article that gave ancient Athens
any commercial greatness was the manufac-
ture of olive oil. It would be natural that the
learning of which Athens boasted should be
represented by the great companion of the
midnight oil-burner.

A NORTH CAROLINA OWL

'r

PoGONiA divaricata. — Mr. E. S. Wheeler,
of Tryon, N. C, sends .some handsome speci-
mens of the rare orchid, Pogonia divaricata.
He says they are found along hillsides and on
hill tops, and usuall}' in company with the
Kalmia, which they follow^ in bloom.

The Walking Fern. — Mr. Samuel J. Kirk,
of Hartford, Conn., reports finding Asplenium
(Antigramma) rhizophyllum near that city, —
and Mr. Joseph Meehan that he gathered it
near the famous •• Devil's Den " on the Gettys-
burg battle-field.

134

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Sept.

Odors in Flowers. — A correspondent, refer-
ring to a recent paragraph in Meehans'
Monthly, that possibly not ten per cent of all
flowers known have any odor, suggests that
numbers may have odors perceptible to in-
sects, but which human olfactories cannot re-
cognize. This may or may not be. When re-
ference is made to the odor of flowers, it is
to be understood that only such flowers are
referred to in which the odor is perceptible
to ourselves. Flowers certainly vary in the
intensity of their odors, and possibly some
may have been overlooked which deserved re-
cognition. It was only during the present
year that it was brought to the attention of the
writer by a large bunch of A7idromeda race-
niosa, that it possessed odor. From the whole
bunch a very pleasant fragrance was percep-
tible.

Food of the Oriole.— This pretty bird is
usually classed as wholly insectiverous. The
writer has seen orioles drawing honey from
flowers, just as the humming bird does. Mrs.
William Seliger notes, in the Hartford Times,
that she has seen them suck nectar from the
blossoms of peach trees. This lady is also
evidently struck by the reputation which they
have of being wholly insectivorous, — for she
makes the suggestion that the bird was possi-
bly searching for insects among the blossoms;
but vShe is really right in her first impres-
sion. The bird loves honey as well as insect
food.

The Down of the Leaves of the Plane
Tree.— Mr. G. C. Nealley, of San Diego, Tex.,
notes that the down which covers the leaves of
the Plane tree often floats to a considerable ex-
tent in the atmosphere, and when taken into
the nostrils affects seriously the mucous mem-
brane of the throat and nose. The foreman
in Meehans' Nursery reports that this trouble
is frequently complained of by the workmen
who have to labor among the trees in the
Nursery.

The Ostrich Fern.— Mr. C. J. Wister sends
a specimen of that supremely beautiful fern,
Stnithiopteris Gcnnanica, collected near Carvers-
ville, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania, which is prob-
ably its most southern location. It is a
northern fern.

Chionanthus virginica. — It is now well
understood that this plant is dioecious. It has
been further noticed of late that the fruit-
bearing ones have the most insignificant
flowers; the showiest blooming ones are of the
barren kind. We think this holds true with
most dioecious plants. The male flowers in
these cases are usually much more brilliant
than the female ones. The writer once pointed
this out to Mr. Darwin, — as showing a similar
law prevailing among plants as is well known
to exist among birds and other animals.

Manzanita. — A correction may be overdone,
and this seems to have been the case in regard
to the Manzanita. Mr. C. F. Sonne, of Truckee,
California, kindly helps us: —

" I see that you in the No. 8, just received,
say that the name Manzanita was applied to
the illustration whereas it should have been
Madfona. The illustration is a Majizanita,
sure enough, but your mistake is to call the
Manzanita Arbutus Menziesii instead of Arc-
tostaphylos Ma7izanita Parry. ' *

HalESIa diptera. — A correspondent calls
attention to the fact of a difference between
Halcsia diptera and Halesia tetraptcra, that
has not before been noted, — namely, that the
former does not commence to bloom until a con-
siderable time after Helesia tctraptera has gone
out of bloom, — and this renders any chance of
hybridization between them, as has been some-
times suggested, still more doubtful than some
have supposed.

The Pinons of New Mexico. -Alice P. Hend-
erson tells the New York Independent^ that the
greatest inconvenience in traveling many parts
of New Mexico, comes from riding through the
low bushy masses of Piiion trees — Finns edulis.
In her opinion the bushes are *• cunningly
devised demons," sworn to annoy the traveler
in every possible shape.

AsPLENiUM SEPTENTRiONALE. — Among the
most unexpected of recent botanical finds i'^
Aspleniufn septentrionate, by Mr. T. S. Brande-
gee, on the San Pedro Mountains in California.
There is much yet to learn about the causes
underlying the geographical distribution of
plants, — and such discoveries as these help
much. The snow-plant he also found there.

GENERAL GARDENING.

BACCHUS AND THE GRAPE.

At the purple close of evening.

Careless Bacchus sleeping lay, —
Pirates, from the coast of Naxos,

Bore him to their deck away:
When the slunib'ring God awakened,

Wond'ring he beheld the deep.
While the Pirates laughing told him.

Boys should ne'er be caught asleep !
Ha ! ha ! Bacchus ! — ha ! ha ! Bacchus !

Boys should ne'er be caught asleep.

As they jeered green vines kept springing,

Rich as fed by southern gales ;
From each plank their broad leaves flinging

Mingling with the cords and sails :
Circling mast and spar, like Beauty

Round the neck of warrior brave :
Whilst the ship, unfit for duty.

Lay all helpless on the wave :
Ha ! ha ! Bacchus ! — ha ! ha ! Bacchus !

Who's the captor? — who's the slave ?

All amazed the Pirates gazing.

Watched the clustering grapes ascend —
To the topmost spar aspiring,

As their richness ne'er would end :
Then the Pirates, lowly kneeling,

Strove to turn the boy-god's frown ;
But the ship, like drunkard reeling,

With a sudden shriek went down ;
Ha ! ha ! Bacchus !— ha I ha ! Bacchus !

Fathoms deep the traitors drown.

— Charles Swain.

Potash and Peach Yellows.— Mr. B. Von
Herff, 93 Nassau street, N. Y., contends that a
want of potash in the soil produces frequent
«ind disastrous results to the peach grower.
All diseases or any disease troubling the
r-each grower can be found in soils abounding
m potash, — and, moreover, it is so well knowm
tiiat the manifestation known as peach yel-
lows, and similar manifestations in many
other trees, are produced by root fungus, that
there is no need to call in the lack of any
Mineral ingredient to account for them.

When it comes to the question of a good fer-
• lizer for the peach, kainit, or potash salts,
^'iay take a good place among valuable articles.
Anything that may aid in checking fungus
growth may be useful aside from fertilizing
properties. Kainit may do this. Even boiling
^vater poured freely around the roots of fungus
'nfested trees has been found excellent.

MaCiNOLia HVPOLErcA. — Proiessor Sargent
says in Garden and Forest, that this beautiful
species, to w^hich reference was recently
made with the figure of the fruit in "Mee-
hans' Monthly, is seen at its best in the
damp, rich forests which cover the hills of
Yezo, where it sometimes rises to the height of
loo feet, and forms trunks two feet in diameter.
It seems to affect, particularly, more northern"
regions, and is not likely to be adapted to.
warm localities. Professor Sargent compares it,
as we did, in habit with J/a^no/ia tr/peta/a. It
was first introduced into America by Mr.
Thomas Hogg, in 1865, being first propagated
in the famous nursery of the Parsons of Flush-
ing. In the same article Professor Sargent de-
scribes Moi^nolia sa lie i folia, which has not 3*et
been introduced into cultivation, unless seeds
brought by the Professor should have been
successful. This is a small tree — 15 to 20 feet
high — branches green and slender. Like ^fag-
nolia glauea the leaves are fragrant when
bruised ; the flowers have not yet been seen.
By the description one would judge that it
may be allied to Magnolia glauea.

Sweet Scented A/aleas.— Most Azaleas are
inodorous. The onh' species with a very strong
and agreeable fragrance is the swamp Azalea^
Azalea viscosa. The fragrance of this species
is so delicious, and so much like that of the
famous English Honeysuckle, that the fact has
given the name of Honeysuckle to the Ameri-
can Azaleas generally. If we could only get
fragrance to the Azaleas of the old world and
of Asia, it would give us a race of plants which
w^ould probably reach the highest wave of pop-
ularity. '• Garten flora," a German horticul-
tural and botanical work of very high order,,
figures a variety which it calls Daviesii, and
which is a hybrid between the Chinese Azalea
mollis and the Azalea viscosa before noted, and
it is believed that this is the first introduction
of a class of sweet scented Azaleas, which will
combine the fragrance of our native species
with the beauty of the old world forms.

(135)

"

i

«

136

MEEHANS' MONTHI,Y — GENERA!, GARDENING.

[Sep..

Massing EvERGRERNs.—In parks and large
gardens, where some years ago it became fash-
ionable to have huge beds of summer flowers
and foliage for a few months and naked earth
instead of flowers the rest of the year, neces-
sity taught the usefulness of dwarf evergreens,
of various shades, which should have a cheery
effect the whole year through. Among the
earliest to adopt this improved method of gar-
dening, was Mr. Charles H. Miller, the land-
scape gardener of Fairmount Park, in Phila-
delphia, and to whom the great eminence of
this beautiful spot, under the good judgment
of the Park Commission, is mainly due. One
of the most beautiful of these masses is in
front of the grand Horticultural Hall, and is
shown in the opposite illustration. The tree
in the same picture, is a young specimen of
the European Plane tree, which is found free
from the fungus disease which disfigures its
American brother, while the greater tendency
to spread its branches, makes it more desirable
as a shade tree.

Contradictory Principi.es op Forestry.
— A recent issue of a report on forestry, brings
again to mind, and emphasizes the necessity
for a National or for an International Board of
Science, to whom all questions of scientific
import should be referred for consideration and
approval— and whose conclusions should be
recognized as absolute.

As matters now stand, any writer who has
the ability to produce a book, may without let
or hindrance, so alter and confuse existing
records, that the best efforts of a ''pro-
fessional " are sometimes required to discover
and confirm, either the correctness or the error
of the changes made. In the development of
the natural sciences in the " United States ' ' it
was reasonable to expect that many enthusi-
astic collectors, working independently, and
rushing into print unreservedly, should pro-
duce and record much that could not stand the
test of more thorough investigation and
greater breadth of knowledge ; and too often
it was not a sincere love of science, but in-
stead, a love for notoriety, a yearning for liter-
ary fame, a desire to annihilate a co-laborer's
work, which influenced and prompted an
author to give to the world a work which never
should have appeared. It is the absence of all
this superfluity which gives dignity to the

labor of later authors. But the question is a
live one — if an individual writer will have the
liberty to go on forever changing accepted
records — where shall the confusion end ?

The writer has no desire to underestimate
in anywise the value of recent publications by
most talented and most learned authorities,
but the time will come when radical changes
must be submitted to a higher authority than
an individual, however learned, or to an isolated
college, no matter how renowned.

The writer believes there should be a Board
composed of members of the various learned
societies and colleges throughout the country
— men of acknowledged ability and scientific
reputation in their several branches — to whom
all questions of change should be submitted
for ratification, and whose decision upon any
matter within the scope of its authority should
be final and conclusive, and without whose ap-
proval, no work of scientific consequence could
be accepted as standard.

Edwin C. jEi^iyETT.

Root Diseases op Pi^ants.— Error marches
with seven-leagued boots, while truth at the
usual pace vainly tries to overtake it. The
old-time belief that parasitic fungi will only
attack vegetation previously diseased still pre-
vails among many cultivators, though for over
a quarter of a century it has been clearly dis-
proved. This belief has been the greatest foe to
fruit growing progress; but excellent progress
has been made to sounder principles the past
half dozen years. " Disinfecting the ground,"
that is, destroying root fungi, is now a comniot
practice with some of the best peach growers. In
Florida particularly excellent success follows
the use of bi-sulphate of soda, in the propor-
tion of seven pounds dissolved in fifty gallons
of boiling water. If poured freely in and
around a one-year old peach tree, so as to
thoroughly destroy spores or mycelium of the
wretched fungus, the diseases which follow
from root fungus rarely occur. It is no use
to apply any of these root remedies after the
zymotic influences have changed the character
of the whole structure. It is one of those cases
where a "stitch in time" not only "save*:
nine," but also the digging and burning the
tree. This is also true of many plants, as well
as of peach trees. A mushroomy odor in tin-
ground will allow one to detect fungus.

1^93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

137

A New Enemy to the Potato.— Mr. Chan-
dler Eves, of Millville, Pa., sends sample of
|. ()iato stems which are just as badly devoured
by an insect as if they had been attacked by
the famous Colorado potato-beetle, and which
seems allied to the well known Spanish blister-
beetle, which, as all gardeners know, is so
destructive to the Clematis, Anemone, and
other garden flowers of the Ranunculaceous
tribe. It has not before been known that any
one of them had an especial liking for the
potato. Dr. Skinner, the well-known Ento-
mologist of the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia, decides that it belongs to the

.. J^^ipiilfS

. ... .•>^-.-<-

ffV* '

sufficient to carry weight. Few men understand
what they are WTiting about in these lines better
than these horticulturists. It was a great
treat to see the illustration of the large tree
being transported for planting, with all its
roots, instead of the conventional "ball of
earth." It is remarkable how long the ball
of earth idea has maintained a foothold.
Usually the "ball of earth " means all the
good roots left in the ground— only the stumps
near the trunk being taken away.

The Century Plant.— I.ike Sir Walter
Scott's Athelstane the Century plant. Agave

1

\\m

■

n.^1 W-^.«J,

*
HI

MASSING EVERGREENS.

S'l

'le family as the blister-beetles, namely, the
-^i'.lridae, and that the name of the beetle is
^■>ica7ita 2^///^/^.— fortunately, all insects of
t^ns kind that live by devouring foliage can be
*" icadily destroyed by the use of Paris green
a^ can be the Colorado beetle.

^ treet and Shade Trees.— A light book-
'^ • . costing only twenty cents, has been issued
under this title by the Rural Publishing Co.,
0^ New York, prepared by Mr. E. C. Powell,
^ssistant Editor of Amerka?i Gardeyiing, and
^Ji. William McMillan, superintendent of the
Bushnell Park ; these authors' names alone are

Amoicana, is slow towards good work, but
gets it in magnificently when it once awakens
from its lethargic state. One, 67 years old, is
now blooming in the Botanic department of the
Massachusetts Agricultural College. It has
thrown up a stem iS feet high, and it is esti-
mated there are over 3,000 buds and flowers
on it. Truly this is making up for lost
time.

A Remarkable Pansy. — Mrs. Ross Lewers,
of Reno Co., Nevada, sends samples of a
Pansy, which have dark blueflow*ers and yellow
flowers on the same branch.

136

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAL GARDENING.

[^'- :

Massing Eveiu^rkens.— In parks and large
gardens, where some years ago it became fash-
ionable to have huge beds of summer flowers
and foliage for a few months and naked earth
instead of flowers the rest of the year, neces-
sity taught the usefulness of dwarf evergreens,
of various shades, which should have a cheery
effect the whole year through. Among the
earliest to adopt this improved method of gar-
dening, was Mr. Charles H. Miller, the land-
scape gardener of Fairmount Park, in Phila-
delphia, and to whom the great eminence of
this beautiful spot, under the good judgment
of the Park Commission, is mainly due. One
of the most beautiful of these masses is in
front of the grand Horticultural Hall, and is
shown in the opposite illustration. The tree
in the same picture, is a young specimen of
the European Plane tree, which is found free
from the fungus disease which disfigures its
American brother, while the greater tendency
to spread its branches, makes it more desirable
as a shade tree.

Contradictory Principles oe Forestry.
— A recent issue of a report on forestry, brings
again to mind, and emphasizes the necessity
for a National or for an International Board of
Science, to whom all questions of scientific
import should be referred for consideration and
approval— and whose conclusions should be
recognized as absolute.

As matters now stand, any writer who has
the ability to produce a book, may without let
or hindrance, so alter and confuse existing
records, that the best efibrts of a ''pro-
fessional " are sometimes required to discover
and confirm, either the correctness or the error
of the changes made. In the development of
the natural sciences in the •' United States " it
was reasonable to expect that many enthusi-
astic collectors, working independently, and
rushing into print unreservedly, should pro-
duce and record much that could not stand the
test of more thorough investigation and
greater breadth of knowledge : and too often
it was not a sincere love of science, but in-
stead, a love for notoriety, a yearning for liter-
ary fame, a desire to annihilate a co-laborer's
work, which influenced and prompted an
author to give to the world a work which never
should have appeared. It is the absence of all
this superfluity which gives dignity to the

labor of later authors. But the question i
live one — if an individual writer will have
liberty to go on forever changing accept i
records — where shall the confusion end ?

The writer has no desire to underestiin
in anywise the value of recent publications I.
most talented and most learned authoriti.
but the time will come when radical changes
must be submitted to a higher authority tha !
an individual, however learned, or to an isolated
college, no matter how renowned.

The writer believes there should be a Board
composed of members of the various learned
societies and colleges throughout the countr\
— men of acknowledged ability and scientific
reputation in their several branches — to whom
all questions of change should be submitted
for ratification, and w'hose decision upon anv
matter within the scope of its authority should
be final and conclusive, and without whose ap-
proval, no work of scientific consequence could
be accepted as standard.

Edwin C. Jellett.

Root Diseases of Plants.— Error marches
with seven-leagued boots, while truth at tlu-
usual pace vainly tries to overtake it. The
old-time belief that parasitic fungi will only
attack vegetation previously diseased still pre-
vails among many cultivators, though for ovt
a quarter of a century it has been clearly dis
proved. This belief has been the greatest foe t .
fruit growing progress; but excellent progres.-
has been made to sounder principles the pa^^
half dozen years. *• Disinfecting the ground.
that is, destroying root fungi, is now a comnm
practice with some of the best peach growers. I '
Florida particularly excellent success follow
the use of bi-sulphate of soda, in the propo'
tion of seven pounds dissolved in fifty gallon
of boiling water. If poured freely in an '
around a one-year old peach tree, so as t
thoroughly destroy spores or mycelium of tl
wretched fungus, the diseases which follov
from root fungus rarely occur. It is no us-
to apply any of these root remedies after tli
zymotic influences have changed the charactet
of the whole structure. It is one of those cast -
where a "stitch in time" not only "save'-
nine," but also the digging and burning tho
tree. This is also true of many plants, as weli
as of peach trees. A mush roomy odor in tli
ground will allow one to detect fungus.

■.H'

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

^]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

137

\ New Enemy to the Potato.— Mr. Clian-
r l^-es, of Millville, Pa., sends sample of
t .lato stems which are just as badly devoured
:in insect as if they had been attacked by
/ famous Colorado potato-beetle, and which
scLUis allied to the well known Spanish blister-
beetle, which, as all gardeners know, is so
destructive to the Clematis, Anemone, and
other garden flowers of the Rauunculaceous
tribe. It has not before been known that anj^
. ne of them had an especial liking for the
potato. Dr. Skinner, the well-known luito-
niolo<,nst of the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia, decides that it belongs to the

r

sufiicient to carry weight. Vew men understand
what they are writing about in these lines better
than these horticulturists. It was a great
treat to see the illustration of the large tree
being transported for planting, with all its
roots, instead of the conventional "ball of
earth." It is remarkable how long the ball
of earth idea has maintained a foothold.
T\sually the "ball of earth " means all the
good roots left in the ground— only the stumps
near the trunk being taken away.

The Centukv Plant.— I,ike Sir Walter
Scott's Athelstane the Century plant, .I^i^'nz'C

MASSING EVERGREENS.

• e family as the blister-beetles, namely, the
idae, and that the name of the beetle is

r(j///a 17//^/^, —fortunately, all insects of
kind that live by devouring foliage can be
adily destroyed by the use of Paris green

m be the Colorado beetle.

J'REET AND Shade Trees.— A light book-

« osting only twenty cents, has been issued

■'-^r this title by the Rural Publishing Co.,

>''ew York, prepared by Mr. E. C. Powell,

^^tant PMitor of Amoicau Gardening, and

*^'' William McMillan, superintendent of the

K';>hnell Park ; these authors' names alone are

Anioicana, is slow towards good work, but
gets it in magnificently when it once awakens
from its lethargic state. One. 67 \ ears old. is
now blooming in the Potanic department of the
Massachusetts Agricultural College. It has
thrown up a stem 18 feet high, and it is esti-
mated there are over 3,000 buds and flowers
on it. Truly this is making up for lost
time.

A Remarkahij: Pansy. — Mrs. Ross Lewers,
of Reno Co., Nevada, sends samples of a
Pansy, which have dark blue flowers and yellow
flowers on the same branch.

^1

138

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Sept.

^^.>.]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

139

i"

J:

Transplanting Evergreens. — It has be-
come a maxim that evergreens are best set later
in the spring than deciduous trees; but this is
an error. All trees, whether evergreen or
deciduous, require a little time to push out
new fibers before they are safe from the shock of
transplanting. Trees may, and probably do,
absorb a little moisture from the outer surfaces
of rough roots, just as a branch would absorb
a little when placed as a cutting in water, —
but the active drawing of moisture into the
tree is only from the points of growing fibers.
As these push their way in close contact with
the earth, moisture is then absorbed, and an
evergreen as well as any other tree must have
time to push these new fibers after planting.
Planted late in the season there is not sufficient
time, — for warm, dry weather makes a draft on
the foliage. Indeed, the only reason that
could be given in a few words as to why trees
die after transplanting is that evaporation of
the juices takes place faster than the supply
afforded by the roots. It is for this reason
that pruning is often advantageous by limiting
the evaporating surface, — and so with ever-
greens, one would gain much more by playing
a hose on the plants themselves once or twice
a day than by pouring water in around the
roots. If the earth is hammered in very hard
around the roots, the tree will usually get all
of the moisture it requires from that which is
naturally in the soil. Pouring in water when
there are no fibers to make use of it, is gener-
ally worse than useless. When the whole
question is seen to be one purely of evapora-
tion, it affords a more valuable lesson than
a long treatise on the subject would be likely
to give.

Practical Forestry. — Those who know,
cannot complain that those who do not know
have the leading places in forestry agitation,
for they do little to instruct the masses. Once
in a while the practical man gets in a useful
lesson, and A. R. Whitney, the well known
nurseryman, of Franklin Grove, Illinois, has
done much good service. That it will take
ages to replace our forests is a constant news-
paper theme. Meehans' Monthly has shown
that 25 years is abundance of time to get
serviceable timber, while 50 years would be
enough for a tree to get to its best. Mr.
Whitney has a wagon — a strong, substantial

farm wagon, made wholly from timber of liis
own raising.

The construction of the wagon in detail is a.s
follows : Spokes, white oak; front hounds,
etc., white ash; two hubs, iron wood; two hubs,
apple; axles, rock maple; doubletrees, black
cherry; bolster risers, box alder; stake cleats,
beech; bottom cleats, American larch; top box
cleats, soft maple; end-gate cleats, butternut;
felloes, etc., honey locust; insides, etc., black
walnut; bottom, European larch; brake slides,
red cedar; tongue, etc., chestnut; stakes, etc.,
osage orange ; upper spring bars, willow ;
bolsters, etc., mulberry; brake bars, etc., red
maple; brake posts, black locust; spring bars,
rock elm; box cleats, catalpa and red bud; box
sides, whitewood.

Which shows that no trashy fast growing
tree has been selected to adorn a forestry tale,
but that many varied standbys of our forests
are all in the same good list.

Cure for Warts. — In almost all country
gardens in Pennsylvania, there are patches
of the Milkweed, known to botany as Euphor-
bia Cyperissias. It has no particular beauty,
and it has been a subject of some interest why
it was so universally planted. One friend who
inquired was made to believe that it was gen-
erally used in the Olden Time, when people
used the herbs of the garden for medicine in-
stead of calling in the family physician for
every trifling thing. This plant was used to
cure warts. It is said that the milk from the
broken stem, placed on the surface of the wart
will cause it to disappear within a week or
two, without pain or suffering. The plant
curious, alihough not showy, and in the 01d< n
Times curious flowers were planted in gardens
as well as those which had an interest solely
from their gay color. It may be that the plant
had an interest in this line, although, not par-
ticularly showy.

The Japan Anemone is one of the mos.
beautiful of fall flowers ; but about Philadel-
phia, and possibly elsewhere, it is nearly im-
possible to keep it, as the Spanish beetles de-
vour the foliage. Clematis, Ranunculus, ano
all plants to which the anemone is allied, suflcr
likewise. They can be destroyed by sprinklin
the plants with Paris green, though this is not
a nice article in a flower garden.

Red Spider in the open air. — In open air
culture, during the hot summer season, the
Red Spider is as destructive a pest as it is
to the grower of plants under glass. Many
a cultivator refers to " rust," or ''poor soil "
appearances on his plants, due really to this
pestiferous little insect, as a pocket lens
would easily show. Mr. Dunn, a Bakersfield,
California, horticulturist, has found spraying
with the following mixture, sure death to the
creatures :

Three pounds caustic soda or potash, two
pounds of sulphur ; dissolve in two gallons
of water ; add 25 pounds of whale oil soap,
and boil until thoroughly dissolved. Add
water to make 100 gallons, and spray with
it while the mixture is warm.

raqiTS £Sg WE^ETi^PLES.

Uses of Public Squares. — Mr. Edwin C.
Jellett makes an excellent suggestion that in
all Public Squares provision should be made,
especially, to set apart plots for children to
play in, and in these plots a notice, instead of
the usual one, " Keep off the grass," should be
"Adults and pedestrians keep away." It is
too much the fashion to look to mere artistic
beauties in laying out the squares, — and Mr.
Jellett is no doubt correct in his idea that the
practical use of these plots by children should
be more frequently kept in view. Utility is too
frequently sacrificed to mere pictorial beauty.

T rowing Chrysanthemums. — In potting
plants, broken pots or some other material is
i5>ed to place over the hole in the bottom of
t'e flower pot, in order that water may pass
vapidly away. The best growers of chrys-
'iiithemums in the Old World now employ
f-oken bones. These serve as drainage and
-iiTord nutrition at the same time.

A New Deutzia. — From a figure in the
'Gardener's Chronicle," Deutzia parvifiora,
this Japan species promises to be as popular as
i-'iiitzia gracilis. It was brought to the knowl-
et'ge of Europeans by Prof. Sargent.

PiCRPETUAL Flowering Magnolias. — Most
^lagnolias, like summer roses, flower only
once a year; but one kind, the Magnolia pur-
purea— again, as in the case of some roses —
seems to have a tendency to bloom several
times a year.

The Evening Primrose as a VE(iETABLE.
— The " Lyon Horticole * ' has a long and inter-
esting chapter on the great value as a vegeta-
ble of the common Ginothcra biennis, the very
common weed known as Evening Primrose.
Though introduced, it says, from America as
early as 1614, it has only recently been known
as a kitchen vegetable. It says that it is be-
coming wild in France, and is known hy the
common name of donkey flower. It questions
the accepted origin of the name, and contends
that the botanical name is rather derived from
onagra?(X\^ not, as generally supposed, because
the roots exhale the odor of wine. From the
shape of its roots it is called in France the leg
of St. Anthony. However, it is as a vegetable
that we have to do with it. If the seeds are
sown as soon as they ripen young plants grow
at once, and the plant throws up flower shoots
early next 3'ear. This is the case with all
plants known as biennials; but if we save the
seed and sow it in the spring at the same time
as we do salsafy, parsnips, and similar bien-
nials, the plants make roots only that season
instead of flowers. The author of the paper
compares the roots with the salsafy in value.
It is stored away for use from November to
April. Under good culture, it states, the
roots develop to quite a large size. It also
states that it is far superior as a vegetable to
the recently introduced Stachys from Japan.

Oranges in Florida. — The Florida "Pal-
ladium " states that non-success in the profit-
able culture of oranges simply results from
ignorance of the proper methods of cultivation.
Those who think that all there is to do is to
plant trees and let nature take care of them are
generally disappointed; but men of diligence
and thought, who put intelligence of a practi-
cal character into the business, find orange
culture quite as profitable as any class of fruit
growing in any part of the Union.

Varying Seasons for Fruit.— Variations
in climate can often be measured by the differ-
ences in the ripening of fruit. While in Phil-
adelphia the Bartlett Pear ripens at the end of
September, the same variety ripens in many
parts of California at midsummer or the mid-
dle of June.

••ISKSW*"-

I40

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[^"Pt.

iS.

'.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

I4r

Starr Apple. — Mr. Wm. Pam^ sends Mee-
HANS' Monthly a sample of the Starr apple,
which came to hand on July 27th. With such
an immeUvSe list of apples already existing, a
new claimant for popularity must give a good
reason for a place in the catalogue. The Starr
will probably awaken comparison with the
White Doctor, a highly appreciated Pennsyl-
vania variety, which in descriptive character-
istics it closely resembles. But a good White
Doctor of the same date weighs but three
ounces, while the Starr has completed its
growth at nine and a quarter. In other words
it is a full month in advance. Mr. Parry has
certainly a good thing in a profitable, early,
<:ooking apple.

English Gooseberries. — It is well known
that the English Gooseberry as cultivated in
most American gardens, is liable to an attack
of mildew which seriously interferes with its
successful culture, — the plant finally grows
very weak and the fruit rarely comes to per-
fection; but when grown in a cool situation, or
where the soil can be kept cool and fairly
moist, it thrives very well. A correspondent
tells us that in large cities which have small
gardens attached, where the soil is shaded by
high walls or other buildings, it does remark-
ably well, and the fruit is often quite as good
in quality as can be produced in the best Eng-
lish garden. It may be said as a city garden
fruit, the English gooseberry is a fair success,
producing luscious fruit to good perfection,
although it requires great care to produce it
healthful in large gardens.

A New Forage Plant, Polygormni Shal-
inense.—r\\\s, one of the Buckwheat family,
introduced into France from Moscow in 1870,
has been found a wonderfully productive forage
plant — over 178 tons have been produced in a
green state from an acre.

Preserving Butter. — When we consider
how many hints have been given during the
many centuries past for the preservation of
fruits, it is remarkable that the present
enormous industry in that line had not been
invented earlier. It shows the advantage of
what is called abstract studies. When by the
invention of the microscope it was found that
rot and decay were the result of the action of

small organisms, and that not even these fimori
could develop without atmospheric air, it was
the most natural thing in the world that
successful canning of fruits should follow, —
yet the hint has long ago been given in con-
nection with many things, and especially with
the preservation of butter. The old Gardencn'
MoJithly recorded a number of cases where
butter had been fished out of wells, where it
had dropped from vessels suspended over the
water for the sake of the cold temperature.
These lumps of butter, in many cases
a century old, were found just as fresh
and good as the day they were churned. Kept
from the atmosphere no parasitic fungus
could attack it. Recently butter has been
found at the bottom of bogs in the old world.
It is believed in some cases to be nearly a
thousand years old, and yet entirely fresh and
good. These hints. certainly are of great value
to the practical person, who desires to see a
doUar-and cent value in every scientific idea.

Crop of Oranges. — At Athens, in Florida,
a tree produced 18,000 oranges; at least 7,564
were gathered, packed and shipped from that
one tree. We suppose each of these oranges
would have weighed half a pound, so that
there must have been 4,000 pounds weight for
the tree to bear. When we remember that the
greater portion of the weight of an orange is
water, it seems wonderful where all this liquid
can be obtained, as the ground is generally
comparatively dry in which the orange tree
grows. In bearing, the branches by the
enormous weight are borne down considerably,
but it is said, after the oranges are gathered,
they easily erect themselves again.

Barren Plum Trees. — Professor L. H.
Pammel, Ames, Iowa, has confirmed some
previous observations that the native Americr.ii
Plum is dimorphic in the sexes, having often
flowers in which the stamens and pistils are
perfect, and at other times trees which have
flowers imperfect. These characteristics of a
great many American trees and shrubs are not
nearly as frequent among allied species <'^
European trees. It is not a question of culturt,
as some believe, but simply that the American
climate is more favorable to the division of
the sexes in floweis than the climate of
Europe.

The American Grape Vine in Europe. —
Rtcent advices state that over 40,000 plants
of American Grape Vines are to be planted
the coming season in Austria. It has been
found by experience that the American Grape
Vine is not susceptible to injury from the
small insect called phylloxera, which has been
found so destructive to the European grape as
to render grape culture in some parts of the
old w^orld a signal failure. Strange to say this
invSect is a native American, and has been
connected with the grape vine from time im-
memorial ; but the stronger rooting character
of the American grape renders the injury from
it very small. The European grapes are
grafted on the American. Possibly in the
wine growing countries of the old world the
fruit of the American grape may in time be
brought into use for wine making there, as it
has been here. American wines from Ameri-
can varieties of grapes are now nearly as pop-
ular as wines from the European sorts.

Improving the Quality of Fruits. —
Nothing is more common, in conventions of
fruit growers, than to hear one man say of a
certain variety, that it is tasteless and worth-
less, while the following speaker may laud
that variety as one of the highest flavor and
best quality. The truth is, that ripening
fiuit is an art, which is only to be learned by
intelligent experience. Some kinds of fruit
require to be gathered a little before ripe, in
order to produce the highest flavor while
^ cliers require to be dead ripe on the trees be-
i>re they are gathered. Again, to get the best
(y.iality some require to be ripened in a dark
and cool place, while others require a warmer
and lighter situation. All this has to be learnt
bv experience, and one of the pleasures of
amateur gardening is to study these points,
^v'th the view of the production of the best
class of fruit.

The Origin of the Peach. — It has never
hcen clearly ascertained what was the original
parent of the peach. It is, however, well
known that the peach, the almond, and the
nectarine can all be developed, the one from
the other ; and it is, therefore, reasonable
tbat all had the same origin. It has been
supposed that the almond was really the ante-
cedent of the other two. Recently, however,

there has been found a wild plant in the north
of China, which is considered a good species^
and has been named Amygdalus Davidia)ia^
and it is believed that this is really the parent
of the peach and its allies. All that is known
of the peach and almond is that they were in
cultivation as garden plants as far back as
written history goes.

Agriculture by law. — Some few years ago,
the State of Pennsylvania passed a law looking
to the thorough eradication of trees suffering
from the peach disease known as the ''yellows.* '
It was stated at the last meeting of the State
Horticultural Association that all attempts to
put this law into practice have proved futile.
A correspondent of the Rural New Yorker
states that this has been the result with the
New York law against the diseavSe in the plum
and cherry, known as "black knot." It is
pronounced a dead letter. Almost every
effort to carry on agriculture by law has
proved a failure. The only hope in these ca.ses
is by the universal dissemination of correct
knowledge.

Pears for the West. — Mr. T. T. Lyon, the
eminent pomologist, of Michigan, makes up
his list of first- class pears for the amateur, as
follows : Summer Doyenne, Clapp's Favorite,
Bartlett, Sheldon, Howell, Onondaga, Beurre
d'Angou, and Lawrence. If one has, how-
ever, an e3'e to profitable pears that are pro-
duced in abundance and somewhat showy,
he would have Summer Doyenne, Tyson,
Sterling, Clapp's Favorite, Beurre d'Angou,
Howell, Onondaga, Beurre Bosc, and Law-
rence.

Orange Culture. — In the cultivation of
fruits in the more northern parts of the Union,
girdling is sometimes employed, in order to
assist productiveness. Grapes are more fre-
quently treated this way than any other fruit ;
but even with the grape girdling is not often
practiced. In orange culture, however, accord-
ing to a correspondent of the Farmer and Fruit ^
Grower, girdling enters into one of the general
practices of good culture. Not only is good
production of fruit increased, but it is said the
quality is very much improved. In northern
grape culture girdling has been found to impair
seriously the quality of the fruit.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

THE HEART OF FLOWERS.

I sonietinies think that uever blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled,

Ihat every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in her L,ap from some once lovely Head.

Omar Khayyam.

Mr. J. G. Baker. — The Gardeners' Chroni-
cle of June 24th gives a picture in which this
estimable botanist and keeper of the Royal
Herbarium at Kew is the prominent feature.
He is represented with some Onoclea-like fern
on the table before him, about which he is
penning notes. The pleasure it gives to see
for the first time the facial outlines of one so
much beloved is mingled with regret that his
hard labors cannot be softened by the use of a
fountain pen instead of an old steel one, — and
instead of having himself bent down to his
work till his body is at a right angle with his
legs, and his nose but a few^ inches from his
wrist, some better care for his vital organs have
not been provided for. It is well worth some
thought and a little expense in improved furni-
ture to add ten or fifteen years to the life of
such a useful man as J. G. Baker.

Russian Apples. — For all the large number
of varieties of hardy apples introduced from
R.ussia, few of them seem to obtain permanent
popularity. One of the oldest is the Alexan-
•der — a very large and beautiful apple — which
although not of the highest flavor, is very
popular as a cooking variety. The Duchess of
Oldenberg is another which has received con-
siderable favor — and a third might be named,
the Tetofsky. Outside of these three, few
are known to any extent.

Double Wild Flowers. — Nearly all our
double garden varieties of wild flowers were
first found wild and transferred to gardens.
Double Hepaticas have occasionally been found
and are in good collections, but we seldom see
them. Dr. Stewart, of Peoria, writes that
Prof. Barnhart, of that vicinity, has recently
found one double in that section.

{142)

MoNS. BourcharleT. — M. Laurent Bour-
charlet, one of the advanced improvers of
florists* flowers, and who especially started
the great progress made in the Petunia during
recent years, died at Lyons, France, on the
14th of May, in his 87th year.

Small Parks in Philadelphia.— The
senior conductor of Meehans' Monthly,
Professor Thomas Meehan, has done some-
what to crystalize and direct a successful
movement for small open spaces or parks in
Philadelphia, in the City Councils of which he
has been for eleven years, and still continues
to be a member. On the Fourth of July, in one
of the squares he had been especially success-
ful in securing despite a determined fight by
some of the best legal talent in Philadelphia,
and in the presence of five thousand people,
a silver ornament valued at $1,000 was pre-
sented to him in behalf of the citizens, in
recognition of the services rendered.

Not in the spirit of any ** self-praise "
on the part of the conductors, but to give the
readers of Meehans' Monthly a view of four
of these open places, a representation of the
plaque is here given.

On the observers' left hand, lower corner, is
Bartram — the house which the great American
botanist built with his own hands. Ehn
Treaty Park, on the upper corner, is a copy < f^
West's famous painting of Penn's Treaty with
the Indians, which was made on the spot no^v
the park. Stenton, in the upper right hand, was
the home of Logan, an eminent botanist, after
whom the genus Logania was named, and wli ^
was Secretary of the Commonwealth of Penn-
sylvania under William Penn. In the lower
right hand is represented a view in Vernon
Park, the home of the Wisters, but originally
settled by Meng, a German banker, and a rau^
lover of trees and flowers — and also a patroa
of Kin, an early botanical explorer of our
country, whose specimens are still preserved
in the Royal Museum at Berlin.

i?^>03.]

meehans' monthly — biography and literature.

143

Not the least pleasant thought connected
V ith the subject is the fact, afterward de-
veloped, that the prime mover in this beauti-
• nl testimonial to Mr. Meehan, was one of the
•descendants of William Penn, now residing in
England.

It may be further explained that the figures
on the top represent the arms of the City of
r^liiladelphia, with the Greek words Philadel-
phia maneto for the motto. This is the shortest
'^erse in the Greek Bible, and is translated,
"let brotherly love prevail," and from this
scriptural phrase, the city derives its name.

The words cut in the solid silver are scarcely
legible on the greatly reduced scale of the pic-
^^ire, but are, an extract from the original
<^liarter of Penn.

•'That it may be a
green country town

and
always wholesome."

Presented

To Thomas Meehan by

his fellow citizens of Philadelphia

in grateful acknowledgement of his services

while a member of

Councils of Philadelphia

1883 in 1892

Establishing

SMALL PARKS

in the several sections

for the

Health and Enjoyment

of its citizens.

GENERAL NOTES.

A Botanical Gardener. —It is one of the
misfortunes attendant on improved gardening
in our country, that just when a first-class
man is required no one knows where to find him.
On the other hand when a first-class man is
looking for a situation, no one knows where
the situations are which require just such
services; and opportunities of bringing the two
wants together, are not frequent. Just now
a rare opportunity offers. An excellent
botanist and first-class gardener is Mr. M.
Millard, whose address at present is 140 Second
Avenue, New York. He is a graduate of the
Vienna Botanic Garden, having previously had
a thorough course in the Vienna Gardening
School and the Pomological Institution,—
a combination of advantages rarely met with.
These educated gardeners are always welcome
to America, and add largely to our reputation.
Mr. Millard's services will no" doubt soon be
sought for, and for which we shall be happy
in having assisted.

English Names of Plants.— He jumped
from his wheel and entered the Editor's room.
"Take a seat,'' said the Editor, - vou look
tired." -Not tired," replied the wheelman,
"but suffering from an acute attack of kypharis
bicyclistarium. I have called to get the name
of a pretty flower gathered along the road."
"It is a species of Phlox," said the Editor.
"A species of what?" he exclaimed. ''A
species of Phlox." - These confounded Latin
names," growled the man of the wheel, " give
me its English name ? " - I never heard any.
Phlox is all I know." "I can't see why
there can't be English names. I should have
been a botanist long ago but for these hard
terms," and the victim of kypharis bicyclis-
tarium mounted his wheel, growling about
hard plant names, and trudged up the hill.

"Catalogue op New Creations. "—A re-
markably unique catalogue is one under the
above title, issued by Luther Burbank, of Santa
Rosa, California. Mr. Burbank seems to have

(144)

devoted his life chiefly to the improvement of
fruits and flowers. He has been eminently suc-
cessful in this line, and we have here an illus-
trated catalogue of fifty- two pages, devoted
wholly to the description of the more valuable
of his productions. He does not sell them all
singly, but offers the whole stock of each kind
for sale at prices suited to the character of the
new introduction. It is a particulariy useful
field to occupy, and one in which we believe
Mr. Burbank stands alone.

The Philadelphia Small Park Move-
ment.—A daily paper says another of the
projected open spaces has been finally se-
cured.

"The city of Philadelphia has taken title
from Builder John Meighan to the property at
Clearfield and F streets, in the Thirty-third
Ward, which is to be known as McPherson
square. The lot is about 500 feet square, and
cost the city $73,866.67. This ground was
originally the property of General McPherson
and was called Stouton farm. It was placed
on the city plan by ordinance of November
29th, 1890."

Bering Strait.— In reference to a recent
allusion to this locality as " Behring's Straits,"
a correspondent remarks that the United States
authorities have restored the original and cor-
rect name of Bering,— and that the old plural
form "Straits " has given place to the correct
one of Strait. The possessive style is also
obsolete. Bering Strait and not "Behring's
Straits " will come into universal use.

The Next Plate.— The Rocky Mountain
region and territory of the Southwest, will
claim the attention of the next plate.

Ximcnesia cnceloides will be illustrated. The
fall is especially the season for composites,
and this plant will be of interest in the general
study of this great order which comprises
one-tenth of the whole vegetable kingdom.

;.'

I;
i

XIMENESIA ENCELIOIDES.

XIMENES FLOWER.
NATURAIv ORDER, COMPOSIT.E.

^'"""abm-t^leaveVo^^^^^^ cinereous-pubescent ; stems stout, striate, three to five feet hiRh; l)ranched

oa?er beneath hl^5= !^^/ alternate, ovate, coarsely dentate-serrate, taperinj- i„to a lon^, winded petiole, tripli-nerved,
whfJ^ ema?^h;.t n?"^^r/'"^°-f 'yii''"/' "?^^2 Pe^^""cles: achcnia of the disk slightly villous, silrrouuded by a broati
wing, e.narginate at the summit of the deeply three toothed achenium.-Porter's Flora of Colorado

When in 1817 Rafinesque published his
Flora of Louisiana, he predicted that on the
basis of some statistics that he had gathered,
botanists might expect that " more than 100
new genera and 700 new species will reward
their exertions, many of which will be com-
mon to Mexico, since Louisiana, lying on the
borders of that empire, must, of course, possess
a botany partly Mexican, and consequently
highly interesting. ' ' Since that time ' ' Louis-
iana" has furnished several States to the
Union, and the contiguous "parts of Mexico"
have come into our possession ; but still the
expression of Rafinesque as to the probability
of a Mexican plant wandering into other
territory, is particularly suggestive, especially
m connection with the plant we now illustrate;
ior, in all probability, there was a time when
this plant would not have been found in any
I>art of what are even now portions of the
United States, and that time, too, not in remote
,' enerations. It is essentially a Mexican plant,
^^"d has travelled northward mainly, perhaps,
j-y the agency of man. In 1840 when Torrey
nd Gray's Flora of North America appeared, it
iad already entered this "Territory of Louis-
iana, " for these authors record it as having
■een found by two collectors, at least it was
iipposed to have been by recent travellers,
'^r they suggested that it had been " prob-
'^>ly introduced."

But after all the question as to whether a
plant is truly indigenous or not, need scarcely
'|e considered by a lover of wild flowers,— for
'^iiere is rarely a plant anywhere but has
irobably traveled there from some other place,
tji rough the ages past,— and it can make little
^hfTerence in a catalogue of native plants,
^vhether any were carried to one spot from
•another by the winds or waves, by the feathers

\v>\v.\

of birds or the furs of beasts, or by the incidents
of travel between man and man ; yet it is
customary in botanical works to make this
distinction. Plants w^hich have been carried
by human agency, and have been found wild,
no matter how widely spread they may be,
would be classed as "introduced," — while a
plant found where no human being would be
likely to carry it, would be pronounced as
"certainly indigenous." The element of time
is, how^ever, sometimes considered ; and, if a
district has once been thoroughly explored,
and afterwards a plant found which could not
probably have been overlooked before, it would
perhaps be regarded as introduced.

Our present subject, Ximcncsia encelioides, is
an illustration of these various shades of
meaning in the term "indigenous." Though
now found in Colorado, and southwardly in
the dryer portions of the central districts of
our country reaching towards Mexico, it is as
w^e have already noted, in all probability, a
not very remote wanderer from a southern
clime. As, however, it was in these districts
when first explored by botanists, it is regarded
as indigenous, without regard to where it
originally sprung.

It appears to have been first found in 1848
b}^ the naturalists of Emory's expedition from
Fort Leavenworth to San Diego, when it was
discovered along the Gila River. Others have
from time to time found it in various places.
Prof Porter, in the work above cited, records
it as having been found abundantly near
Canon City by Mr. Brandegee. The writer of
this collected it in 187S, on the Arkansas River,
near Pueblo, in Colorado, and it was from
these collections that our drawing was
made.

To the lovers of wild flowers the parts they

(145)

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

XIMENESIA ENCELIOIDHS.

xnrEXES flo\vi:r.

NATURAL ORDER, COMl^OSmi-.

' ^ '''^^bove -"VeaveVo^^^^^^^^ cinereous-pubescent ; ste.us st.n.t, Mriatc. three to five feet high; branched

> er benea^ coarsely dentate-serrate, taperin^^ into a :on.u^ win,t,^ed petiole, tripli-nerved.

• nl e^i^ri in^?^^^^^^^ ""rl^'^F' ''':^^'} peduncles; achenia ofthc disk sliuhtlv villous, surrounded bv a broad

u m^, e.uarginate at the summit of the deeply three toothed achenium. -Porter's /?,.; ./ o/ C 'olorado

When in 1S17 Rafinesqne published his
Mora of Louisiana, he predicted that on the
basis of some statistics that he had gathered,
iK.tanists might expect that ''more than 100
new genera and 700 new species will reward
their exertions, many of which will be com-
mon to Mexico, since Louisiana, lying on the
borders of that empire, must, of course, possess
a botany partly Mexican, and consequently
Inghly interesting." Since that time '' Louis-
iana" has furnished several States to the
Union, and the contiguous "parts of Mexico"
have come into our possession ; but still the
• xpression of Rafinesque as to the probability
' 1 a :\rexican plant wandering into other
territory, is particularly suggestive, especially
1 connection with the plant we now illustrate;
or, in all probability, there was a time when
his plant would not have been found in any
ut of what are even now portions of the
nited States, and that time, too, not in remote
nerations. It is essentially a Mexican plant,
h1 has travelled northward mainly, perhaps,
the agency of man. In 1S40 when Torrey
id Gray's Flora of North America appeared, it
"1 already entered this "Territory of Louis-
•la, " for these authors record it as havincr
en found by two collectors, at least it was
pposed to have been by recent travellers,
r they suggested that it had been " prob-
ly introduced."

I^ut after all the question as to whether a

mt is truly indigenous or not, need scarcely

considered by a lover of wild flowers.— for

''Jere is rarely a plant anywhere but has

*>bably traveled there from some other place,

trough the ages past,— and it can make little

■tierence in a catalogue of native plants,

whether any were carried to one spot from

mother by the winds or waves, by the feathers

of birds or the furs of beasts, or by the incidents
of travel between man and man ; yet it is
customary in botanical works to make this
distinction. Plants which have been carried
by human agency, and have been found wild,
no matter how widely spread they may be,
would be classed as "introduced," — while a
plant found where no human being would be
likeh' to carry it, would be pronounced as
"certainl}' indigenous." The element of time
is, however, sometimes ccmsidered ; and, if a
district has once been thoroughly L'X})lored,
and afterwards a plant found which could not
probably have been overlooked l»efore. it would
perhaps be regarded as introduced.

Our present subject, Ximcucsia cucelioidcs, is
an illustration of these various shades of
meaning in the term "indigenous." Though
now found in Colorado, and southwardly in
the dryer portions of the central districts of
our country reaching towards Mexico, it is as
we have already noted, in all pro])ability, a
not ver3' remote wanderer from a southern
clime. As, however, it was in these districts
when first explored by botanists, it is regarded
as indigenous, without regard to where it
originally sprung.

It appears to have been first lound in 1S4.S
by the naturalists of ICmory's expedition from
Fort Leavenworth to vSan Diego, when it was
discovered along the Gila River. Others have
from time to time found it in various places.
Prof. Porter, in the work above cited, records
it as having been found al)iindantly near
Cafion City by Mr. Brandegee. The writer of
this collected it in 1S7S, on the Arkansas River,
near Pue]:)lo, in Colorado, and it was from
these collections that our drawing was
made.

To the lovers of wild flowers the parts they

(M5)

4

146

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — XIMENESIA ENCELIOIDES.

[Oct.

play in the varying aspects of natuie is a wel-
come study. In the dryer regions of Colorado
these aspects vary remarkably. With the im-
mediate advent of spring appears a fragile but
beautiful class, wholly disappearing as summer
approaches. Then a totally different appear-
ance is given to the scenery by the warm-
weather plants, in the main tall and coarse,
but generally ke'eping character with the
dreary and overwhelmingly desolate scenery
everywhere around,— till as the autumn comes
along, asteraceous plants peculiar to the
country appear in many varied forms. In
some cases huge torrents in winter bear from
the disintegrating mountain sides volumes of
debris, which form large banks of diluvium
on the lower lands, which vegetation hurries
after, doing her best to clothe with floral
beauty. Only a few of the coarser plants are
equal to this labor of love, and foremost
among these is our Ximenesia. Where the
writer gathered it the feet sunk deeply in the
untrodden sand, and there was comparatively
nothing growing for a wide extent around on
that hot August day but small clumps of this
showy yellow flower which, amidst all the
desolation, seemed determined to hold on and
thrive. It was an admirable lesson to those
who love to be taught by flowers.

The purely botanical history of the plant is
brief. It appears to have been first known
from plants raised from seeds sent from Mexico
to the Royal Gardens in Madrid, and sup-
posed to be an Encelia. Cavanilles, a famous
botanist of Madrid, in his "Genera and
Species," published in 1801, tells us the genus
differs from Eiicelia in having "fertile ray
ffowers,"and refers to a figure in his •' Icones "
of a few years before. According to Loudon
he named it "after Joseph Ximenes, a Spanish
apothecary, who is said to have attended to
plants." But his "attentions" appear to
have been real, for his biographer tells us he
" undertook a flora of Castilla in four volumes,
in which he delineated more than 700 plants."
There is another genus native to the Southern
United States, named by Plumier Ximenia,
after the celebrated Cardinal Ximenes, of whom
it is said that of the great power he wielded,
and the immense sums of money he controlled,
not one penny was ever diverted from legiti-
mate public uses. Although the orthography
of the botanical names is different, being made

from the same name, Ximenes, Sir Joseph 1,.
Smith contended this one for Joseph Ximenes
should not stand, and in his works the plant is
known as Pallasia serratifolia ; but this view is
not adopted by American botanists who still
use Cavanilles' name, Ximenesia.

Indeed, the practice of American botanists
is to professedly make several genera by
changing or combining names. Thus we have
Grayia and Asa-grayia, both from the late emi-
nent botanist of Cambridge, — Parrya and Par-
ry ella, not exactly for the same botanist, but a
change of orthography to make different genera
of the same name. Botanical science, how-
ever, has no more to do with the meaning of
the names of plants than one would have with
the meaning of any individual's name on a
first introduction. As a matter of curiosity,
it might be of interest to know how the ances-
tor of Mr. Smith or Mr. Brown came by his
name, but the man's name that meant nothing
would be as good for use as the one's that
meant much. It is the same with plant
names. There have been botanists who have
contended that there would be less liability to
error if such names meant absolutely nothing
at all.

The fertility of the ray flowers will interest
the inquiring student. It has recently been
noted that where the disk florets are perfect
and the ray florets pistillate, the tubular per-
fect flowers become pistillate only, should
these florets become ligulate like the ray
florets. This is well known in the case of the
Dahlia, Chrysanthemum and similar plants
which, under the selective care of the florist,
become "double" or wholly ligulate. Then

«

is evidently some relation between the sexuiu
characteristics of flowers and the form of the
floret, which has an interesting bearing on th<
whole question of sex in flowers.

The leaves are killed by the first white frost
and this fact is used to certify to its early tropi-
cal home. Numbers of species emigrate north-
wardly, holding their own in their travels by
reason of a frost-resisting power in the seeds.
If seed can perfect before frost comes, a very
tender plant can get far northwardly. T^^^
seed remains in the earth till spring.

Explanation
stem two feet

•cr
e

ON OF Plate.— I. Upper branchlct of a flo^v*'
high, frotn a Colorado plant. 2. Section of tli
conical receptacle, with a broadly winged, eniargiiKuc
akene, with broad chaffy pointed scale at the base, and com-
paratively small narrow-tubed corolla at the apex.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

OCTOBER.

Sweet are the woodland notes

That gush melodious at morn from palpitating
throats
In anthems fresh as dew ! Ay, they are sweet !
But from that dim retreat
Where Evening nmses through the peusive hours
There sometimes floats along
A more appealing song :
So, love, thy voice breathes a diviner music in the
chill
Of autumn, when the glen is still
And Flora's gold all tarnished on the hill.
Than in the time when merry May calls forth her
bashful flowers.

— Fi^oRENCE Eari,e Coaxes,

LippincotVs Magazine. '

White Alpine Strawberries. — Mr. Ellis
B. Noyes sends a box of white fruit of
Fragaria vesca, the Alpine Strawberry, which
he says abounds among the red ones on the
hills about Lewistown, in Pennsylvania. White
fruiting varieties of the Alpine Strawberry are
not uncommon in cultivation, but, on account
of the Alpine's love for cool temperatures it is
not often met with in strawberry gardens. The
fruit is small, and this also is somewhat
against their culture, and it is to be regretted,
because the flavor of the Alpine is much
higher than that of the common red or Vir-
ginia Strawberry. In fact, one scarcely can
fully appreciate the statement of Sidney Smith
that •' The Lord could doubtless make a better
fruit than the strawberry, but doubtless the
Lord never did," unless he had once a taste of
^ good Alpine. Another interesting feature
for the amateur is that they fruit much later,
and indeed some of them produce fruit in the
iall. Where gardening is followed for the
pleasure it affords rather than the profit result-
ing from sending things to market, no better
occupation could be presented than the culture
of Alpine Strawberries, and among this the
culture of white forms should have a promi-
nent place. By the way, botanists frequently
fail to recognize the difference between Fraga-
^id vesca as a species, and some forms of Fra-
.^aria Virginia?ia ; but with a little practice

they could be readily distinguished by the
plaited leaves and by the fruit, in which the
seeds are much more prominent and much
more numerous than in the ordinary forms of
the scarlet.

Yucca brevifoija.— Lovers of flowers in the
Northern portion of the Union, whose know-
ledge of Yuccas is confined to the "Adam's
Thread and Needle" of gardens, YKua fila-
ynentosa, will be pleased with an illustration, on
pag^ ^hl^ of a species which not only makes a
small tree, but occasionally- forms straggling
forests in the dryer regions of our country —
and we give with this a representation of a
specimen taken from the admirable report of
the United States Department of Agriculture
on the Death \'alley expedition. Dr. Merriam
says that occasionally there will be forests of
them 15 or 20 miles in length. He found some
30 feet high. They are abundant in the
Mohave Desert on high gravelly slopes. In
Nevada they were found on Mt. Magruder —
and other places — and in the southwest corner
of Arizona. Dr. Torrey thought it to be a
mere variety of Yucca Draconis of Linna?us,
in which case he suggested the varietal name
arborcscens for it, — but Dr. Ivngleman, in the
''Transactions of the St. Louis Academy,"
showed that it was a mistake — that it should
be regarded as a distinct species and named it
characteriscally )'. brez'ifolia. In the report,
however, it is described as ) 'ucca arborcscens.

Texas Clover. — Miss Laura Bennett, of
Wadesboro, N. C, notes that the Richanisonia
sea bra was introduced into southwest Georgia
about thirty years ago, and has received the
common name of "Texas Clover." She has
seen eight acres literally covered with it. It is
a very persistent weed when it once gets a
foothold. Its native country is Mexico.

. f-'

•'.1

m\

Manzanita. — Mrs. Levvers says that this
Indian name signifies " Little Apple."

(M7)

148

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Oct.

Stipules op Rose Leaves. — Mrs. W. A.
Kellerman remarks :

"One of the most interesting things con-
nected with the study of plants, it seems to
me, is the variation, the reversions, the transi-
tion stages found in the foliage. Nowhere
else do we so frequently come across connect-
ing links showing the relation of the lower to
the higher forms; illustrating the development,
the evolution of the more complex from the
simple. Through no other channel are we
shown so clearly the steps which have been
taken by the plant, in climbing its 'hill of
life.* Among the many interesting variations,
the leaves of the young branches of the Rose
(it matters not, whether of a wild or cultivated
species) are well worth observing. The leaflets
are so dainty and pretty, with their fine serra-

tures, that one always admires them. But
these bracts, these curious stipules crowned
with quaint leaflets, bearing no petiole — some-
times part leaf, and part stipule — what are we
to think of them ? What can we think, but
that, from the first bract or scale, at the base
of the branch, we have but progressive steps
until we reach the perfect leaf? It is the look-
ing at them from this point of view, which
renders them interesting, — and it is so evident
that these really common variations are but
types of leaves borne by the ancestors of the
Rose. We must divest ourselves of the idea
that the Rose, for instance, once had an ances-
tral form. Plants, like human beings, have
long histories behind them ; they have passed
through various forms, and no one single
individual form is the, and the only, ancestral

type. And hence, I would say that at one
time, the Rose had but what we find at the
base of the branch, for leaves ; later on, this
bract became more developed, more leaf -like ;
and again, it reaches a higher plane, and evolu-
tion merges the bract into the stipule, or the
latter is developed from the former. The
leaves themselves are finally developed from
the stipules. This is clearly shown in the
accompanying illustration, and certainly, 'see-
ing must be believing.' "

The suggestive points made by Mrs. Keller-
man, are among the most valuable of all
received for the magazine. It has been toler-
ably well developed that even the rose petals
themselves are but modified stipules. Bud-
scales are always either modified stipules or of
the dilated bases of leaf-stalks,— and a petal
has the same protective ofiice over the more
delicate floral organs, as the bud scale performs
for its delicate enclosures. Not only in the
rose, but in probably all flowers, petals are the
analogues of stipules or the flattened bases of
leaf stalks.

Irritability IN Plants. -Mr. Ernest Walker,
of New Albany, Ind., has recently contributed
some interesting notes on the manner in which
the common wild sour grass, as it is called,
Oxalis stricta, expels its seeds. They are
thrown to a great distance by the sudden dis-
ruption of the capsule. He finds Oxalis violacea
has the same power. The common Balsam of
our gardens, or, as it is sometimes called in
American floriculture, "Lady Slipper," does
the same, — especially when the seed pods are
grasped. This and the Oxalis belong to the
same natural order of plants. The garden
balsam derived its Latin name, Impatiens, from
this characteristic.

Cosmos bipinnatus. — Mr. W. C. Egan calls
attention to the apparent adaptation of plant?
to circumstances as illustrated by the Cosmos.
It is a very late flowering species, usually
opening near Chicago just before the frost
comes. This season they have bloomed earlier
than usual, and by selecting seeds from these
early bloomers a summer flowering race wiU
in all probability ensue. It is by selection in
this manner, that many early races of fruits
and flowers have been secured. Selection
rules, where environment fails.

I

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

149

A Summer Outing in North Carolina.—
Mr. C. F. Saunders says : " You may remem-
ber recommending me some time since to the
mountains of North Carolina. I went there
about July i, and returned to Philadelphia a
few days ago, and I feel as though I ought to
express to you my thanks for putting me in the
way of a trip that was thoroughly enjoyable
and botanically profitable far beyond my ex-
pectations. I shall not be satisfied now until
I can go again to that delightful region. I
spent about a week at Linville.

found the moist cool atmosphere a good substi-
tute for the damp places and bogs of lower
altitudes. Annexed is another view of a
North Carolina mountain scene.

Growth of a White Pine.— Mr. Robert
Douglas, writes :

"Referring to page 119 in which you state
that I am quoted, page 79, as saying that I
would give a White Pine tree three times 30
years to reach a diameter of seven feet.

As I have not the page 79 article at hand, I

b\A

I

r

\-

■W

4
I

VIEW IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA.

I was frequently surprised to find on those
dry high altitudes plants which are common
in bogs and wet pine barrens, — for instance
Calopogon pulchellus and Pogofiia divaricata,
which I saw growing on a slope of the Grand-
father Mountain in a perfectly dry, barren sort
of spot, between four and five thousand feet
above sea level. I should be much interested
to know what explanation there is for this.
Perhaps you might have something to say on
the subject in the columns of the Monthly."

The facts detailed by ]Mr. Saunders seem
<^nly to be accounted for by supposing that the
niountain region has been thrown up since the
species referred to came into existence. They
were thrown up with the upheaval— and have

am not certain what I did write. I certainly
did not mean to be understood as saying that
a White Pine-tree would reach a diameter of
seven feet in 90 yenrs, as I never saw a White
Pine tree seven feet in diameter, and I never
saw a tree, no matter how rapid in growth —
either evergreen or deciduous — that reached
a diameter of seven feet in ;o vears.

There may have been a time when White
Pines grew to larger size in New England than
any found there now.

About ten years ago, when investigating the
White Pine around Hanover, N. H., the
Treasurer of Dartmouth College handed me an
old book. Rev'd Mr. Wheeler or Wheelock
was the author, and made remarkable state-

148

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Oct.

^^93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

149

m

\ I

Stipules of Rose Leaves. — Mrs. W. A.
Kellerman remarks :

"One of the most interesting things con-
nected with the study of plants, it seems to
me, is the variation, the reversions, the transi-
tion stages found in the foliage. Nowhere
else do we so frequently come across connect-
ing links showing the relation of the lower to
the higher forms; illustrating the development,
the evolution of the more complex from the
simple. Through no other channel are we
shown so clearly the steps which have been
taken by the plant, in climbing its 'hill of
life.' Among the many interesting variations,
the leaves of the young branches of the Rose
(it matters not, whether of a wild or cultivated
species) are well worth observing. The leaflets
are so dainty and pretty, with their fine serra-

tures, that one always admires them. But
these bracts, these curious stipules crowned
with quaint leaflets, bearing no petiole — some-
times part leaf, and part stipule — what are we
to think of them ? What can we think, but
that, from the finst bract or scale, at the base
of the branch, we have but progressive steps
until we reach the perfect leaf? It is the look-
ing at them from this point of view, which
renders them interesting, — and it is so evident
that these really common variations are but
types of leaves borne by the ancestors of the
Rose. We must divest ourselves of the idea
that the Rose, for instance, once had a/i ances-
tral form. Plants, like human beings, have
long histories behind them ; they have passed
through various forms, and no one single
individual form is t/ie, and the only, ancestral

e

type. And hence, I would say that at otu
time, the Rose had but what we find at th
base of the branch, for leaves ; later on, this
bract became more developed, more leaf-like ;
and again, it reaches a higher plane, and evolu-
tion merges the bract into the stipule, or the
latter is developed from the former. The
leaves themselves are finally developed from
the stipules. This is clearly shown in the
accompanying illustration, and certainly, 'see-
ing must be believing.' "

The suggestive points made by Mrs. Keller-
man, are among the most valuable of all
received for the magazine. It has been toler-
ably well developed that even the rose petals
themselves are but modified stipules. Bud-
scales are always either modified stipules or of
the dilated bases of leaf-stalks,— and a petal
has the same protective ofiice over the more
delicate floral organs, as the bud scale perforins
for its delicate enclosures. Not only in the
rose, but in probably all flowers, petals are the
analogues of stipules or the flattened bases of
leaf stalks.

Irritability IN PLANTS.-Mr. Ernest Walker.
of New Albany, Ind., has recently contributed
some interesting notes on the manner in which
the common wild sour grass, as it is called,
Oxalis stricta, expels its seeds. They are
thrown to a great distance by the sudden dis-
ruption of the capsule. He finds Oxalis violacca
has the same power. The common Balsam i*
our gardens, or, as it is sometimes called \\\
American floriculture, "Lady Slipper," doeb
the same, — especially when the seed pods a^
grasped. This and the Oxalis belong to tli
same natural order of plants. The garden
balsam derived its Latin name, Impaticns, froir^
this characteristic.

Cosmos bipinnatus. — Mr. W. C. Egan cah
attention to the apparent adaptation of plani
to circumstances as illustrated by the Cosmo
It is a very late flowering species, usual .-
opening near Chicago just before the f^o^
comes. This season they have bloomed earlici
than usual, and by vSelecting seeds from these
early bloomers a summer flowering race wih
in all probability ensue. It is by selection \
this manner, that many early races of fruit-
and flowers have been secured. Selection
rules, where environment fails.

A Summer Outing in North Carolina. —
Mr. C. F. Saunders says : " You may remem-
ber recommending me some time since to the
mountains of North Carolina. I went there
about July i, and returned to Philadelphia a
few days ago, and I feel as though I ought to
express to you my thanks for putting me in the
way of a trip that was thoroughly enjoyable
and botanically profitable far beyond my ex-
pectations. I shall not be satisfied now until
I can go again to that delightful region. I
spent about a week at Linville.

found the moist cool atnios])here a good substi-
tute for the damp places and bogs of lower
altitudes. Annexed is another view of a
North Carolina mountain scene.

Growth of a White Pine.— Mr. Robert
Douglas, writes :

"Referring to page 119 in which you state
that I am quoted, page 79, as saying that I
would give a White Pine tree three times .v>
years to reach a diameter of seven feet.

As I have not the page 79 article at hand, I

VIEW IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA.

I was frequently surprised to find on those
^ry high altitudes plants which are common
in bogs and wet pine barrens, — for instance
Calopo^on pnlchellus and Poi^ouia divaricata,
which I saw growing on a slope of the Grand-
father Mountain in a perfectly- dry, barren sort
'^>f spot, between four and five thousand feet
ibove sea level. I should be much interested
to know what explanation there is for this.
I'erhaps you might have something to say on
the subject in the columns of the Monthly."

The facts detailed by Mr. Saunders seem
only to be accounted for by supposing that the
'Hountain region has been thrown up since the
species referred to came into existence. They
were thrown up with the upheaval— and have

am not certain what I did write. I certainly
did not mean to be understood as saying that
a White Pine* tree would reach a diameter of
seven feet in 90 ye^rs, as I never saw a White
Pine tree seven feet in diameter, and I never
saw a tree, no matter how rapid in growth —
either evergreen or deciduous — that reached
a diameter of seven feet in v> years.

There may have been a time when White
Pines grew to larger size in New ICngland than
any found there now.

About ten years ago, when investigating the
White Pine around Hanover. N. II.. the
Treasurer of Dartmouth College handed me an
old book. Rev'd Mr. Wheeler or Wheelock
was the author, and made remarkable state-

n

^>:.

^-■>

y'f-S^'fX^'f'

/■,-''^,'

'-'^H'^jk

^^k^-

■^, -

rM

^.:,

'V>1

'i-'^,

2i-_

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

ISO

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Oct.

I,

ments about the size of White Pines at the
time he founded the college.

This was high authority, and no one could
doubt the reverend gentleman believed he was
making a correct statement. But knowing
that the best men are liable to mistakes, and
as fortunately one statement in the book
could be tested, I prevailed on Mr. Chase, the
Treasurer, to allow me to test it.

The book stated positively that the sills of
the building were each a single stick of timber
and the building 150 feet in length.

The only way to examine the sills was to
go into the cellar, which proved to be the
catchall of everything unusable that had accu-
mulated in a century ; but we accomplished it
on a hot summer day, and we were both disap-
pointed, for Mr. Chase expected to find only
one stick of timber, and I expected to find two
splices; the result was, it was only spliced in
the centre, making two sticks of timber each
75 feet long, aside from the splice ; this was
certainly a good showing for the White Pine
of the past century. "

The Survival of the Fittest. — Mrs.
Kellerman pointedly observes that: "Years
ago the return of spring was hailed with
delight, and the first wild flowers were sought
with the keenest of pleasure. The Spring
Beauty, {Claytonia), E}ythro7iium, and blue
violet were my favorites. Often besides gath-
ering bouquets the plants were dug up, taken
home and planted in some nook or corner of a
flower bed. I finally had quite a wild garden,
as they grew and wandered beyond the border
of the flower-bed, making themselves quite at
home in the sod of the lawn, or yard, as we
said then.

"Recently, after an interval of twenty
years, I visited that old door-yard, and what
was my surprise to find that the blue violet
had monopolized it all ! There was absolutely
nothing else. All the flower-beds of twenty
years ago were merged into one great bed of
violets. Not a blade of grass, not a Spring
Beauty nor an Erythronium was to be seen.

"My curiosity as to the reason why the
violet was able to gain so completely the
ascendancy was thoroughly aroused. I found
no blossoms which had perfected seed, though
the plants had bloomed profusely. Pulling
up several bunches I found many of those

peculiar seed pods, which appear as if seeking
concealment at the base of the plant, bending
down towards the roots, quite out of view.

" Now, is it not a little strange, a good sub-
ject for 'speculation,* indeed, that the violet,
in spite of the fact that it produces flowers
abundantly, to which insects have free acccvss,
still produces its seed in this secluded manner
from buds which never open ? These curious
' pods ' are quite abundant and well filled with
seed, and no insect or wind, or outside agency
has anything to do with their pollination.
And since new plants spring from the rhizome
in such prolificacy, why this abundant pro-
duction of seed ?

" Is the plant in a transition state still
uncertain as to which mode of reproduction
will best answer the purpose of perpetua-
tion ? "

These underground flowers are called cleis-
togene ; that is, being born in secret, and occur,
as is now well-known, in many plants, borne
both above and near the ground. They have
disturbed considerably the speculations that
were gaining ground some years ago, that
color and fragrance were assumed by flowers ;
in order to attract insects, and thus insure
cross-fertilization, which on very slim evi-
dence was supposed to be a benefit to the
species of plants. These cleistogene flowers ;
have no petals or odor, but the same plants at
some stages do produce petal bearing flowers ;
and then it was assumed that the plant, tired,
as it were, of in-and-in breeding by these
closed bud seeds, produced some attractive
flowers to get at an " occasional cross." But
this amended speculation has proved faulty,
for it is found they seldom yield any seed.
Even where they do the "occasional cross"
plant would be crowded out, as Mrs. K. well
points out, by the sheer force of numbers. The
Liliputians, weak as they were individually,
were the "fittest "to survive in the battle
with Brobdignag.

Bear Grass. — A correspondent says that in
the South Yucca fila7nentosa is known as Bear
Grass, and that farmers keep a few stalks cul-
tivated in order to use the leaves as strings in
order to hang pork on, — and for other similar
uses. In some cases the plant throws up the
flower stalks ten feet high. Soap can be made
from the roots.

r^'V'' ■>- ;»' l^r ,

r.

h

GENERAL GARDENING.

HAIL TO THE APPLE TREE.

" Here's to thee, old apple tree :
Hence thou may'st bud, and whence thou may'st

blow ;
And whence thou may'st bear apples enow ;
Hats full : caps full :
Bushel, bushel, sacks full,
And my pockets full too : Hurra : "

— Oi,D Bai,i,ad.

Pruning Trees.— A correspondent justly
remarks that amateur gardeners know very
little of pruning and that instructions in this
line would be very desirable. The unfortunate
part of all attempts at these practical lessons
is that in pruning, one must have some object
before he starts, and that this object will vary
continually — not only on various trees, but
with a tree itself— and it is impossible, there-
lore, to give practical lessons in detail without
knowing what particular object one may have
in view. P^or this paragraph, we will say that
one might have fruit trees growing in a com-
paratively small space, and which he, there-
fore, desires to keep dwarf. With this object
in view, a very special system of pruning
would be necessary, and the object would be to
get growing branches nearer to the ground and
not up in the air a long distance, where the
trees would make large, spreading heads. In
order to accomplish this, one has to prune out,
during the summer, most all the strong and
vigorous growths at the apex of the plant, so as
to throw the course of the sap into the branches
near the ground ; for, in a state of nature, the
tendency of the tree is to go up, and to go up as
rapidly as it can, and the upper branches are,
therefore, the strongest, and the lower branches
are the weakest. To cut the strong ones out,
therefore, strengthens the lower ones. It is on
the same principle that we prune hedges.
These we wish to keep low, and for this reason
^he plants are pruned in the summer time.
1 he strong, vigorous branches— the top of the
hedges— being the ones cut out ; and this
throws the sap into the branches near the
ground, thereby strengthening them and mak-
^"g them of equal growth with those at the

apex,— and this work has to be done during
the growing season. If the same kind of
pruning were done in the winter time instead
of the summer, the result would be that the
next spring innumerable strong shoots would
push out where the upper ones are cut off", —
and growing so strong they would absolutely
draw the nourishment from the lower branches.
The pruning has to be done in this case while
the sap is in vigorous circulation, so that the
channel may at once be turned into these lower
branches. One might take up any number of
questions of trees in detail— apples, cherries,
plums, grapes, or whatever it may be — and the
lesson is just the vSame for all of them. If
you want to keep trees dwarf, with abundance
of good growing branches near the ground,
cut out all the strong shoots at the apex during
the growing season. From time to time, we
may give other similar lessons in regard to
other objects of pruning.

A Pretty Wild Garden.— Mrs. Mary E.
Loud, of Chelsea, Mass., has a beautiful wild
garden, which has attracted the commendation
of the Massachusetts Horticultural Societv.
This little garden is 30 feet long by 20 feet
wide, and a strip of 3 feet around the margin,
— and a small patch in the centre being of
grass ; yet in this comparatively small space
Mrs. Loud has growing more than a hundred
species of native plants, and one of the chief
pleasures of her life is in caring for and culti-
vating them. The selection has been so made
that some flowers are in bloom the whole seavSon
of the year, commencing with //epa I ica In loda,
the wild columbine, some of the early crow-
foots, blood roots, and violets, winding up at
the end of the 3'ear with various golden rods
and asters. Some of them are grown expressly
for their rarity, while such common things as
the ox-eye daisy, which, though common, are
yet inexpressively beautiful, find a place in
the collection. A small space is devoted to
ferns — some two dozen of the most interesting
kinds finding a place in the garden.

(151)

1 .

I

It

■'

"S

ii.i

152

MEEHANS* MONTHI*Y--GENERAI. GARDENING.

[Oct.

DouBi^E Spathed Cai,i.a. — The common
calla, or Richardia cethiopica, often has a
double spathe. Mr. A. Blanc sends Meehans*

MoNTHi^Y a case in
which the spotted
calla, R, maculata,
has taken the same
course. These ab-
normal growths are
useful for the lessons
they teach. The
true inflorescence of
the calla is the inside
spike, known as the
spadix. The upper
yellow portion is a
mass of male flow-
ers ; the female flow-
ers are at the base.
But the flower stem
of which this * * spa-
dix *' is the termina-
tion, has been en-
folded by the stalk
of another leaf, and
so closely that no
mark of union is
left. The leaf blade
only was not ab-
sorbed; but as if in
revenge for this close familiarity, the ruling
power in the floral kingdom has forced
this leaf blade to loose its green color at any
rate, and to blanch and pale, as if part of the
real flower. In this instance the union has
not been so complete as in the cases of other
callas, and the outer leaf at the apex has a
more sheath-like appearance.

RICHARDIA MACULATA.
WITH DOUBLE SPATHE.

POPUIvARlTY OF THE CARNATION. — Flowcr

lovers who are growing gray can rememb^-r
how fickle fashion has changed, and often left
some smooth sailing favorite high and dry on
a neglected shore. Take the camellia for
instance. It made the fortune of many a
florist less than half a century ago. Philadel-
phia especially was one of the headquarters for
camellia culture. Any florist had or could
fill at a few hours* notice orders for a thou-
sand plants at a time. Recently an order
came to one for a hundred from a Southern
customer, which could not be filled by the
whole city. How different with the rose and
carnation. The popular love for these has
never failed. Spenser, the great poet of the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, writes:

Bring hither the Pincke and purple CuUambinc,

With Gelliflowers,—
Bring Coronations, and Sops-of-Wine,

Worn of paramours.

It is clear the small bunches of carnations
worn by all who can reach them to-day were
just as popular three hundred years ago, or
long before even that. The carnation is a
flower of the gods — a Dianthus — and will
never die.

EvER-BLOOMING CUMBING ROSES. — RoSCS,

hardy enough to stand considerable frost, and
to serve as climbers are scarce, but one of the
best is Gloire de Dijon. This has often been
known to get through safely when the ther-
mometer has fallen to zero. It is a rapid
grower, and in a few years will cover the gable
of a two-story house. The delicious fragrance
of the tea rose, one of its parents, is abund-
antly displayed. The rose William Allan
Richardson, is said to be a successful competi-
tor with Gloire de Dijon in the old world.
Has any one had good American experience
with it ?

Female Ailantus.— Mr. C. F. Saunders, of
Philadelphia, justly calls attention to the great
beauty of this tree. The male Ailantus first
disgusts by its disagreeable odor, and then the
flowers fall leaving nothing more behind them.
But the female flowers have a rather pleasant
fragrance and are followed by the fruit, which
soon takes on a beautiful golden color. Most
will agree with him that there are few things
more beautiful than the female Ailantus with
its young fruit during the months of August
and September. By the way the name is
Ailantus and not Ailanthus, as frequently
written, the tree being named from the Chinese
*' Allan to.'*

The Cedar of I.ebanon. — A correspondent
from Dayton, Ohio, inquires how far north tlie
Cedar of Lebanon has been known to stand
the rigors of our winters. In Mr. Downing's
time there was a very large specimen at Prince-
ton, N. J. ; no doubt there are good specimens
further north. It would be well to make a
record of them, as these practical experiences
are of great value to planters.

1S93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

153

« I

The Empress Tree. — Mr. George Canby,
of Philadelphia, writes that a recent measure-
ment of the specimen of Paulownia imperialis
in Independence Square, Philadelphia, gives
nine feet in circumference. It will be interest-
ing to know whether there is any larger speci-
mens in America. In Japan they are extremely
valuable forest trees, the wood being used for
similar work to which we should apply our
Lifiodejidron, or Tulip Tree, the wood being
very soft, light and white ; the growth is
extremely rapid. The
specimen referred to was
given by the late Mr.
Robert Buist to the city,
to be planted in its pres-
ent location. He used
to remark with a sad
expression of jocularity
that after having kept a
large number for many
years he became dis-
gusted with its rough-
looking habit. He had
all his fine plants
burned, supposing no
one would care to buy
them; but a year or two
after this ruthless de-
struction of his stock
this one in Independ-
ence Square flowered,
and having such a de-
lightful fragrance and
pale blue blossoms,
there arose a very large
number of inquiries for
the plants which he had
but a year or two before
destroyed.

found in southern Texas by Mr. Pringle, —
this has been named Ti^ridia baccifera. It
has blossomed the present season in the collec-
tion of Mr. F. H. Horsford, of Vermont.

'\

Colorado River Palm. — The Bulletin of
the Royal Horticultural Association of Tuscany
notes that the fine American Palm, Washiug-
tonia filifera^ has borne fruit. This is possibly
the first time it has produced seeds outside of
its native localities.

The Mexican Tiger
Flower.— Possibly one
of the prettiest and most
interesting of the bulbs
that are planted in the
spring is the Mexican
Tiger Flower, Tigridia
Pavonia. Some f e w
years ago one species
was discovered to be a
native of the United
States, having been

'III

fr-

1

<

U'
i

YUCCA BReviFOLIA.--sKS p. i«7.

152

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y — GENERAL GARDENING.

[f^

■3-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

:>j

■'(■.-

I
I

A

Double Spathed C/vlla. — The common
calla, or Richardia crthiopica, often has a
double spathe. Mr. A. Blanc sends Meehans'

Monthly a case in
which the spotted
calla, R. 7naculata,
has taken the same
course. These ab-
normal growths are
useful for the lessons
they teach. The
true inflorescence of
the calla is the inside
spike, known as the
spadix. The upper
yellow portion is a
mass of male flow-
ers ; the female flow-
ers are at the base.
But the flower stem
of which this •* spa-
dix " is the termina-
tion, has been en-
folded by the stalk
of another leaf, and
so closely that no
mark of union is
left. The leaf blade
only was not ab-
sorbed; but as if in
revenge for this close familiarity, the ruling
power in the floral kingdom has forced
this leaf blade to loose its green color at any
rate, and to blanch and pale, as if part of the
real flower. In this instance the union has
not been so complete as in the cases of other
callas, and the outer leaf at the apex has a
more sheath-like appearance.

RICHARDIA MACULATA,
WITH DOUBLE SPATHE.

Popularity oe the Carnation. — Flow
lovers who are growing gray can rememi
how fickle fashion has changed, and often 1
some smooth sailing favorite high and dry ' n
a neglected shore. Take the camellia : r
instance. It made the fortune of many i
florist less than half a century ago. Philadel-
phia especially was one of the headquarters for
camellia culture. Any florist had or couM
fill at a few hours' notice orders for a thou-
sand plants at a time. Recently an order
came to one for a hundred from a Southern
customer, which could not be filled by the
whole city. How different with the rose and
carnation. The popular love for these has
never failed. Spenser, the great poet of the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, writes:

Bring hither the Pincke and purple Cullanibinc,

With Gelliflowers,—
Bring Coronations, and Sops-of-Wine,

Worn of paramours.

It is clear the small bunches of carnations
worn by all who can reach them to-day were
just as popular three hundred years ago, or
long before even that. The carnation is a
flower of the gods — a Dianthus — and will
never die.

Ever-blooming Climbing Roses. — Roses,
hardy enough to stand considerable frost, and
to serve as climbers are scarce, but one of the
best is Gloire de Dijon. This has often been
known to get through safely when the ther-
mometer has fallen to zero. It is a rapid
grower, and in a few years will cover the gable
of a two-story house. The delicious fragrance
of the tea rose, one of its parents, is abund-
antly displayed. The rose William Allan
Richardson, is said to be a successful competi-
tor with Gloire de Dijon in the old world.
Has any one had good American experience
with it ?

Female Ailantus.— Mr. C. F. Saunders, of
Philadelphia, justly calls attention to the great
beauty of this tree. The male Ailantus first
disgusts by its disagreeable odor, and then the
flowers fall leaving nothing more behind them.
But the female flowers have a rather pleasant
fragrance and are followed by the fruit, which
soon takes on a beautiful golden color. Most
will agree with him that there are few things
more beautiful than the female Ailantus with
its young fruit during the months of Augnst
and September. By the way the name -
Ailantus and not Ailanthus, as frequently
written, the tree being named from the Chine: -
*' Ailanto."

The Cedar of I.ebanon. — A corresponderit
from Dayton, Ohio, inquires how far north tl e
Cedar of Lebanon has been known to star.l
the rigors of our winters. In Mr. Downing s
time there was a very large specimen at Prince-
ton, N. J. ; no doubt there are good specimer:^
further north. It would be well to make a
record of them, as these practical experienco.^
are of great value to planters.

The Empress Tree. — Mr. George Canby,
•f Philadelphia, writes that a recent measure-
ment of the specimen of Pa2ilownia imperialis
\\\ Independence Scjuare, Philadelphia, gives
nine feet in circumference. It will be interest-
ing to know whether there is any larger speci-
mens in America. In Japan they are extremely
valuable forest trees, the wood being used for
similar work to which we should apply our
IJriodeiidroii, or Tulip Tree, the wood being
very soft, light and white ; the growth is
extremely rapid. The
specimen referred to was
.u:iven by the late Mr.
Robert Buist to the city,
to be planted in its pres-
ent location. He used
to remark with a sad
expression of jocularity
that after having kept a
large number for many
years he became dis-
gusted with its rough-
looking habit. He had
all his fine plants
burned, supposing no
one would care to buy
them; but a year or two
after this ruthless de-
struction of his stock
this one in Independ-
ence Square flowered,
and having such a de-
lightful fragrance and
pale blue blossoms,
there arose a very large
number of inquiries for
the plants which he had
but a year or two before
destroyed.

found in southern Texas by Mr. Pringle, —
this has been named 'Ji'oyidia baccifera. It
has blossomed the jpresent season in the collec-
tion of Mr. F. H. Ilorsford, of Vermont.

Colorado River Palm. — The Bulletin of
the Royal Horticultural Association of Tuscany
notes that the fine American Palm, Washiui:,-
tonia filifera, has borne fruit. This is possibly
the first time it has produced seeds outside of
its native localities.

The Mexican Tiger
Flower.— Possibly one
of the prettiest and most
interesting of the bulbs
that are planted in the
spring is the ^lexican
1'iger Flower, Tigridia
Pavonia. Some few
years ago one species
was discovered to be a
native of the United
States, having been

\\

YUCCA BREVIFOLIA.--8CK ^.14:

W^'^- ■ - ■

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

154

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Oct.

KcELREUTERiA PANicuLATA. — Miss Fay
writes that this beautiful small tree is per-
fectly hardy at Falmouth, Mass. We have an
impression that it is one of the hardiest of
Japan trees, and no doubt will be found to
endure winters much further north. It will
be worth noting that the flowers, like so many
trees, are more or less bi-sexual, some trees
having flowers wholly barren, while others are
abundantly fertile. They also vary as to time
of blooming. In the Meehan Nurseries is a
group composed of six trees, which have all
grown up closely together. There is as much
difference as one month between the time of
the earliest and the latest to bloom. Every
one admires a beautiful golden sunset, and the
Koelreuteria in full blossom has nearly as
attractive a representation of this beautiful
scene as it is possible for even a skilful artist
to produce.

Planting Potted Strawberries.— A not
uncommon fault in planting strawberries,
whether they are plants from runners direct
from the ground, or whether they are potted
plants, is to set the crown too deep,— if the
crown is set an inch or even less beneath the
surface, it is almost sure to rot. Many set
them so that a good portion of the leaf stalks
are covered as well as the crown. This is not
only true with strawberries, but of many
plants which have a similar habit of growth.
Even such an easily growing plant as the
blackberry or the raspberry will rot when set
too deep. There is a bud at the base of the
cane from which a new plant is to spring ; and
if this bud is buried too far beneath the sur-
face, just as in the case of the strawberry,
it will rot. Plants of this character should be
set so that the bud itself is barely beneath the
surface,— but very great care should be taken
to press the earth very tight about the roots.
It is literally true that the earth should be
hammered in about plants when with light
roots of this character.

Protection of Half Hardy Plants in
Winter.— A correspondent of Reading, Pa.,
endeavored to protect Magnolia gra?idiflora by
tying long straw about it and then tying
this straw with coarse sacks. All the leaves
subsequently dropped off of them when mak-
ing new growth. Trees of similar character

do not want clOvSe protection of this kind — but
simply to be sheltered from the sun and cold
winds — the atmosphere is rather an advantage
to them. There are quite a number of very
fine specimens of this Magnolia in the city
yards and gardens of Philadelphia and vicin-
ity that get no protection at all but what the
surrounding buildings afford. The sun does
not shine on them long in the winter, and the
cold winds are effectually kept from them.

Campanula Mariesii.— One of our prettiest
border plants is the Campamda gra?idiflora.
There are two varieties, white and purple. It
is an admirable plant for cutting, as the
leathery flowers continue a long while without
withering. It is popular with florists on this
account. A new species. Campanula Mariesii,
has been introduced from Japan, and flowered
for the first time on our grounds this season.
The leaves and flowers seem very much like
the well known form we have referred to ; but
the plant is quite dwarfish in its habits, not
growing more than a foot high, while the
other species is well adapted to the back part
of a border, growing as it does several feet in
height. The new introduction will be valuable
for placing in positions near the front of the
beds.

Improvement in Bulb Gardens. — There
are a number of herbaceous plants which
flower in spring almost as early as the tulip,
the hyacinth, and other plants known as
German bulbs ; and when these herbaceous
plants are used as bordering for the tulip beds.
or in other w^ays, in connection with the culti-
vation of these flowers, the effect is said to be
quite unique. It certainly adds very largely
to the varied pleasures which the cultivation of
flowers gives.

Improved C annas. — The great popularity
of the Canna for tropical effects in our north-
ern flower gardens during the summer has
led many florists to take especial interest in
producing new and improved varieties. One
of these experimenters who have achieved
remarkable success is Mr. J. C. Vaughan, of
Western Springs, near Chicago. He raises
Canna plants in immense quantities, and has
produced, among seedlings, many remarkable
and valuable varieties.

1^03.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

155

Cutting Back Evergreen Hedges. — Mr.
Joseph Dougherty, of New Castle, Del., in-
quires whether it would be safe to cut down an
arbor vitae which has grown too large, being
now twenty feet high. An evergreen of this
character can safely be cut down as low as may
be desirable, providing some evergreen foliage
is left to give the plant a start. No plants suf-
fer so much the loss of foliage as evergreens,
—and in all pruning, whether the plants are
growing in hedges or singly, it must always be
kept in mind that some healthy green branches
are to be left, — otherwise the trees will die.

HaxctING Baskets. — These are nice attrac-
tions for rooms, and are especially desirable for
suspending under trees in summer time. But
they dry out rapidly, and should be soaked for
some minutes in a bucket of water two or
three times a week. One of the best plants
for summer flowering in such baskets is the
Bhie Lobelia. It likes a little shade with
cool soil to do well, and this it gets in
baskets suspended on the tree branches.

The Morel.— Mrs. Seligman, of Hartford,
notes that she used to buy them fresh in
the spring, presumably in Europe, where peo-
ple gathered them in hilly forests of oak and
birch. They are readih' found by their pecu-
liar aromatic scent. They are sold, she says,
in every first-class grocery, both in the fresh
and dry state. A friend of hers reports that
they are tolerably abundant at Homer, Cham-
paign Co., 111.

Bedding Fuchsias. — A dwarf and compara-
tively hardy race of Fuchsias is being devel-
">ped in the old world ffom the species known
is Fuchsia Riccattoni. The dwarf forms are
^ot much more than a foot high, and the
plants bloom all summer. In our country
they would require damp, cool and shady situ-
ations to thrive well.

Magnolia Thompsoniana. — This is one of
the late flowering Magnolias. It is said to
l>e a hybrid between M. grandijlora and the
^^^iig?iolia glauca, but there is no indication of
any other species being mixed with it. It is
J^ist as sweet as Magnolia glauca, but comes
into bloom a little earlier than the normal
form.

f iqiTS SSS ¥E^ETi^PLES.

Protecting Vegetables in the Winter
Season. — It does not seem to be generally
known that light in the winter time is the
chief agent in the destruction of vegetables,
otherwise hardy ; and especially light shining
brightly on the plant when frozen. A cabbage
or turnip that is exposed to the light rots
readily, but will keep perfectly- sound if but
slightly covered with earth. This principle
should be remembered when collecting vege-
tables together in large masses for protection.
It is often customary to cover such sets of veg-
etables with some light material, such as
leaves, hay, or straw, the result of which gen-
erally is simply to form a harbor for mice,
which is much more destructive than the frost
itself. Water has, of course, to be excluded,
and if the vegetable plants are set closely
together and covered with boards to keep out
the rain, it is generally all that is required.
Water must be excluded, or else rotting may
result. For this purpose it is good practice to
invert vegetables at times ; the cabbage espec-
ially must receive this attention. They are
almost always inverted when placed together
under boards, or covers for protection, and, in
fact, where no covering at all is used they
will keep perfectly well when inverted.

Manure for Fruit Trees. — There are two
methods of manuiing, one spreading it on the
surface, and the other plowing or digging it
in. As the result of long experience it is
found that much better results are achieved by
surface manuring than b}- the other method.
In fruit trees, especially, this has been found
to be the case. The top dressing should be
applied as soon in the spring as the frost is
gone, or, at least, in time to get the benefit of
the spring rains, which carry the fertilizing
material a little way beneath the surface of the
soil.

RAsriiERRV Culture. — Prof Fred W. Card,
Cornell University Kxperiment Station, Ithaca,
N. Y., is making an especial study of the
Blackberry and Raspberry, both in their history
and culture, and any one in possession of any
special fact would be thanked for the informa-
tion and get due credit when the paper is pub-
lished.

f^

f-

■ii

;)•

■H'

156

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING,

[Oct,

':

M

/ '*

1

■ I,
I' I

f

•1 -

l«P

Experiment with Wild Potato.— Mr.
T. Wheeler, of Moscow, Vt., says: — "Your
last statement, ♦ New growth could not possi-
bly come from the old interior wood,' brought
to my mind one particular experiment which I
tried with wild potatoes three and two years
since. In digging these potatoes I found one
very sound potato (an old one of the previous
year's growth) which I thought to save over
and plant the next spring and see if it would
%rovf 2i second Q.roy. * * ^^ spring I carefully
planted it, sticking a stake on each side of it.
In due time it came up and grew vigorously all
the season.

In digging this hill, in the fall, I found 125
potatoes in number. Of course some, yes,
many of them, were very small.

It seems that this potato had life left in it
after producing one crop.

I have been experimenting with these pota-
toes for eight years, then taken from the moun-
tains of Mexico in their wild state.

I had hoped to raise up a healthy potato, free
from disease, but I am getting discouraged, for
I am beginning to think that one man would
not live long enough to accomplish the desired
result as to size.

As yet they show no signs of disease. No
potato bugs will touch them. In all their
growth from spring to fall no person can
guess what they are. If you should take any
notice of this in your Monthly, please give
your opinion as to the poisonous nature of
these potatoes.

Would you have any fears in cooking and
eating these potatoes ? ' '

[Mr. Wheeler's note was not paged, and it
would seem where the asterisks are placed
something is missing, but that part evidently
describes that the roots are persistent. Still
the law does not vary even here. It is the
exterior layer of cells only that carry on the
life processes.

This "Wild Potato" is probably the com-
mon Ipomcea pandutata, a great enemy of the
cultivator and the roots of which, enlarging
from year to year, sometimes get as large as
some human beings, and get the common name
of '• man of the earth "—roots in this popular
sense meaning tubers. The sweet potato is
closely allied to it, and so is the plant from
which "Jalap " is produced. There seems no
reason why the roots should not be wholesome

1S93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

157

when properly cooked, — but one must do, as
the original man did with everything found to
be good, try a very little first, which can do no
harm, — and then eat more when no bad results
follow the little taken.]

'i W^

Preservation of Cabbage in the Win-
ter.— A correspondent of the "Lyon Horti-
cole," an excellent French magazine, refers
with approval to the common American prac-
tice of preserving cabbages by placing them
upside down, and then covering them with
just enough earth to prevent the sun from
affecting them. Frost in darkness does not
injure the leaves ; while the inversion prevents
chance of water getting in to rot the heads.
The roots, of course, are above the ground ;
but this makes no difference. It is one of the
easiest and best methods of preserving this
vegetable during the winter. If the earth is
not very thickly spread on, say not more than
an inch or two, it is easily cracked by a light
blow, so that there is no difi&culty in getting
out the heads in the severest weather.

Zinc Labels. — Some years ago the Garden-
ers' Monthly made the public acquainted with
the fact that an ordinary lead pencil used on
zinc makes an indelible mark, and since then
zinc labels written in this way are among the
most approved for trees of permanent char-
acter. Although not clear, the writing is
legible for many years. The zinc label may
be in the form of a triangle and the narrow
portions coiled around a branch. It requires
uncoiling every few years ; otherwise it will
grow into the bark.

The Deacon Cherry. — It does not seem so
very, very long ago, since the writer of this
paragraph sent the first Cherry trees to Cali-
fornia. They had to make a long voyage
round to get there. Now the fruit growers of
the State can not only raise their own Cherry
trees, but have new varieties from the seeds
they have raised. The Deacon, a variety
raised by the W. R. Strong Company, of
Sacramento, is said to be in the way of the
Black Tartarian, but is ten days later.

Vitality of Seeds.— Seeds vary in vital
power of one sample, a seed may live one, two
or three years. The earliest to ripen die first.

Management of Orchards. — It is con-
ceded that orchards are the best managed
when the surface of the ground is not dis-
turbed ; but this depends on various condi-
tions. For instance, if the ground is compara-
tively poor and a large crop of hay is expected,
without any fertilizing, it is impossible for
the trees to keep in good condition. Trees
require food as well as grass, and it is impos-
sible, besides unreasonable to expect two full
crops from the same ground. Where, there-
fore, grass is grown under orchards, it has to
be kept low in some manner, or else heavy
dressings of fertilizers
applied. Where sheep
can be employed to keep
the grass down,
orchards are more suc-
cessfully managed than
in any other way. In
addition to the advant-
age of keeping the grass
cropped, is the fact that
the animals eat the
wormy apples, and in
this way destroy a large
amount of insect larvae.
Where sufficient fertili-
zers for top dressing
cannot be obtained,
rather than have a
heavy crop of grass or
weeds, it is much better
to keep the surface har-
rowed or even plowed.
Any one who may have
had the opportunity of
seeing a fruit tree on a
lawn where the grass is
-'ept constantly mown,

will not need any other lesson to show the
advantage of not disturbing the soil, as it is
so often done by people who use the plow
among the trees.

successful fruit south of the Potomac river,
except in the mountains and cool regions. All
along the Allegheny range they thrive admir-
ably, quite as well as in the famous apple
regions of western New York ; but when we
get into the lower lands, where a long and
comparatively high summer temperature pre-
vails, the apple would never be looked upon as
a desirable orchard fruit by those who were
looking to profit from fruit culture.

The Starr Apple. — An apple equal to the
famous White Doctor in the latter's special

The Best Country for Apples. — It is
'^aid that California will never get the fame in
apple culture which has followed its experi-
<?nce with other fruits. This is natural ; the
apple is a native of cool and comparatively
northern regions. It has never been able to
adapt itself to warm countries. Even in the
Bastern States the apple is not a particularly

THE STARR APPLE.

(Full size.)
Ripe near Philadelphia the end of July and beginning of August.

good qualities, and yet a month earlier, as
presented by the "Starr," seemed deserving
of an illustration, but it could not be gotten
ready for the paragraph which appeared in the
last issue. The engraving is full size from the
specimen received from Mr. Parry.

Wine Making in America.— Mr. Elwood
Johnson, of Germantown, Philadelphia, has a
bottle of wine made in 1760, from American
species of grapes, which is probably the oldest
sample of native wine in America. The Frost
grape was probably used.

¥■ i

I

:l

!

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

1 1

AUTUMN IvOVB.

True lyove is but a humble, low-born thing,

* * ^- -x- * *

Which, when our Autumn cometh, as it must,

And life in the chill wind shivers bare and leafless,

Shall still be blest with Indian-summer youth

In bleak November; and, with thankful heart,

Smile on its ample stores of garnered fruit.

As full of sunshine to our aged eyes

As when it nursed the blossoms of our spring.

Nkhrling's *' Our Native Birds of Song
AND Beauty." — A caustic writer once said of
a class he disliked, " had they a hand in the
creation of the v^rorld not a flovi;er would have
been made to bloom nor a bird be allowed to
sing." It so happened that there are no
warmer lovers of birds and flowers than those
the critic was angered at. The love of both is
innate in the human race, and the love of both
go together. To the readers of Meehans'
Monthly no recommendation of such a beau-
tiful and scholarly work as Nehrling's ''Our
Native Birds of Song and Beauty," will be
necessary. It will stand in all libraries side
by side with the best illustrated works on nat-
ural history that this country has produced.
The second volume, to complete the first, now
presented, will soon be issued. There will be
thirty-six colored plates of American birds, a
number of species being presented on a single
plate. The whole is to be issued in sixteen
parts, with, in addition to the colored plates,
forty to forty-eight pages of reading matter
relating to the birds described. Mr. H. Nehr-
ling, the author, is connected with the Public
Museum of Milwaukee, and the well-known
Milwaukee book firm of Geo. Brumder is the
publisher. The subscription price is $15. The
first volume, beautifully bound, is now ready ;
price, $11.

Robert Cornelius. — Amateur horticultur-
ists have lost a devoted and successful friend in
Robert Cornelius, formerly of the well-known
Philadelphia firm of Cornelius & Baker, — the
firm who built the bronze stair-railing in the

(158)

Capitol building at Washington. He was
always in the advance in every improvement, —
and the writer of this well remembers his enthu-
siasm in exhibiting an appliance to light all the
gas lamps in a large hall by merely turning on
an electric screw. This was thought to be the
great wonder of the world in its time, — but he
lived to see far greater advancements than
this as soon as the dynamo was constructed.
In horticulture he was especially famous for
his successful cultivation of fruits. Pears,
especially, were a great favorite with hini.
He was always on the alert for new methods of
culture, not so much for hitnself, — but because
he felt in this way he was advancing the
pleasures of horticulture. He was the inventor
of a propagating pot, which for a long time
was quite popular with successful florists. He
also was the inventor of a method of grafting
the grape from green wood, which was partic-
ularly successful and yet extremely simple.
For many years he was one of the strongest
supports of the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society when it was to a great extent the admi-
ration of the whole union. He was born on
the first of March, 1809, and died on the loth of
August last.

Botany in the West. — The report of the
Professor of Botany in the University of Michi-
gan, Dr. W. J. Beal, shows a wonderful
advance in the popularity of botanical study
in that section of our country. The herb-
arium, especially, is now believed to be one of
the best in the Union, while Dr. Beal is
recognized as one of the foremost of botanical
instructors. Very much depends on the per-
sonality of a teacher of science, — some have
the ability to attract students to studies that
very often seem hard, but the good teacher
renders the pathway so pleasant that supposed
difficulties soon disappear. The late Dr. Gray
was one of these exceptionally attractive
men, — Dr. Beal is a student of Dr. Gray's,
and seems to have imbibed the geniality of Dr.
Gray with high botanical attainments.

IS93-]

meehans' monthly — biography and literature.

159

t f . .^

George S. Conover. — Mr. George S.
Conover, the eminent historian of the Indians
of Geneva, is one of that city's patrons of
Qfardening. A recent issue of the Geneva
Review has an appreciative notice of Mr.
Conover's garden work. He is especially fond
o{ wild flowers, and has a number of the rarer
kinds in cultivation. One of his chief pleas-
ures is in giving away to his friends and
neighbors his surplus plants. He has over
fifty varieties of Preonies, and forty of Daffo-
dils. Dead trees are utilized by planting
around them various forms of flowering vines.
One of the finest illustrations of the value of
the Japan ivy,— the Ampelopsis Veitchii—iohe
seen in America, is growing over Mr. Cono-
ver's house. He uses these plants as a sort of
ladder up which very delicate plants may
climb. Clematises and other flowering plants
are set out with the ivy, and they all grow up
in harmony together. This is an excellent
idea which may be largely improved by the
readers of Meehans' Monthly.

Sir John Bennet Lawes.— 7^/r^ Coiuitry
Gentlemeri of August 24th gives us a picture
of this great man, for surely if anyone has a
right to this honorable designation it is Sir
John Bennet I.awes. There have been numer-
ous men eminent in practical gardening, and
some who are as prominent in the science as
well as art ; but Lawes has united science and
practice to such an eminent degree, that he
has the satisfaction of seeing the good results
of his work in his own lifetime; while usually
such work as this is scarcely apparent until
after the workers are gone. One point, how-
ever, may be remarked that Sir John is now in
bis eightieth year, so there has been abundant
time for the fruition of the seed which he early
sowed.

Science. — This monthly serial is now in its
eleventh year, and deserves the hearty support
of those who value general intelligence. The
world is only just coming to appreciate the
value of exact knowledge, which is simply
^vhat science means. ''What good?" has
become a stale query. Lovers of flowers es-
pecially laugh at the question. What good is
the geranium growing in an old tomato can to
the poor woman who so sedulously watches
over it.? Human pleasure and human knowl-

edge are closer than Siamese twins. Science
should have a growing subscription list. It is
published weekly by N. D. C. Hodges, New
York, at $3.50 per year.

The Asa Gray Bulletin.— It has come to
be an acknowledged principle that the value
of a magazine does not consist in its size,
so much as in brief and well considered state-
ments of facts. The Asa Gray Bulletin is a
good exemplification of this, — although small
in its number of pages, it abounds with facts
about wild flowers and botany in general, that
we could not find in larger or more preten-
tious works. It is the official organ of The
Gray Memorial Botanical Chapter of the
Agassiz Association.

It is not saying too much that even the
most intelligent amateur or professional botan-
ist will find it a great aid in botanical study.

Applications for membership in t^e Associa-
tion can be made to C. L. Shear, Alcove, N. Y.

Frederick Law Oi.msted. — Landscape
gardening in America owes gratitude to Mr.
Olmsted, one of our popular landscape garden-
ers, well known in connection with Central
Park, New York, and who has devoted his
whole life to this art. Numerous illustrations
of the value of his work are around us every-
where, and particularly the work in connection
with the Columbian exhibit, which in many
cases leave on the minds of visitors to the
exhibition more lasting impressions of pleasure
than anything else seen there. It will gratify
all lovers of true art in gardening to learn that
Harvard has conferred the honors of an LL. D.
on Mr. Olmsted.

Francls Park man. — This excellent ama-
teur horticulturist is now in his eighty-first
year. Few men have enjoyed the pleasure of
gardening more than he. His recreation has
been among his garden and flowers. Some
branches of gardening he has made an especial
study, especially in connection with the im-
provement of lilies, one beautiful variety —
Lilinyn Parkmani h^\\\% named in his honor.
All intelligent Americans will wish a long life
to the author of •'Pioneers of France in the
New World, " one of the most fascinating his-
torical works ever written.

j'

VK

■ i

j i.

"I

GENERAL NOTES.

Destruction of Forests through Christ-
mas Trees. — The newspapers are frequently
very pathetic over the enormous destruction of
forests, caUvSfcd by the annual sales of Christ-
mas trees. As trees are, in any form, valuable
only for the pleasure which humanity can
derive from them, there seems to be no more
reason why they may not be sacrificed for this
pleasure when comparatively young, as for floor
boards when they reach maturer years. The
satisfaction which thousands of young folks
receive from the Christmas tree is a full com-
pensation for its destruction ; and aside from
this, as any one knows who may have visited
northern forests, the trees usually are far too
close together ever to form first-class timber.
Spruce and Firs may be seen growing
together as thick as wheat in the grain field;
and to expect timber from such closely grow-
ing specimens is entirely out of the question, —
hence the trees may be cut from the young
northern forests without operating against full
grown forest trees eventually.

Condensation. — While some of our co-tem-
poraries are boasting of their immense size —
one priding itself on 115 pages, — Meehans*
Monthly is setting the example of condensa-
tion. Life is now too short for long reading.
The conductors believe as much is given in
the sixteen pages of this magazine as could be
spread over 50.

Martindale Herbarium. — A life of hard
work and abundant cash, joined with high
botanical attainments, can only found a great
herbarium. Happy is the young student who
finds one ready formed for him. Mr. Isaac C.
Martindale's — one of the finest in America —
is to be sold before the end of the year. It has
been valued at $10,000. Mrs. M. has been
asking only $8000 for it. As it must be sold it
might be well for parties desiring to secure
this prize to offer what they think they can
afford. Her address is Penn street above
Third, Camden, N. J.

(160)

Plant Names. — Botanical authors have been
at war about plant names. One of the old
canons of botany prescribes that the oldest
names that have been accompanied by clear
descriptions should be adopted. It now appears
that this has not always been done. To enforce
this rule in relation to what has been done the
past hundred years would demand the chang-
ing of thousands of names. Authors of local
works are everywhere changing the names, as
they discover some prior one, until botanists
have come not to know what his neighbor is
talking about. Meehans' Monthly has
taken the ground that it is the best on the
whole to follow some ably edited lexicon,
just as in some literary squabble we would let
Webster or Worcester have the casting vote.
It is very pleasant to note that under the lead
of so able and eminent a botanist as Prof.
Trelease, the Society of American Florists has
adopted this view. Nicholson's Dictionary is
named as their standard for plant names.

i.

¥

>•♦

Thanks. — The thanks of Meehans' Month-
ly are due to Mr. P.J. Berckmans, of Augusta,
Ga., for kindly notice in his beautiful cata-
logue just issued. Mr. Berckmans was among
the first of the more intelligent members of
the nursery trade to welcome the magazine,
and the continued regard is appreciated.

i

I I

Blue Stone and Copperas. — To save con-
fusion it is well to state that when one asks
in the drug store for "Copperas " he gets
sulphate of iron. If the article for copper
solutions is required, •' Blue Stone " is to be
ordered. The name copperas is misleading
and often gets writers into trouble.

The Next Plate. — As there will yet be
many species of the great order Compositoe in
bloom during November, it will help in their
study to give for our next illustration a
picture oi Prenayithes alba.

^i\

I !^'l•::

■.^?r???^?*^

PRENANTHES ALBA.

LION'S FOOT.

r..

NATURAIv ORDER, COMPOSIT.^.

PRKXANTHES ALBA, IviNN.??us.-Stem rather stout, purplish and glaucous, two or three to five or six feet high
smooth, sometimes nearly simple, often much branched ; leaves two to six or eight inches long, and often as wide as
ong, varying from triangular-hastate to palmate -lobed and pinnatifid, the radical ones large- petioles from four
to eight or ten inches long ; heads purplish, eight to twelve flowered, florets ochroleucous, often with a purple tinge
/V"v!J ^^^ ""^'ot ''''^"^' .^^^V' Darlington's Flora Cestrica. See also (iray's Manual of the Botany oftkeNorthcrn
United States, Chapman's Flora of the Southern United States, and Wood's Class-Book of Botany ) '

•]|

The species now illustrated may be classed
among the distinguished Americans, having
had honor among the Indian races long before
it was drawn to the attention of the white man.
It was one of the first to attract the notice of
the botanists of the old world. The " Botani-
cal Magazine" tells us it was first introduced
to the gardens at Kew in 1778, but it was well
known, at least from dried specimens, if not in
actual cultivation, long before this. Plukenet,
an old English author, gives a drawing of it,
and says it was introduced by the Rev. John
Banister, who sent plants from Virginia to
Ray in 1680, or near a hundred years prior to
the date fixed for the appearance of the plant
in the Kew collection. In those days it was
classed with Sonchus or milk-thistles, and in
these early times when there was but one name
ior a genus, and the species distinguished only
by a long string of adjectives, we find it des-
cribed first by John Josselyn in his "New
-England Rarities" as Sonchus 7iova-a7iglicus,
• n later works as Sonchus Marianus, Sonchus
yhginia7ius, Sonchus Flofidanus, and so on;

hat is to say. New England milk-thistle, or
H irginia, Maryland or Florida milk - thistle.

t was seen to vary very much, even in those

ays, and we have various subdivisions, not
^o quote the original Latin, as "the Florida

nilk-thistle with the leaves like an arrow ; "
"Florida milk-thistle with the leaves like a
turnip, " "Florida milk-thistle with the leaves
^'ke a sassafras" and so on. Even in later
^•mes, when a better knowledge of the plant
Hid its power to vary had been obtained, the
^uU extent of the variations have not been per-
^<?ived, and thus w^ehave now many synonyms
^vhich have been given to some of these varia-
tions, under the impression that they were dis-

tinct species. Even so recently as the time of
Pursh, 1814, there is in his " Flora of North
America" described, Prenanthes alba, Prcn-
anthes ruhicunda, and Prcuauthes serpent ana,
as distinct species, but which are now re-
garded as mere forms of the first named one.
How much the plant varies could be readily
understood if the reader could see with the
writer of this, four pictures before him which
have been made of this plant. The earliest
one by Plukenet has a panicle of flowers some-
w^hat corymbosely branched, that is, flattened
at the top, and the heads rather few flowered —
in these respects agreeing with our plate, but
while ours has the leaves all entire, Plukenet's
is very much divided. The " Botanical Maga-
zine" has a form that must be but seldom
seen ; the flowers are made to appear almost
horizontal, looking at us as it were, instead of
hanging on slender pedicels, as in our plate,
and having the large white ligule bent so far
back over the bright rosy involucral scale, as
to look almost like the famous daisy flower
of the poets. Then there is Pursh's illustra-
tion, which has the flowers much as in ours,
only they are arranged more wand - like,
while the leaves are deeply divided into
numerous irregular lobes.

Not only has there been difliculty in distin-
guishing the species, there have also been doubts
as to the proper limits of the genus. We have
seen that Linn^uus and his contemporaries re-
garded our plant as a Prenanthes. In 1S17,
Rafinesque believed some of the species had
the pappus feather}-, while those generally
seen had the pappus bristly. On this he pro-
posed to erect a new genus under the name of
Esopon. This was not acceptable to other
botanists. In 1825, Cassini made another at-

(161)

i-

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

PRENANTIIES ALIU.

LION'S FOOT.

h

NATURAL ORDKR, COMPOSIT.I;.

•ki.NAXTHES ALI5A, Li NNKT'S.— Stem rather stout, purplish aud sr'auous. two or tlireo lo fiv.- .,• .'x •. , i '^■.•h
smooth, sometimes nearly simple, often mucli branched; leave, tuo to >ix or ci^ht inches Ion- and often .i. wide'as
()nK,varyinKrfromtrian8:ular-hastatetopahnate-lobed ancl pinnatifid, the radical ones Iar<;e- peliole> tr-ni four
to eight or ten inches long : heads purplish, ei-ht to twelve flowered, florets ochn.leucous. oft--!, witli a p::r;.I,- tin-e
/•". 5 c'^'^'^^'A-^, '^^^"'-^. /rom Darlinoton's F/ota Crs/nr,7. See also C.rav's .\Ai,i;ui/ of thr Jintaux ■ 'th/ \: < -h > ,,
I nitrct .Stairs, Chapman s J-'lora of the Sont/tnn i'tntrd States, and \V<.od"s t'A; --/.'. ' --" I^nuifv •

The species now illustrated may be classed
iUKMig the distinguished Americans, having
iiad honor among the Indian races long before
it was drawn to the attention of the white man.
It was one of the first to attract the notice of
the botanists of the old world. The " Botani-
cal Magazine" tells us it was first introduced
to the gardens at Kew in 1778, but it was well
known, at least from dried specimens, if not in
actual cultivation, long before this. Plukenet,
u!i old P'nglish author, gives a drawing of it,
ih1 says it was introduced by the Rev. John
.mister, who sent plants from Virginia to
Ka\' in 1680, or near a hundred years prior to

. r

e date fixed for the appearance of the plant

:i the Kew collection. In those days it was
lassed with So ?ic/nis or milk-thistles, and in

-lese early times when there was but one name
T a genus, and the species distinguished only
V a long string of adjectives, we find it des-
:ibed first by John Josselyn in his "New
ngland Rarities" as So?ir/i//s noihi-aui^iicits,
later works as Sonc/ms Marianus, So7uhus
itginianus, Sonchiis Fhnidanus, and so on;

• :at is to say. New England milk-thistle, or

irginia, Maryland or Florida milk - thistle.

was seen to vary ver}- much, even in those

Vys, and we have various subdivisions, not

' quote the original Latin, as " the Florida

ilk-thistle with the leaves like an arrow ; "

Morida milk-thistle with the leaves like a

nnip," - Florida milk-thistle with the leaves

^e a sassafras" and so on. Even in later

nies, when a better knowledge of the plant

"id its power to var}' had been obtained, the
H extent of the variations have not been per-
sved, and thus we have now man}' synonyms

^ liioh have been given to some of these varia-
•ns, under the impression that they were dis-

tinct species. Even so recently as the time of
Piirsh. 1814. there is in his " Mora of North
America" described. PtrnaN flics alba, Prcn-
a)itJies ntbiciLnda, and Pmiafithcs m') poitaria,
as distinct si)ecies. but which are now re-
garded as mere forms oi the first named one.
Plow much the j^lant varies could be leadily
understood if the reader could see with the
writer of this, fnir pictures before him which
have been made of this j)lant. The earliest
one by Plukenet has a i)anicle of llowers some-
what corymbosely branched, tliat is, llattened
at the top, and tlie heads rather few tlowered —
in these respects agreeing with our plate, but
while ours has the leaves all entire, Plukenet's
is verv much divided. The "Botanical Ma^ra-
zine" has a form that must be but seldom
seen ; the flowers are made to appear almost
horizontal, looking at us as it were, instead of
hanging on slender pedicels, as in our plate,
and having the large white ligule bent so far
back over the bright ros\' involucral scale, as
to look almost like the famcnis daisy fiower
of the poets. Then there is Pursh's illustra-
tion, which has the flowers much as in ours,
only they are arranged more wand - like,
while the leaves are dee])ly divided into
numerous irregular lobes.

Not only has there been difiiciilty in distin-
guishing thespecies. there havealsol)een doui)ts
as to the j)roper limits of the genus. \\"e have
seen that Linn;eus and his contcm])oraries re-
garded our ])lant as a PrcnantJics. In 1^17,
Rafinesque believed some of tlu- sjK-cics had
the pappus feathery, while tlp'Se geneially
seen had the pap|)us bristly. < Mi this he pro-
posed to erect a new genus under the name of
F.sopon. This was not acceptable to other
botanists. In \'^2.^, Cassini made another at-

l62

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— PRENANTHES ALBA.

L^^

tempt to divide the genus. Some have but
three to five flowers in a head, but four to six
leaves in the involucre, and the style but little
protruded beyond the anthers. Those with
these and some other slight characters were
left as Prenanthes. But there were others with
five to twenty flowers in a head, eight to ten
leaves in the involucre, and the style very
much exserted. These were arranged as
another genus, which he named Nababis.

The original name Prenanthes, is derived
from two Greek words, prenes drooping, and
anthos flower, so many species having pendent
blossoms. Nabalus, in like manner, seems to
have been suggested by the appearance of the
leaves of many species which are, as already
noted, often lyrate or lyre-like, nabla being a
Greek word for harp. At the time of writing
this chapter, our plant will be found under
Nabalus in all American works, but more re-
cent European authors have abandoned the
genus, and referred the species back to the
original Prenanthes, and our plant is now
Pre?ia7ithes alba.

From a geographical standpoint it might be
regretted that good botanical characters could
not be found for the separate names, as all the
species ranged under the name of Prenanthes
are European or Asiatic, while Nabalus are
all American.

The plant seems to have been popular as a
medicine with the Indian races. Many Indian
remedies have proved no more efficacious than
the remedies of the white man, but it is worth
noting that much credit has been given to
this plant for its virtues, by many modem
observers. Pursh was so impressed with its
value, that he gave a drawing of it in his
** Flora of North America," and says : •' this
plant is known by the inhabitants under the
name of * Lion's foot,' and is in high esteem
as a specific in curing the bite of the rattle-
snake. During my travels through the moun-
tains of Virginia, I had the opportunity of be-
ing a witness of the efficacy of this remedy.
A man living in Cove Mountains, near the
Sweet Springs, was bit in the foot by a
mocassin snake, a species considered the
most dangerous. An inflammation and swel-
ling of his whole leg took place immediately,
but by taking the milky juice of this plant

boiled in milk, inwardly, and applying to I
wound the steeped leaves, which were w v
frequently changed, he was cured in a f ( \
days. As this plant deserves the attention or
the physician, I have given a figure of it, it be
ing frequently confounded with another species
of this genus, which probably may not have
as strong an effect, as the inhabitants are very
careful to have the true Lion's-foot, in case of
accidents happening, and usually call the other
species of Prena7ithes "False Lion's - foot."
Gronovius in his "Flora," page 113, men-
tions Dr. Witt's Snake-root under Prenanthes
autumnalis or Willdenow's rnbicunda, as a
remedy for the bite of the rattlesnake ; which
shows that he had information of the use made
of this plant, though he did not know the
genuine species. In the Bayiksiana Herbarium
is a specimen of Prenanthes rtibicunda with the
following note in the hand-writing of Clayton :
"This is the rattlesnake root that Dr. Witt
supposes to be the best cure for the bite of the
snake ; a very odd plant, hardly two leaves
alike upon a plant as to the shape or the in-
dentings of the leaves." In regard to Pursh's
anxiety about the true kind, we now know
that most of these forms are but mere varieties
of Pre7ianthes alba, and, as it is now also
known that the bites of these venemous snakes,
though often fatal, are not necessarily so, faith
in any real value in the plant has been much
diminished. It is indeed doubtful, whether
any thing cures snake bites, — recovery beini^-
due chiefly to the vital resisting power of
the blood, than to curative virtues of an}
plant. The root is intensely bitter and
among its earlier common names, " Gall of the
earth, " is reported by Dr. Brickell of Savannah.
Dr. Torrey also mentions * ' White Lettuce' ' as
a common name. Rafinesque in his " Florn
of Louisiana, " refers to the yellowish flowered
variety as being called chicory, and " used in
Louisiana in decoction instead of chicory."
In his " Medical Botany" he says, it is used in
cases of dysentery. In some of its forms it i^
found over most of the Eastern portion of tli^
United States. Our specimen was from woods
near Philadelphia.

Explanation of the Plate.— 1. Stem leaf from neartlv
ground. 2. Upper portion of a flower stalk. 3. Magnifit^i
floret, showing the long style.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

"DOWN TO SLEEP."

November woods are bare and still,
November days are clear and bright,

Each noon burns up the morning's chill,
The morning's snow is gone by night.
Each day my steps grow slow, grow light
As through the woods I reverent creep,
Watching all things lie " down to sleep."

I never knew before what beds.

Fragrant to smell and soft to touch,

The forest sifts and shapes and spreads.
I never knew before how much
Of human sound there is, such
Low tones as through the forest sweep
When all wild things lie "down to sleep."

Each day I find new coverlids
Tucked in and more sweet eyes shut tight

Sometimes the viewless mother bids
Her ferns kneel down full in my sight.
I hear their chorus of "good night,"
And half I smile and half I weep,
Listening while they lie "down to sleep."

November woods are bare and still,
November days are bright and good,

Life's noon burns up life's morning chill.
Life's night rests feet that long have stood,
Some warm soft bed in field or wood,
The mother will not fail to keep
Where we can " lay us down to sleep."

— Helkx Hunt Jackson.

Carnivorous Plants. — A correspondent
:>oni Highlands, N. C, would like to know
• >r certain whether such plants 2iS Sarracenia,
h'osera, Dioncea and others, famous as car-
•vorous plants, do really catch insects and
it them— that is to say, do they absorb the
lant food by their own cell-structure or not .^
n the case of Sarracenia the correspondent
oubts whether the insect in the pitchers is
eally converted into plant food. It is, per-
haps, fair to say that it is an open question,
■vhether the insect caught by the pitcher
plant be really used by the plant or not.

Parasites deposit their eggs in the pitchers,
•i"d make use of the insect caught by the
plant ; this is certain, but it has not been
shown beyond all possibility of doubt, that the
plant makes use of the insects as do the para-
sites. Too much has been made of the sup-

position that because plants behave in certairr
ways, the behavior is intended expressly
for their own good. All nature is evidently
arranged so as to work for ulterior purposes as
well as for immediate ones, and it is by no
means selfishness that is the basis of life's
action. In regard to the other plants named,
however, it is absolutely certain that they
absorb food through their tissues in the man-
ner claimed for them. There is strong rea-
son to believe from the careful experiments of
Mr. Darwin, that plants absorb nutriment from
the atmosphere through means of their glands.
There is very little reason to doubt that the
innumerable sticky glands on the tomato
aid largely in sustaining the plant, and this
is believed to be the case with all plants hav-
ing glandular structures. There is, however,
a wide field open for careful observations in
this line. Nearly all that is known has resulted
from Mr. Darwin's elaborate experiments.
Should some similar careful observer arise, he
would yet find abundant material for interest-
ing essaj's.

'ii

Preserving Flowers under Low TE^r-■
PERATURE. — In America it is now well known
that plants can be kept for a considerable time
in a very low temperature. All florists in a.
moderately large business use cold storage
rooms or closets to preserve their flowers.
Fish and meats are also preserved for a long
time under similar conditions. In an actually
frozen condition, however, possibly no com--
mercial use could result, because, on thawing,,
the flowers would turn black, and yet this fact
has been turned to some good use. Flowers
have been sent all the way from Sidney in
New South Wales to London, in a transparent
block of ice, and possibly some plants might
be preserved for indefinite periods under these
circumstances. Where it would be necessary
to have such flowers preserved, one can see
how valuable these experiences are. Of course,
the flowers would be of no use after the ice
block thaws.

(163)

164

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y — WII.D FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Nov.

Concerning Prickly Pears.— In the ac-
count of Opuntia Rafinesquii in the June num-
ber, the writer states that he is not aware that
its present range is north of Nantucket. But
westward it extends considerably north of that
limit at the East. The latitude of Nantucket
is about 41° 3o^ The Prickly Pear grows on
Point Pelee, a sandy projection of the north
shore of I,ake Erie near its west end, and at
the head of I^ake Michigan, in latitude 42°.
In Michigan it is found on sand hills on the
Muskegon river and in Barraboo, Wis., at
about 43° 30^ In Minnesota it occurs on
rocks at Taylor's Falls, on the St. Croix, as
well as on the opposite side in Wisconsin. In
central Minnesota it is reported near the Mis-
sissippi a little south of St. Cloud. The lati-
tude of the last three localities is about 45° 30^
and marks its northward limit, so far as I can
learn. This is also the latitude of the north-
ern part of Nova Scotia, and it shows the
probability that the plant figured by Miller
may have come from there according to his
statement, since it is not too far north for it to
grow. Still farther west Opujitia Rafinesquii
is found in the valley of the Niobrara in north-
ern Nebraska, at about the same range as on
the Muskegon, in the basin of I^ake Michigan.
Opu7itia Missourie?isis appears to range the
farthest north of any cactus. Macoun reports
what he takes to be this, from the banks of
Peace river, a tributary of the Mackenzie, in
latitude 56° 12^ "It grows on the arid clay
slopes, exposed often to a temperature of 55°
below zero. " Opu7itia Rafinesquii must some-
times be subjected to a temperature of 30° or
more below zero in Minnesota, unless covered
by snow. Its limp condition and shrivelled
appearance in tne winter are very noticeable
here in the lake region. It generally lies
nearly flat upon the ground, partly covered by
the sand, and dead leaves heaped about it by
the wind, which its spines and jointed stems
serve well to hold in place. The fruit is quite
palatable when fully ripe, but so drastic that it
needs to be eaten sparingly.

Probably the Opuntia found by Capt. Back,
on the Rainy River, was Opuntia frag His.
Keating states in his account of Long's Expe-
dition that a Prickly Pear abounded on islands
in the Lake of the Woods, which has lately
been identified as this. Rainy River flows into
this lake. e. J. Hill.

i'^93.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

165

Evolution of Leaves.— Mr. John W. Dun-
lop remarks : "■ Mrs. Kellerman's observations
on Vtola cucullata var. palmata are no doubt
very fascinating, although there are many
things still unexplained, and if at her leisure
she would enlighten me on some of the facts
to be mentioned I will think myself indebted
to her. Some twelve years ago when collect-
ing plants on Racine Prairie, I found a plant of
V, palmata which I planted in my garden. It
stood in the same spot for nine years, a large,
strong plant with fine palmated leaves. Its
flower stems with small petals never arose
higher than the surface of the soil, and in every
way it was as unlike Viola cucullata as it possibly
could be. It seeded freely, with seed pods as
large as F. pubescens, but so hidden under the
leaves, that, except you looked for them, you
would not have seen them. Now, have you
ever seen V. palmata bloom ? If you have,
was it like cucullata^ or did it bloom as I have
described my plant ? I have seen many plants
on Racine Prairie, but I never saw one of them
in bloom in their wild state.

* 'Hepatica triloba after being grown two years
in a box, became acutiloba, and this season I
found some beautiful maculated H. triloba
which have already lost their markings, and I
expect them to lose their round leaves. Hepa-
tica triloba, when found, is always on lime
stone ridges, and when moved off into loamy
soil, it assumes the character of H. acutiloba.
Be sure you try a plant of it under cultiva-
tion."

t:

Fall Flowers. — In the eastern portion -
the United States there are always some fev;
flowers that come to blossom only just before
the frost appears ; some orchids, gentian-,
asters and others are familiar examples. I :
every part of the world there seems to be tl
same arrangement. In bloom at the presei
time in flower borders is a plant which is get
ting to be known under the name of East
Indian Lily, botanically Tricyrtis pilosa ; th--
flowers are white, but profusely covered wlln
purple dots. These are opening just as th
frost is appearing, and they would no doubl
have the same peculiar effect in the autumn
scenery of the Himalayan Mountains as a
Fringed Gentian would have with us. The
Maximilian Sunflower of Nebraska, seldotu
opens till October, when it is a blaze of beauty.

Nocturnal Creatures.— Following in the
line of what was said of owls in a recent num-
ber, the following from the New York Inde-
pendent will be appropriate.

Nocturnal creatures are generally supposed
not to see well in the daylight, but facts col-
lected are gradually dispelling the idea. It is
well known that felines, which see well by
night, seem to be able to see quite as well by-
day; and this is being found true of many
other creatures. The bat sees admirably by
daytime, as any one can ascertain by threaten-
ing it with a twig. The owl, also, has first-
rate day sight. Night-flying Lepidoptera,
when disturbed in their places of refuge dur-
ing the day, have no difficulty in seeing at
once where is the nearest and best
place for a temporary refuge. These
and similar facts are being made
use of by those interested in the
study of development. It might
be assumed that all were originally
light-lovers, but protective consi-
derations, or better chances of get-
ting food, led to the development
of the night-roving disposition.
The owl, for instance, is hated by
all birds. When one is discovered
by other day-loving species they
subject it to the direst persecution.
Owls could scarcely live as a day-
loving bird under the present order
'>r things. It would be driven from
the earth ; and, supposing it took
^n gradually its thieving habits for
i living, it has had to love darkness
nther than light because of these
vil deeds. At any rate, the naked fact seems
-o be that night- working creatures can generally
:^ee well in the day-light when they want to.

Floating Islands. — Floating Islands are
not uncommon. There is one in Cranberry
Lake, near Arden, N. H. The writer of this
paragraph well remembers chancing on one in
his younger days. He was collecting plants
without any idea that he was on floating land,
and yet, when he was returning, he was
amazed to find one hundred feet of water in his
line of travel. This island was really float-
ing. Large trees, as well as small vegetation
of man}' varied kinds, were just as abundant on
this floating island as on the ordinary dry
land. But it was an island and the wind
changed while he was searching for plants, —
causing the island to float to the other side of
the lake from which it had been a few hours be-

Grease Wood. — Common names of plants
^re frequently pleasant and attractive, and
»^hen any such names become common even
the driest botanist prefers to use them, — but
^>'hen names are not so much common as local,
nuich confusion arises. In Colorado, as the
^vriter of this found in its early history, — the
I\hus aromatica was known as ** grease wood."
in Nevada, to-day, the "grease wood" is
^^rayia polygaloides, — and no doubt there are
numerous other " grease woods " in other sec-
tions where plants exude a greasy secretion.

COOL ORCHIDS. --sec p. ler.

fore. These islands originate in a very small
way, just as a large oak will grow from a very
small acorn. Drift wood will become covered
with leaves and moss ; sand will then blow in
among the moss and leaves,— seeds of trees
and other kinds of vegetation are then brought
by the same method in among the sand, and
are carried there by the feathers of birds or the
fur of animals, or even will float on the water
until they reach the spot, then the amount
of wood and light vegetable matter will
accumulate sufficient to float the trees and
vegetation which grow on the surface. These
special phenomena in Nature are always inter-
esting to the young as they furnish from time
to time a clue to the mysteries in Nature.

f..

f

I

m

i.

k ,1

^k

\

JB^Bf^^

164

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[^

Concerning Prickly Pears.— In the ac-
count of Opu7itia Raftncsqjiii in the June num-
ber, the writer states that he is not aware that
its present range is north of Nantucket. But
westward it extends considerably north of that
limit at the East. The latitude of Nantucket
is about 41° 30^ The Prickly Pear grows on
Point Pelee, a sandy projection of the north
shore of Lake Erie near its west end, and at
the head of I,ake Michigan, in latitude 42°.
In Michigan it is found on sand hills on the
Muskegon river and in Barraboo, Wis., at
about 43° 30^ In Minnesota it occurs on
rocks at Taylor's Falls, on the St. Croix, as
well as on the opposite side in Wisconsin. In
central Minnesota it is reported near the Mis-
sissippi a little south of St. Cloud. The lati-
tude of the last three localities is about 45° 30^
and marks its northward limit, so far as I can
learn. This is also the latitude of the north-
ern part of Nova Scotia, and it shows the
probability that the plant figured by Miller
may have come from there according to his
statement, since it is not too far north for it to
grow. Still farther west Opuntia Rafinesquii
is found in the valley of the Niobrara in north-
ern Nebraska, at about the same range as on
the Muskegon, in the basin of Lake Michigan.
Opwitia Missouriensis appears to range the
farthest north of any cactus. Macoun reports
what he takes to be this, from the banks of
Peace river, a tributary of the Mackenzie, in
latitude 56° 12'. ''It grows on the arid clay
slopes, exposed often to a temperature of 55°
below zero. " Opimtia Rafniesquii must some-
times be subjected to a temperature of 30° or
more below zero in Minnesota, unless covered
by snow. Its limp condition and shrivelled
appearance in t ie winter are very noticeable
here in the lake region. It generally lies
nearly flat upon the ground, partly covered by
the sand, and dead leaves heaped about it by
the wind, which its spines and jointed stems
serve well to hold in place. The fruit is quite
palatable when fully ripe, but so drastic that it
needs to be eaten sparingly-.

Probably the Opuntia found by Capt. Back,
on the Rainy River, was Opuntia frag His.
Keating states in his account of Long's Expe-
dition that a Prickly Pear abounded on islands
in the Lake of the Woods, which has lately
been identified as this. Rainy River flows into
this lake. e. J. Hill.

'^3.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

16:;

Evolution of Leaves.— Mr. John W. I) >
lop remarks : •' Mrs. Kellerman's observations
on Viola aicullata var. palmata are no doi.i)!
very fascinating, although there are many
things still unexplained, and if at her leisure
she would enlighten me on some of the facts
to be mentioned I will think myself indebted
to her. Some twelve years ago when collect-
ing plants on Racine Prairie, I found a plant of
V. palmata which I planted in my garden. It
stood in the same spot for nine years, a lar<^e,
strong plant with fine palmated leaves. Its
flower stems with small petals never arose
higher than the surface of the soil, and in every
way it was as unlike Viola cucullata as it possibly
could be. It seeded freely, with seed pods as
large as V. pubescens, but so hidden under the
leaves, that, except you looked for them, you
would not have seen them. Now, have you
ever seen V. pabnata bloom ? If you have,
was it like cucullata, or did it bloom as I have
described my plant ? I have seen many plants
on Racine Prairie, but I never saw one of them
in bloom in their wild state.

• 'Ilepatica triloba after being grown two years
in a box, became acutiloba, and this season I
found some beautiful maculated //. triloba
which have already lost their markings, and I
expect them to lose their round leaves. //</
tica triloba^ when found, is always on lini'.
stone ridges, and when moved off into loai:
soil, it assumes the character of H. acutilnr
Be sure you try a plant of it under culti '
tion."

U^

Fall Flowers. — In the eastern portion
the United States there are always some te
flowers that come to blossom only just bef
the frost appears ; some orchids, gentia'
asters and others are familiar examples,
every part of the world there seems to be t
same arrangement. In bloom at the prese
time in flower borders is a plant which is k
ting to be known under the name of 1^
Indian Lily, botanically Tricyrtis pilosa ; i
flowers are white, but profusely covered \\ '
purple dots. These are opening just as t'
frost is appearing, and they would no doul
have the same peculiar effect in the autun;
scenery of the Himalayan Mountains as
Fringed Gentian would have with us. Tiu
Maximilian Sunflower of Nebraska, seldoi
opens till October, when it is a blaze of beauty.

Nocturnal Creatures.— Following in the
i:;ie of what was said of owls in a recent num-
'jr, the following from the New York Inde-
pi nde7it will be appropriate.

Nocturnal creatures are generally supposed
not to see well in the daylight, but facts col-
lected are gradually dispelling the idea. It is
well known that felines, which see well by
night, vSeem to be able to see quite as well by
day; and this is being found true of many
other creatures. The bat sees admirably by
daytime, as any one can ascertain by threaten-
ing it with a twig. The owl, also, has first-
late day sight. Night-flying Lepidoptcra,
when disturbed in their places of refuge dur-
ing the day, have no difficulty in seeing at
once where is the nearest and best
place for a temporary refuge. These
and similar facts are being made
use of by those interested in the
study of development. It might
be assumed that all were originally
light-lovers, but protective consi-
derations, or better chances of get-
ting food, led to the development
of the night-roving disposition.
The owl, for instance, is hated by
all birds. When one is discovered
l>y other day-loving species they
subject it to the direst persecution.
^ >wls could scarcely live as a day-
loving bird under the present order
f>f things. It would be driven from
the earth ; and, supposing it took
'u gradually its thieving habits for
^ living, it has had to love darkness
•other than light because of these

il deeds. At any rate, the naked fact seems
' be that night-working creatures can generally
ee well in the day-light when they want to.

Floating Islands.— Floating Islands are
not uncommon. There is one in Cranberry
Lake, near Arden, N. II. The writer of this
paragraph well remembers chancing on one in
his younger daj's. He was collecting plants
without any idea that he was on floatinjj: land,
and yet, when he was returning, he was
amazed to find one hundred feet of water in his
line of travel. This island was really tloat-
ing. Large trees, as well as small vegetation
of many varied kinds, were just as abundant on
this floating island as on the ordinary dry
land. But it was an island and the wind
changed while he was searching for plants, —
causing the island to float to the other side of
the lake from which it had been a few hours be-

Grease Wood. — Common names of plants
ire frequently pleasant and attractive, and
^•vhen any such names become common even
• lie driest botanist prefers to use them, — but
• hen names are not so much common as local,
'•uich confusion arises. In Colorado, as the
writer of this found in its early history, — the
^^'hus arofnatica was known as '* grease wood."
in Nevada, to-day, the "grease wood" is
'^yayia polygaloides, — and no doubt there are
numerous other " grease woods " in other sec-
tions where plants exude a greasy secretion.

COOL ORCHI OS.-scc p. iot.

fore. These islands originate in a very small
way. just as a large oak will grow from a very
small acorn. Drift wood will become covered
with leaves and moss ; sand will then blow in
among the moss and leaves,— seeds of trees
and other kinds of vegetation are then brou^^ht
b}' the same method in among the sand, and
are carried there by the feathers of birds or the
fur of animals, or even will float on the water
until they reach the spot, then the amount
of wood and light vegetable matter will
accumulate snfticient to float the trees and
vegetation which grow on the surface. These
special phenomena in Nature are always inter-
esting to the young as they furnish from time
to time a clue to the mysteries in Nature.

■r/'*

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

ill

l4'

f

1 66

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Nov.

1

i

^

JussiEUA REPENS.— In a letter to the con-
ctor, Baron Mueller calls attention to the
general writing of this name as Jussicea as
being incorrect. In our copy of Linnaeus'
*' Ge?iera Pla7itar7im iabam ex rnuseo Cliff ort-
iano, iyj6 " and referring to Rheede's •• Horhis
Malabuficus,'' it is written Jussieua as Baron
Mueller suggests. He asks the aid of Ameri-
can botanists in settling a question of great
"geographical importance concerning Jussieua
9'epe7is credited to our continent. The plant we
believe to be the one that he thinks is Forskall 's

The Snow Plant of the Pacific Coast.—
Recently contributors to Meehans' Month f, .
have sho\)^n that the Snow Plant is not i :
annual, as has generally been supposed ; it is
certainly a plant living more than one year, if
not for several years. In addition to what has
been already stated Mr. Charles H. Douglas.
of Waukegan, 111., remarks that he found
specimens of it in November last on the coast
range of mountains in south western Oregon.
Some had seeds perfectly ripe, while others had
a large mass of coralline matter, the size of
one's fists, several inches above the ground,—
other specimens of coralline matter were no
larger than one's thumb. In the ground
below the surface a number of smaller
masses would be found. Mr. Douglas be-
lieves that these masses continue to grow
for several years before flowering, — three
years certainly. The flowers also vary
from a deep carmine to chocolate color. Mr.
Douglas asks why call it the Snow Plant
of the Nevada, when it is found over such
a wide extent of territory ? The only
reason that can be given is that this was
the name by which it was originally
called, — very few names would hold for
critical analysis.

TURKEY OAK.--QUERCUS CERRIS. -sec p. ist.

Jussieua diffusa. The genuine Jussieua re pens
has white petals a little yellowish at the base
in the manner of Rafiunculus aquatalis. Torrey
and Gray describe the American species as
having bright yellow flowers, as also has the
Australian plant. Jussieua diffusa is a larger
plant than Jussieua repens and has other differ-
ences. It is very desirable to know whether
the American — presumably Jussieua diffusa —
is identical with the African and Australian
species.

MoNARDA PUNCTATA. — Amerieatt Gardeii-
i7ig has a pleasant word to say in praise
of this interesting wild flower. In its color
it is rather dull, but the bracts which sur-
round the flowers, give it an attraction
which would otherwise be wanting. In
v^ery large masses, as seen in New Jersey,
the effect in wild flower scenery is very
pretty. The remark of our contemporary
that the spotted flowers, standing upright
on the bracts, have the appearance of i
number of squirrels resting on thei.
haunches, is particularly apt and appropriate.

Forests of Apple Trees. — In the Sand
wich Islands the apple has became wild, an.l
forests of trees of many acres are found in
various parts of the country. They extend
from the level of the sea far up into the moun-
tain sides. It is said that miles of these apple
forests can occasionally be seen. One traveller
gives the extent of one of them as between
five and ten miles in width and about twenty
miles long.

GENERAL GARDENING.

THE MOSS-COVERED WALLS.

" The moss of many a year was undisturbed
Upon the stained walls of Aldornere,
And now the maHy-colored autumn leaves
Lay thickly strewn in all the woodland-ways.
There was the warbler busy all day long
Among the bowery deeps of shadowy elms
Slow fading in the autumn's paly gold,
And his continual ditty on the ear
-Fell like the silver voice of woodland stream."

— Howard Worcester Gilbert.

Cool Orchids. It is not generally known
that many of the Mexican orchids, and orchids
from the higher elevations of tropical coun-
tries do not require the skilful care that those
from the more warm regions require. Some
indeed do very well suspended under trees in
parts of gardens or near buildings where the
air is still and not too dry ; and a temperature
not above that of ordinary sitting rooms will
give them good satisfaction during winter.
The genus Stauhopea, is particularly suited to
this easy going culture. They are planted in
baskets of peat, rotting wood, and moss ; and
the flowers push out through the meshes, at
different seasons of the year, according to the
species. The flowers are very large and sweet,
and have a waxy texture. The forms of the
flowers are exceedingly curious, representing
one would say, some curious creature ; more
however, resembling legendary dragons, than
any found in the zoological gardens of the
present time. The cut was made from a plant
grown by a zealous Germantown amateur, Mr.
H. Cramer, and is represented hanging from
a honeysuckle trellis on the front piazza.

Improvement of the Carnation. — For
many years when carnations were growm sim-
ply for their beauty as cut flowers little atten-
tion was given to any other point except to
their fragrance, tints and color, or size of
bloom. When they were cut for florists' pur-
poses, artificial stems had to be given to each
flower. This made it very troublesome to
florists and besides prevented the general use

of the carnation in boutonieres, because for
want of stems there was no opportunity to put
articles retaining moisture around the stalks
by which withering could be prevented, — they
were soon, therefore, useless. American flor-
ists, however, have turned their attention to
developing carnations which produce flowers
singly on long stems, and yet will stool up so as
to give bushy, stocky plants, producing these
long stalked flowers in the greatest abundance.
So successful has the improvement of the
carnation been in this way, that no one ever
thinks now of buying carnations except with
stalks often five or six inches in length. It is
interesting to note that this particular kind of
improvement does not seem to have been ap-
preciated by improvers in the old world, as the
popular carnation for florists' work is still one
which was raised in France nearly 20 years
ago, ^no'wm.s Souvefiir de ia Mai maison. This
produces one enormous flower, often times
1% inches in diameter at the top of the stalk,
with numerous short stalked-buds along the
main stem. No florist here could make his
salt out of the cultivation of such a carnation.
Little instances like these show the immense
advance made by American florists in certain
lines of improvement over the progress which
the same thing has made in the old world.

Turkey Oak.— The oaks are all admired for
the beauty of their foliage and for their varied
habits of grow^th. In modern gardening the
demand for the different species has of late
years been very large : but it might be as well
to call attention to the beauty of the fruit,
which is seldom wholly overlooked by lovers of
the oak tribe. The English oak, especially
Quercus robut, or the Royal Oak, is never more
beautiful than when covered with its lovely
acorns in the fall of the year: and architecture
and sculpture have been considerably indebted
for models which these acorns have furnished.
Another European oak, which has beautiful
fruit, is not so well known in America as it
ought to be, namely, the Turkey Oak, Quercus

(167)

'••1

t

M

m

■.\ir '.

V-- •'"'!"::'■■ V^'* ^'

1 68

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL. GARDENING.

Cerris, see page i66. The cup is completely
covered with the appearance of moss, and the
proportion between cup and acorn is considered
remarkably beautiful from an artistic point of
view. We have Mossy-cup oaks of our own
which are also beautiful in their own particular
style; but the particular characteristics of
beauty in the Turkey Oak are unique.

The Double-Flowering Almond. — Many
years ago few things were more sought after
for the decoration of gardens then the double-
flowered Almond, of which there are two forms,
one pink and the other white. Few gardens
of taste but had specimens of this plant.

Although called
dwarf Almond, it is
a wholly different
species from the Al-
mond of commerce,
and no one would
recognize by the look
of the plant that it
belonged to the Al-
mond family. It is
one of those cases of
a plant brought from
another country in a
double- flowering
condition, and of
which the single
form is not known,
consequently the
fruit from these
double flowers never
comes to perfection,
and the plant, there-
fore, gives no inti-
mation of its close
relationship with the
Almond family. It
is beginning to disappear from gardens chiefly
from the operation of the peach borer, which
attacks it as badly as it does the peach or the
Almond. This has been the chief cause of
its disappearance from gardens. Another cause
is the attack of a species of parasitic fungus,
which will destroy frequently the whole plant
in a night, just as the disease known as the
fire blight takes off the pear. As the pear and
the Almond are all of the same family, it is
not unlikely that the fungus which does this
damage is of the same species, or a closely

[Nov.

FLOWERING ALMOND.

allied one to that which does so much mi-
chief with the pear tree. In order that the
public be made acquainted with the beauty,
half lost in this case, we give a figure of a
flowering branch, so that people may not for-
get the things which have given them so much
pleasure in the past, as well as to induce thetu
to look into these troubles and diseases, ami
ascertain if there may not be some remedies
easily applied, by which these beautiful flowers
may be preserved to us.

Herbaceous Grafting.— Prof. L. H. Baily
of Cornell, has been grafting the tomato on
potato plants, with the result that the upper
portion bore tomatoes, and the lower portion
bore potatoes. This seems natural, and yet it
is in direct opposition to experiments, which
have been reported as having been made in
other countries, where the result was said to
be an intermixture of the two, and the facts
have been brought forward as illustrating
what is known as graft hybridism. The result
of Prof. Baily's experiment does not show that
the other experiments have been misreported
or misconstrued, but it certainly does go to
show the value of continually repeating experi-
ments which are said to produce such unique
results. Prof. Baily found that peppers could
be grafted on tomatoes, and that tomatoes
could be grafted on peppers, and that these,
including ^%^ plants, would grow when grafted
on the Alkekengi. It should be remembered,
however, that all these plants are of the same
natural order, and very closely related,— all
belonging to Solanaccea, and there is no more
surprise at this result than the grafting of the
Pear on the Quince, or the White Thorn. In
the use of material for this herbaceous graft-
ing. Prof. Baily notes that the wood must not
be too young, but rather on the approach to
maturity.

Poison Vines.— Ignorant people in the north
often frighten themselves by mistaking the
Virginia Creeper — Ainpelopsis quinquefolia —
for the poison vine — RJms radicans, Mr.
Walter N. Pike, of Jessamine, Florida, writes
that in the Southern States the perfectly inno-
cent Trumpet Vine — Tecoma ra dz cans— is a\so
mistaken for it. But what can we expect
when a whole town writes itself Jessamine in-
stead of Jasmine.^

1893-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

169

.^'

X

03

o

>

m

-<

o

■n

2
>
H
C

a

(0

o
n

o
n
0)

c

n

a

B

cr

OK?

o
o
a

in

r* r

3* -0

•-I —

n ^

1 .

n

•I

81

I

I

! {

•i i

Mr

I i 1

r

-Ti

.<

1 68

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Xr

Cerris, see page i66. The cup is completely
covered with the appearance of moss, and the
proportion between cup and acorn is considered
remarkably beautiful from an artistic point of
view. We have Mossy-cup oaks of our own
which are also beautiful in their own particular
style ; but the particular characteristics of
beauty in the Turkey Oak are unique.

The Double-Flowering Almond.— Many
years ago few things were more sought after
for the decoration of gardens then the double-
flowered Almond, of which there are two forms,
one pink and the other white. Few gardens
of taste but had specimens of this plant.

Although called
dwarf Almond, it is
a wholly diiferent
species from the Al-
mond of commerce,
and no one would
recognize by the look
of the plant that it
belonged to the Al-
mond family. It is
one of those cases of
a plant brought from
another country in a
double- flowering
condition, and of
which the single
form is not known,
consequently the
fruit from these
double flowers never
comes to perfection,
and the plant, there-
fore, gives no inti-
mation of its close
relationship with the
Almond family. It
is beginning to divSappear from gardens chiefly
from the operation of the peach borer, which
attacks it as badly as it does the peach or the
Almond. This has been the chief cause of
its disappearance from gardens. Another cause
is the attack of a species of parasitic fungus,
which will destroy frequently the whole plant
in a night, just as the disease known as the
fire blight takes off" the pear. As the pear and
the Almond are all of the same family, it is
not unlikely that the fungus which does this
damage is of the same species, or a closely

^893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

r0

FLOWERING ALMOND.

I,!'

allied one to that which does so much tt.
chief with the pear tree. In order that
public be made acquainted with the beaut'.-,
half lost in this case, we give a figure of .1
flowering branch, so that people may not f .;-
get the things which have given them so nnu ;
pleasure in the past, as well as to induce theiii
to look into these troubles and diseases, aii<I
ascertain if there may not be some remedies
easily applied, by which these beautiful flowei s
may be preserved to us.

169

Herbaceous Grafting.— Prof. L. H. Baily
of Cornell, has been grafting the tomato on
potato plants, with the result that the upper
portion bore tomatoes, and the lower portion
bore potatoes. This seems natural, and yet it
is in direct opposition to experiments, which
have been reported as having been made in
other countries, where the result was said to
be an intermixture of the two, and the facts
have been brought forward as illustrating
what is known as graft hybridism. The result
of Prof. Baily's experiment does not show that
the other experiments have been misreported
or misconstrued, but it certainly does go to
show the value of continually repeating experi-
ments which are said to produce such uniqii-
results. Prof. Baily found that peppers could
be grafted on tomatoes, and that tomatoes
could be grafted on peppers, and that these,
including egg plants, would grow when grafted
on the Alkekengi. It should be remembered,
however, that all these plants are of the sanu
natural order, and very closely related,— all
belonging to Solanaccca, and there is no more
surprise at this result than the grafting of the
Pear on the Quince, or the White Thorn. In
the use of material for this herbaceous graft-
ing, Prof. Baily notes that the wood must not
be too young, but rather on the approach to
maturity.

Poison Vines.— Ignorant people in the nortli
often frighten themselves by mistaking tlu
Virginia Creeper — Ampelopsis quinqiiefoha-—
for the poison vine — Rhus radicans. Mr
Walter N. Pike, of Jessamine, Florida, write?
that in the Southern States the perfectly inno
cent Trumpet Vine — Tecoma radicans— \^^\^o
mistaken for it. But what can we expect
when a whole town writes itself Jessamine in-
stead of Jasmine.^

o

>
o
n

3

-<

t^

I-. ^

p >

P C

n O

3 n

% o
(A

or;

n
O

c

O

•0

z

n ^

C H

r. r
a* -0

n, I

•-t —
n ^

p r

•

m
n

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

(I'

i

^1

170

MEEHANS' MONTHI.Y— GENERAL GARDENING.

[Nov.

< Salt Bushes. — Plants that will resist
•drought and saltish soils on deserts and dry
places generally, are comparatively scarce,
and those who discover the adaptation of cer-
tain plants to such localities are doing good
service to mankind. One of their ♦♦ Salt

Bushes" in the
Old World is
Atriplex Hali-
mus; but prob-
ably one of the
best known is
the Australian
species, Atri-
plex haliinoides
more recently
called A, num-
mularia. There
are many local-
ities in Amer-
ica where the
introduction of
this plant
would be of
great benefit to
our agricultur-
al interests.

The "Agri-
cultural Jour-
nal ofCape
Colony" in its
issue of the
1 8th of May,
gives an inter-
•esting account of the successful experiments
made in that portion of the world, where the
Australian plant has been introduced through
the indefatigable Baron von Mueller of Mel-
bourne. The plant has been found of so much
value there, and so well adapted to the peculiar
conditions, that the demand for the seed has
been found far beyond the supply. There is a
demand, not only by the settlement, but from
outsiders in the belief that the plant will be
found of inestimable benefit wherever there are
dry or salty conditions. The plant has bi-
sexual flowers, as in all Cheno podia ce (c , on the
same plant, and occasionally plants with dis-
tinct sexes on separate plants. The illustra-
tion with this is of a male plant. It will be
seen that this species differs from the A. Hal-
imus in having the flowers scattered over the
whole plant instead of their being simply

SALT BUSHES

terminal as in that species. There are, of
course, other distinguishing characters. We
give this matter prominent attention, as we
think it will be to the interest of our people
who may have dry or salty soil, to introduce
the plant. It has been one of the reproaches
of American gardening, and American agricul-
tural enterprise that they are usually far be-
hind other sections of the world in introduc-
ing and testing valuable plants that would
possibly be in the best interests of agricultural
progress to try.

Cultivation of Oranges. — A recent trav-
eler in China and Japan notices that in those
countries the orange trees are not grown as we
grow them in our country, by training them up
to good stems and allowing them to have
large and bushy heads, but are suffered to
grow low, crooked and stumpy like, more like
bushes than as trees such as ours present.
The traveler states that the reason given for
this by the Asiatic cultivators was that it was
much more easy in this way to gather the
fruit, and for that reason it was cheaper and
more economical to train the trees so than iu
the form of trees as our orange cultivators do ;
but this could scarcely be the reason, as the
labor in those countries is so excessively low
that the extra cost of a ladder and baskets to
gather them could scarcely be an item in the
calculation. We have recently come across
some account of an experiment by an orange
cultivator in California, who allowed some of
his trees to grow low and bushy, as the culti-
vator might say ♦* straggling," and had along-
side the other trees trained up as if they were
apple trees in the ordinary manner of an
orange grove, and to his amazement he finds
that these unpruned trees, suffered to grow in
this way, are more than doubly as productive
as those which have been subjected to the
pruning necessary to give them an ornamental
character. It is more than likely, therefore,
that *it was this productive character rather
than the mere saving of labor which has lead
the Chinese and Japanese to adopt this method
as their universal plan of cultivation.

Public Parks in the Old World. — There
are thirteen public parks and squares in Turin,
a city of only 300,000 inhabitants, says Mrs.
Trowbridge, in the Detroit Chnstian Herald.

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

171

Sight in Plants. — A correspondent asks
whether plants can see or not, and suggests
that as plants will turn their tendrils in the
direction of something to cling to, that may
indicate that plants can possibly see. It is
certainly a fact that the proximity of some-
thing to cling to will make parts of plants
turn in that direction. There is evidently
some attraction, but as for seeing as we gener-
ally understand by sight, this is of course,
entirely out of the question. A very pretty
experiment may be made by placing stakes in
among a mass of garlic. The leaves will in
many cases, be found twisting around the
stakes, occasionally clinging tightl}^ to them,
but, as generally seen, the garlic would be the
last thing we would think of as having a
twining habit; and yet we see by this that
when there is a chance to twine they evidently
know that the chance is there. It is not sight,
but it is some remarkably attractive power.
What the nature of that power is has not yet
been determined.

Magnolia acuminata Leaves. An ex-
traordinary large leaf of the Magnolia aciinmi-
ata was recently laid on our desk. It measured
i(i)i inches in length, and 12 inches in, breath.

This leaf was taken from a two year-old
plant, six feet high, transplanted last year.
Other plants along side of this one, which were
raised and transplanted at the same time,
with precisely the same treatment, had the
usual sized leaf.

We should be glad to hear from any one
having noticed such large leaves before.

Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. —
Most persons prefer the variety grandijlora of
the Hydrangea paniculata. Its large, heavy
bunches of flowers are certainly very striking.
Not a few, however, prefer the original pani-
culata. The light, feathery spikes of flowers
are in striking contrast with the heavy bunchy
mass which characterizes the improved variety.

Rohdea Japonica. — The Journal of the
Japan Horticultural Society, devotes a whole
page to the praise of this as a window or room
plant. So far as we know it has not been in-
troduced to America. There appear to be
numerous varieties. It is an aroid, and has
been known as Orontium Japoniann.

ra^lTJ) £2S ¥S^ETi^PLES-

Seedless Grapes. — Most of our readers
probablj' know that the currant of commerce
is not the currant of our small fruit gardens,
but a variet}' of grape which fails to produce
seed. During the last few years another
varietv of seedless grape has become common
in California, and which is known as the Sul-
tana. These are now becoming quite as com-
mon in grocery stores as the kind of the old
world. They are paler than the European cur-
rant, but are more highly appreciated for some
classes of culinary work than that kind. Just
why it is that these grapes fail to produce seed
has never been definitely determined. The
grape, however, is not the onXy fruit that pro-
duces berries without seeds, as we find this
deficiency in many classes, but in all cases
these so-called fruits rarely reach half the size
of those that are capable of producing per-
fect seeds. In many varieties of native grape
a number of berries will be found of smaller
size among the larger ones, and in such
cases these also are seedless.

Growing Filberts and Hazel Nuts. — In-
quiries frequently come to M e E h a n s *
Monthly in regard to the probability of profit-
able culture of the Hazel and Filbert nuts.
Trees growing by themselves seldom produce
large crops, on account of the diflerent periods
at which the catkins mature, and the bearing
flower opens. In order to get them success-
ful, therefore, they have to be grown in large
quantities together. Of all trees Filberts are
the most gregarious. When numbers are
planted in an orchard by themselves the}- bear
remarkabl}' well. The best situation is one
exposed to the north, as the southern ex-
posures might induce a still greater period be-
tween the openings of the two classes of
flowers.

WiTLOor. — This popular French salad is a
form of endive, and originated in Brussels in
1857. It derives its name, says M. Rodigas,
from "wit," ivhitc, and "loof" foliage, and
the name was formerly applied to the blanched
endive itself. Endive is an improved form of
the common chicory, now found growing wild
around most of the older cities of the I'nited
States.

•.1 •

'A

Ifi

: I

^^^t

172

MEEHANS* MONTHI,Y — GENERAI. GARDENING.

[Nov.

It

Poisonous Mushrooms. — A number of
Italians were fatally poisoned recently by eat-
ing some noxious species. The newspapers
have had much to say about the ignorance
which mistook '* toadstools" for mushrooms;
but have displayed much more ignorance in
the efforts at enlightenment than the unfortu-
nate Italians who suffered from over-confidence
rather than from excessive ignorance. Of the
large number of species comprising the mush-
room family, by far the larger number are
wholesome and nutritious. Those that are
severely poisonous are comparatively few. In
Italy a poisonous species of mushroom is a
rarity, and a large number are used as food.
The Italian is fully justified by his experience,
in laughing at American ignorance which
suffers such a vast amount of delicious and
nutritious material to go to waste. That a
few Italians have been caught by mistaking a
noxious for an edible one is nothing to merit
the declamations on their profound ignorance
which the overwise critics have uttered over
their misfortune. In one of these diatribes the
writer has given a sketch of a " toadstool *'
which his reader is to avoid, but has iSgured
Agaricus oreades, which is really one of the
most wholesome and delicious of the group.

Possibly in the utter ignorance of the boun-
teous blessings of Providence showered every-
where around in great variety in the mush-
room family, it is wise not to touch any but
the one particular mushroom which even the
bitterest despiser of general intelligence has
to know. To the one who loves to look into
the real nature of common things, there is no
more reason why he should not enjoy scores of
species than that he not eat tomatoes or egg-
plants because the Attopa is a near relative.
When asked how to distinguish a poisonous
species of mushroom from an innocuous one,
little more can be said then that they are to be
distinguished by the same rules by which we
distinguish the fruit of a tomato or egg-plant
from that of Atropa bellado?ina, — that is to
say, by intelligent knowledge and observation.
There is no royal road to such learning.

Turnip Culture.— Probably few vegetables
are more satisfactorily grown by amateurs
than the turnip, and yet it is one which they
very seldom think to try. The reason prob-
ably is that so many persons try to grow

vegetables by published hints in catalogues
and serials, which are impossible to carry out,
by reason of the different climates and circum-
stances under which vegetables are grown.
This was particularly found to be a trouble in
the early literary work of the senior editor of
this magazine, who endeavored to get up hints
for the month in the periodicals with which he
was connected. In a small country like Eng-
land, densely populated, and where the whole
country is scarcely larger than the single State
of Pennsylvania, instructions of this kind can
be n;iade generally useful ; but in our country,
which extends almost from the Tropics to the
Arctics, it is impossible to give any details
which shall be valuable over any extent of ter-
ritory. The turnip is especially an illustration
of this. In order to get them into thorough
perfection they can only be made to reach this
point when the temperature is comparatively
low, — no one can raise good turnips when the
temperature is over 55° or 60°, and as soon as
it gets beyond this they are hot and stringy.
Thus in Pennsylvania the turnip would have
to be sown to get the best results about the
middle of September ; a hundred miles north
it would have to be two weeks earlier, and so-
on ; until in Canada one might sow turnips
about midsummer and yet have fairly good re-
sults. In some parts of our southern country
we can get very good turnips by raising them
in midwinter ; at any rate, if one can remember
this one point about the temperature it re-
quires, it is a hint for successful culture any-
where. It may be further remarked that to
have good mild turnips, the soil cannot pos-
sibly be made too rich.

Good Massachusetts Vineyards. — The
Massachusetts Horticultural Society found last
year the vineyards of Samuel Hartwell, of
Lincoln, Arthur J. Bigelow, of Marlboro,
and C. B. Andrews, of Fitchburg, deserving of
especial commendation and to which they
awarded premiums. Mr. Bigelow finds that a
soil in which stones are numerous, is excel-
lent for successful grape culture. He has about
800 vines on one and one-half acres — kinds be-
ing chiefly Moore's Early and Concord. The
vines were planted in 1870 and have been in
bearing about twenty years. Plants were set
8 feet apart in 2 rows, trained to trellises —
the trellises being 10 feet apart. They are

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

173

pruned in November as soon as the foliage has
fallen and before the wood has frozen. He
leaves one cane and eight buds for next year's
fruit, and also one or two buds in order to grow
a cane for the next year. The bearing one is
cut out and a new cane trained up for each
season. He uses ground bone and other Arti-
ficial fertilizers as top dressing at the rate of
about one ton to the acre. He keeps the
ground clear of vegetation with a horse and
light cultivator — his object being to get the
soil warm as early in the season as he can. He
■checks the fruiting canes by pinching out as
soon as the growth has made five leaves, — and
the fruiting cane for the next year he checks
when it has reached eight or nine buds in
length. The laterals on the canes for the next
year's fruit he allows to grow to two leaves in
length before checking them. About the first
of July he goes through the vineyard and cuts
off weak branches, such as he does not think
worth leaving to ripen. He usually gets
about eight pounds to a vine. Mr. Hartwell's
vineyard composed about eight acres, chiefly
of the Moore's Early. He uses about five hun-
dred pounds of fertilizers to the acre, sowing it
broadcast ; keeps the surface clear of weeds by
a horse harrow; but not working up the soil
any deeper than is necessary to keep down the
weeds. He does not think that white grapes
are as profitable in market as the darker ones.
Mr. George Anderson's vineyard, of about one
acre, was devoted to the Delaware grape. They
3'ield him about ten pounds of fruit to a vine.
Fifteen pounds have been produced.

Girdling Branches to Promote Fruit-
FULNESS. — It has long been known that if a
ring of bark be taken from a branch it will
cause that branch to prematurely bear fruit.
But that branch usually dies soon. The ring
may not be taken completely around, that is to
say, a connection between the bark above the
ringed portion and below the ringed portion re-
mains. In this case, the part above the girdled
portion does not die, but is brought into fruit-
fulness, which continues for several years.
This has only been employed as a matter of
curiosity, as it is usually considered that the
quality of the fruit is impaired by this proce-
dure. Certainly- in grapes, the fruit produced
after girdling is not nearly as sweet or in any
way as much appreciated, with the single ex-

ception of size, as in cases where the girdling
process has not been attempted ; but in the
orange culture in Florida, it is stated that this
girdling is becoming a part of general practice,
and perhaps this may account for the enorm-
ously large increase of sour instead of sweet
oranges, which is being poured into northern
markets from that State.

r.

Standard of Excellence in the Fig. —
To the average observer one fig on a tree
might seem as good as a fig on another tree,
but there are standards of excellence in the
average, as well as in any other fruit, and to
which the improver aims. Some figs are com-
paratively tasteless, having little sugar, and
they are somewhat dry without much juice.
When therefore, the raiser of the new fig
desires to commend it to proper approval, he
would state that it is particularl}- sweet and
juicy. Size, of course, comes in for considera-
tion as well as other particulars and then again
some will stand a little hardship better than
others, in other words there are tender figs and
hard figs. Again there are some in which
juice is more freely secreted than in other
kinds. So that on the whole there are just as
critical standards of excellence in the fig as in
other fruit.

Gathering Tender Fruits. — California is
the home of expert practice in everything re-
lative to fruit culture. Even in such a deli-
cate operation as gathering fruit without bruis-
ing, admirable contrivances are in vogue.
Everyone knows that delicate fruits must be
gathered without bruising, that if the}' are
bruised they will soon rot. In California the
fruit is collected by having a circular form
covered with light cloth made in halves, .so that
when put together it covers the space beneath
the branches of the tree, and every time the
tree is shaken the fruit will fall on the cloth
without the slightest bruise. If the tree is
shaken too strongly too many will fall at once —
with little shaking few fall at a time, and the
result is said to be entirelj' satisfactory. This
is on the principle of some fire-escapes, where
people jump into blankets and hammocks of
some textile fabric, easih* falling. There seems
here to be a hint on which Eastern fruitgrowers
might build to advantage.

kV,

r

it

!t-

1

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

A DAY.

Talk not of sad November, when a day

Of warm, j^lad sunshine fills the sky of noon,
And a wind, borrowed from some morn of June,

Stirs the brown grasses and the leafless spray.

On the unfrosted pool the pillared pines

Lay their long shafts of shadow ; the small rill,
Singing a pleasant song of summer still,

A line of silver down the hill-slope shines.

Hushed the bird-voices and the hum of bees.
In the thin grass the crickets pipe no more ;
But still the squirrel hoards his winter store,

And drops his nut-shells from the shag-bark trees.

Softly the dark green hemlocks whisper ; high
Above the spires of yellowing larches show
Where the woodpecker and home-loving crow

And jay and nut-hatch winter's threats defy.

O gracious beauty, ever new and old !

O sights and sounds of nature, doubly dear
When the low sunshine warns the closing vear

Of snow-blown fields and waves of Arctic cold !

Close to my heart I fold each lovely thing
The sweet day yields ; and, not disconsolate,
With the calm patience of the woods I wait

For leaf and blossom when God gives us spring.

—John Greeni^eaf Whittier.

Museum of the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia. — This famous in-
stitution is the oldest of its kind in America,—
having been founded in 1812. The work which
has been done generally for American Botany
gives it an especial interest to our readers.
Nuttall and other eminent botanists had their
early headquarters here, and many of their
collections are still among the valued treasures,
of the institution. The collection of plants
to-day comprises about forty thousand species
of flowering plants and ferns, — and when it is
remembered that about one hundred thousand
is all that are so far described as known, it will
give some idea of its great value. It is illus-
trative of the soundness of the common say-
ing that " Large trees from little acorns grow, "
that this great institution commenced with a
few stuffed toads and one monkey. In some
departments its collections now are considered
superior to any other in the world. Besides
the lesson of its growth from so small a begin-

(174)

ning, it is also instructive to know that up to a
few years ago the whole of this great work was
done by the voluntary work and cost of its
members,— and that the care of this vast insti-
tution was undertaken and carried out by the
unpaid labors of lovers of science, who gave
time taken from business or professional pur-
suits. These facts show admirably what may
be done when a true love of the subject actu-
ates human effort. It is generally considered
that what this institution has done could never
have been accomplished by merely paying
people to do the work. Recently the State of
Pennsylvania has required some place in which
to display its collections, especially those made
by its geological survey and other bodies. For
this purpose it has appropriated to the Academy
one hundred thousand dollars by which to add
to its museum. This is the unfinished build-
ing which appears in the background of the
picture.

Indian Customs. — Indians and barbarians
do not usually make use of flowers or
evergreens as decorations, but the Zuni and
Moqui Pueblo Indians are exceptions, and
these perhaps, because as Indians they were
among the most cultivated of the Indian tribes.
They have dances in which the Indian corn
takes the place of honor, one of which Mr. J.
Walter Tewkes has recently described as the
Ham-po-ney ; and is thus narrated : —

"The most elaborate of all the dances by the
women which were seen in my sojourn during
the summer in Zuni was a corn dance called
the O-to na-wey or Ham-po-ney. This dance
is in most respects not unlike the Klar-hey-
wey, but it is more elaborate and is partici-
pated in by all the Zunians. It is celebrated
very rarely and on that account a description
of it has considerable value. When we reflect
what changes come over the manners and cus-
toms of the Pueblos in a few years we can
readily see that those ceremonies which occur
after long intervals of time are particularly
desirable to describe. We do not know but

f^

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

/:>

that in another decade such a dance as the
Ham-po-ney, celebrated as it rarely is, will be
so modified that much of its primitive charac-
ters will be lost. It is, therefore, a profitable
contribution to our knowledge of the ethnol-
ogy of the Zunians to record the present char-
acteristics of the ceremony before the changes
take place.

On the night before the Ham-po-ney, the
Koy-e-a-ma-shi built in the sacred dance place
a bower of cedar in which the dance of the mor-
row was to be celebrated. These priests cut
the cedar from the hills at the south of the
town and late in the afternoon came back to
the place loaded down with great bundles of
these boughs. With much raillery they decor-
ated the beams of the bower which had already
been built with cedar boughs, tying them on
with grease-wood fibres. During this duty
they were clad in the manner characteristic of
this priesthood as already described.

On the morning of the dance, the bower was
seen to be tastefully decorated, and its whole in-
terior occupied by seats for the dancers. There
was an elaborate shrine in the middle of the
building.

Two rows of blanketed seats extended down
the middle of the house facing the east. There
were places for the women who later take part
in the ceremonies. Between these seats there
was made with sacred meal on the ground, a
terraced figure with apex pointing towards the
east. On the eastern side of the house which
was open, there was a line of four seats for as
many women, the Show-ko-mosse, who take
a prominent part in the dance. In front of
them a line of baskets, heaped up with corn,
was placed and a bank of feather plumes. A
feather plume was placed in the ground near
each seat.

The musicians sat on each side of the
dancers. There were two sets of drummers
and one squad who accompanied the dancers
with the music of the horns.

The character of the dance was in general
the same as that of the Klar-hey-wey. The
dress, however, was much more elaborate and
the paraphernalia more striking.

Eight women and one man danced in a row
with a graceful movement of the body slowly
edging their way from the bower into the
open plaza. They bore painted tablets on
their heads and in their hands carried ears of

corn and sticks upon which were tied feathers.
Their arms were extended and swayed up and
down as they went through the dance. The
male dancer stood midway in the line and,
when the women ceased, kept on dancing,
raising one foot rapidly after the other. Brass
bells rattled on his knees.

The ears of corn which each dancer held were
drawn to the mouths of the dancers by several
old women who performed thatceremonj', pass-
ing from one to another of the participants as
described in the Klar-hey-wey. In the second
part of the dance, in which the musicians furn-
ished the instrumental music, the dancers car-
ried hand tablets similar to those which they
bore on their head.

The dancing was continued all day with the
exception of a short time given to a feast when
the dancers ate in the presence of the audience,
among whom the food was distributed after
the dancers had eaten.

The dance lasted all night, during which a
fire was kindled in front of the bower, and net-
withstanding a heavy rain somewhat damp-
ened the ground of the plaza, the dancing went
on at intervals until day-break.

In the morning a procession, composed of
four bo3\s and girls with Ni-u-che the represen-
tative of A-hai-u-ta, the war chief, and
another, visited the shrine of Her-pah-ti-nah,
marching three times around this sacred place.
The slab which closes it on the east side was
turned down, the chamber was opened and in
it were deposited with praj-ers, offerings of
feathers, water and meal."

Overwork. — A few possibly die early from
overwork, but many more pass away from
want of enough. Active brainy men who have
not abused their bodily system by excesses are
among the longest livers. Gladstone, the
English Premier, who is passionately fond of
gardening and forestry as a relaxation, and
who has been a wonderful worker, is now in
his eighty-third year. Also in his eighty-
third, is Professor Babington, the Professor
of Botany in Cambridge, England, author of
one of the best works on the British flora, and
a tremendous worker. Another heavy worker
is the great American geologist, Prof Hall, of
Albany, New York, yet though over eighty,
was working as actively as a young man at
a recent science meeting at Rochester.

*

■ {

Hi

GENERAL NOTES.

Cnicus EDUI.IS. — Professor Edward L.
Greene, in "Erythea," corrects an error into
which Meehans' Monthly fell in referring
to the edible thistle as being found in Colorado,
•when in fact it is confined to the Pacific coast.
Also in guessing from the very imperfect des-
cription of a correspondent some time since,
that "Canaigre" might be the dwarf golden
chestnut. This was corrected as soon as speci-
mens were received, when it was seen to be a
dock. Prof. Greene's kindness in making
these corrections is much appreciated, as it is
the desire of the conductors that every state-
ment in the magazine should be absolutely ac-
curate, if possible. It is, however, difficult to
reach the same perfection in a magazine that
is expected in a deliberately prepared work.
In the same magazine in which the above
kindly corrections occur, Rhus glabra, appears
as Phus glabra. The Professor also regards
Meehans' Monthly as ''impatient of the
action of those who would have a correct and
lawful plant nomenclature." For instance, he
would have Cnicus, as above referred to, called
Carduus. No objection has ever been made
by the conductors to having errors in nomen-
clature pointed out ; their position is that dic-
tionaries or lexicons must of necessity be fol-
lowed in all magazine offices; and that the pro
posed corrections, however justifiable they may
be, cannot be used to any practical advantage,
until the dictionaries adopt them.

The Forthcoming Volume of Meehans*
Monthly.— The end of this year is approach-
ing, and with it commences the fourth volume
of Meehans' Monthly. It is a source of
pride to the publishers that they are able to
make a work successful that no regular pub-
lisher would touch. Its success proves it to
be a slander on the American people, that only
that which caters to a comparatively low taste
will take. The average number of educated
Americans who have learned to distinguish be-
tween mediocrity and an advanced position in
general culture, is much larger than is gener-

(176)

ally supposed. The conductors of Meehans'
Monthly have had faith in them, and received
their confidence in return. No spoons or
watches have been offered that the subscriber
might get something for what he does not
really want or care. A constituency has
been gathered together who are fully satisfied
that they get the full value in the subscription
price. One may take a pride in such a con-
stituency, and we are proud. Few intelligent
persons see a copy of our magazine w^ithout
desiring to be a subscriber. There are yet
thousands who have not seen or heard of it,
whom we want to gather in. We know from
experience that many would be thankful to
friends who would draw their attention to it,
and specimen numbers will be gladly mailed
free to any address given to us. Lists of
names sent with renewals of subscriptions will
be a favor to one's friends as well as to the
publishers.

The Correspondents of Meehans' Month-
ivY. — Among the many pleasant experiences in
conducting this magazine the conductors have
to note the courteous manner in which corre-
spondents express their differences. The
temptation to keen retort and savage expres-
sions is freely indulged in by writers in even
strictly scientific papers. It is gratifying to
find contributors to this magazine admitting
the possibility of being wrong sometimes.

Baptisia leucoph^a. — In the selection of
subjects for the colored plates the aim is to
teach geographical botany as well as to give
lessons in as many natural orders as possible.
It is a long time since one of the butterfly or
leguminose class was presented, but the next
will be one of these — Baptisia Iciicophcea. It will
represent what was once the ''prairie region "
of the United States.

Prof. C. S. Sargent.— Mr. Nicholson, cura-
tor of the Royal Gardens, Kew, gives praise to
the Horticultural labors of Professor Sargent.

Vol III

Pl,a-;

\>\

HI

li«

ii

BAPTISIA LEUCOPH.EA.

CREAM-COLORED BAPTISIA.

NATURAL ORDER, LEGUMINOvS/E.

BAPTISIA LEUCOPH^A, Nuttall— Stem two to three feet high; villous, smoothish when old; petioles, verv short- leartets
oblanceolate, varying to obovate, two to three inches long bv half to one inch wide; stipules more than' half as large as
the leaves triangular-ovate, persistent, the bracts also large; raceme twenty to fifty-flowered, iioddinvr or inclined
horizontally, the flowers turned to the upper side on their long pedicels, pedicels one to two inches long; iei;ume ovoid
or roundish, inflated. (Wood's C/ass-Book of Botany. See also Gray's Manual of the Botany of tin- yotthitn
United States, and Chapman's Flora of the Southern United States.

Baptisia is a distinctively American genus,
containing over a dozen species, and is also,
perhaps, one of the most interesting genera
among the flora of the United States. There
is a similarity of habit and general appearance
running through all the species; but in the
inflorescence there is great variation, especially
in the color and size of the flowers, among
which are white, yellow and purple, with many
various shades between them. They are con-
fined wholly to the Atlantic States, ranging
from Maine to Minnesota, and thence south-
wardly to Florida and Texas. No species has
been found beyond the Rocky Mountains; the
allied genus Thermopsis seeming to take its
place as it travels west.

In a certain sense it is a new genus. No
mention of it will be found made by any author
of the last century. Two or three of the species
were known to the earlier explorers in Virginia,
but they were supposed to belong to the genus
Sophora, or Podalyria^ a genus which seems
to have its principal home in the Cape of Good
Hope. In searching for the family history of
these plants these old genera will have to be
consulted by the critical student. Even
Ventenat, the French botanist, who established
the genus Baptisia in 1808, but a few years
before, in the history of the new plants grow-
ing in the garden of Cels, where so many of
the collections of Michaux and other celebrated
botanists were raised, — had described our
present Baptisia australis as Podalyria austra-
lis. Nature must have suggested some differ-
ences between the two genera before the botan-
ist knew how to describe them, for the general
appearance of the plants is by no means
suggestive of the Podalyrias from southern
Africa. But the descriptions of the two genera,

/"

briefly given in those days, merely make the
calyx cleft to near the base, while, as we see in
our illustration, Baptisia is but cleft half way
down ; and the stamens fall away at once as
the petals fade in Baptisia, while in Poda-
lyria they are united at the base, and thus
remain around the ovary for a long time. In
other words, the stamens are persistent in
Podalyria, and early deciduous in Baptisia.
Ventenat had the name suggested to him from
the use made of Podalyria tinctoria in dyeing.
Baptos being a Greek word signifying a dye,
and hence Baptisia became the name for the
whole genus.

The flowers of Baptisia have attracted some
attention from those now engaged in the study
of the manner in which flowers are fertilized.
Bees in collecting honey or pollen, as they
go from flower to flower, take the pollen of
one to the other, and in this way they may
be cross-fertilized. It is interesting to watch
the bees as they do their work. Their feet rest
on the two wings, and, pressing these down by
their weight, the keel is brought up against the
pollen-covered breast of the insect, and the
stigmatic surface of the pistil thus gets foreign
pollen before it gets its own. In order, how-
ever, to test whether they could be fertilized
by their own pollen, the writer has enclosed
the flowers in gauze bags, so as to exclude
bees, in which case but very few flowers per-
fected seed, while those uncovered on the same
plant produced seed in abundance. How-
ever, producing seed is not always a matter of
pollenization. Large quantities of plants may
often be seen in proximity to each other, some
seasons nearly all bearing seeds freely ; at other
times a few plants will be very productive,
while the most of them are wholly barren.

(177)

1II.-V./

i \

I

KAPTISIA LEUCOPILliA.

CREAiM-COLORKI) IJAPTISIA.

NATURAL ORDER, LEOrMINOSj;.

Bai'TISIA lei-coph.'i-a. Xuttall.-Stem two to three feet high; villous, snioothish when old; netiok-s vt-rv ^horf leaHeis
oblanceolate, varying to obovate, two to three inches long bv half to cnic itich wide; stipuks tiiore- tliaii' lialf as'lar-.' as
the leaves tnangular-ovate, persistent, the bracts also large: racrnie tw.-ntv lo fiftv-tluwertd ncddin- cr iiKpined
horizontally, the flowers turned to the upper side on their long policels. policHs one to iwy inches l,„ic- k-unie ovoid
or roundish, inflated. (Wood's C/ass-h'ooi- of Botanv. See also CraVs .\ran,<al of thr Jlnunix ■' - \- .'//,;,/
Lmted States, and Chapman's Flora of the Soutket n U'nited States.

BaptivSia is a distinctively American genus,
containing- over a dozen species, and is also,
perhaps, one of the most interesting genera
among the flora of the United States. There
is a similarity of habit and general appearance
running through all the species; but in the
inflorescence there is great variation, especially
in the color and size of the flowers, among
which are white, yellow and purple, with many
various shades between them. They are con-
fined wholly to the Atlantic States, ranging
from Maine to Minnesota, and thence south-
wardly to Florida and Texas. No species has
been found beyond the Rocky Mountains; the
allied genus Thermopsis seeming to take its
place as it travels west.

In a certain sense it is a new genus. No
mention of it will be found made by any author
of the last century. Two or three of the species
were known to the earlier explorers in Virginia,
l)ut they were supposed to belong to the genus
Sophora, or Podalyria, a genus which seems
to have its principal home in the Cape of Good
Hope. In searching for the family history of
these plants these old genera will have to be
consulted by the critical student. Even
^'entenat, the French botanist, who established
the genus Baptisia in 1808, but a few years
before, in the history of the new plants grow-
ing in the garden of Cels, where so many of
the collections of Michaux and other celebrated
botanists were raised, — had described our
present Baptisia australis as Podalyria a us fru-
its. Nature must have suggested some differ-
ences between the two genera before the botan-
ist knew how to describe them, for the general
appearance of the plants is by no means
suggestive of the Podalyrias from southern
Africa. But the descriptions of the two genera,

x

briefly given in those days, merely make the
calyx cleft to near the base, while, as we j^ee in
our illustration, Ihtpfisia is ])ut cleft half way
down ; and the stamens fall away at once as
the petals fade in Baptisia, while in r<Hia'
lyria they are united at the base, and thus
remain around the ovary for a long time. In
other words, the stamens are persistent in
Podaly}ia, and early deciduous in Iniptisia.
Ventenat had the name su.i^gCvSted to him from
the use made of Podaiyria tinctoria in (lyein,^^
B apt OS being a (ireek word signifying a dye,
and hence Baptisia became the name for the
whole genus.

The flowers of Baptisia have attracted some
attention from those now engaged in the study
of the manner in which flowers are fertilized.
Bees in collecting honey or pollen, as they
go from flower to flower, take the pollen of
one to the other, and in this way they may
be cross-fertilized. It is interesting to watch
the bees as they do their work. Their feet rest
on the two wings, and, pressing these down by
their weight, the keel is brought up against the
pollen-covered breast of the insect, and the
stigmatic surface of the pistil thus gets foreign
pollen before it gets its own. In order, how-
ever, to test whether they could be fertilized
by their own pollen, the writer has enclosed
the flowers in gauze bags, so as to exclude
bees, in which case but very few flowers per-
fected seed, while those uncovered on the same
plant produced seed in abundance. How-
ever, producing seed is not always a matter of
pollenization. Large quantities of plants may
often be seen in proximity to each other, some
seasons nearly all bearing seeds freely; at other
times a few plants will be very productive,
while the most of them are wholly barren.

(177)

HP!

^^-^m^i

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

I

i

111

178

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — BAPTISIA LEUCOPHiEA.

ID

ft,-

Some of the species have the remarkable
peculiarity of always turning black in drying,
no matter how careful the plant collector may
be in the endeavor to make good specimens of
them.

The genus, as already noted, is found in
some of its species all over the Atlantic part of
the United States. The number increases as we
approach the higher lands from the coast, and
decreases as we reach the Mississippi. But we
do not meet with our species until we are across
the* Alleghany range, and it is not fully at home
until we get into the level lands. It is sub-
stantially a prairie species,— and if the com-
mon name of Cream-Colored Baptisia had not
already been given to it, it might fairly be
named the Prairie Baptisia. It is one of the
few species that have managed to get a little
distance beyond the Mississippi, as it is found
along its line in Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and
Nebraska. It is among the earliest of the
beautiful prairie flowers, — the Marcy expedi-
tion finding it in full flower in April, while
even so far north as Minnesota. Parry reports
it among the May flowers. It is found alike
in open grassy plains, as well as in the higher
woodlands of these regions. In its habits it is
just such a flower as we might imagine Long-
fellow to have had in mind as he wrote :

*' When the warm sun, that brings

Seed, time and harvest, has returned again,
'T is sweet to visit the still wood where springs
The first flower of the plain."

The flowers, however, do not make as much
show in the natural scenery, as do those of
some other species, through the habit they have
of reclining instead of rising erect, and in this
way they are often covered more or less by the
foliage. The flowers are larger than in any of
the other North American species. It was
first observed by Mr. Nuttall, growing abund-
antly near St. Louis, and by him named
Baptisia leucophcea, in his "Genera of North
America," issued in 181 8. It varies somewhat
in different locations, and the flowers as
represented in the Botanical Magazine, seem
more erect and conspicuous. The variation in
some specimens collected by Hall in Texas,
were so marked as to lead Dr. Gray to give it
the sub-name or "variety" IcBvicaulis.

Our plate has been so arranged as to give a
fair representation of the plant, though from
its size it was difficult to give all the peculiar

characteristics of the species. The spike ;
flowers chosen, had of necessity to be a sni.?]!
one ; but it shows well the large leafy an.j
strongly nerved bracts, which are very con-
spicuous in this species, and which indeed ltd
Muhlenberg and others of the earlier botanists
to call it Baptisia bracteata. The flowers are
a little undersized as compared with vigorous
specimens, but the yellowish white flowers are
just as we find them in larger ones. The
calyx lobes, extending down to about half the
depth of the calyx, as noted by the early
botanists is well shown; as is also the divari-
cate or forking character of the branches. The
leaves are, of course, occasionally larger, but
an interesting point in our specimens is that
instead of the leaves being almost sessile, as in
most descriptions, these have petioles nearly
half an inch long.

The seed vessel in the illustration is imma-
ture,— but it may be noted that, when ripe,
some species have the seeds loose in the vessels,
and the seeds rattle like a child's toy in the
shaken seed vessel. Indeed, one of the popular
names is * ' Rattle box. ' ' Nature loves variety,
so sometimes seeds cling to an opening capsule,
— and sometimes it fails to scatter loose ones.

This genus is a good illustration of the
superiority of the modern or natural system of
botany over the old artificial systems, even the
comparatively good one of Linnaeus. Examin-
ing most of the pea-shaped flowers they were
found, to have the stamens divided into two
sets. In one there was but a single stamen,
and in the other all were united together at
the base. This character formed Linnieus'
class Diadelphia. But, as already noted, in
Baptisia, the stamens are all free from eacii
other, and this fact compelled botanists to
place it in the class Decandtia, far away fron:
its natural associates of the Papilionaceo'i.-;
order.

Still, under the natural system, plants, <i
times, find queer associates. The aim is t^
bring together that which is alike, an<i
separate the unlike from the like. But even
the best efforts of this character fail occasion-
ally. All that can be said of the systems
known as "natural" is that they are less un-
natural than those which went before.

WILD FLOWERS AND NATURL.

NATURE'S ROSARY.

The beaded dew-drops hang on blades of grass,
On spiders' webs, and twigs of bush and tree,
Thick-strung as pearls— the rosaries of Nature,
Which, by the morning sun 'swarm fingers touched,
Will rise invisible as prayers to heaven.

— Thomas Conrad Porter.

Explanation OF THE Plate.— I. Small specimen from n
Western State, contributed by Josiah Hoopes. 2. Nearly-
mature seed vessel.

Variations in Plants.-— It does not seem
to be generally recognized that no two trees or
plants come exactly alike, any more than two
individuals among the human family might be
expected to be exactly alike. Indefinite and
absolute variation seems to be a law of nature,
and yet much surprise is felt at variations in
trees, and these variations are frequently taken
and Latin names given them to an extent that
is absolutely alarming and confusing to the
systematic botanist. On the conductor's table
is the "Gartenflora" of March the 15th, an
admirable German botanical and horticultural
publication, in which are named and described
no less than twenty-three varieties of our com-
mon silver maple, drawings being given of a
large number of them. Those who are famil-
iar with this common tree in our country, well
know that it would be just as easy to get a
hundred varieties as ten. There is, however,
one difficulty which will excuse sometimes the
use of a Latin name to mark a conspicuous
variation. The common cut - leaved silver
maple, for instance, brought into great prom-
inence by Ellwanger & Barry, from a plant
found by Mr. Wier, of Illinois, is Latinized as
Wieri. It is difficult for nurserymen to decide
how to name these variations, and some name
is certainly required under which to introduce
them. We might, to be sure, say Brown's
Maple, Smith's Maple, Jones' Maple, and so
on, but it is evident that such names would
never become so permanent and fixed as when
the Latin form Smithii, Browtiii and Jonesii
would be employed, and yet the use of these
Latin names in this way proves to be very an-
noying and troublesome to the systematic
botanist.

The Buttonwood in Ohio.— Mr. Uselnia
C. Smith, Philadelphia, kindly contributes the
following :

•'There was such a large tree some years
ago, well known to me, growing on my
brother's farm in Jefferson, Ashtabula Co.,
Ohio, about ten miles south of Lake Erie, on
creek bottom land, sheltered by hills. My
brother and I measured this tree. I give you
the result of our measurement : Seven feet
from the ground it was 42 feet six inches in
circumference, and about 14 feet in diameter ;
increasing in size rapidly towards the roots
where we stood to make our seven feet high
measurement. Four feet from the ground it
would have measured from 48 to 50 feet.
About 20 feet up, the trunk was divided into
four large branches, which spread in opposite
directions, from five to eight feet in diameter,
round and clean. They covered over 150 feet
in circumference. No vegetation grew under
its shade, but grass. It was the place of resort
in the fall for the country people, for their
harvest parties, where platforms were con-
structed, and they danced by moonlight to
their rustic music. When measured, the tree
was apparently sound. Some years afterwards
it was cut into by hunters to dislodge game,
finding it to be hollow. It was burned out by
some vandal boys. This weakened it, and it was
blown over by a heavy storm. Contrary to
the usual custom, this tree spread out and was
shaped much like an apple tree. Growing on
rich land, and well watered, it bore a large and
heavy foliage. Doubtless this accounted for
the absence of other trees and shrubs growing
beneath it. It was the pride and admiration
of the people of the surrounding country."

Galls ox the Wvch Hazel. — In many
localities, the Wych Hazel is covered by many
small excrescences which seem to take the
place of fruit, on the fading of the flowers.
These are galls formed by species of aphis, as
can readily be seen by cutting some of them
apart.

(179)

-fi

■;

\,

^4!

ii

1 80

MEEHANS* MONTHI.Y — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Dec.

The Russian Thistle.— Plant growers very
often complain when the botanist, under the
recognized rule of priority, feels compelled to
change one botanical name for another. But
this great evil is seldom considered when a
common name is in question. Any one has a
right to give a plant any common name he
chooses, and, as a consequence, scores of
names are given to the same thing, and few
know what another is talking about. This
thought occurs particularly on reading a
government publication, issued by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, in relation to the * ' Rus-
sian thistle." We could not imagine what
the Russian thistle could possibly be. On
reading, however, it is evident that what the
United States government calls in this pamph-
let the Russian thistle, is the plant which has
been long known to residents along the sea-
coasts as Saltwort, and which is botanically
Salsola kali. It appears, according to this
document, that it is called Russian cactus,
as well as Russian thistle, and that it is
also called tartar weed, and hector weed. Pos-
sibly, if it were worth the while of the United
States government to hunt them up, a score of
* other names might be discovered. It appears
to be an extremely troublesome weed in
Dakota. Botanically the plant is related to
the spinach family.

Hygienic Value of Perfumes. — Dr. An-
ders, of Philadelphia, a few years ago made
the interesting discovery that the ozone in the
atmosphere, the element which is the great
purifier, was mainly supplied from blooming
flowers, — and for this reason blooming plants
were healthful in dwelling houses as well as
attractive. Some interesting experiments with
the odors of flowers have been made in the old
world, and it is found that many species of
microbes are easily destroyed by various odors.
The odor of cloves has been known to destroy
these minute creatures in 25 minutes; cinna-
mon will kill some species in 12 minutes;
thyme, in 35. In 45 minutes the common wild
verbena is found effective, while the odor of
some geranium flowers has destroyed various
forms of microbes in 50 minutes. The essence
of cinnamon is said to destroy the typhoid
fever microbe in 12 minutes, and is recorded
as the most effective of all odors as an anti-
septic. It is now believed that flowers which

are found in Egyptian mummies, were
placed there more for their antiseptic proper
ties, than as mere ornaments or elements in
sentimental work.

Bear Grass. — Mr. C. F. Saunders, Philadel-
phia, notes as follows: **The note on Bear Grass
in the October number calls to mind that this
summer I heard the same name used by a
North Carolina mountaineer to designate
A m ianth iu m m usccetoxicu m . The n ame seem ed
rather appropriate, I thought, to the bunches
of coarse, grass-like leaves, growing, as I
often saw them, about rocky, cavernous places,
which looked for all the world like the haunts
of bears. Another common name that I heard
the same man use and which I do not find
noted in Gray is Coltsfoot, applied to Galax
aphylla. The outline of the leaf bears a good
resemblance to the print of a horse's hoof
when unshod, as a colt's hoof would natur-
ally be, and in size is not dissimilar to the
latter."

Second Growth of Pine. — Some people
insist that when an oak forest is cut down
pines spring up, — and that oak follows pine,
and so forth, — but this never occurs except
where the two kinds are not far from each
other. In localities where but one kind exists,
that kind succeeds itself. An intelligent Ne-
vada correspondent notes that where the pine
timber was cut away twenty years or so ago.
fine young trees, apparently about fifteen
years old, now cover the same area. They
grow so slowly when young, she says,
that few observe them, but after a few yearj^
they grow rapidly. It is about the sixth or
seventh year before they start on the rapi^i
growth.

Fruiting of the Lily of the Valley.—-
Dr. James Darrach, of Philadelphia, author of
a flora of Philadelphia, sends a spike of tlu'
common Lily of the Valley, in which the tw<^
lower flowers have produced fruit, — scarkt
berries larger than those of the holly. It is
worth investigation by those of inquiring ten
dencies, why the Lily of the Valley should
produce millions of flowers without a fniit
resulting. The variegated leaved variety
usually produces a few berries in Meehans'
Nurseries, — but the normal form does not.

1893.]

meehans* monthly — WILD FLOWERS AND NATURE.

181

A Scene on the Wissahickon. — In a former
issue an illustration has been given of the face
of the rocky scenery of the Wissahickon. In
this issue another shows the passage of a
little stream over the rocky surface. This
peculiar part of the Wissahickon is known as
the '* Happy Valley." The picture was taken
in the winter season. During the summer it
is a favorite home for numerous species of
ferns, among which the Aspidium aero sticho ides
forms a conspicuous part. This fern is known
in the vicinity of Philadelphia, as the ' ' Christ-
mas Fern." The fronds are evergreen, and are
collected in large quantities to aid in Christ-
mas festivities, and are also employed in win-
ter decorations of many kinds.

In the islands of the Indian Ocean a genus,
known as Pleurotus, furnishes a species, ac-
cording to a French mycologist, which is so
abundant, and in which the phosphorescence is
so enduring, that the native women use it for
personal adornment in the hair and dress. It
is said that the glow will continue, occasion-
ally, for twenty-four hours.

Geographical Range of the Kalmia. —
Referring to the note of Mr. H. P. KeLsey in
a recent number of the magazine, Mrs. E. L.
H. Willis remarks that she has seen the Kal-
mia growing luxuriantly near Aiken in S. C,
and believes it is plentiful in the woods in the
vicinity of Charleston.

Plant Emigration, White
Snake Root. — Ernest Walker,
New Albany, Ind., says that this
plant, Eupatorium ageratoides,
under cultivation, is not
only a beautiful, but extremely
useful, fall flower for cutting.
The flowers are pure white. In
the rich soil of the garden the
plants grow six to nine feet
high. A row of them in bloom
looks like a miniature snow
storm.

Several years ago, Mr. Walker
got plants from Kentucky, and
planted them in the garden. At
that time he had never seen a
single plant of the species around
New Albany, Ind., although it
had been found. Now within
the vicinity of the nursery, and in their grounds,
it is becoming spontaneous. The volunteers
appear singly here and there, growing about
three feet high. They do not promise to be-
come numerous enough to prove troublesome.

Luminous Fungi. — There are probably few
who have not, at some time or another, met
with cases of luminous fungi. The writer of
this paragraph well remembers an old oak tree,
hollow with age, and exposing a large pro-
portion of decayed wood, which glowed at
night almost as brilliantly as if a light had
been placed inside the hollow shell. In some
parts of the world, species with this character-
istic are much more common than in others.

A WINTER SCENE ON THE WISSAHICKON.

Irritability in Plants. — Mr. Ernest
Walker, of New Albany, Ind., has recently
contributed some interesting notes on the
manner in which the common wild sour grass —
as it is called, Oxalis si f icf a— expels its seeds.
They are thrown to a great distance by the
sudden disruption of the capsule. He finds
Oxalis violacca has the same power. The com-
mon Balsam of our garden, or, as it is some-
times called in American floriculture, ** Lady
Slipper," does the same, — especially when the
seed pods are grasped. This and the Oxalis
belong to the same natural order of plants.
The garden Balsam derived its Latin name,
Impaliens, from this characteristic. Possibly
most species of Oxalis are irritable.

• f

.!

i8o

MEEHANS* MONTHLY — WILD I^LOWERS AND NATURE.

[Dec.

,

The Russian Thistle.— Plant growers very
often complain when the botanist, under the
recognized rule of priority, feels compelled to
change one botanical name for another. But
this great evil is seldom considered when a
common name is in question. Any one has a
right to give a plant any common name he
chooses, and, as a consequence, scores of
names are given to the same thing, and few
know what another is talking about. This
thought occurs particularly on reading a
government publication, issued by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, in relation to the "Rus-
sian thistle." We could not imagine what
the Russian thistle could possibly be. On
reading, however, it is evident that what the
United States government calls in this pamph-
let the Russian thistle, is the plant which has
been long known to residents along the sea-
coasts as Saltwort, and which is botanically
Salsola kali. It appears, according to this
document, that it is called Russian cactus,
as well as Russian thistle, and that it is
also called tartar weed, and hector weed. Pos-
sibly, if it were worth the while of the United
States government to hunt them up, a score of
other names might be discovered. It appears
to be an extremely troublesome weed in
Dakota. Botanically the plant is related to
the spinach family.

are found in Egyptian mummies, were
placed there more for their antiseptic proper
ties, than as mere ornaments or elements in
sentimental work.

Hygienic Value of Perfumes. — Dr. An-
ders, of Philadelphia, a few years ago made
the interesting discovery that the ozone in the
atmosphere, the element which is the great
purifier, was mainly supplied from blooming
flowers, — and for this reason blooming plants
were healthful in dwelling houses as well as
attractive. Some interesting experiments with
the odors of flowers have been made in the old
world, and it is found that many species of
microbes are easily destroyed by various odors.
The odor of cloves has been known to destroy
these minute creatures in 25 minutes; cinna-
mon will kill some species in 12 minutes;
thyme, in 35. In 45 minutes the common wild
verbena is found effective, while the odor of
some geranium flowers has destroyed various
forms of microbes in 50 minutes. The essence
of cinnamon is said to destroy the typhoid
fever microbe in 12 minutes, and is recorded
as the most effective of all odors as an anti-
septic. It is now believed that flowers which

Bear Grass. — Mr. C. F. Saunders, Philadel-
phia, notes as follows : ' 'The note on Bear Gras .
in the October number calls to mind that this
summer I heard the same name used by a
North Carolina mountaineer to designate
Amia7ithmni niusccetoxicum. The name seemed
rather appropriate, I thought, to the bunches
of coarse, grass-like leaves, growing, as I
often saw them, about rocky, cavernous places,
which looked for all the world like the haunts
of bears. Another common name that I heard
the same man use and which I do not find
noted in Gray is Coltsfoot, applied to Galax
aphylla. The outline of the leaf bears a good
resemblance to the print of a horse's hoof
when unshod, as a colt's hoof would natur-
ally be, and in size is not dissimilar to the
latter.'*

Second Growth of Pine. — Some people
insist that when an oak forest is cut down
pines spring up, — and that oak follows pine,
and so forth, — but this never occurs except
where the two kinds are not far from each
other. In localities where but one kind exists,
that kind succeeds itself. An intelligent Ne-
vada correspondent notes that where the pin-
timber was cut away twenty years or so ago.
fine young trees, apparently about fiftee-
years old, now cover the same area. The\
grow so slowly when young, she says,
that few observe them, but after a few yeai
they grow rapidly. It is about the sixth 0^
seventh year before they start on the rapi
growth.

Fruiting of the Lily of the Valley. -
Dr. James Darrach, of Philadelphia, author
a flora of Philadelphia, sends a spike of th '
common Lily of the Valley, in which the tw
lower flowers have produced fruit, — scarK
berries larger than those of the holly. It
worth investigation by those of inquiring ten
dencies, why the Lily of the Valley shou^'
produce millions of flowers without a fniit
resulting. The variegated leaved varita
usually produces a few berries in Meehan-^
Nurseries, — but the normal form does not.

fell

f\.'^

.'.■*■ ■ -I 1

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

1893.]

meehans' monthly— wild flowers and nature.

iSi

A Scene on the Wissahickon. — In a former
issue an illustration has been given of the face
of the rocky scenery of the Wissahickon. In
this issue another shows the passage of a
little stream over the rocky surface. This
peculiar part of the Wissahickon is known as
the ** Happy Valley." The picture was taken
in the winter season. During the summer it
is a favorite home for numerous species of
ferns, among which the Aspidiiim acrostichoides
forms a conspicuous part. This fern is known
in the vicinity of Philadelphia, as the " Christ-
mas Fern." The fronds are evergreen, and are
collected in large quantities to aid in Christ-
mas festivities, and are also employed in win-
ter decorations of many kinds.

In the islands of the Indian Ocean a genus,
known as Pleuroius, furnishes a species, ac-
cording to a French mycologist, which is so
abundant, and in which the j)hosphorescence is
so enduring, that the native women use it for
personal adornment in the hair and dress. It
is said that the glow will continue, occasion-
ally, for twenty-four hours.

Geocrapiiical Range of tiuc Kalmia. —
Referring to the note of Mr. II. P. Kelsey in
a recent number of the magazine, Mrs. F. L.
H. Willis remarks that she has seen the Kal-
mia growing luxuriantly near Aiken in S. C,
and believes it is plentiful in the woods in the
vicinity of Charleston.

Plant Emigration, White
Snake Root. — Ernest Walker,
New Albany, Ind., says that this
plant, Eupatorium ageratoides,
under cultivation, is not
only a beautiful, but extremely
useful, fall flower for cutting.
The flowers are pure white. In
the rich soil of the garden the
plants grow six to nine feet
high. A row of them in bloom
looks like a miniature snow
storm.

Several years ago, Mr. Walker
got plants from Kentucky, and
planted them in the garden. At
that time he had never seen a
single plant of the species around
New Albany, Ind., although it
had been found. Now within
the vicinity of the nursery, and in their grounds,
it is becoming spontaneous. The volunteers
appear singl}- here and there, growing about
three feet high. The^^ do not promise to be-
come numerous enough to prove troublesome.

Luminous Fungi. — There are probably few
who have not, at some time or another, met
with cases of luminous fungi. The writer of
this paragraph well remembers an old oak tree,
hollow with age, and exposing a large pro-
portion of decayed wood, which glowed at
night almost as brilliantly as if a light had
been placed inside the hollow shell. In some
parts of the w^orld, species with this character-
istic are much more common than in others.

A WINTER SCENE ON THE WISSAHICKON.

Irritability in Plants. — Mr. Ernest
Walker, of New Albany, Ind.. has recently
contributed some interesting^ notes on the
manner in which the common wild sour grass —
as it is called, Oxalis s/fic/a—t^xpeU its seeds.
They are thrown to a great distance by the
sudden disruption of the capsule. He finds
Oxalis z'iolacca has the same power. The com-
mon Balsam of our garden, or, as it is some-
times called in American floriculture. " Lady
Slipper," does the same,— especially when the
seed pods are grasped. This and the (Ivalis
belong to the same natural order of plants.
The garden Balsam derived its Latin name,
Impaticus, from this characteristic. Possibly
most species of Oxalis are irritable.

f

I ,

i^

{ I

182

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— WII^D FLOWERS AND NATURE.

[Dec.

Proliferous Strawberries.— Few things
are more instructive than the variations from
normal forms occasionally seen in fruits and
flowers. The departures from the original
condition are supposed to illustrate the path
by which changes in Nature travel. With
this paragraph is given a sketch of a straw-
berry, taken from the Londori Gardener's Chro?t-
icle, in which little plants are growing out of
the fruit. It has been long known from simi-
lar vagaries that there is practically little

PROLIFEROUS STRAWBERRY,

difference between the seed and the bud. This
knowledge may easily be gained from our
common species of garlic, in which instead of
flowers in the head, small bulblets appear. A
bulblet is nothing more than a bud,— in the
strawberry the receptacle becomes fleshy, and
the seeds are placed on the surface,— but in
the case figured, the seeds have taken a short
way to become plants at once, without going
through the regular process of sprouting
through the earth.

Cactuses.— Our French contemporary, the
Lyon-Horticole, notes, that as is the case in
America, the love for the culture of cactuses,
is somewhat on the increase, although the
number of collections in the vicinity of I,yons
is not large. One grower, however, has raised
a large number of beautiful varieties, between
Mamillaria dolichocentra and Mamillaria rho-
dantha, which are said to be remarkable. The
raising of new forms of cactuses is somewhat
of a new thought. There is no more reason
why this occupation may not become as popu-
lar, and attractive, as the raising of hybrid
orchids seems now to be in England.

In These Intelligent Days. — We have
now before us a specimen of a grape vine,
which has a protuberance which might
readily be taken for a hickory nut or a fig.
The party sending it to us is sure that the
pollen of a hickory flower has been absorbed
by the flower of the grape vine, and that this
is therefore a case of immediate influence of
hickory pollen on the grape,— yet, if the
sender had only thought to cut this protuber-
ance open, he would have found a little larva
inside, which would conclusively show that
the protuberance was simply the gall of an
insect.

The Japan Ivy.— The Ampelopsis Veitchii,
or as it is, properly, A. tricuspidata is believed
not to be hardy in the Northwest.

Prof. Goft of the agricultural department of

the University of Wisconsin, has succeeded in

grafting it on the roots of Ampelopsis quinque-

folia, our Virginia creeper, and hopes in this

way to increase its hardiness.

Walking Fern.— Mr. Willard N. Clute,
Binghamton, N. Y., notes that the Walking
Fern, Asplenium rhizophyllum, known also as
Ayitigramma, and Camptosorus, is abundant in
Susquehanna county, Pa., growing on the tops
and sides of the borders of some woods.

RoBiNiA HiSPiDA. — This beautiful shrub,
which has received considerable attention on
account of the rarity of its seeding, is re-
ported by Mr. Harlan P. Keltey, as notunfre-
quently perfecting seed pods in the mountains
of North Carolina.

GENERAL GARDENING.

A WINTER SCENE.

'' The snow lay deep upon a hundred hills
And choked the hollows of the woodland-dells.
Under the ice the stream flowed noiselessly
And all the forest-trees were stark and bare.
The gaunt gray wolves, among their mountain-
holds.
Grew fierce with famine, and the snowy owl,
Swept from his northern wastes by mighty storms.
Sought for his prey around the homes of men."

Howard Worcester Gilbert.

Vedalia cardinaus, — A Triumph op Sci-
entific Method. — Some three or four years
ago California orange culturists were almost in
despair at the ravages in their orange groves
of an insect known variously as the Fluted
Scale, the White Scale or the Cottony Cushion
Scale (Jcerya Purchasi). For a time it looked
as if orange culture would have to be aban-
doned in California, but just in the nick of
time Professor Riley, Government Entomolo-
gist, came to the rescue. He had, after care-
ful investigation, definitely ascertained that
the scale in question was a native of Aus-
tralia, and that it was not practically injurious
there. Here was the clue, and it was skillfully
followed up. Long correspondence with Aus-
tralian entomologists, and the despatch of a
carefully instructed agent to that country,
resulted in the discovery of the parasite now
so well known as Vedalia cardinaliSy which
keeps the Cottony Cushion Scale in subjec-
tion in its native home. When the scale was
inadvertently brought over to California upon
Australian oranges Vedalia had been left be-
hind, with the result that its host, the scale,
had multiplied without restraint, as com-
monly happens when an insect is imported
without its natural checks. Forthwith a large
vshipment of living Vedalias was made from
Australia to California, and the surprising
result is known to everybody. Within a few
months the scale was obliterated, orange cul-
ture was again on its feet, and Vedalia had
become a household word in California.

The experiment was successfully repeated in
the Hawaiian Islands, where also the scale

threatened to extinguish orange raising, and
last fall a special commissioner from the Cape
of Good Hope arrived in the United States,
with the purpose of securing a supply of
Vedalias for use in his country, where the
scale was menacing orange culture. He was
given every assistance possible, both at Wash-
ington and in California, and went home with
a good stock of the insects. One package was
kept upon ice during the voyage (the method
adopted in the original importation into Cali-
fornia) and a second was left open that the in-
sects might be fed en route.

The special commissioner alluded to, Mr.
Thos. A. J. Louw, has recently reported to the
Department of Agriculture, the entire success
of this latest colonization of Vedalia, the in-
sects having reached the Cape alive and well,
and been distributed to various infested locali-
ties, and there is every reason to believe that
they will make as rapid and effectual a clear-
ance of the scale in South Africa as they have
in California and Hawaii. In closing his letter
to Assistant Secretary Willets, Mr. Louw says:
"While thanking you again for the kind-
ness displayed towards me, may I request you
also to convey to Prof. C. V. Riley my extreme
obligations for the service rendered by him to
me, and which I assure him will ever be appre-
ciated by me."

Vedalia is rather a pleasing name, and it is
not surprising that there should be as a sub-
stantial commemoration of this entomological
romance, a Cathryn Vedalia Riley, the young-
est of five girls, who form part of a happy
family at the well-known entomologist's home
at Sunbury in Washington.

4

History of the Call a Li lv.— This was
first introduced to Europe from southern
Africa in 1687, and has become a great favorite
with cultivators all over the world. It does
not like a very warm temperature, nor a
very cold one. It will live out in American
waters, provided it is deep enough to be below
the reach of absolute ice. It fills the ditches

(183)

\\

184

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAI. GARDENING.

[Dec

and narrow creeks in Cape of Good Hope,
much the same as our spatterdock would here.
It was removed, by Kunth, from the genus
Calla, and called Richardia Africana, but it is
not easy to get rid of a name which once gets
into general use, hence it still goes by the
name of Calla. The spotted one, common in
cultivation during the last few years as the
Richardia albo-maculata, was also introduced
from southern Africa in 1859. This is well
known by its spotted leaves. Another one
was brought from the same country in 1857
under the name of Richardia hastata^\h^
spathe being of a yellowish color, but very
small, and is not yet much known. On
account of the common Calla blooming most
freely in the spring of the year, it has come
into general use for Baster decorations ; and not
unfrequently receives, with a number of other
plants, the common name of Easter lyily.

Fruit Machinery.— When we consider the
vast difference between the price of labor in
American gardens and orchards, and the low
prices paid in the old world, it is a matter of
surprise to foreigners that we can compete so
successfully with them in their markets. They
attribute it to our fine climate and good soil,
yet there are not wanting some intelligent fruit
cultivators who believe that these conditions
are just the reverse, that America has proba-
bly the worst climate in the world for the suc-
cessful growth of fruits, and that it is simply
American genius which overcomes these diffi-
culties, and thus gives them the command of
the world's markets. But it is in the far West,
and especially along the Pacific slope, where
thousands of acres are devoted to fruit culture,
and the fruit industries are among the most
profitable of the states' revenues, that this
adaptation of art to overcome nature is more
apparent perhaps than in the Eastern States.
For instance, in the matter of the almond,
our readers may not generally know that the
almond is really the parent of the peach ; the
peach is simply an almond, which has learned
to develop a succulent flesh over the stone ; an
almond is simply a peach with a dry shell over
it instead of the fleshy coating which covers
the peach. When ripe it splits open just as
the bur of a chestnut would do, in order to al-
low the stone to escape. In the old world
these almonds are shelled by hand, women

and children are employed at almost nominal
wages for the work, but in California where
they have learned to raise almonds that they
can sell even more cheaply than the old world
people can sell theirs, they have invented a
machine, by which the nuts are shelled.
These almonds pass between rollers, which
have a cog-like surface ; the separate cogs
held in place by springs so adjusted as to allow
the passage of the nut under a sufficient pres-
sure not sufficient to crack the shell ; follow-
ing, the nuts are then separated from the loose
fragments of hulls by a fanning arrangement.
The machine is worked by either horse or mule
power. The only surprise is that such inven-
tive genius is not developed in the old world.
The general impression is that the superior
habits of observation engendered by our sys-
tem of public school education have a great
deal to do with the cultivation of these inven-
tive faculties. Sometimes we see praise given
to the systems of education in effect in the old
world as compared with that popular in Amer-
ica ; but if the proof of the pudding is in the
eating, American education seems to have de-
cidedly the advantage. After all many of
these workers in the fruit farms of the old
world have no education at all.

Protecting Large Tub Plants in Winter.
— Sometime since, it was noted in Meehans'
Monthly that there was much waste labor in
hauling and pulling up and down into cellars
heavy tubs of soil with plants for winter pro-
tection. It was recommended to shake out
the plants, and then put them again tempo-
rarily into boxes of earth, — replanting them
again in their tubs in the spring. A Florida
correspondent complained that it would never
do to treat Sago palms that way. Miss Laura
Bennett observes on this point.

"If Cycas revoluta (wrongly called Sago
palm) is the plant referred to as Sago plant in
July number, your Florida correspondent need
not be concerned about boxing it. It is hardy
as far north as Savannah, Ga. On Sapillo
Island, near Darien, Ga., it was so long since
introduced that it is now considered native.''

Use of Bear Grass. — The leaves of Yucca
filame7itosa (Bear grass), are used in the home
garden of one of our Georgia correspondents,
to tie up herbaceous plants,

1893.]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

185

California and Australia Canned
Fruits.— The *« Farm and Home," a horti-
cultural magazine of Melbourne, Australia,
calls attention to the fact that Australia may
become a close competitor with California in
furnishing dried and canned fruits for expor-
tation to the old world. Peaches, pears, plums
and apricots, find themselves very much at
home in Australia ; and the freight from there
to the old world is little, if any more than the
freight from California. For some reason or
other, the enterprise in prosecuting these
branches of fruit business has never been very
successful in Australia; but the ''Farm and

Licorice. — Annually for several years, the
amount of Licorice imported into America has
been continually on the increase. At the
present time, the importation is simply enor-
mous. As there are no doubt portions of the
United States in which this plant would grow
to perfection, it is remarkable that few, or
possibly no attempts, have been made to culti-
vate it. Nearly all that we have now, comes
from various parts of Greece. The roots run
somewhat deep into the ground, and the
dislike of our people is the hard digging.
After digging the roots they have to be dried
somewhat, and the juice is obtained by heavy

STRAWBERRY CULTURE IN FLORIDA .-sec p. i«s.

Home" states that during the past year or two,
a great advance has been made in this branch
of fruit economy, and that at least one firm in
South Australia has been remarkably success-
ful in making profitable ventures in this line
to the old world. In some branches of agri-
culture the Australians have become close com-
petitors with America for portions of the trade
of the world ; and it would look, from the facts
above noted, as if they were destined in the
future to come closely into competition with
an industry which has been almost a monopoly
for California.

pressure. Hundreds of thousands of pounds
are produced in Greece alone, annually. The
botanical name of Licorice is Clycyrrhiza glabra.

Mice in' Hed:;es. — Young hedges of one or
two years old, especially osage orange hedges,
are liable to have the plants eaten off under the
ground by mice or similar rodents, during
severe winters. If the possibility of these at-
tacks can be foreseen, they can readily be
trapped and poisoned. Boxes of leaves mixed
with Paris green material, sunk in the ground
along the hedge line, is efficacious.

' s\

i,^

184

MEEHANS' MONTHLY — GENERAL GARDENING.

[Dee

and narrow creeks in Cape of Good Hope,
much the same as our spatterdock would here.
It was removed, by Kunth, from the genus
Calla, and called Richardia Africana, but it is
not easy to get rid of a name which once gets
into general use, hence it still goes by the
name of Calla. The spotted one, common in
cultivation during the last few years as the
Richardia albo-tnaailata, was also introduced
from southern Africa in 1859. This is well
known by its spotted leaves. Another one
was brought from the same country in 1857
under the name of Richardia hastata—tho;
spathe being of a yellowish color, but very
small, and is not yet much known. On
account of the common Calla blooming most
freely in the spring of the year, it has come
into general use for Easter decorations ; and not
unfrequently receives, with a number of other
plants, the common name of Easter lyily.

Fruit Machinery.— When we consider the
vast difference between the price of labor in
American gardens and orchards, and the low
prices paid in the old world, it is a matter of
surprise to foreigners that we can compete so
successfully with them in their markets. They
attribute it to our fine climate and good soil,
yet there are not wanting some intelligent fruit
cultivators who believe that these conditions
are just the reverse, that America has proba-
bly the worst climate in the world for the suc-
cessful growth of fruits, and that it is simply
American genius w^hicli overcomes these diffi-
culties, and thus gives them the command of
the world's markets. But it is in the far West,
and especially along the Pacific slope, where
thousands of acres are devoted to fruit culture,
and the fruit industries are among the most
profitable of the states' revenues, that this
adaptation of art to overcome nature is more
apparent perhaps than in the Eastern States.
For instance, in the matter of the almond,
our readers may not generally know that the
almond is really the parent of the peach ; the
peach is simply an almond, which has learned
to develop a succulent flesh over the stone ; an
almond is simply a peach with a dry shell over
it instead of the fleshy coating which covers
the peach. When ripe it splits open just as
the bur of a chestnut would do, in order to al-
low the stone to escape. In the old world
these almonds are shelled by hand, women

and children are employed at almost nominal
wages for the work, but in California where
they have learned to raise almonds that they
can sell even more cheaply than the old world
people can sell theirs, they have invented a
machine, by which the nuts are shelled.
These almonds pass between rollers, which
have a cog-like surface ; the separate cogs
held in place by springs so adjusted as to allow
the passage of the nut under a suflScient pres-
sure not sufficient to crack the shell ; follow-
ing, the nuts are then separated from the loose
fragments of hulls by a fanning arrangement.
The machine is worked by either horse or mule
power. The only surprise is that such inven-
tive genius is not developed in the old world.
The general impression is that the superior
habits of observation engendered by our sys-
tem of public school education have a great
deal to do with the cultivation of these inven-
tive faculties. Sometimes we see praise given
to the systems of education in effect in the old
world as compared w4th that popular in Amer-
ica ; but if the proof of the pudding is in the
eating, American education seems to have de-
cidedly the advantage. After all many of
these workers in the fruit farms of the old
world have no education at all.

Protecting Large Tub Plants in Winter.
— Sometime since, it was noted in Meehans'
Monthly that there was much waste labor in
hauling and pulling up and down into cellars
heavy tubs of soil with plants for winter pro-
tection. It was recommended to shake out
the plants, and then put them again tempo-
rarily into boxes of earth,— replanting them
again in their tubs in the spring. A Florida
correspondent complained that it would never
do to treat Sago palms that way. Miss Laura
Bennett observes on this point.

•'If Cycas revoluta (wrongly called Sago
palm) is the plant referred to as Sago plant in
July number, your Florida correspondent need
not be concerned about boxing it. It is hardy
as far north as Savannah, Ga. On Sapillo
Island, near Darien, Ga., it was so long since
introduced that it is now considered native."

Use of Bear Grass.— The leaves of Yucca
filamejitosa (Bear grass), are used in the home
garden of one of our Georgia correspondents,
to tie up herbaceous plants.

smS

^^M^^i>)*^7>MK^

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

1S5

California and Australia Canned
FRUiTS.—The "Farm and Home." a horti-
cultural magazine of Melbourne, Australia,
calls attention to the fact that Australia may
become a close competitor with California in
furnishing dried and canned fruits for expor-
tation to the old world. Peaches, pears, plums
and apricots, find themselves very much at
home in Australia ; and the freight from there
to the old world is little, if any more than the
freight from California. For some reason or
other, the enterprise in prosecuting these
branches of fruit business has never been very
successful in Australia; but the "Farm and

Licorice. — Annually for several years, the
amount of Licorice imported into America has
been continually on the increase. At the
present time, the importation is simply enor-
mous. As there are no doubt portions of the
United States in which this plant would grow
to perfection, it is remarkable that few, or
possibly no attempts, have been made to culti-
vate it. Nearly all that we have now, comes
from various parts of Greece. The roots run
somewhat deep into the ground, and the
dislike of our people is the hard digging.
After digging the roots they have to be dried
somewhat, and the juice is obtained by heav}'

STRAWBERRY CULTURE IN FLORIDA -sec p. is*.

Home" states that during thepastyear or two,
a great advance has been made in this branch
of fruit econom3^ and that at least one firm in
South Australia has been remarkably success-
ful in making profitable ventures in this line
to the old world. In .some branches of agri-
culture the Australians have become close com-
petitors with America for portions of the trade
of the world ; and it would look, from the facts
above noted, as if they were destined in the
future to come closely into competition with
an industry which has been almost a monopoly
for California.

pressure. Hundreds of thousands of pounds
are produced in Greece alone, annually. The
botanical name of Licorice is dlycyrrhiza ^^labra.

Mice ix Hicd wcs. — Voiuig hedges of one or
two years old, especially osagc orange hedges,
are liable to have the plants eaten off under the
ground b}' mice or similar rodents, during
severe winters. If the possibility of these at-
tacks can be foreseen, they can readily be
trapped and poisoned, Hoxes of leaves mixed
with Paris green material, sunk in the ground
along the hedge line, is efilcacious.

1 86

MEEHANS' MONTHI^Y — GENERAL GARDENING,

[Dec.

I

Beautifui. Cemeteries.— It has been re-
marked that Roman Catholic cemeteries, as a
rule, are not treated to the same extent with
landscape adornment as cemeieries belonging
to other denominations. Bishop McQuaid, the
Roman Catholic Bishop of Rochester, is, how-
ever, a famous horticulturist, and by his en-
couragement cemetery adornments of a horti-
<iultural character receive much favor. Aside
fiom his beautiful garden at his country home
at Hemlock Lake, about forty miles from
Rochester, N. Y., he has a fine farm of over
500 acres, of which he has sixty acres in a
vineyard, making, according to Mr. Falconer
in the "American Florist," a great specialty
of wine for sacramental purposes. The rev-
enue from this wine manufacture, is donated in
support of the Theological Seminary at
Rochester. The varieties which he prefers for
making this particular character of wine, are
the Concord, Salem, Delaware, Brighton, El-
vira, Hartford, Champion, Worden, Agawam,
Ives and lona. The Niagara, Catawba, and
Clinton are unsatisfactory.

Asparagus Culture. — Mrs. Seligman says
that one of the most famous districts in
Germany for growing Asparagus is Brauns-
chweig. In that district there are over three
thousand acres, — it is on the sand plain, — the
sand being so light, that low frames, or fences,
are placed between the raised beds, in order to
keep the sand from blowing away. It is now
known that the Asparagus plant is bi-sexual.
It requires the pollen of a distinct plant to
fertilize the seed, and consequently no one
variety can be raised true from seed ; but by
selecting the largest and best of both sexes,
planting them together, and again selecting
and sowing very early, in the same way, very
white and large heads have been obtained,
until to-day, through this system of selecting,
the Asparagus from that section is regarded
as among the finest in the world.

A New Vegetable.— Mr. Julius Schnadel-
bach, of Grand Bay, Ala., writes to the
Florida Fatmer^ that in New Orleans they now
have a species of Yam, presumably a Dioscorea,
which has bulblets from its leaves, weighing
two pounds; and which are found to be a
delicious vegetable. Quite a number of species
of Dioscorea produce these bulblets. A com-

mon Chinese Yam introduced several years
ago, produces them as large as beans, and
another Chinese species, not introduced, has
them as large as walnuts. There is also
another species from South America, which
has been named Dioscorea bulbifera, expressly
on account of its producing these bulblets; but
the writer has no recollection of anyone having
such large bulblets as they are represented to
be. It is worth looking into. Mr. Schnadel-
bach saj^s that they are known in New Orleans
as the Air Potato.

Florists* Flowers. — The most popular
flowers with florists at the present time are
roses and carnations ; but there are some few
species which are grown by specialists, and
which are coming into great demand. Various
kinds of orchids, such as Cypripedium , are
'sometimes grown on an immense scale. The
ordinary Cyclamen, a well known flower of
the Primrose family, is also coming into ex-
tensive use. In this line, a house completely
filled with the Persian Cyclamen when once
seen is never forgotten. A number of florists
in various parts of the country, are taking up
the plant as one of the specialties in the cut
flower business. Mr. Gustavus Bergmann, of
Flatbush, Long Island, is one of the specialists
in this line. He has one house eighty feet
long by eighteen feet wide, wholly devoted to
this culture.

Steam Heating. — Nothing surprises Euro-
pean horticulturists more on a visit to America,
than to see the enormous advance which has
been made in making steam heating of plant
houses practicable. Even those who are at the
head of the horticultural literature of Europe
can scarcely appreciate what Americans are
doing. In a recent number ** Gardeners'
Chronicle," gives an account of the advance
this department has made in our country.

A Large Paulownia. — Mr. George Canby
writes that he has since made an accurate
measurement of the great Paulownia or Em-
press Tree in Independence Square, Philadel-
phia, and he finds at three feet from the ground,
it is nine feet in circumference. As we happen
to know that this is probably the oldest tree in
the United States, it will be interesting to learn
if there is a larger one or not in the country.

■'■■■, y

;ff:Y-

■■1t^

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY--GENERAL GARDENING.

187

Preserving the Natural Colors oe
Flowers. — It is over a quarter of a century
since the following appeared in the Gardeners'
Mofithly. Coming back again to America after
its long travel, it is still worth republishing.

"The following ancient method which
comes from America as new may be worth
repeating and trying:— Take very fine sand,
wash it perfectly clean, and when dry sift it
through a fine sieve into a pan. When the
sand is deep enough to hold the flowers in an
upright position, take some more sifted sand
and carefully cover them. A spoon is a good
thing to take for this, as it fills in every chink
and cranny without breaking or bending the
leaves. When the pan is filled solidly leave
the flowers to dry for several days. It is a
good plan to warm the sand in the oven before
using it, as the flowers will then dry more
thoroughly. In taking the sand off" great care
must be taken not to break the leaves, as they
are now dry and brittle. Pansies preserved
in this way will keep their shape and brilliancy
of color all winter, and many other flowers
can be equally successfully treated— anything,
in fact, where the full pressure of the sand
comes on both sides of the leaf ; otherwise
they will shrivel. To fill in flowers with cup-
like shapes it is better to lay them on the sand,
and with small spoon fill in and around each
flower. Ferns when preserved in this way
have a more natural look than when pressed,
and the Maiden-hair Fern looks almost as well
as when it is freshly gathered. "

Effects of Season on the Habits of
Plants.— Mrs. Seliger of Hartford, Conn.,
notes among the peculiarities of the season,
the flower in blossom of the Bird Poot Violet.
Some violets flower easily in the fall, but the
Bird Foot Violet seldom does. Some plants,
however, changed their habits this season.
The extraordinarily warm and dry summer,
caused the branches of the Dahlia to mature,
and when the fall rains came, instead of send-
ing out flower buds, leaf buds followed. It is
a remarkable peculiarity of the season, to see
them with huge bunches of green leaves, and
scarcely any blossoms. The practical flower
grower, and for that matter the fruit grower
also, may learn valuable lessons, from these
peculiar seasons and derive great advantage
from them as cultivators.

FRUITS SS ¥E^ETi^PLES.

Mushrooms at the World's Fair.— A
most interesting exhibit at the Exposition
was made by the United States Government,
in the Department of Agriculture, consisting
of models of 1,000 different varieties of fungi.

As quite a stir was made in the papers not
long ago, about the deaths in New York from
eating poisonous mushrooms, this very in-
structive exhibit attracted the attention of
quite a few persons, the most of whom were
astonished to see so many varieties, marked
as being edible. At a rough guess, there must
have been at least one-half to two-thirds of
edible kinds, ranging from big puff balls, as
large as a baby's head, down to the very small
kind, generally known as toadstools.

The writer was in conversation with a
b^^stander who was very well versed on the
subject, having made a study of it for vSeveral
years. His mode of ascertaining whether a
certain kind was injurious or not, was to eat a
little himself, and if he felt no ill effects, to
feed it to his dog. This plan may be a good
one for the dog, but hardly so for the man,
he having the last chance.

The Nectarine in California. — The
"California Fruit Grower" kindly states, that
" if Brother Meehan will come to California in
August, he shall be feasted on the most deli-
cious nectarines ever dreamed of without the
suspicion of a curculio having been within nine
miles of them." California is to be much
envied that she has hitherto kept clear of the
plum curculio. Somehow it seems as if the
climate is not adapted to them. We can
scarcely believe that while the coddling moth
has found its way so eas}-, and found a home
so inviting as California, that the curculio
should not have had its chances as well. For
all that, Califomians are wise in doing all pos-
sible to guard against the introduction of the
insect. No more nectarines when the curculio
finds itself at home.

Rivals in Onion Growing. — Colorado vows
to beat all Connecticut in growing onions. It
is said that the soil and climate of Colorado
are so well suited to the onion that more money
can be made fiom a crop of onions than from
any other vegetable crop.

(

h

1 88

MEEHANS' MONTHi:.Y — GENERAI* GARDENING.

[Dec.

il'

The American PomoIvOGicai, Society. —
The executive committee of the American
Pomological Society had arranged to have its
regular biennial session at Chicago. During
its continuance at the World's Fair it profited,
however, by the experience of the other con-
gresses which found the attraction of the Fair
so superior to their own meetings, that the
papers were simply read by title, and the mem-
bers then dispersed to see the sights of the
Fair. The Pomological Society, therefore,
simply agreed upon the time and place for
its next regular bi-ennial session. The Society
has long been honored for its practical good
sense, in which it has proved a valuable aid to
American fruit growers, and the action of the
executive committee in this matter is all in
a line with this good reputation.

Raspberry Culture. — The following brief
note from Miss Laura Bennett might furnish
texts for many good discourses on raspberry
culture. For instance, the raspberry is essen-
tially a shade-loving plant, — and the protec-
tion from the sun by the covering referred to is
doubtless of as much value to the plants as the
protection from birds.

"Tobacco growers, who after removing the
cheese cloth cover from their tobacco beds to
their raspberry beds, have been pleased with
the results. It is put high enough to be
walked under arbor-like, extending to the
ground on either side, prevents birds from de-
stroying fruit and causes earlier ripening.
A variety of blackberry bearing white fruit has
for years grown (native) one mile east of
Camilla, Ga. Sandy soil gives sweetest black-
berries."

Strawberry Culture in Florida. — The
United States Department of Agriculture has
issued a complete treatise on strawberry cul-
ture in Florida. Florida strawberries will now
be in order, and the Northern reader particu-
larly interested in a view of the manner in
which the Florida fruit is grown for his use.
See illustration, page 185.

The Phylloxera on the Grape Vine. —
History is full of facts showing how near
people will come to a great fact without
actually reaching it. It was left to our Prof.
Riley, not so many years ago, to discover that

the cause of the failure of the grape vine in
so many parts of the world was due to a little
insect on the roots called Phylloxera. Yet
in an article, which appeared in the proceed-
ings of a French scientific periodical for August
the 3d, 1868, is a paper by M. Bazille, announc-
ing his discovery of great injury to the grape
vine roots by an unknown species of aphis,
which he named Rhizobius. It is well under-
stood now that this insect was the famous
Phylloxera of Riley.

The Newtown Pippin Apple. — Comment-
ing on the very instructive essay of President
Janney, of the Columbus Horticultural Society,
the remark was made that the large Newtown
Pippin apple was remarkable for Ohio. Mr.
Janney states :

**You do Ohio more than justice in your
reference to the prolific Newtown pippin tree.
It grew on a farm two miles north of Lincoln,
Iroudoun Co., Va.**

This makes the matter clearer, for it is found
that this variety thrives nearly or quite as well
in Virginia as along the Hudson river, where
it first gained its fame. It does badly
generally.

Early Radish. — The radish is one of those
vegetables that grow freely when the ther-
mometer is but a very little above the freezing
point, and it is therefore one of the easiest of
vegetables for an amateur to bring forward
early. Any little glass frame placed over the
natural earth, in which the radish seed is
sown, will bring them forward very rapidly.
In case thej' freeze a little, they will not be
materially injured. The soil for radishes
should be very rich — indeed it cannot be too
rich, if a mild and tender root is desirable.
The poorer the ground the more likely the
roots are to be biting and bitter. As a rule,
the turnip-rooted radishes are fit to use before
the longer ones, and they are the best where
great earliness is desired.

A Large Orange Tree. — It is said that
Mr. Fulton G. Berry, of Centreville, Fresno
County, Cal., has a tree which the past season
bore 4,000 oranges. If any one has a tree
which can beat this Meehans' Monthly would
like to place it on record.

1893.]

MEEHANS* MONTHLY— GENERAL GARDENING.

189

Skill in Grape Culture. — Few people
understand that grape growing is a science
as well as an art, and that when the science
is thoroughly understood, the art becomes
very simple. The European grape is culti-
vated to a large extent in the old world under
glass ; indeed, in England it is the only way
in which the European grape can be culti-
vated, and those who have made a study of
the science, grow them to such perfection,
that those who have never seen grapes grown
under this method, can have little comprehen-
sion of the skill which ensues after the acquisi-
tion of this knowledge. We give with this, an
illustration of a grape-house department from
the London "Jour-
nal of Horticul-
ture.'* As will be
seen by the picture,
one grape vine
alone occupies the
whole house, 224
feet in length, and
each bunch of
grapes follows as
regularly after the
other in its proper
place as if they had
been set by a
machine. The vig-
nette in front,
shows the size of
the grape vine
stem, which is at
the distant part of
the house. In our
country it is so
commonly the case

to say that parties can buy fruit cheaper than
they can raise ; but surely the pleasure of having
such a command of the plant as will produce
the results illustrated, is a pleasure far beyond
what the mere money value of the erape in-
volves. This vine is at an English village
called Roehampton.

Serving Pineapple.— It is said that the
English way ol serving pineapple is to take
the fruit out from the rind in a solid cone.
This, with its prickly stem attached, is left
intact. The pine is then sliced and piled in its
natural shape and the rind fitted on. It is
thus sent to the table and served.

GRAPE CULTURE UNDER GLASS.

Vermont Beauty Pear.— On page 108,
Volume II, appeared a notice of this candidate
for public favor, which there received com-
mendation because it was pretty as well as
good. There are numberless varieties of pears
of surpassing flavor too ugly to look at for
anything.— but beauty is no disgrace. Indeed,
people have been known to sacrifice substantial
meals for a feast of beauty. Another sample
from Messrs. Rupert revives the point. Why
cannot we have more that is pretty as well as
good. This belongs to the sugary class.

Two Crops of Grapes in One Season.—
California is especially favored in many ways.

It seems to be the
Paradise of fruit
growing. It does
not seem to be
generally known
that they have two
crops of grapes
often in one season.
At the present time,
one of the questions
with Californian
fruit growers is
whether it really
pays to allow the
grapes borne upon
the later wood
growth to mature ;
some believing that
the drain on the
vitality of the vine,
injures it for the
future ; while some
contend that the

plant is just as strong in after years, where
these two crops are taken, as it would be with
only one.

Japanese Cucumbers. — The Hartford Times
states that Mrs. William Seliger, of that city,
exhibited Japanese Cucumbers which climb
on poles like beans. What are these cucum-
bers ? It may be remarked that our ordinary
cucumbers like to grow on bushy wood ; with
stout bushy branches stubbed in so that the
young tendrils can climb by the stubbs. They
grow with great vigor and are remarkably
productive. The tendrils cannot cling to large
branches as they are too small to clasp them.

■^

1893.]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

19'

*l

■p

mm

1^

r.' '

1

P

Br

'" ■; ■ ■

Ifc-'V^

" ,• ' ■'' ■'

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS.

** On Christmas-eve the bells were rung,
On Christmas-eve the mass was sung ;
That only night in all the year
Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear.
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen ;
The hall was dressed with holly green :
Forth to the woods did merry men go,
To gather in the mistletoe.
Then opened wide the baron's hall
To vassal, tenant, serf and all." — ScoTT.

Archibald Menzies.— The names of Menzies
and Douglass are inseparably connected with
the wonderful trees and beautiful flowers of
the Pacific coast. The former, Archibald
Menzies, who pronounced his name as if writ-
ten Ming-is, w^as one of those great men whose
worth becomes apparent so late in life that few
are interested in their early history. The
exact date and place of his birth are unknown
only that he was born somewhere in Perth-
shire, Scotland, probably in the year 1754.
The Gardener's Chronicle says he was attached
as surgeon and botanist to Vancouver's survey-
ing expedition (1791 to 1795) to Australia, and
made a rich collection of herbarium specimens
and seeds, and was the first to transmit cones
of Banksia and other Proteacece to Kew from
Western Australia. It was he, too, who intro-
duced the Chilian Araucaria imbricata, though
it had been observed and described by several
previous travellers. As the story goes, Menzies
was at a dinner given by the Viceroy of Chili
to Captain Vancouver and his officers, and part
of the dessert consisted of nuts of a kind
unknown to him. In spite of the old saying,
he pocketed some, and took them on board,
and having procured some earth, planted them.
Several of them germinated, and Menzies suc-
ceeded in bringing home five living plants,
one of which was taken by Sir Joseph Banks,
and the rest sent to Kew. One of these still
exists there, though a wreck, and an eyesore to
all but the sentimentalists. Smith {Records,
p. 288) states that, "In 1833 one of these
plants, which had previously been kept in a
greenhouse, was presented by King William
(190)

IV. to Lady Granville for her collection at
Dropmore. It was then about 5 feet high, and
growing in a tub; it is now (1880) a fine tree,
60 feet high."

By the way, is there any fine specimen of
Araucaria i7nbricata in the United States?

Sidney Smith on the Strawberry. —
Mr. C. E. Smith, Philadelphia, says : —

♦* I note in October Monthly, page 147, col-
ume I, line 17, bottom, Sidney Smith should
h^ Isaac PFrt//^«, *'Compl eat Angler. " Fourth-
day, Chapter V.

' ' Indeed my good scholar we may say of
** angling as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries.
'* * Doubtless God could have made a better
** * berry, but doubtless God never did, and so
** 'if I might be judge, God never did make a
** * more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than
*** angling.' "

American Gardening. — This well-known
magazine has changed hands, and is now be-
ing published by the A. T. De La Mare Print-
ing and Publishing Co. (Limited), 170 Fulton
Street, New York. It is hereafter to be issued
semi-monthly. The publishers announce that
its style in future will be more like * 'Popular
Gardening," before that was merged into
'* American Gardening," and which it is
thought will be more appreciated.

Professor Hagen. — Herman Hagen, Prof,
of Entomology at Harvard, died on November
9th, aged seventy-six. The great advance
made during the last quarter of a century, in
our know^ledge of insects owes very much to
his labor. He was born in Prussia, and took
the Harvard chair in 1870.

Professor Pringsheim. — The celebrated
botanist, Prof. Pringsheim, will have reached
his 70th birthday on November 30th. His
friends all over the world have been sending
their photographs so as to form an album to be
given him at that time.

Dr. Wm. Pepper.— When Councilman Mee-
han, of Philadelphia, inaugurated the small
Park movement in that city, it dragged along
for several years. He finally got warm sympa-
thy from two distinguished ladies, Mrs. J.
Brinton Coxe and Mrs. J. P. Lundy. They
founded the City Parks Association, and called
a public meeting. At this meeting Dr. Wm.
Pepper made a ringing speech which drew
popular attention to the work more strongly
than ever before. His continued advocacy
has had much to do with the success.

Aside from the pleasure Meehans' Monthly
takes in giving the portrait of one so useful in
Park matters, the many graduates of the
Pennsylvania Univer-
sity will be glad to see
the likeness of one
who has been for many
years its Provost. Ben-
jamin Franklin — who
was as successful in
founding scientific soci-
eties and educational
institutions, as he was
of building up a great
nation — as president of
a board of twenty-four
trustees, started the in-
stitution in its present
shape.

The United States
Bureau of Education
has recently issued a
"circular" on "Benja-
min Franklin and the
University of Pennsyl-
vania," in which the
services of Dr. Pepper
are strikingly told.
The Bureau has kindly
permitted the transfer
of the portrait to our
pages. Dr. Pepper was
born on the 21st of
August, 1843, and is
himself a graduate of
the great institute he
presides over; and is
the son of one who was
equally with himself
famous in the practice
of medicine.

Anne Pratt.— One of the best known au-
thors on illustrated British Wild Flowers,
Anne Pratt, has just died. Her chief work is
the "Flowering Plants and Ferns of Great
Britain." It is a standard work in all first-
class libraries. The plates of the English Wild
Flowers are beautifully colored. Her married
name was Mrs. Tearless.

Francis Parkman.— Since the recent para-
graph commemorative of the gardening tastes
of the great historian Francis Parkman, he
has passed away, at his home near Boston.
He died on November 8th, in his seventieth
year.

1

5

DR. WILLIAM PEPPER.

BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

( ;

AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS.

** On Christtnas-evc the bells were rung,
On Christmas-eve the mass was sunt( ;
That only night in all the year
Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear.
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen ;
The hall was dressed with holly green :
Forth to the woods did merry men go,
To gather in the mistletoe.
Then opened wide the baron's hall
To vassal, tenant, serf and all." — ScoTT.

Archibald Menzies.— The names of Menzies
and Douglass are inseparably connected with
the wonderful trees and beautiful flowers of
the Pacific coast. The former, Archibald
Menzies, who pronounced his name as if writ-
ten Ming-is, was one of those great men whose
worth becomes apparent so late in life that few
are interested in their early history. The
exact date and place of his birth are unknown
only that he was born somewhere in Perth-
shire, Scotland, probably in the year 1754.
The Gardener' s Chronicle says he was attached
as surgeon and botanist to Vancouver's survey-
ing expedition (1791 to 1795) to Australia, and
made a rich collection of herbarium specimens
and seeds, and was the first to transmit cones
of Banksia and other ProieacecF to Kew from
Western Australia. It was he, too, who intro-
duced the Chilian Araticaria imbricata, though
it had been observed and described by several
previous travellers. As the story goes, IMenzies
was at a dinner given by the Viceroy of Chili
to Captain Vancouver and his officers, and part
of the dessert consisted of nuts of a kind
unknown to him. In spite of the old saying,
he pocketed some, and took them on board,
and having procured some earth, planted them.
Several of them germinated, and Menzies suc-
ceeded in bringing home five living plants,
one of which was taken by Sir Joseph Banks,
and the rest sent to Kew. One of these still
exists there, though a wreck, and an eyesore to
all but the sentimentalists. Smith {Records,
p. 288) states that, "In 1833 one of these
plants, which had previously been kept in a
greenhouse, was presented by King William

(190)

IV. to Lady Granville for her collection ai
Dropmore. It was then about 5 feet high, and
growing in a tub; it is now (1880) a fine tree,
60 feet high."

By the way, is there any fine specimen of
Araticaria i^nbricata in the United States?

Sidney Smith on the Strawberry.—
Mr. C. E. Smith, Philadelphia, says : —

" I note in October Monthly, page 147, col-
ume I, line 17, bottom, Sidney S^nith should
he Isaac IVa/lon, ''Compleat Angler.'' Fourth-
day, Chapter V.

"Indeed my good scholar we may say of
••angling as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries.
'• 'Doubtless God could have made a better
*• • berry, but doubtless God never did, and so
" • if I might be judge, God never did make a
*• ' more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than
•• •angling.' '*

American Gardening. — This well-known
magazine has changed hands, and is now be-
ing published by the A. T. De La Mare Print-
ing and Publishing Co. (Limited), 170 Fulton
Street, New York. It is hereafter to be issued
semi-monthly. The publishers announce that
its style in future will be more like •'Popular
Gardening," before that was merged into
"American Gardening," and which it is
thought will be more appreciated.

Professor Hagen. — Herman Hagen, Prof,
of Entomology at Harvard, died on November
9th, aged seventy-six. The great advance
made during the last quarter of a century, in
our knowledge of insects owes very much to
his labor. He was born in Prussia, and took
the Harvard chair in 1870.

Professor Pringsheim. — The celebrate.l
botanist. Prof. Pringsheim, will have reached
his 70th birthday on November 30th. His
friends all over the world have been sending
their photographs so as to form an album to h'^i
given him at that time.

INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

1893-]

MEEHANS' MONTHLY— BIOGRAPHY AND LITERATURE.

191

Dr. Wm. Pepper.— When Councilman Mee-
han, of Philadelphia, inaugurated the small
Park movement in that city, it dragged along
for several years. He finally got warm sympa-
thy from two distinguished ladies, Mrs. J.
Brinton Coxe and Mrs. J. P. Lundy. They
founded the City Parks Association, and called
a public meeting. At this meeting Dr. Wm.
Pepper made a ringing speech which drew
popular attention to the work more strongly
than ever before. His continued advocacy
has had much to do with the success.

Aside from the pleasure Meehans' Monthly
takes in giving the portrait of one so useful in
Park matters, the many graduates of the
Pennsylvania Univer-
sity will be glad to see r~~-
the likeness of one
who has been for many
years its Provost. Ben-
jamin Franklin — who
was as successful in
founding scientific soci-
eties and educational
institutions, as he was
of building up a great
nation — as president of
a board of twenty-four
trustees, started the in-
stitution in its present
shape.

The United States
Bureau of Education
has recently issued a
*' circular" on '• Benja-
min Franklin and the
University of Pennsyl-
vania," in which the
services of Dr. Pepper
are strikingly told.
The Bureau has kindly
permitted the transfer
of the portrait to our
pages. Dr. Pepper was
born on the 21st of
August, 1843, and is
himself a graduate of
the great institute he
presides over ; and is
the son of one who was
equally with himself
famous in the practice
of medicine.

Anne Pratt.— One of the best known au-
thors on illustrated British Wild Flowers,
Anne Pratt, has just died. Her chief vork is
the "Flowering Plants and Ferns of (;reat
Britain." It is a standard work in all first-
class libraries. The plates of the ICnglish Wild
Flowers are beautifully colored. Her married
name w^as Mrs. Tearless.

Francis Parkman.— Since the recent para-
graph coninieniorative of the gardening tastes
of the great historian Francis Parkman, he
has passed away, at his home near Boston.
He died on November 8th, in his seventieth
year.

i

f

OR- WILLIAM PEPPER.

GENERAL NOTES.

Meehans* Monthly in thk Pulpit.—
From the great leader who told us about the
sower who went forth to sow to those who
speak of homely truths to this day, the most
beloved and the most successful are those who
draw their illustrations from gardens or
flowers. What would the fate of the follow-
ing pretty thought from a recent address by
Rev. Charles G. Ames have been if the grow-
ing seed had not been its inspiration ?

" None of us can live well by an occasional
good resolution, any more than a seed can
grow into a healthy plant by being used as a
common plaything, and only now and then
put into the earth for a minute or two. Every-
thing depends upon storing up in ourselves,
by a habit of well-doing, a great and ever-in-
creasing fund of moral power, which shall be
available to brace us against sudden tempta-
tion, to help us carry out better purposes, and
to hold us steady and true to the ideal."

An eminent Presbyterian divine was kind
enough once to say that many of his sermons
were suggested by floral thoughts gathered
from the writings of the Senior Conductor of
Meehans' Monthly. If a copy of the maga-
zine were in the hands of every clergyman in
our country, there would be no need of sending
pastors on long journeys "in order to get a
rest— for the congregation," as a zealous mem-
ber once expressed it. The publishers will
cheerfully send a sample copy free to any desir-
ing to present their minister with a year's
subscription to Meehans' Monthly.

Condensation.— Mr. W. C. Egan, of High-
land Park, Illinois, kindly says "your re-
marks on the importance of condensation,
in the October number, impressed me with
its truthfulness, " and the conductors, are more
than ever impressed with the truth. Probably
a book of loo pages could not have instructed
the reader in the art of grape growing better
than the condensed half page in the last
issue. Indeed, many a paragraph might be
spun into a fair sized book.

(192)

The IvOndon Journal of Horticulture. —
In one of the earlier issues of Meehans'
Monthly, a cut was given illustrating an
abnormal Fox glove. The cut was reproduced
recently to illustrate a similar growth, to
which attention was called by Mr. Egan. The
hondon Joumal of Horticulture claims that the
original cut was copied from that publication,
without proper credit, and not from the flowers
sent to this office. It may have seemed
easier to draw from the picture than from the
specimen on the table,— recollection has failed.
We can only say that if it was copied by the
artist of Meehans' Monthly in this way, we
much regret that proper credit was not given ;
the more especially as the friendship always
exhibited for Meehans' Monthly, aside from
the justice of the case, demands the most
respectful and grateful consideration from its
young American contemporary.

Knowledge of Mushrooms.— All in the
line with suggestions in Meehans' Monthly
the State of New York, under the lead of Prof.
Peck, the State Botanist, at the suggestion of
Mr. Charles E. Smith, an able Philadelphia
botanist, is about to issue charts for the use of
schools, libraries or kindred associations, show-
ing the edible and the noxious species of
fungus. With a little effort the State of Penn-
sylvania might be induced to join in this good
work, as the fungi of both states are essentially
the same.

The Next Plate.— The new volume will
start in January with a plate of one of the most
beautiful of the Pitcher plant family, Sarraceyiia
variolatis. Its history will have a popular
charm, — while the picture itself is one of the
loveliest that have appeared.

Indian Bean Tree.— The Catalpa is known
in England as the Indian Bean tree, purely
Catalpa is quite as easy ; and every one, no
doubt, understands what is meant when it is
used.

•^.\'

Index to Volume III.

COLORED PLATES.

PAGE

Adiaiitum pedatum u^

Ascyrum crux-andreae 65

Baptisia leucophaea j --

Comarum palustre ..", 07

E p i gae a r e pe n s !....... 17

Michella repens ...,....*. 49

PAGE

I

Opiintia prolifcra

Pelkea ii;racilis \-\

Prenauthes alba 161

Solidago petiolaris !.....!!.!!!..!!. 120

Trichonianes Petersii ."..!..!......... 81

Ximenesia encelioides

ILLUSTRATIONS.

M5

Academy of Natural Sciences 169

A garden in the desert 89

Agassiz, Prof. Louis !.!!!.!!! 62

An owl j^^

A winter scene in Nevada ^6

Buddi ug gg

Cercidiphvllum Japonicuiii 74

Citrus trifoliata '[''''' ^

Cool orchids \

Corn flowers 104

Cones, Dr. Elliot ! 47

Cypress swamp c^

De Candolle, Alphonse .'.V.V.V.'.V.V.V.V.V.*.' 95

Douglas, David ^9

Flowering almond 168

Fruit seedlings inside citrus 41

Fuchsia -g

Graftinsf bottle

lOI

165
105

10

Mountains of North Carolina 149

Peaches in pots "" J24

Pepper, Dr. William 191

Plane tree ...!!!!! 60

Plaque presented to Thomas Meehan...!!!!....... 143

Potentilla canadensis ^g

Quercus cerris ,\\ * j^g

Rhododendron 22

Richardia maculala jc2

Rocks of the Wissahickon 117

Rose leaves

Salt bushes

Sea-kale

Sea side walk, St. Clare. Isle of Wight............ ""9

Spiriea pruni fol ia i g2

Strawberry prol i ferous i g2

Strawberry culture in P'lorida 185

The Starr apple 1C7

Tomatoes, fo'cing 12

Training fruit 12

148
170

57

Grape culture under glass 189

Horse radish leaves 77

Horticultural Hall 'ZZ::Z:i 137 Tree trunks, elongation of ,7

Incarvilla Dc aveyi 26 Vaccinium corvmbosum 6r

Japan snowball 121 -'

^^ettuce 28, 29

Magnolia hypoleuca 73

Mansanita.'. .!..!.!!.!. 85

Martindale, Isaac C ^i

Michaux, F. A in

Vanilla phahunopsis 90

Viola cucullata Var. pal mat ^ 4

Wild roses of Nevadi 116

Y u c c a b r e v i fo 1 i a 1^3

Yucca tilamentosa 100

POEMS.

A Beautiful Garden 103

A Day ;..;;*;; i^^

An Autumn Night 131

An Old Time Christmas .'.'....'.'.'.*..' 190

Autumn Love 158

A Winter vScene 183

Bacchus and the Grape 135

Down to Sleep 163

Foretelling the Weather 99

Hail to the Apple Tree 151

Hope On 14

^lay Day 67

Mountain Scenes 83

Nature's Rosarv 179

October ' 147

Park Scenery 87

Rotha 46

vSelf Praise is no Praise 24

Song of the Flowers 70

Song to a Pet Cicada 115

Spring ,9

vSpring Beauty 55

Spring Flowers 62

Sunny Italy 119

The Advent of Spring 35

The Beautiful Snow 3

The Cascade 7

The First Flowers of vSpring 51

The Heart of Flowers 142

The Landscape Gardener 23

The May Queen 77

The Moss Covered Wall 167

The Orange Tree 39

The Wanderer's Night Song 126

Wasted Lives 94

Youth in Old Age no

A summer outing in North Carolina 149

Abies Frazeri 25, 64

Academy of Natural Sciences 174

Acer Nikkciense 24

Agassiz, Prof. Louis 63

Agriculture by law 141

Ailanthus ,0, 152

Almonds 73

American Pomological Society 188

Ampelopsis Veitchii 75

Adiantum pedatum 113

Anemone, Japan 138

Apple, miscellaneous notes on the 42, 92, 123, 125,

157, 166

Apple, the Chenango strawberry 29

Apple, the Newtown pippin 188

(!

^\

, I

Iv

ll

PAGE

Apple, the Russian 142

Apple, the Starr 157

Arbutus 127

Arnebia cornuta 7

Artichoke, Jerusalem 86

Ascyrum crux-andreae 65

Asparagus, miscellaneous notes on 29, 44, 186

Asphodel of Homer, the 115

Asplenium septentrionale 134

Asters in Wisconsin 3

Azaleas 13c

Bailey, Prof. I,. H ......!..!!.!!!! 14

Baker, J. G 142

Bananas 93

Baptisia leucophaea 177

Bartram, John 126

Bean poles, corn stalk 24,76

Bean tree 192

Bear grass 150, 180

Beautifying waste places 120

Bees and clover 83, 86

Beet, the wild 118

Beggar weed 99

Benary, Ernst 64

Benthamia Japonica 4

Bering Strait 144

Birds, migration of. 67

Blackberries and raspberries 28

Blackberry and raspberry stem borer 109

Blackberry, the English 76

Blue-stone and copperas 160

Boston Public Garden 16, 23

Botany in the west 158

Botany for beginners 128

Bourcharlet, Mons 142

Brackenridge, W. D 47

Budding 88

J^Jbs .*...;.'.**5*iV85, 154

Butter, preserving 140

Buttonwood.

179

Burk, Isaac 78

Cabbage 29, 156

Cactuses 123, 182

Californiain New York n

Calla, double-spathed 152

Calla lily 183

Caltha palustris 84

Campanula Mariesii 154

Cana Agra 19

Canby's herbarium 14

Cannas, Notes on* 40, 154

Carnations, Notes on 26, 43, 89, 91, 152, 167

Cauliflower 44

Cedar of lycbanon 152

Cemeteries, beautiful 186

Century plant 137

Cercidiphylluni Japonicum 74

Champagne 93

Cherry culture 60

Cherry, The Deacon 156

Cherry, The Vladimir 77

Chestnut, Japan 107

Chicken flower 85

Chionanthus Virginica 134

Chorogi 106

Christmas trees 160

Chrysanthemums 123, 139

Cinquefoil 39^ 79

Citrus trifoliata loi

Clark, the explorer 30

Closed rooms 86

Clover devil 86

Clover, Texas 147

PAG&

Cnicus edulis 175

Comarum palustre 97

Compass, a watch as a 32

Conover, George S 159

Cornelius, Robert 158

Corn 92

105

Corn flowers

Corydalis nobilis 71

^^^^•^^os ••. •• ••«••••••......... t ...........,,.,.,... 10, 140

v^oues, xjr. i^iiioc 47

Cowslip 70

Crooked trees, straightening 122

Cucumbers, Japanese 189

Currants and gooseberries 125

Currants, notes on 123, 125

Currant, the Crandall 61

Cypress knees 100

Cypress swamp 53

Cypripedium acaule 132

Dahlias, seedling 106

Dahlia stem borer 88

Dandelions 86

Darwin, Francis 47

De Candolle, Alphonse 95

Deutzia parviflora 139

Digitalis 132

Diervilla 43

Dodder 86

Douglas, David 79

Douglas, Robert 47

Douglas spruce 51

Drainage 120

Early spring flowers 150

Elongation of the trunks of trees 131

Empress Josephine 62

Empress tree 153

Epigaea, history of. 22

Epigaea repens 17

Evergeens, hardiness of. 24

Evergreens, notes on 136, 138

Evergreens, a hand book of. 127

Ferns, notes on 3, 35, 54

Fern, the walking 118, 133, 182

Fertility of land, testing the 72

Figs, notes on 28, 43» 45, 171, i73

Floral enterprise 87

Flora of Pennsylvania 79

Floriculture 48

Flowering almond 168

Flowers and Ferns of the U. S 48, 112

Flowers, color of. 120

Flowers, florists* 186

Flowers, notes on 8, 36, 85, 90, no, 134, 163, 164

Flowers, preserving the color of. 187

Flowers, the nectar of. 116

Flowers, variation in 118

Forage plant, a new 140

Forestry, notes on 75, 78, 100, 118, 136, 138

Forest Park, Springfield, Mass 58

Fruitgrowers, Indians as 14, 45

Fruit machinery 184

Fruit, names of. 44

Fruit, notes on n, 139,* 141, 173, 185

Fruit, seedless 21, 75

Fruit, seed sprouting in 35

Fruit trees, culture of. 12

Fuchsias, notes on 27, 58, 1^5

Fungi, luminous i8r

Fungus 23

Fungus, root 119

Funkia 104

Gardening, American 190

Garden, awild 151

»AOB

(harden of Eden 14^ 95

Gardening, healthful '128

Gardening in the desert 89

Gardening, notes on 32, 88, no

Gardens, wild 25

Ghiesbrecht, August B 79, 94

Girdled trees 51

Girdling branches to promote fruitfulness 173

Gladiolus 103

Gloxinia 122

Golden rod 128, 129

Gooseberry, English 24,' 140

Grafting 10, 92 , t68

Grafts from Algeria 96

Grapes, notes on

77, 93, 108, ni, 125, 141, 171, 182, 189

Grass, bear 184

Grasses of Pennsylvania 35

Grease wood 117^ 165

Greenhouses 43

Hagen, Prof. 190

Halesia diptera 134

Hanging baskets 155

Harris, Joseph 62

Heating, notes on 90, 186

Hedges, notes on 40, loi, 155, 185

Heilprin, Prof. Angelo 30

Heliotrope, a hedge of. 29

Henna plant 41

Hibberd, Shirley 15

Hollies, notes on 40, 53, 72, 84, 103

Honey 99

Hoopes, Josiah 14

Horseradish 28

Horsetail family 20

Horticulture in Burlington, Iowa 128

Horticulture in South Dakota 11

Hybrids, sterility of. 5

Hybridizing distinct species 19

Hydrangea, notes on 23, 26, 171

Incarvilla Delaveyi 26

Insects, to destroy 72, 74,87, 119

Insects in the far'North 131

Indian customs 174

Islands, floating 165

Ivy, the Japan 182

Jack pine 53

Jasmine, Carolina 70

Jussieua repens 166

Kalmia latifolia, the range of. 70

Kalmia, geographical range of. 187

Kidder, N. T., gardens of. 39

Kcelreuteria paniculata 154

lyadies' traces 127

I^andscape gardening 41

Ivarge trees 4, 19, 45, 52, 80, 186, 188

I/awes, Sir John Bennett 159

lyewis and Clark's Expedition 62

Lawns, notes on 25, 36

Leaf variation 4

Leaves, evolution of 164

Leaves, healthy 76

Leaves in the dark, green 68

Lettuce 28, 44

Libocedrus decurrens 6

Licorice 185

Lillies, Easter 59

Lillies of the valley 59, 180

Linaria, a new 19

Lions-foot 161

Love for intelligence 64

Magnolia acuminata 171

Magnolia hypoleuca 73, 135

PAGE

Magnolias .....; ; 135

Magnolias, succession in 57

Magnolia Thompson iana 155

Magnolia Watsoni 27

Maiden hair 113

Maltese honey 118

Mammoth tree of California 8

Mantire for fruit trees 155

Mansanita, notes on 8$, 118, 132, 134, 147

Martindale, Isaac C 31

Martindale's herbarium 160

May-flower 17

Menzies, Archibald 190

Michaux, Francois Andre iii

Mitchella repens 49, 54, 86

Monarda punctata 166

Monotropa 54

Morel, the 24, 54, I55, 124

Moss bunches on the poison vine 5

Murdoch, Alexander 64

Mushrooms, notes on 172, 187, 192

Names of plants 144

Nature as a teacher 52

National flower, the 63

Native flowers and ferns 80

Nectarine 187

Nocturnal creatures 165

Ocean foam 19

Oltnsted, PVederick Law 159

Onions 187

Open spaces in cities 112

Opuntia prolifera i

Oranges and lemons 39

Oranges, notes on 139, 140, 141, 170, 188

Orchards 127, 157

Orchids, cool 167

Orchids in Oregon 20

Oriental spruce 103

Oriole, The 134

Osage orange 102

Ostrich fern 134

Our native song birds 158

Overwork 175

Palm, Colorado River 153

Pansy, the 137

Paraguay tea 87

Parkman, Francis 159, 191

Parks in the old world 170

Parks in Philadelphia, small 142

Parks of Cleveland, Ohio 23

Parks, small I44

Parsley 43

Partridge berry 49

Paulowuia, a large 186

Pavonia, history of. 20

Peaches, notes on 44, 107, 109, 124, 141

Peach tree borer 124

Peach yellows I35

Pear, a large 13

Pear, Beurre d'Anjou 93

Pear, the Bloodgood 123

Pears, notes on 45, 9i» ^25, 141. 164

Pear, Vermont Beauty 189

Pecan nut, graftingthe 42

Pellaea gracilis 33» 85

Pepino 44

Pepper, Dr. William 191

Pepper tree of California ^6, 106

Perfumes 180

Persimmons 44

Peters, Judge 126

Peter's hair fern 81

Phylloxera 53, '^

' . PAGE

Picea Breweriana ^ ^7

Pine, a pinon .';.";; ^\'2\

Pineapple serving j^g

Pine cone for fuel V.......... 21

Pine, second growth of. 180

Piue, growth of white V.V."ii9; I49

Pine, white ^ ^^

Pinus edulis ....................!! 86

Plane trees, notes on io 6q tza

Plant emigration ^' ^' ij

Plant fibre ^i

Plant hairs '.V.'.'.**.'.'.'.'.''.'.**.'.V. 21

Plant names 1 60

Plants, carnivorous 16,

Plants, edging '."'*"' 27

Plants, frozen ,g

Plants, Indian names of 80

Plants, irritability of V.V.V.V148,' 181

1 lants, names of jr 48

Plants, notes on ......'......'. 1*27 170 ' 1 87

Plants, sight in .'.;:;:. ^^' ijl

Plants turning to the light c

Plants, wintering „ i*o6,""i5*4; 184

Plum, the Japan ^^ /:

Plum, Prince of Wales jl

Plums, notes on :.'.';;:7*2;;o9, 140

Poem, Prof Porter's %

Pogonia divaricata j^.

^«^«^ip-: *z::;;:;;:; so

Poison vines ^^4^ ,^^

foplar, an enormous balsam a

Potash in agriculture 126

Prenanthcs alba... ' j^j

Primrose, a new .!!!!!....... 107

Primrose as a vegetable j.L

Primrose, the Knglish J22

Pnngshcim, Prof. *_"" jqq

Pruning and transplanting cS

Radishes .- jj^g

Raspberries, notes on '*.'.'.'.'.*.V*".76,"i'o9,"'i55! 188

Red spider.... ......? 1-9

Rhododendron maximum, notes on... 5^ i'9* '36, 38,

Roads, notes on 10 SS '74' 1^6

Robinia hispida, notes on lo^'iisi 182

Rockeries o

Rocky Mountain cherry .^a

Roots '. ■;■*;* ^g

Roots on trees, feeding 72

Rose acacia *^ ^^

Rosa rugosa ..........!!'.'.'.".*.'.**"89 'iL

Roses, notes on... 10, u, 25,73,88,90, 91, 111, '116,

Rose, the pohantha stock ]^ ' 'jq

Rubus dcliciosus c't

Rudbeckia '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. i{

Russei, John L "!.'!!!!!!!!!!!!! 78

Salt as manure ^7

vSalt bushes ['',[[ j2^

Sargent, Prof C. S V. 16 176

Sarracenia j'

Schinus molle 53

g^^?" ^^ -; V.V.'." V.'.V.'.V.' V... 80, 1 59

Scribncr, Prof. P. Lamson 14

Sea Kale '" Jl

Seeds *^**'***""!'*'''''*^*^* 1-6

Seeds, sowing \q

Senecio sagittifolius si

Slender cliff-brake 37

PAGE

133

102
o

Smith, Benjamin J jjq

vSniith, Prof E. K .'.'.'!.*.".'.*.".'.".*.*.'.'.'." 47

vSmith, Sidney, on the strawberry .,..' 190

Snowball, Japan * j2o

Snow plant 99, 'i 32* 166

Solidago petiolans 120

vSpir^ea pranifolia 43

Spraying *.'..*.*.'.".".*. '.'.'.'.'.'.*.*.6, 89

Spring iiowers in California 6

St. Andrew's Cross ^c

Stewart, Dr. J. T !.'.'!!!.*!!!!!!!!.* 16

Strawberries, notes on 108, 125, 154,182* 188

Strawberry, the Chili 125

Strawberry, the white Alpine 147

Stuartia jj'

Sugar cane 68

TabeniLemontana 45

** The Asa Gray Bulletin " ...*..'.*.'*.*.'**.' 159

The house by the medlar tree 125

The Ivondon Journal of Horticulture 192

The owl T^^

The union of parts

Thistle, edible !"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Thistle, Russian j8o

Tiger flower, Mexican 153

Tomatoes, notes on 13, 2*9."75, 76

Tree limit, northward 4

Tree planting * 5q

Trees, notes on 40, 68, 88, *93,"ii5ru7,' V28, 137

Ireesof Cireenland 22

Trees, the seat of vitality of. 115

Tree trunks, elongation of. * ^7

Tricliomanes Petersii 81

j^"<^^cs ."*!;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; 104

Irumpct leaf, yellow 86

Turkey oak * ,57

Turnip culture 172

Turtles, the age of. ...!!.!!.!!!...!!!!!!! 16

Vaccinium coryinbosum 61

Vanilla bean...'. \ [[ 3^

Variation in leaves ...67, 115, 122, 133

Vasey, Dr yg

Vedalia cardinalis * 183

Vegetables, notes on ..V..*.V.V.V.'''27,'i*55, 186

Victoria regia ng

Vines clinging over trees 106

Vineyards 172

^'"'f'" :•• ....:z::::::::::::::::::::.54, ,72

Walk, a seaside n

Walnuts in California 13

Warts, a cure for 138

Watermelons ' 124

Weeds, destroying 122

Weeds, seeds of American 16

Weevil, Pea 127

wicr, D. B ...!.!!!.!.!!!!.!! hi

Wild flowers, notes on 16, m, 142

Wild flowers of Greenland „ 21

Willkomm's herbarium 31

Wine making 1^7

Wissahickon, the 117, 181

Wistaria, i)ropagation of the ! 106

Witloof ^ 171

Wood, splitting *....*. 16

Worm, canker *.. 125

Wych hazel, galls on 179

Ximenesi.'i encelioides 145

Yucca alocfolia 43

Yucca, a new 42

Yucca brevifolia 147

Yucca filanientosa 100

Zinc labels 156

fT ■'•,■:■■

bi^,

■'■■■■ ■i^.i!.'\.-f>^';~^y''^.