UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 2971 9 m^''^ W^' * . •♦ m^-^ Vkl %^ i-'J^!^] tM? 'itik^t^S^L^^,iL:^'^.JkM^ i3i^ 3C LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE No.__.42._fc_l__ DATE_i2.-.isa5: SouRCE^^U_UllTl.V :j:.auds. CHAPEL THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY HORTICULTURIST. UKVOTKl) TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. ElllTET) HY THOMAS MEEHAN, STATE BOTANIST OF PENNSYLVANIA, formkiu.y hkad gardener to caleb cope, esq., at sprixgbrook, and .it the bartkam liotaxic (;ardi:xs, near Philadelphia; graduate of the royal botanic gardens, kew, (loxddni england. member of the academy of natural sciences. author of "american hand-book of ornamental trees," etc. VOLUME XX, 1878. PHILADELPHIA : CHARLES H. MAROT, Publisher, No. 814 Chestnut Street, 1878. ILLUSTRATIONS. Frontispiece— Chrotno Andromeda arbokka A Abutilon rosa^florum 3H4 Acalyplia macrophylla H(>4 Adiantuni princeps 2:>o Anthurium ornatum 2(iS Apple, Ohio l.',i ■' Oregon Crab, Pyrus rivularis lol Artificial Wood Tiles — four cuts ;5.'>i) B Bedding Plants, Arrangement of— three cuts 34 Begonia achrne 60 " kallista , 61 Blanching Celery 23'.» Blandifolia princeps 10 C Carpet Bedding— six cuts 'J8-0'.t —five cuts 130-131 Centaurea Clematii 75 Coleus pictus 44 Croton Disraeli 363 Cycas Norraanbyana 108 E English Daisy 134 F Feast, John, Portrait of 317 a Glass Panels— six cuts 298-299 M Mennonite Grass-burner 172 " End View 173 " Ground Plan 173 O Odon toglossuni crisj^uni 12 R Ribbon Bedding — three cuts 60-67 163 Rustic Summer House 34 S Selaginella Japonica 262 T Tropyeolum Lobbianum hyperbum 5 Turnip, Yellow Mont Magny 20'.t W Wahlenbergia tuberosa 198 Window-box Ornaments— seven cuts 265-266 Window-hood for Ornamental Vines 325 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY AND HORTICULTURIST. DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. Vol. XX. JANUARY, 1878. Number 229. Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. SEASONABLE HINTS. An American garden is not particularly attrac- tive in Winter time, but there is no reason why it should not be so ; and when tlie time comes, which we look forward to, when there shall be a distinctively American style of gardening, much more attention will be given to it than there is now. In our text books of landscape gardening the great anxiety is to bring out the lights and shadows as cast by the umbrageous foliage of masses of trees or of fine specimens. The contrasts of brown and grey of the ground with sunny leaves of the trees, the due proportion of earth, or sky, or water, the periods of blooming of trees and flowers, or the tints of color in which Nature clothes herself all about us — these are the chief concern of the landscape gardener of the books. To him there is no Winter gar- den except such as he makes under glass. Win- ter in the open air is a dies non in the calender of his art. Give us, he says, " earth, and air, and water, and sky," and he will give you the perfect garden. The fact is, that in those parts of the world where our great lights in landscape gardening flourished, the Winter is no time for open air enjoyment. The days are dark, the nights are long, and the chief pleasures must necessarily be in the light of the hearth, and in the social festivities of drawing-room life. Our clear, bright skies and long Winter days, cold though thev be. are still favorable to t\w enjoyment of beautiful landscape scenery. In- deed, there are few things more pleasant than a beautiful landscape as seen from an American , window on a Winter's day. It may be but a j mass of oaks with their sturdy branches braving j the fury of a north-west storm ; or it may be the I waving of the hemlock in the breeze, as wave j the ripples over a summer sea. At times there > are the icicles swinging to and fro with the 1 branches, reflecting the sun-liglit, or even the j moon-light, and seeming, from our cosy obser- j vatories, as if nymphs and dryads, the elfs and j the faries were about to get up an entertain- j ment peculiarly their own, but of which we are I favored with a private view. It is indeed almost j impossible to look on an American winter scene at any time of the season, without seeing some- thing to excite our admiration, or to lead us to an increased love of nature. Nothing of this is in our text books ; but why cannot we see it without them, and improve it withal? Let every one as he reads this look out from his window and see how mucli there is to enjoy, and with a little study he will be able to plant or to arrange things that will give beauty where there are now none, or give new beauties to those which already exist. In the matter of what he already has, he will want some practical hints as to something to do, for it is not thought that there is much to think about in a garden in January in our country. But this is all a mistake ; there is plenty to do. Pruning sliould be completed as soon as possi- ble. Some judgment is required in pruning THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY ^January, llowering shrubs, roses, &c., although it is usual to act as if it were one of the most common-place operations. One of the most clumsy of the hands is commonly set with a shears, and he "goes through" the whole place, clipping off every- thing indiscriminately. Distinction should be made between those flowering shrubs that make ii vigorous growth, and those which grow weakly \ and between those which flower on the old wood of last year, and those which flower on the new growth of next season, as the effect of pi'un- ing is to force a strong and vigorous growth. Those specimens that already grow too strong to flower well, should be only lightly pruned ;j and, in the same individual, the weakest shoots | should be cut-in more severely than the stronger i ones. Some things, like the Mock Oranges, Lilacs and others, flower on the wood of last year. To prune these much, now, therefore, destroys the flowering; while such as Altheas, which flower on the young wood, cannot be too severely cut-in, looking to that operation alone. In pruning Roses, the fall-blooming kinds, which flower on the new growth, may be pruned as severely as we wish; in fact, the " harder" they are cut-in the better. In this class are the Noisette, Bourbon, Tea, China and Hybrid Per- petual and Perpetual Moss. Without considera- ble experience, it is difficult for the amateur to distinguish these classes. The best way to get over the difficulty is to obtain the catalogues of the principal rose-growers, in which each kind is usually classified. Amateurs should pay more attention to the scientific — if we may so term it — study of the Rose, and its classification and general management. Ifo class of flowers is more easily understood, and no one affords so rich a fund of perpetual interest. Hyacinths, or other hardy bulbous roots that may not have yet been planted, may still be put in where the ground continues open. The beds of all such bulbs should be slightly protected I with manure or litter, and be carefully watched for mice and vermin, which are likely to avail themselves of the shelter and feed on the roots. Lawns that are impoverished by several sea- sous' mowing, will be improved by a good top- dressing. This may be applied any time after the leaves are gathered up, and before the snow falls. Soot, wood-ashes, guano, or any prepared manure, is best for this purpose. Barnyard ma- nure is objectionable, as generally containing •many seeds of weeds. Evergreens set out last Fall in windy or ex- posed situations, will be benefited by a shelter of cedar branches, corn stalks, or mats, set against them. Whether hardy or tender, all will be benefited thereby. Hedges that have not had their winter dress- ing, should be attended to. If the remarks we have before made on hedges have been attended to through the Summer, there will be very little now to do. We have said that pruning in Sum- mer weakens a plant, while pruning in Winter strengthens it ; and so, as hedges naturally get spoiled by growing vigorously at the top, and weakly at the sides, they should be severely Summer-pruned at the apex, and Winter-pruned near the base. Now will be the time to see to the latter, taking care not to make it toonari-ow. A good hedge should be nearly four feet wide at the base, and be cut into a point at the top. Manure for flower-beds, borders, etc., may be hauled convenient to where it is likely to be wanted in Spring ; many spread it on at once ; but if the soil is frozen very thick, it prevents the early thawing of the soil in the Spring, and so no time is gained. Very small plants in borders or on the lawn, or lai'ger plants that may have been set out the past season, should be mulched with anything that will prevent the ground thawing, and so, the plant "drawing out." Most readers have done this in the Fall, but there is good to be done by it yet by those who have neglected it till now. Keep a sharp look-out for mice under the litter, however, where it is wise from the value of the specimen to run no risk ; brown paper, after- wards tarred, may be wrapped around the stems as far as the litter covers them. A great deal of trenching and sub-soiling can be done through the Winter if mamu-e be thrown over the surface before it is frozen too deep ; a little snow even, dug in, will not injure the oper- ation, as we find in our own experience. COMMUNICA TIONS. TUBEROUS ROOTED BEGONIAS. BY W. FALCONER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. On page 327 of the November Monthly, " W., Norfolk, Ya.," with reference to the above, says : "As far as tested, they are most suitable for bedding plants, surpassing the geranium in their beautiful foliage and large flowers of richest hues, and will soon become a great acquisition to the garden and lawn. In England they have 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 3 already superseded it to a great extent, being more vigorous and floriferous." Now, tliis is direct contradiction to my experience. As green- house plants tliey are magnificent, but in the ilovver garden my own practical experience and that of my neighbors emphatically testify that tuberous-rooted begonias are utterly worthless. "We can do something with the Rex and fuchsi- ■oides sections, but Bolivienses and Veitchii must stride miraculously ere "General Grant" need hide his face. If "W." means that these bego- nias have, to a great extent, superceded gera- niums in English flower gardens, his statement ^vill be absolutely wrong. I have tried them there myself and seen them tried by others ; but our attempts were fruitless. The plants Avould grow moderately and bloom a little, but in no way sutlicient to compensate for the care and space devoted to them, as compared with results from other subjects. Their notoriety for out- door gardening in England originated at Y eitchs' nurseries, London, where these begonias were planted in the flower garden — sheltered on every side by ranges of greenhouses —and where, on a little rock-work, I know the tubers to have sur- vived the Winter. In that flower garden, time and again, I have seen these begonias, in mode- ratel}^ fair condition, I admit, but in no way .surprisingly excellent. DISEASE ON THE MARECHAL NEIL ROSE AND EUONYMUS LATIFOLIUS. BY W., NORFOLK, YA. j I notice in the November number of the j Monthly a complaint from a Philadelphia cor- | respondent of a new disease which has of late at- ' tackedthat queen of climbing roses the"Marechal | Neil," and that you express surprise thereat and ask for the expression of your readers regarding it. j I fear you will receive similar discouraging ■ reports fro.m .this latitude also ; but whether the actual cause has been ascertained or not, I am | not informed. My own opinion is, that the severity of our climate is the only assignable •cause, and that this rose is more delicate than others of its class. I judge this to be so from the fact that it flourishes most luxuriantly in Florida, and we hear nothing of the disease aSectiug it there ; and from the manner in which tlie disease attacks the stem here. The bark, for about one-third of the circumference, and with it the wood extending to the heart, seems to die as with blight or frost, of course sapping the life of the tree. It is, however, a lingering death, for the uninjured wood struggles man- fully and often nearly surrounds the dead with a new growth, but only to prolong its uncertain existence, for the fatal wound is never fully healed. There may also l)e the knotty excres- cence of which your correspondent speaks. This applies to old bushes only, the young and newly imported trees, cliiefly on grafted or budded stocks, as yet show no signs of disease, and were more beautiful than ever this Autumn, with their immense flowers. But there are many old and very large bushes here, and the complaint is general that thej are dying, no remedy having been found eflicacious. Many roses, the "Chro- matella," for instance, will outlive such an in- jury, and new wood will soon cover the old scar and the bush become as vigorous as ever. Not so with our favorite. Another disease which has not yet attacked the rose to any extent, though I have noticed it slightly upon a large and thrifty "Lamarque," has killed the beautiful evergreen Euonymus latifolius. Nearly all are dead, and the few remaining in the city are fast yielding up the ghost. No remedy for this has been discovered. It is a species of the bark-lice family, perhaps the same that attacked the orange in Florida several years ago, and unlike that pest of the apple tree, but one wliich I have never seen until the past year. Whale oil soap and whitewash have no efl'ect upon it. Cannot some of your correspondents give some information with regard to this pest, or how we may exter- minate it? I noticed yesterday, in a new ceme- tery near the city, but one large bush killed by this disease ; the other and younger ones had thus far escaped, but their time will shortly come. THE AILANTHUS. BY GEN. W. H. NOBLE, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. It's a great comfort to have started a new interest in anytliing that grows. My plea for the Ailan- thus seems to have done for it and your readers some good. I am not a botanist, only a lover of nature and of her products. I have for many years wondered why that beauty of the Ailanthus, which I have noted in your journal, had not won for it some respite of the much ciu'sing which it has endured. And now it comes out in your September number that it is dioecious. The nauseating smell, it seems, belongs only to the separate estate of its masculine gender. The lovely seed plumes, whose bright tinted masses THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^Januar\ in autumnal garb I have so much acmired, we are told belong solely to the feminine branch of the family. ^ ^ ^x Now, I confess, I had suspected this. But the books at my command said nothing about this separate sexual habitation of the Ailanthus. So for fear my ignorance would be taken to task, and learned quotations thrust at my suspicion of these separate connubial dwellings, I kept up a respectful and watchful silence. Some of those nearly mid-August Ailanthus phimes I have sent to Mr. Veitch, of New Haven, and to J. Stauffer, of Lancaster, Pa., both of whom have obliged us all with desired notice and information. To the latter and to your readers I would say, that my ^'Ailanthus boquet is not that of the Staghorn sumach. The Ailanthus variety, which I described, arows to forty or fifty feet in height, and becomes quite a large tree. I think the most brilliant specimens grow in a rather shallow and sandy soil thus maturing rather earlier, and like other trees so stationed, taking on sooner a more brilliant tinge. Oneof these "toweringbouquets is so fine an object by itself, and mingles so tastefully with either the Summer or Autumn tints of other trees, that its merits, habits and varieties, if any, should be well studied. We may thus very likely acquire a plant whose tint in leaf and seed plumes shall rival those ot the new Japanese maples. Let's hear from other observers. all grew and flowered finely. After flowering: I removed the bulbs and placed them in a box of fine loam, in which they remained until May, 1877, when they were set out in a corner of the garden for .the small bulbs to perfect their growth. In July I noticed flower buds on one v in August it was in bloom. The last of Septem- ber flower buds appeared on another ; it is now over a foot high, with a number of buds ready to open. The old bulbs must have bloomed a second time, or the young bulbs, which were only an eighth of an inch in diameter, made a wonderful growth and bloomed in a single sea- son. If the latter was the case, the old bulb decayed entirely, as on examination there were no signs of any but the one in bloom ever hav- ing existed. I did not remove the parent bulb in^planting, but planted it surrounded as it was. by four or five small bulbs. Can any one say whether the bloom was from the old bulb, or a young one of this season's growth? EDITORIAL NOTES. THE TUBEROSE. BY AV. C. T.. DREW, EL DORADO, CAL. The beautiful and delicate tuberose requires no encomiums from any pen; its popularity is insured forever. Other flowers may fade m the estimation of Flora's devotees, but the tuberose laever. , ^ , ^ As all amateurs know, a tuberose blooms but once •, the buUi then gives birth to a number of small bulbs, which, with two years of good culture, will produce good flowering bulbs. A departure from this rule of blooming but once has very seldom been chronicled, and will be received with doubt by cultivators in general ; but be this as it may, I would only give them my experience, and leave them to judge. In May, 1876, 1 planted a number of tube- rose bulbs from a well-known firm. These bulbs The Oriental Plane.— Mr. Samuel Par- sons gives a timely caution to planters to avoid the American and choose the Oriental Plane in planting. The Oriental seems free from any disease except a little trouble from a white mil- dew in the fall, which does not materially aff"ect its beauty •, while the American suflers terribly all over the United States in May by a fungus which destroys the young growth as completely as a hard frost would do. It pushes out a new growth, but the result is a crow's nest appear- ance, anything but agreeable. When in Europe last year, the writer exam- ined the trees planted in Prance and England so abundantly, and a similar disease seems by no means uncommon, but it is very trifling in it& effects compared with the attacks here, and, we should judge, in that country it would make little difference which species is planted. Weeping Blood-leaved Beech.— The com- mon Blood-leaved beech has a weeping habit ! when old, and people seeing this have propaga- ted from it, believing it to be a real weeper. But the Belgian nurserymen insist that there is a ^veritable weeper, and that it originated ui Flanders. 1878.] AND HORTICULRTUIST. Hybrid Trop^olums. — In very dry and hot reasons Nasturtiums are not as good as they anight be, but in seasons such as the last, they ■are wonderfully beautiful objects. On the a^rounds of Washington Pastorius, Esq., of Ger- IIandsome leaved Pear Tree. — The Garden says, that in England the leaves of the Doyoenne Boussock pear tree turn to as beautiful color in the fall as those of the Virginia creeper. HoTEiA JAPONICA, also Spiriaja japonica and Astilbe japonica of our various catalogues, goes also as Astilbe barbata on the continent, and which is perhaps the correct name. NEW OR RARE PLANTS. inantown, last Autumn, we saw a specimen of the variety T. Lobbianuni hybridum, (see cut) which •attracted universal attention. If the roots are in a cool piece of ground, the plants themselves •do not mind the Summer heat. Cfpressi^s Lawsoniana. — And now our old ■friend has fallen amongst the Philistines. It has been weighed in the nomenclatorial balance by the Horticultural Botanists of the Continent and found wanting. Hereaftei our American friends who look for "all the new things" from Europe, had better hesitate when they come to the name of " Chamaecyparvis Bour- sieri," unless they have room for an extra plant ■of Cupressus Lawsoniana. Culture of the Native Water Lily.— We are glad to see that this beautiful plant is becoming a favorite with cultivators. A West- •ern paper says : " The cultivation of the Water Lily is an easy inatter, and there is nothing that better repays culture than that. Mr. Brand has been success- ful in its culture for the last two years, thus demonstrating its suitableness to the climate. We published from the Gardener''s Monthly, some weeks since, the method of growing this beautiful plant successfully." As concerns aquatics, on the grounds of Mr. Ware, Tottenham, England, where recently we •saw one of the best collections of hardy plants in the world, aquatics are grown by simply linking tubs in the ground. The water seldom needs replenishing, as there is little evaporation Jiinder these circumstances. I Andromeda japonica.— With a beautiful ! colored plate the l^ondon Garden gives the fol- [ lowing account : I Japan Andromeda (Pieris japonica) is a tall, smooth shrub, with pointed, lanceolate leaves about two inches long, which are serrated or waved at the margin, and narrowed at the base, i and numerous drooping branched or panicled I white, waxy flowers. It is a native of shrubby places in the mountainous region of Japan, j where it was discovered by Thunberg, who figured and described it in his "Flora Japonica," t. 22 (published in 1784), and specimens from whom are in the British Museum Herbarium. ' A variety, having narrower leaves, occurs in a I wild state, as well as one having the foliage I margined with white. Although at present 'scarce, this most graceful plant bids fair to I become a most useful addition to our stock of i Spring-flowering slu'ubs ; it is said to be even hardier than A. floribunda and is much more ; ornamental than that species. Our figure is from i a plant that flowered in Messrs. Thibaut & Ket- I leer's nursery, at Sceaux, in March last. The i living specimens from which the plate was made was sent by post from Paris to London, so that ; the artist did not see them in their best state. A more lovely shrub, when seen veiled over with pendent racemes of white waxy balls, it would be difficult to imagine, and we hope it may soon become frequent in gardens. PiCEA ACicuLARis. — Under this name a new Conifera from Japan is advertised in Belgian catalogues. The foliage is said to be of a very deep green, with a silvery reflection. It is said to be the most distinguished of tlie genus By its appearance and in its sharp needles it approaches P. polita. 6 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^Januaijj New Race of Chrysanthemums. — The Florist and Pomologist tells us that a race blooming much earlier than the common kind has been obtained in France, and that many of the varieties are now offered in English cata^ logues. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Moving Large Trees.— "Carlos." — ''Can you give any idea how large it would be safe to move trees? "We have some Norway Maples, a foot round, in the way of some improvements, which we do not wish to lose. If they can be moved, when and how?" fit is hard to give an "idea" without seeing the trees. So much of success depends on con- stitutional health and other circumstances. A moss-grown tree or one growing weakly would die if a "foot round ;" while, if in vigorous healthy it would make no difference if it be a foot thicfcr provided all the roots are obtained. To get all the roots you must dig in a circle, say for a tree the size of yours, six feet from the tree, making a circle twelve feet wide. Dig this ditch two feet deep, and then "undermine" the roots. You cannot carry a ball of earth twelve feet wide and two feet deep, except at an enormous expense ; but you can get all the roots by this system, which is of more importance to the tree than all the earth. Spring will do for it in Brooklyn.— Ed. G. M.] Green House and House Gardening, SEASONABLE HINTS. Flowers in Winter, flowers in Spring, Autumn flowers, all in turn bring their special pleasures; but the first get the heartiest welcome, and chiefly, we suppose, from the difficulty experi- enced in obtaining them. Yet it is not so difficult if one has plenty of sun-light. If the plants have any tendency whatever to bloom in Winter, sun-light will bring them on. Where windows or greenhouses be so that they can have every ray of sun, from early morning to noon at least, the houses or rooms may not have a high artifi- cial temperature. A house at 45°, with plenty of sun-light, will have more flowers than one at 65° with the same sort of plants, and only general light, without the direct rays of the sun. This will give a hint to all who are building greenhouses for Winter flowering, to have the roof-pitch very steep. It is almost impossible to get flowers of any consequence in Winter from a very flat-pitched house. We note, with much interest, the increase of these grateful winter pleasures ; but they are not near as common as they might be, through a fear that the expense is more than can readily be borne. But this is generally through the pro- prietor himself not giving the matter much thought, but depending altogether on the car- penter. It is best always, in this matter to have the advice of an intelligent and experienced ; gardener. Every twenty-five dollars invested m \ this way will save hundreds from the carpenter^s I bill. We note many places rendered worthless I for a thousand dollars, which, with a proper i undei-standing of the wants of plants, and proper arrangements, might have been made pleasanfr places for half that sum. i In the arrangement of plants in the green- I house, continual change is commendable. Every ' few weeks the plants may be re-set, and the houses made to appear quite difterent. In the ; end where the lowest plants once were set, now the taller ones may be placed; here a convex group, and there presenting a concave appear- ance. Drooping plants on elevated shelves, and hanging baskets from the roof, make little para- dises of variety in what were once unbearable monotony. Gardeners often wish to know the secret of mai'^taining a continued interest, on the part of their employers, in their handiwork, and this is one of the most potent — continued change and variety in the appearance of every thing. Beautiful flowers, graceful forms, elegant combinations, all developing themselves with a healthy luxuriousness and evei'-changing end- lessness, will wake up an interest in the most indifferent breast. The temperature of the greenhouse at this season should be maintained at about 50°, allow- ing it rise 10° or 15° under the full sun, and sinking 10° or so in tlie night. Though many of our practical brethren diller from us, men, for 1878.] AND HORTICULTUR^JST. some of whose opinions we entertain the highest respect, we do not recommend a very great difference l)etween night and day temperature ; we think 10° ample allowance. It is following nature, no doubt; but we would rather strive to beat nature. She cannot make the specimens we do, nor flower them so beautifully or pro- fusely, and in many other respects we think the practical gardener can much improve on her red- tape notions and old-fashioned courses. The management of a greenhouse fire is worthy of a thought. Few of those who attend them know much about their proper manage- ment. In lighting a fire a good jack-knife and a piece of pine wood is as good as an armful of shavings. Shave the piece a little without taking the shavings wholly off. Start these with a match, and, being connected with the main piece, they will fire it. A few pieces crossed over this nucleus, and off the whole goes. This little hint will save considerable time in hunting paper and shavings, or straw. The fire lighted, it must be kept bright or dull according to the probable weather. To do this use wet ashes. If it is desired to keep a body of heat for a long time without burning away, proceed in this wise : Start the fire at noon, for instance, and get the coal thoroughly red hot. Then, say an hour after, put on a shovelful or two of fresh coal, and let it burn about half through. When it has done this, which will be towards evening, cover with three or four shovelsful of wet ashes, leav- ing a very small opening through to the coal at the far end. If such a fire be properly made in this way, there will be little necessity to look at it again till next day at noon. Then throw a few shovelsful of coal on the hot mass of ashes, doing no more than this for an hour or so. The coal by that time will be thoroughly warmed, and in that condition readily burns. It is worthy of remembrance at all times, that warm coal will ignite more rapidly than cold coal. Having warmed it on the hot ashes, we may now watch the weather. If we want to get up the fire in a hurry, we now rake out a little ashes from the bottom, so as to induce a little draft, and suffer the coal on the top to drop into the ashes. As soon as it begins to redden, we can rake it moi'e if we want to hurry it, or less if we do not. Of course how much or how little of this raking or ash covering is to be done depends on the weather, the capacity of the furnace to heat the house, and lots of other little things. But one who understands this well will need no dampers in the fines, no ash-pit door, nor any of the usual contrivances for regulating draft. It is surpris- ing what a nice art "stoking" is. There is far more fun in this than playing base ball or the piano, and we are surprised at so few learning to do it well. Besides there is money in it, too. One who knows the art well will do as much with ten tons of coal as others will do with twenty, or even thirty. COMMUNICA TIONS. DOUBLE GERANIUM, "BISHOP WOOD." BY VTM. K. IIAKRIS, PHILADELPHIA. In your valuable Monthly of November edition, I notice an article with the above head- ing, by Mr. Woodruff. After reading it I feel called upon to reply. Geranium B. Wood I raised from seed three years ago last summer, being one of over four hundred seedlings. I don't think that Geranium Guillion Mangilli was thought of at that time. Mr. Woodruff does not inform us who claims the honor of raising G. Guillion Mangilli, nor does he take it into con- sideration whether it is above suspicion or not. Of course we are to take it for granted that all gardeners in Europe are honest, and all Yankee tricks must be played by Yankees. However, let that be as it may, the two gerani- ums are distinct, and it is a surprsie to me that Mr. Woodruff was not able to see the difference. B. Wood has large, smooth, round flowers, petals broad, of good substance ; while G. M. has smaller flowers, petals long and narrow, edges inclined to fall back, trusses not so large, color very near the same. Probably it would be more interesting if I would change my subject a little. I have taken a good deal of interest in growing geraniums for more than ten years. Have kept pace with the importa- tions, and have been the author of a number of good results. Asa Gray is one of the best to raise seed from, as it seeds very freely, and we may get almost any color that is among the single varieties by crossing any desired variety with Asa Gray. In proof of the above fact, I have tried it with wonderful success. The last good result was Jenny Read ; I obtained it by crossing Asa Gray with Gaiety, which is a very dwarf, scarlet, and free-blooming variety. J. Read does not resemble Asa Gray in any par- ticular, except in being dovible ; it partakes of its male parent in color and free blooming THE GARDENERS MONTH-LY [Januajy, qualities, and more dwarf than either. One thought more, then I am done. Last winter there was a host of double white geraniums sent over from Europe, some of them not worth growing. Among them, however, there are three varieties, Yenice, Adelaide Blanchard and Madame Emily Baltat, which are really good. BISHOP WOOD GERANIUM. I5V JOHN DICK, PHILADP:LPHIA. I notice the remarks of (x. H. Woodruft'in the last number of the Gardener's Monthly. 1 can vouch for the Oeranium Bishop Wood being raised by W. K. Harris, having seen the first | bloom standing very conspicuously amongst other seedlings, some two or three hundred in number. There must be a difference in the Geranium ! Guillon Mangellon, sent out by Messrs. Veitch i and Bishop Wood ; or Mr. Court representing i Messrs. Veitch at the Centennial, and Mr. Out- j ram, the representative of B. S. Williams of the I Victoria Nursery, London, would not hav.e i ordered Bishop Wood, each of them sending home twelve plants of this American seedling. For the information of those not having the two geraniums to compare, granting there is a similarity in color ,the petals of Guillion and Man- '■ gellon are long and straggling, while those ofj Bishop Wood are short and compact ; the habit also is better, flowers earlier and more abundant. This is my experience ; it may differ with others. 1 favorite is, that it being bedded out, not only stands the sun perfectly well, but obtains, also, a dwarfish appearance, and blooming the whole season. By these rare qualities this variety will be heartily welcomed by every one having a flower-garden as an incomparable edging for the beds. Reading the different remarks made about Torenias, my attention involuntarily was applied to one fact, that not one mentioned more than these two kinds ; whether the others have already passed from memory, or by experience found not worth growing, I Avill not undertake to dispute nor decide, but simply call back to our recollection some of them which have in their time been received as favorably as the new Torenia Fourneri, T. concolor, native of China, flowers in Autumn ; blue T. edentula, from East India, flower yellowish white, distinctly marked with purple violet, the sidelips have a deep purple spot; T. bicolor, raised by L. Van Houtte, (Gand), of a drooping habit; T. Lar- pentai, (Synon. Ceratostigma Larpentai), from North China, flower of lively blue, with a red throat, nearly quite hardy; T. plantagina?, (Ceratostigma plantaginte), found and introduced by Dr. Tindel, in Africa, from the shore of the White Xile, flower blue, labellum deep blue with white and light blue stripes ; T. scabra, (Artanema fimbriata), from Australia, with blue flowers, the center being white, good for bed- ding out; T. pulcherrima, from China, flower purplish blue. ON TORENIAS. •BY VLADIMER DE NEIDMAN, WEST PHILADA. The introduction of the new ''Torenia Fourneri" from Cochin China has created quite a sensa- tion in the floricultural world ; several articles have already been written about it, and the Gardener's Monthly, in the October number, says: "That it is true the old T. Asiatica has long been popular and long will continue to be ; but tills charming novelty will divide the honors." Torenia Asiatica (Synon. T. hians and vagans), native of the East India, bears dark violet flowers, is more of a drooping habit, and is preeminently fit for hanging l>askets. T. Fourneri, on the contrary, is an erect growing variet}', distinctly differing from the previous one, having an orange spot in the ground center of the flower ; but the real attraction and ))eautv of this new CROWING THE RICHARDIA /ETHIOPICA. by MRS. LUCY A. MILLINGTON, HOUTII HAVEN, MICH. Perhaps some of the many lady readers of your Monthly would like to know how to get two flowers instead of one from every flowering sheath of their Calla lillies. As soon as the joint flower is cut, or begins to wither, pull the stalk down through the open sheath clear to the bottom. At the bottom will be found standing close to the stalk another bud, enclosed in a delicate covering. Cut the old stalk away as close as possible without injuring the bud, and if it has not been kept back too long it will grow up very quick. I have never failed to get both buds ■ to flower. I never tie up the leaves close, but leave them free. 1S78.] A XD HOR 1 ICUL TURIS T. EDITORIAL NO TBS. Glazing. — We do not quite understand the following, which we tind in the Polytechnic Review. Illustrations would perhaps be required to make it plain. But as there may be some- thing, if properly understood in the principle, of value to our greenhouse people, we give it in the hope that it may bring out further information : '••We lately saw a defectively glazed glass roof under treatment toward restorating broken panes and stopping leaks. Counted by the acre, the surface of such glazing is enormous in the city of St. Louis, and would be increased were the im- munity from leakage and breakage nearly assured. The system of glazing used on the roof of the Koyal Aquarium, London, is held up as a model of this sort of protection and convenience ; it •consists of a series of zinc bars of pot-hook sec- tion, with a return bend, the bars being screwed •on the purlins. The top is simply a pot-hook or hanger section, at the bottom of the same sec- tion reversed. The glass rests in the groove of the lower bars and back groove of the intermediate upper one, in which it has full vertical play. The panes of glass lap each other; and the theory is, that no water can find its way inside the building covered by a roof glazed on this principle. The advantages of this system appear to be the diminution of breakage of glass from vibration, and expansion and contraction and other causes due to rigid fixing in the ordinary system, and the facility with which glass can ])e fixed or a damaged pane removed and replaced. The grooves carrying oft" water from the inside as well as from the outside is of course another advantage, for unless the roof be -u very flat angle, indeed, water will not leave the glass, but will run down into the outside groove. Condensed water and vapors are, there- fore, thus well got rid of." Heating Small Greenhouses. — In refer- ence to our note in the November number, the Galena Industrial Press has the following useful facts : "We know of an instance where house plants are kept thriving winter after winter in a room heated b}- a hard coal base-bm-ner, and healthier plants or brighter flowers we have not seen anywhere. We do not suppose that leaky stoves, from which the gas is constantly escaping, would be healthy for either plant or animal life ; shut we have long since come to the conclusion I that what promotes the health of man, cannot I be injurious to the plants. It is only necessary I to refer to the bay-window, where the plants of 1 Mrs. Cephas Foster may be seen from J^all till ; Spring, to assure our readers on this point. The window plants are, however, only a small part j of those constantly kept in the two rooms heated I by the same coal stove, year after year, and j very few persons, if anj^, can show more thrifty j plants, with equal care, than hers. The stove is an old-fashioned one, which has been in use for many years, and has no particular advantage over the more modern ones, so far as we know^ Our conclusions are, therefore, favorable to that method of heating. Hard coal is used of course. } The only secret is a constant supply of moisture j from a cup of water on the stove. } A Fine Geranium. — We like to hear of ! well-grown plants, and give place to the foUow- : ing from the Prairie Farmer : j "In a recent issue we alluded to a wonderful i geranium, the property of W. H. Perkins, Barnard, Vermont. The following letter from ; that gentleman under date of October 22, com- pletes the history of the plant. Mr. Perkins says : 'The geranium has a single scarlet blossom and green foliage ; is five years old ; 4 feet high and 10 feet in circumstance. It has twenty-nine branches from the main stem. The 1.3,000 blossoms are the number of individual flowers. The blossoms on a sufficient number of clusters were counted so as to eiiable me to make a correct estimate of how many individual blossoms a certain number of clusters w^ould average to bear, so that only the clusters were counted, and the number of clusters multiplied by the number of individual blossoms that the clusters would average. The clusters contained from thirty to seventy blossoms each. It is not called a large story about here. The plant is still in the yard and in blossom as bright as ever, notwithstanding the chill}^ weather and the 24 inches of snow which fell here last night. If the plant survives I will let you know of its wonders next season.' " A^BJV OR RARE PLANTS. Blandfordia princeps. — This strikingly handsome greenhouse perennial was introduced b}- Mr. W. Bull, and gained the first prize as the best new fiowering greenhouse plant at the Royal Horticultural Society's Exhibition in the sum- 10 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_ January, merofl875. The stifi' sub-erect distichous leaves | a serrulate border. The scape is a foot high, are narrowly-linear, five to eight ribbed, and with | bearing a corymb of many flowers, which are two BLANDFOllDIA PRINCEPS. andahalf inches long, pendent, regularly funnel- j as the most beautiful of the Blandfordias yet shaped, with a bright crimson tube and deep known. It has been figured in the Botanical golden yellow erect limb. It must be regarded I Magazine for January, 1876, tab. 62091 1878.] AND HORTICUL TUKIST. Hi Carnation Peter Henderson. — Nanz Neu- ner & Co. send us a photograph of which we can truly say that it fully justifies all that they say of it in the following note : " We take great pleasure in sending you a photograph of our new double white carnation ' Peter Henderson.' It is a true representation of a one-year old plant grown in a 9-inch pot, bearing at the time, when the photograph was taken, over 160 flowers and buds, besides showing an abundance of young flower stems breaking from the base and joints. The flowers are large, pure white, and average 2i inches in diameter, although there are a great number of blooms on the plant which measinre three inches and over." Clematis indivisa. — This lovely clematis should be looked after by owners of cool con- servatories, who, as it may happen, know not what to plant in them. There may be little excuse for the "not knowing," perhaps; but a note, should certainly be made of this clematis as one of the most useful plants for the purpose. It grows fast, but is not a coarse plant ; it flowers freely, but is not showy. Its flowers are small- ish, at first greenish, afterwards whitish, delicious to behold en masse, pretty when examined in detail, invaluable to cut from for decorations. In the Slough nurseries there is a plant of this clematis in company with a grand Marechal Niel rose. It must be owned that the marechal does his duty ; would that every marechal merited similar eulogy. But really it is a question if, all things considered, the yellow rose, producing its hundreds of lovely flowers, is a really more meritorious plant than the clematis. If you ask how to grow it, soil, &c., I can only say plant it in a good border, train it under the roof, and "there you are." The fact is, it will tlu-ive under any conditions, provided it has the shelter of glass ; for it is not hardy enough for the open quarters in this climate. I know it well in its native clime of !N'ew Zealand, and I was rather astonished to find Mr. Turner's plant .equal in quality to a wild garland of it as it appears at home, although, of course, no green- house specimen can compare with the vast breadths of such a plant as it riots in its own woods, and laughs at calamities it knows noth- ing of.— Gardeners'' Weekly. Aloxsoa albiflora. — Xew distinct -species from Mexico, introduced by M. Roezl, the dis- tinguished collector, flowering freely, from 12 inches up to two feet in diameter, producing long terminal spikes of pure white flowers with* yellow eye. It is recommended for pot-culture, as in the conservatory it will produce a succes- sion of its flowers throughout the autumn and winter, when most acceptable for bouquets audi table-decoration. It will be found a desirable substitute for Lily of the ValVfey, as used in our bouquets with so charming an eftect when ar- ranged so as to overtop the other flowers by one or two inches.— Carter. Fuchsia racemosa. — A most distinct species^ collected by Mr. Thomas Hogg, in St. Domingo,, 1872, but now for the first time oflfered for sale, we believe, either liere or in Europe. It was exhibited in full bloom at New York Horticul- tural Society's show in June of 1876, and at- tracted general admiration. It grows not more than 18 inches high, forming around bush, every shoot being terminated with a raceme of orange- scarlet, wax-like flowers. It is of the easiest culture, and will undoubtedly become a standard plant, both for the greenhouse in spring, or for bedding out in partial shade in summer. As a market plant, from its distinct and beautiful appearance, it will have few equals. — P. Hen- derson. ! SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Snails. — W. G. J., Ithaca, N. Y., asks: " What will stop the ravages of snails in green- houses ? They appear to work at night, and are very destructive on plants of the Salvia and Dracaena kind. I have found some four to five inches long." [They are easily captured by placing slices of turnips, potatoes or similar things about, covering somewhat to keep them cool and dark. Ed. G. M.] Fine Amorphophallus. — Hon. C. W. Taylor, Hulmeville, Pa., writes: "I lifted an Amor- phophallus Rivieri on the 5th of this month that measured 42 inches in -circumference and weighed 26 pounds. It was sent me by Mr. Dreer, three seasons ago, and was then about one inch in diameter. I thought it was good growth for that length of time." [It is always a pleasure tO' receive accounts of superior culture. Ed. G. M.] Camellias.— J. C. C, Phila., writes: "I should be much obliged if you would let me know through the Gardner's Monthly the proper temperature for Camellia Japonica and Azalea Indica ; also whether they should be- 12 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY [Januaty, kept rather moist or dry. I liave not had any experience with them until this season, and as I have some fine plants, with n great many buds, I wish to treat them properly." [Camellias do not like a temperature over 60° or below 45°, and the Azalea is mucli like unto them. Any ordinary greenhouse atmosphere suits them. The air of living rooms is generally too dry. Ed. G. M.l and clean it with a paint brush and common soapy water. It was a tough job, but in less than half a day it was done. I did not wait six months and give them a chance to recover, but in a couple of weeks had him go over the plants, killing those that had escaped. This was but an hour's job. In another couple of weeks we gave them another tussle. I have no mealy bug now. The true remedy is forehanded industry." Cure for Mealy Bug. — A "Hard-Fisted 'Gardener" writes: "I agree with you point blank that there is no infallible remedy for curing bug-ridden plants with outany trouble ; still there is a plan, that is, my plan, and which I know by experience works very well. I had a ^Stephanotis in my greenhouse that used to keep as white as snow, in spite of all the drenches we gave it. At last I had our bov take it down Floral Decorating. — Mrs. R., Columbus, Ohio, makes the following inquiry. If there is such a work it has escaped our notice. Does any reader know of one ? "If it will not be asking too much, can you \ tell me where I can get a book on the subject of i Floral Decoratings, or How to Decorate ? I saw an advertisement not long since, but have for- . gotten where I saw it." Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. SEASONABLE HINTS. Many complain of the struggle with insects and fungoid diseases. Some of tliis may be cured b_v washing trees in the winter season. Under glass, the best peach and grape growers would never think of letting the season go over without washing the trunks after pruning, with a mixture of soot, sulphur and lime. If the bark, as in the grape, be loose, it is stripped off first. The eggs of thrip, red spider, scale, and seeds of many "blights" and mildews, are thus destroyed. It is just the same benefit to wash young orchard trees. And this is especially true of scale covered trees. If the young trees are bad, cut away the twigs, so as the more easily to cover the whole tree, to the enemy's destruction. It will be well to note what has been said about linseed oil in our last year's volume. There is no doubt but it will destroy scale and improve the health of the trees ; but in a few cases it has been destructive, evidently from the use of mineral oil, and not pure linseed. The purity of the article should be ascertained. 'Trees that have suffered badly from scale often get hide-bound— a slitting up and down with the pruning knife will set them on their feet auain. This is generally supposed to be the pruning season. Orchard trees generally get too much pruning. In young trees only thin out so as not to have the main leaders crossing or interfering ! with one another. Or when a few shoots grow much stronger than the rest, cut these away. i Insist on all the branches in young trees growing j only on a perfect equality. On older trees which ' have been in bearing a number of years, it will ! often benefit to cut away a large portion of the ; bearing limbs. By a long series of bearings, branches will often get bark-bound and stunted, j preventing the free passage of the sap to the I leaves. In such cases the sap seems to revenge I itself by forcing out vigorous young shoots a , [ long way down from the top of the tree. It is j down to these vigorous young shoots that we I would cut the bearing branches away. One must use his own judgment as to the advisability of this. If the tree bears as fine and luscious fruit j as ever, of course no such severe work need be done, but if not, then now is the time. And, above all, look after the nutrition of the trees. Some people say that land which will raise good corn will grow good fruit trees, which i is all right; but they should add that, like corn, : they require regular and continuous manuring. There are some parts of the country where corn 1878. J AND HORTICULTURIST. . 13: can be successively taken fur half a lifetime without manure. On these soils we need not manure fruit trees, but in all others we must, to have aood results. This is particularly essential where trees are grown in grass, as both the trees and the grass require food. Where trees are grown in grass, we prefer top-dressing in June or July; but if it has not been done then, do it now. Where trees are kept under clean surface- culture, the manure is of course ploughed or harrowed in with the crop in the spring of the year. To know whether trees require manure ur not, ask the leaves. If in July they are of a dark rich green, nothing need be done to them ; but if they have a yellow cast, hunger is w^hat is the matter. This, of course, is supposing they are not infested by borers, in which case they will be yellowish in the richest soil. In the vegetable garden preparation is being made for early spring crops. Radish, lettuce and beets require but very little heat to start them, and may be put in at once when the ground is warm and cky, and there is no fear of much more frost. A little frost will not hurt them, even though it does follow the sowing, unless the germ is about pushing. This is the time when most hardy seeds suflfer from frost, Avhen they do suffer at all. The pea is also one of these early vegetables which a little frost will not hm-t. Except, however, in the extreme South, the most of our readers will not think much of these things till next month. COMMUNICA TIONS. EDIBLE PUFF BALLS. BY MISS EMMA C. B. The puff ball is wholesome, nutritious and delicious, cooked in any way that mushrooms are. The large, smooth sort contain the most food, and taste like the mushrooms of the West. The Starry puff ball, small, with a leathery coat which cracks off in a star-shaped setting, tastes like the X. E. mushroom and the morel of Ohio, and is to nie more pleasing. In a country where many suffer from hunger, it is a pity that this quality of the putt' ball is not known and appreciated. COOKING PUFF BALLS. I$Y MliS. LUC Y A. ^flLLIXGTOX. Yes, the ''Putt' Ball," or Lycoperdon, is eat- able, and makes a very delicious dish : but is not so good as ''Tuber album,'' the ijreat white truflie. That is an irregular mass, sometimes, almost as large as a loaf of bi-ead, and of just such a delicate brown on the top. When fit for: eating the rind is cracked irregularly all over.. When that is taken off (don- 1 eat a fungus which: cannot be peeled easily)— the tlesh is as white as snow and as tender as fresh curds. Should be steamed ten minutes, and them simmered in cream, or an}"^ sauce you like. Don't cut, but break it in flakes for cooking. It is only fit for- use when the flesh is white. I have cooked putt" balls in the same way. HOOSAC THORflLESS RASPBERRIES.. BY J. T. LOVETT. BED BANK, >f. J. In reply to T. I., Hamilton, 111., I would state: that the Hoosac Thornless blackberry has proved, to be of very little value— I may say, almost. ! worthless with us. Although it is a moderately good grower, it has not been winter-killed in the least; and I have purposely given it every exposure, subjecting it to severe winds with no covering whatever. It is free from most dis- eases and comparatively without thorns — (not entirely so, however). The fruit is small audi imperfect, so sparingly produced and so hard and', unpalatable that it is only useful for variety's. sake. I esteem the Dorchester and Lawton, or Xew Rochelle,the two old varieties that we have i almost discarded, as of more value than Hoosac- I Thornless. CRAPE CULTURE UNDER CLASS. BY JOHN DON, FOBEMAN TO PETER HENDER- SON, JERSEY CITY HEIGHTS, N. J. Further discussing the above subject, I earn- estly desire to assist those who have started to [cultivate the grape vine under glass, in order ! that they may more successfully cope with the I rigorous changes om- climate is subject to, viz:: extreme cold., heat and drouth. The following remarks are intended more directly to apply to the treatment of a cold graperv, where the vines 1 are planted in a prepared border outside. The roots require to be protected with a covering of leaves or rough stable manure to the depth of fifteen inches, otherwise roots near the surface 1 — where it is all important they should be— will i get destroyed. When a top-dressing can be given, equal parts of sods chopped fine and well rotted manure will be an additional advantage before covering up. Covering should be done early in Decem1)er: uncovering about middle of March. 14 THE GARDENER'S MONTH L \ [> Pruning should be done when the leaves have 'dropped. If any msects are concealed between the loose outer bark and inner, the former requires to be stripped, being careful not to injure the eyes on the spurs. A thorough wash- ing with the engine dislodges and destroys all insects out of, every crevice. The method is more simple and effective than painting the rods with the usual compounds. In this way I ■cleaned a large grapery infested with mealy TDUgs, and kept it so for three seasons. Before ■severe weather sets in, the vine rods require to be protected, otherwise* the frost will injure or Mil them outright. A good way is to lay them :together along the front of the house in shape 'of a ridge, then cover with earth to the depth of lour inches, leveling the earth back to its place when severe weather is past. Extreme heat^ -which would be the case in a span-roofed grapery, where both sides are exposed to the ■sun's rays, and the glass indicating 90° in the shade. My practice is to shade with a thin coating of whitewash outside, made by dissolv- ing equal parts of lime and salt. It can be put on thin, tiot to darken the house much. The ■salt and lime crystalize on the glass, and is not easy washed oft' with rain. From the sec- >ond week in June till the middle of August is tlie period it should be kept on. The past sea- son it had to be renewed but once, and by the latter date it was nearly or all washed oft". The method of giving air is important, especially in the early part of the season ; ventilators should open all along the house at the highest point. "Whenever the temperature inside indicates 85° to 90°, raise the ventilators slightly, increasing as the temperature rises. The temperature should be kept as even as possible, rising and falling with the temperature outside. It is not safe to use bottom ventilators when they admit a current of cold air through the house. When the thermometer indicates 75° at night, a little air should be left on the top. To counteract extreme droughty it is greatly to the advantage of the grape vine to mulch the border during the Summer months. A covering of salt hay or stable manure is well suited for this purpose. We used it the past season with best results. The border was top-dressed last Tall as recom- mended ; now the border is a complete network ot feeding roots within an inch of the sm-face, where they get the full benefit of air and mois- ture. A good plan is to plug up the leaders, and put stops in the gutters ; let the water run over on the border. The gutter breaks the ! force, and the mulching material will keep from washing, providing the fall is slight on the border. A liberal use of water on the floor inside is of great advantage. A covering of sand to the depth of four inches is needed, as it absorbs and evaporates freely. Although it is customary to keep the floors dry during the period of bloom- ing and coloring, yet this season we kept the floors thoroughly watered from the time of starting the grapery till the crop was ripened, and better colored or larger berries are not often seen than we had from this practice, the vines clean and healthy, and with well ripened wood. ED IT O RIAL NOTES. Highland Hardy Raspberry. — Mr. E. P. Roe says, in his recent trade catalogue, that " the fruit is small, and of very ordinary flavor," but yet he thinks it has value. Ben Davis, from MicniGAisr. — Mr. Hoppe places before us some Ben Davis apples from the Grand Traverse region in Michigan. They are very beautiful in color, and twelve inches round. Can anybody beat this ? Apples in Philadelphia. — Apples are sell- ing in Philadelphia, this season, at $3.50 per barrel ; Spitzenbergs, on account of their in- creasing scarcity, bringing from 25 to 50 cents more. If any one can get a new kind that will be of the peculiar flavor of the Spitzenberg and yet be vigorous and healthy and an abundant bearer, there is room for it. ISTewtown Pippins are scarce; the agents say they " blast" under the skin. The Baldwin and Greening are the commonest kinds offered, though the Northern Spy increases in quantity every year. Chenango Strawberry for the first time appears in great quantity last autumn, and seems popular. Vine Disease from America— Max. Corun charges a new vine disease in France on Amer- ica, introduced, he says, by American vines. He calles it the Anthracnose. There are white spots on the leaves, which afterward become charcoal black. It is caused by a fungus, Phoma viticola. He also complained of another disease on the leaves, looking like velvety spots, which he says is caused by another fungus, Cladosjio- rium viticola, and then still another fungus Peronospora viticola, "attacked the leaves and voun Black Hamburgh Grapes.— The Black Mo- nukka is a grape believed to be of Indian origin, which was received from the late Mr. Johnson,, gardener at Hampton Court, and distributed by the Royal Horticultural Society. It is a grape of great peculiarity and of great excellence. It is of exceedingly robust growth, and a somewhat shy bearer. The bunches produced are, how- ever, very large, from twelve to twenty inches or more in length, and of a regular, taperhig form. The berries are small, long-ovate, inclin- ing to be conical like an acorn, measuring seven- eights of an inch in length and five-eights of an inch in diameter. In color it approaches black,, when well ripened, but is more fi-equently of a dull reddish-brown. It has a thin coating of bloom. The skin is thin, adhering to the pulp, which is firm, fleshy, and not melting, yet very tender and full of juice. It contains no perfect seeds, only one, or at most two, half-formed, and these being soft, like the pulp, are eaten with it,, as well as the skins. The flavor is rich and sweet, of the most agreeable character, not in any way peculiar, yet refreshing and pleasant to- the palate. The black monucca Is termed a seedless grape. It is so, however, only so far as the seeds remain immature. The seeds are formed, yet, from some cause, they are not per- fected. This failing may, perhaps, in some measure, account for the smalhiess of the berry. The peculiarity may possibly be due to defective setting. — A. F. Barron, in I'he Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. ••-•> N£JF OR RARE PLANTS. Strawberry — The Phenomenon. — A sin- gular strawberry under this name has appeared! in Belgium. On the one stem there are always two strawberries, so that the old expression of " two bites to a berry" is not a choice but an actual necessity, irrespective of size ; and yet it is not a small berry or " berries," for it or "they" is, each half, two inches long by one wide. Stram'bei!Rv— Prof. Ed. Pynaert.— This strawberry, is said to be an " enormous fruit.'" It is figured four inches across, which is about twelve inches in firciunference : but 1878.] ■IND HOR TICUL TURIST. 17 as it is one of the Cockscoinliy kinds, ci-oss measurement is deceptive. How nuieh will a dozen weijjh? This is the true strawhen-y test. Stump Apple. — While absent from home last Fall, some specimens of this fruit were received from ^Ir. J. R. Stone. Our contemporary, the Country Gentleman — than whose Hort. Editor, J. J. Thomas, there is none more competent to ijive a fair opinion of a new fruit — thus speaks of it : " The Stump apple has excited considerable attention of late years in the neighborhood of Rochester, and was briefly described in the '■■ Report of the Committees on Native Fruits at the Winter Meeting of the A\^estern New York i Horticultural Society, in January, 1876. It is | distinguished for its beauty of appearance and its great productiveness, and sells at a high price in market. It ripens about the middle of Autumn. The following is a description : Size medium or slightly above; form long conical, smooth and regular, obtusely and securely ribbed; skin smooth, striped, blotched and mot- tled with brilliant red on light, clear yellow ground, with a few large russet dots; stem quite short, in a narrow, even cavity; basin narrow and ribbed ; tiesh white, partly stained with pink, with a very good sub-acid, arojnatic flavor — some- what in its character like the Fameuse, and nearly as good. This fruit resembles the Red Stripe of Indiana in several particulars, but the stem of the Red Stripe in the specimens we have examined is much longer than those of the Stump? This difference, however, often occurs betw^een large and small specimens, the smaller having the longest stem, which might result from growing on older and more crowded trees. We give the above description to assist further investiga- tion. Dr. Warder, in speaking of the Red Stripe, says, •• Mr. Rockhill, of Fort Wayne, who introduced this apple, made more money from the trees than from twice as many of any other sort," in which respect it corresponds with the account of the Stump, which has proved eminently profit- able as a market apple. It is impossible to pronounce on the distinctness or identity of the two apples when grown so far apart and in so dissimilar latitudes and soils as Rochester and Fort Wayne, by the mere examination of speci- mens." SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 1Iidp:-Bound Trees.— J. K. S., Cincinnati, writes: "Among the Germans over the Rhine, as we call their location here, there is a practice of slitting up the bark of some trees that do not grow freely. They say they are hide-bound. What i« the philosophy of this practice ? It seems to me very absurd. I would as soon slit up my leg to cm-e the rheumatism. What does the Gardexer's Monthly say?" [Say what it has always said, that experience proves it to be an ^excellent practice in hide- bound trees. We place our advice on the broad basis of experience, and if our correspondent really wishes to test the question in the way he himself proposes, we are ready to do it. He may take his rheumatic leg and slit it down an inch deep, if he likes, from the knee joint to the heel, and we will slit our best pear tree; and after all this has been done, and we have the effects l)efore us, then discuss the "philosophy" of the thing. Please w^'ite us word when the comparative test is to begin, so that we may make a note thereof for the benefit of our readers. Ed. G. M.] Lime for ax Apple Orchard.— A Rucks Co., Pennsylvanian, writes: "My fruit crop has been very good this year ; I had nearly as many apples as last year. The prices obtained were from CO cents to $1.20. My apples were extra- ordinarily fine, owing to the wet season. I am spreading 35 bushels per acre of lime over my orchards. I am a little afraid of it ; some say that lime is ruinous to orchards. I wish I knew" about it. Give me your opinion of lime for orchards." [We know of no reason why lime, as suggested I by our corresj)ondent, should not be an advan- ! tage. Ed. G. M.] ' Dwarf Apple Stocks.— J. G. B., Newburgh, I N. Y., writes : "I have been a constant reader i of your highly esteemed journal for many years, ! but do not recollect of having seen any detailed j account of the history of the so-called Paradise and Doncain stock. To what class of trees do they belong botanically, what is their nativity, how are they propagated, and which of the two is more desirable for dwarfing the apple ? Any information regarding the above query will confer a favor upon your humble servant." [The Paradise and Doncain apples, used for stocks, are not distinct species, although it has 18 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY I January J been thought so by botanists of the past, and is stilly so thought by some of the present age. But horticulturists understand variations better than many botanists do, and there is no doubt we think that these apples are dwarf varieties of the ordinary apple, Pyrus Mains, just as we have dwarf box or dwarf anything. Of course there are some "characters" noted in botanical descriptions, but they are worth no more than the characters which divide a Red Astrachan from a Lady apple. For very dwarf apples the Paradise is used, as it is the weakest growing stock. The Doncain grows stronger, and an apple on this will often grow nearly as vigorous as one on an ordinary apple stock. Ed. G. M.] Forestry. EDITORIAL NOTES. The Eucalyptus in Algieks. — Mr. Play- fair, the English consul at Algiers, has sent a report to his government on the improvements brought about by the planting of the Eucalyptus. He very properly condemns the nonsense that has appeared in relation to the Eucalyptus as injuring the real value of the tree. Many hun- dred thousand have been planted in Algeria since 1870. TJiey were planted in marshy ground. The immense growth calls for an increased sup- ply of moisture, and in this way marshy ground is made dry, and with this root-di^aining mos- quitoes as well as fevers disappear. It is by acting as a drainer of the soil that its merit as a purifier of the atmosphere exists; and in this respect Mr. Playfair considers it has been a 'great boon to that fever-stricken country. He also adds that the tree is not so tender as some people think, but can be made to thrive in any part of the world where orange trees will live through the winter. Eucalyptus Timber. — isfow that the Cali- fornians have timber from their fast-growing blue gum, they fear it will be of little use for many purposes. It splits with the least heat. There are many things required to make first- class timber. We lioped for much from the yel- low locust, a few years ago, and the Philadel- phia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad had their cross-ties of it, but had to take them all ■out in :a year or two. It Avas too hard to hold a spike. Eucalyptus in India. — It is to be hoped that the blue gum will flourish in manj^ places !on our continent where there is no frost i but we must try to profit by others' experience. It has been found a failure on the plains of India, where very much was expected from it. Large Cherry Tree.— Though not included in botanical works, the cherry of our gardens is one of the commonest of wild trees in Pennsyl- vania, and they, in the short time since their escape from culture, have grown to enormous sizes. The editor of The Gardener's Monthly has one on his grounds that is 8 feet 6 inches round, 5 feet from the ground; and this is considered a very large trunk ; but there is one on the grounds of Mr. Richard Cripp, of By- berry, Pa., that is double this, or sixteen feet. Can any one beat this ? The cherry is highly esteemed for its timber by cabinet-makers. It resembles mahogany, when polished. It is also a very valuable fuel ; but we do not know^ of any other demand for it. Hardiness of the Eucalyptus in Phila- delphia.— Mr. Joseph Wharton reports to the Academy of Natural Sciences, that trees, even when somewhat protected, died last winter. A New Product from the Pine. — Vanillin exists in the sap of the pine (Pinus sylvestris) and of the larch. For the purpose of procuring it, the trees are felled during the period when vegetation is most active, and are stripped of their bark. They are then immediately scraped, and the product collected in vessels of tinned iron, is immediately heated on the spot to pre- vent fermentation, filtered, concentrated, and allowed to cool and settle. A substance is thus obtained which resembles powdered sugar, and which is known as coniferin. This is a stable compound, and is sent in barrels to Paris, where the vanillin is extracted. The process of ex- tracting the vanillin is an expensive one, but the 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 19 product is procured at a less cost than the natu- ral vanilla of commerce can be purchased at. — Scientific American. A Redwood. — Mr. James English is still at work on the redwood tree which he felled at Russian River station, California, some few months ago. He has already made from it 250,000 shingles, 1000 fence posts, 6000 stakes, lumber for a dwelling-house and out-buildings, and has timber left for 300,0(J0 shingles. The tree was fourteen feet in diameter. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Lemon Wood.— W., West Philadelphia, writes : "Ha\ing occasion to have use for some boxwood recently, I found it very dear ; I sup- pose it grows too slow to make a profit in our country, for I have noticed some edgings here in an old garden that are no higher now than they were twenty years ago. When in Rome, a few years ago, I was shown some work made out of wood of the lemon tree that was con- sidered almost as good as if made from box ; and I venture to make the suggestion that a planta- tion of lemon trees for the sake of the wood, to say nothing of the fruit, would be profitable. In the black, peaty soils of New Jersey it ought to grow very fast. The lemon tree is generally grown in rooms and tubs about here, but it would no doubt do well out if tried. Can you tell me of any experiments that have been made in this direction ?" [We know of no such ex- periment, and have not the slightest idea that it would succeed. We are surprised that our correspondent sent this communication to us. It was no doubt intended for some of the daily newspapers. Ed. G. M.] PiCEA Engelmanni. — A correspondent, who is very familiar with the Coniferall of the American continent, writes : "Is it possible that the beautiful spruces collected by you and Mr. Hoopes from the highest timber growths of Gray's Peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, are really of Abies Eugelmanni ? If they are, } they do not agree with the description recently I given of this species by Prof. C. S. Sargent." fWe can only say that what we take to be I Picea Engelmanni are the same, and we think j from the same location, as those from which Dr. i Parry made his original description. Ed. G. M.] Natural History and Science. COMMUNICA TIONS. BECCAR TICKS. TBY JAMES NISBET, PAWTUCKET, R. I. I notice in the August number of the MoNTPiLY, notice of a new forage plant, Cyno- glossum Morrisoni — Beggars' Ticks. I thought it would be well to call your attention to the same, as there is a mistake about it. Cynoglossum Morrisoni is Beggars' Lice, and is of the Borage family. The Beggars' Ticksis Bidens frondosa, and is of the Composite family. As it may mis- lead others, hence my reason for calling your attention to it. I hope you will continue to publish your notes of your travels. They are very interesting to me. SCARCITY OF DOGWOOD. BY MISS M. MUMFORD, WASIinSTGTON, D. C. I think the Boston Journal of Chemistry has made a mistake as to the Rhamnus frangula be- ing used for the manufacture of gun-powder ; for in Science Gossip for June, 1877, is a comment on a previous article about Cornus mascula, which is called in Europe the "cornelian cherry," £tnd which the writer adds, "if my memory is correct, is used for the manufacture of gun- powder." Gray says that Cornus mascula is sparingly planted here. It is a tall shrub or low tree, with yellow flowers ; fruit bright red ; the pulp eatable and pleasantly acid. The first article to which I referred (Science Gossip for April, 1877), says "it is a native of I Austria, and little cultivated in England. In j Switzerland the berries are eaten by children, and made into sweetmeats and tarts." Our most beautiful of the Dogwood family is Cornus Florida. Tree 12 to .30 feet. More common South; very showy in flowers, which are white. The wood has been used for domestic and other purposes. Virgil says : " Bono bello cornus^'''' and Evelyn — later — "that wedges made of it are durable as, or rather like iron." There is a trite adage of the farmers derived from its early 20 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^ January,. rtowering, indicating the peculiar season for cottonwoods. planting their corn. I would like to know the j. Populus angulata—Michaux, Carolina Pop- saying. Is the bark still used as a substitute j^r. Michaux says this species, which he met for Cinchona? (xray says "it is bitter and ui^der the name of Carolinian Poplar, was foun(J tonic." I southward, in Virginia, and on the Mississippi Query last, why called Dogwood V and Missouri rivers growing with the Cotton- [The Cornus of the ancients comprised two ^ood, Canadensis. He describes it as tall-grow- species— the male, which we now call Cornus ! }ng and upright, which is the character of the mascula, and the female, now Cornus sanguinea, | Carolina. The buds are short, dark green, and These are the only two with which they I destitute of the tesin found on those of the Cot- were acquainted. The bono bello cornus of tonwood, and other poplars. This is believed to- Virgil refers to a light lance made of the wood ^e the tree so prevalent in parts of Belgium, of one of the species, and which was used in ; where it is planted along the canals, for which war. The American Cornus florida has much ! purpose it is especially adapted by its upright the same good properties as its European sisters, ' babit. for Cornus, even includmg the male cornel, is a | 2. Populus Canadensis, o^Mxchwxy.. The Cot- noun feminine. The wood is still used for tonwood is considered by Dr. Gray* to be the wedges, and other things where strength and ' monilifera of Alton, and" the laevigata of Will- small bulk is desired. It is in common use in denow. Wood's Xo. 5 monilifera of Alton. Philadelphia among lumbermen and draymen for spring levers, for in addition to its great strength it will bend any way without breaking. During the late war the bark was in common use in the South as a substitue for quinine, and seems to be dift'erent with habitat "on the Hudson, near Troy, N. Y., apparently native. "" "Fide Beck.'"t Michaux found this species as far northward, as 43°. It is abundant in the Black Swamp.. it is still regarded as perhaps the best substitute in northwestern Ohio, and fine trees may be for it. According to one author, it is called seen on the hanks of the river below Detroit,. Dogwood because in olden times^a decoction of Mich. Michaux describes the tree as larger- it was the popular wash for mangy dogs. But than the angulata, and the bark as thicker andi another, with more probability, refers it to the niore deeply furrowed, having a wider head andl Celtic dagge, from which our "tlagger'Ms de- with the boughs more thickly branched. This rived, and which is in accordance with its class- character of the outer bark has attracted the^ ical history.— Ed. (I. M.] POPLARS, ABELES OR ASPENS AND COTTONWOODS. BY 1>K. JOHN A. WARDER. In the Gardener's Monthly for November, 1877, are some strictures upon the name Populus attention of the fishermen on the banks, who utilize it as a substitute for the more costly bark; Quercus suber, or cork. Sections of this sub- stance, often three inches thick, are turned into oval form and perforated, so as to be i*sed as- floats to their gill-nets. Michaux reports this species rare on the Atlan- angulata used l)y my friend, Dr. Furnas,, of Dan- ^f slope, but very t'ommon on the Mississippi ville, Indiana, as applied to the Carolina Poplar. His stock was received from Mr. Parry, New above the Arkansas. At the mouth of the last named river it grows abundantly around the Jersey, and through him it came under my town of Napoleon. It is the chief source of the notice. insomecuttings received lastspring,which steamboat fuel on our southern streams, have made a growth of three to four feet. For 3- The Virginian or Swiss Poplar, P. momli- the suggestion of the name angulata, as applied A'"" of Michaux, supposed by Gray to be P. to these plants, I must assume the responsi- monilifera of Alton, does not apper to have bility, and it mav be an error. The conclusion been found in this country by the Michaux' may have been reached too hastily. It was ^^'^^^r or son, but they say it is extensively cul- given on the authority of Michaux' Sylva i tivated in Europe, especially in Switzerland. Americana. ' ^^^ France the males only are found. The ^ Having been induced to look up the authorities \ yo""g ^^^oots are angular. Comparing it with withinreach, the following analysis of the genus, the result of this investigation, is presented for ^Manual of Botany, Asa Gray, 2d Edition, 18S6, His. No. 4^ the benefit of your readers. ^Tciass'Boolt, Alplionso Wood, 41st Edition, I855, page 50T. 1878.] AA'D NOR TICUL TURIS T. 21 Cottonwood, Mr. Fancourt, director of forests :and water-courses, says the leaves are smaller ?iiul less distinctly heart-shaped; the young shoots and twigs are smaller and less angular, becoming cylindrical in the third year, and the limbs are less divergent than the cottonwood. It also grows faster, and succeeds in drier soils, hence its popularity in France.* The wood is «aid to be softer than the cottonwood or, P. Cana- f^ensis, of Michaux. Dr. Torrey found it in western Xew York, on Lake Oneida and Gene- see river.i' 4, The Cotton Tree, Populus argenten, Michx., ■and according to (^ray P. heferophylla, L., is found in the Middle, Western and Southern States; and Micheaux, especially, refers to a large swamp in southern Illinois, and to Fort Mapac, on the Ohio river, as habitats. The tree is large, with thick bark, the shoots are round, thei young leaves very downy, becom- ing large, and having the lobes at the base over- lapping each other. The wood is described as inferior, becoming yellowish at the heart. All of these would probably receive the name of Cottonwood among our Western wood-chop- pers ; and, indeed, they bear very near resem- blance, and have close analogies. The first botanical descriptions have been purposely omit- ited in this resume. POPLARS. Populm balsamifera — Tacamahaca, or Balsam Poplar, is a very distinct species. This is par- ticularly northern, extending to Stoneleake, lat. (lo.l Leaves on round petioles, dark green above, rusty brown beneath ; tree of medium to large size, with open, straggling branches. Though unseemly, it is often found in cultivation. Populus candicans, of Alton, Balm of Gilead, IS a variety called also Ileart-leaved Balsam Poplar. This form is chiefly seen in cultivation, though it has little to recommend it. Populus migustifolia, of James, is described by S. B. Watson, of Clarence King's survey of the 40th parallel, as a common tree in the Rocky Mountains. It is now grouped with candicans and balsamifera, of which it is a very distinct western form, having also quite a diversity in its foliage, some leaves being ovate, while in other trees they are nearly linear, and with a drooping *N. Amer. Sylva, vol. ii, page 120. tNew York Natural History. Botany, vol. ii. page 21.5. iDr. Torrev, Nat. Hist., N. Y. Botany, vol. II., p. 816. spray. The resemblance to willows is very strik- ing, as seen on the Platte river, Colorado. 8. Populus trichocarpa, Torrey, is western, found in Truckee Valley. 9. Populus nigra, L. European, was not recog- nized by the Michaux in this country, but trees found near Albany, N. Y., on the Hudson, and in New York city, were described by them as T. Hudsonica, and by Pursh as the betulifolia. There is little doubt about its having been intro- duced from Europe, where it grows to a large size, and with P. alba is much used along the Danube in reclaiming low overflowed lands, whose thickets arr«st the drift of floods and fur- nish abundant material for the fascines used in the wing dams and levees, and for improving navigation. 10. The Lombardy poplar, Populus dilataia,of Alton, is no longer looked upon as a species, but merely a variety or sport from the nigra. i This is extensivel}^ grown as an alley tree along the highways of Southern Europe, where it is a great favorite, despite its extremely formal i habit. II was early introduced and extensively planted in this country also, particularly in the streets of towns and cities. In the Eastern States, very large trees may yet be seen in good condition. In the Western States, especially in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, it has been largely planted m fence rows as wind-breaks, and the effect in a prairie country is very pleas- I ant ; but in our Westei'u soils the tree does not prove to be long-lived. The plants found in I this country appear to be only staminate or ; males. How is it in Europe ?* Watson, in his "Annals of Philadelphia," says I this tree was introduced into that city in 1784 by ;Wm. Hamilton, Esq., of "The Woodlands," ' (near the Centennial Exhibition), and all the I Lombardy poplars in the United States may be I sidered branches, elongations or offsets of the I tree from which Mr. Hamilton obtained his ! specimen.! Aspens, or Abeles, form a distinct group among the poplars. They are usually smaller trees, especially the American species. *This question i§ already answered by my friend and jury colUague at Vienna, ra«)-(^'ovani Carlo Siemoni, who fxya tlii? poplar ia but a form of P. nigra, and that all the plants are males. He adds th;it it has long b"cn extensively plan ed in Lombardy. particularly along thi^ river Po. In evidence of its «nnqnity,lie quotes Ovid's reference Xo it.— ManuaU d' Arte. Forestal", Firenze, 1872, p. 13T. tDarlington's Agr. Botany, 2d Ed., page 332. 22 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_ January y 11. Populm tremuloides, Michaux. Quaking asp, is here but a small tree of the second or third class, seldom more than twenty to forty feet high, particularly toward the north, where it becomes a mere shrub. A form of this species in the parks of the Rocky Mountains springs up spontaneously in the greatest abundance wher- ever the woodlands have been burned over. The older trees had handsome shafts fifty to sixty feet high, and are used in construction. This is almost unique as a deciduous tree among the conifers of that region. Generally speaking, this species has little value, but there are some peculiar forms which are cultivated and placed for effect in gardens and parks. 12. Populus grandideniaia, Michx., Michigan poplar of nurserymen is a much finer tree, also northern in habitat. On account of its rapid growth, this had received considerable attention by Western planters, and though only a poplar, merit is claimed for it as a fencing material •,* the poles cut in early Summer and peeled have been found to last well as rails nailed to posts for fencing. 13. Populus canescens, or the Populus alba,JAn- nseus, the common white or gray poplar, with its many forms or varieties of Abeles, Athenian, maple-leaved and silver poplar. Though widely diffused and planted every- where, and multiplied wonderfully by numerous suckers in their new home, these are believed to be of European origin. If correctly understood, my good friend. Professor Karl Koch, of Berhn, who has made a life study of trees, considers this species to be American, or common to both hemispheres. His valuable workt is unfor- tunately not at hand. Populus tremula, Linn, is a small tree in Eu- rope which may some day be united -with our P. tremuloideus. It is chiefly valued as a first crop on devastated tracts to prepare the soil for that of greater utility, says Simone.t In Southern Europe the white poplar becomes a noble tree, and the timber is much used in the construction of dwellings. It may be found valuable by our Western planters. Michaux claims two distinct trees, the white and the gray, attributing superiority to the latter. * Bryant's Forept Trees, page 124. t Kook's Dendrolof/ie. t Manaule tf' Arte ForeMale. EDITORIAL NOTES. The Wages of Insects. — A botanical friend wrote to the Monthly some months ago, sug- gesting that the editor had "caricatured" the views of those who dwelt on the great advanta- ges to be derived from cross fertilization through insect agency. We have already given some quotations showing that we have in no way mis- represented what was once taught, whatever may be the lessons now; and we give here another extract from a recent paper by Professor Beal, in the Scientific i^a/^er, showing that he not only understands the position of our friends as Ave have done, but evidently adopts the view.s as entirely sound : " We are prepared to understand that honej' is placed in flowers as wages to pay insects for serving the plants. The gay colors and odors are advertisements to call the attention of insects to the rich supplies of food in store for them. Saunders, of Canada, cut off the petals of rasp- berries, and by so doing made it difficult or impossible for the bees to find honey." The Root of the Tupelo Tree. — Physi- cians, when they wait on us, are very particular to have their prescriptions in Latin. They say it avoids mistakes ; but when they are among themselves they do not seem as particular. The Medical and Surgical Reporter says that the root of the Tupelo is very useful in obstetrics, being " the lightest of all woods." Now, the Tupelo is generally supposed to be Nyssa sylvatica, but the root of this tree is a long way from being " the lightest of all woods." The Tupelo is also called " sour gum," and the Liquidambar is the " sweet gum," which has light roots, " and it is not at all unlikely that the Reporter is talking of the Liquidambar when it meant the Nyssa, the " sweet" and not the " sour" gum. Common Names of Plants. — Easy in com- parison as these seem to be, no one not in the secret can have the least idea of the labor and trouble they give to those who wish to under- stand what they hear or read about. A case in point we find in a recent Chicago Tribune. A correspondent from Missouri tells a wonderful story about the " Wan" weed, and which is also the "Dyer's weed." It grows in the State in great abundance everywhere, and may save thousands of dollars to tanners in leather making. The editor considers that the easy common 1878.] AND HORTICULKTUIST. 23 name informs nobody, consults his books and finds it to be, he sa,ys, ^^ Reseda luteola;''' while the innocent plant is, no doubt, Polygonum amphibium. It would have been hard, no doubt, for that correspondent to have sent his specimen to his State Botanist, and have had to learn so "hard" a name as Polygonum amphibium. instead of writing "Wan" to his editor; but it will be harder still to unlearn the fact started in this loose way that Reseda luteola is a good plant for tanning leather. The Prickly Pear. — In some tropical coun- tries hedges of the prickly pear have been recommended in order to check the progress of forest fires. But there seems to be no blessing without its attendant evils, and so it is here. The birds scatter the seeds, and the plant spreads so that it is one of the worst possible of weeds. Being a succulent kind of cactus, hoeing and cutting up, of course, only increases the pest. lN,y;RY FROM Euphorbia. — Often reports get into the papers of injury from plants that are evi- dently apocryphal : but an account in a Southern paper of injury to a lady at Macon, Ga., from the juice of the Euphorbia is no doubt correct. The juice is extremely acrid, and is used to burn out warts. PiNus BouRSERi.— This is figured in a recent number of the Garden, and Pinus contorta is said to be synonymous with it. We have no knowl- edge as to the priority or history of this name or who is its author. Agricultural Axts. — Dr. McCook, of Philadelphia, has been telling us about ants in Texas that sow, reap, and store grain in grana- ries. There ai"e some, also, that keep stock : " It has been stated by Sir John Lubbock that certain kinds of aphides are preserved by ants for purposes of the food afforded by a certain sweet secretion in the former, the eggs being carefully guarded and the young larvee fed and cherished until they ultimately attain their per- fect form, when they served as contributions to the dietery of the ants." Flax Blight.— Among the plagues of Egypt mentioned in Genesis, was a blight on the fiax fields, and this trouble has continued more or less to our time. At the late meeting of the French Association for the Advancement of Sci- ence, it was announced that the disease was caused by a species of thrip, and which is so very small that it can be readily transported by the wind. Abies venusta. — In the vegetable kingdom the conifers bear a markedly high and deserved rank, but none more so than the abies, or fir family. One variety of the abies is found alone within the borders of San Luis Obsipo county, and is so rare that, until quite recently, but one specimen was to be found in all Europe. So rare is a knowledge even of this beautiful tree that we have heard but two persons mention it in our two years' residence in San Luis. These gentlemen Avere Dr. W. W. Hays and Mr. Ernst Krebs. Mr. Krebs has spent large sums of money to obtain specimens, but has never suc- ceeded in getting healthy ones until the present week, when he received seventeen fine young plants. The foliage resembles, slightly, the common firs of the forest. It is far more deli- cate, the leaves longer and not so crowded upon the limbs, which are slender and graceful. The upper side of the leaf is a deep bright green, while the under surface is straited with silver, white and pale sea green, perfectly beautiful in their delicate blending. It is said to be the most beautiful object among all California's forest treasures, and when the wind puts in motion its airy branches are said to resemble undulating waves of silver foam. From these young speci- mens in the grounds of Mr Krebs, we can imagine what a forest would be where the spiral trunks rear themselves to a height of fifty or sixty feet, and are clothed with a profusion of its delicate foliage. The habitat of this treasure is a circumscribed spot of a few acres in the deep recesses of the Santa lAicia mountains, on the border of Mon- terey county, and so inaccessible that but few, even of the hardy hunters, have ever seen it. This is said to be the only spot in the known world where the tree is found. In the early days of California the padres used to send In- dians to gather the resin that exudes from the trees where sacrificed by accident or design ; and this resin was burned in the censors before the high altars upon great occasions. From this fact it derives the local name of "Pinabeta de los Padres." Mr. Krebs has made arrange- ments to have a supply of seed gathered next season, and will, we hope, be successful in intro- ducing it into common cultivation.— »?«/! Lnis Obsipo Tribune. Something About Parks.— The South Park Commissioners of Chicago have refused further appropriations for keeping up the Botanic Gardens, for the reason as stated that these THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY {January, grounds made no show for the expense incurred. As though, an Arboretum, or a system of botanic specimens intended to illustrate the botany of a country, or the world, was expected to make a display merely to catch the eye. In consequence, the work already done and the i specimens on hand will be lost. The decision of the Commissioners is mcedng witli general reprehension, especially since the amount of i money spent has been comparatively small, mere nothing in comparison to the immense ! sums of money spent in making drives in the parks, of advantage only to those who can afford i to drive their splendid equipages. It is to be hoped the Commission will reconsider their decision, although much damage has already taken place. The English people are not so i much afraid of expense where real utility is to j be gained. The Kew Botanic Gai'dens and grounds of England, cost yearly Jri^lKlOOO. while > only $170,000 is yearly expended on St. James j Green and Hyde Parks. These are respectively ! the finest of their kinds in the world. The j expense of keeping up some other noted public grounds in England is as follows : Regent's Park, %50.000; Victoria Park, $40.000 ; Ken- sington Gardens, ^30,000; Richmond Park, >i;14,000; Hampton Court Grounds, ^10,000, and Hampton Court I'ark, a4,700. — Prnirie Faxmer. SCRAPS AND OVER IRS. RnoDODEKDKox BoiiKH.— With a badly bored I stem of a Rhododendron, a Philadelphia corres- pondent sends the following note : " Can anything ])e done to prevent an insect from killing the branches of the Azaleas and ■ Rhododendrons? I enctlose you a bit of the wood. Even those in pots have suft'cred." Restoring Dead .Seeds. — Miss B. writes: " Let me relate my experience. Three years ago I gathered some seeds of Golden Pyrethrum, and planted half the next spring. Not one came up. I supposed they wei-e not ripe. Yet un- willing to give up trying for the beautiful plant, the following spring, more than a year after they were gathered, I planted the remainder of the seeds, and sprinkled the earth with camphor- water. They all came up. Slips which have traveled thousands of miles, and apparently have no vitality, when soaked in camphor-water grow green and fresh." Akgt'LLI'LA kadkoj.a. — R. M., Emporia, Kan., writes: "I am troubled with a kind of knot or excrescence growing on the roots of plants, causing me great loss. It is not confined to any particular kind, but has injured Helio- trope, Begonia, Scdum, Solamun, «fcc. •' I su])mitted specimens to Prof. C. Y. Riley, and he pronounced it the result of the work of • a nematoid worm, closely allied to, if not^den- tical with, Angullula radicola.' He tells me that you hiive been troubled with it, but does not seem to know any remedy for it other than to advise the destruction of the infected plants and soil. " If you have had trouble from this source, have you found any application that would check its ravages? It seems to me that such applications as have Ijeen found beneficial in cases of grape- vines aflected by phylloxera vestatrix would prove beneficial. I should be pleased to have your experience and opinion as to the best treat- ment for the. disease.'" [Allusion is here made to the insect on the roots of the violet, to which much reference was made in our last year's volume. If any of our readers who suttered so badly from the insect, have found any remedy, we should l)e glad to know. — Ed. G. M.] Literature, Travels impersonal Notes. CO MMUAU CATIONS. the yellows in the peach. The law was not made universal to apply to all counties of the State. For example, the people of Berrien LAWS AGAINST THE YELLOWS. county were so much opposed to the law that it I'.Y PiiOF. w. T. BEAL, LANSING, MICH. ^ould not be passcd unless that county (and oth- In speaking of the last report of the Michigan - ers) were exempt. The yelloA\s was then quite State Pomological Society, the editor refers to common in Berrien county. The people would the law in our State preventing the spread of ' not attempt to prevent it by cutting out the dis- 1878.J A.VJ) NOR TICUL TURIST. 25 eased trees. The yellows have conquered, and sound peaches in that county are verj' scarce articles. In \'an Buren county, as an example, the people cut out the diseased trees. Mr. Dyckman, who has sixty acres of peaches at South Haven, took out about fifty trees last year and about the same this year. The Horticultural Society of that place has a committee to look after the yellows. Those engaged in raising fruit as their chief business understand the law, and are ready and willing to live up to it without any notifica- tion by the committee referred to. There are some farmers in the outskirts of the peach region who need watching. They all yield to the request of the committee when called on to cut out the trees. If they are likelj- to be slow, the committee take along an axe and do the work themselves, at once. The law is well enforced, so far as I can learn, in the counties ■which wanted the law and which obtained its passage. They believe that the execution of the law is their only hope for a peach crop — that without this thinning jirocess all must soon yield to the yellows. Some others, as I heard say in Berrien county, believe that in a short time the yellows will overcome all opposition in South Haven and other places where they remove dis- eased trees. PLANT PROTECTION. BY EUGEXE GLEX, ROt'HESTEK, X. Y. As all understand, a patent gives to an inventor and his assigns the exclusive right of making, using and selling the patented article for a term of years specified in the letters patent. If cor- responding rights and privileges were extended to an originator of a new variety in horticulture, they would secure to him and his representatives the exclusive right of propagating, selling and planting for fruitage or flowering trees or plants of his variety for the time fixed by law, regard- less of the name, under wfiich such variety might be propagated, sold or planted. Hence, though a man might buy a tree in entire ignorance of the fact that it was of a patented variety, if upon its fruiting it proved to be such, he would have to pay the patentee his own price for a waiver of his right, or lose the tree, and be subject to all the pains and penalties or the patent law. This feature of the law, taken in connection with the fact that as to most varieties it is quite impossi- ble for even the most experienced nurseryman to distinguish them with certaintv in advance of fruitage, would undoubtedly create such distrust and anxiety upon the part of would-be planters as to largely decrease rather than stimulate planting. Herein, to my view, lies the one great objection to horticultural patents. They would defeat the very ends sought to be secured by them, for with such chances of trouble, the masses would entirely abstain from buying hor- ticultural goods ; and if they did, originators of new articles would derive no income therefrom. The nursery trade would be paralyzed, and before two years had expired there would be a loud and universal ^y for the repeal of the law. If it could be shown tljat a similar objection would lie against the proposed copyrights I should think it fatal to them ; but such a result cannot be pre- dicted of the latter, for while a patent follows the article to which it is applied, and reduces both seller and user e(]ually punishable, a copy- right acts only on the publisher or seller. Hence any one desiring a copyrighted article may safeh' buy it, wherever it is offered, without enquiring into the right of the seller to deal in it ; and therefore, inasmuch as buyers could not be prose- cuted tinder the proposed /aw, it could not create apprehensions or engender fears of litigation upon the part of planters ; hence it could not act as a hindrance to planting. But its effect in this respect would not be merely negative. We have seen that it would lessen the sale of fraudulently labelled goods by deterring evil dis- posed persons from attaching copyrighted names to trees, plants andseedsof inferior varieties, but this is not all it would do. Copyrights upon the names of good sorts would become valuable, and it would place the control of these names in the hands of the originators of the respective varie- ties. They would have the ability, and the pres- ervation of their property, and the copyrights would give them every incentive to see that all who were allowed to use these names respectively w^ere supplied Avith genuine stock from which to propogate. Hence a copyrighted name attached to a tree or plant would become hi a great degree a symbol of its genuineness. This w^ould weaken the prejudices of those who now abstain from planting through fear of getting spurious trees ; and as the possibility of obtaining a valu- able copyright would stimulate experiments in ar- tificial hybridizing, and thus improve the varieties of fruit and flowers open to cultivation, it cannot be doubted that the proposed law^ would natm-ally add to the interest taken in these branches of in- dustry-. 26 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^ January, The objection has been suggested that under j the operation of the proposed law much embar- rassing litigation would result from the difficulty in distinguishing between different varieties at the time of sale, and this would be eminently true of horticultural patent law ; but as the only possible contingency in which this question could arise under the copyright law, would be when a nurseryman or dealer claiming that a copy- righted name had been fraudulently applied to an old sort, persisted in selling such sort under the new or copyrighted name rather than the old or free name. This objection can never become formidable. All copyrights would be presump- tively valid, and nurserymen would not make use of such names without authority, unle&s the evidence that they were a fraud upon the law was clear. If otherwise, theirs would not be cases for sympathy. In discussing this subject in your columns, I have paid less attention to showing the import- ance of adopting some measure as a means of encouraging hj^bridizations, and thus securing new and improved varieties, than I otherwise would, for the reason that it has seemed to me certain that all must recognize the fact that there is now really no encouragement to this work, and without it we cannot hope to have such varieties. A single illustration of this point will suffice. Mr. James A. Ricketts, of ^N'ewburgh, N. Y., as i the result of thousands of experiments, has pro- ! duced quite a large number of varieties of grapes, which are said to promise better than any sorts now before the public ; but the fact that he can- not transfer to purchasers of the stock of the respective varieties even the most limited protec- tion in the sale of vines thereof, has not only prevented him from realizing an adequate return for his outlay of money, time and skill, but it has, thus far, deprived the public of the ben- efit of varieties which may prove much supe- rior to any now open to its choice. To extricate both parties from this dilemma, the dangerous precedent of asking Congress to buy the stock of these varieties and disseminate them through the Agricultural Department, has been proposed. The inevitable result of doing this would be, that thereafter Congress would be asked to buy the stock of every seedling which even the orig- inator thereof might think valuable ; and before the Agricultural Department could propagate Mr. Ricketts' sorts to an extent that would enable it to supply a tithe of those desiring them, the country would be flooded with spurious vines through the scoundrels in the trade to whom I have adverted. A single question of interest to the general public remains to be considered. "Will the pro- posed law give additional currency to inferior or worthless varieties ? Feeling confident not only that it will not do this, but that it will render the introduction and sale of such sorts much more difficult than it now is, I will make this featm-e the subject of another and closing com- munication. EDITORIAL NOTES. European Notes By the Editor, No. 5.— At Combe Wood, in Surrey, is the tree nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, of London. It is a pretty rolling piece of ground, with hills for those trees that love to be above others, and deep peat beds in the lower parts for " American" shrubs, and such as love the shelter and rich soil of the valleys. It is remarkable how much better the plants of our country do here than at home; but I should not say plants, for it is only the ever- greens. The deciduous trees do better here than in England, though most of them do well enough on the whole. It was a great treat to find here man}^ of our own plants, but which we seldom see, because so few nurserymen in comparatively new countries have the encouragement to keep novelties as they have in older ones. Here for the first time I saw living plants under culture of the Fremontia Californica, a very beautiful shrub with orange colored flowers. When I say that this is allied to the Althiea, it is botanically true, but yet it will give no correct idea of the real appearance of the plant. Of the many things new or old that I saw here, I think few things were more beautiful than the blood leaved Beech, trained as pyramids. Clothed with branches to the grountl^ few trees could surpass it. Here are some newer colored leaved things, however, that will make their way. A blood- leaved Norway Maple, Acer SchAveidleri, and the Golden Cottonwood, are surely of this number. Much attention is given to variegated, silver and gold, coniferse especially of cypress, arbor vitse, and allies. To my taste they are not remarkable, but in England there seems to be quite a "rage" for these sort of novelties, and the nurserymen have therefore to keep immense stocks of them. I fancy, however, that it is the terribly long Latin names given to these varie- 1878.]- AND HOR TICUL TURJST. 27 tics that chietly attract. Roses were immensely grown. They were then in the budding season, and expected to finish 60,000 before the season closed. Most of the stocks are of the Dog Rose, though I saw a block of about 4,000 Mannettis waiting to be manipulated. The part more exclusively devoted to evergreens occupied about 56 acres. Here, as in most first-class places, much attention is given to making fine specimens by trimming, and in keeping them in honest condition for customers by frequent trans- planting. Some of the rarer kinds were especi- ally beautiful to behold. What would our readers think to see in an American nursery numerous specimens of Sciadopitys six feet high, Retinospora lycopodoides five feet, and a beau- tiful J;hing it is, every inch of it! Retinospora filicoides five feet ; Juniperus chinensis aurea, four feet; Picea Alcoquiana, five feet; Prumn- optys elegans, the new Japan yew, three feet ; the Washington yew, six feet; and so on of numerous others. " But how about the prices ?" Well, away up in the guineas ; but we will not talk about that to-day. I had the pleasure here of Mr. Court's company, who is the well-known American traveler for the firm, and it seemed like being with some one from home. It is not my purpose to go into detail in these hasty sketches. I will only say that I found a much greater trade in hardy perennial, rock, and permanent flowers, generally, than I sup- posed ; a nuich larger trade in Orchids and rarer palms and leaf plants ; a very great trade in Evergreens ; a comparatively limited sale for deciduous trees, except of the few English native trees, as Oak, Elm, and Ash ; and in comparison with what we in America do, very little business in the beautiful flowering shrubs. Once in awhile there seems a run on some few items. In improved Clematises thousands on thousands are sold. In fruit trees our people would say that there was nothing done. The most showy articles in this line would generally be peaches for growing on walls or in houses. These seem always grafted on plum stocks; and as they grow in the nurseries, light sticks are placed to make the trees grow fan-shaped. A peach tree nursery here looks more like one of our vineyards with these stakes in every direction. Apples and pears, however, are often met with in orchards of an acre or two ; but I must say that in no instance did I see trees which on the average were near equal to the average of our American trees in health and beauty. And this Avas true also of the orchards of the northwest of France ; and I have no hesitation in saying that while we are far behind the people of these two countries in the knowledge of many branches of gardening ; in all that pertains to fruit culture we are a very long way ahead. The cherry seems to be much more popular in France than I supposed. Orchards of immense extent abound in every direction within a hundred miles- of Paris ; but I was surprised to find very few of what we suppose to be " fine French varieties" at all extensively grown. But I will again step back to London once more, for I was anxious to spend a day or two in wandering about alone over the spot where I was born, and about which the first four years of my life were spent. I traveled along the same- road over which Johnny Gilpin in times long gone took his lamous ride. I went from town to town— for here in this miniature world of England you can get through a dozen of them in a day, — trying to recall some one spot. But the great one,, the deepest seated in my childhood's memory, I once thought I had found. I had been toddling along the road side of a market-garden, and the raspberries hung temptingly from their prickly boughs. The hawthorn hedge had no terrors for me. I crawled tlu-ough, but the ogre in charge saw me and gave chase, but alas ! a stump caught my apron string, and I was held fast until justice caught me; and I was made to " remember coming in there as long as I lived. "^ As I thought I recognized this spot, I inquired whose that quaint old house might be V and wa.s told Mr. Shirley Hibberd lived there. It was near the " Seven Sisters," and though this I revealed to me that I was a good long distance ifrom the location of my early adventure, it was just as well with me,for Mr. Hibberd is a brother editor, as every one who reads the Gardener''s Magazine, as many in America do, very well know Mr. Hibberd is well known for his devo- tion to hollies and ivies ; and as I entered the carriage gate the profusion of these two beau- tiful evergreens testified that I was truly in- formed as to who their owner was. But the front steps told as well that I was at the house of the author of "Homes of Taste;" for a more beautiful sight I never beheld. Quite a num- ber of steps lead to the front door, but on each side was a bank of zonale geraniums, scarlet, white, pink, all in full flower. They were grown in pots, and so arranged on each side that they seemed living balustrades. I was fortunate "28 THE GARDENER'S MONTHL\ \ January, -enough to find Mr. Hibbinxl at home, and we had j a right good " old" time for it was to Mr. 1 Hibberd's magazine, then the Floricultural \ Cnbrnet^ that I paid my first horticultural sub- ( scription to forty years ago, and to wliose pages | I made my first horticultural contribution, show- ing how to raise "double stock gillies,'' nearl}' as long back as my subscription dated. Mr. Hib- berd's strong point seems to be a thorough love of the beautiful in nature, and a taste for that more cultivated intelligence which can throw a charm around the common things. In my wanderings among the horticulturists I found his Magazine almost everywhere, showing that it was very ex- tensively read. The few hours I spent with Mr. Hibberd ended a very pleasant day. The Horti- cultural, or as they are justly more proud of say- ing, the Gardening press of England, is a great power. On the tables of the most intelligent, although you might not anticipate any gardening proclivities, you may not be surprised to see the Gardener's Chronicle, of which Dr. M. T. Masters is the editor-in-chief. Being somewhat of an "■ onrestless person," as a good darkey in Mississippi once told me, I was always out when the good doctor did me the honor to call at my hotel, while it was my misfortune never to catch him in ; and I am soi-ry to feel that I failed to master all the ins and outs of London, but I hope for better success another time. The Journal of Horticulture, another excellent paper, edited by Dr. Hogg, is also doing good work, but this also I failed to get a chance to hear of by word of mouth. I was more fortunate Avith the Garden^ for in my determination to study Covent Garden Market to perfection, I had taken my hotel almost over it, so that T could see all from my bed-chamber, and it chanced to be right near the Garden office. Tins is a large three story build- ing, occupied wholly by the business of the Magazine, and, if I remember rightly, owned by the editor Robinson. The success of the Garden has been wonderful. It was started at a time when it was thought there was no room for more; but it had its own specialty, and kept to its own path, and has more than fulfilled its projector's desires. The colored plates in connection with a weekly work, is an eftbrt of great magnitude. One hun(h-ed have already been issued. But besides the great labor attendant on editing the Garden^ Mr. Robinson is continually at work preparing new matter for new editions of "Parks and Pleasure Gardens," " Hardy Flowers," "Alpine Plants." and other books of which he is the author. All these papers have excellent assistant editors attached to them ,whose acquaint- ance it was a pleasure to make. Indeed I do not know of greater profit to me on my whole jaunt than the little time I was able to enjoy with my newspaper friends. OuK Last VoLU3iE.—We have many compli- ments on the beauty of our colored plate, which we gave as a frontispiece for our last volume. We appreciate these compliments the more because it was not part of the original pro- gramme of the magazine, and is regarded by the publisher as a free gift over and above the regular subscription price, his motto being not to promise much and do little, but rather to do more than he promises. How much has been done for a comparativelv small subscription price, the very full index, given in our last, shows. To still be up with the times, the Monthly appears this month in an entirely new dress, which, we think, will be appreciated. The new arrangements may perhaps delay by a day or two its usual prompt appearance, which we hope will be excused "for this one'' only. Value of a HoRTUuLTrr.AL Papek.— Peo- ple often say to themselves, "I hardly know what benefit a horticultural paper is to me," but like the air and sunlight, we get innumerable blessings we are hardly conscious of. In Eng- land they have a Gardener's Benevolent Insti- ! tution to care for poor old gardeners who are i unable to help themselves -, and the singular fact ; has recently been developed that of every thou- I sand whom the society has assisted 013 never subscribed a cent to a horticultural paper. It is clear, therefore, that it is not being extravagant j on horticultural literature that will ever send a I man to the poor house. j Patenting Xew Frlits. — The idea so per- j sistently urged for so man}' years that fruit trees, flowers and vegetables, should be patented does I not seem to have many advocates now since we [ showed how impossible it was that any olficial at I Washington could possibly decide one fruit from j another. Since then a new plan is urged, that only the name be patented or protected. Thus, a man pretending to sell Concord grapes would have i to show that he had a right to sell grapes called Concord grapes. Every fair-minded man desires that those whose luck or whose skill improves our gardens should be well rewarded, and which is seldom the case now. We are giving a 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 2» series of papers by Mr. (xlen on the newer sug- j gestions, without endorsing them, but asking for tliem the consideration which the importance of the subject demands. Mr. Glen has no more interest in this matter than au}- other horticul- | turist ; and whether his v ews shall be found | practical or not, he should have everybody's j thanks for the thought and work he is giving the j subject. I BrsiXESs AND Pleasuke. — Most persons j know that the editor has no relation to the ad- i vertisements, or to any business matter. On all these affairs letters should be addressed to Mr. Chas. H. Marot. When people write to the editor to notice this or that advertisement, it is time and labor thrown away, for he does not se^ the advertisements until the magazine is issued. Occasional letters make this notice necessary. The publisher looks after the business ; the edi- tor the pleasure of the concern. Mixing up English Names. — The Garden- er's Chronicle., in speaking of the confusion among English names of plants, mentions over tAvo dozen distinct plants to which the name lily is applied, which do not belong to the genus Lil- ium of botanists ; and among these we may mention, as samples, the *•' wild lily," which is a Convolvulus; African lily, which is an Agapan- thus ; (ruernsey lily, which is a ^N'erine ; lent lily, which is a Xarcissus ; St. Bruno's lily, which is an Anthericum ; lily of the valley, which is a Convallaria-, day lily, which is a Ilemerocallis. Others might be added. And yet they give us a friendly midge once in a while because* our people call all training plants '•vines; while in p]urope only the grape is the vme. Remarks on Insects, by Prof. C. V. Riley.— We have on our table, the "Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis, with Accounts of Various Entomological Discoveries, by Prof. Riley." There is an account of the larval habits of the Blister Beetles, about which nothing much has l)een known. Also a new beetle, very trou- blesome to bee-keepers. This has been dedicated to Philadelphia's distinguished entomologist. Dr. Horn, and is named Ilornia minutipennis. Mr. Riley also defends himself from an attack on some of his statements about the yucca moth. There is no doubt but yucca is never fertilized or produces seed except by the aid of the yucca moth. Much of what appears in the papers iu' regard to the action of insects on flowers is pure speculation ; but this discovery of Mr. Riley's i& unquestionably true, and is the result of careful; observation, and we class it as one of the great discoveries of the age. Those who undertake to- dispute with Prof. Riley on this fact will un- doubtedly get the worst of it, and we suspect the writer whom Riley has here paid his respects to^ is somewhat of this opinion by this time. Valuable Books for Sale.— Mr. R. H. Rathbun, South Amboy, !N^. J., oilers for sale a set of Paxton's Magazine of Botany, and DeCan- doUes' Prodromus. ' It is not easy to get these sets, and yet they are of inestimable value. Xo horticultural library, horticultm-al editorial rooms, or places Avhere horticultural references are to be made, can well afford to be without them. The Farmer's Magazine. — Our old corres- pondent. W. Duncan, whose association with the Farmer's Home Jowrna/, of Louisville, was sa favorably known, has started a new magazine, as above named. The first number is before us, and has a very varied and extensive table of contents. Music from T. W. Helmick. Cincinnati, " Pretty Little Blue-Eyed Stranger," is among the books, and exchano;es on our table. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Shitti:m Wood. — A lady from Ohio sends us. some leaves of Bumelia lycoides, and the fol- lowing letter, which we give because it has an interest, though the true shittim wood was most likely Acacia Farnesiana, which is by no means extinct : " Have you ever become interested in the dis- cussion concerning the idenity of the Biblical shittim wood ? Some claim tl\at the tree was a sort of acacia and others a laurel. Still others beleive it to have been an evergreen, and all agree that the species is non-extinct. The ques- tion is a peculiarly interesting one to me since I have for a dozen years been acquainted with a tree in the JTeosho Valley, Kansas, called shittim wood, and believed to be identical with the shittim of the Bible. I enclose some of the. THE GARDENER'S MONTHLl \^/afiuary, leaves, which you will see closely resemble laurel. But contrary to the habit of other laurels the leaves color in December, yellow and red, and hang on until the sap starts ifi the Spring. The branches are slender, tortuos, thorny, and of that peculiar toughness of fibre which marks the Acacia family. Any one seeing u branch destitute of leaves would pronounce it an acacia. Yet it bears black berries like the laurel, called ink-berry in Massachusetts. It is A remarkably slow growing tree, no appreciable difference having been marked in its size during the fifty years which it has been known, and that in a land noted for its rapid and gigantic growtlis. It is a small tree with wood as hard as iron, in a country where these qualities are exceptional. This one of which I speak is be- lieved to be the last one of its kind in the world, at least it is so far as I know, unique. Have you ever seen anything of the sort, and are the settlers in tlie iN'eoslio Valley wrong in their veneration for it '? Wliat do j'ou call it ? " Horticultural Societies, EDITORIAL NOTES. ADDRESS OF MARSHALL P. WILDER. (Continued from page 380.) Such are some of the statistics which I have been able to gather, but it is hoped that the response of our own Vice-Presidents to our cir- cular will make the report of our resources more complete. In view of the wonderful progress which has already been made, we begin to realize the great importance of American Pomology, nor should we forget, as among the great benefits of fruit culture, tlie employment of thousands of men, women and children, or the immense amounts paid for freight on fruits to railroads, steamboats, etc., and the profits to dealers. But who can estimate the amazing quantities of fruits that are to be produced on this conti- nent, when the lands suited to fruit culture are brouglit into use ! Look at the vast amount of these in the eastern slope of our country, and still more wonderful, tlie land on the Pacific slope. Of these, California alone has a terri- tory 800 miles in length and 200 in breadth — three times as large as all of the New England States — four times as large as the State of I^ew Yoi-k or Pennsylvania, having millions of acres for fruit cultivation. THE INTRODUCTION AKD DISSEMIKATION OF NEW AND VALUABLE AMERICAN FRUITS. The introduction of new American varieties from seed, adapted to all sections of our vast territory, not only in itself, -but as incentives to further progress, connot be overrated. To this, more than to any other cause, are we indebted for the rapid progress of American Pomology. Fruits of foreign origin, although of great value in certain sections of our country, have not as a rule yielded such favorable results as those selected from our new and improved native fruits. By this means we have not only intro- duced new viirieties, adapted to every section of our country, but vafieties which have prolonged the season of fruits in some sections, either by early or late kinds, for one or more months. Especially is this to be seen in the peach, grape and sti'awberry, so that many of our markets are supplied for a much longer period than ever before. By the introduction of earlj^ peaches, the sea- son for this fruit has been advanced nearly a month. In South Carolina and Georgia ship- ments have been made this year to northern markets as early as May 25th. Similar illustra- tions might be given of the prolongation of the season of the strawberry, the grape, and the pear, in our markets ; those of the north being now supplied with the strawberry from the first of May to the middle of July ; and ,with the grape and the pear from the first of July until April or May. And why may not those who have the means, supply their tables with fruits in some form through the year? Some of us already enjoy this luxury, beginning with the strawberry and following in succession with the other small fruits, the grape, the pear, and the apple, thus furnishing a circle of fruits which delights the eye, gratifies t-he taste, improves the health, and crowns our daily meals throughout the year. California seems to be the most favored spot on earth for the production of new varieties of fruits, if we may judge by such pears as the Fox, Barry, Wilder and others, raised from seed by Mr. Fox, our Vice-President from that State. If his success should be taken as a criterion, and these fruits should prove adapted to other climes, that State alone can supply the world 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 31 with improved varieties, not only of the pear but of other fruits. Matured as the seed is in the warm, dry Summers and Autumns of Cali- fornia, we have reason to hope for g^at vigor and hardiness. Great advances have been made in the im- provement of our Avild fruits, such as are seen in the varieties of the Chickasaw and Wild Goose Plum, of which these are types, and the new varieties of grapes for the South, from which regular and profitable results are obtained where none were before. In this connection we may also mention the crab apple, which, though not indigenous, has furnished, in its improved varieties and hybrids, fruit of the greatest value for the extreme north. IMPROVEMENT IN PACKING AND TRANSPORTA- TION. Much of our progress in pomology and horti- culture is due to the increase of facilities for trousportation afforded by railroads and steam- boats. Especially is this the case in Southern and Western States, and California. These rail- road and steamboat facilities have induced fruit growers to increase their products, being assured they would arrive in good condition in distant markets. But these improvements in transpoi-- tation would have been of but little advantage had they not been supplemented by careful packing. Steamers and cars are now provided with large refrigerators, by which delicate fruits can be sent long distances, even to Europe. The various styles of fruit packages, every class of fruit being provided with one suited to its char- acter, are wonders of cheapness and efficiency. The obstacles with which we formly had to con- tend have been mostly removed, so that fruits can be sent safeh^ to very distant markets, where it was impossible to send them ten or fifteen years ago. This increased supply has increased comsumption and caused a correspond- ing decrease in prices. It has made fruit almost a necessary portion of our daily meals, thus largely fostering its production. The packing of trees has also received more attention than for- merly. Experience has taught us much on this point, especially in adapting it to the character of the voyage and the climate through which the trees are to pass. Thus trees shipped by our friends, Ellwanger & Barry, to Australia, after a voyage of fifteen thousand miles and be- ing one hundred and fifty-three days on the way, were received in safe condition. Only three trees out of one hundred and sixtv were dead. ! In this connection I desire to impress on the j packers and shippers of fruit to foreign lands, ; since our best American apples have sold in ; London at much higher prices than English and I French apples, the great importance of especial [ vigilance in seeing that no inferior fruit ever j crosses the ocean, thus preserving the integrity of our fruit growers and dealers, and the reputa- I tion of our nation for the superiority of our j fruits. I England esteems American apples beyond all I others. As long ago as 1773, when the crop of apples had failed the previous year, English im- j portations from this country had been made and were highly appreciated. In a letter from Michael Collinson to John Bartram, of Phila- delphia, he writes as follows : — " Yom* Ameri- can apples have been an admirable substitute : this season, some of our merchants having im- I ported great quantities of them. They arc, not- j withstanding, too expensive for common eating, j being sold for two pence, three pence, and even I four pence an apple. But their flavor is much ! superior to anything we can pretend to, and I 1 tliink even superior to the apples of Italy." I (To be continued.) Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Death of Tiiom.vs Rivers.— The decease of this eminent horticulturist, well known to our readers as the author of the Miniature Fruit Garden., was announced too late for our last I number. We had prepared a brief notice, but I give place to the following, which we take from [ the proceedings of the Massachusetts Horticul- I tural Society, on December 1st : I President Parkman announced as the firstbusi- I ness before the meeting, resolutions in memory of Thomas Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, England, one of the most eminent horticulturists and po- mologists, which would be appropriately pre- sented by Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, the fore- most American pomologist. i " Mr. Wilder said : " Mr. President, I thankyou for suspending the usual order of business, that j we may render proper honor to the memory of one of the oldest and most respectable corres- I ponding members of the society. I am advised I by the memorial card which I hold in my hand, that Thomas Rivers died at his residence, Saw- I bridgeworth, England, October 17, 1877, aged j seventy-nine years. It has been my privilege ! to have a personal acquaintance and correspond- ' ence with Mr. Rivers for nearlv fiftv vears. He 32 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^ January, was one of the most eminent horticulturists of I the age. As a nurseryman, pomologist, tree and rose grower — especially as a hybridizer, in the ] production and dissemination of new and choice varieties — his name will long be remembered [ with veneration, gratitude and respect. For 1 nearly, sixty years he was actively engaged in the nursery business, and it can be said with truth, that no man in all Europe ever main- tained a higher character for fidelity and integ- rity. As a pomologist he will be remembered for generations to come, especially for the pro- duction of new and valuable fruits for seed, ' which exercised a fascination over him, as he said, ' growing with his growth and strength- \ ening with his decline.' As a raiser and intro- ducer of new fruits, the editor of the London j Gardener'' s Chronicle (than which there is no ■ higher authority) said of him, 'The name of Thomas Rivers stands preeminent. We have had no English pomologist to compare with him in this department, if we except Thomas An- drew Knight.' The same paper gives a list of more than seventy new varieties of fi'uit raised and sent out by him. Mr. Rivers considered as one of his greatest triumphs the production of early peaches, by which tlie season is extended for several weeks, and which are now distributed throughout the fruit-growing world. '' As a lover of the rose, and the great leader in its improvement in England, his name will be embalmed in the hearts of grateful millions, while the rose shall unfold its petals to the morning light, or shed its fragrance on the pass- ing breeze. Of his love and devotion to the rose, an author remarks, ' Age cannot wither his loyalty, and beneath a hundred medals, orders and clasps, his brave heart is still with the rose.' His catalogue of roses, published forty-four years ago, was pronounced by Mr. Ijouden ' the most useful catalogue of roses in the English lan- guage.' Besides writing many excellent prac- tical works on horticulture, Mr. Rivers has been for many years a large contributor to the peri- odical press, and his various books and papers on the rose, the pear, root-pruning, double-graft- ing, the construction of orchard houses and other cheap protections against the uncertainties of an English climate, and other subjects, are among the most valuable contributions to horticultural literature. But, Mr. President, time would fail me, were I to enumerate the various Avays in which Mr. Rivers' name has been associated with the progress of rural economy and the hor- ticulture of the world. Truly it may be said of him, 'His works do follow him.' His books are the best record of his life. "In view of Avhat I have said, I beg the priv- ilege of presenting the following resolutions : "Resolved, That in the death of Thomas Riv- ers, one of the oldest and most respected corres- ponding members of this society, we recognize, in common with the horticultural world, the loss of a friend of horticultural science, rural im provement and ornamental culture, and a bene- factor of our race. "Resolved, That while we deplore the loss of so useful a man, we desire to thank the Supreme Disposer of all events that he was spared to us for so long a course of years, and was at last gathered to his fathers 'like a shock of corn fully ripe in its season.' " Resolved, That the members of this society sympathize sincerely with the bereaved family in their affliction, and that a copy of these pro- ceedings be forwarded to Mrs. Rivers as a token of the respect and esteem in which her late husband was held in America.'' W. C. Strong, James Cruikshanks, and Presi- dent Parkman spoke to the resolutions, which were unanimously adopted. South Carolina State Horticultural Society. — Following in the wake of the Georgia State Horticultural Society, which under the care of Mr. P. .L Berckmans established a society a few years ago. South Carolina has now founded one wliich promises a large and useful career. Hon. R. M. Sims has been the active spirit. Tlie Editor of the Gardener's Monthly ac- knowledges the honor of election to correspond- ing membership, of which he has been informed in a very graceful letter from the Secretary, Dr. Otto A. :\rose.s. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Soci- ety.— This, the oldest Horticultural Society at present existing in the United States, passed its I fiftieth birthday on the 21st of December, and \ the occasion was taken to have a happy re-union of the members. Three of the originators are still living, David J^andreth, and Jeremiah and Closes Brown. The former still continus at the head of the great , seed firm of that name, as active as many a I younger man, and the last named still rides around enjoying the numerous beautiful hemlock hedges about Philadelphia, of which he is in a measure the father. THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY AND HORTICULTURIST. DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE. ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. Vol. XX. FEBRUARY, 1878. Number 230. Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. SEASONABLE HINTS. In many parts where our magazine goes it will iDe necessary to bring up the preliminaries for tactive spring work. Many delay pruning shrubbery until after se- vere weather passes, so as to see what injury may be done— but with March all should be finished — taking care not to trim severely such shrubs as flower out of last yearns wood, as for instance, the Wiegela — while such as flower from the spring growth, as the Althsea, Mock Orange, &c., are benefitted by cutting back vigorously. Those which flower from young wood, cut in severely to make new growth vigorous. Tea, China, Boui-bon and Noisette roses are of this class. What are called annual flowering roses, as Prairie Queen and so on, require much of last year's wood to make a good show of flowers- Hence, mth these, thin out weak wood, and leave all the stronger. To make handsome, shapely specimens of «Tirubs, cut them now into the forms you want, and keep them so by pulling out all shoots that grow stronger than the others during the summer season. Graft trees or shrubs where changed sorts are desirable. Any lady can graft. Cleft grafting is the easiest. Split the «tock, cut the scion like a wedge, insert in the split, so that the bark of the stock and scion meets; tie a little bast bark around it, and cover with Trowbridge's grafting wax, and all is done : very simple when it is understood, and not hard to understand. If flowers have been growing in the ground for many years, new soil does wonders. Rich ma^ nure makes plants grow, but they do not always flower well with vigorous growth. If new soil cannot be had, a wheelbarrow of manure to about every fifty square feet will be enough. If the garden earth looks grey or yellow, rotten leaves — quite rotten leaves — will improve it. If heavy, add sand. If very sandy, add salt — about half pint to fifty square feet. -If very black or rich from previous year's manurings, use a little lime, about a pint, slacked, to fifty square feet. If the garden be full of hardy perennial flow- ers, do not dig it, but use a fork, and that not deeply. Dig garden ground only when the soil is warm and dry. Do not be in a hurry, or you may get behind. When a clot of earth will crush to powder as you tread on it, it is time to dig — not before. If perennial plants have stood three years in one place, separate the stools, replanting one- third, and give the balance to your neighbor who has none. Box edgings lay well now. Make the ground firm and level, plant deep, with tops not more than two inches above groimd. Roll the grass well before the softness of a thaw goes away. It makes all smooth and level. In planting trees remember our repeated ad- vice to use the pruning knife freely. We would again repeat a suggestion we re- cently made in regard to rustic summer houses. They can often be very cheaply made. In our country they should be open on all sides. 34 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_Eti>n(a7y, Here : In this s an old tree turned into a rustic seat, case we would strip the bark off, as well as open the soil about the collar of the tree, and tar well to preserve it from rotting there. COMMUNICA TIONS. HOW BEDDINC-PLANTS MAY BE AR- RANGED. BY C. G. BJOEKLUND, KORFOLK, VA. Regular Flower-beds. — Figure 3 represents what we may call "regular flower-beds." Should lie 3 to 5 feet from the walks, and there might the beds in about the same convexed shape as the soil of the bed represents when raked ; and the same with the Aohyranthus. The tri-coloredi Geraniums, though beautiful some of them are,- seem to defy our endeavor to make anything solid of them, from the fact that their growthi during the hot season is so very feeble ; but let us modify this defect by planting something: between them, such as Viola cornuta or Yerbenai Annie. For the parallelograms, 1, 1, 7x15, we have im the first place the Geraniums, but do not take pride in having many varieties. If there are- flfty beds to be filled with only Geraniums, it is- better to have four kinds of the choicest than a score not fit for bedding. General Grant is the- best as a bright scarlet, being moderate in. growth, and giving abundant flowers through the season, if due attention be paid to watering and; cutting away of the seeds. Then there is Lucius, orange scarlet ; Master Christine, pink andi white, and Princess, white. With the exception of Asa Gray and a couple of others, there is- hardly any double Geranium that does tolerably for bedding. Other plants for these beds are Shrubby Calceolarias, Salvias, Begonias, Helio- tropes, and Yinca alba and rosea. In some places it is the custom to border these plants- vvith one or two ribbon plants, but let us keepi them for the ribbon beds, and use one kind for each ; it will make them look larger. Roses, Dahlias and Gladioluses may be- planted on beds of an}^ shape 5 to 10 feet from the walks ; but my experience here (pn the; Fig. 3. be a continuance of these on both sides of a 1 37th latitude) makes me sui<;gest that we in the straight walk, with every other to be a circle, or j South had better plant every other row or circle either circle or the rounded parallelograms may be placed singly wherever a flower-bed is desired. It is not necessary, as in the old German style, that flower-beds of same shape, etc., must lay opposite each other. The circle 2 is supposed to be ten feet in diameter, and will do first-rate for solid beds of Coleus (strictly only one variety), tri-colored Geraniums and Achyranthus. The Coleuses should be trimmed all the time, or they will not stand the Fall wind and rain. My practice is to take one joint above another from time to time, and to keep on the Gladiolus beds a'month or so later than the first set, in order to prolong the time of blooming, or that will be over too soon, and make the bed an empty spot on the ground. ALPINE PLANTS. BY MR. A. VEITCH, NEW HAVEK, CONN. In the strict sense, Alpine plants are such as. grow in latitudes ranging ^from the greatest elevation, or perpetual snow line towards the equator, to less elevated situations noai- the- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 35 poles. Thus it is on the Andes and Himalayas, j at an elevation of from 12,000 to 15,000 feet a j similar flora exists, and many species are identi- j oal with those found in Central Em-ope at not more than 4,000 to G,000 feet elevation. And ' these again have an agreement with those of Lapland and Siberia on low mountain ranges, or still farther north at the level of the sea. But in speaking of a collection of Alpine , plants it is not necessary to be confined within such limits as this would impose. At the same time a collection pure and simple from those high latitudes would be of rare value, and em- . l)race many of the most unique and interesting productions in the vegetable kingdom. But no violence could be done, or improper alliances formed, by associating with these as many as are diminutive in size whose natural habitats are the mountains and meadows of more temperate regions. Out of this larger field a fuller collec- tion could be obtained, and the enjoyment of its possession increased in a corresponding degree by the great diversity of forms which it would present ; each and every one so distinct and attractive as to keep awake his interest all the year through. When Spring comes, and even before the rigors of Winter have succumbed to gales from the South, which blow softly, there is an awakening in a full collection which tells that in their native homes many flourish and bloom, even up to the skirts of perpetual snow. And thus there is an early beginning to the floral year, which need suffer no abatement on and down to its rounded close. In getting together such a collection, the first move to be made is to collect as many as might be deemed suitable in the neighborhood of home, and at the same time add to these, as circum- stances permit, the most approved varieties of other parts of the country. This would necessi- tate excursions to the woods, the meadows, and the sea-shore, from all of which places materials could, be gathered every way fitted to satisfy the craving of the true naturalist. The South and West also would contribute of their riches ; and if what could be got in this way did not suffice, thousands more may be had in Europe at reason- able rates, culled from many of the most interesting families. Primulaceiy alone would make an interesting groun, embracing as it does a goodly number of the most beautiful plants in cultivation. Xot alone is Primula ricli in species b.ut Aretia, Androsace, Soldanella, Cyclamens, G. M.] Archbishop Wood Geranium.— A corres- pondent writes, reminding the readers of the magazine that the correct name of this geranium is Archbishop, not Bi§hop Wood. It is a small I matter, but we agree with our correspondent that J it is as well to be accurate as not. Amaryllis and their Culture.— J. H., Jr., Glendale, Mass., would feel obliged if some cor- respondent could tell a little about Amaryllis and the plants related to them, &c. Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. SEASONABLE HINTS. In (ruaty, regretted, since tlie improved seedlings of large size and fine qualtity, raised from the hardier American species, are becoming known, and their merits appreciated by growers. The rule, in pruning grape-vines, is to shorten the shoots in proportion to their strength ; but if the advice we have given in former Summer hints has been attended to, there will be little disproportion in this matter, as Summer pinching of the strong shoots has equalized the strength of the vine. Those who are following any par- ticular system will, of course, prune according to the rules comprising such system. As a gen- eral rule, we can only say, excellent grapes can be had by any system of pruning ; for the only object of pruning in any case is to get strong shoots to push where they may be desired, or to increase, with the increased vigor of the shoot, which pruning supposes will follow the act, in- creased size in the fruit it bears. j In the Northern States, Broccoli, and Cauli- j rtower when sown in March as recommended, do \ not head early enough in Fall. It should be sown about the time of Early York Cabbage, in the hot-bed, during this month. About the middle or end of the month, or still later in the Korth — say the middle of March — Celery and late Cabbage may be sown. Here, we usually sow the second week in March. In the more Southern States, the gardener will lose no time in getting in his Potatoes, Beets, : Carrots, Parsnips, Peas, Spinach, Radishes, Let- ; tuce, Onions, and Salsafy. These should be the ' first crops put in after the season breaks up for ; good. The earlier they are in the better. As- j paragus, Rhubarb and Horse-radish beds may now be made. Asparagus roots are generally | planted too thickly to produce fine shoots,— | they starve one another. A bed five feet wide should have three rows, and the plants set about eighteen inches apart. A deep soil is very im- portant, as the succulent stems require every chance they can get for obtaining moisture. About four inches beneath the soil is sufficient to plant them. Rhubarb also requires a deep, rich and moist soil. Horse-radish beds are best made by taking pieces of strong roots, about one inch long, and making a hole about a foot or fifteen inches deep, with a dibble, and dropping the piece to the bottom of the hole ; a clean, straight root will then rise up through the soil. Crowns or eyes are better than pieces of roots, — where they can be had— and a rich clayey soil better than a light sandy one. In the Middle States the work for February- will, for the most part, consist of preparations for future operations, and particulary for deal- ing with the manure question. All those kinds that are grown for their leaves or stems require an abundance of nitrogenous manures ; and it is useless to attempt vegetable gardening without it. To this class belong Cabbage Lettuce, Spinach, etc. The other class, which is grown principally for its seeds or pods (as Beans, Peas, etc.), does not require much manure of this char- acter; in fact they are injured by it. It causes too great a growth of stem and leaf, and the earliness — a great aim in vegetable growing — is injuriously affected. Mineral manures, as wood, aslies, bone-dust, etc., are much better for them. For vegetables requiring rich stable manure, it is better that they have it well rotted and de- cayed. IN'othing has yet been found so well, fitted for the purpose as old hot-bed dung : though to the smell no trace of " ammonia" re- mains in it. One of our most interesting parts of a vegeta- ble garden is a hot bed for starting seeds early. The end of the month will be time enough for those who Iiave not command of a large supply of stable manure, as the very low temperature we often get at the end of the month soon ab- sorbs all the heat the hot-bed possessed. It is in any event best to put up the beds in the warmest and most sheltered spots we can find, and to keep cold winds from the manure, by covering it. with branches of trees or mats ; and the glass- should always be covered with mats at night.. Tomatoes, Egg-plants, Peppers and Cucumbers are the first seeds to be sown this way. Cooler- frames can be got ready for Cauliflower, Lettuce,. Beets, Celery and Early York Cabbage, a little of which maybe sown about the end of the month for the earliest crop. The Caulifiower is^ a particularly valued vegetable, and no expense spared to get them in perfection will be regretted, when one's efforts are successful. In the open air, should the weather prove favorable, as it often is about the end of the month, Peas and Potatoes may be planted. Frost seldom gets deep enough in new dug ground to injure them after this date. In managing the vegetable garden the highest excellence should lie aimed at. This is the chief source of pleasure in a garden. If one can take no pleasure in his garden— if the watching of the beautiful processes of nature in furnishing him food — and the manv lesson-? they teach him_ 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 47 which he in a thousand ways can so pleasurably and profitably apply, have no charms and attrac- i tions tor him, he had belter give up gardening; for assuredly, in most cases— even to 99 in 100 { instances— the market gardener will bring the | vegetables to his own door cheaper than he can grow them. Amateur gardening should prima- rily be pursued for the lessons it teaches, and the pleasure it aftbrds ; when it ceases to do this it should be abandoned. COMMUNICA TIONS. CRAPE CHAT. BY EEV. W. H. AV., READING, MASS. The grape crop here in New England has been in some respects exceptionally good. Our warm and dry October has ripened up many varieties to an unusual excellence, and made us appreciate them more highly than ever before. And yet the amount of our crop, in some cases at least, sadly diminished by the unprecedented number of rose-bugs. Xever, in all my experience, have I seen such swarms of them before. I have re- peatedly taken from one to two dozen from a single cluster. The consequence was that, not- withstanding my utmost eflbrts, some of my vines were entirely stripped. Some large vines did not ripen a single berry, while on others I succeeded in saving from a tenth to a half of what they would have borne but for the bugs. How shall we get relief? Miner''s New Seedlings— It has been known for some time past, that Mr. T. B. Miner, of Linden, N. J., has several white seedlings of Concord, which have been pronounced, by those who have seen the vines and tasted the fruit, exceedingly promising. If I am not mistaken, Mr. Andrew S. Fuller has commended them quite warmly in the N. Y. Tribune. Mr. M. sent me a box of the fruit for exhibition at our Massachusetts Horticultural display in Septem- ber, but they reached me in such impaired con- dition as to be utterly unfit to place upon the tables. I could, however, get some idea of the quality of the fruit. The berries that I tasted were very sweet and delicious, but not so free from toughness of pulp as is desirable. But I ought to add that I had no such specimens of fruit to test as were adapted to do the variety justice. Brighiofi. — Xo fruit of this new variety was shown at our annual exhibition, and I canot speak of its quality. But T am very much pleased with the vigor and healthfulness of the vines. It is. a strong grower, and yet not rampant, and bids, fair to prove hardy and prolific. Its fruit is highly praised by those who have eaten it. Lady. — This still proves with me a very feeble grower. A splendidly-rooted two-year-old plant,, received last spi'ing from Mr. Campbell, and planted with extra care, in good soil, has grown only about twelve inches. My vines that have been planted two years grew this year only three or four feet, while Brighton, Black Eagle, and Delaware, beside them, have made from twice to four times the amount of wood. Lady, however, seems entirely healtliy, so far as my brief expe- rience enables me to judge. Early Champion. — There are two grapes of this name in the market. One originated in New York, and is an early, hardy, vigorous grower, and probably identical with the Tallman. In quality it is only tolerable. The other originated' in New Orleans, and is a much better grape. It is very early, more so than Hartford, vigorous, healthy, productive, and of very good quality. Both are black. The latter is one of the most promising grapes we have for early market. But in some way the diff"erence between the two< should be indicated by a change of name in one or the other. Lady Washington. — It is very agreeable news to all lovers of choice grapes, that Mr. Ricketts, of Newburgh, has at last decided to otler this splendid variety to the public. He deems it,^ all thmgs considered, one of the best of his entire collection. If the vine shall prove healthy and: hardy, so that we can all raise such fruit as Mr.. R. does, then indeed the grape millenium will seem to have come at last. EDITORIAL NOTES. Orchards in Grass. — When, at the commence- ment of the Gardener's Monthly, we showed that the best kind of cultivation for orchards was to well care for them in grass, few of our younger readers can have any idea of the storm of indig- nation on the one hand, and ridicule on the other, which we had to encounter. Our advice was contrary to that given in "the books;" but we knew, from the lessons of experience, tliat the advice of the books was wrong, and dared to say so. We lost some subscribers by telling the truth as we found it, but we quieted our (then), publishers by the assurance that it would all 48 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_Fehruary, turn out right, by and by. Pears especially we u-ecommended should be well cultivated in grass, putting it particularly on the ground of its health- 'fulness, and illustrating it as the experience of Abraham Barker, near Philadelphia, whose or- chard, on the plan invented by ^sop, wliich, " dug around and manured, to let in the air and the food" to the roots, came near being a disas- trous failure, till he took our advice and sowed it down in clover and grass, and top-dressed with manure afterwards. To-day that orchard is one of the best about here. "We have also referred to another orchard of 50,000 pears, set out by its ■enthusiastic owner to show expressly that we were wrong. This orchard has been the victim •of disease till but a few are left. Immense num- bers were dug up and burned ; and this orchard too within gun-shot of the very successful one -of Abraham Barker. These and similar facts we have continually referred to ; but we have been told that we must be wrong — that Elwan- ger and Barry "cultivated," and they had no 'disease; that Marshall P. Wilder "cultivated, that C. M. Hovey and Patrick Irwin "culti- vated," and they had no disease. But on our •own examination of the orchards of Wilder and Hovey, we found that though they were not : actually in grass, they were practically on our plan ; for the surface was barely stirred, and the Qatter top-dressed with seaweed. However, we need not here go over again with all that has passed ; but we now know — everybody now knows — that the best orchards in the Union everywhere are those which are well cultivated in grass. It gives us great pleasure to append the fol- lowing from the Country Gentleman. We give it with the more satisfaction because we always felt that the Country Gentleman., while oppos- ing our views, did so honestly, in the belief that we were advocating not good culture in grass, but absolute neglect in grass ; and we had full faith that as it came to understand us fully, thei'e would be little difference of opinion be- tween us ; for the Country Gentleman is too pro- gressive a paper not to be willing, as we ai'e, to learn as we go along. It says : " Since the wide prevalence of the blight in the pear, a large number of instances are reported of greater immunity from this disease in trees growing in grass ; while in rarer cases the reverse has been observed. The evidence, however, pre- ponderates in favor of pear orchards in grass— .this remark applying to standard trees." California Wine. — It is said the Califor- ! niatis intend to make a strong exhibit of their j wines in Paris. ! Pride of the Hudson Raspberry. — This is a new variety which is spoken of in intelligent quarters. I The Pig in Ohio. — The Montgomery (Ohio) 1 County Horticultural Society reports that the Fig can be quite successfully grown in that I State, with but slight protection in Winter. I Tea Plants in California. — Recent exper- iments do not seem to be a great success. It is said the leaves fall in Summer from the warm, dry atmosphere. { The Beauty of the Philadelphia Pear Tree. — The Belgian Horticultural Review says that in the fall of the year, the American Pear, \ Philadelphia, has its leaves turn to the beauti- ful brown color so characteristic of some Maples and Sumachs. It also speaks of Clapp's Favor- ite, in connection with its large and showy foliage. Phylloxera and Grape Rot. — The Valley Naturalist tells us that at a recent meeting of the St. Louis Academy of Science, the President C. V. Riley, alluded to the prevailing impression that the Phylloxera caused the grape rot. It says : "In consequence of some official statements by Prof. Cook, of the Michigan Agricultural Col- lege, the President desired it to go on record that he totally disagreed with the professor as to there being any connection between phylloxera and the rot on the vine. Dr. Engleman agreed with the President in this view." Best Apples for Miasissippi.— The most popular apples in this State, seem to be Schock- ley, Yates, Kentucky Streak, and Nickajack. The last name has a wide popularity in the South. The apple does very well in the north- ern part of the State. Grape Disease and Phylloxera.— It is the misfortune of many good ideas to be so rid- den as get run into the ground, and this is the way with the Phylloxera. This pest is bad enough in all conscience. It injures roots to such an ex- tent, that, once effected, the plant is liable to mildews and many other diseases. But now come people who forget that there are many other enfeebling causes ; and moreover, mildews and moulds do not always wait for weak plants, before beginnino; their destructive work. Mr. 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 49 W. Saunders records an experiment where he took a branch of a grape vine out of a vinery, part in the house, and partiin the open air, and, ■while the plant inside kept heallthy, the exposed "branch was mildewed, and this accords with the •experience of the best gardeners. Phylloxera •does a good deal, but far from all of our grape mischief. Tropical Frttits. — It is -saiid that plants of the Japan Persimmon are introduced into Califor- nia, duty free, as " tropical fruits." We pass no opinion here on the policy of duties on trees and plants; but are interested in the geographical problem. "We had no idea that even an Ameri- ■can Congress would regard Japan as "within the tropics;" but then an American Congress is a thing wonderfully and fearfully made. It was •only a year or so ago, we had to call its atten- tion to the fact, that aHhododendron, when it reached the shores of Boston, from England, Ijecame a "semi-tropical fruit." We are sorry for the plants, but must keep our geographical heads level. Testing old Seeds. — People often have seeds on hand that they would like to sow, if only sure ■of their vitality. A correspondent of the Gardener''s Magazine gives the following for tur- nips, audit may do for many others : — " Before sowing a field of turnips the seed was invariably tested in the following simple man- ner: An ordinary dinner plate was taken, and a circular piece of fine flannel just large enough to cover the lower part was laid upon it. The plate was then placed on a table before a win- daw on the sunny side of the Taouse. The whole mass of seed to be tested was then thoroughly mixed by hand, so that a fair sample could "be taken from it by a small spoon. The seeds so taken were laid on a piece of paper and care- fully counted, but without selection for quality, and a number, say 200 seeds, were then spread evenly on the piece of flannel before named, after which a little cold water was gently poured over the flannel until it was saturated, but not quite covered ; in this way it was allowed to stand for a few days exposed to the influence of light and air, when the swollen seeds were seen to have germinated and thrown up long and slender white shoots of half an inch or more in height. All that was then necessary was simply to count the number of dead seeds that lie ex- posed 'on the flannel in the same condition in ^which they were placed there, and hence the precise percentage of live and dead seeds were accui-ately ascertained. When this percentage was unsatisftictory, my father invariably returned the seed to the merchant and bought some other in its place, but he never lost a crop of turnips from using dead seeds." NEJV OR RARE FRUITS. ScuiBXER Spitzenbitkg Apple. — J. W. B., Plattsburgh, N. Y., writes : " Referring to your remarks on the want of a more hardy and vigor- ous tree of the peculiar flavor of the Esopus Spitz- enburg, and as abundant a bearer, I have to say that I have that variety. I exhibited the fruit at the annual meeting of the New York State Agricultural Society, 1859, and received a silver medal for it, named Scribner's Spitzenburg. It is hardy and vigorous, of the form and peculiar flavor of the Esopus variety, and the tree more hardy and vigorous, color a lighter red than Esopus. I propagated trees of this variety, and sold it from my nursery for several years ; but as I have not propagated any trees for several years, I have none for sale at present, but can supply in small quantities next Fall. I will, if possible, send you a sample of the fruit next week." [The apple was a little over ripe. We should judge from this that it is a little earlier than its parent. The fruit is also more angular, but in other respects very much like the Esopus Spit- zenburg. So far as we can judge from these, the variety is nearly, perhaps quite, as good as the original. — Ed. G. M.] Rescue Pear. — P. D. S., Haitford, writes: — " I sent you to-day through the post office a small box with a pfear of a variety, I think, un- known, having never see.n it at any of our pomo- logical exhibitions. I esteem it one of the very best late keeping Winter pears. Of its beauty and quality you can judge for yourself. This variety came into my possession some 10 or 12 years since. A friend living in the city of !N'ew York knowing that I was interested in pear cul- ture, stated to me that there was growing on his uncle's place, in the upper part of the city, a very old pear tree, which they had just discov- ered was a very choice Winter variety. The family had always been in the practice of cook- ing the pears in the Fall of the year, thinking them a common cooking pear, but accidentally a quantity of them was put into a trunk and placed away in a dark closet, and were left until some- 50 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^Ecb7'uary. time in the month of February, when upon open- ing the trunk they were much surprised to see the pears fully ripened,and of a beautiful golden color. I obtained a few gyafts from this original tree, and do not know that any were given to any other party. I have distributed a few of the grafts to friends in our city, some of whom have fruited it, and are much pleased with them. Should it prove to be a new or unknown variety I have thought to give it the name of "Rescue," presuming that the original tree has disappeared in the extension of the city of New York, and that it has been rescued from extermination through the few grafts obtained by me. The pear' that I have sent is one of the largest that I have grown, being above the average size. Should the pear come to you in a good condition, I should be pleased to have your views respect- ing it. [It came to hand early in January. It is some- thing in the way of Beurre Diel, but superior to anj- other variety we have met with for many years. It is not known to us, and we can say thttt as to size, flavor and general appearance it is a truly first-class fruit.— Ed. G. M.] Burnet Grape. — This Canadian variety is^ receiving much praise in Northern papers. It was originated in Prince Edward County by Mr> Peter C. Dempsey, one of our most skillful growers. The fruit is large, purplish black, sweet and rich, and ripens earlier than the Con- cord. The vine is vigorous, productive and hardy. Forestry. COMMUNICA TIONS. AMERICAN FORESTRY. BY W. No doubt many of your numerous readers, who have interests outside of the greenhouse and potting-shed, will be pleased with your department of Forestry. This is a branch of industry which has been far too much neglected, and yet it is one that requires an extensive range of knowledge, which, unfortunately, has not yet, in our country, been brought to bear upon it. An increasing interest is, however, apparent among the people. This is manifestly the case in the Western or prairie States, where, in the horticultural societies. For- estry vies with Pomology in the rank assigned to it. Your prairie farmer soon learns the benefits conferred by groves and shelter belts. Your readers may be glad to know that this matter gave rise to a very spirited discussion before the American Nurserymen's Association, at their meeting last June in Chicago. This resulted in the appointment of a large commit- tee, who were charged with the duty of preparing a memorial to Congress, asking that a commis- sion be appointed to visit, study, and report fully upon the forests of Europe. That memorial has been presented to both houses of Congress, and, with a bill providing for its proper execu- \ tion, referred to the appropriate committees. It is earnestly hoped by the memorialists especially since the matter has received the en- dorsement of the Secretary of the Interior, that Congress will soon act in the matter and make a suitable appropriation for the commission. The several agronomic associations, especially those of the "Western States, now holding their annual winter meetings, are warmly endorsing the action of the memorialists, and urging their delegates in Congress to lend the project their I hearty support ; so that it is hoped that the bill now before Congress may become a law; then,, j if the President be fortunate in finding a suitable [ nominee, we may anticipate a good and useful report, that will convey to the people a vast deal of really valuable and practicable information upon this branch of agriculture that is, as yet, a terra incognita to us. SCARCITY OF DOGWOOD. BY MISS M. MUMFORD, WASHINGTON, D. f. Since sending you my article on the above, I came across the following in Loudon's Encyclo- paedia of Plants : " Rhamnus frangula has dark purple berries. The flowers are particularly grat- ifying to bees. Goats devour the leaves vora- ciously, and sheep will eat them. Charcoal prepared from the wood is used by the makers of gunpowder. The berries of this species, and also of the Cornus, are said to be brought to market and sold for those of the buckthorn ; but they are easily distinguished, the true buckthorn having four seeds, this two, the Cornus one." 1878.] AND HORTICULrURIST. 51 EDITORIAL NOTES. Forest Commissioners to Europe.— The Xurscr3^men's Association petitioned Congress to send a commissioner to Europe to learn how to preserve American forests and plant new ones; and Dr. Hough will probably be sent there, as we learn from the daily papers Congress is likely to vote $;G,000 for that purpose. Dr. H. has sub- mitted a very full report of his last year's ope- rations. Catalpa Timber. — The Practical Fanner has a good word for the Catalpa, from the editor's personal experience of its value. He says it has an additional advantage over locust in being free from borers. J^atural Transplanting. — A Western pa- per has the following curious paragraph: "A blue ash tree seven feet in circumference and eighteen feet in height, its top having been pre- viously cut off, was recently dislodged by a swollen stream In Ohio, floated 340 yai'ds, and again took root, six ^eet above the present level of the creek, and is doing well." Forestry or Ohio. — Ohio was a densely timbered .State, having about 14,000,000 acres, at its settlement. Of these it is computed that about 6,000,000 acres have yet the original stand- ing timber thereon. Cambridge (Mass.) Botanical Garden and Arboretum. — The annual report of the director, Prof. C. S. Sargent, is full of interest. It shows the progress which has been made in the work to the 31st of August, 1877. We make the following <'xtract as of a matter of interest to all of us as W"ll as to the Harvard University, to which the I report is addressed : ' "Judging from the immense number of letters which are annually sent me in regard to trees and tree-planting, it seems evident that there is I a steadily increasing interest felt in arboricul- j ture, which it should be t'.e duty of the arbore- tum to foster in every possible manner. The i mere answering of the letteis. communications I and inquiries received from nearly everv State in I the Union, and from almost all the countries of I Europe, would have more than occupied my j whole time ; and they must have been neglected, j had not Mr. Francis Skinner voluntarily assumed ! charge of this department, and relieved me of I all correspondence of a merely routine de- 1 scrip tion. j It is but five years since the first establishment of the arboretum, but its influence and useful- j ness are already evident. To its establishment 1 can be directly traced the planting during the past season of nearly half a million trees in the I New England States alone. Through its influ- ence attention has been called to the necessity of ! the more general cultivation of the American White ash, a tree of the first economic value, and now rapidly disappearing from all but the more i-ecently settled portions of the country. Up to the present year young ash for general planting I could not be' procured either at "home or abroatf. I They are now raised in such numbers as to be within reach of all. 1 have been able to de- i monstrate, also, that seedling forest trees, for i which the Eastern States, at least, have largely I depended on foreign nurseries, can be produced I equally well and at cheaper rates than abroad. So that in the future, this business, which promises an immense development, will be a source of profit to American industry, while planters will be saved the risks and expenses which necessarily attend the importation of such perishable goods as.liviug plants." The work which Prof. Sargent is doing is really a national one, and he deserves the hearty thanks of all who desire to see American arbori- culture prosper. Natural History and Science. COMMUNICA TIONS. ABIES OR PICEA; WHICH IS IT? BY SAMUEL B. PARSONS. I have often been impressed with the mixed nature o^ foreign nomenclature, and I now notice that you propose to call all conifers with erect cones Abies^ and those with pendant cones Picea. You thus make our common Balsam Fir and its congeners Abies. It will be difficult to make gardeners recognize this distinction. If you will show an observing, intelligent man a Norway Spruce and a Silver Fir as types of their respective classes, and let him study them well, he may go through the most varied nursery and will infiillibly place all of each class by themselves, whether the cones are erect or pen- dant. The difference in the foliage of the two classes is very marked and clear. You would scarcely call the Norway Spruce Picea excelsa : and yet if you preserve the old name of Abies excelsa the distinction is so great that it is diffi- cult to a.(\oY>i Abies Balsamea as the true name of our 52 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^Eebnmry, American Balsam Fir." Moreover, in experi- menting for twenty years, we have never suc- ceeded in grafting any of the Norway Fir class upon the Balsam stock or the converse. There is so marked a difference in the roots that our propagator, Mr. Trumpy, can always recognize them when shown him without the tops. Nearly all the Abies^ as we have hitherto termed them, grow freely from cuttings ; the Piceas grow from cuttings with great difficulty. "We are accustomed humbly to bow to the dicta of botanists, but do they all agree in this nomenclature ? If not, let us adhere to the old names which are dear to some of us by asso- ciations. Virgilia lutea, with its liquid Italian sound, was a pleasant name to utter. Cladrastvs hndoria, its successor, is harsh and discordant. The Corchorus of our childhood was a beautiful flower. The Kei-ria does not bring up so pleasant a memory. The strong growth and showy bloom of the Bignonia was always a pleasure. The Tecoma will never seem quite the same thing. For all purposes we need correct scientific no- menclature, but without strong reason do not let us break up the association of the past. [Our correspondent, we fear, misapprehends, for there is no intention of confusing the Spruce and Silver Firs together. But the names are wrong. The disagreeable changes to which he refers in the latter part of his cruaty, Only eight yeaa-s ago the place of tueeting was ithe home of the Osage Indians, Consequently | the orchards are young, and but few apples could Tje shown that were gi'own dn the immediate vi- cinity of Parsons. But the old^er counties were not behind in displa5dng the products of their orchards for the pleasure and instiniction of those -attending the meeting. I think there were per- Tiaps no finer apples shown at the Centennial i Exhibition by Kansas than were seen upon the I tables of the Society here at home. One of the most interesting subjects during the meeting was '' The ISTew Early Peaches in Kan. :sas," which was introduced by a special report by a member of the Society, and discussed at \ length by nearly every one present. Amsden, j Alexander, and Early Beatrice take the lead ' now, as the newer varieties have not yet fruited | here. There are at least fifty new seedlings ] reported from different parts of the State that j are perhaps as good as Amsden or Alexander. ' Do not be surjorised if Kansas takes the early j peach prize yet. The result of the discussion on the cherry was j similar to that of former years — that the Early Richmond and other varieties of the Morello family are the only kinds that succeed in our State. All the Mazzards, the Biggareau, and even the Kentish varieties are almost a total failure here. The trees die from sun-scald, or some such disease. Vegetable gardening occupied an important part of the meeting. The use of the horse was strongly urged in place of so much hand-hoeing, as is common. Even in our rich, and in some ■cases loose soil, underdraining is thought to be ■almost indispensable to a good garden. There were many valuable papers on the vari- •ous subjects connected witli horticulture, which were quite fully discussed. All these Mill ap- pear in the report of the Society for 1877, which will be published within a few months ; and if any of the readers of this little sketch feel inter- ested enough, and will send to G. C. Bracket, Lawrence, who is seci-etarj', he will receive a >copy of the same as soon as published. The officers elected for the current year are for President, Prof. E. Gale, of Manhattan." Vice-President, Robert Milliken, of Emporia; Secretary, G. C. Brackett, of Lawrence ; Treas- urer, F. Wellhouse, of Leavenworth ; Trustees, H. E. Vandeman, of Geneva; E. P. Diehl, of Olathe ; G. Y. Johnson, of Lawrence, EDITORIAL NOTES. ADDRESS OF MARSHAL P. WILDER. (Continued from page 31). THE PERFECTION ATTAINED IN THE CANNING AND DRYING OF FRUITS. The canning process has been brought to gi-eat perfection, and that of drying promises to become even more useful, when it shall have arrived at its utmost development, possessing the great advantage for transportation of reducing the weight three-four tlis or more by the removal of water, and rendering it capable of shipment to all climes, and of being preserved perfectly for years. We need not fear an overstock, as many new ways will doubtless be devised for its use. The extent of this business is already immense, but I li|iv.' been unable to procure any statistics. Six canning firms in California employ two thousand women and children, and turn out from one and one-half to two millions of dollars yearly in amount of goods. Figs and grapes are being extensively dried in California. The quantity of raisins already produced annually is estimated at 400,000 pounds or more. Although not yet equal in quality to those imported from Europe, it is believed that with further experi- ence they will be produced of the highest excel- lence. Of dried fruits there were cured in that State, by the Alden Company alone, seventy- five tons. As time advances there will doubt- less be many other modes introduced for utilizing any surplus of abundant seasons. Well does a writer remark, " There ought to be a score of elegant and nutritious preparations in all our markets, thus adding to the variety of fresh and prepared fruits, and superseding the wretched pastry and other abominations now in vogue." REVENUE FROM FRUIT CULTURE. The foreign market for our fruits is now as well established as that for our wheat. Compe- tent judges unite in the opinion that the Euro- pean and Australian markets are prepared to take increasing quantities of fresh and dry fruit if landed in good condition. Australia and Ger- many will consume immense quantities of dried fruits, but England prefers fresh fruit. There have been shipped to foreign ports from this country since last October three hun- dred and ninety-six thousand barrels of apples. In December last (1876), there were sent on an av- erage over twenty thousand barrels per week, or ninety thousand barrels for the month. These consisted mostly of the Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and Newtown Pippin. The English like red apples best, and so it has been from the reign of Henry VIII, red apples generally com- manding the best price. A decided preference is given to American apples. The English mar- ket can take from twelve to fifteen thousand barrels per week, and shipments sell readily, varying in price from three dollars and fifty cents tio ten dollars per barrel. (To be continued.) THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY HORTICULTURIST. DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. Vol. XX. MARCH, 1878. Number 231. Flower Garden and Pleasure Grqund. SEASONABLE HINTS. This is particularly the month to pay attention to the hardy annuals. The sooner they are ■sown, the finer they will flower; that is, provided they are really hardy. Tender annuals, such as Globe amaranthus. Balsams, &c., rot if they are sown before the weather becomes quite warm. The seedmen^s catalogues usually distinguish these classes for their customers. In sowing an- nuals, the soil should be slightly stirred with a broad-bladed knife or trowel ; and after the seeds are sown, they should have a little soil sprinkled over them, about one-sixth of an inch deep, ac. cording to the size of the seeds ; barely enough ito cover is all that is required. Failures usually arise from the seeds being buried too deeply. Failures also frequently occur from the soil with which the seeds are covered being to stiff or clayey, "baking" after a rai"n. Light sandy earth or decayed vegetable loam from the woods should be employed for the purpose. Stick a peg in where the seeds are sown, so that when turning out the plants in May from pots, the an- nuals will not be disturbed. Also take care to preserve the names of the kinds. This is a great part of the interest an flower-garden. Walks should now have their spring-dressing — the verges cut, and a thin coating of new gravel laid on. Before putting on the new, harrow up the face of the old gravel with a strong iron- toothed rake. Roll well after the new is laid on. This is the proper season to lay down box- edgings. To make them properly, the soil along the line of the edge should be first dug, and then trod very hard and firm, so that it may sink evenly together, or the line will present ugly-looking undulations in time. Rooted plants should be emplo3'ed; cuttings are sometimes used, but frequently die out in patches ; a good edge can rarely be made from them. The plants should be set pretty low down, leaving the plants, when set, one or two inches above the soil, according to their stockiness. Sometimes box edgings are laid around beds formed in grass. When so, a few inches of clear ground should be kept clean between the grass and the box, or the weeds will he so intermixed with the box, after awhile, as to render it a nuisance. Herbaceous plants do badly if several years in one place. Every second year, at this season, take up and divide them. Sow as soon as possi- ble some hardy annuals. The earlier they are in the ground after the frost leaves it, the finer they bloom. Ornamental hedges judiciously introduced into a small place, add greatly to its interest. No easier method offers whereby to make two acres of garden out of one in the surveyor's draught. The arbor-vita3 (Chmese and American), Hem lock, Holly, Beech, Hornbeam, Pyrus japonica, Privet and Buckthorn may be applied to this purpose. Shrubs are not near enough employed in plant- ing small places. By a judicious selection a place ma}' be had in a blooming state all the year: and they, besides, give it a greater interest 66 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMarch, by their variety, than is obtained by the too fre- quent error of tilling it up with but two or three forest trees of gigantic growth. Plant thickly at first, to give the place a finished appeai'ance, and thin out as they grow older. Masses of shrubs have a fine effect on a small place. The center of such masses should be filled with ever- green shrubs, to prevent a naked appearance in the winter season. Many things that appear frosted a little at the tops should be severely cut down ; it will pre- vent disappointment in the end. Shoots that are injured in winter — especially in the case of the rose — will often have just sufficient vigor left to enable them to put forth leaves, and sometimes even go so far as to attempt to flower, and then j versicolor die oft' suddenly under the first hot sun. COM^MUNICA TIONS. RIBBON BEDS. BY C. J. BJORKLUKD, HAMPTOK, VA. Of all shapes of beds, the circle is preferable to decorate as ribbon bed. If there is any such in the centei- of a crosswalk, or other central place, it should be chosen. Fig. 4 represents a bed twenty feet in diameter, for which we Avill propose a choice as follows : Set I.— The maritima ; 7, Chameepeuce cassabonte ; and 8, PyretluT.im parthenifoliem aureum. Set IV. — 1, Cannabis gigantea ; 2, Canna Marechal vaillant ; 3, Zea japonica fol. var; 4, Salvia coccinea ; 5, Centaurea gymnocarpa; G, Geranium General Grant ; 7, Achyranthus Gil- sonii ; and 8, Lobelia speciosa. Set v. — IjKicinus sanguineus; some of this genus grow almost too large, especially com- munis, and are rather too rough for foliage-beds, single specimens in a sheltered situation are good ;: or may be put in occasional openings in the shrubberies. 2, Nereum 01eand<:r; 3, Salvia patens; 4, Salvia patens; 5, Achyranthus Lin- denii; 6, Salvia candidissima ; 7, Alteranthera and 8, Cerastium tomentosum. Set VI. — Gynerium argenteum ; 2, Lantana ; 3, Lantana; 4, Coleus Emperor Napoleon; 5, Cineraria maritima ; 6, Coleus Queen Victoria ; 7, Ageratum album nanum ; and 8, Alteran- thera spathulata. Set VII. — l,Solanum Warscewiczii ; 2, Cala- dium esculentum ; 3, Amaranthus melancholicus : 4, Cineraria maritima ; 5, Achyranthus Yer- schaffeltii ; 6, Geranium Mrs. Pollock ; 7, Cuphea platycenta; and 8, Lonicera aureo reticulata t<» be pegged down on the border. Set VIII. — 1, Arundo donax variegata; 2,. Canna discolor; 3, C, tricolor ; 4, Achyranthes Lindenii ; 5, Vinca alba; 6, Geranium Luicus ; 7, Glaucium corniculatum ; and 8, Tropa^olum. star of fire. Set IX. — 1, Arundinaria falcata; 2 Salvia splendens alba; 3 Salvia splendens alba; 4.. amoena dobulus ; Fig. 4. Set II. — 1, Eucalyptus globulus; 2, Canna zebrina; 3, Abutilon striatum; 4, Dactylis glomerata fol. var. ; 5, Coleus Verschaffeltii; 6, Centaurea gymnocarpa ;* 7, Cuphea platycentra ; and 8, Geranium Happy Thought. Set III.— 1, Nereum Oleander; 2, Salvia center 1, Canna glauca ; 2, C, War- czewiczii ; 3, C, discolor; 4, Perilla n ankinensis; 5, Calceolaria hy- Coleus refulgens ; 5, Artemisia Stelleriana; 6, brida ; (shrubbvK Chamapeuce cassabonae ; 7, Santolina incana : and 8, Altenanthera paronychioides. Set X. — 1, Zea gigantea; 2, Solanum pur- pureaum; 3, Solanum purpurea; 4, Abutilon vex- illarium variegatum; 5, Coleus Verschaffeltii; G, Geranium Mountain of Snow ; 7, Altenanthera versicolor; and 8, Caprosma Baueriana, etc.,. etc. The whole to be kept in a pyramidal shape- by trimming, and not allowing the leaves of either riband to interfere with the other. rig.5, a Terrace border, and a scale of an eighth of an inch to two feet, may be decorated a.s follows: 1, Lobelia speciosa, bordered by (shrubby). 6 , Achyranthus Verschaffeltii ; 7, Centaurea c a n - didissima; and 8, Altenanthera splendens; 3, Salvia splendens; 4, Amaranthus t Pyi-ethrum parthenifolium aureum; 2, Lobelia melancholicus; 5, Vinca rosea; 6, Cineraria | Paxtoniana, bordered by Altenanthera versi- color ; 3, Coleus Queen Victoria, bordered by *Thi8 beautiful plant has, wheresoever I have seen it in this country, shown a disposition to rot during the summer, and it is therefore risky to use it in a ribbon bed, where if only a few spoil, the whole.effect is lost, but perhaps does better in other localities. Ageratum Mexicanum nanum and Santolina incana; 4, Coleus Verschafteltii, bordered by Centaiu'ea candidissima and Althenanthera 1878.] AXD HOK TICL 'Z 7 T'RIS T. spathulata, &c., in difterent sets according to supply of plants; 5, is graveled paths, and fi a two feet wide sod border. Fig. G, a ten feet wide border on the edge of a large shrubbery. 1 , Phalaris arundinacea ; :2. THE GERMAN AND THE AMERICAN GLOBE ARBOR VIT/ES. l'.Y .]. M. These two Globe Arbor Yit^es are now com- paratively conuuon around Philadelphia, several Fig. 6. Perilla Nankinensis ; 3, Geranium Chun der Sen ; 4, G. Lass O'Gowrie; 5, G. Crimson King; 6, G. Golden Fleece ; 7, Coleus Emperor Napo- leon ; 8, Pyrethrum parthenifoliuni aureum ; 9, Lobelia Blue Stone ; 10, Mesembryanthemum cordifolium var. ; and 11, Echeveria secunda. THE IVY IN NEW ENGLAND. BY J C, CHELSEA, MASS. In a communication in the December number, it is stated that the Ivy is not to be depended on as being hardy (even in the latitude of Phila- delphia). One of our hard winters a few years ago, was very severe on evergreens (but this was an exceptional season); some of the Ivies suflfered at that time, among which were luxuriant plants covering a brick building three stories high,which had withstood our hard winters in Charlestown, Mass., for upwards of twenty years before that time. I have also seen it growing luxuriantly on some of the churches in Brooklyn, N.Y., without the least care, and in a private place in the neighborhood of Boston, a low wall is com- pletely covered with it by a little care being taken with it. nurseries having distributed them extensively thereabouts. The German variety Thuja pumila ''■ is a stronger grower than the other, and is of a darker green, but it is not so compact a grower. \ The American Thuja globosa is preferred by I many because of its more globular form ; though if one's grounds are of fair size there will be plenty of room for both. These beautiful Arbor Vitas are not near so well known as they ought to be. Nurserymen complain that, like many } other nice things, they do not pay to raise, as I the average customer is too much inclined to ! value their products by their size, and not ac- ! cording to their rarity, nor the time taken to j produce them. Hence fast-growing trees pay the best, and rarer ones, if of slow growth, are in a measure discarded. THE RAPID PROGRESS OF OUR HORTI- CULTURE. liY WALTER ELDER, PHILADELPHIA. The Monthly will now be well freighted with advertisements enlightening its readers where and how to buy ; and especially instruc- tive as showing the rapid progress which horti- culture has made since the establishment of this magazine. In the nurseries, there are the vari- THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^March, ous species of useful and ornamental herbs and trees from every clime in the universe, all fit for sale. Many of the seed and implement ware- houses are towering temples of greatness, and stored with seeds of the most improved species and varieties suitable for culture in all parts of our extensive domain. The hand-tools and ma- chines for man and horse are of the latest inven- tions and improvements to lighten, cheapen and facilitate the labors of field and garden. The ingeniously constructed and handsomely finished rustic designs, to ornament and diversify the garden, the parlor, and the park, are as curious as they are beautiful. In herbs and trees, seeds and implements, curious ornamental designs, dried flowers and grasses, cut flowers and floral decorations; flowers for Winter, flowers for Summer, and fruits for all time ! The reading columns of The Monthly afford a profitable study, but scarcely less so are the advertising pages. It is gratifying to those who know how highly floral taste is estimated by intelligent Europeans, to note how much we are advancing * in the same directions ; and nothing shows how tliis is going on more than the numerous adver- tisements in the Gardenek's Monthly. RHODODENDRON OCCDIENTALIS AND PICKERINCIA MONTANA. BY MR. J. B. HICKMAN. These are two of the most beautiful flowering shrubs of California, and are found on the sum- mits of the low hills to the north of the bay of Monterey, generally among other shrubbery, but in the shade. The former is deciduous, the latter evergreen ; the former bearing large masses of sweet-scented white flowers which are often shaded with yel- low and rarely with pink, growing in rather dry ground it sends down large deep roots, which supply it with abundant moisture, though blooming in a rainless Summer. It sends up numerous shoots from a knotty root crown, and from its appearance would seem to be hard to transplant. My experience, however, is to the contrary ; for, after hacking a plant to pieces with an axe, I managed to get a few stems, each with a chunk of the crown and a stray rootlet, and after being carried two days on horseback, they were potted in old cans ; now, a year after- ward, they have filled their cans with a mass of fine roots, and having just shed their leaves, show a fine lot of buds for next year. The Pickeringia blooms similarlv to Swain- sonia, but the flowers are much brighter and the racemes longer. I believe it blooms six months in the year, and where it does well is very hand- some, often growing eight feet high; its leaflets are about the size of those of the Clianthus and are glaucous green, the stem is beset with thorns, and if the plant would submit to trim- ming, would make a fine hedge. I have been able to find but three seeds in several years experience with the plant, though as its immense truncate roots seem to sprout freely wherever they are exposed, I presume it might be prop- agated by the root. ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE AILAN- THUS. BY B. F. L., PHILADELPHIA. Your Bridgeport correspondent who, I notice, still writes to you regarding the merits of the much abused Ailanthus, has, I believe, not men- tioned as yet the fact observed by several naturalists, that the rosebug is stupefied, sickened and probably destroyed by either eating the leaves, or getting within the atmosphere sur- rounding the male or staminate plant of this species. Great numbers of this pest of the garden have been seen on several occasions in a crippled or dying condition beneath the tree, one instance being given where the ground was literally covered with them. This being the case, would it not be politic for those who cultivate the rose either for pleasure or profit, to try the experiment of introducing the male Ailanthus into their grounds as a means of reducing the numbers of this destructive insect. I would suggest its use as a shrub, and indi- vidual specimens of it could be placed wherever they would appear to the best advantage, or they could be set in an uneven row as a background to the protected plant. Like Genl. Noble, I am an admirer of both the staminate and piintillate Ailanthus, and think that the former is one of the best adapted of all trees for shading our city streets, owing to its very open habit. ^ BROWALLIA ROEZLI. BY EDWIN LONSDALE, GERMANTOWN, PHIL'A. This plant was noticed in the Monthly some time last year, and recommended for the deco- ration of our gardens in Summer, and the seed catalogues for the present year are also recom- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. mending it for the same pm-pose ; but owing to the attacks of a black, flea-like insect — the same which preys upon Sweet Alyssum and some other plants — with me, last year, it was not a success. In the Autumn a plant was lifted and potted, and placed in a light and warm green- house, where it is now, and has been for some time past, a mass of bloom, and from present appearances it is likely to remain so for some time to come. It is an improvement on the older species — B. elata^ — the flowers are larger, and the plant in habit is more graceful and free-flowering, which will make it a favorite for the decoration of the greenhouse and conservatory, and for cut flowers for the florist. The seed under my treatment did not germinate well ; only two plants were raised from as many packets of seed. So far the plant has failed to perfect any seed, but it may readily be increased by taking cut- tings of the young shoots, and inserting them in sand in a warm place, in the ordinary way. The color of the flower is pure white, with a yellow center, very delicately shaded with azure blue, reminding one of the pretty little Hous- tonia ccerulea of om- meadows, though this is not so noticeable in the flowers on the plants under glass in Winter, as it was when growing outside in Summer. EDITORIAL NOTES. The Oriental Spruce.— Mr. Samuel Par- sons says — and we quite agree with him, only more in its favor— that it is unlike the Norway, even when young, in its silvery bark and dark black green foliage. It is unique among ever- greens in this peculiar dark shade : '' The Oriental spruce is the very best of all spruces, if people did but know it. Unfortu- nately, while young it resembles the Norway, lacking somewhat of that spruce's early vigor. As age' increases it develops more rapidly, and finally, in no great time, towers into a solid mass of dark, lustrous foliage, possessing a very pecu- liar beauty and marked character on the lawn. It is, moreover, extremely enduring and hardy." The Trees of Washington. — In reference to the remark we made last month in regard to the low cost and excellent variety of the shade trees of Washington, we find the following in a Washington paper before us : " Of the cost of the planting and care of trees m this city, we may safely challenge comparison with any similar work of its kind that has ever been undertaken. This statement is made from a somewhat extended knowledge of the cost of tree-planting in cities, both in this and other countries, and the claim is fully warranted by facts. This arises from the circumstance that everything has been done in accordance with a well-considered schema, which was formed pre- vious to commencing operations, in which every possible contingency that could be foreseen was provided for, based upon a lengthened and diver- sified experience^ in this and kindred matters relating to rural improvements. This scheme and the practical execution of its varied details has been projected and carried out under the direction of a Park Commission, which was organized by the late Board of Public Works, in the latter part of the year 1871. This com- mission is composed of three of our citizens, who have given much personal attention to the work, and with as little interference as possible to their daily professional duties. To them it is a labor of love for the public good, and their only reward is the inward gratification that re- sults from the execution of good deeds." Oak Hill Cemetery, Upper Sandusky, Ohio.— The Wyandot Times reports this as a highly successful undertaking. It embraces thirty acres of land, and has three miles of avenues. Mr. W. T. Harding, who designed and laid out the grounds, and which he still superintends, receives gieat praise for mucb of the success which has attended the work. Public Parks in England.— Notwithstand- ing the prevalence of beautiful gardens every- where, the English are still multiplying their public grounds. Leeds has just purchased 300 acres, four miles from the city, as a park for the people. Standard Eunonymus.— It is said that the Eunonymus radicans grafts readily on E. Em-o- j pteus, and makes very pretty lawn plants when j so treated. 1 NEW OR RARE PLANTS. \ Pentstemon Cobcea. — This is one of the j finest hardy species of Pentstemon, and is yet ! very rare in cultivation. The flowers are among I the largest of the genus and are produced in i loose spikes of 8 to 12 inches in length, broadly ' bell-shaped and two inches or more long, of a ro THE GARDENERS MONTHLY ^March, purplish white, and remain for some days. The plant is hard}^ and vigorous, and improves Avith careful cultivation. It cannot fail to become one of the tinest of the many hard}' herbaceous perennials just now becoming so popular in Europe and America. — /. M. Thorburn. Eryxgit M Leavekworthit. — The showiest of annuals, with stem from one to three feet high, and very branching. The heads are of a beautiful purple. Branches cut after the flowers and leaves have matured will last two or three months, making it a valuable addition for Winter bouquets. One of the most valuable plants introduced in many years. — /. M. Thorburn. Spiraea palmata elegans. — Kew Hybrid Spiu.ea. — Under the name of Spirfea palmata elegans M. Ed. Pynaert figures and describes in the current number of the Revue de P Horticulture Beige a plant, as it would seem, of great interest and beauty. The interest resides in the circum- stance that the plant is stated to be a cross between Astilbe barbata and Spira-a palmata, while the inflorescence is intermediate between the two parents. The flowers are ver}- numerous i their pink stamens contrasting well with their clear white petals. Whatever its origin, the plant will probably prove hardy, and Avill be very useful for forcing and for house decoration. — Gar. Chronicle. Daphne fortunei. — This was sent to the Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. Fortune, from the Chusan Hills, Ningpo, and Shanghai. It is a small downy-branched bush, with thin deciduous opposite and alternate ovate-oblong leaves, covered with very soft fine hairs. The flowers, wliich generally appear very early in Spring, are bluish-lilac, arranged in clusters of four, upon branches scarcely beginning to put forth their leaves. They are rather more than an inch long, covered externally with soft, closely pressed hairs, and divided in the border into four roundish, oblong, obtuse, uneven lobes, of which the two inner ones are the smallest. In the inside of the tubes of the calyx are eight nearly sessile stamens in two rows, with narrow sharp- pointed anthers. The ovary, is smooth, stalked, one-celled, with a small fleshy scale at its base, and a single suspended ovule; it produces abruptly from its summit a very short cylindi'ical style, ended by a capitate hairy stigma. No species yet described approaches very nearly to this, which has been named after its enterprising discoverer ; the seed being unknown, it can only be conjectured that it belongs to the Mezereum divisions of the genus. It is a greenlu»use or. ! perhaps, half-hardy shrub, and is a charming I addition to this class of plants, more especially i since it appears to be well adapted for forcing. — Garden. ■ ••♦. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. i Stocks for Grafting. — G. B. G., Manches- ter, York Co., Pa., writes: "Will you be kind ! enough to answer the following queries through i the March number of The Monthta' : How i and when are the following trees grafted, and [ what kind of stocks are used for the difterent i varieties ? Is the operation performed in the j same manner as for fruit trees ? Such as the i finer varieties of Japanese Maples, Weeping I Beech, Elm, Ash, Willo^^% &c- i also the new f Japanese Persimmon. Your answer to the I above will much oblige." [The Japan Maples are grafted on Acer stria- { tum,the Moose or striped bark maple ; Weeping ' Beech on either the European or the American I species ; the Elm on any species ; they intergraft 1 one with another. So also with the Ash, but I the European makes the best stock. The Goat I WiUow is the best stock for Willows; and the I common Persimmon does well for the Japanese varieties. They " take " by either cleft or whip grafting, just as fruit trees do. — Ed. G. M.] Worm on the Juniper. — A Babylon, N". Y.. correspondent says: "Please ask, through the ; Gardener's Monthly, of nurserymen, if they know anything of this worm that is destroying I my Junipers. It is a quarter of an inch long, i and forms a web covering through the winter. j I have not observed it in summer. It evidenth^ j feeds on the young leaves, while in its active I state ; the ends of limbs become knotted, and ; show such an appearance as fire would produce." I Is Aspidlstra lurida Hardy ? — I. C. W., j Fishkill, N. Y., writes : " Mr. John Pettie, a gar- j dener of the first water, told me a few weeks j since that the Aspidistra lurida variegata was a hardy plant, and should be used in the herba- j ceous border. He states that he has tried it at the Kelly Gardens, at Rhinebeck, N. Y., and j that it proved hardy then ; and also states it has I stood out in England, and went through the I winter finely. We have always grown this as a j stove or warm greenhouse plant, and supposed [ it was tender. Do you know of another instance of its standing the winter in the herbaceous bor- der in this country. If it has not been published, would it not lie well to state the fact through your journal." 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 71 Green House and House Gardening. COMMUNICA TIONS. ORCHIDS WITH OTHER PLANTS. BY C. 11. S., BALTIMORE, MD. Having had considerable success in growing orchids in a mixed collection of plants, I think that other amateurs would be glad to do so did they only know how easily it may be done, and in my estimation, how much better they appear when grown with Ferns, Begonias, etc., than when grown in a house entirely devoted to them. I have never seen a collection of orchids except one in which the plants were grown for commer- cial purposes ; and any success that I have had has been from the study of these wonderful plants in their native habitats. I remember as well as if it was only a week ago, the first orchid that I ever saw. It was on Christmas day, 1839, almost forty years ago. I was a sailor boy at Rio de Janerio, and having a holiday to go on shore on Christmas, I had climbed up the moun- tain back of the city. Tired and hungry I sat down to rest, when I observed quite a large white flower not far from me. On examining it I discovered that a limb of a tree had been bro- ken off by the wind, and that the bloom belonged to a plant growing on it, but entirely distinct. I think now that the flower was Cattleya crispa, ■or some one of the white La^lias from Rio. Some six or eight years ago, circumstances al- lowed me to indulge in the luxury of a green- house. I immediately commenced to collect a few orchids, and my collection of these plants has gradually increased until I have some of nearly each species. Thej- have been grown in two small houses, each 12X32, heated by flue and hot water, the heat so regulated that when one house stood at 65° the other would be 50° or less. These houses have been torn down, and a .house 55X17 substituted. In these houses were grown all manner of winter-blooming stuff. Be- gonias, Bouvardias, Epiphyllum, Tydtea and other gesneraceous plants, Geraniums, &c. My Azalias, Camellias, and many other plants that can stand as low a temperature as 35° at times and still seem to bloom better for it, are grown in another house. I have bloomed among other orchids, in the last year, Dendrobium nobile, D. heterocarpum, D. monilliforme,I). mosohatum, D. fimbriatum, Oculatum and several other Dendrobes ; Ansel- lia Africana, brides odoratum and A. virens, Vanda teres, Cattleya Mossse, C. labiata, C. Forbesii, a plant with sevent3f-five flowers open at one time ; C. citrina, C. guttata, C. Loddigesii, C. chocoensis, C. Triante, C. superba, and a half-dozen other varieties ; Odontoglossum, about ten varieties, with Tricopilias, Miltonia, Epidendrum, Stanhopiaes, La?lias, Calanthes Lycaste, &c. As I have never seen a collection of orchids I do not know how they compare with others, but friends who have seen them tell me they are well-grown and healthy, and as they bloom well, I suppose they are handled about right. With these re- marks I propose to give a i&w notes on my man- ner of growing orchids. In the first place, any one wishing to grow orchids with a mixed collec- tion, must divest himself of the idea that the house must be saturated with moisture. Such a condition would be injurious to the beauty of many foliage plants, and would cause the blooms of many other plants to mildew. I grow very few on naked blocks after they are once estab- lished, but either in well-drained pots, buckets made of cedar, (Juniperus Virginianus) or on blocks well covered with moss. I use sphagnum moss alone, for all but the terrestrial orchids ; and I water my orchids, as I do other plants, at the roots when they need it, and use the syringe no more than I would for Begonias and gesnera- ceous plants. It is impossible in a short article to give any idea of the treatment of the different species, time of bloom, manner and time of growth, etc. My experience is that the idea that nearly all orchids should be at rest from Nov. to March, is not according to their wants. I find that very many Brazilian orchids, blooming from Aug. to Nov., start into growth in the fall, which is the spring and wet season of Brazil, and at this moment many of my Brazilian orchids are growing finely. But they need no more heat than is requisite for Bouvardias and Heliotropes to keep, them growing and making good bulbs. I propose later to give you a few articles on the different species that I have grown, and will then try and make clearer my views given from my experience. I would here also remark that an almost universal error in growing orchids is keeping them too wet, too hot, and too densely shaded. I do not remember seeing manv orchids 72 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMarch, growing, either in dense shade or thick woods, but mostly on the trees overhanging streams or on the edge of forests. DISEASE OF THE MARECHAL NIEL. BY "W. W., DOBB's ferry, N. Y. Having read with interest the remarks of your correspondents on the above subject with some diffidence, in regard to rushing into print and difficulties, &c.. I am induced to send you my experience in the hope that the disease may be well defined, and some one prescribe a remedy. Two years ago I had a very fine plant on a Manetti stock, which showed all the symptoms described by your correspondents. The stock outgrew the rose three to one, forming an excres- ence at the point of union, and the gradual decay of the plant was the result. I had at the same time plants worked on LaMarque and Solfaterie, which were in excellent health, and are yet, being entirely free from any appearance of disease. I have noticed the same disease, or the same cause, produce the same eft'ect in other grafted trees where the stock has not been suitable from some cause to the growth of the scion. I have also noticed that a very little neglect in disbudding old plants in the early part of the summer, when they are usually put outside or the sashes taken off, will cause the decay of the leading branches farthest from the base of the plant, the sap preferring to support a lot of younger branches nearer the roots and leaving the old ones to die or starve. It is not my wish to raise any point for controversy, but I would certainly advise anyone who intends growing the Marechal on light, sandy soil, to keep from planting imported Eoses. In the hands of our leading flower-growers on strong clay or loamy soils they do well for a few years and are replaced fi-om lime to time; but in my opinion, better re- sults could be obtained under any circumstances with plants worked on the strong growing varie- ties of the Noisette class. ANTIPODAL HYACINTHS. BY J. H. KRELAGE, HAARLEM, HOLLAND. In reply to the inquiry made about this article in The Gardener's Monthly of November last (page 329), we can say that we re-introduced this very old Dutch method of cultivation some years ago. We exhibited collections of Antipo- dean Hyacinths at the horticultural shows at Haarlem and Utrecht, in 1874, and got large silver medals as first prizes. Again we showed two collections at Haarlem in 1875, and got the first and the second prize. Both the lots exhib- ited at the last international spring show at Amsterdam (1877) which got the first and second prize, came from our nursery. These lots seem to have attracted very much the attention of the visitors— at least they were spoken of in various horticultural periodicals, and illustra- tions given of such pairs of Hyacinths cultivated in a double glass, in the Gardener'' s Chronicle, 1877, page 591, and t)\e Gardener'' s Magazine, 1877, page 262. Both these illustrations, how- ever, are riot correct as to the form of the leaves.. Of these you find an exact figure (No. 47 page 113) in our German catalogue, 303 C. An Eng- lish edition of this catalogue is in preparation.. In the said catalogue you find some details as to the management of this method of culture, which you will find differ evidently of what is said about the matter in the Gardener''s Mafrazine, 1877, page 261, and the Gardener'' s Chronicle, 1877, page 632. Till now no other house here seems to have made a specialty of this method of culture. We have always ready a number of double glasses to suit our customers. The form of these presently used is a perfection (at least as concerns a legacy) of the old Dutch forms which we used half a century ago, when the under part had an inverted funnel form, in which there was more and better room for the flower of the so-called antipodean bulb to develop itself.. In the new form it sometimes occurs that the flower develops so long, that it is obliged to bend upwards with is top to find room. This method of cultivation, to be done well,., claims much attention, but gives, by the extra- ordinary eftect, no small satisfaction. We suppose the above particulars will be suf- ficient to clear up this matter. TUBEROUS — ROOTED BEGONIAS AGAIN.. BYW., NORFOLK, VA. Your correspondent, on page 2 of January Monthly accuses me of over-estimating the value of the above acquisition to our list of plants^ for our-door culture. As he is from England quite recently, he ought to know better than I of their merits there ; but on page 202 of the September number of " J'Ae Garden,'''' 1877, pub- lished at London, I think an unpredjudiced reader will find my statement'.' in part, if not ■wholly substantiated : and I suppose the au- 1878.] AND HO R TICUL TURIS T. 73- thorities there given are equal to Mr. "W. Fal- coner's experience, or the Editor would not give them his unqualified approval by publishing without comment. One writer says : " No one who has not seen these most beautiful and in- valuable plants, either bedded out in masses in circular beds slightly raised in the center, or as single specimens, each in the center of a small round bed, can form any adequate idea of what a brilliant and continuous display of color they provide during the whole of the three summer months, from the middle of June to the middle of September. Also, that even when in full bloom they are almost insensible of the heaviest rain, as torrents which would knock every blos- som off a bed of Zonale Pelargoniums (Gerani- ums are so called in England) do not cause a single bloom to drop before its time, merely making the pliant foot-stalks bend their heads to the storm, raising their lovely blossoms in all their brilliancy and beauty on the reappearance of the sun, when the storm has passed." And much more in the same strain is said by Mr. W. E. Gumbleton, for whom Van Houtte, of Ghent, the foremost and most successful raiser of the best varieties, has seen fit to name one of his two (only) new ones the past season. Could more be said for the famous " General Grant" itself? Another correspondent on the same page begins a short notice, equally laudatory, by say- ing : '' We have no plant the equal of the Fuch- sia for in-door and out-door decorative purposes, unless it be the new race of Tuberose-rooted Be- gonias," and goes on to describe those of Messrs. Veitch's collection at Chelsea, and closes by say- ing : When grown out of doors, one great advan- tage they possess over most other plants is that no amount of wet appears to have the slightest influence in damaging their flowers, which they go on producing until cut off by frost." In favored localities the tubers will sometimes sur- vive the Winter ; and when lifted, they can be made to bloom in the greenhouse till after Christmas, as they have done at Norfolk this season. He further says, " For planting on rock- work, these Begonias have few equals." I call this " practical experience " of the right sort, and it must be borne in mind that it is only since 1874 that they have been grown, even in England, to any great extent. Now for what they will do here in America, and this I can testify to from personal knowl- edge. They stood the blaze of a Virginia sun in the open air unprotected by any shade whatever, both planted out and in pots, all la»st Summer^ till frost cut them down, and were a perfect mass of continuous bloom. The severe storms and showers (and any soldier who has campaigned in Virginia knows what thunder-storms are here, as well as blazing suns) have always left them uninjured, fully corroborating the above quoted testimony. If your correspondent will visit Norfolk we will convince him with regard to this matter- One thing I ought to add for the information of amateurs who-, like myself, will try to raise them from seed and will fail four times out of five, that they require unusual care and attention, the seed being as Kne as a mere powder; but when fairly up and trans- planted, it is wonderful how rapidly they push forward and begin to throw out their rich and charming blossoms. I may be too hasty, but 1 predict for this lovely species a success far sur- passing any plant of recent introduction for sim- ilar purposes. ANTHURIUM SCHERTZERIANUM. I BY MANSFIELD FULTON, CLEVKLAXD, O. 1 This fine plant is a native of Costa Rica, and j consequently requires a good warm temperature I to insure success in its culture. There are several ' varieties of this plant in cultivation, some of I which, especially the small-leaved ones, ai-e not worth growing ; the varieties are the best having ! large leaves and large flowers or spathes, as it is j in the bright color of the spathe where the ! beauty of the plant is. As I consider a plant ' which we have here a good variety I shall give 1 the size of the leaves and flowers. The leaves i are of a bright green color, about sixteen inches long, the leaf starts about a foot high ; above j this rise the flower spikes, the spathes being \ two inches wide and fully three inches long, of j the brightest scarlet. The spathe is twisted and I also bright scarlet, therefore forming a beautiful i and very attractive object. The plant has been in flower since last April, having only now (November) two flowers. A mixture of sphagnum moss, charcoal and pieces of fibrous peat is what I grow it in, with abundance of water in its growing season ; plenty of drainage is necessary to allow the water to pass freely oftV A cooler temperature and less water when in, : flower than when growing makes it retain its ! beauty longer. The insects which attack the ' foliage of this plant most are the white and ' brown scale, which can be easily kept under by 74 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMcirc/i, •occasionally washing the leaves. It is propo- ; quantities, and at Christmas there could be seen gated by seeds and divisions. I would advise [ two long span-roofed houses quite filled with the people when purchasing a plant of this some thousand plants of A. cuneatum, the great Anthurium to endeavor to get the large leaved majority in 32-pots, with larger examples in pots variety, for be the culture ever so good, but little ; of an increased size. Every plant was a perfect satisfaction is derived from the small leaved specimen in itself, so admirably was it grown, ■kinds. , The plants are not marketed, but simply grown '••■ [for the fronds, and thej- are constantly being j sent to London. The ripened, developed fronds are those gathered, as they stand much better and last longer than the young ones. The}- arc- gathered and carefully laid in baskets, and reach •cies we have enumerated some of the best stove I their destination without taking harm. A gra- ■climbers that can be grown, but none are more i cillimum is wonderfully grown at Ascot. There admired^^than the Stephanotis, and it deserves j ^r^ those who term it a ''■ mifty grower," and say attention wherever there is room for it. Pot I -he}^ cannot do anything with it, but at Ascot it plants are nothing compared with a good climb- I is the very perfection of vigor, and if anything, EDITORIAL NOTES. Stephanotis floribunda.— With this spe- ring specimen, yielding flowers in abundance both large and fine. Goood loam and peat in equal •quantities, and plenty of sand, make the proper •compost for it. A bottom-heat from 75° to 80° is high enough, good drainage is essential, and i plenty of water at the root durinir the growing ! more robust than A. cimeatum. It is a very fast grower. A large number of plants had been raised from seed, and it was curious to note that in a ver)-^ young state the pinnse were as large as those of A. cuneatum; but when it gets into size, the season, but not much in Winter. The shoots i joui^g fronds take on that small elegant form will grow to an enormous length if allowed, and as it breaks freely there is never any difticulty in keeping the wires furnished from top to bottom. To keep the shoots clean and free from mealy bug, its worst enemy, not more than two or three should be trained to one wire, and the wires should be five inches or six inches apart, and within eight inches of the glass. The only way to keep down a mealy bug is by vigorous syringing, so as to never let it obtain a peaceable peculiar to it. So rapidly do the plants come on from seedlings, that there were admirable speci- mens in 48-pots that were in the seed-pans a 3'ear ago. Some extra-large specimens showed ofl" the character of the species to the very best advantage. It may be that failures with this Fern arise from the use of too much peat in the soil ; at Ascot no peat whatever is used. The soil is a sandy, turfy loam, and a little horse- manure, and strong plants have a little weak footing, and attention with the brush to prevent ! nianure-water once a week, and rather more in the enemy clustering in about the axils of the ! summer-time. The experience gained at Ascot In a stove the flowers continue to be teaches that A. gracillimum will not grow h) or two an inter- leaves produced for a period of six weeks months, but by having a plant in mediate-house also the blooming season may be prolonged considerably, None of the species here treated of require shade in summer pro- vided the ventilation be sufficient ; but when the stove has to be shaded for the sake of its other inmates, the climbers will suff^er no injury if the shading be not too thick nor used oftener than required.— i^ze/c^. Winter Decorative Plants.— In addition to the many flowering plants grown for decora- tive purposes at mid-winter. Ferns play an im- portant part, and especially the Maidenhair Fern, A. cuneatum, and the elegant A. gracilli- mum. At the Royal Nursery, Ascot, Messrs. Standish & Co. grow these two in immense peat. The cuneatum is increased by dividing the plants when they break into growth after 1 being cut over for the I^ndon The plants, as soon as they begin to be active, are cut to pieces, and potted in 32-pots. Asparagus decumbens is much grown for table decoration at Ascot ; its long handsome shoots are very acceptable for clothing the stems of tall epergnes. This species was growmg m 48-pots, and a line of plants along the front of a stage of Camellias, etc.. hung down like a fringe. The plant puts forth pseudo-bulbs like an Orchid, and is nearly deciduous in Summer, but most orna- mental in Winter. — Gardener''s Chronicle. A New Fashion in Cut Flow^ers. — A very pretty innovation is to wear the same flowers in the hat or ])onnet as are held in the bouquet in 1878.] AND HORTICULrURIST. 75 the hand; consequently, only llowers that are in j season are worn. Xow, of course, we have a j <;reat choice, but in Winter we shall have only j ivy. heath, and branches of tir-tree, with a few j of the tiowers reared in hothouses. The flowers i on the hat, also, must be perfumed as if they i were real tlowers. There is a poetry in the i fashion, which will not fail to please. Even i -elderly ladies may follow this fashion; for they will choose flowers adapted to their age, or. if j not flowers, they may wear the foliage of the i flowers — or. better stilL faded flowers. And ; perhaps these are the most beautiful of all. Imagine a large over full-bloomed rose, the half of which still clings to its stem, whilst the other half appears to fall leaf by leaf amongst the foliage. It is extremely lovely and graceful, and is arranged with so much art by the florist that ■one lady who wore such a rose at the Grand Prix was warned by another lady standing near her "that she was losing her flowers." I can therefore recommend faded flowers to most ladies. Feathers also are greatly worn, es- pecially on hats— the large-brimmed Rubens ihats, which are now so much the fashion — now more than ever, indeed. At the Grand Prix, fancy fair, and review, the ladies wore little else. Hats at the back of the head are now no longer ■L'onsidered comme il faut. Duchesses, baron- esses, princesses, countesses, etc., all wear large- brimmed hats bending over the face. And how pretty they are I They may perhaps not be Kjuite so saucy as the jaunty sailor's hat, but if they look less provoquants, ladies can, at least, look blushing beneath their shade ; and what is moss to a rose so is blush to a woman. — ^'Echoes from. Paris,'''' in Pictorial World. Ce:xtauhea Clemkxtii. — Among the silvery leaved plants now so popular for carpet bedding there are few tribes more useful than the Cen- taureas which give us so many good ones. Some years ago we noted the appearance of a beauti- ful variety in Europe, but it has been slow in NEW OR RARE PLANTS. Skmi-double Gloxixi.vs. — These are by no means rare, but a.s yet they can scarcelj' be termed meritorious. I have recently seen a number of them in flower, but cannot help con- sidering them good flowers spoiled. The outer calyx is not continuous but disjointed, a circum- stance which gives the flower a ragged appear- ance : if, however, it can be so far improved upon as to be developed into a perfect outer calyx as is seen in some of the forms of the •Canterbury Bell, it may then become very efiective. The forms of Gloxinia are well worth the attention of the rtori>t. — T). in Garden. getting into our country. A correspondent tells IS he had it out last Summer, and that it stands the sun very well. We give with this an illustra- ion of a leaf. CuPHEA RoEZLi. — This new and beautiful species, which has been introduced into the mar- ket by M. Charles Huber, nurseryman at Nice I Maritime Alps), was discovered in the district of Tepic, in Mexico, by M. Roezl, who sent the seeds to M. Ortgies. The first sowins was made 76 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMarch, by M, Charles Huber in August, 1875. The plant forms a soft-wooded, very vigorous shrub, often growing to the height of 3 ft., or even more. The flowers are extremely abundant ; they are covered all over with light down, and are slightly gibbous, or slipper-shaped. From its vigor, the abundance of its bloom, and the length of time it keeps in flower, the Cuphea Roezli will be much sought after for the orna- mentation of cold greenhouses in the climate of Paris, and for gardens in the open air in the south of France. If grown properly, there is no doubt that this plant will soon be common in our markets. Planted in good time in the open air, in a well sheltered and sunny position, the Cuphea Roezli, which a very free flowering plant, will begin to bloom in the course of the Sum- mer, and continue to do so without interruption right into the Winter. The plants, however, must be well protected from frost. This species of Cuphea may, according to circumstances, be cultivated as a biennial by leaving the plants in the open air, as is already done in the case of several greenhouse plants, such as Pelargoni- ums, or it may be looked on as a greenhouse plant proper, and re-potted and pruned in the spring according to the purposes for which we intend it. — Garden. Neav Geraniums. —Xew varieties are out in force. Besides those offered by W. K. Harris in our last month's advertisements, there are two in the West of some promise. Fanny, a bronze zonale, flower salmon color, and Ralph, with crimson flowers. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Hyacinth Blooming.— R., New York City, asks : ''What has been on an average the re- sult of Hyacinth forcing this year ; do they all remain behind the general run, or is it more, so in those regions of our country where the winter has been wet and the skies over- cast? I have taken a short trip over the West last month, and found the Dutch Hyacinths very backward. Around here I have hardly yet seen what to call aj^ne blooming specimen. The same report I read in the last number of the London Gardener'' s Chronicle. I can only ascribe it to the blight which damaged the foliage of the Dutch Hyacinth last May, before the bulb had time to fully develop and mature. The Dutch- men themselves did not seem to know what to make of it, when I saw them last June, as thev said the oldest growers did not recollect such an event. They certainly appeared very much cast down about their prospects to raise a large crop- for this season ; and so far I hear it corroborated, that fewer Hyacinth bulbs have been planted in Holland last fall, for the season of 1878, than has. been done in other years. Other bulbs 1 saw,, were doing well on an average." [No flowers have bloomed as well generally this winter as usual, perhaps owing to the- absence of snow. The more light the more flowers; the more snow generally the more light.. We merely offer this as a guess. — Ed. G. M.] Flowers in Milavaukee. — T. G. A., Milwau- kee, Wis., writes : " Camellias, Azaleas and Oranges ; this class of plants do not appear to do well here. Florists and others get them in a. very good condition from the East, but a few years generally uses them up. I have got some from Mr. Buist, and others have some from Mr. Dick and ol her florists, all of which came in toler- able good condition, but they are now in three years nearly worthless. In fact, I have seen none- in Wisconsin in a good, healthy condition. ThC' same maybe said of the Rhododendron. Is the cause attributable to atmosphere, or soil V I> believe it would be of great service to many gardeners here, to get some light on the matter- through the Gardener's Monthly. [Years gone by, the Editor has seen excellent Camellias at Milwaukee. No doubt it is but some temporary and local cause that those you refer to do not do well. It is probably no per- manent cause. — Ed. G. M.] Butterfly Flowers. — While our correspon- dents are teaching us how to grow Butterfly Orchids, Mr. Rolker, of New York, sends us- samples of paper butterflies, looking so much like real living things, that even one 'in the flesh" might take them for brother "flies." They are used to give life to boquets and floral work, and must have the full eff'ect desired. Double White Oleander.— Mrs. W., Wor- cester, Mass., kindlj- writes: "In your num- ber for September, I noticed 'E.' inquires under scraps and queries, page 268, if there- is really a double white Oleander. In reply^ I will say, I have a double white Oleander which bloomed fully for the second time, last summer ; it was a slip three years since. There j are now five stalks, from one to two and a half I feet deep, each with a branch of buds. A friend ! from whom this slip came, has a plant equally^ vigorous." 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 77 Aspect of a Greenhouse.— S. B. B., War- renton, W. Va., writes : " I am about to build a greenhouse, and ask that you would favor me with your advice as to position. The place I would like all day. I have another place I could put it in where the gable would face a little west of south, with sun all day." [Supposing the chief object will be flowers in to put it is so fixed that I would be compelled to winter, either aspect would do vei-y well. The have the gable end (which would be of glass) fac- one giving as much direct sunlight from the ing a little south of east ; the sun shines on the spot southeast having the preference. — Ed. G. M.] Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, SEASONABLE HINTS. Grape-vines in the open air, on arbors and trellises, should have their pruning finished be- fore warm Spring days set in, or they will bleed. It does not iujiu-e them much, but it looks bad. The pruning must be regulated by the condi- tion of the vine. If the vines are young and the shoots weak, cut them all back, to make a new and vigorous growth. If already a fair quantity of strong shoots of last season's growth exists, cut out the weaker ones, so as to leave enough of stronger ones. The cane system, slightly modi- fied, is best for arbors and trellises in the hands of amateurs generally. This implies a new set of canes every year or two. If, as frequently happens from bad management, all the young and strong-bearing wood exists only at the end of the vines, — and these latter have become nothing but long, ropy-looking apologies for what a vine should be — the whole cane may be buried down in the soil to where the strong shoots spring from, and the young wood of last season trained up from this. The plant will then recover its good appearance quite as well as by ■cutting down, with the advantage of not sacri- ' ficing a year's crop of fruit. I Many kinds of raspberries, especially in dry j soils, have a tendency to throw up innumerable ; suckers. These should be thinned out. Three or four canes are enough to leave in a "hill." We like, however, to grow raspberries in rows, where each cane may have a chance to enjoy an independent existence of about a square foot of soil for itself. "We have before remarked that fruit trees and bushes should invariably be cut in severely, and not allowed to bear the same season of planting. It is a fatal mistake to look for fruit the same season of setting out the trees. This is at the expense of future growth, and without future -growth there will be no future crops. Raspberries, blackberries, «S:;c., frequently bear and die when so treated. The canes should be inches on transplanting, in fall should always be It is not essential with the kinds, but it aids them cut back to a few Raspberries for fruit pretty well cut back, regular Fall-bearing much. In the vegetable garden we might give a hint in asparagus culture, that if very large stalks are desired the soil must be very rich, and the plants set as wide apart as rows of corn. It is to be observed that those who believe there are some varieties of asparagus that may be reproduced fiom seed, urge the necessity of planting very wide apart. We do not know that very large stalks are especially desirable, and for ordinary use would set the plants about twenty inches apart ; about four inches beneath the surface is deep enough to set. Good deep soil is generally good ; but if in a stiff soil, deepening it for asparagus, only makes a well into which the surrounding waters drain. It is much better in such situations to plant in raised beds. The alleys between, then serve as surface ditches. Many failures in planting asparagus, arise from this depth of bed, under such circumstances. The plants rot from water about them. In the open ground Peas and Potatoes receive the first attention. Then Beets and Carrots. Then Lettuce, Radish, Spinach, Onions, Leeks and Parsley. Beyond this, unless in more favor- able latitudes than Pennsylvania, little can be done till the first week in April. There is nothing gained in working soil until it has be- come warm and dry. Those who have no Spinach sown in the Fall should do that right away ; no amount of stable manure but will be a benefit to it, though guano, in even smallish doses, will kill it. Guano produces excellent Cabbage, mixed with the ground while it is being dug for that crop. Cabbage, is ready; and Potatoes are better in 78 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMarch, before the beginning of next month, if the ground is not too wet; many plant Cabbage be- tween the Potato rows. Onions are better put in early, but the ground ought to be dry, and trodden or beaten firm when the sets are planted; the ground ought not to have rank manure — wood ashes and pure un- dunged loam will alone produce an excellent crop. To have Turnips good in Spring they must be sown very early ; the}'^ are hardy, and must be put in as soon as the ground can be caught right. Parsley delights in a rich gravelly loam, and should be sown very early. Parsnips, another crop which should receive early attention, also delights in a deep gravelly soil, but detests rank manure. Lettuce and Radishes continue to sow at intervals. Herbs of all kinds are best attended to at this season — a good collection is a good thing. The Carrot will thrive in soil similar to the Beet; lime is an excellent manure for it — we use Long Orange. Celery may be sown about the end of the month, in a bed of very light rich soil, and Tomatoes, Egg Plants and Peppers sown in pots or boxes, and forwarded. It is as bad to be too early with these as too late, as they become stunted. In vegetable garden culture it must be remem- bered that we have to operate the reverse of fruit culture. A woody growth is what we require for fruit trees ; but we need for vege- tables a soft, spongy, succulent character, the very reverse of this. For this end the ground cannot be too deep, too rich, or too much culti- vated. The hoe and the rake should be kept continually going, loosening the surface and admitting "air and light," as the old books used to say. There is not only an advantage in this for the direct benefit of the plant, but an early use of these tools keeps down the weeds, and thus we save labor. It is a great thing to be ''forehanded" in the weed war. COMMUNICA TIONS. FRUIT NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA. BY JAMES SIIINN, NIl.ES, CAL. I shall at present confine my observations to that portion of the State with which I am most familiar — the counties of Alameda and Santa Clara, embracing the great valley which extends from San Pueblo on the north to Gilroy on the- south. This district, embracing over one thou- sand square miles, is one of the most important fruit sections of the State. All the fruits of the temperate climes are grown in perfection, and many of the so-called semi-tropical. The climate is varied and much modified by the ocean winds, which are chiefly felt in the northern portion, lying near the bay of San Francisco. The southern portion is warmer and drier, hence produces earlier fruit. It may be safely said that the whole district under cultiva- tion produces in great perfection apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, the leading nuts, etc. Very large quantities of the small fruits are grown. The vicinity of the San Lorenzo Creek has proved the best soil for currants, the Cherr}- being the leading variety, as the Red Dutch does not succeed. San Jose, Santa Clara and vicinity supply most of the strawberries used in San Francisco and the interior towns. The British Queen, an old favorite, has been discarded, and now Peabody's Seedling takes the lead. The new Monarch of the West is coming into favor.. Blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries grow well everywhere. The foreign varieties of grape do extremely well in the foothills of this entire region, and over much of the valley, but are dis- posed to mildew near the bay. This can be pre- vented by using a trellis to keep the vines oft the ground. The favorite kinds are Black Ham- burg, Malvaise, Rose de Peru, Flame Tokay, Muscat of Alexandria, Chasselas, &c. Figs, pomegranates, olives, lemons, limes and oranges have been grown, of excellent quality, and it is not unreasonable to expect large orchards of these at no very distant day. In. some sheltered places we have even fruited the- banana ; but this is a rare event. The apple is extensively grown in this entire section, and in great variety. The size attained'; by many varieties is larger, perhaps, than in any other part of the State ; but apples grown with us are somewhat lacking in that sprightly acid \ which characterizes the same varieties when grown in more mountainous regions. They are also lacking in keeping qualities. With few exceptions, the Winter apples of the East ripen- in the Fall or early Winter. The following : apples ifave succeeded best with us : Early i Harvest, Red Astracan, Summer Queen, Ameri- ! can Summer Pearmain,Gravenstein, Fall Pippin, j Holland Pippin. Washington Strawberry, Maiden ! Blush. Smith Cider, Yellow Belleflower, Rhode- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. I^ Island Greening, Cayuga Redstreak, or Twenty Ounce ; Jonathan, Vandevere, Wagener, Canada Reinette, White Winter Pearmain, Nickajack, Ben Davis, Skinner's Seedling, Large Striped Pearmain, Yellow Newtown Pippin. The last is our best keeper, and most reliable market i apple. I Pears have been grown for nearly a century at j the old Spanish Missions, and both soil and cli- 1 mate have proved congenial in the highest degree. Large quantities are grown for the home mark^^ts and also for export. Almost all the varieties known have been experimented with ; but the tendency among large growers is now to plant only a few kinds, selecting those best adapted to transportation to a distant market. The following have been most profitable : Bart- 1 lett, Clapp's Favorite, Flemish Beauty, Seckel, | Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre Clarigeau, Easter ' Beurre, Winter Nelis. Only second in import- ance are the Yirgalieu, Madeleine, Bloodgood, Beurre Hardy, Yicar of Winkfield, Duchess (rAngouleme and Glout Morceau. The peach is grown largely in all this district south of San Leandro. This delicious fruit does not ripen so early in this region as in the warmer interior valleys ; hence the attention of orchard- ists is directed mainly to the medium and the late peaches, in which we excel. For the local demand, however, all varieties are grown. Our most popular kinds are: Alexander's Early, Briggs' May, Tillotson, Strawberry, Large Early York, Shinn's Rareripe, Crawford's Early, Crawford's Late, Orange Free, Morris White, President, Salway and Smock's Late. The Thur- I)er, Susquehanna, Foster, Silver Medal, Nanti- coke and many others are yet on trial. Early Beatrice is not a success. The Cherry, also, does admirably with us if it is trained low so that the branches protect the trunk. The leading varieties are : Knight's Early, Early Purple Guigne, Elton, Black Tar- tarian, Gov. Wood, Napoleon Bigarreau, May- | duke, English Morello. The cherry is prefei-red i on Mazzard stock, but bears well on the ! Mahaleb. The Pkun, Prune and Apricot are staple crops, i entirely free from insect ravages, and peculiarly I adapted to our soil and climate. They market j well while fresh, and are dried with ease. Our i best plums are the Washington, Columbia, Peach ' Plum, Quackenboss, Duane's Purple, Coe's I (rolden Drop and Imperatrice. Of prunes, the ! Early Felenberg, German, Hungarian and Petite Prune d'Agen. The most popular apricots are the Early Golden, Ro3^al, Moorpark and Hem-- kirke. The almond and English walnut are grown in. every part of the valley, with promise of entire- success. Many orchai'ds of almonds have been planted, and some have paid largely. The almond does best in a place somewhat sheltered" from the north wind. A line of Eucalyptus globulus is usually sufficient protection. There are few difticulties in the way of the- fruit-grower of this' section. No destructive insects have troubled us, and we are near the- leading markets of the State. In dry seasons, the increased price of fruit compensates for the short crop. But in some respects the home market is overdone, and Ave must make an out- let by exporting more fruit, either fresh, canned or dried. Much interest has been shown in various methods of drying, but the present ten- dency is towards cheap family driers, which will utilize the waste in small orchards, and enable each orchardist to prepare his own fruit. The region whose leading varieties of fruit I have briefly described, constitutes one of the most desirable portions of California for the orchardist. The business of raising fruit is rapidly extending, and many farmers are aban- doning the growth of cereals and planting or- chards and are beautifying their places. The awakening of public interest on this topic has been wondei-ful, and it is hardly too much to say that probably in a very few years this entire valley will be occupied by orchards, vineyards, small fruits and market gardens. THE DIOSPYROS KAKI OR JAPANESE PERSIMMON. BY REV. II. LOOMIS. This fruit is found in Japan and China in the same varieties of soil and climate as the wild persimmon of our own country. It will proba- bly succeed as far North as Lat. 42°, and from that to the Gulf. Like other fruits, it differs widely in size,flavor and value, according to the soil, climate and culture. It is stated that there are a hundred varieties, of which but few are of value for general cultivation. Some are the size of a musket ball, and others have exceeded a pound in weight. Some also ripen on the tree like the apple, while others (and some of the choicest kinds) are subjected to a process of ripening to remove the astringency and develop the peculiar, rich and luscious tlavor. ^80 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_Marc/i, An exact description of all the varieties is yet to be prepared. Owing to the diversity of names and variations in the fruit, it is difficult to obtain a complete and reliable account of the various kinds. From careful observation and comparison of authorities I have selected the following as desir- able varieties for introduction here, and I give as far as possible a condensed account of each. Nihon is usually slightly oblong, is round in shape, color yellowish red, with black spots in Royal, similar in shape to the Taikoon,but more yellow in color, large size. Is said to be good for drying. Mikado, shaped like a tomato, medium size, bright yellow color. Called in Japan "Tarngaki" (from tarn a tub), as it is usually plucked and packed in casks to ripen. A very common and popular fruit in Yedo and vicinity. Not much used for drying. Some of the specimens are seedless, and especially when the trees are young. DIOSPYROS KAKl. the surface and also in the flesh. It is not large, | Imperial or Yamato, this is shaped like an but very productive and early. The flesh is solid acorn or minnie ball. It is very large, reddish and it keeps well, ripening on the tree in Sep- color, with sometmies dark stripes on the surface, tember. It is much esteemed for its peculiarly i The flesh is soft when ripe and particularly sweet sweet flavor. Grown about Tokio. i and fine. When peeled and dried it resembles Daimio, oblong with rounded apex, color red | figs, being covered with sugar that exudes from with black or dark stripes about the eye, ! the fruit. It will ripen on the tree, but is medium size, flesh soft, ripens in October. Called 1 usually ripened in casks. Season, later part of " Yedo's best Persimmon." October to January. The most popular variety |fTaikoon,round, of a pale or greenish yellow : among the Japanese. From Mino in Central color, medium size, ripens on the tree in October. ', Japan. A great favorite in Western Japan. I Gogen, like the Imperial except in size, but it 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 81 is said that the trees are more prolific. Ripens on the tree. Is used for drying. Kanosan, color yellowish red, oblong, good size, ripens off the tree. The apex is bent to one side. There is a variety called the " Mame Gaki " (or bean persimmon from its size), that is not good for eating, but the juicR of which is used for making paint. The wood is very beautiful, being mottled and black like ebony. It is prized very highly for cabinet ware. The wood of other varieties is not generally of as fiiie a quality. There is a small seedless persimmon found in Southern Japan that is used chiefly for drying. It is probable that the trees sold in this country as " seedless " are either the same or else amis- take. No large and seedless variety, as has been represented, is tf^ be obtained. LIME FOR APPLE ORCHARDS. BYM. J. BLACKWELL, TITUSVILLE, N. J. "We have used lime on our apple orchard for a number of years, and consider it beneficial in moderate quantities, say twenty bushels to the acre. We have an old orchard that has borne heavy crops for several years, that we have limed with good results. EDITORIAL NOTES. New English Gooseberries. —There are several new gooseberries being put on the market just now, " remarkably large, free from mildew," &c. We are glad to see experiments made in this direction, for it is not at all impossible that varieties of the English gooseberries may be produced that will be more successful in our climate than the English gooseberries of the past. It is well, however, to remember that these gooseberries belong to the English race, though they may have been raised from seed in this coun- try ; and the fact that they have remained a few years free from mildew in any one locality is no proof of then* general adaptation to our climate. Neglecting Orchard TREES.—The Country Gentleman tells of two neighboring orchards at South Haven, Michigan, one is "cultivated," and the owner raises fine fruit. The other allows his trees " to stand" in grass, and the trees are " mossy," " eaten by borers," have " yellow leaves," and " no fruit of any value." The only matter of surprise is that our cotempoi-ary should go to Michigan for its example, when New York State can show as many such cases as Michigan. We do not ])elieve Michigan one j whit behind New York or any other State in its ; illustrations of neglected orchards ; on the con- I trary, as the writer of this has seen with his own i eyes, the fruit growers of Michigan are, as a i whole, among the most wide-awake in the Union. i We can assure our cotemporary that a neglected j orchard has no more chance in New York than ' any other State. Only good culture can raise j apples or any othgr fruit anywhere. Grafting Rooted Eyes — Mr. G. W. Camp- ! bell, of Delaware, Ohio, takes rooted eyes of i grapes for grafting. He says the process is much I more certain in this way. The benefits are a I very rapid growth from the union on a strong I rooted stock. Carter's Blue Apple. — Mr. G. W. Stoner, of Louisiana, says this Southern apple is much in the way of Ben Davis, but prettier, fine flavored, 1 and keeps as long as Rome Beauty. I Apples for Missouri. — A correspondent, evi- i dently of great experience, from Caldwell county, : tells the Rural World: " If I were to plant out a new orchard of 100 trees, I would make it about as follows : 50 Ben Davis, 10 Lawver, 10 Wine- sap, 10 Jeneton, 3 Red June, 3 Early Harvest, 5 Maiden Blush, 3 Smith's Cider, 3 Bellflower, 3 i Tallman Sweet. For an orchard of 200 trees I I would add 75 Ben Davis, 10 Rome Beauty, 10 Lawver, and 5 Red Astrachan to the above list. For an orchard of 1,000 trees, I would begin with 750 Ben Davis, and the balance Lawver«, Jenetons, Winesaps, etc." East India Millet. — Under the name of Penicillaria spicata, Mr. W. H. Carson, of New York, is introducing a new forage plant. It grows to eight or ten feet high before fall, the stems rarely reaching an inch in diameter, and i very leafy. Two quarts of seed, drilled, is enough I for an acre. All farm stock like it. ! The Northern Spy Apple.— The Gardener'' s \ Chronicle figures the Northern Spy Apple, and says it is one of the best apples in England. It was first introduced to public notice by Ell- wanger & Barry, of New York. Blight-Proof Stocks. — In Australia they call the Aphis lanigera " American blight." They are using an old English apple, the Ma- jetin, for stocks, which they say is " blight- ■ proof." 82 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY [Marc/i, NEW OR RARE FRUITS, VEGETABLES, ETC, Teosinte reaka ltjxuriax^. Mef^sip. Vil moriu, of Paris, give? the following account of a new grass, which may be worth looking after by our Southern agi'iculturists : "Much has been spoken lately in the agricultural and horticul- tural papers of this gigantic graminaea, botk as an ornamental as well as a forage plant. It is a native of Central America ; perennial in hot climates, it will not stand our Winters; resem- bles Indian Corn in aspect and vegetation, but produces a great number of shoots, growing 3 to 4 yards high, thickly covered with leaves, and yielding such an abundance of forage, that one plant is estimated to be sufficient to feed a pair of cattle for twenty-four hours. In our northern countx-ies it is doubtful whether it will be availa- ble for forage, but it will certainly find its place in large gardens as a decorative plant, for sown in Spring in pots and planted in May in the open ground, it will produce a mass of shoots forming a large bunch of more than a yard in diameter by three yards in height." SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Cuttings in Arkansas. — Mrs. S. S. T., Alexander, Ark., writes: "Herein Arkansas almost every thing of the tree and shrub kind grows from cuttings put into the ground in Feb- ruary, but the inhabitants do not generally avail themselves of the fact, and indeed many are not aware of it. I know of whole orchards of ap- ples, pears, peaches, plums, &c., now in bearing which were started from cuttings a foot or eighteen inches long. We removed here a year since, and have found Arkansas a country of such wonderful capabilities as to constantly stimulate us to improve its peculiar advantages." Fall BLOOMiNa of Apple Trees. — J. P. asks : " I would like to be informed, if possi- ble, of the reason of and cure for two Maiden Blush apple trees belonging to a friend of mine, blooming for several years past in October and not in Spring. Situated at Red Bank, N. J., light, sandy soil, about seven miles from sea shore," [Trees which usually bloom in Spring or Summer, bloom only in Autumn wlien the leaves have been destroyed or injured before the proper time for the fall of the leaf in Autumn. Sometimes it is by leaf-blight, sometimes by caterpillars, but in some way the leaves of your friend's trees have been injured towards the end of Summer, and in this direction you must look for the cause. — Ed. G. M.] SCRIBNER SPITZENBURG ApPLES:— Mr. Bailey writes : " I do not think that there is much difference in time of ripening of the Esopus and Scribner Spitzenburgs. This year we had very warm weather, ripening the fruit earlier than usual on the trees, and followed by very unusually warm weather after packing. All our apples are over-ripe for the season." Fruit-Citlture for Market. — J. C. W., Hudson River, New York, writes : " Will you please answer the following queries through your journal? We wish to plant 1000 standard and from 1000 to 3000 dwarf pear, to grow fruit for New York market. What sorts would you advise us to plant ? We wish also to plant five acres of grapes. Could we do better than plant the Concord, with a view to grafting to leading white or other sorts ? Further, what variety of crab-apple would you advise us to plant, with a view to selling the fruit in New York, and Geneva, N. Y. V Nurserymen advise us to plant Hyslop. What work can you recommend as the best on the cultivation and management of the standard and dwarf pear? also on the grape ? " [While visiting the fruit farm of Col. Edward Wilkins, of Maryland, last fall, Mr. W. told the writer that he had had so much profit from an orchard of dwarf pear trees, that he was about to set out — we believe — 50,000 more. These were of the Duchess d'Angouleme. Another of our large standard pear-growei's finds the Bartlett,for fall, and the Lawrence, for winter, the best stan- dard varieties. For market, however, one has to study what is his market, and what is the demand there. We have known some old people about Germantown make fabulous sums from old Catharine Pear Trees, by merely whipping off the fruits, and selling them immediately, on the market prices of Philadelphia. But this would be useless in a place where they could not be all patthered one day and sold the next. Con- cord W( ul 1 be the best variety in most localities not over-favorable for grape-culture ; but if you are on liijht, dry ground, as on the Hudson you probably are, the Salem, Brighton, Dela- ware, or others of the better class, ought to do well. All kinds do better grafted on Concord or Clinton Roots. Hyslop or Transcendent Crabs are very good market fruits, but many prefer 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 83 the smaller, old-fashioned kinds. A week or two un watching the market in which you will prob- ably sell, is good practice for one who intends to set out an orchard for profit. It is unfortunately the case that those who have been the most successful in fruit-growing seldom write books. Some of the best — at least i the most taking — of the literature of fruit-grow- i jng in this country, has been the product of en- thusiastic, well-meaning men, who earnestly be- lieved in all they wrote, but whose orchards t(when they had any) afterwards proved disastrous failures. With Barry's Fruit Garden and Thomas' Fruit Culturist in hand, and then some good judgment in adapting their experience to your surroundings and circumstances, you will, how- ever, have as good a start as you will need on your road to successful fruit-culture. — Ed. G. M.] Pruning the Old Canes of Raspberries. — M., Newark, Ohio, writes: "There is a dis- pute among our fruit-growers as to the best time to prune out the Raspberry canes that have done l)earing. Some say as soon as you have picked the last fruit ; others, not till Winter or Spring. What is the practice in the East ? and which is .the best ?" [Theoretically, if the old branches are cut away, there will be more "air and light," and perhaps " food," for the rest; but in practice no «pecial benefit is found. Indeed, in some re- spect, injury seems to result. The winter is often very severe on the canes. The wind whis- .tles through and dries out the sap. To some •small degree the branches of the old canes help to break the force of the wind, and so far protect the young canes. We think, on the whole, there lis nothing gained either way. The practice here- abouts is to cut away after the fall of the leaf 'Or towards Spring. — Ed. G. M.] Outside Grape Borders. — R. T. Littleton, N. H., asks : " Would you advise making a grape border outside for forcing, in a cold climate like Franconia, N. H. ? I see you do in Pennsylva- nia, in December number, page 367. I had thought the reverse the best in this cold climate." [Yes ; but cover the horder in winter with leaves or some other material. Frost will not injure the roots of a grape vine ; but then it does them no good. — Ed. G. M.] Linseed Oil for Pear Trees. — E. J. B., Philadelphia, writes: "Please to publish the following, in order to save others from the an- noj^ance to which I have been subject, and the destruction of fine orchards. We bought a farm, with fine Apple, Pear and Cherry trees, about twenty years old. They yielded quantities of fruit, but wormy. Seeing in your Gardener's Monthly, Vol. xix., No. 220, April 1877, page 115, Query, Oil for Fru^t Trees, 'The writer of this washed some hundreds of trees with linseed oil a year ago ; it destroyed all insects, and the trees were all the season and still are models of health. It is far preferable to anything that we know of.— Ed.G.M.' "My trees, perfect models of health, are now all dying. The bark has split, and is now covered with a white fungus growth to a height of twenty feet, or as far as the oil went. When touched it falls off, and the wood beneath is dead. It looks as if I should lose thirty or forty well-grown, handsome trees. No money could repay the damage done in the loss of shade and comfort afforded. Thinking it would be impossible to have better authority, I had them carefully washed at the end of March or beginning of last April. Perhaps you may be able to suggest something that will save our orchard and our bitter disap- pointment in losing all our shade and fruit trees." [The trees referred to in the extract quoted are still " models of health," though now two sum- mers have elapsed. We feel quite safe in saying that jawre linseed oil will not only not injure, but be of great advantage. Those who have had losses must have used adulterated oils. We would advise them to get some more of the same sort, use a little to kill a branch of another tree, get the balance analyzed, and then sue the seller for damages. Any court would award it on such evidence. — Ed. G. M.l Forestry. COMMUNICA TIONS. QUERCUS PHELLOS AND Q. FALCATA. BY J. M., PHILADELPHIA. Some of the Southern species of oaks, among which are the two named above, creep up a con- siderable way towards a colder clime. In Wood's Botany the location of the Quercus Phellos, Willow Oak, is given as from N. J. to Fla., and Western States, and of the Q. falcata, Spanish Oak, as from Va. to Fla. I was pleased one day last fall, to find some 84 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY lA/arc/i, fine specimens of the Phellos just outside of Philadelphia county, across the Darby Creek where the bx'idge takes one across to Delaware county. There are some five or six trees in a small clump of woods, the largest of them per- haps fifty feet high, and growing side by side with the Quercus palustris, which abounds in this neighborhood. I have been told of speci- mens of the (^uci'cus Phellos which formerly grew in Gray's woods, some four miles north of these of which I am writing grow. It would be interesting to know the furthest northern point that this beautiful Oak has been where found growing wild. In the same vicinity that I name are scattered specimens of the Quercus falcata, but this ex- tends further up towards Philadelphia city, and even above it, as a large tree grows in Lans- downe Ravine, quite near Horticultural Hall, Fairmount Park. Specimens can also be found in Mt. Moriah Cemetery and adjacent places. The deeply lobed leaves, so tomentous under- neath and so leathery to the touch, make it easily recognized from others. Country folks hereabouts call the Quercus coc- cinia the Spanish Oak, but our botanical works give this name to the Quercus falcata. I namental plantations for several months in the summer. Plant the seeds in October in a green- house, give the roots a large box, put out in June I in warm, dry soil, give water sufficient to keep a lively growth. Thus you can have a plant of j great beauty by October, ten to fifteen feet high." He also sent seed of twenty-one varieties of i Eucalyptus, a portion of which have been given to Mr. Miller for propagation, at Horticultural I Hall in the Park. : Our friends, in the Southern States especially,. ; should take notice where they can secure the I books on the Eucalyptus and the seed. EDITORIAL NOTES. THE EUCALYPTUS. BY S., PHILADELPHIA. Mr. Elwood Cooper, brought up in Lancaster county. Pa., after making a fortune in the West India trade, went to Santa Barbara, California, and settled down to the cultivation of a large ranche— 4,000 Olive trees, 4,000 English Wal- nuts, 12,500 Almond trees, and 50,000 Eucalyptus trees constitute a portion of the orchards and forest he has set out. Appreciating the importance of growing large quantities of trees and the especial value of the Eucalyptus, he opened an intercourse with Baron Ferd. Yon Muller, Director Botanic Gardens of Melbourne, and received numerous pamphlets of the Baron's writing on Eucalyptus. These he has collected and edited, with matter of his writ- ing, making an important contribution to our works on forest culture. Close with as much of the circular as you choose He has sent a gift of a copy of his book to the Phila. Library, where it can be seen. In a letter to a gentleman of this city he says : "All of you can have the Blue Gum in your or- Yellow Pine.— It is well worth while askmg^ What is the Yellow Pine ? to remember that in the Pacific States Abies grandis is the Yellow Pine, It is also said that Thuja gigantea is; called the Oregon Red Cedar. The Libocedras decurrens is the Yellow Cedar of the Pacific coast. The Spanish Chestnut. — This, though wild in many parts of Europe, is now supposed to- have been originally introduced by the Greeks^ from Asia. The American species is no doubt truly indigenous to the American continent. Willow Bark. — This is successfully used in Russia for tanning purposes. The Cinchona in Jamaica. — In the forestry of this island the Cinchona tree is a leading " staple." It is thought there are 80,000 trees^ of it. Somebody must use quinine. Rapidity of Timber Growth.— We have repeatedly given instances of the rapid growth of timber, as opposed to the popular impression,, and are glad to insert the following, which we find in a Western paper. We are particularly glad to republish it, as Mr. Schofield deserves great credit for what he has done to stimulate tinvber-planting in the West : " Mr. D. C. Scofield, of Elgin, 111., from trees planted since he was 50 years old, ha,s produced the timber to build himself a fine house. In this he has taken pride to finish it with elegant- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 85 Avainscoting, and finishing lumber from some twenty-five varieties of the most vakiable hard and soft wood grown by himself. It was not the actual necessity for timber that induced this, for the country about Elgin, on the Fox river, is well wooded and contains ample timber even for firing purposes. Mr. Scofield, many years ago, was thoroughly alive to the necessity of timber growing in the West, and he has shown that a man past middle age may rear noble trees, €ven of the slow growing sorts, while yet he remains a hale and hearty man." Eucalyptus Fire-Wood. — It has been thought that the Eucalyptus would be a great boon to California in the way of fire-wood, but Dr. Baer has recently addressed the California Academy of Sciences on this subject, and insists that the wood is almost incombustible. lie says it is impossible to fire a roof made of blue gum shingles, so that what may be lost in fire-wood may be a*gain in making it a substitute for slate. Willows for Railroad Ties. — Mr. Jesse W. FeP, of Bloomington, 111., has created some consternation in forestry quarters by asserting that the white willow makes durable timber for railroad ties. If this is borne out by good tests it would be an extremely valuable fact — so valu- able that it is well worth waiting for the actual figures before making up one's mind that it is no good. Natural History and Science. COMMUNICA TIONS. BARRENNESS IN THE FIG TREE. H. W. RAVENEL, AIKEN, S. C. We read in the Bible of " a barren Fig tree ;" but of the many hundreds I have seen I know of only one instance, and that in my own orchard. I will record its strange freaks, so that if you or any of your readers have seen a simi- lar case, I may have the benefit of your sugges- tion as to the cause of barrenness and the remedy. The habit of the Fig under out-door <;ultivation in our latitude is briefly this : In the Spring, as the leaves unfold and the new wood forms, there is a fruit-bud in the axil of each leaf, which begins to develop and grow rapidly. This process continues until about mid-Summer or after, so that there is a succes- sion of fruit varying in age, and ripening in their order of growth. Towards Autumn, al- though the wood and leaves continue to grow vigorously until frost, no fruit-buds develop, but they remain dormant as buds. These dormant buds, on the approach of Spring, begin to swell and grow off rapidly, unless it has been previ- ously killed by an unusually severe Winter, and give us what is known as " first crop," ripening early in June. This generally is not as abun- dant as the later or main crop, but the fruit is larger. What is known, therefore, as "first crop " is the result of fruit-buds formed the Autumn before, and remaining dormant through the Winter. The second or main crop is from buds of the present growing season. j Now for the case of my barren Fig tree. In i the Autmn of 1873, when I took possession of my present residence in Aiken, I found this a well grown tree, some 10 or 12 feet high, with several j trunks or branches from 4 to 5 inches in diame- ter, quite large enough to have been in bearing for several years. It had been somewhat neg- lected, but I had it well manured and pruned. During the Summer of 1874 the shoots made vig- orous growth, but no fruit formed. I tried in various ways to force out the fruit-buds by pinching the terminal growth, and by the use of strong manures, but in vain. In the Spring of 1875, the fruit-buds, which should have been pushed the previous Summer, developed finely, and were fully half-grown when they were killed by a late frost. During the Summer of 1875, although there was a healthy and vigorous growth of wood and leaves, no fruit formed. In the Spring of 1876 the same thing was repeated. At the approach of warm weather, the axil of every last year's leaf pushed out its fruit-bud, and there was promise of an abundant " first crop ;" but again a severe Spring frost, coming after an unusually mild Winter, killed not only the fruit, but injured the tree to some extent. Again no fruit was developed in the Summer of 1876. This is the first example of a barren Fig tree u'. e., barren of Summer fruit) I have met with. The proximate cause seems to be want of exci- tability, and consequent non-development of the fruit-buds during the growing season. What could have caused the change in the usual habits of the Fig, I am at a loss to conjecture. This 86 THE GARDENER'S MONTHL\ \_March, is the Lemon Fig (as I ascertained by one or two fruits which partly escaped the effects of frost), tlie variety most commonly cultivated in Charleston, but which does not succeed here so well as the Celestial and Brown Turkey. These two last named I have found to be the best for our climate ; both hardy, good bearers, and quality of fruit excellent. The main crop of Celestial begins to ripen about 1st of July, and continues for a month. Brown Turkey ripens early in August, and continues into September. They both occasionally, when the Winters ai"e mild, bear a small number of "first crop " fruit. The Fig being a dioecious plant, we have, of course, only the female in cultivation, and the seeds are immature. The fleshy receptacle swells out and becomes a luscious fruit, but for want of proper fecundation the seeds are defec- tive. Do you know of any male Fig plant in this country ? It was said many years ago that there was one in New Orleans. If we could raise new seedlings, there might be good pros- pects of improving our stock, and introducing more hardy varieties. NOTES FROM OREGON. BY FANNIE S. BRIGGS, SALEM, OKEGON. Old residents say that the rains commenced here nearly two "months earlier than usual. There were very few fine days in October, fewer still in November, and the steams were higher than had been known for years. December, however, has been very pleasant, especially the last week, which has been clear and frosty. Plowing and wheat-sowing have been going on for two months or more, and are still in progress. As might be expected in so moist a climate, ferns, mosses and lichens abound. In many places the trees for afoot or two from the ground are covered with flat, leathery lichens, in shape resembling the flat, branching antlers of some kinds of deer. Some of these are green, some brown, laced with silvery grey. I never saw such riches of moss. In low grounds every shady place has its carpet, every stone and stump and fallen tree its covering, every fallen twig or strand is taken possession of, and covered ■with little green plumes overlapping each other with exquisite grace. Finest of all is a kind that seems partial to the ends of oak logs, which looks like long, graceful, interwoven leaves, fine and soft as velvet. The timber of this region is chiefly fir and oak, and the oaks are completely covered with a fine light-green pendant moss. I which looks at a distance like leaves in early j spring, and contrasts agreeably with the dark ifirs. I One of the prettiest things at this season is an '• evergreen shrub known here as " Oregon Grape," ' but which has leaves like a Holly, though I have i not seen flower or fruit. It has glossy dark- I green leaves with sharp spines, and is said to bear black, or dark purple berries. [Mahonia. aquifolia. — Ed.] The "Oregon curranf'^must be a ; beautiful shrub. Usually, flowers, like prophets, , ; are without honor in their own country ; but I specimens are found in nearly every yard and I garden, and every flower-lover is enthusiastic in ' its praise. The leaf is similar to that of the I common garden currant and its habit of growth ^ ! only it is very much larger, and in spring it is said to bear a great profusion of bright scarlet j flowers. [Ribes sanguinea. — Ed.] j Almost every clear day I go out to look at Mt. ! Hood, only a few steps up a hill, and I see it I rising in calm majesty from the dark surrounding- ridges, glittering snowy white in the sun. From 1 other hills, not far away, we can see four of these j snowy giants : Jefferson, Hood, Ranier, and St. Helen's. Somehow these bold isolated pealvS,. i standing in lonely grandeur, landmarks for hundreds of miles, seem even more inspiring than the long line of the Nevadas, seen from the California hills. No wonder that the dwellers among mountains love their " ain countree ;" no wonder that something of the calm steadfast- ness of the eternal hills abides in their souls. THE EUCALYPTUS AND THERAPEUTICS- BY MARQUID DIGRAM, PHILA. You tell your readers in your January number, what I suspect most of them were previously unaware of, that the action of the Eucalyptus is; not curative but preventative ; that is to say, the plant rapidly acts through its roots instead of its leaves, taking up with the former the moisture which, if left to be acted upon l)y the sun's heat,, would produce unwholesome vapors. These ever- thirsty roots create innumerable streams in tha soil, and so prevent stagnation and its unpleasant results. Can you tell me whether the sun-flower — the large-flowered one grown in gardens — acts in a similar manner ; as it also comes strongly rec- ommended as a " destroyer of fever in the air."' We are told that it was some years since grown around the grounds of a certain hospital at or near Washington, where ague had previously beeiii 1878.] AND HOK TICUL TURIS T. 87 very prevalent. The result, we are further assured, was the complete elimination of ague from within the area named, a result which it is dithcult to understand as being produced cither by the absorption of the poison through the leaves or the extreme moisture by the plant's roots. The sun-tlower, though a rank grower, is a puny aliair as compared with the Eucalyptus, which must spread out its roots either horizon- tally or vertically to a great distance. If the sun- flower's action coincides with that of the Austra- lian plant, then one would suppose that it should be grown thickly like a grain crop, covering the entire ground. As the broken stalks of the sun- flower are an excellent substitute for the corn- cob as kindling, and as the seeds are greatly rel- ished by poultry, it would not be an altogether unprofitable work for those living in localities afflcted with the ague, to give the plant a thor- ough test as regards its sanitary value. Have any other plants been successfully tried for a like purpose in another climate, or could you name any which it would be worth while to try experiments with? [There are few trees better adapted to dry up marshy land than Willows and Poplars. The roots drink up enormously. It is the cheapest kind of underdraining. We have no doubt that any plant that will aid in ridding the soil of superabundant moisture, is so far a benefit to public health. — Ed.G.M.] EDITORIAL NOTES. Caknivoiious Plants.— Mr. Francis Darwin has proved very conclusively the truth ot his father. Charles Darwin's position, that the so- called carniverous plants do make use as food of the plants they catch. A large number of plants were fed on meat, and as many on what they could get from the earth as best they could, and the ditference in growth and final product were very much in favor of the meat-fed plants. Fungi and Disease.— Prof. Burrill, of the Industrial University of Illinois, and one of the most conscientious investigators of minute fungi, has the following attributed to him, going the "rounds" in the agricultural papers : "There is good evidence that the theory of the fungus origin of the fire-blight of the pear, and the common twig-blight of the apple, is well founded, but, th»ugh particular species, or what have been regarded as species, are known to accompany the disease, proof has not yet been obtained as to their causing the death of the limbs, nor a.s to the real action of any fungi upon these limbs. In the meantime, besides every attention to se- cure vigor and healthfulness of development with little pruning, carefully washing in winter time with a strong alkaline substance in solu- tion is recommended for trial, and as careful re- moval and burning of every dead limb or twig as soon as observed, winter or summer." If the origin of apple and pear blight is, " on good evidence," fungoid, and it thus becomes an ad- vantage to " burn every diseased twig," to keep the spores from settling on healthy wood, and spreading disease, what is meant by the state- ment that " proof has not yet been obtained as to their causing death V " What is the difference between " good evidence " and " proof? " Prof. Burrill has no doubt been incorrectly reported. LiBERiAN Coffee. — This new species of coffee which is attracting so much attention in Europe at the present time, was brought to the notice of the Kew Gardens, by the Philadelphia firm of Edward S. Morris & Co., who have been the pioneers in the Liberian trade. They have also a large trade in Palm Oil soap, which is made in the Liberian colony, from the Oil Palm, Elais guiniensis. It has been heretofore the practice to bring the oil to Europe or America for soap-making purposes. It is found that the fresh oil on the spot makes a better article. Dwarf June Berry. — The Iowa Horticul- tural Society warns people that agents are sell- ing "Dwarf June Berries" for real "Huckle- berries." What are Dwarf June Berries ? Submerged Roots in Winte:r. — A case is reported in the Journal of Forestry, where a Cupressus macrocorpa was submerged for two months in the winter without injury. This ac- cords with American experience. No tree suffers from submergence for months in winter, though a few days of submergence in the growing season is fatal. It seems also understood in France, where winter submergence is recommended for grape vines, to destroy the phylloxera. . What is a Fruit ? — At a recent meeting of the Montgomery Co. (Ohio) Horticultural Soci- ety, Professor Morgan gave a very interesting lecture on botany. At the conclusion of the lecture the following proceedings are reported : " Mrs. Powell asked the Professor where the drops of moisture came from which are found in the Crown Imperial. 88 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMarch, " Professor Morgan— They come from the sur- rounding tissue, undoubtedh'. They are merely a secretion of the plant, altogether analogous to the milk of the milk-weed and that class of plants. " A lady member desired some light upon that class of plants termed the carniverous, and alluded to in the essay, to which the Professor replied by saying that the great Linnseus rejected the idea that there were any such plants in ex- istence. But the great naturalist was mistaken. Sucli plants do exist, and it has been clearly demonstrated that they feed upon and digest the soft parts of insects caught by them. The diges- tion is performed by a sort of gastric juice secreted by the plant. They are found about the bogs of the Carolinas and nowhere else in the world. " It was suggested to the Chair that if the sort rarely ever occur in other plants. The original tree is quite old, and is unfortunately in a dying condition. Grafts have, however, been made, so that this peculiar monstrosity will not be lost to science by the death of the original tree. It has been suggested that the fruit may also have an economic value, as, in an orchard away from other apple trees, blooming at the same time, the large, early fall cooking apples would probably be quite seedless." Jumping Beans of Mexico. — From the so- called "jumping beans" of Mexico whose mo- tions are caused by an insect within, Mr. Henry Edwards has succeeded in obtaining a beautiful moth of the Tortricidae family and probably a new species. The case is curious, as an instance of one of the lepidoptera piercing a seed capsule with its ovipositor, and laying an egg to produce a larva which will destroy the strawberry is not a fruit, as affirmed in the essay, j seed. This sort of performance is mostly con- that 'Othello's occupation is gone '-that he | fmed to coleopterous insects. The account of (Mr. O.) is no longer a fruit-grower, but a grower j this new moth was given before the San Fran- of something else, and the chief point of interest cisco Microscopical Society. is vvliat sort of a nondescript did he grow. | l.^j.^for Tropical PLANTS.-Professor Professor Morgan exnlamed very intelligently I g,^, ^^j^^s the idea that tropical plants need and satisfactorily to all present, the difference | ^ ^ ^ ,^,^^^^,^^, ^^ ^.^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^-^^^^^^ ^^ ,,, between a true ffuit and the strawberry, which | j.^^^^^^^ t^ ^^-^^^ l^j„^ ^^ ^^^^^t ^^,^^^^ IS no moie a fruit than the tip of an asnara<^us i i .i ^i x , i. p ^^ \ t. • *. • ^ , ^ , „ ,, * 1 ^ whether the actual amount of light m a tropical plant or celery stalk." ^ . ^ ^, x. . • ' _, . , ,, . country IS anj'^ greater than the year s average in There is probably some misapprehenson of- temperate one. We have been surprised to Irofessor Morgan's position. The fleshy por- find the Banana and many tropical plants make position tion of the "fruit" which we so relish in the strawberry is, of course, but the receptacle; but even in a technical sense it would hardly do to say that the receptacle was not part of the fruit, certainly much more so than the "tip of an asparagus." Malformed Apple Blossoms.— A corres- pondent of the Valley Naturalist says: "We have recently received some monstrous apple- flowers collected by Prof. Keigh, of New York. There may be seen on turning down the five minute, pointed, sepal-like organs, into which the petals are transformed, the fifteen pistils en- closed. The outer ten extra pistils form a ten- celled, superior core, and the five regular pistils, within, extend down through them to the regu- lar five-celled ovary below. The number of petals is occasionally but four, and the pistils vary from twelve to fifteen. We see no other way of accounting for the ten extra pistils, except to consider them as transformed from green, healthy growth in warm rooms, where the light was comparatively limited. The Potato Beetle in Europe. — Some of the European entomologists are amusing them- selves with pelting Prof. Riley, l)ecause he cau- tioned them to look sharp after the potato beetle. This is what Dr. Candeze, of Liege, says at the Entomological Congress in Brussels, in October last. Speaking of Prof. Riley's paper, he says : " There is apparently no doubt there was an increase in the price of potatoes at St. Louis during 1873 ; but the author himself, in his pam- phlet, attributes it as much to suppression of culture as to the ravages of Doryphora — many farmers, he says, not daring to plant potatoes. Let us hope that St. Louis is the town in which Mr. Riley resides and publishes his articles. " Certainly the Minister for the Interior would be very much surprised if the publications of his department, by frightening the farmers without reason, produced the same result here next the twenty missing stamens ; this is however i season. contrary to analogy, as transformations of this " Another fault we find with this pamphlet is 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 89 that of extolling, for the destruction of the Do- ryphora, an agent of which the handling is most dangerous. Every one knows the gi'ave acci- dents caused by Paris green to those who breathe the dust ; one is warned with just reason against its employment in industrial arts. Medical men have warmly discountenanced its usage in the ■ornamentation of carpets and cloth. It is not then without surprise that we find it advised to powder the fields of potatoes with it broadcast, leaving its management in hundreds of inex- perienced hands. " It is a case in wliich the remedy is worse tlian the evil. Mr. Riley assures us as a fact that avsenite of copper decomposes, and is not noxious once that it is deposited on the earth. But before that ? He says that its judicious employment has no inconveniences. We are not of his opinion ; and can we reckon on the judicious prudence of a farmer's boy, to whom Avould be left, in most cases, the care of arseni- •cating the potato fields?" All this reads very funny to us over here, who appreciate fully the value of Professor Riley's labors. The logic of the critic is wonderful. It was not the Doryphora which made potatoes scarce in 1873, but the dread of the Doryphora by the planters ! In Dr. Candeze's eyes this is a great difference. The tirade against Paris green is as funny as tlie rest. There is little doubt but the watch set on the Dorypora through Prof. Riley's cautions will save them a year or two's crop at any rate, which ought to be worth some milllions of francs, and well worth the expense of the few thousand pamphlets distributed by European governments. But they will be very foolish if they conclude to accept Candeze's advice and throw over Riley's, and look on " the remedy (Paris green) as worse than the disease." Still it will be our gain if they do. If Dr. C. were a " bull" in the potato market he could not send .potatoes higher for our interest. Riley's advice is at least for their good and not ours. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. The Construction of a Tree. — S. says : " Contemplating once a redwood tree in Cali- fornia— three hundred feet high and perhaps forty-five feet in diameter — the question arose. Out of what was this stupendous mass of wood manufactured? It could not have been made out of the earth, for there was no hole in the ground out of which it had been sucked up. It would seem that the living force of the organism must have converted gases and water (itself another form of water) into the solid material before us. Of course we recognize a certain per- centage of mineral in the ashes of the wood, but that must be a very inconsiderable "pur cent, of the tree. May we hear from you on this subject? [Almost the whole of this huge mass is derived from the atmosphere, and is carbon and water. —Ed. G. M.] The Ironwood.— J. R. P., Frankfort, Ky., writes : " "Which is the Ironwood, the Ostrya Firg-im'cffl, or the Carpinus Americana 7 I have always regarded the latter as the Ironwood — in this State — but I see that on this there is a disa- greement among botanists. In Torrey's Flora of New York he calls the former (the Hop Horn- beam) the Ironwood. [In these parts the Ostrya is known as Iron- wood. The Carpinus is " Hornbeam " in the books, but among the woodmen it is generally Blue or Water Beech. — Ed. G. M.] The Cinnamon Vine. — B. M., St. Louis, Mo., says: 'I have not hitherto appreciated what you say about the disadvantages of common names ; but I now do, at least to the extent of three dollars ! Years ago the indomitable Billy Prince introduced to us the Dioscorea Batatas, or Chinese Yam, and, with my love of novelties, I invested a dollar therein. It was fair enough for a novelty, but the odor of roses which scented the advertisements soon disappeared, and I let my Chinese Yam go. But— tell it not in Aska- lon ! — I saw a nice little advertisement of a "Cinnamon Vine," and invested three dollars in that same, only to find on receipt that it was my old friend, the Dioscorea, come back again ! I wish I had them three dollars back ; I am op- posed to common names. Now walk straight in, Mr. Editor, and break it all up. Must I lose them three dollars ? What is to be done ? I am sick of common names that cost me three dollars!" [Old things come out as new under botanical names sometimes, as well as under common ones. Of course it is easier to get into such trouble by common names than by the scientific ones, yet the "common" name is hardly re- sponsible here. It may be by design that the name of " Chinese Yam " has been changed, so as to make a good " strike ;" or it may have been 90 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY [March, started as " Cinnamon Vine " in ignorance that it was the old Chinese Yam. No intelligent nm-- seryman or florist would sell a root under such a name without stating that it was " Dioscorea Batatas," because such " deceptions " or " mis- takes " always react unfavorably on his perman- ent business. We fear "them three dollars"! are -'gone" beyond recovery ; and the only good ] advice we can give is that when you see things advertised that are not in the best nursery cat- alogues, whose issuers are always in the advance, wait till you do ; but if you are very anxious to> be in first on a new thing which even the best men in the trade have not — well, then you must pay for that glorious privilege, and even three dollars is a cheap sum to pay for it. — Ed.] Literature, Travels i Personal Notes. COMMUNICA TIONS. PLANT PROTECTION. BY EUGENE GLEN. Last winter, in conversation with a leading nurseryman, I ventured the opinion that not more than one-third of the Pear trees theretofore sold as Souvenir du Congres had been genuine. He agreed with me. Another very active and intelligent nurseryman standing by insisted that the proportion of genuine treee of that variety had not exceeded one-sixth of the whole number sold as such. Be this as it may, it is bad enough ; but unfortunately what is true of the variety mentioned is true of every other new variety, for which its actual merits or the efforts of its introducers have created a demand in excess of their ability to supply at very moderate prices. Unscrupulous nurserymen and dealers are not found willing to accept the profits of selling Apple trees at twenty-five cents each, or Pear trees at fifty cents each, when by simply changhig labels the same trees may be readily passed oft' at from one to three dollars each, and so long as no easily enforced penalties are at- tached to the commission of frauds of this char- acter, they will continue to be committed. To such an extent do they now prevail that the agents of nurserymen and dealers, be their principals ever so honorable, are insulted in or re- fused access to thousands of houses all over the country, simply because the inmates or their friends have been so repeatedly humbugged that they persuade themselves that honesty hasentire- ly departed from the nursery trade. I need scarce- ' ly say that this state of things v-^orks a great out- rage upon the public, and that it puts a tax upon the business of each of the many honest members of the trade. ' Frauds in merchandise are by no means con- j fined to the horticultural trade, but they are so ' much more serious in their results when com- mitted in this trade than m any other that they may well be the subject of special legislation. If a man buys a box of ground spice for twenty- five cents, and it proves to be largely burned rye, his loss by reason of this cannot exceed twenty-five cents, and he readily accustoms him- self to such losses ; but if he buys by name an Apple tree for the same amount, thinking it is a fine sort and just what he wants when it is some worthless thing entirely unadapted to his wants, at the end of five years or more the fraud is developed. His loss then includes the original consideration and interest, the use of the ground,, the care, he has given the tree, and the pros- pective profit or enjoyment which the genuine tree would have afforded. After repeatedly sufliering such losses, it can hardly be a matter of surprise that men are discouraged and ready to- denounce the entire trade. In determining what may be done to suppress this evil, it ])ecomes important to consider what is the existhig law upon the subject, and whj does it fail to reach the desired end. While it may startle some to learn it, tliere can be no doubt that it is now, and for many years has been, the well-settled law of England and the United States that a seedsman who sells seeds under a name which it is not in fact, thereby becomes answerable to the purchaser to the full extent of the damage sustained, includ- ing the profits of the crop which might have been' realized, estimating it at an average crop from genuine seed in that year, had the seed been genuine. (Randall vs. Roper, 90, Eng. Com. Law, 82 •, Page vs. Parry, 8 ; Carr & Payne, 709 ; Pas- senger vs. Thorburn, 34, N. Y, 034; Van Wyck vs. Allen, N. Y., 1877. By parity of reason it will be seen that a nur- seryman or dealer who sells a tree under a name which it is not in fact, does so at his peril, and is answerable for the difference in value to the 1878.] 'AND HORTICULTURIST. 91 planter of the tree supplied, and the tree which purported to be supplied, at the period of prowth when it becomes practicable to discover th^ fraud or mistake with certainty. Of course this difference ma}^ many times exceed the original consideration for the sale of the tree. It is needless to say that if even all of those who are the victims of honest mistai Tuberous Begonias as Bedders. — A cor- respondent in the February London Journal of Horticulture says : " The great merits of these plants are as bed- bers. In my estimation they are more beautiful than Zonal Pelargoniums and more enduring. Pelargoniums when at their best have every particle of beauty washed away by a few days of wet weather. Not so Begonias ; they revel in moisture like all sub-alpines — percolating moisture secured by thorough drainage. Those, therefore, intending their culture (and it will be- come general) will do well to provide thorough drainage and a sheltered situation, as the plants being succulent cannot stand twisting currents of air and cold positions. They prefer a vegeta- ble soil, and do well in the wide interstices of rock-work holding a goodly amount of compost, in which they may remain permanently, having a mulch over them in Winter of cocoa-nut fibre refuse 3 or 4 inches thick. For Summer bedding pot the corms in March, plunging the pots in ashes in a cold frame, keep- ing close and protecting from frost until growth takes i)lace, then admit air moderately, sprink- ling overhead in the afternoon of bright days, closing early. By the middle of June they will be in good growth, and being hardened off should then be planted out. In cold localities I advise their being planted in borders along the sides of plant houses with a south exposure, in which with a covering of cocoa-nut fibre refuse three inches thick they will no doubt prove hardy. In wet and cold soils the roots may be lifted after the first frost, and be laid in a shed for a few days to dr}', and having most of the soil removed be stored away like Dahlia tubers in sand in a cool place safe from frost, where they may remain until potting time in Spring. But an amateur tells me all this ' potting and bother ' is quite unnecessary, as the Begonias only require the treatment he gives his Dahlias — viz., planting the roots in April three inches deep, inverting a flower pot over them until the growth cracks the soil, then removing the flower pots every fine day and night, covering the plants only when there are signs of frost, and ' you know I have the best display of flowers of those plants until frost of anybody hereabouts.' " NEIV OR RARE PLAINTS. New Regal Pelargonium, Mrs. John Saul. — Mr. John Saul has issued a plate of this variety, which originated in his own establishment. The writer of this had the opportunity of seeing the best of the new ones, in the leading establish- ments of England, last year— some of which are not sent out yet — and he can say that Mr, John Saul's is equal to the best of any of these prospective new ones. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Growing Epiphyllum truncatum.— E. B. C, Winona, Ohio, says : '' Will the editor of the Monthly please give the method of growing Epiphyllum truncatum and vars, so as to induce them to bloom. I have plants one year from cutting, on their own roots, which, as yet show no indications of flowering, although they have made good gi'owth. What season of the year is best to propagate so as to mduce them to flower about New Year's, and what method of treat- ment would bring about this ? Perhaps some of the correspondents of the Monthly, for instance, J. Taplin, could write an article, giving detail wanted. I understand James Taplin has been very successful with these plants, is why I instance him. Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. COMMUNICA TIONS. NOTES ON RASPBERRIES. BY J. A. D., ST. JOSEPH, MICH. In the February number of 1877 is a statement from the Country Gentleman., that the Wilson's Early Blackberry is not hardy much farther north than Philadelphia ; and your statement that you supposed it as hardy as the Lawton, The Wilson's Early Blackberry is about as hardy here as the Lawton \ but both are killed about every other winter. The Lawton may be a little hardier, but generally, when standing side by side, the canes of the Lawton have been killed whenever the Wilson Early has been destroyed. 110 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_Apn, I notice also an inqniry from a subscriber here, about the Highland Hardy Raspberry, asking whether it is an old berry with a new name. A gentleman near here, who cultivates the High- land Hardy and Kirtland, declares that there is no difference between them. As he procured his plants of Highland Hardy from Rev. E. P. Roe, on the Hudson, I presume they ai*e genuine. I have not seen this gentleman's plantation, but «aw the Highland Hardy in fruit last summer, and compared it with the Kirtland, and think there is a difference. The large berries of the Highland Hardy are somewhat conical, while the Kirtland is always round. It has been claimed, too, that the Highland Hardy is identical with the Elm City. I have never seen the Elm City, but as William Parry, of Cinnaminson, IsT. J., has cultivated all three without discovering their identity, I am inclined to think they are distinct. One fruit grower here has ploughed up his High- land Hardy plantation after three years' expe- rience with them. He said that he could not make them produce vigorous canes. I presume the foliage failed during summer. There is one thing remarkable in connection with this berry, and that is that the party who could furnish evi- dence of its producing a thousand dollars per acre, had plants for sale at $4 per thousand, a lower price than any berry plants — old or new — are offered. AILANTHUS AND ROSE BUGS. BY MRS. R. B. H., AVILMIXGTON, DEL. Rev. W. H. W., of Reading, Mass., complains that the crop of grapes, " in some cases at least, are sadl}' diminished by the unprecedented num- ber of rose-bugs." Xow that gives me an opportunity once more to speak a word for the Ailanthus. Some years ago in passing under an Ailanthus, I observed a great number of rose- i bugs under it. Some apparently dead, others ! helpless and not able to fly, while many were trying to creep up the body of the tree and sur- \ rounding shrubbery. I mentioned it to my husband (who was an invalid), and he said he had observed it before, that he thought the flowers of the tree had attracted and then sickened them; and that as a proof that instinct does not always guard from mistakes, he had observed that the young robins would alight on the Alder Buckthorn (Frangula Caroliniana) and eat the berries until they were very sick. By-the-by, that same Frangula was a very handsome tree , twelve or fifteen feet high, with beautiful glossy foliage, and berries first turning red and then a shining black. It was thought worthy of being photographed. But again, the Ailanthus— has any one observed a diminition of rose-bugs in its neighborhood ? We had very few in after years. Perhaps they come periodically. LIME FOR APPLE ORCHARDS BY MR. J. BLACKWELL, TITUSVILLE, N. J. We have used lime on our apple orchards for a number of years, and consider it beneficial in moderate quantities, say twenty bushels to the acre. We have an old orchard that has borne heavy crops for several years, that we have limed wth good results. THE CHENANGO STRAWBERRY APPLE. BY MR. J. BLACKWELL, TITUSVILLE, N. J. I have fruited this apple on two trees, one a seedling tree grafted at the crown with the Chenengo, the other top grafted on a young tree. Both have borne three or four years. Fruit of good size. Tree an early and profuse bearer. Fruit rots before ripening, and must be gathered before it colors, as it specks before it ripens. Not worth cultivating where there are so many better apples. PEAR CULTURE. BY A. C. FOWLER, PANHANDLE, W. VA. I will now fulfill my promise. My pear trees I are looking finely, have lost but three out of about two thousand by blight, while trees gener- ally in this section suffered greatly. I think I have hit upon a preventative for blight. It is this: In June I wash my trees with a wash made of one pmt of soft soap to one gallon of water, or ! take good strong lye and wash the trunks of the trees and larger branches. Applying this to the ! trees keeps them in good healthy condition. My I trees are six years old, and have been mulched i for two years and cut back, but no cultivation. I have been using this wash for three years, and j have lost but very few trees while before using, \ I lost near two hundred in one season. ! [Accumulating facts tend to show that the spores of the Fire Blight fungus develop from j the outside, and give increasing weight to the judgment of those who believe that washes I will destro}' these spores. — Ed. G. M.] 1878. AND HORTICULTURIST. Ill CRACKING OF THE PEAR. i;y p. h. foster, babylon, l. i. I see in the Feb. Monthly, page 52, your Xotes on the cracking of the Pear ; you claim it is clear to all who have given close observation to the subject, that there are several, if not many causes ; as much as to say we are all grop" ing in the dark. I have never as yet learned of a remedy from our men of superior wisdom ; but hold they do not see the exact process in which the fungus is conveyed to the fruit. I am fully satisfied from the experiments I have made, the disease can be exterminated. In order to test my theory, an isolated specimen should be selected which is bearing cracked fruit, all the last summer's growth or wood taken off ex- cept a few blossom buds. I hold the fungus after being established on a tree, is perpetuated on that tree, by its propagation on the young wood and fruit ; there is no doubt a difference in the susceptability of fruits, in taking on this con- dition; but close observation will disclose the fact, that the young wood of all varieties of Pear trees do not present the same appearance. Some contain an unbroken cist wherein the fun- gus lies ; in others the cist has opened the fall before, and become harmless. I will give you an extract of a letter to P. W., Feb. 18, 1874: Dear Sir: — "I find the wood on the Lawrence Pear least infected by fungus; Duchess, Bartlett, Belle Lucrative, very slightly; Beurre Diel, Flemish Beauty, and White Doyenne most. The above observations are pointed. To one year old wood, it should appear a thick skinned pear may resist the injury done in a measure ; think the living principle of fungi on some varieties re- mains enclosed in the cist during the winter, and and does not open until spring when new growth commences, while in other varieties the cist opens the latter part of the same season of fun- gus propagation, and thereby becomes harm less. It would be well to look for the living spore or seed and ascertain the point." CELESTIA APPLES. BY Fv. J. BLACK, BREMEN, OHIO. There is plenty of room above, as was said to the youth who thought a certain occupation too crowded ; so with fruit. So the catalogue is full to overflowing, yet there is plenty of room for the finest productions. Dr. L. S. Mote has placed ever}' lover of fine fruit under lasting obligations by originating this I delicious apple. It certainly merits all the good things Dr. Warder has said of it. When first I brought to notice by him, he wrote that it " per- i haps excels the famous Dyer or Pomme Roy- ' ale ;" but after a number of years' experience there is no room for doubt. It "excels" the lat- ! ter in all particulars : growth, bearing, size, beauty and quality. Grown in the same or- I chards with such fine varietes as Early Joe, { Champlain, Garden Royal, Richard's Graft, Fall 1 Pippin, Ohio Nonpareil, Sparks, Evening Party, Grimes, Golden, &«<. What the Cincinnati Horti- i cultural Society said of Ohio Nonpareil 20 years I ago may more emphatically be said of Celestia : better than the best. The tree is a fine, upright stocky grower ; shoots rather short-jointed, dull : reddish-l)rown with considerable light-grayish marking, somewhat downy and spotted; buds j prominent, pointed; leaves dark-green, thick, I ovate, acuminate, irregularly crenate. One of the most beautiful and healthy trees in all stages of growth, and an excellent bearer. To describe the fine quality of the large beautiful yellow j fruit, is not easy ; but Dr. Warder comes as near i it as words will allow : " Flesh yellow, very fine ! grained, very tender, juicy; flavor sub-acid, ! sprightly, aromatic, delicious. Use, table or j kitchen; season, September; quality, very best." — {American Horticultural Annual., 1867, page 63.) Its one fault is that it does not keep till April. But in higher latitudes this will not be against it, \ for it is well known that Cogswell and other apples ! which keep well in the N^orth, are ripe and gone j in Southern Ohio, before the first of November. i Here, about one degree north of ihe place of its I origin, Celestia ripens in October, being a month later ; and with no particular care keeps sound I and perfect until after Clu'istmas. I EDITORIAL NOTES. Fruit Culture in Tex^vs.— Professor S. B. Buckley saj^s that the apple does not [ succeed well in the warmer parts of Texas, i unless " Southern varieties from Southern nur- 1 series" are planted. The blight, which it ! seems now to be proved is caused by a minute I fungus, kills thousands of trees in the State. On his grounds at Austin few have died. There are old trees at El Paso nine feet in circumference three feet from the ground. They were planted by the Spaniards a hundred years ago. Dr. I Buckley thinks they are the largest pear trees in 112 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY lApnl, the United States ; but we doubt this. Peaches are at home in Texas. Quinces promising. Plums, only the native selections do well. Cheri-ies, currants, and gooseberries do not do WL'll. The grape, we gather from his re- marks, is not very successtul. The fig does well in Middle and Southern Texas. Oranges only in the counties bordering on the Gulf. Black- berries do well. Raspberries, only the Black Caps. Strawberries very well. Prof. Buckley thinks that a little more fruit in addition to the present abundant '' hog aud possum " would do the Texan farmer no harm. The American Vines in France.— The French vines grafted on the Clinton,at Montpeil- lier, introduced at once on the report of Prof. Planchon's mission to this country has proved completely Phylloxera-proof. Has any one tried the same experiment in our country? It is likely fair success would follow the European grape on a native stock in the open air of Eastern America. It would be worth an experi- ment. Coffee in America. — The Scientific Farmer having announced that " coffee has proved very productive in California since its intro- duction four years ago, Mr. W. Saunders offers ten dollars for a pound of the berries from plants that have been tliree years in the open air of any part of the United States. He does not want the Kentucky cofiee. Rye coffee, or any coffee but the genuine Arab berry. Profit of Grape Growing. — Mr. E. F. Ellwanger makes the good point, that those who find grape growing " don't pay, " are generally those who have gone into it from some other business, and who thought plants ought to "grow into money while they slept." Honest profit means honest labor ; no work no pay, is nature's law in gardening. Mr. Ellwanger thinks that the man who first loves his trade and then sticks to it, generally works out fairly at least, and we quite agree with him. The Most Populae Pears in France. — It is said that about one-seventh of all the pear trees sold in France are of the one we know as Bartlett, and the Duchess. Service Berries. — The Californians ''prove all things." Now according to the Independent of Stockton, Mr. Milco has introduced " Sorbula " trees from which much is expected. This is no doubt the service berry, Sorbus domestica.. " Blessed are they who do not expect much, for they shall not be disappointed." A^BPy OR RARE FRUITS. Brewington Pippin Apple. — Mr. Charles Downing kindly sends us a specimen of this apple. Mr. D. says : " The apple is of good size, showy, and the quality good, although a little wanting in juice. It will no doubt be valu- able for the locality where it originated as a late keeper and for market." We agree with Mr. Downing. It is an improvement on Ben Davis, and that in itself is a great gain. Mr. Brew- ington, of Prince of Wales, Breckenridge Co., Ky., the raiser, gives the following account of its origin : " N^ow, this is to certify that the Brewington Pippin is a seedling of the Joe Allen (New York Pippin — Ben Davis) apple, and produced its first fruit about the year 1871. I grew the tree, and it is now to be found in my orchard, about five miles east of Hardinsburgh, where I reside at this time. It blooms one week later than Ben Davis, and ripens from February to April; if kept in a warm place during early Winter will be in good eating condition by first of January. The tree is of vigorous growth, upright, and becoming spreading as it grows older. Fruit suffered some this season from bitter rot; about fifty apples in all for first time. I believe the late frost caused the rot by a freeze, and then the disease developed itself as the fruit matured. Have had grafts to grow eight feet in length in one season (first year's growth of grafts set by Aaron Norton, who is one of my neighbors), and bore fruit the second year after the grafts were set. You will notice that the bark of these scions are redder than the Ben Davis scions, and this apple is a darker red, more like the bark on the scions of Ben Davis, while the bark of the Brewington Pippin scions is colored more like the Ben Davis apple. I think, on the whole, the Brewington Pippin a finer, showy tree and leaf than the Ben Davis tree, and the apple has more flavor and is a better keeper. J have about thirty young trees of this latter variety set out for a new orchard as late keepers. " I subscribe myself, "James Brewington." 1878.] AA'D HORTICULTURIST. 113 SCRAPS AND OUBRIES. Limp: fok Orchards.— X. AV. A., Lowell, Mass., writes that in the Vol. of the Horticul- turist for 1875, page 22, there is an excellent paper on the application of lime to orchards. Utah Ctjrrant.— A correspondent from Michigan enquires if any have had more expe- i-ience with this east of the Rockv Mountains, than the provisionally favorahle notices that have in times past appeared in the GARDENEri's M ONTHLY ? Fruit of Japan Persimmon.— Mr. Loom is sends us a preserved fruit from Japan. It has a flavor partaking of the fig and the date when dried. The one sent was jjerhaps the kind known in Japan as Yamato. It has small seeds. We believe it will be hardy anywhere that the common Virginian Persimmon will stand the Winter. Forestry. COMMUNICA TIONS. WILLOW OAK. I!Y S., RUTGERS COLLGB, NEAV BRUNSWICK, N.J. In your March number .7. M. says " it would be interesting to know the farthest Northern point that Willow Oak (Quercus Phellos) has been found growing wild. For the information of your correspondent and readers, I may state that this oak is common near Washington, Middlesex county, K. J. Two trees near that village are each between GO and 70 feet in height, and nearly 3 feet in diameter. I do not recollect ever seeing this tree elsewhere in the central or northern parts of this State. There are said to be several near Mt. Holly. I think that at each of these localities the tree is limited to a comparatively small area. Your note on a large cherry tree, page 18, .January number, suggests a measurement which I made of a wild cherry tree (Prunus Pennsyl- vanica) growing on the roadside, about a mile south of Warwick, Orange county, N. Y. This tree, three feet above the ground, had a circum- ference of 17 feet 7 inches. It is one of the largest trees which I have seen in that part of Xew York, and the adjacent Highlands of New -Jersey. QUERCUS PHELLOS AND Q. FALCATA. BY HON. ELI K. PRICE, PHILADELPHIA. To J. M. I answer, that there is a large Wil- low Oak on the east side of the Woodlands, near the southwest corner of the alms house, and three Spanish Oaks in the Woodlands, two or three hundred yards eastward of the mansion : one on the north side of Chestnut street, in front of Mr. Keene's house, near Thirty-seventh street ; and several in the Park, near the southwest corner of the bridge over Belmont Valley, that is, northeast of Horticultural Hall. EUCALYPTUS AT NORFOLK, VA. BY II. P. WORCESTER. NORFOLK, VA. In connection with your remarks upon the " Hardiness of the Eucalyptus," it may be of interest to you to know what success is met with in this locality. With slight protection small ti'ees have stood a moderately severe Winter, but without protec- tion they have thus far been killed by the first severe frost. I speak of the E. globulus. i Whether the'E. bicolor is more hardy or not, I ) shall be able to determine after a trial I am \ now making. I might say in this connection I that another Australian plant, the Cassia fistula, } will not stand our Winters, but, when protected, j has produced fruit abundantly the second sea- I son, in my garden. EDITORIAL NOTES. American Forestry and Horticulture AT Paris.— The forestry exhibit from the nur- \ series of Thomas Meehan, of Germantown, and I which went on the "Constitution" with the ! others from Philadelphia, for the Paris Exhibi- I tion, is not included in the recently published ! Philadelphia list of exhibitors, because at the request of General Le Due it was transferred from General McCormiok's special list in order 114 THE GARDENER'S MONTHL\ \_April, to make part of the National exhibit under the auspices of the department of Agriculture. So far as we have heard this is the only American nursery that will be represented there. If there are others we will gladly publish them. The same firm, as already stated,desired to make an exhibit of over eight hundred species and varie- ties of living trees, but was prevented by the ! strictness of the French rules. Tree Planting in Minnesota. — S. D. i Payne planted 100,000 trees last year, and ex- pects to have 100 acres in all completed this season. I A rlooi) Move. — The President ©f the Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf R. R., has made a contract with Messrs. Robert Douglass «& Sons, of Waukegan, Illinois, to grow for that road 50,000 Black Walnut, 75,000 Catalpas, and | 75,000 Red Cedar seedlings. These trees are to ! be planted on the company's land, at a point ' not far from Fort Scott, Kansas. Wood of Cerasus Serotina. — An Illinois correspondent sends us a sketch of a stem of this tree which has made an average growth of three- quarters of an inch a year. The timber ought to very useful for cabinet work ; though we do not \ think quite equal to the Wild Cherry trees, : escapes of the cultivated Clierry which so abound in Pennsylvania. We wish some better | name than "Wild Black Cheri-y" could be given this tree, as it is certain to become confused with these escapes from garden culture. ' i The Profit of Forestry. — Judging by the following from an English contemporary, they do not calculate profits from the same basis that we do : j "The expenditure upon the Windsor Parks and 1 Woods exceeds the income from them by nearly i jE:20,000, the New Forest yields a profit of £1300, 1 the Forest of Dean one of over £6000, the High } Meadows Wood over £4000, Alice Holt over \ £1000, Woolmer Forest and Bere Wood, Hants, nearly a £1000 ; Parkhurst AVoods, Isle of Wight, yields a profit of £148 — the total receipts from the Royal Forests, says the Journal of Forestry^ being £33,129 Qs. 8c?., the expenditures £l8,5i9 10s, 2d. Windsor Forest, being entirely excep- tional, is not included in the foregoing total. Like our contemporary, we have no doubt that the revenue from the Crown Woods might, in course of time, be very materially increjised, while the expenditure on Windsor Forest might probably be diminished, and the income in- creased without diminishing the beaut}'^ of the forest, the comfort of the Sovereign, or the plea- sure of her subjects," In our country the income over expenditure in any one year would not be considered " pro- fit." We should want to know how much ex- penditure of capital and labor there had been for years previous ; and we should perhaps want to charge six percent, against all this outlay, that had for so many years brought in nothing, before calculating what the profits were. It seems to us that a full grown forest might yield in one year twenty times the expenditures of that year, and still the forest not to be a very profitable investment. Forestry will pay, — well managed and rightly located, it will pay handsomely; but here, as in the meteorological aspects of the case, it is best to guard people from planting under misappre- hensions. No cause is permanently successful that does not stand on a solid body of facts. Catalpa Timber. — When a few years ago the Gardener's Monthly called attention to the fact that the Catalpa was one of the most rapid growing trees as well as giving very dur- able timber, planters were very incredulous. Since then facts have come to light showing it to be even more valuable than we supposed. We take the following from the proceedings of the Mont. Co. (O.) Horticultural Society: "Prof. F. J. Burrill writes : From the experi- ments so far at the Illinois Industrial University, the catalpa is one of the cheapest, and easiest to grow, and one of the most rapidly growing of om- forest trees, native or introduced. In one plantation, containing about twenty selected species, only the soft maple and white willow have in eight years time surpassed it. It has out- grown the White or American Elm, White Ash, Em-opean Larch, Osage Orange, Black Walnut, &c., upon the same ground, and under the same treatment. It is not attacked by any insect, nor does it appear to be subject to any disease what- ever. Our trees were raised from seed planted in the spring of 1869, and were transplanted in 1871. When reset the tops were cut to the ground, because they were crooked and much branched, and were set two feet by four feet to induce erect growth, cultivated like corn three years, and plowed once each of the two follow- ing years, since which time nothing has been done to them except a very little pruning. Next 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 115 spring every other row will be removed and used for stakes in vine^yards, fences, &c. The average height is now sixteen feet three inches, and average diameter lone foot from the ' ground three inches, some much larger. They , are as straight and erect as can be desired, and grew in 1877 an average of thirty-three inches. "While collecting specimens of the trees of Illinois for the Centennial I found some boards sawed from a log two feet in diameter which was proven to have laid upon the ground one hundred years. One man had known the log to have thus lain during forty years of this time, and he had the information directly from another as to the previous sixty years. This was in the extreme . southern portion of Illinois, about twelve miles from Caii'o and the Missippi riv<;r bottoms. The wood is still sound and strong, and susceptible of a fair polish.'" : SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Hardiness c>f the Eucalyptus. — H., Philadelphia, sends us an extract from a California paper, showing that a Eucalyptus globulus stood in Oregon, and without injury, when the thermometer fell 17° below freezing point, and asks " why it would not do as much in Philadelphia." We are nearly tired of this Eucalyptus matter. If people want to plant Eucalyptus trees here in the East, we know of no law against ik As our friend, Mr. Price, told us last year, they do not try the experiments at anybody's expense but their own. But if we must answer our correspondent's question we should say, as the child says, "It won't live in Philadelphia at the same temperature as in Oregon, because it won't." Hardiness, as most of our readers ki\ow, is not decided by the ther- mometer. Natural History and Science. COMMUNICA TIONS. OIL FOR FRUIT TREES. BY MR. STEPHEN S. PRICE, FERN ROCK, NEAR PHILADELPHIA. I notice with considerable interest a commu- nication on page 83, of the Monthly^, in refer- ence to the bad effects of the use of linseed oil on Pear trees, and also notice that the editor is disposed to attribute the trouble to " adulterated I oils." Now I have most thoroughly tested this sub- ject, with precisely the same results as E. I. B., and can further advise that when blight sets in after the trees have been well oiled, the death of the entire tree is bound to follow. My last year's experience was very discouraging. Usually, i with me, when a tree has become seized with blight, I can arrest its progress by trimming out the diseased parts, which still does very well if the tree has not been oiled ; but when it has, no care or attention will save it, and even a slight attack means certain death. I My orchard is planted on a southern slope, i well drained, and the trees carefully looked after. But the destroyer still comes, and this j last Summer it took Manning's Elizabeth, Clapp's Favorite, Flemish Beauty, Buffum, St. I Ghislain, Madelaine, and others, and those I i have remaining look black and ugly. Some of the trees have been done two years. I feel quite certain the oil is pure, as it came from the most reliable druggist I know of, Robt. Shoemaker & Co. I am now experimenting with oil on Marechal Neil Rose, but can tell better later on. [This is valuable testimony, and seems to put a solution of the enigma further away than ever. The success of the Mississippi trees under oil is un-doubted ; and several hundred apple and pears on the grounds of the editor of the Gardener's Monthly were painted with linseed oil from top to bottom, with the very reverse of injurious effects. We have offered our explanation why other people's died, which does not seem wholly satisfactory. We will now ask why these cases should have been so successful.— Ed.] THE JAPAN PERSIMMON. BY * PHILADELPHIA. The illustration and description of the Japan Persimmon, in 3^our March number, reminds me that efforts to obtain satisfactory information from several sources as to the fertility of the plants offered for sale, have failed. If the Japan Persimmon be a true Diospyros, it is dioecious —bearing pistillate and staminate flowers on separate trees — hence single specimens may not 116 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY April, produce fruit, though I grant that does not always follow, for I remember a pistillate tree of the Madura which bore fruit abundantly, a staminate tree not being within many miles. The fruit, though apparently perfect, was, how- | ever, on examination without seed. If, then, such be the capacity of nature in the Osage j Orange, it may be repeated in the Japan Per- simmon, though it is not, I think, the case in | our native sort. I have a Virginia Persimmon j tree of some age which has never borne fruit, and efforts at engrafting it have failed. It is said, I believe, that the Kaki may be readily engrafted on our native stock. Please, Mr. Editor, as I start the ball, give it a push onward. Information may gather as it rolls. [If these Japan varieties are to be reproduced by seed, and not by grafting, our correspondent's warning is timely; for, as he says, the flowers are irregular in their sexual character. Many are male plants, having no power to develop anything but stamens. AVe suppose there are some with imperfect stamens, and which have yet the power of developing imperfectly, with- out pollen ; at least that is our guess at the origin of the seedless fruited kinds; but there are some which are truly hermaphrodite, and indi- vidual trees of these will bear fruit anywhere. — Ed.] EDITORIAL NOTES. Carnivorous Plants. — xV Salem, Mass.^ cor- respondent kindly says : " Find an important error, March No., page 87, Ed. Notes, fifth line. Should have been insects not plants.'''' The worst of it is that the editor cannot put the mistake on the " compositor," for it fell carelessly from his own pen. LiNUM PERENNE. — The pretty blue flax of the Rocky Mountains has hitherto beeii thought to be the same with the Old World Linum per- enne. Some of our earlier botanists named it Linum Lewisii. In a recent number of Silli- man^s Journal Dr. Asa Gray remarks that it may possibly yet prove to be a distinct species, and to bear this name. The American Poplars. — These are in such confusion, that it becomes necessary to go over the whole subject from fresh specimens. Mr. Sereno Watson, of Canibridge, Mass., has un- dertaken the arduous task. It will serve horti- culture as well as mere botanical science to help him all we can. Any one who can send fresh cut catkins, male or female, or good specimens of any sort, of our native kinds to him, will do us all good service. Pear Blight. — As we surmised m our last, Prof. Burrill was likely to be misunderstood as he himself explains in the following note. The very careful examination of pear blighted branches by Prof. J. Gibbons Hunt, showing the presence and action of fungi, as already detailed in our pages, could not have escaped Prof. Bur- rill's attention, and we feel sure that he must have meant to favor that view : " I send you the article to which you refer in your March number under the title Fungi and Disease, page 87. I see your quotation is not far wrong, but reference was made to the species named in the article not being definitely proved to be the cause of the death of the limbs. Fur- ther, I meant to state that we did not know the mode of action and special effect of any species upon these trees, whether named or not. I have little or no doubt but that the disease is in some way due to fungous parasites. Am continuing the search. "^ The Pear Blight.— Tliis is the most popu- lar topic in the agricultural papers just now.. We see no reason for doubting the conclusions of Dr. J. Gibbons Hunt, the accomplished presi- dent of the Microscopical Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, who, after a careful microscopical examination of fresh specimens, decided that it was caused by a small fungus working from the outside of the wood j inwardly, as we have already detailed in the Gardener's Monthly. Dr. Leighton, of ': Norfolk, Virginia, has in a measure confii-med , these facts, by showing that pear blighted trees I had perfectly healthy roots, no fungus about them ; so it is not likely fungoid material wa& carried up in the liquids, and so worked from the ' interior's they do in the peach yellows. Taking off Potato Blossoms. — A certain Dr. Booghe or Bogy, according to the news- papers, increases his "• tubercles " one-fourth, by pinching off the blossoms as they open. Now four hundred instead of three hundred baskets of Mm-phies is worth trying for ; but others be- sides this Bogy who have tried it assert it can- not be done. We venture the opinion that this doctor is like some others we wot of, who think out results and then publish them as if they were facts accomplished. 1878.] ANP nORTICUL TURIST. 11- [Specific IIkat in Tubes. — The (iardener^s Chronicle gives the following- skelcli of some proceedings in Germany : " Dr. Bolle recently commmiicated to the Horticultural Society of Berlin some interesting particulars of the relative hardiness of different trees in Germany. Species of Carya which suc- ceed admirably in the Central States of North America suffer from May frosts. Pterocarya Caucasica survives, but onlv on dry soil. The Cedar of Lebanon, although it ascends to the snow region in its native country, is not perfect- ly hardy, whereas the Deciduous Cypress, Taxo- dium distichum, is not injured. The latter in- habits the Southern States of Northern America, and is one of the few instances of plants which will bear a climate colder than that of the ; countiy in which they now exist in a wild state. In his useful Book of Evergreens Josiah Hoopes says, 'The Deciduous Cypress, although strictly a Southern tree, thrives admirably in the climate of the Middle States. Its most northern natural limits are the Cypress swamps of Maryland, and the extreme southern part of Delaware. — Throughout every portion of the Southern States this tree is found in the low miasmatic swamps and occasionally very plentifully, especially along the borders of the rivers and larger \ streams. Indeed, in the Gulf States these Cy- ; press swamps cover thousands of acres, and 1 along the Mississippi river particulai'ly they ex- i tend for hundreds of miles.' Like the Arbor- j vita3 this tree sheds not only its leaves but also j its ultimate branchlets, which may possibly ex-! plain its hardiness. The Mexican variety, of! which a tree girthing 100 feet is said to exist at i Chapultepec, is tender. Dr. Bolle thinks these j peculiarities in the constitution of plants are governed by the distribution of heat in the dif- ferent seasons of the year. One of the mem- bers present observed that deciduous shrubs generally withstand frost better than evergreens, because they are at rest in "Winter, mentioning as examples Magnolia glauca and Larix Ktempferi." It has long been known here that deciduous trees are hardier , and evergreens more tender in America than in Europe, as a general thing. Our hot, dry Summers enable the trees to, get rid of their surplus moisture ; and, as they have little evaporating surfaces during Winter, what they have they keep. They have no excess to freeze and rupture the cells, and have accumu- lated heat enough and secreted non-congeala- ble matter sufficient to prevent the freezing of what it has retained, while the evergreen is all the Winter long exposed to evaporating influ- ences which dry out the moisture to an extent utterly unknown to the moist atmosphere of Europe, wher ■ people say deciduous trees are "■at rest" in Winter, as compared wiih ever- greens. It is hard to tell what is really meant. Internal Heat of Plants. — In France they are troubled much by ISIay frosts in the vineyards. An article has recently appeared in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles showing that two grape-growers sow- the vineyard with rape seed in October, which by May is several feet high. The heat given off by this mass of living vegetation is said to be sufficient to raise the temperature a few degrees, and thus protect the vines from frost. It may also have the effect of shading the ground, and prevent sun warming, thus keeping back growth a little. Slitting the Bark of Trees. — An impres- sion prevails in some intelligent quarters that the bark of trees never becomes indurated, or "hide-bound," in technical language, unless something is wrong Avith the roots. It often does result from root injury ; but there are many causes, quite independent of this. Nature her- self provides for the rupture of bark in the formation of suber cells. It is by their action that " rifts " take place. Every kind of tree has its own species of suber cells engaged in this work, and hence the rifts in no two species are exactly alike. The effect of these growths has been checked in " hide-bound " trees, though often every other part of the tree is in a normal and healthy condition. In these cases the knife aids very acceptably in slitting such bark, the work the suber cells failed to perform. Ripening of Fruits. — Prof. Albert Prescott conti-ibutes to the Popular Science Monthly a paper on the chemistry of fruit ripening. The sweetest fruits to the taste may not really have as much sugar as those which taste more sharply. Currants have 6 and gooseberries 7 per cent, of sugar, w^hile a peach and an apricot have little over one per cent. The grape has over 14 per cent.— more than any other fruit. It is gener- ally supposed that sugar is made from starch in ripening, but there are some fruits with sugar in ] which no trace of starch has ever been found. 1 Moist heat favors the chemical process of fruit i ripening, just as unripe fruits are made mora ! edible bv boilinij. 118 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY lAprtl, The whole article will well repay a careful perusal. We are glad to know that the Popular Science Monthly is prospering. It deserves the great success it has achieved. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Seedless Mountain Ash.— Mrs. Lucy Mil- lington writes : " Can you tell me how it hap- pens that the berries of some of our Mountain Ash trees have no seeds? It is only those which the birds spare. All the seeded berries are eaten in the early Fall, so that there is great disappointment as to the decorative qualities of the tree. Please answer this through the Monthly, as many people enquire. I only know that there are trees bearing seedless bei" ries, that hang on the trees all Winter, and the trees with full-seeded berries are stripped by birds for the sake of the seeds." Botanical ^N'ame of the Sweet Potato. — A Virginia correspondent writes : Having failed to find out the botanical name of the Sweet 1 Potato plant, I beg you will have the kindness to state its nativity, or what else you please in your Monthly. Though simple, I trust it will interest many of your readers. Am under im- pression that it is a Calystegia. [It is Convolvulus Batatas, not so very far from a Calystegia. — Ed.] Seeds or Plants from other Localities. — A., Philadelphia, asks : " Is there any use in a change of seeds from other localities ?" [There may be " use," or there may be loss. If. we turn a wheel round, it keeps going awhile after the hand is withdrawn. The same law holds good through all nature. A Peach forced for several years in hot-house will bloom a week or two before a Peach of the same kind fresh brought into the heat ; and peculiar forms of plants — new species or varieties — continue to exist long after the circumstances which created them have ceased. Hence, seeds or trees may carry with them to a new location certain charac- ters desirable or undesirable, which will last for a time, though perhaps the same species or variety already there may not have, or may have lost them. — Ed. G. M.] PiNUS ARiSTATA. — Mr. Siler, of Ranch, Utah, writes : I send a few cones of Pinus Balfouriana. I also send in saeparate bundle limbs of Pinus Balfouriana, which I hope will prove very acceptable to you. 1 would like for you to present limbs and cones of those I send to the Philadelphia Academy of ! Natural Sciences. Pinus Balfouriana is a low- ' growing tree, very scrubby, presenting a very beautiful appearance when loaded with cones, ' as they cause the limbs to hang down, when they look like a cat's tail when angered ; hence I thft local name of Cat Tail Pine. It is found growing on high, dry points of Tricito, where there appears to be no soil, the roots penetrating '"■ the crevices of the rock. This Pine I have never I found at an altitude lower than 6,000 feet above sea level. It is very local, growing only, as far as I have been able to trace it, about the rim j of the basin in Southern Utah, about the head waters of the Sauvro river. It is a solitary tree. You will seldom find two of them growing near together. A peculiarity of the species is its i growth. I found a dead tree last August, 18 feet I high, 20 inches in diameter 2 feet from the ; ground. The grain of the wood, instead of running- up and down the tree, runs around it, and resem- ble large hoops driven on a barrel. About 5 j feet from the ground there was a swell of at I least 2 inches, about 6 inches long up and down j the tree. I have noticed several other trees and j parts of trees. All bear the same character. [These were beautiful specimens, with the cones rather more slender than the cones of the P. aristata from Colorado, but still not so slen- der as the form from California, figured by Mr. Murray as P. Balfouriana. It is proper here to say that for a long time American botanists be- lieved that the Colorado and California forms were both the same, and were willing to drop, their own name and adopt Mr. Murray's by right of priority. Mr. Murray, however, always contended for their distinctness, and the writer of this promised him to investigate the matter further. The result has been so far toward showing that Mr. Murray was right, and we are sorry he is not alive now to receive this acknowledgment. We believe this of Mr. Siler is P. aristata, and not P. Balfouriana, which is confined to California.— Ed.] The Name Imatophyllum. — N., Cuyahoga Falls, O., says : "I notice that, in several of our best plant catalogues, the Amaryllid, Imatephyllum is written, Imantophyllum. Loudon says Imatophyllum, and this is doubtless right. This name was evidently intended to be descriptive. It is some sort of phyllum (leaf). Imanto is not significant, and of course is not descriptive. Imato is significant. It means a 1878.] AND HOR 1 'ICUL TURIS T. 119 coat (vestment). And Iniatophyllum means a coatleaf. Loudon gives no derivation, and I have no authority for this. But it is certainly not a strained one. For, if you strip oft" one of the outer leaves, and invert it, you will find more than a fanciful resemblance to the typical swallow-tail coat. Or if not found, in the absence of older or better, the authority of Lou- don, I suppose, is sufficient to determine Ima- tophyllum to be the right name. [Botanists do not always tell the reasons for tne names they give the plants. Therefore in matters of orthography, unless they be clearl)'^ and mani- festly wrong, we take the names just as the author of the botanical name gives it to us. In this case Sprengel gives itHimantophyllum, and this we suppose is the oldest orthograph)\ As \ in the case of Haplopappus, and other words;! when it got to London the H was dropped, and then we read of it as Imantophyllum. Hooker we l)elieve to be the first to use it in this form, dropping the n also, and making it Iniato- phyllum. It is not clear to our mind whether derivation is from mas, a leather thong, per- haps from the strap-shaped leather-like leaves, or from imato, a vestment, as our correspondent suggests. At any rate,the name might as well be dropped in general use, as we take Chvia nobilis, under the rules, to be the correct name for it. — [Ed. G. M.] Double Amaryllis. — J. D., Bridgeport, Conn., writes : " I send you by post two flowers of a variety of Amaryllis, said to be found grow- ing wild near St. Johns, Florida. Will you please let us know tlirough your Monthly what you know of the variety, &c." [As far as we could judge from a flower it ap- pears to be Amaryllis Johnsoni. It is not a native of Florida ; if Avild the original must be an escape from some garden. It is very double, beautiful, and ought to be a valuable florists' flower.— Ei). G. M.j Literature, Travels I Personal Notes. COMMUNICA T/ONS. HISTORY OF THE WEEPING WILLOW. 1!Y W. II. P. In your reply to " F," Boston, you say that tradition says that all our Weeping Willows come from a cutting of that one at Kapoleon's grave, and you speak of Capt. Jacob Smith as j probably the ancestor of a former correspondent. Now it is my custom on receiving yonr magazine to commence reading it at once, and when I find anything likely to interest our domestic circle, I read it aloud. When the above was thus read a venerable lady of excellent memoiy, said : ''I remember seeing a very large old Weep- ing Willow, when I lived in Newport, E. I., and it must have been as early as 1812, for our family all left Newport before then, as Mr. Madison's embargo and the war left little for people to do in Newport. Napoleon died in ] 1821, nine years after, and not long enough ago to ' make a search for ancestors very ditlicult." Thank you very much for your European Notes ; how they must awake long-slumbering echoes in many wanderers from Albion! Even I, Yan- keefied beyond belief, and certain to pass with your friend, the "guard," for an unmitigated " furriner," was so far affected by the little word " Uckfield," that my eyes involuntarily closed ; many, many years were retraced, and among many recollections Avas one of a secluded pond, with Willows on one side and Pine trees on the other, the cones from the latter giving the boy of six years practical illustrations of the laws of "interference of vibration in elastic media," which have made the study of acoustics and op- tics pleasanter and easier. The Newport Wil- low, above mentioned, was in Third sti'eet on the 'Point," and there may be many who re- member it as long ago as the time stated. Your Boston friend "F." can make inquiries around Long Wharf, and the boat builders, when he visits Newport next summer . [We are much indebted to our corresponden- for these notes. In our former remarks the ref- erence was intended to be in regard to the intro- duction of the Weeping Willow into New Eng- land, rather than over the whole country. Weeping Willows were not uncommon as side- walk trees in Philadelphia, in 1803, and there may be older dates elsewhere.^ED. G. M.] PLANT PROTECTION. BY EUGENE GLEN, ROCHESTER, N. Y. In 1876, Congress enacted a law by which it was made a penal offense, punishable by tine not exceeding *1,000 or imprisonment 120 THE GARDENER' S MONTEILY VApril, not exceedins; two years, to knowingly imitate any registered trade mark or deal in merchan- dise bearing such imitated marks without au- thority. Of course, the invoking of criminal law cannot be justified in this case merely as a protection to the private interests of those who hold trade marks, and it was not upon the theoi-y that the law was passed. It was seen that those who acquire a reputation for their goods because of their superiority, have every incentive to pre- serve their purity, and that if they are protected | in the use of their brands the public will have | greater security for obtaining good qualities of \ the merchandise it may require. Hence it be- comes a public injury to counterfeit these brands, ] and for the punishment of this the strong arm | of the criminal law may be properly invoked. ! Likewise it is a grevious i3u1jlic injury to have i spurious trees and plants disseminated; and if the | protection of the public from spurious brands of j coft'ee and soap, for example, will justify the in- terposition of the criminal law, how much more will its protection from the yearly increasing damages resulting from the dissemination or spurious trees, plants and seeds, warrant a simi- lar interposition of that law ? As will be readily seen, when a variety has become so generally distributed, that all nur- serymen have had an opportunity to obtain gen- uine stock and propagate liberally from it, the j price of specimen trees or plants of that variety will drop to the general average for specimens of that species, and then there will be little in- ducement to supply spurious specimens of it. Hence if we prevent frauds ii> the sale of new varieties, we shall put an end to the greater part of the frauds now practiced. The fact that with genuine stock from which to propogate any nurserymen can produce treeis of the identical variety produced by another nurseryman , renders it impracticable to effect this reform by means of simple trade marks, indicating by whom the trees to which these marks may have been at- tached were grown. But a copyright law would give to an originator and his assigns, for alimitpd term, the exclusive use of the name he might originally adopt to indicate his variety. As this term would cover the entire period of the nov- elty of a variety, and it is only by the wrongful me of an established name that these frauds can be made profitable, the conclusion seems to me irresistible, that a properly guarded copyright law would aflbrd substantial protection against such fi-auds. As to the scope of that law I would suggest briefly, that any person who should make oath that he had originated a new and distinct vari- ety of trees, shrubs, vines, plants, bulbs, tubers, seeds or cereals, which had never been dissemi- nated, should, under proper conditions, receive a certificate entitling him to protection in the use of the name he might originally adopt to indi- cate that variety, for the period now given to authors under the copyright law, with appropri- ate damages in case of an infringement of his rights. Provision should be made for declaring void certificates granted on varieties which should prove to have been previously disseminated in any degree, and also for requiring the origi- nator to indicate on all specimens, and in all adveiLisements of the article, the fact and date of his copyright. It should further provide that the willful use of a valid copyright name without authority in con- nection with the advertisement or sale of goods of the species to which the copyright name had been applied, should be a penal offense, punish- able by fine or imprisonment, as m case of trade mark violations. As I have already shown, the property in copyright thus created, if the variety to which it might have been applied was in fact superior, would become valuable ; and it may be safely assumed that the self interest of those who hold copyrights upon names, which shall have ac- quired sufficient reputation to offer any temptation to their fraudulent use, will see that their rights are generally respected, and that the chances of having to surrender the profits of their fraud- ulent sales and be prosecuted criminally, will deter the great majority of those who now thrive by frauds from continuing the same. These two influences operating together cannot help secur- ing to the public a much larger proportion of genuine stock than it now gets, or fail to give to honest members of the trade a better chance in the race than the)"- now have. EDITORIAL NOTES. European Notes by the Editor. No. 8. — The public garden at Nottingham is called the "Arboretum," and comprises, perhaps, twenty acres, but the ground is of a more than rolling character, and so well taken have been all the advantages that one might really believe it was double the extent. This, indeed, is the most 1878.] A ND HOR TICUL TURIS T. 121 ■striking feature o*^ English landscape gardening \ and, for the matter of that, French garden art ; also, to so make the most of ground that a very j little goes a great way. The tract was secured j by the'city in 1850, and all that has been done is | wholly the work of art since that time, nature j giving nothing but the irregular piece of ground, j It was in a driving rain, and we expected to ; ' have a quiet stroll through by ourselves ; but I | had to learn over again what I had forgotten, | that weather like this, the half-normal condition | of the English climate, is no bar to the open air enjoyments of an Englishman or woman, and so we found, with umbrellas and overcoats, water-proofs and sensible, thick-soled shoes, some hundreds enjoying the walks through the j beautiful grounds. As all the walks were ! asphalted, there is no difficulty about this to one \ wlio does not care for the rain overhead. ! The effort to make a small place look larsje [ recjuires gref#t skill in its accomplishment; and I i tliink it is because this effort has been so success- j ful here that this "Arboretum " has such a world- wide reimtation ; the irregular contour of sur- face is, of course, very favorable. But not only i are the paths varied in width, and led around knolls wherever there might seem no excuse for going any other way, but" the whole style of art i i one continual change, and even the plants an trees are all of separate characters as we go | along. Here, for instance, in a hollow, is a mass of red Colchicuni Maples ; we follow a winding walk, and there in a sheltered nook ; come on a sort of Rhododendron garden ; pass- ing then around a curve we come on a belt of mixed shrubbery of no special importance, and perliaps really intended to keep from us the knowledge that we are very near some point we went over an hour ago ; but in front of this belt of shrubbery, and beyond the stretch of nice green grass, there is a Sweet William garden. Continuing to give way to the enchantment of the walk, we turn again around a knoll and are brought to face with a stretch of Laurels and other evergreens, having in front of them broad belts filled with blooming Hollyhocks, their gay flowers showing to great advantage by the help •of the wall of green foliage behind them. Leaving the irregular masses of shrubbery, we are then introduced for a change to a very for- mal Privet hedge with a narrow border of earth in front, and then a row of our common woolly Mullien, Verbescum thapsus, as courtly and severe as the hediie itself, as if each vied with eacli other as to which should be the most stately In the beholder's tye. The " Landscape Gardener " that Downincr, I believe, once told about, who took a handfull of stones, scattered them, and where each one fell stuck in atree, would find his "art" at a sad dis- count here, where every yard is a new surprise. From these curvy walks and continued succes- sion of floral changes, we come suddenly into the " Bell Garden," a square and level piece of ground, full of architectural objects, geometri- cal lines, and carpet beds gay with bright colors to match. The bell is a war trophy taken by a Notting- ham regiment from Hong Kong in 1857. The tower which supports it is a beautiful piece of architecture. It stands on a broad square plat- eau, reached on all four sides by flights of stone steps. On the fttur corners of the square plat- form are four cannon taken from Sebastapol in the Crimean war. This w^ar trophy seemed to give a reason for the broad plateau, and the numer- ous pretty beds of leaf plants and flowers spoke as if they were the decorations in honor of the victories gained by English arms. It is this fitness of things, this appropriateness, this defer- ence to the ideal, tjiat is the chief charm of these successful pieces of English landscape gardening. Then there are terraces from which we look doAvn on smooth gardens with bedding plants, the sunken places not looking as if they were the remains of some old canal, "the grave of which had been florally decorate'dby some sympathetic hand, but the space so cut out as' if it could not help being just what it was, and we should rather wonder if we saw it in any other way. Then there are nice seats and arbors where you can ?it and enjoy each particular scene, and see it so well from nowhere else. Now it is some beautiful public buildings in the city, appearing [ as if it was built expressly for you to admire from that spot. Tlien it may be some scene in the dis- I taut Sherwood Forest ; or, perhaps, a mass of i flower beds, water fowl and lake, parade ground or some other nice little bit on its own ground. ; The points which struck me in the beautiful garden as being particularly worthy of note were that it was admirably designed in the first j place ; and in the second,that though the common- est materials were employed in decorations, they I were used with such admirable skill that no one '\ would think of them in any other light than as the highest effort of art. It Avas a cheap day in my English experience, giving one of the best lessons" in public gardening I could possibly I have. j As we cannot do more than take some types i of various classes of garden work, suppose we 1 skip over some huncked miles or more in a south-easterly direction, and spend a day at the 1 celebrated Sydenham palace in Kent. This ! also is a public garden ; but it is owned by a j private company, the idea being to do a little gardening for profit as well as just for the pleas- ure of the thing. j Before I left America I had been kindly furn- ished with letters of introduction by distinguished { Americans in various walks of life, to diflerent j English gentlemen ; knowing, however, that the i acceptance of hospitality and attentions, seri- I ously interferes with the seeing a great deal in a j short time by one whose busy life suffers him 1 not to tarry' long in one place, I seldom used j any except where it was necessary to see some desired point not otherwise attainable. But as the Crystal Palace project is supposed to be a I pecuniary failure, I was really anxious to know more about its financial prospect than I could learn by looking about alone. Finding a letter in my wallet to Mr. Thomas Hughes, the President, I 122 THE GARDENEIk'S MJN ''HLY {.April, determined to iiiake use of it, as \ understood he was on the ground. I was directed to a room as the Secretary's office. At the far end were two or three clerks busy with their pens. It was some time before these gentlemen deigned to take any notice of my inquiry if Mr. Hughes was to be found. One at last came to me hurriedly, and on my repeating the question he replied sharply that he was, but was engaged and could not be seen. Before scarcely finishing his answer he was off, and at his desk again. There was noth- ing left but to follow him, when I explained that I was from America, and was the bearer of a letter from a friend of Mr. Hughes, and where could he be seen? "You can't see Mr. Hughes now, but you can leave the letter with me, or you can see the Secretary in that room." I walked into that ro(;)m, found it empty, came back and so reported. "Well, I don't know Avhere he is," was the busy man's reply, and he went on with his pen work. It did not seem to me a matter of supreme importance to see Mr. Hughes. I should probably learn something by ear I could not by eye, but then there was quite enough to keep eye and brain employed without that, so I did not see Mr. Hughes and walked away, and the only reason I mention the circum- stance is to say that such incivility is extremely rare in England. 1 found officials occasionally curt, especially on one occasion at Brighton, but the mention of the word "American" had in every other instance, been a complete passport to polite attention, in many cases to a degree I was quite surprised at. It was an admirable idea to preserve this building — the first in the inauguration of these wonderful exhibits ; and it is to be hoped that the enterprise which has staked so much on the venture will be ultimately successful. The building itself is a sort of a combination of the Main Exhibition Building and Horticultural Hall of our Centennial. Huge Acacias, ^lyrtles. New Holland Araucarias, with numcruus' hang- ing baskets of Rose Geraniums, interspersed with dolphin fountains, adorn the main promenade, while the side portions are used for the various collections of art, music halls, &c. The grounds are pretty, but I must say that, considering the reputation of the landscape gar- dener, Paxton, I believe, it did not strike me as a first-class specimen of art. In my poor opinion, it was terraced, va.sed, and fountained to death. The fountains had no water in them, and the lakes were chiefly dark mud and weeds. It may be, perhaps, that it was a bad season for these features; and, indeed, the lawns were as brown and burnt as any I ever saw in our own liot-summered country. There is a huge mound, which, after you reach its crown, you wonder what it was made for, for there is no view from it, and it seems almost incredible that it should have been thrown up for no other purpose than to make a base for the fiag pole Avhich surmounts it. Indeed, it seemed to be the weak point in the designing of these grounds, that there was no ideal ; it is mere ornamentation with nothing to ornament. This ornamentation, in j itself, was beautiful. The carpet bedding was- elaborate and tasteful, and I saw few specimens of such work in England that was its superior.. It is worthy of note, that with all our ideas of the superiority of the English climate for garden- ing, they have but a very short season in which to enjoy it, compared with what we have. It was then the 10th of July, and some of the beds- were only being planted. It takes thousands and thousands of" plants to carry out the bedding of the English gardeners, because, owing to their short seasons, they have to set the plants very close together, so that, a day or two after the planting, the bed is a complete carpet at once. As they have frosts often in September, they have generally little more than two months to enjoy these beautiful eftects. I must pass by the beauties of Hyde Park, and the numerous public parks of Eondon, and take I only one for my brief space to make a few notes on, 'as I thought it the best of its clJiss — Batter- { sea Park. It'is some miles up the Thames from the heart of London, but the steamer takes you for a few pence, and it seems a very cheap ride ; but when I remembered our own beautiful river boats, with their numerous comforts and con- veniences, I had to remember the lesson I fre- quently had taught me in my traveling experi- ences, that Europe was a mucii cheaper place to live in than America, provided you bought nothing. Of course I knew Battersea of all my old haunts. Although over thirty years ago, I ran my mind through its slimy ditches, and cab- bage gardens, and "wild grass, and felt sure I could go right to the spot where we botanical boys used to go to get our Rumex Brittanicus, and other rare (for those parts) species of Docks, for these fields were our favorite hunting grounds. But it was not to be, for all around I were beautiful buildings, and a beautiful park ! was on that very spot. It is perfectly amazing how young old London is. If the author of "Elora Londoniensis " could see it now, he would w\ant to emigrate to the United States. There is scarcely room even for a dock to grow about old London now. It was, for England, an uncomfortably warm day, though the thermometer was only 70°, and we began to long for some of the pleasant, cool- ing Smnmer drinks of our own land. There was a fair looking restaurant at the park entrance, with ai'bors of living vines, and seats and tables that seemed pleasant enough. People at the tables were indulging, in the favorite national beverage, while our eyes caught sight of " Ices " on a piece of pasteboard swir%ing in the wind. It came in a sort of sherry glass, and in a mo- ment had wholly disappeared. It was a very homojopathic dose for so serious an ailment,, so we had to take comfort from a newspaper by us, which gave a terrible account of the awful death of some one a few days before from eating ice cream. It was terrible to think of dying so far away from home, so we asked for glasses of " very cold water," and goblets holding nearly a quart were brought to us. Still it would not go. We had taken nothinLr which needed an emetic 1S78. W XD H OR TICUL TURIS T. \'l% so we timidly inquired for ice, and to our great delight some chunks soon floated in the liquid. T cannot describe the curiosity with which we were regarded by those in the vicinity as we sat indulging in that" delicious drink; and. relating the, to us, amusing incident a day or two after, while dining with a leading Englisli nurseryman, he assured us that he did not wonder at it, for he did not remember that he had ever tastod ice water in his life ! But we were nicely cooled off, and started for a tour round the park. It seems to have an out- line of about two miles, and has much of the continually varying character of the Notting- ham arboretum, already described, only with more room ; there is, of course, a much greater variation, and these variations of a much more elaborate character. The land is flat and the great work has to be wholly one of art. The ancient ditches, to which we have referred, have i been gathered into great lakes, and scores of; boats "with ladies in them showed that the healthy exci'cise of rowing was a feminine ac- complishment. There were more varieties of American trees here than I had seen anywhere, the Silver Maple especially in considerable quantity, but it does not grow with the vigor it does in our river bottoms at home. Among the specialties of this park were bark basket beds which had painted cable rope for borders ; beds wholly of Moss roses, then beds of other roses, forming regular rose gardens ; beds of Zonale geraniums, in which immense quantities of one j kind would be massed ; and only imagine a gar- den in which the tobacco was the leading leaf plant of beauty, while the purple Senecio or : Jacob(jea formed a sort of base color between the '\ large tobacco leaves. The sub-tropical garden | is a special feature of Battersea Pai'k. To this ' end palms, tree ferns, Indian rubbers, and simi- lar things in pots and tubs are sunk in the | ground for the Summer. It is a principal ele- ] ment in giving the great variety this park pos- sesses, and so far a success. Then there are | rock gardens; and of this we must sayit seemed j the most successful attempt at rock-work we 1 ever saw, and does great credit to its designer, Mr. Pulham. The stones in some places are arranged so as to resemble natural strata, in which effort considerable geological knowledge must have been called into service. Then to make the work look still more natural, across on the opposite side of the wide plain, rocks are ar- ranged in a very similar way, so that the way ap- pears as a gulch through the rock torn out by na- ture. Then rock-Wving bushes and genuine'rock plants are introduced among the rocks with little rills and cascades ; all so natural and yet so beau- tiful that you stand and look enraptured, not thuiking of it as a work of art, but only wonder- ing why you had not met with so charming a sight in the wild haunts of nature before. I had often heard of the carpet beds and tropical gar- 1 dening of this park, but never of its wild rock i garden, but to me it was the loveliest of all. j The carpet beds, to be sure, are exquisitely beautiful. They were real carpets, for the leaf plants are kept down by scissors and shears to a perfect level, and no color is allowed to in- trude a hair's breadth on the line marked out for another. The plants used are all the same as we use for " massing ;" for carpet bedding, as I understood here, is almost unknown in our land- ': We have mosaics, but no carpets. I had noted a silvery plant used in these carpet productions ; not found in our gardening, and desirous to know its name, with the inquiry I handed my card to one of the foremen, as I had found by ' experience the value of an American card in i obtaining kind consideration. After saying the plant was Leucophyton Brownii, and looking at the card he observed that one of the honorable Commissioners of the London parks was on the ground, and he was sure he would not be forgiv- en if he allowed me to go without an introduc- tion. I knew what this meant ; and as I had cut out for part of my day's work the use of one of my American letters to James McHenry, Esq., whom I had understood had a model suburban garden, and which I might take as a type of that style of English gardening, it was not without some reluctance that I went with my new found friend and was introduced to Mr. Rogers. On reading my name he treated me with the utmost cordiality, and was kind enough to say there was no one from America whose visit to the park gave him more pleasure than this of one with whose writings he had been so long famil- iar ; and there wa.s no help for it, I had to go over the pretty grounds again. And yet I was not sorry, for we cannot do more than learn Avherever we are, and I found Mr. Rogers a gen- tleman remarkably well versed in horticultural _ taste, and I could not but wish that all park" commissions were as ably and intelligently served. From Mr. R. I learned that there are occasionally changes among the personnel of Park Boards as with us, but the Secretary of the Board, and all other officers of Departments are in a measure permanent, and this ensures the carrying out of a uniform plan of manage- ment. There is no waste of public funds which follow changes, and no useless officers. There are two hundred acres in the park, and notwith- standing the many varied details, all un- der one foreman. 'There are men who have charge of divisions, who were first taken as laborers; these are "advanced men." The number of guards vary with the seasons. At times when thousands throng the park they may be as high as sixty. The lowest number is aoout sixteen. The plants for bedding purposes are all raised on the grounds. Fuf these purposes there are eight greenhouses, each 2U feet by 100, besides frames.' It may give some idea of the immense number of plants required for orna- mentation of this character, when I say that i.i the beds this season there were no less tha'i 75,000 Lobelias, and 48,000 Geraniums. So great, however, is the national love of gardening among all classes, that whatever feelmg there may be against public expenditures, those on parks and public gardens are rarely objected to. The Boston Public Treks.— A correspoi dent writes that in our remarks on trees f( 124 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY lApm, public grounds some injustice nn2;ht be done. Among articles furnished to the Boston author- j ities were some for which they paid $150 per ; 100. This was a subject for investigation by the | city. It is contended that the price was not ex- horbitant, but was the regular wholesale rates of that grade of plants in this country. It is said that the investigating committee reported substantially to this effect. So far as this par- ticular case may be referred to by our remarks, he thinks that one should be excluded. The Post-office Kuler Again. — The Post- office schoolmaster is after Uncle Sanjuel's bad boys again, and the hands have to be held out for the ruler. !N'ow that our reformed Congress has re-enacted the franking privilege for its members, so that their dirty linen can be sent free through the mails to their' laundries at home, horticulturists have to be looked after, and their facilities cut down to the lowest possi- ble ebb. In all large cities a special agent has been appointed, whose duty is to open packages and examine their contents. The smallest package must be "open at the ends," or it is subject to letter postage. It has been hitherto thought to be quite sufficient that the general envelope be open, but now every 5 or 10 cent package of flower seeds must be " open at the ends," as well as the main wrapper; even good Mr. Cresswell's "transparent wrapper" will pass no more now. On making inquiry at the Philadelphia post-office whether, in the case of coarse seeds, bags sewn at the ends roughly, so that the seeds could be examined through the stitches, would do, we were told it would not. The package must be so that " the whole interior can be easily examined." It is strange that in these days, when a person can send a message by a penny postal card, that a great Government like ours should imagine its "customers" would steal a message through under cover of a package of seeds "or cuttings. 'The whole of these " rules " are insulting to the American people. The fact is, there is no idea that any one will cheat the Government out of a penny postal card in this way. The real inten- tion is to favor the express companies as much as possible, by embarrassing the postage of seeds and cuttings through the mail, and this makes the insulting insinuation that we are all on the alert to rob the Government of a penny message the more unbearable. It will not do, in the "face of the liberal postal facilities of other countries, not to stem to be as liberal as they are to their people, so our Government can pretend to be progressive also, and then so embarrass the working of the law as to make it practically useless. The express companies have gained a new triumph, and all under the pretence that we will " diddle " the Government out of a penny postal card ! Horticultural Importations.— Those re- Mr. Robinson's Wild Garden. — Of a new ■ceived into the port of Philadelphia from j edition of this work a recent notice tells us : Europe have not been heavy the past year. Of !" Illustrations for a re-written and beautifully •articles not subject to duty, there were dried illustrated edition of this book are now being- flowers valued at $1,229; seeds $11,263, and of dutial)le article were bulbs, $1,547; dried grasses, *1.()U7: seeds, $15,851; trees and plants,'S5,729; of other articles of a more agricultural charac- ter on which duties were paid, were $150,000 worth of potatoes, perhaps from Bermuda in early crops. Why Gardeners should Marry. — As noted elsewhere, the "agent" has been trapped and caught by the Gardener's Monthly folks, after he has had. for over a year, the good picking under his "agency" for many other periodicals, seed houses, anrl nurserymen, and could not be caught. We learn that one gardener near Germanl;own was saved by the good sense of his wife. He had agreed to get the Gardener's Monthly, "to be weekly, in future, with no increase in price," and the " shears," and he went rejoicing to the house for the $2 for the gentleman, who politely assured him that " he need not pay the money now until after he got the magazine," if he did not w'ant to; but as he had the receipts at hand it might save trouble to pay at once." But the wife forcibly inquired what he was "after in paying out money to a stranger," which happy thought struck the gardener as sensible, and so " Mr". Waters " was asked to "call again." A wife like that is a treasure to any man, and School Lane, German- town, should be proud of her. It seems clear that a man who consults his wife before giving money to a bogus agent, has decidedly the best of it, and we recommend the practice to those who have never been visited by Mr. Waters, or C. E. Anderson, or any such man. Darwin and Bryant. — The portraits of the philosopher and poet, as published, have a strik- ing resemblance to each other. Prof. Riley in Europe. — We noticed re- cently the misconceived criticism of an Euro- pean" author on Prof. Riley's work. We note that they are not all of that gentleman's opin- ion. Prof. Charles Joly , in La Science Povr tons, ending a review of the work of Prof. Riley relative to Doryphora, says : "We do not hesi- tate to highly commend "the labors of a man who is an honor to the learning and intelligence of his country." Transactions of the Minnesota Horti- cultural Society.— From Prof. Charles Y. Lacy, Secretary, St. Paul. There are few trans- actions of so truly a horticultural character. The work of the society covers every branch of the art, and the work is done Well. Those who think the State can grow nothing but crab apples, -will learn better by reading this volume. Drew's Window Garden.— Our correspond- ent, Mr. Drew, has written a small pamphlet on Window Gardening, which may be had for 25 cents of Geo. W. P'ark, Mount Vernon, O. 1878.] AND HOR TICUL Tl VUS T. 125 drawn in black and white b}' some of the best artists in London and Paris. These illustrations will show some of the results already obtained, and sugsrests Avhat is possible with niany types of vegetation. This book is written in the inter- est of the most charming phase of picturesque gardening, and we should be greatly obliged to any persons interested in such for permission to see any photographs or sketches showing beauti- ful flower life in a wild or semi-wild state. What is wanted are not portraits of individual tlowers, but wreaths, fringes, or colonies of them as they arrange themselves in a wild state, or are permitted to do so in the garden. American readers would also greatly oblige by letting us know if any photographs are obtainable showing flower life in the Northern, Eastern, Western, or Pacific States." Horticultural Catalogues.— We have several hundreds of catalogues before us, a large proportion asking " please notice." We would gladly do this if we had four or five pages to spare ; for, indeed, the greater part of them are extremely creditable and deserving of all praise. The Rural New Yorker. — We do not know that any one should care to have more than his money's worth in a 'good paper when he sub- scribes therefor the full subscription price, but if it is to be, the Rural New Yorker^ s oft'er of a "combined clock and watch," seems about as good as any. We cannot, however, recommend a subscription on this account, for the paper is all any reasonable person ought to expect with- out it. That Bogus Agent. — He has been caught at last, and as we are writing this is in prison, in Philadelphia, awaiting trial, for though he is " such a nice young man," he could get no one. to go bail for his appearance. Horticultural Societies. EDITORIAL NOTES. address of rMARSHALL P. WILDER. Concluded. Fomological Literature. — Among the most important agencies which have contributed largely to the advancement of the pomology of our country, we desire to speak especially of its literature. One hundred years ago this had not begun to exist in our country. Then there was not an agricultural, horticultural or pomological society, not a periodical or paper devoted to the cause of terraculture. When the Philadelphia and the Massachusetts Societies for Promoting Agriculture were formed, our only pomological literature was limited to a small number of European works. These were, as far as possible, collected in the libraries of these societies, and we early trace the beginnings of an American pomological literature in papers contributed to the publications of these same societies. The first of these communications appeared in the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository in 1796, on the natural history of the canker worm. In this paper Prof. Peck gave a very full account of this insect, still so injurious to our apple trees. This attention on the part of agricultural socie- ties to fruit culture has continued and increased to the present day, and I am of the opinion that however much we may be indebted to the State societies and other prominent organizations, we owe much to the unpretending reports of local societies for the interest which now pervades the masses and popularizes pomological knowledge. All of these may be counted in the history and literature of American pomology. Many of these are not only examples of real practical knowledge, but are highly creditable for their literary and scientific character. From these, our own publications have derived much of the information which gives them their excellence, all combining to make up the literature of Amer- ican pomology. Only fifty years ago the difficulty of obtaining'correct information from our own countrymen in regard to fruit trees and the cul- ture of them, was almost insuperable, and we were compelled to resort to such European authors as we could obtain. But those of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, such as Merlet, Quintinye, I)uhamel, and the like, were in foreign languages, and not generally available for our uses if we except the "Pomologia" of the Dutch gardener, Herman Knoop, which had been translated. It was not, however, until about the beginning of the present century, even in these countries, that the new enterprise in fruit culture, which characterizes the present age, had sprung up. The publications of Van Mous in Belgium, Forsyth and Knight in England, and Poiteau and Noisette, in France, awakened a new interest in their own and other lands, but it was reserved for a later day, when their suc- cessors, George Lindley, Thompson, Rivers and Hogg of England ; Esperen, Bivort and Berck- maus, of Belgium ; Decaisne, Leroy and Mas, of France, and others of our own land, should infuse into the minds of cultivators that new zeal in fruit culture which has now spread throughout our own continent. But it was not until the establishment of horticultural societies in the United States, such as New York, in 1818, the Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in 1828 and 1829, and the publication of their proceed- ings, that the glorious era in which we live com- menced the development of our wonderful fruit resources. The first strictly pomological woi'k published in America was Coxe's "View of the Cultivation of Fruit Trees," which appeared in 1817. Through foreign correspondence and commer- cial intercourse, "the zeal which had been awa- kened in Europe soon extended itself to our shores ; trees, scions and pomological books of foreign oriain, w^ere freely added to our own V26 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY lApnl, collections. Societies were formed, new nurser- ies established, catalogues published, and a gen- eral desire manifested for new and improved truits. In this new enterprise, Coxe, of ITew Jersey ; Hot^ack, Buel, and David Thomas, of New York; Mease, Carr, and Landreth, of Pennsyl- vania; Lowell, Manning and Downer of Massa- ■<'husetts*. Young, of Kentucky ; Smith, ofRhode Island; Ives, and Miinson of Connecticut; Corse, of Canada; Hildreth, Longworth, and Kirtland, of Ohio ; Corse and Rogers of Mary- land ; Kenicott and Dunlap, of "Illinois, and ■others— soon became actively engaged. We have spoken of the early publications of Horticultural Societies, but there is another class of publications to which we are even more indebted. In 1819, appeared the forerunner of ihe present host of Agricultural papers, the American Farmer, which still continues in a green old age, and it is a pleasant coincidence jthat we meet in the city where this first journal saw the light of day, and whose editor is the Secretar}' of the society whose hospitality we are now enjoying. Then came the New England Farmer, the Genesee Farmer, and the Albany Cultivator, through whose columns information began to be widely disseminated. Then came the fruit books and publications of the elder and younger Prince, Thacher, Manning, Kenrick, the Downings, John J. Thomas, Hovey, Barry, Brinckle, War- der, Hooper, Elliot, Field, Fuller and others. Nor should we fail to mention as powerful agents in advancing the cause, Hovey' s Magazine of Horticulture, the Horticulturist', the Gardener's Monthly, and the American Journal of Horti- culture. Another class of pomological literature deserves prominent recognition, viz. : the host of descriptive catalogues, of our nur- serymen, many of which are of the most reliable, instructive and interesting character. Ultimately, as a consummation much to be desired, came the Proceedings of the Amer- ican Pomological Society for the last twenty- nine years, embracing in consolidated form the reports of the various States and districts, the discussions, the catalogues of fruits adapted to each section of our country, and other informa- tion, such as is nowhere else to be found in the history of pomological literature. Through these publications the reputation of our Ameri- can fruits has attracted the attention of foreign- ers, so that European catalogues now possess many names of American varieties. NECROLOGY. But while I congratulate you on the prosperity of our institution, on its increasing influence, and on the lively interest manifested in its objects throughout our country, I am reminded of the absence of some who have labored with us for the promotion of our cause. Since our last ses- sion, there have been removed by death the fol- lowing persons, who have held official positions in the Society : Dr. Benjamin F. Edwards, of Missouri; William Blanchard Towne, of New Hampshire; Bartlett Bryant, of Vermont: Dr. Edwin S. Hull, of Illinois; Daniel W. Coit, of Connecticut ; and Dr. John S.Houghton, of Penn- sylvania. Dr. Benjamin F. Edwards, of Kirkwood, Mis- souri, held the office of Vice-President for that State from 1867 to '69, and again in 1875 and '77. He was born in Darnestown, Maryland, July 2, 1797, and died at his beautiful residence in Kirk- wood, April 27, 1877, at the ripe age of eighty years. His love of horticulture and kindred pur- suits commenced early in life. He was intimately associated in the culture ot the grape with Mr. Longworth, of Ohio receiving cuttings from him of all the native and foreign grapes, which he scattered a niong the most enterprising of his numerous patients, and which made Madison county one of the first in the State in grape cul- ture. He established a large vineyard in Jeffer- son county, on the German plan of close plant- ing, having fifty varieties of grapes, which he eventually reduced to four : the Concord, Ives, Norton and Herbemont. His interest in all mat- ters pertaining to horticulture continued through life. Dr. Edwards had lived in Kentucky and Illinois for a time, but he finally removed to St. Louis, with a great reputation as a physician, which in after life he fully maintained. Even in his busy profession, he constantl}- sought to pro- mote all benevolent and Christian enterprises, believing "that what he had belonged to God, and was given to him to be used for His cause." He was carried to his grave in a full old age, j universally beloved and respected. Many of us I well remember his introduction as the oldest j Vice-President at Chicago, and his appropriate reply ; also his affectionate speech at St. Louis, ' as he placed a wreath presented by the ladies of , that city, on the head of your presiding officer. [ William Blanchard Towne, a Vice-President j of this Society for New Hampshire, was born in j Bow, N. H., October 12, 1810, and died suddenly in Boston, April 10, 1876, aged 65. He was in I early life employed in farming ; afterwards a merchant in Boston. He was Treasurer of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, and one of its Vice-Presidents, and an active member I of the New Hampshire Historical Society; Pres- I ident of the Skovvhegan National Bank, and the j Milford Five-Cent Savings Institution, and mem- ber of the New Hampshire Legislature in 1872-73. 1 Some years ago he purchased his father's home- ' stead in Milford, and took a deep interest in the j exhibitions of his State and county. Mr. Towne I was a very useful man, and universally respect- j ed. I Bartlett Bryant, a Vice-President of this Soci- I ety for the State of Vermont, was born at Han- j over. New Hampshire, Feb. 26, 1822, and died at I Derby Centre, April 26, 1876. He was from early life attached to the cultivation of fruits, I and feeling the need of hardy fruits in his region j he established nurseries in Stanstead, Canada I and in Derby Centre and Enosburg, Vermont, I introducing new fruits, and doing a large business j in the distribution of hardy trees in the north and ' north-west, especially with regard to oiu" colder 1878. AND HORTICULTURIST. 127 regions. No man, says a friend, has done more in the last twenty-two years in the promulgation •of choice, hardy fruits than Mr. Bryant, for which his name will be honored in our north-eastern boundaries. His success in grafting the apple on the crab stock, to prevent injuries by frost, and the planting of large orchards of the crab varieties, and other very hardy apples, is well known. He was also 'much engaged in stock raising, especially of fine horses, possessing nine farms, and at the time of his death, lai'ge nurser- ies of fruit trees. He was a benevolent man, having made donations for schools, orphan children, etc., and his loss was much deplored. Dr. Edwin S. Hull, of Alton, Illinois, was born in Connecticut, May, 1810, and died at his residence Nov. 8, 1875. In 1844 he removed to the famous Hull farm, near Alton. He planted lai'ge orchards of fruit trees and soon became a leader in this line. As frequently is the case in new enterprises, he met with disappointments in his culture, but, never discouraged, he contended with the evils of insects, blight, etc., ever looking forward to better results which made him an au- thority on such subjects He gave much study to the character and depredation of insects, espe- cially the curculio, and invented methods for its destruction. He wrote extensively on the causes of pear blight, and his eftbrts by root-pruning to prevent it. He aided largely in founding the Alton Horticultural Society, of which he was President ; was State Pomologist ; a member of our Committee on Foreign Fruits for 1867 and ^G8, and President of the Illinois State Horticul- tural Society, and for several years was horticultu- ral editor of the Prairie Farmer. Many of us will remember how courteously, as President of the Illinois Horticultural Societ}', he welcomed us at Chicago two years since, when he said, "these meetings bring us together from the North, South, East, West, and British Provinces, to form friendships stronger than an)^ i)olitical ties," and expressed the hope that at no distant day we shouldmeet again. These hopes were blasted, for in a few weeks he passed into the spirit world. Daniel Wadsworth Coit, at the time of his decease, was the oldest person who had held membership or office in our Society. He was born in Norwich, Conn., in 1787, and died in that city on the 18th of July, 1870, in the 90th year of his age, under the majestic elms where his widow now resides. Early in life he was engaged in New York in commercial pursuits, and highly respected as a merchant. In 1819 he went to Peru, where he resided for some seven years, in business relations with England, Ameiica and Spain, having more than once crossed the Andes, visiting the mountains and the ruined cities of the Incas. He repeatedly visited Europe and partic- ularly Spain, in whose schools of art he took a great interest. In 1840 he returned to his native home ; but just before the breaking out of the war with Mexico he went to that city, where he was established in business for awhile. From Mexico he went by way of Acapulco to Califor- nia, where he was for some years engaged in business. On his return to his home at Norwich, he devoted the remainder of his life to horticul- tural pursuits with as much energy and enterprise as he had given to mercantile affairs. As a cul- tivator of fruits and flowers he was one of the most scientific and successful of our times, proving all of the novelties and retaining only those in his opinion most worthy. He was formerly Chairman of the Fruit Committee for Connecticut. His good taste and discrimination made him an authority in the selection of the finest fruits. Mr. Coit was somewhat distin- guished as an artist, and during his wanderings exercised his skill in making sketches which are of great merit. These, together with those which he had collected in Europe and America, he left to his family, among which are views in Lima and Mexico, the ruined cities of the Incas, of the Cordilleras, and especially sketches of San Fran- cisco, then only a group ol' rough huts. His skill he retained to the close of life, and his works are prized not only as mementoes but as works of art. Dr. John Skillin Houghton, of Philadelphia, was born in Dedham, Mass., Oct. 18, 1816, and died suddenly in Philadelphia, Dec. 11, 1876. Dr. Houghton was an active worker in the field of pomology and horticulture, and was chairman of the State Committee for Pennsylvania from 1869 to 1873. For many years he was a zealous experimenter in fruit culture, and although he failed to make it profitable he exerted an'influ- ence that was widely felt. His pear orchard consisted at one time of many thousand trees. He experimented extensively on the cutting and pinching-in system with pears, for the production of fruit, even at the expense of the vitality of the trees. He was a great worker and an invalua- ble member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society — full of enterprise, energy and despatch — and his death was much regretted. Nor can I close this record without recogniz- ing the sudden death of one of our members at Chicago, whither he went to attend our meeting. I allude to Mr. Samuel H. Colton, delegate from the Worcester Horticultural Society of Massa- chusetts, who died at the Grand Pacific Hotel ia that city on the 13th day of September, 1876. Mr. Colton was largely interested in horticultu- ral pursuits, and formerly in the nui'sery business. He was an influential member of the above named society, and for many years its treasurer. He took great pleasure in discussing and dissem- inating native fruits, was a frequent correspond- ent of horticultural journals, and for some j'ears editor of the Massachusetts Spy. He was also a director in the Quinsigamond Bank, and ti-eas- urer of the People's Fire Insurance Company, and was a gentleman of sterling worth, most amiable in his disposition, and upright in all the relations of life. Thus, three Vice-Presidents, and three others who have held official relations, have been re- moved since our last meeting. They have gone before us, their places have been made vacant, and are now filled by others. How long we shall remain, is only known to Him who holds the 128 THE GARDENERS MONTHLY lApri/, issues of life in his hands. Some of our lives are wellnigh spent, and ere we meet again our sun will have set below the horizon of this world. Let then these lessons of mortality prompt us to greater diligence for the promotion of our cause. CONCLUSION. Standing here as conservators of American Pomology, enjoying as we do such peculiar privi- leges for research and discovery , let us use every eftbrt to advance our cause by diligent experiment and observation, so that as we come up from session to session, we may add something to the common stock of information, and thus develop for the good of mankind the rich treasures which our science has in store for the world. Thus let us work on, hand in hand, to scatter these blessings broadcast through the land. Others may seek for the honors of public life or the victoi-ies of war, which too often carry with them the recol- lection of wounded hearts and painful disappoint- ments. But let us continue to work on, feeling assured that our labors will cause no regret. As Mrs. Sigourney has beautifully versified my former remark — "No sting in the l)osora of memory we're leaving, No stain on llie pinion of time." Let us commence the new century in the history of our Republic with increased enterprise and zeal for the promotion of our cause, and should any of us be called from our labors on earth, let us feel assured that others will continue the work we have begun, and carry it forward to still greater perfection. Let the successes of the past stimulate us to greater exertions for the future. Let us work on, "full of hope, regardless of all ob- stacles, "Still achieving, still pursuing,"' until we shall reach that better land whqre the garden shall have no blight, fruits no decay, and where no serpent lurks beneath the bower — where harvests are not ripened by the succession of seasons— where the joys of fruition shall not be measured by the lapse of time. Horticulture in California.— A Horti- cultural Society has been formed at Los Ange- los, the first, we believe in the State. New York Horticultural Society.— At the March meeting of this Society, Mr. Boileau, who has charge of Trinity Cemetery, and is an enthusiastic landscape gardener, addressed the Society on the pruning of fruit trees, having pear and apple trees to illustrate his method^ He made an admirable exposition of this subject, and was listened to with marked attention. Hya- cinths, Camellias, Azalias, Carnations, Bego- nias, Orchids and Pelargoniums had premiums awarded to them. The Kentucky Horticultural Society has determined to compete for the Wilder medal to be awarded at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, to be held at Nashville, Tenn., in September, 1879. This medal is given to such societies only as make a meritorious display of fruits. The Kentucky society expects \ to place upon the tables not less than one thou- I sand plates of fruit. : Maryland Horticultural Society.— The \ practice of having instructive talks about tlie objects exhibited we are pleased to see is grow- j ing. At the Feb. meeting of this Society Mr. j Wm. Eraser, who has demonstrated in the con- [ servatory at Patterson Park, how in practice the I best results are obtained in plant growth, read I an exctfllent paper, on this interesting subject j tracts in our next. Mr. Pentland made a spirited little speech, bearing rather severely on the j deficiency of floml display and taste in I Baltimore as compared with some other cities ; and the President, Mr. Perot, made j some remarks on the adaptation of gloxi- nias, achimenes and similar subjects, to the orna- mentation of the greenhouse in summer. The committee gave a special commendation to a seedling Carnation "Waverly," shown by \ August Hoen, for its large and brilliant flowers, I free-blooming qualities and great fragrance ; to I James Pentland for his seedling Camelia, "Stone- wall Jackson," exhibited for "the first time, of good form and color and beautifully variegated; to W. D, Brackenridge for a specimen in flower , of Mahonia japonica ; to S. Feast & Sons for cut Camellias, Roses, Pansies and White Hyacinths ; I to Captain Snow for fine display of Orchid 1 blooms ; to Robt. J. Halliday for a general col- lection, including a fine Pandanus Yeitchii; and to Patterson Park (Wm. Fraser, Supt.) for a ^ handsome and well-filled table, including nota- ' bly well-grown specimens of Phajus Wallachi. , Abutilons John Hopkins and Darwinii, &c. Ma.ssachusetts Horticultural Society.— At the meeting on March 2d the best winter pear i exhibited was decided to be the BeurreD'Anjou, ' from J. Y. Wellington ; the next best winter ! variety from the same. C. E. Grant's Baldwins were the best winter apples. Mr John E. Bar- ; ker received a vote of thanks on his retirement I from long and active service as chairman of the ■ Floral Committee. A testimomial of thrt-e craj-on photographs of himself was presented to Mr.Park- i man for his distinguished services to Horticul- ture. Hon. M. P. Wilder presented a copy bound of all his speeches and addresses. The president read the following letter, which had been received by him : ; ' The undersigned, intrusted in advancing a practical taste for floriculture, especially among the children of the laboring classes, desire that i the Massachusetts Horticultural Society shall j oft'er prizes for window gardening, and conduct j all the business of advertising, exhibiting and I awarding prizes necessary to insure success." j Signed, Rufus Ellis. ] Henry W. Foote. ! C. A. Bartol. It was voted that the Committee on Plants and flowers, with Mrs. J. W. Wolcott, Mrs. C. N. S. Horner and Mrs. E. M. Gill, be a special com- mittee to establish and award prizes, for window I gardening, agreeably to the above communica- tion. THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY AND HORTICULTURIST. DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. Edited by THOMAS MEEHAN. Vol. XX. MAY, 1878. Number 233. Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. COMMUNICA TONS. DUTCH BULBS IN THE SOUTH. BY M. W. CALDWELL, QUERY'S TURN OUT, MECKLENBURG CO., N. C. I am a recent subscriber to the Gardener's Monthly, and am well pleased with it. I have noticed a complaint of Dutch bulbs deteriora- ting in the South after a few years. I have this day sent to your address by express a box of hyacinth blooms for 3'our inspection and judg- ment, and your opinion as to their retrogade movements. I have been cultivating these same bulbs from five to seven years. They were bought of Henry A. Dreer, of your city. Many of the bulbs send up from three to five spikes. The three White Double Pink Eye in the package all grew from one bulb. Should you wish to hear about the cultivation, I can in- torm you at another time. Many of the best spikes were faded. I have not sent you all the kinds 1 have. I have a garden of flowers, in- cluding nearly everything desirable to please, that will grow in the open ground. The Hya- cinths were mixed kinds without names. Tu- lips, the same, just beginning to bloom. The Peach blooms are the Double and Italian and Van Buren Dwarf, &c. fWe have rarely seen finer flowers. They were superior to the average of newly imported bulbs. The offered account of their culture would be very acceptable. — Ed. G. M.] THE SLIPPERY ELM. BY MR. J. JAY SMITH, GERMANTOAVN, PHILA. It is one of the regrets of planters in this region of Philadelphia that we cannot have the grand Elms of our Eastern States, because of the terrible attacks made on them by insects. And just here let me ask the wise men who made the nurseries for the "park," if they know of this sad depredation, for we see they are setting out vast numbers of the attacked — and therefore useless for ornament — Elm trees. But this apart, for time is to test the wisdom brought to bear on our park planting. I want Mr. Median's opinion as regards the freedom of the Slippery Elm, Ulmus fulva, from insects. My own ex- perience is that it is free from attack, and if so, as it has a weeping habit, it will be invaluable in the Middle States. I have a specimen equal to any of the great ornamental Elms of New England, and I learn with pleasure, Mr. Editor, that you also have a perfect tree unattacked by enemies. But more, I hear that you and Mr. Parsons have propagated largely from this, and I want to know all that you know on the subject. [The Slippery Elm in this region has its leaves badly riddled by a small beetle— a species of Galeruca — during the latter end of Summer ; but the trees do not look near so shabby after- wards as other species do after similar attacks. Chestnut avenue, Germantown, has its side- walks planted with them. They are now about twenty years old, and are very beautiful. — Ed. G.M.I 130 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY [May, COMPARATIVE ROSE LIST. BY BERGEN, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY. I send you a copy of the English election list, and one of Mr. Ellwanger (of Ellwanger & Barry) called the American List of Roses, taken from the Garden of Xov. 17th, 1877, hoping that you may find it of sufficient interest to publish it. If you do it might lead to a further discussion of the merits of many of the roses and benefit all lovers of them, and the trade also by making a greater demand for what might prove the greatest favorites. Other points of interest would arise as to fresh bloomers, the most perpetual, «&c., of the hybrids, of which the list is largely com- posed. Why should such general favorites as General Jacqueminot, Safrano, Bon Silene, &c., be left out, when they have been so generally adopted as forcing roses in this country ? Best 48 Roses, English Election and Mr. Ell- wanger's lists : rare about me, indeed, never abundant any- where; but last fall I saw very beautiful and stately trees on the edge of the swamps near the Savannah river rice fields. A few years ago I procured two or three trees, a foot or two in height, but they have hardly grown at all in this dry and sandy soil ; and yet I have seen them grow in such situations as Caleb ogue Sound, Hilton Head— within sight of the ocean. But they usually prefer the rich wet knolls of the swamps, but never anywhere do they form forests of pines as do the others. [Hoopes, Bro. & Thomas had a nice specimen in their collection at the Centennial Exhibi- tion.—Ed. G. M.l English. Marie Bauman. Alfred Colomb. Charles Lefebvre. La Prance. Marechal Neil. 5 6 Baronne de Rothschild 7 Francois Michelou. LouiB Van Houtte. Etienne Levet. Marquise de Castellane. Mad. Victor Verdier. Duke of Edinburgh. Mdlle. Marie Rady. Comtesse de Oxford. Doctor Andry. Senateur Vaisse. Xavier Olibo. Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier. Edouard Morren. Catherine Mermet. Horace Vernet. Marguerite de St. Amand. Emilie Hansburgh. Ferdinand de Lesseps. Dupuy Jamain. Camille Bernardin. John Hopper. Reynolds Hole. Victor Veredier. Prince Camille de Rohan. Mdlle. Marie Van Houtte. Captain Christy. Madame Lacharme. Devoniensis. E. Y. Teas. Duke of Wellington. Souvenir d'un Ami. Pierre Netting. Souvenir d' Elise. M. Marie Finger. Mad. Marie Cointet. Fisher Holmes. Monsieur Norman. Comtesse de Serenye. Sir Garnett Woolsley. Mad. Charles Wood. Star of Waltham. Mdlle. Annie Wood. A7nertcan. La France. Marechal Neil. Marie Bauman. Louis Van Houtte. Alfred Colomb. (Charles Lefebvre. (Ferdinand de Lesseps. Catherine Mermet. Mdlle. Marie Van Houtte. Mad. Victor Verdier. Mdlle. Marie Rady. Francois Michelon. Marquise de Castellane. Baronne de Rothschild. Etienne Levet. Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier. John Hopper. Abel Grand. Comtesse de Oxford. Senateu Vaisse. Victor Verdier. Glorie Dijon. Comtesse de Sambac. Captain Christy. Niphetos. Chehunt Hybrid. Prince Camille de Rohan. Comtesse de Serenye. Mdlle Marie Cointet. Rubens. Belle Lyonnaise. Comtesse de Chabrillant. Marguerite de St. Amand. Mad. de Ridder. Mdlle. Therese Levet. Horace Vemet. Exposition deBrie. Souvenir de Malmaison. Marie Dncher. Fisher Holmes. General Washington. Pierre Netting. Mad. Norman. Mdlle. Bonnaire. Mad. Berard. Mad. Trifle. Maurice Bernardin. Reynolds Hole. Mad. Marie Finger. PINUS GLABRA. BY DR. MELLIOHAMP, BLUFFTON, S. C. This is a splendid tree, and I have often won- dered that it has not been cultivated. It is CARPET BEDDING. BY C. J. BJORKLUND, HAJtIPTON, VA. Fig. 13, 24 feet long by 8 wide. 1 is Alter- nanthera Paronychioides major ; 2, A. versicolor ; Fig. 13. 3, A. amoena; 4, Leucophyton Brownii ; and 5, Sedum acre elegans. Fig. 14 has a diameter of 15 feet, with thereon arranged thirteen smaller circles ; the center circle a is to be a specimen of Agave Americana variegata in the center, then Sedum spectabile roseum ; one ring of Rocliea falcata; one do. Cerastium arvense ; one do. Aloes ; and one Pyrethrum. Circles 6, centres Agave A.mericana var,, Sedum micranthum, Rochea falcata, and Pyrethrum. Circles c, specimens of Cotyledon Fig. 14. 1«78.] AND HORTICULTURIST 131 pulverulentum, Sedum acre, and Pyrethrum. "Circles d^ Agave filifera nana, Sedum glaucum, "Cacalia, and Pyrethrum. Circles e, Agave veru- cosa, Sedum acre aureum. Aloes, and Pyreth- rum. Cu-cles/, Agave Americana, Sedum op- positifolium, Sempervivum Donklari arborea, •and Pyrethrum. 1 is Alternanthera amabilis latifolia sin-rounded by a lingermg ribbon of Fig. 15. Pyretlirum; 2, A. amoina; 3, Leucophyton Brownii ; and 4 Sempervivum montanum. Fig. 15 is the half part of a bed, 40 feet by 8 wide. 1 is Alternanthera magnifica, bordered by Pyrethrum, as well as is 2, Cerastum arvense ; 3, Alternanthera amcena; 4, Pyrethrum; and 5, Sedum acre elegans. Pig. 16, 27x8. Alternanthera versicolor ; 2, A. spatulata; 3, Sedum acre; 4 Pyrethrum; 5, Alternanthera magnifica; 6, A. paronychioides ; --' VINES. REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER. 1. Every vine, shrub or tree that approaches the condition of evergi-een, is valuable for its winter beauty. Hall's Japan Honeysuckle is the most valuable of all the family of hardy Honeysuckles. It is hardy, luxuriant, a real everbloomer the Summer tlu-ough, of fine green leaf, and, except under long continued severely cold weather, it is evergreen. Under my window, as 1 write, is a vine spread upon the ground, as green as in mid- summer. The Flexuosa, or Chinese, is near by, quite shrunk with cold, and will do no more till Spring. If one can have but one, that one should be Hall's. If suffered to grow along the ground, it will root at almost every joint, and furnish abundance of new plants without trouble. I have enjoyed a method of treating Honey- suckles on the lawn, viz., putting about a vigorous root five or six stakes, say four feet high, surrounding them with twine, about three hoops at equal distances, and allowing the vine to cover them. By the second year an altar of green will be formed, most comely to the eye. If the Aurea reticulata shall be used, it will give a 7, A. amoena; 8, A. spectabilis ; 9, Pyrethrum; 10, Cerastium tomentosum ; 11, Mesembryan- themum cordifolium variegatum ; 12 Sedum acre elegans; 13, Peristrophe angu«tifolia ; and 14, Sempervivum Californicum- Fig. 17. 1, single specimens 'of Chamapeuce diacantha; 2, Pyrethrum; 3, Alternanthera paronychioides; 4, A. amoena; 5, Leucophyton Brownii; 6, Mesembryanthemum cordifolium; and the small circles on the lawn are single specimens of Sempervivum Donklari. splendid golden effect. Golden vines should not be suffered to twine with others, as the appear- ance will be that of a sickly vine mixed with a healthy one ; but, kept separately, the effect is admirable. The Lonicera fragrantissima is a shrub that comes very near being evergreen. In sheltered places it will hold its leaves till after Christmas. At Peekskill, forty miles north of I^ew York, on the flanks of the Highlands, it is yet (Jan. 4) in good condition, though it has passed through 132 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMay, several severe freezings. Its perfume in Spring is delicious. 2. Why has not the Styrax been brought into notice? It has gone through last Winter, at Peekskill, without being harmed. There are few shrubs that can compare with it for beauty in its blossom season, and it ought to be in every garden. I can get it only by sending to England for it. It is finer than Andromeda arborea, which with me is not hardy enough to flourish, or I am not skillful enough to make it live except as an invalid. I do not know the specific name of my Styrax, but I think it is Styrax japonica. There are several native species that deserve to be introduced to our nur- series, to say nothing of scores of other things unknown and unattainable now. I know the reply. Nurserymen cannot afford to cultivate stock for which there is no demand. True, in large quantities ; but American nurseries have now reached a degree of development that will enable many of them to bring forward unknown plants, and give them such publicity as shall create a demand. Some agreement might be had by which one would fill out a special depart- ment, another a different one, so that out of six or eight nurseries a gentleman might secure what he wished. I cannot secure from any or all American nurseries the hardy Pines. Even Pinus mitis, so abundant in the fields, is a stranger to most nurseries — not to the catalogues. Oh, no ! the catalogues are all right, but orders come back unfilled in a manner that leads one to think that catalogues are copied from European lists, or are made up as fancy work. 3. Speaking of Conifers, much is written about transplanting. My experience is, that ever- greens may be transplanted at any time of the year when the ground is open and workable. I do not lose the half of one per cent, of the hun- dreds that I annually move. If they are ripped up and jerked out of the ground, laid in the sun, i and, worse yet, in the mud, until others have ! been slaughtered, and then hauled in an open I cart, stuck into a cramped hole, chunks of dirt < thrown in, and trodden down by one's feet, no I wonder they die. It would be a shame if they : did not. Take up the roots largely, cover them , from the light as you would your children's i bodies, plant them in a larger hole than that which they have left ; take time ; press the roots \ as if you were combing your own hair for a j party ; see that they are not planted an inch j deeper than they stood before moving, and then ' — mulch — mulch — mulch — them. After that you may whistle at Summer droughts or Winter freezing. I have had as good luck in orders from nurseries in September and October as in March or April. I lost some — I always do, for the most careful nurserymen are careless, judged by my standard. I had as lief transplant in July as in May, in November as in June. It only requires a little more care. In that murderous season, four or five years ago, I had planted many scores of Coniferous evergreens, but did not lose one per cent. — on the windy hills and sharp climate of Peekskill — and all because the plants were abundantly planted and abundantly mulched. Mulching, Summer and Winter, is supreme safety, for ornamental trees and for fruit trees. I have saved a pear orchard by a system of mulching in Summer as well as Winter. 4. I mean to write you bye-and-bye of my mistakes and blunders ; successes are all very well ; everybody likes to narrate them. But there is great instruction in well-considered blunders ; only, men are ashamed to re- late them ; and so much knowledge is lost. There is hardly a department of cultm-e, escu- lent vegetables, ornamental trees, fruit trees, flowers, vines, etc., etc., in which I have not been rich in mistakes. Ought they to die unre- corded? Enough. My paper has given out, and your patience, too, doubtless. [It is not often Mr. Beecher makes such mis- takes as that suggested by the last four words.. —Ed.] THE AMARYLLIS. BY MISS A. G. There are many plants allied to the Amaryl- lis, as we find by looking through catalogues and books on Bulbs. The following were taken from a Dutch list of Bulbs : Alstroemeria — Fhowers of great beauty and easy culture. Brunsvigia — Large bulbs, pink or crimson flowers. Buphane — Allied to Bruns- vigia, nink or scarlet flowers. Coburgia — Green- house bulbs, flowers yellow, or orange-red. Crinum — Flowers resembling the Amaryllis, white or rose. Grifiinia — Rose, blue, or violet lily-like flowers. Habranthus — Allied to Ama- rylis, fine for pot culture. Hippeasti-um — Gene- rally known as Amaryllis Ismene. — Very pretty flowers of white or yellow. Lycorus — Bears beautiful flowers, golden lily. Nerine — Guernsey lily the type, vermillion scarlet flowers. Pan- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 133 cratiuni — Delicate white sweet-scented flowers. Phsedranassa— Yellow, or bright scarlet flowers. Phycella — Charming flowers, yellow, red or scarlet. Of the above we have oloomed the Crinums (Capensis and Amabile) Griflinia,IIippeastrum, Ismene, Nerine, and Pancratium; and have cultivated Brunsvigia, Coburgia, Lycorus, Al- strcemeria ; Phsedranassa, and Phycella without blooming them. Our Alstrcemeria died of heat ■and a dry atmosphere. Brunsvigia, and also Belladonna lily, may have been disturbed too often ; they grew vigorously. The Lycorus (a lovely flower) divided into two, and refused to ibloom. The Phycella ingloriously gave up and died. The Phtedranassa grew well, but de- clined to give us one blossom to satisfy our longing eyes, and the Coburgia followed its ex- j ample. I tried for many years to learn in what situation the Hippeastrum variety grew, but ■excepting a mention of one, by Livingstone, which he found in a grassy meadow, heard nothing, nor of any one that knew, till pre- sented with " Herbert's Amaryllidea." In *his I learned that the yellow, or orange vari- ety grew among the rocks, in a forest, and some- times in the crotches of trees. Since then I have met a florist in Baltimore who has been •on several United States Expeditions, and who informed me that he had seen the evergreen (or fall blooming) variety growing in the "West Indies, in damp spots behind rocks. After that a florist told me that he had been speaking with :a physician who had been to the West Indies. 'This gentlemen told him that he had seen the Hippeastrum in bloom, by the acre, in or near the edges of forests. An English lady travel- ing in the West Indies, mentions them as grow- ing in the foiest. Herbert describes Crinums as ^rowing in or near ditches of water. A large variety brought from Africa was said to have "been fouiid growing close to a river. I have found, too, when cultivating the Crinum, ama- "bile, Capense, Americanum, &c., that if freely watered (as freely as for a Calla) they grew with astonishing luxvn-iance. Since writing last upon tlie Amaryllis, I have heard of various modes for its treatment, and some very successful ones. Lately a lady told me that it had been her practice, at the time she removed her plants to the garden, or yard, to place her Amaryllis (Johnsonii) in the cellar, putting the pots on top of a cupboard, where they remained, without water, till September. She generally put them away in the pots, but some- times without. The cellar was a slightly damp one. In September they were re-potted in a mixture of garden earth and chicken manure, the latter being taken from the floor of the chicken coops, where it was partially mixed with earth. They were then put into the windows of a warm sunny kitchen, and never failed to bloom. Another lady reversed the mode just described. As soon as decidedly cold weather approached she placed her Amaryllis in the cellar, and left thei'e with occasional watering (the cellar being a dry one), till warm spring weather, when they were sunk in the garden border. They bloomed after this treatment without fail, after being previously kept in a sunny chamber window, during the winter, without blooming. A lady of Philadelphia plants hers out in the Spring, pots them in the rich earth as soon as cool weather approaches, then rests them in the cellar till the middle of December, when they are taken into a warm, sunny room. In two weeks they are, generally, in bud, and never fail to bloom. One lady kept the fall-blooming (or evergreen) kind out of the ground for 8 months ; it was then put into the garden where it bloomed finely during the latter part of Summer. EDITORIAL NOTES. Horticulture in Japan. — The Japanese, after having furnished our gardens with some of our best treasures, are retaliating, and our popu- lar flowers now appear in their gardens. Lamium purpureum. — This pretty European species is becoming somewhat common in culti- vated ground in the North Eastern States. If we must have imported weeds, it is some com- pensation when they are pretty ones. LiLiUM Krameri. — This superb Japan lily, with others has been imported, in some quantity, direct from Japan, its native country, by Mr. Such. We have hitherto been dependent on European enterprise. Forest Grove Cemetery, Utica, New York. Under the management of Mr. Roderick Campbell, this is achieving an eminent repu- tation. A newspaper article now before us speaks of it in terms of the highest praise. We" like to note these things, as nothing is more 134 THE GARDENER'S AfONTHL Y [May, melancholy than the neglected grave yards one sees so commonly in traveling through the country, " Honor thy father and thy mother," was surely not intended to cease with their lives. Of course, this care for the memory of the dead often degenerates to vulgarity ; but all things have their extremes. The English Daisy.— From time to time the beautiful little English Daisy is taken in hand by the improvers, with new styles or at They are very beautiful spring flowers, but in our country somewhat difficult to keep over sum- mer. They require a cool soil and situation,, such as a sunk pit, for instance. Though so many Americans have heard of the Daisy, few have seen it. The accompanying illustration will give them an idea of it. NBIV OR RARE PLANTS. The Thick-leaved Elm. — The American Jigriculturist has a good word for the Ulnms crassifolia. It was gathered by the Agriculturist twenty-five years ago near San Antonio, and was previously figured in I^uttall's addition to Michaux' Sylva and named Ulmusopaca, though in the Flora of Arkansas, he had already de- scribed it as U. crassifolia. It seems likely to be hardy enough to stand where the Madura does, which is a native of the same State. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. The Bartram Oak. — This rare form, named by Michaux, Quercus heterophylla, is very much desired by Mr. Eli K. Price, one of the Honora- ble Commissioners of Fan-mount Park, to help least, some new feature. In taking up Messrs. | complete the Michaux Oak grove. If any one Yilmorin's (the celebrated Paris seedmen,) cat-; has a specimen that is transplantable, Mr. Price- alogue, we notice a fresh illustration of this fact, i would like to secure it. Green House and House Gardening. COMMUNICA TIONS. AMONG THE ORCHIDS. BY MR. WM. FALCONER, CAMBRIDGE BOTANICAL GARDEN, MASS. The following notes, written from memory, are the result of a flying visit during the first fortnight of December. There is no greater sign of the advancement of horticultiu-e in the East than the increasing de- mand for, and high appreciation of, Orchidete. Anything and everything is not indiscriminately grown, but the finest species and varieties, and the largest specimens are the most in demands Big specimens sell at a profit, but little plants- can hardly be got rid of at a sacrifice. Europe and America are scoured for the treasures, and direct importations from Mexico and South; America are often met with. In the interest of some of our prominent orchid owners, J. S.. Rand, Jr., late of Dedham, Mass., is now on a collecting tour to Brazil. The cultivation of most of the tropical species is easier here than in England, but when it comes to Masdevallias- and some Odontoglossoms, we have either a deal! to learn or contend with, as regards growing them compared with results in Europe. On entering the greenhouses at Menaud's nur- 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 135 series at Albany, the first plant I noticed was Vanda ccerulea in a suspended basket, and with three spikes, six and nine blooms respectively. Cymbidium Mastersiihad three spikes of expand- ed flowers. Cypripedium hirsutissimum — a very shy bloomer, especially in the case of small plants — had several large waxy flowers, and a specimen of C. Roezlei had four spikes — one a branched one, and several blossoms. Many plants of Odontoglossum grande were growing like weeds, and several of them had three and four spikes of immense flowers. 0. Insleayii, and O. I. leopardinum, were also exceptionally thrifty and in bloom. Mr. M. prefers pot ta basket culture for most of his orchids, and I ob- served most of his Odontoglossums were grown in earthy compost. He also distributed his or- chids amongst his general collection of other plants, because he dislikes the formality of an isolated mass of Oi'chidepe. Mr. Corning has an immense collection of orchids ; indeed, as far as I know, it is by far the largest in the country. He has many fine specimens, and his Phalsenop- sis — particularly Schilleriana, are large and healthy. Oncidium tigrinum was prettily in bloom, as was likewise the showy O. Rogersii. O. ornithorhyncum displayed some very hand- some spikes, and the white flowering variety, of it — very scarce — was also in bloom. Large plants of Angrtecum eburneum showed several bold spikes, and a very fine specimen of Anselia Africana promised a speedy reward. Odonto- glossum grande and Insleayii were both in bloom, and, too, in excellent health. O. Rossii majus was also in flower. Mr. Gray, the gar- dener, told me that he has difficulty in growing 0. Phatfenopsis. I also noticed some of the red- flowering Masdevallias in bloom. General Rathborne has a select and valuable collection of orchids, but not nearly so many kinds as Mr. Corning has. The general's plants however, are the very pictures of health and vigor, cleanliness and ripeness, and many of them, es- pecially Vandas, are large specimens. Two plants of Vanda ccerulea were in flower, each having ten blooms on a spike, and they were lovely. Angrtecum ebm-neum with several long spikes was bursting into bloom, and if I remem- ber rightly it was here I saw A. sesquipedale with two spikes of long-tailed flower-buds. A white Phalsenopsis was in bloom, and the many neighboring spikes that were appearing prom- ised early wealth. Saccolabium giganteum had one developed spike, and Cymbidium Mastersii had three with more to follow. Cypripediums were in great profusion, particularly venustum, one specmien of which had several dozens of flowers. No shadings whatever are used during the winter months, and the robust sturdiness and flower-promising look of the plants, bespeak their appreciation of the short-day sun. The general drew my attention to diseased spots in the leaves of same of his Phala?nopsis Schilleriana, and which were spread along the upper surface like large and deep pock-marks. When in England last summer he had a talk with Dominy at Veitch's, about this disease, and he expressed the opinion that he believed it to be the work of parasitic fungi, and recommended the application of powder-sulphur, which the general has applied. Of course the sulphur can only prevent fungoid growth, and not restore to good the evil already done. The general also spoke to me about diseased spots sometimes ap- pearing on the leaves and flowers of his orchids during the summer months. I recommended a little fire-heat by night throughout the whole summer, even if the ventilators be kept open night and day, This is to provide a sweet and constantly circulating atmosphere, and my expe- rience in the United States has proved it an excellent plan and more than worth the money. RALPH AND FANNY GERANIUMS. BY MR. WM. WHITE, SUPERINTENDENT OF ELLIS PARK, CHICAGO. In the last number of your valuable Monthly you notice two Western Geraniums, Fanny and Ralph, raised by John Goode, Esq., of this city. Will you allow me to say a few words in their favor ? I have grown Fanny for three years, and tested it thoroughly, both as a pot plant and a bedder, with the most satisfactorily results. As a pot plant (in my opinion) it is unsurpassed, always in bloom, Summer and Winter. The flower is a rich salmon color, of fine form and substance, the finest I have ever seen on a bronze Geranium. Ralph is also a very fine Geranium ; it is a very robust grower, habit first-rate, and as a bloomer it is simply immense. A bed of it last season in Ellis Park attracted a great deal of attention, both from fiorists and the public ; the fiowers are a peculiar shade of crimson, trusses very large and carried well above the foliage, and has the property of holding its center until the whole truss is fully expanded. I grow 150 of the 136 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \_Mav, newest and best English, French, and American varieties, all fine, but as a bedder, Ralph is king. I have no interest in the sale of plants ; my object is to call the attention of lovers of plants to two good things, and to encourage home productions. [Since our note appeared we have seen blooms of Ralph, and agree with all that is said of it. The shade of color is similar to one now well known as General Lee, but it is much superior in form and other good characters.— Ed. G. M.] KILLING MEALY BUG. BY G. WRIGHT, ROCK FALLS, ILL. For more than a year I have used kerosene to destroy mealy bug and scale louse, and have found it the most convenient and effectual remedy. 1 apply it to the backs of the insects witn a feather, and brush lightly aroun d the axils of the leaves infested, and I cannot perceive any injurious effects of its use upon the most tender plants. Hot water cannot be used upon large specimen plants, besides, there are some succulent plants, like Mimulus, which will not endure 120° without injury. Of late years it seems utterly impossible to keep a conservatory or bay window free from these two pests, for the reason that every accession of new plants from the large greenhouses brings a new stock of bugs. For my own part I would rather pay double price for clean plants, than deal with a lousy florist. BRASSIA, MILTONIA AND CLOSSUM. ODONTO- BY C. H. SNOW. BALTIMORE, MD. These three species of orchids are closely allied, botanically, to the Oncidiums, and resem- ble them in their growth and manner of bloom- ing. They all send their flower stems from the base of the bulbs, which stems vary in length from a few inches to three to five feet. ^ Brassia. Although many orchid growers do not place much value on these, yet some are really pretty, and all are curious and free flowering. They all belong to the Western Con- tinent, and come mostly from the warmer parts, and with me do well in the hottest place with the E. India orchids. The sepals and petals in all the varieties are long and slender, and resem- ble at a distance some huge insects. Brassia Lanceana and Lawrenceana are both from Guiana, resemble one another very much, and grow well in shallow baskets with broken crocks and charcoal. The sepals and petals are greenish yellow barred and spotted brown, lip yellow spotted purplish brown. B. Caudata. Sepals and petals greenish white, lip pure white, spotted brown. West Indies B. verrucosa [Mexico and Guatemala) sepals and petals pale transparent green ; lip white, with green warts. B. Gireoudiana. This is the hand- somest species that I have seen. Comes from Centi-al America. The flowers are bright orange yellow spotted with reddish orange. Flower stems two feet long. There are several other species, differing from tlie above slightly, in marking. They mostly bloom in the Sprhig, just before they commence to make new growth ; but they do not always do so, as the Guiana varieties will bloom twice a year if handled properly. Miltonia. This beautiful genus comes from- Brazil. A few species from Mexico are now placed as Cyrtochilum, and these latter are not remarkable for their beauty. Miltonias mostly bloom in the late summer or early autumn months, and will commence to make new growth in the fall and winter. If kept in a good heat sa.y from sixty to seventy degrees; and I find all or- chids coming from South Brazil grow through the winter months^ and do well and bloom well if kept warm and near the glass. At this time nearly all my Cattleya, Ltelia, Miltonia, Oncidium and Zy- gopetalons from Brazil are growing strongly, and this coincides with what I have seen in Bra- zil, for it is late summer there now. Miltonias have two distinct styles of bulbs, one small, from two to tliree inches long and flat. These belong .to the M. spectabilis varieties, and have short flower stems with one or two large flowers. The other form of bulb is more cone-shaped, narrow- ing to the top, and from four to seven inches long. M. Candida belongs to this class and they have longer flower stems and more flowers. All Miltonias have very small roots, which I ♦ think are only annual, the plants deriving suste- nance from roots emitted from the young growth. I find the spectabilis varieties do admirably on rough cork, the rougher the better. The stronger growing varieties grow well in small pots, well drained, always keeping the plants well above the pots. Those on cork need syringing twice a day when in active growth. They should never be allowed to get too dry, as the bulbs are small. Miltonia spectabilis. Tht; flowers of this species are quite large, sometimes over three 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 137 Inches in diameter; sepals and petals white, with a slight greenish tinge ; lip white, with a large purple spot at the base. The flowers come singly from the base of the bulbs, though I have had occasionally two when the bulbs were very strong. There are many varieties of M. specta- bilis. Some entirely white and others with a pink spot on the lip. M. bicolor. I think is only a variety of spec- tabilis with larger and brighter flowers. M. Moreliana. This resembles spectabilis very much, both in UK.de of growth and shape of flower, but it is far handsomer. Sepals and petals rich purple ; lip large and rosy purple veined with rose. This is a rare plant. I have had many sent from Rio for M. Morelana, but never got but one that was true. Blooms in August or September. Miltonia Candida. This beautiful plant has from four to seven flowers on the stem, w^hich is upright. Flowers in the sepals and petals are rich chocolate, barred with bright yellow ; lip pure white, marked at the base with rosy purple -or pink. In this species the lip is shaped some- thing like the lip of a Lselia, but in most of the other species it is flat. M. Clov)''sii. Growth like the last. Flowers on a flexuous stem, with from four to ten flowers two and a half inches in diameter. Sepals and petals chocolate and yellow; lip flat, white, with a purple base. Blooms in October and is very graceful. There are several other beautiful species of Miltonias, but they are rare. The blooms of all kinds of Miltonia are very easily effected by water, and it is best to remove them when in bloom to a cool dry place, taking care not to let any water fall on the blooms in water- ing them. If the flowers are kept dry they will remain good three weeks. ODONTOGLOSSUM. In the whole orchid family there is no genus that has caused more discussion among orchid growers than the Odontoglossum. Coming, in many instances, from elevated regions, where they are surrounded by fogs and' mists, they •are exposed at times to great vicissitudes of temperature. i>rothing is more changeable than the climate of tropical mountainous regions. I have seen the thermometer indicate from 90° to '95° at mid-day and clear, then 40° at daylight j the next morning and misty ; at the same time \ •the daily change of temperature at the base of 1 the mountain would not exceed probably 12° to .15°. That there is something peculiar needed in the treatment of this genus is evident from the fact that while in England and on the Conti- nent some succeed marvelously with them, others fail. Some grow them in cool houses, which they try to keep between 40° and G0° ; others do not mind if the mercury sometimes goes up to 85°, and in both cases succeed. That their proper cultivation should be sought is natural, for I think they are unsurpassed among orchids. Some pure white, or white spotted red, brown or yellow, others yellow or brown, or both these colors mixed in many ways ; and again, pink or red are the predominating colors. In size from an inch in diameter as in O. putchellum to nearly six inches in 0. grande magnificum ; stems from a few inches in length as in O. Rossii, to three or more feet in O. Lseve and O. car- niferum. Nearly fifty species are now offered for sale in English catalogues, and yearly the number is increased. Ko doubt varieties sur- passing any that we have yet seen will be dis- covered, though to look at a plant of O. Alex- andrse, O. vexillarium or O. triumphans in bloom, it would seem hardly possible. There appears to be a great diff'erence in the Odontoglossums coming from Mexico and Gautemala, and those from the countries in the north of South America. With the former I have succeeded admirably, but with the South American species I have failed. I find that the Mexican varieties make but one growth in a year, and remain dormant for some months; but the South American varieties show a tendency to grow all the time, and I believe that in their own homes the South American species bloom twice a year. It is well known, that countries near the equator have two Summers, and two crops are made on the same ground in a year. Now in New Grenada, Venezuela, and Ecuador, the home of the O. Alexandra;, and 0. trium- phans, «&c., the sun is always near, which gives them heat, and coming from elevated positions they have an ample supply of moisture all the time. But Mexico lies near the Tropic of Cancer, is a much drier country, and though vegetation is always green, has really only one long Summer, then a long Autumn or Winter, and the same is the case with South Brazil. The climate of all countries near the equator is less subject to variation than farther North or South. At Demerara and Para, the anuual variation is not over 15°, say from 75° to 90°. Bogota, nearly under the equator, but nearly six thousand feet above the sea level, has a varia- 138 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \May^ tion of about 25°, say from 42° or 45° to 70°. This latter elevation is the home of some of the finest Odontoglots. I find that our extreme Sum- mer heats are far more fatal to these than the Winter cold — in fact, it is the only cause of our failure ; and if we ever expect to succeed with them, we will have to build houses facing, the north, partly underground, and plenty of ar- rangements to keep a cool moist atmosphere during the months from May to October. After that they may be placed anywhere in a temper- ature of 50° to 65°, and they will do well. I will give a few remarks on varieties that have done well with me in a temperature of from 50° to 65° in "Winter, and as cool as possible in the Summer. I put mine in my Camellia house in Summer, which is well shaded and keeps from 70° to 85° in the hottest weather in day-time, and lower at night. O.grande. (Mexico and Guatemala). Bulbs and leaves dark green. Flowers from four to twelve in number, and from four to six inches in diam- eter ; sepals and petals browni and rich yellow, mottled and striped ; lip white and purple, blooms in August or September, just after the leaf growth is perfected ; keeps in bloom from three to four weeks. There is considerable variety in the size of flowers and marking. Should be grown largely, as it takes but little room. 0. Indeayii. This resembles 0. grande very much in growth and bloom. It is, however, more graceful. The flowers are smaller ; it blooms in December, January, and February. The lip in 0. Insleayiiis yellow, spotted purple. 0. Insleayii leopardinum. This I purchased at one of Young & Elliot's sales. It is much finer, than O. Insleayii, and the flowers are larger ; petals and sepals yellowish green, with bars and bands of rich reddish brown ; lip beautiful bright yellow, bordered by a row of crimson spots. 0. citrosmum. (Guatemala). Large, smooth, light green bulbs and leaves ; makes its bloom in the Spring with the young growth; flowers about two inches in diameter, and from eight to twelve on a pendulous stem ; flowers white, with pur- ple markings on the lip. There are some varie- ties in which the flowers are rose and flesh color. It is said to require more heat than most Odontoglots, but it does well with me with the Mexican orchids. O. nebulosum. I have not bloomed this yet, but it grows well and is making fine bulbs, so it is only a question of time. It is also from Mex- I ico. Flowers come with the young growth and j are borne on a pendulous stem. Flowers white ! in all parts spotted with reddish brown. The bulbs look like a citrosmum but are more ! wrinkled. Blooms four inches in diameter. 0. Bidonense (Guatemala). Blooms in Kov- [ on an upright spike. Sepals and petals brown ; I lip lilac and sometimes white. I O.cariniferum. (Central America.) This has long, branching flower stems. Sepals and petals chocolate ; lip, white ; gets light yellow in a few days. Flow^ers one and one half inches diam- eter. cordatum. (Mexico and Guatemala.) Small bulbs. Sepals and petals yellow barred dark red, lip white with reddish brown markings. There are many varieties of 0. cordatum, and O. maculatum which resembles it in bulbs and growth, and is often sold for it. O. Bossii. Has very small bulbs and leaves. Flowers on short stems two or three together. Sepals and petals white barred brown ; lip pure white or whitish purple. I grow this in broken crocks and moss, and one half dozen plants can be grown in a six inch pot. Blooms from one to three inches in diameter. O. pulchellum. (Mexico.) Small bulbs. Blooms nearly pure white and fragrant. This also requires a half dozen plants to make a show. 0. LcBve, 0. Uro Skinneri, 0. Cervantesii, and several other Mexican Odontoglots, succeed well with me and are desirable, as they last long in bloom and do not take much room. 0. Alexandrce and its varieties 0. Bluntii and O. Andersonii,come from New Granada. I have bloomed O. Alexandra; finely, but lost all my plants in the hot weather. The flowers are borne on half pendant stems, twelve to twenty on a stem ; are nearly pure white with sometimes a few brown or red spots on the sepals, petals and lip. There are a great many beautiful varieties. I would be glad to hear of any one who had suc- ceeded well with this most beautiful orchid. O.gloriosum. (New Granada). Has long branch- ing flower stems. Flowers about three inches in diameter, white spotted, brownish-red. I bloomed this, but came near losing it last sum- mer. O. triumphans. Very beautiful short bulbs and dark leaves. Flowers three inches diameter.. Sepals and petals golden yellow, spotted crim- son brown •, lip, white and rose. (New Granada.) 0. vexillarium. (New Granada). The whole flower soft ; rose three inches broad, and from, 1878.] AND HOR TICUL TURIS T. 139 five to seven on a stem. I do not know if this has been bloomed in this country yet. It is con- sidered in Europe the finest Odontoglot. O. pescatorei. This is another beautiful New Granada plant with white flowers and rosy yel- low lips. The flowers are borne on long spikes. This was bloomed by a gentleman in Baltimore whose plant is doing well now. 0. radiahim and 0. luteo purpureum are beau- tiful NeAV Granada plants with brown and yellow sepals and petals ; lip white with brown mark- ings. There are a great many more species and varieties from South America, but I cannot as yet recommend any from that country as of easy culture ; and as I propose these articles for the use of beginners in orchid culture, I can say that I have found the Mexican varieties to grow well. They can bear more sun than the others. This remark applies to all Mexican orchids. GERANIUM "NEW LIFE." BY O. Last week I saw the geranium New Life in flower. It is said to be a sport from the Vesu- vius, which is the most popular geranium in England, both for bedding and marketing, and also as a scarlet for winter-blooming. " Wonderful," another sport from Vesuvius, has semi-double flowers. It will, no doubt, su- persede its parent — bearing more persistently than the single varieties, and not sufficiently double to impair its free-blooming qualities. It is now reported there are two other sports from the same source, a salmon color, and a pure white. A white geranium, flowering as freely as Vesuvius, will be an acquisition. It will cause as much of a sensation in England as a white sport from " Gen. Grant" would out here. Vesuvius is offered in the advertising columns of the London gardening papers by individual growers, by the 100,000, at eight shillings per 100 — less than two cents apiece — and yet we are told plants are sold cheaper here than they are in England ! According to the wood-cuts which I have seen of New Life, it is a sport from " Harry King !" a seedling from "Jean Sisley," and sent out by Messrs. Standish & Co., Royal Ascot Nur- series, England. The only diflference between the "cuts" of each is the stripes. The stripes on the flower are not so conspicuous as they are in the cut, being quite faint and irregular. If the flowers I saw are a fair representation of the whole stock, it is of very little value only as a curiosity. EDITORIAL NOTES. LucuLiA GRATissiMA. — This is a very old but very beautiful plant from Australia, with large heads of Hydrangea-like flowers, and which gardeners have always found difficult to keep alive. It is now said in the London i^/omf and Pomologist., that this difficulty has originted from too much fear of its tenderness. If treated more roughly — just in fact as we would treat the common Hydrangea — it is a grand success. Has any one this plant in American collections ? Oakland Cemetery, Syracuse. — We hear that this progressive company intend to build a " Chapel of Roses," modeled after that designed by Mr. Campbell for the Eorest Cemetery at Utica. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Watering Small Plants. — W.M. G.,Niles, Mich., says : "Will you please inform'me how you treat thumb pot plants on hot days to keep them from wilting. Watering morning and evening is not sufficient, and it is said that we must not j water when the sun shines, neither must we let ! them wilt, and the same difficulty arises when ' plants are plunged out of doors." [The objection against water when the sun I shines on the plants is a purely theoretical one, I and appears only in the writings of those who have had but little actual experience. You may I take our advice, and water whenever the plants I need it. The only plan beyond this is in your case to partially shade the plants from the full sun.— Ed. G. M.] Culture of Medinella magnifica. — Mrs. E. B.S. writes : "Will you please give me in the next number of the Gardener's Monthly the name of the plant to which the enclosed leaf belongs and instructions for its care ? I hope you will pardon my demand on your time, but I do not know to whom else I can apply, and I thought that as I subscribed to the Monthly you would be kind enough to answer my questions, and oblige Mrs. E. B. S." [The plant sent was Medinella magnifica. It is a beautiful leaf plant, and those who possess good specimens have a prize. The plant loves warmth, though it can be kept over Winter in a cool greenhouse, or possibly a well warmed room. The pot with the plant will do very well in the open air in Summer. 140 THE GARDENERS MONTHLY [May. The lady's letter is published in full, so that we may take occasion to say that such inquiries are always welcome. What one wants to know is generally the want of hundreds of others, and we are very glad to help them in this way. —Ed. G. M.] Beautiful Cyclamens.— By what we read in the English periodicals, we see how great has heen the improvement in Cyclamens ; but a sample from Mr. Barker, of Norfolk, Va., shows that they are even more beautifully improved than we supposed. This sample comprises fifteen different shades of color or form. They seem to be a mixture of three species, Cycla- men coum, C. persicum and C. Europseum. Seedling Verbenas. — G. B., Colora, Mo., sends blooms of a seedling Verbena. It is a soft and agreeable shade of vermilion. There have been so many shades of Verbena intro- duced of late years since Verbena seed raising has been so common, that we do not feel safe in saying the color is novel, but we may say that it is a very good variety. Variegated Cobcea scandens. — Speci- mens from Mr. C. Th. Schueren, florist of Cleve- land, O., shows this to be a remarkably beautiful plant. We do not take kindly to many of these variegated-leaved things. They look diseased. This does not, but is bright and live looking. It is a good addition. Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. COMMUNICA TIONS. PEARS IN CRASS. BY GODFREY ZIMMERMAN, BUFFALO, N. Y% The sharp controversy of twenty years ago, on the question, " Can pears be profitably grown for market?" died away without any decided issue. If the same men could again discuss that point, the results, I think, would be far diflerent and of greater value to fruit growers. The statement that the pear is not well suited to our climate, and will never be abundant in our markets, has proved false; for so large a quantity of this fruit now fills them, that thou- sands of barrels have to be shipped •, an occur- rence which was not then thought possible. On ihe other hand, the notion that " cultivation by ■constantly working the soil is the only success- ful way," received a severe shock when the -Gardener's Monthly^ demonstrated that a profitable cultivation for the pear is better ac- complished in a well enriched and frequently- jnown grass sod. It is known that the roots of the quince suffer in light soil, or in cultivated ground. And I have found that injuries in the root cause the pear tree to produce small, curled leaves in the spring. But all our trees, especially dwarf pears, suffer more or less from climatic influ- ences ; and so far as these effect the roots, the best treatment is protection by means of a thick :SOd. It was found that a large number of the dwarf pear trees, that died m the spring of 1875, were frost killed at the roots, being planted in ex- posed places or cultivated soil. On my own grounds I found that dwarfs in cultivation, and so protected from the S. W. winds that the snow lodged in them, lived, but a few immediately I beyond this protection were killed ; while a large I lot near these, but six years in grass, did not suffer at all, though in the most exposed place. In fact, not any trees in my orchard (in grass) suffered, though fully exposed to the winds. ; The crop of pears that year (1875) was large, 1 besides a fair growth of wood. Last year there were an extraordinary yield not only in quantity, but in size and beauty. The average income from dwarfs, in grass, was $400 per acre,except- ' the Vicar, which brought twice that amount, and some B. Clairgeau and B. d' Anjou brought $12 per bbl. in New York. Having, dm-ing the past season, cultivated a i few rows of trees in the center of my dwarf pear orchard, to change the shape of the l)ed,. I ' found that the blight in these was much more severe than among those in grass. The actual record was as follows : Louise Bonne, cultivated, 88 trees 14 blight. "■ "■ in grass, 87 " 8 " Vicar, cultivated, 12 " 4 " " in grass, 70 " 7 '' I have not yet succeeded, and do not expect to succeed, in making my trees of uniform beauty ; but since they have recovered from the first 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 141 shock received by being put in grass, they are improving from year to year, as the fertilizing materials — maniu-e, leaves, rotten grass, and occasional dressing of soil — accumulate on the surface. The expense of manuring, to which many object as more costly than cultivating, does not exceed $30 per acre, at S3 per cord delivered in the orchard. I have many dwarf pear trees over 20 inches in circumference. One Duchess d'Angouleme of 27 inches, 30 years old and 18 years in grass, which produced 6i bushels of fine fruit last year, besides making a growth of from 6 to 15 inches. Others bearing a light crop, made a growth of twice that length, also in grass. Where irriga^ tion can be applied once or twice during the month of July and August, it will not only im- prove the crop, but will cause a rich growth of grass under which the quince root cannot be reached by frost. And I do not believe that grafting the pear or quince stock so changes its constitution as to make it a feeble tree. Protect its roots from the extremes of heat and cold ; give it enough nourishment to sustain a healthy growth of the top ; prevent its tendency to over- bear (which seems the only reason for its being weaker than when on its own root), and the dwarf pear will no longer be denounced as un- reliable, short-lived, and unfit for cultivation in tfhis climate. I believe if it were so treated, the more vigorous growth of the pear top would induce a larger than natural growth of the quince root ; and through this equality live as long as the pear top can be kept in a thriving condition. DWARF JUNEBERRY. BY H. A. TERRY, CRESCENT CITY, IOWA. In your issue for March I notice allusion is made to the action of our State Horticultural Society, in regard to the Dwarf Juneberry being sold by agents for real Huckleberries. I have never known of the Juneberry being sold for Huckleberries; but I must say whoever buys them under that impression will not get cheated, as they are much more valuable to grow on Iowa soil than the real Whortleberry, as the genuine Whortleberry does not flourish in Iowa. This Dwarf Juneberry is an Amelanchier, a native of the Rocky Mountain country, and may have been sometimes called Mountain Huckle- berry, as the fruit resembles in size, color, and taste, the genuine eastern Huckleberry. The trees or bushes grow from four to seven feet high, rarely exceeding six feet, and stool out from the root like the lilac bush, so that at three to five years old there will be six to a dozen trees to one root, which will produue several quarts of fruit every year. They are very productive, and the fruit is relshed by nearly every one. This variety was introduced into Western Iowa, by the writer of this, several years since, and is now well known throughout this region, and is also known to some extent through the Eastern States, and is, I think, highly prized wherever known. [The regular Juneberry of the East grows to a. small tree. We were not aware that there was a dwarf Juneberry of the superior character noted by Mr. Terry. While we were writing the above paragraph Mr. A. S. Fuller dropped into our office, and he I tells us he has had this Western Juneberry underculture sometime, and that it retains in the East the good qualities it possesses in the West. In New Jersey and some other States are dwarf forms of Amelanchier, but they are so poor in the quality of their fruit in comparison with the larger forms, that we hardly thought of it in connection with the one referre d to by the Horticultural Society. — Ed. G. M.] BLIGHT IN THE PEAR TREE. BY I. C. WOOD, FISHKILL, N. Y. Being somewhat interested in the growing of this desirable fruit, both as dwarf and standard, and watching the successes and failures of fruit growers in this vicinity, and having read with much interest the different experiences of fruitgrowers, as discussed through your valuable journal, I thought, with your consent, I would state a few instances or peculiarities of the blight in this section. One of my neighbors has an orchard of about 200 standard pear trees, from 8 to 10 years set; soil a rich loam, underlaid with coble. The latter is from 3 to 4 feet under. The first 8 or 10 inches is a good loam in which small flattish stone is pretty freely mingled, but after the first 8 or 10 inches it becomes a clean deep loam free from stone. The trees were set about 15 feet apart each way, and head formed 3 to 4 feet high. The ground has been carefully tilled with hoed crops, generally potatoes, but sometimes a part of it has been planted to corn. All have been pretty liberally manured with barnyard manure, and, as a matter of course, the trees have made a splendid growth. The sorts were mostly Bartlett, though some F. Beauty, B. Bosc, B. Clairgeau and Vicar were 142 AND GARDENERS MONTHLY {.May, set. The Bartlett and F. Beauty have borne two or three nice crops, and the fruit was excep- tionally fine. In the year 1875 about one- fifth of the orchard was seeded down to clover, and as it become pretty well mixed with weeds, the whole was mown and placed around the trees in the last mentioned one-fifth for a mulch. In the Spring of 1876 the clover came on finely and made a large growth, and getting down early, and the season at that time being pretty dry, he concluded to leave it, thinking to keep the ground cool and moist. The Bartlett and F. Beauty were cropping pretty well at the time, but he noticed instead of the trees in the clover making a fine growth they grew but lightly, and the leaves turned a sickly color like ripening up, while the trees in the cultivated portion of the orchard grew finely. By the middle of August some of the trees in the clover portion showed patches of bark on the stems and larger branches, signs of dying, and turned black, while those standing in the cultivated portion showed no signs of the disease, and have not to this time, but have kept growing right along, and have borne a fine crop the past season, 1877. I should have said the F. Beauty are the only trees that suffered sevei-ely. The Beurre Bosc and Bartlett ripened up their leaves early, and made but small growth. ISTow was this the fire blight, and if so, why did not the F. Beauty in the cultivated portion show it also ? Or did a portion of them, in both the cultivated and the «od. receive a slight freezing of the sap the pre- vious "Winter and those in the cultivated portion grow out of it ; and those in the sod being checked by being robbed of some of the essen- tials by the crop of clover, and being already weakened by the blight and taxed or deprived by the clover could not throw it oft', consequent- ly the disease already seated, and the tree weak- ened, as before stated, gave way at that time ? Now was this the frozen sap blight or was it something else V Would farther say none of the trees died fully, but are slowly recovering. Another, but still different case. Another neighbor having a fine young orchard of Bartlett, F. Beauty, B. Bosc and Vicar about 8 or 10 years set, and the two former having borne a couple of crops or so — the trees having stood in sod for a few years, and not making satisfactory growth— he decided to plow the orchard, which he did in the Spring of 1877, and planted it to corn. The trees started up and made a nice growth, particularly the F. Beauty and Vicar. The former set a fair crop of fruit and carried it through finely. Shortly after the first cold snap, say about November 20th, the F. Beauty and Vicar showed signs of dying in part or whole, the larger branches became suddenly shriveled and partly dry. Sometimes the whole head, and again a part of the branches, and occasionally the stem in part or whole gave way, and up to this date the disease continues to make itself manifest ; and while the larger branches and main stem become dry in part or whole, the ends of the branches are fresh and apparently healthy. Now, if this was caused by freezing of the sap, when was it frozen ? When it was first discovered the freezing had been very light. Or did they receive their check the Winter previ- ous, and being weakened by the crop of fruit and the dry weather, which prevailed at that time, cause them to give way at that late date ; and if so why did the Vicar die also, having no fruit to tax it ? Did the crop of corn take from the trees what was essential to their lives, and if so, why did not the Bartlett and B. Bosc also die ? Trees of the F. Beauty, which matured a bushel or more of fine fruit in 1877, are in some cases now entirely dead. OUTSIDECRAPE BORDER. BY D. G. R., CANANDAIGUA, N. Y. With your permission I will give a few prac- tical remarks on outside grape borders which will probably suit the enquirer on page 83. Having the management of vineries which pro- duced a fair crop of fruit but poor flavor, I found the cause as I expeeted, i. e., insufficient di'ainage and the roots almost all outside in a temperature of 34° two feet below the surface, and covered as you suggested. First, I di-ained it properly and then added a few feet of inside border. In the past season the result was no shanking and a fair crop. This season they have started strong and regular, look promising, and are now in bloom (12th of March) ; while at this date of the past year, under the same treat- ment, a few shoots were nine inches long and many not started. I presume the obvious suc- cess is the result of drainage, and the inside bor- der in which the roots have now grown consid- erably. Temperature at the roots 73°, two feet deep ; temperature of outside border 50°. For forcing, from November to March, there can be no doubt of the superiority of the inside border practically. An outside border may be of benefit when the 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 143 roots come into action before the full develop- ment of foliage and branches, if after this only useless laterals are produced. If the outside border is persisted in it should be covered with boards to throw oft' rain and snow, otherwise the ground will be cooled down beyond the growing degree. Under the heading of "Seasonable Hints" is the following on pruning the grape vine : "These latter become nothing but long roi:)e-looking apologies for what a vine should be." There is more science in it than advocating training them down a back wall. It is impossible to dis- cuss this article in a few lines. QUALITY AND CULTURE OF PEARS. BY GEN. W. H. NOBLE, BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Some recent notices in the Monthly on the ■quality and culture of pears invite remark. It is plain that the favorites in the garden and nur- sery need sifting and change, and more rigid tests of merit. When such a fickle and tedious pear as the Buffum is held beside the princely ;Sheldon, as mutual subjects of undeserved neg- lect, it is plain that somebody lacks a taste educated by a larger trial of kinds. The editor packs an essay into his pungent counsel for a careful weeding out of lists and new methods in their make-up. The pith in " Lacon " about saints is very close in point as to pears, that "a good many canonized as saints ought to have been cannon- aded, and a large congregation cannonaded ought to have been canonized." Special friends there always will be about this or that taste or texture in a fruit. But that "there is no disputing about tastes," long since laid down as an axiom, only gains that force, when those who dispute know the whole of that wherein they differ. When, therefore, a lover of this or that fruit rates it into the roll of honor, it is in point to ask how much the judge knows about the others, which the promotion of his favorite over-rides and out-laws. Now, rank in pomology must not be left to whim or caprice. Diplomas of merit should ■only be granted under the test of strict rules and standards. Otherwise, as many opinions would flash out about a fruit, as wrangled of old over the varied tinges, which from whim or environ- ment, the chameleon wears. A like doughty debate was once held over the birth-place, name and merits of the Pinneo pear, whose worthless- ness dawned upon the world in Eastern Con- I necticut. i The need of some closer tests of merit in a j fruit, and a new deal of kinds, is best shown by j an example. There is a pear of the same sea- I son as the Buffum (perhaps a little earlier) I never yet oft'ered on any regular sale list in this country, yet in every quality of tree and fruit [ very much its superior. This pear is the Heri- I cart. It is a Belgian pear, as old as Von Mons. { perhaps one of his seedlings. None of our fruit books but Elliot's has it rightly placed as to season, tree or fruit. It is nearly as large as a I Bartlett, ripens perfectly on the tree or in the I house, and does not readily wilt. It is good as I a worm-fall, or when picked from the ground at \ full maturity. It never rots at the core, and is very resistant to decay. Its flesh is buttery, juicy, and of the most delicate aroma. At ma- turity it is a handsome pear, of a tender, but of yellowish green, sometimes darker on one cheek, with a rosy blush. It bears well every year, and holds fast its fruit. Its tree-growth is fairly vigorous, somewhat struggling and jagged in youth, but shaping into graceful droop with years. It is as hardy as an oak, and thrives when the Bartlett fails and dies. It never mil- dews or leaf-blights, but holds its rich, green, broad foliage till late, maturing every twig. Yet this pear is never heard of, while the Buf- fum holds a choice place in every catalogue. Now, the Buffum, though so much favored, is a very fickle pear. When picked at just the right time, thinned so that each fruit gets full size, carefully laid away in the house, and watched for its exact point of ripening, it is a good, and sometimes a very good pear ; but if you delay the picking or the eating beyond that right time, or if when picked it is not favorably placed as to its surroundings, or if it is not a specimen grown large by the sacrifice of its fel- j lows, it is simply good for nothing, not a whit I better than the common Harvest pear, Amire j Johanette. j The very fact that of these two fruits of the same kind and season, the inferior is so known I and cherished, while its superior seems " born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetnes?," speaks for a new deal in fruits. Some should come to the front, and others should " go away into outer darkness." It proves, too, that one fruit should not be placed high among the choice, and another ignored or banished, except under tests of quality less arbitrary than the individual 144 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY \^May, vote or taste. The chances for whim or interest to go wrong, even under these, bespeaks the wisdom of some large, well-endowed horticul- tural garden where kinds of promise should have trial and test. About where that ought to be and how sustained, I shall say more beyond. In another article some simple rules for fixing the merit of a fruit will be offered, which may do till better are devised. NOTES ON NEW FRUITS. BY W. S. CARPENTER, RYE, N. Y. I send you a few notes in regard to some of the new fruits which I have been testing. Souv- enir du Congress pear; fruit very large, bright yellow, with a red cheek on the sunny side ; quality good, and keeps well. Its large size and fine appearance add to its market value. The tree is a strong grown, comes early into bearing, and produces large crops. It ripens a little be- fore the Bartlett. Pitmaston Duchess, a seedling of John Pit- mas ton, of England. A very large handsome pear, nearly of first quality. The tree is a good grower, comes early into bearing, and with me is a better pear in every way than the Duchess d'Angouleme ; ripens October. Beurre d'As- ; sompsion ; fruit of the largest size, an early and good bearer; yellow and red, very handsome,; melting and juicy, not high flavored. Eipens last of July. Brockworth Park, a seedling of Mr. | Laurence, of Brockworth Park, England. This pear was sent out with high commendations, but with me it is quite worthless. I have several trees of this variety. It is a feeble grower, and the fruit cracks badly. Eipens October. \ Louis Vilmorin ; fruit large, color a fine cinna- mon russet, flesh fine grained, juicy, perfumed, | sweet ; promising Winter pear. Ripens January. Monsieur Heberlin; tree a strong grower, hold- ing its leaves till killed by the frost, a great bearer; fruit large, yellow, very fine grained, melting, juicy, sweet, slightly vinous. This pear resembles the Bartlett in appearance, ripening from one to two weeks later — September. \ Madame Andre Leroy, raised by Andre Leroy, of Angers, France ; tree a good grower, fruit large, but cracks" badly ; October. President Coupre, a very large pear, from Belgium;' color yellow with a brown cheek. A prom- ising late keeping pear ; December. Compt. Lelieur, a Belgian pear of large size, looking much like Onondago, or Swan's Orange ; color yellow, very juicy, quite promising. Chaumontel d'Ete, or Summer Chaumontel; fruit large^ yellow with a fine red cheek, handsome and good' quality. A promising Summer pear ; August. St. Therese, one of Leroy's seedlings, of France ; fruit medium, skin j^ellow and bright red, handsome and very good ; ripening in October. Beurre Ballet Pere ; tree a strong grower, and bears young, fruit large, yellow, handsome, and good; October. Goodale ; this is a native seed- ling, and promises to be valuable. The fruit strongly resembles the Buerre d'Anjou, but with me it is larger, and nearly as large as that fine pear. The tree is a strong grower and holds its leaves late in the season. It is a great bearer, and I think one of the most promising varieties ripening in October. Micado, from Japan. The leaves of this tree are verj^ large and ornamental. Fruit medium, very flat, dark russet color, half melting ; ripening October. Japan, another variety from that country which promises to be valuable. The tree is very orna- mental, leaves large and glossy, and a prodig- ious bearer. Fruit quite large and nearly round ; half melting. Skin a fine golden, russet, a beautiful fruit, fine for canning. For the first time in ten years, the blight has made its appearance, and left its mark on a large number of pear trees. Some only a small limb, others have lost one-half their limbs,, and in some instances the whole tree has been destroyed. Some of our old apple orchards, last fall, put on the appearance of a visit from the seven year locust, the leaves on the ends of the limbs from six inches to a foot, turned brown. On examination! could not trace any insect, and concluded that the blight that was destroying our pear trees had attacked the apple trees.. This blight was more noticable on some varieties than others. Rhode Island Greenings and Fall Pippins suffered the most. ON THE USE OF SULPHUR. Great care should be taken by authors in the use of words to convey their meaning, for dis- astrous results may sometimes follow by using the wrong word, or not sufficiently explaining it so that it ma}' be understood as it is intended. In a much valued work on grape culture un- der glass, now lying before me, directions are given for the use of sulphur as a remedy for red spider and mildew, using these words, '' There need be no fear of sulphur doing harm to the foliage, so long as ignition does not take place ; 1878-.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 146 it may be used with confidence ;" and in another place these words are used, " Without being ignited f also in another work it is recom- mended to scatter sulphur upon the brick flues, hut care must talcen not to let it ignite. Now I do not believe there is any harm intended in the use of the word ignite, but I have met intelli- gent people who have an idea that to ignite means to blaze ; that sulphur or any other sub- stance is not ignited when it comes in contact with fire unless it blazes. I will cite* a case to the point : A wealthy lady of this town sent her gardener to me last Fall to see if I knew of a remedy that would destroy red spider in the hot-grapery. I gave him one in which sulphur was to be used, but cautioned him to use great care and not let it come in contact with fire un- der any circumstances whatever. I saw no more of him for nearly two weeks, when he came back with a very long face and said that he had done as I had advised him, but it had not destroyed the largest of the red spiders. His employer had been reading in a work on grape culture that sulphur could be used as I have quoted above ; so in order to finish up the business, she ordered him to burn a very small quantity to try it, but he must be very care- ful not to let it ignite. Now 3'ou see she had been misled into this error by the use of that baneful word ignite, and the consequence was the gas or fumes from the burning sulphur de- stroyed every leaf in both the hot and cold graperies, for she ordered him to treat both houses to this dose. A little while after this hap- pened I went to see those graperies, and I must say that it was about the sorriest -sight I ever beheld ; every leaf was as brown as a piece of leather. The grapes in the hot grapery had ripened off" in very good order (quite a large number of bunches still hanging on the vines) before the igniting process had been applied, and were not much injured, but those in the cold grapery had just begun to color, and, of course, were completely ruined. It was a scene of des- olation I do not wish to see very soon again. There is another case of a neighbor whom I met on the street one day last Fall, and wished I would go with him and tell him what was the matter with his grapery. As soon as I entered the house I thought it looked as if sulphur had been burnt, and asked him if it was not so. He said he had only burnt about as much as would lay on a five-cent piece. He had heard some one say that it was a good plan to burnit, and did not suppose it would do any harm. He wanted to get rid of those white thrips that were tor- menting him so much. I told him that a small quantity of burhiug sulphur was enough to de- stroy everything that was green in a house of that size, and if he had used the remedy I gave him in the early part of the season, he would have been all right. I have written this article to show how easily people may be led astray, and hope it may be the means of saving some one the experience of the two cases cited above ; and would say that if sulphur mast be used in a grapery or green- house, never let it come in contact with fire, for ruin will certainly follow such use of it. EDITORIAL NOTES. MahaLiEb Stocks. — A correspondent of the Rural New Yorker says : "The Mahaleb stock is peculiarly liable to the attack of a worm at the root, very similar to that infesting the peach tree. Perhaps our entomologists can toll us whether it is the same species." If there is any insect preying on the Mahaleb stock, it would be worth knowing ; but we fancy the insects seen had no connection with the injury. The questions put to the entomologists seem to have been unaccompanied by specimens of the insects. Crescent Seedling Strawberry. — Many years ago there was a variety with this name, and some are afraid that the new one will be mistaken for that; but we doubt whether there is a plant of the old sort now in cultivation. The Phylloxera.- -This little insect is on its travels. At the latest accounts it had reached Australia, and is receiving the attentions of the grape growers there. The Champagne Apple. — This has recently been brought to notice by Col. Stichter, of Read- ing, Pa. It was introduced by Mr. Fehr from Switzerland, fifteen years ago, and grown in his orchard as the " Champagne." Mr. Charles Downing, judging from some specimens sent to him, thinks it is an acquisition, and worthy of trial in other localities ; and gives the following as the description : Fruit of medium size, ablate, slightly angular; skin smooth, almost waxen, pale, whitish yellow, shaded with light red where fully exposed to the sun, and a few scattering brown dots, which are areoled on the colored side ; stalk short, small; 146 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY {May, cavity rather large, deep, sometimes slightly russeted ; calyx closed, segments long, recm-ved ; basin rather small, nearly smooth; flesh white, fine grained, tender, juicy, with a mild, sub-acid, pleasant flavor, slightly aromatic ■, core small, quality very good. Neglected Orchards. — The Country Gen^ tleman explains that its paragraph, at p. 38, to i which we referred in our March number, was not 1 really intended for " neglected" orchards, as stated in the paragraph, but as a covert hit at ! the theory of culture in grass. This explanation j surprises still more than the original statement; [ for what possible connection there can be ] between an orchard well cultivated with grass, | corn, or potatoes, and one neglectedand uncared i for, whether "grassy" or otherwise, it is hard to ' see. We repeat that no sensible man expects to get good fruit from a neglected orchard, whether in Michigan, New York, or anywhere else. Drying Fruits and Vegetables. — The progress made in the art of drying fruits and vegetables has been very great of late years. It does not pay any longer to string apples and peaches like beads, and hang them from the garret window. There are, however, some small machines, such as the American drier, with which any one who wishes to dry his own, can still save the fruit for his own family use, and perhaps save money by not having to buy. But those who have large quantities to do, and who can make a business of dried fruit, by the ex- penditure of one or two thousand dollars can put up driers, which, weight for weight, will put fruit on the market at lower rates than the perfect and fresh gathered fruit can be. There is now the Williams, a Michigan invention, and the Alden, both in some respects rivals. We have before us circulars of both, and both have goojl points, the agents of each, of course,, dwell on these separate advantages to such good purpose, that after a careful perusal the reader will be most likely to feel that both are decidedly the best However, on reading them we have derived the advantage of being more than ever impressed, that the fruit driers in their several inventions deserve well of the community. Only imagine— as the Williams' claims — 600 pounds of apples dried in twenty- four hours, at a cost of six and a half cents per pound ! We have to pay five cents on our streets for a " twenty ounce" apple weighing less than half a pound. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Japan Persimmons.— We have samples of dried persimmons, from James Waters, of Wat- sonville, California, of about the same good qual- ity as those already noted in these pages. Forestry COMMUNICA TIONS. CATALPA WOOD. BY C. S. S. The wonderful durability of the wood of the American Catalpa has long been known ; but Mr. E. E. Barney, of Dayton, Ohio, has done an excellent work in collecting together several letters written by him at different times to the Railway Age in regard to the economical value, especially with reference to the employment, which can be made of it, for railway sleepers. To these letters are added satisfactory evidence of the astonishing durability of the wood of this tree, its adaptability to many useful purposes, besides some excellent suggestions as to the best methods for cultivating it. The whole forms a neatly printed pamphlet of 26 pages under the title of Facts and Information in Relation to the Catalpa Tree {Catalpa bignonoides) , which can be procured from the author. Mr. Barney calls attention to the fact, which has heretofore escaped our notice, that in some of our Western States a variety of the Catalpa is found in cultivation with very large white blos- soms,appearing two weeks earlier and much more abundantly than in the common form. Exper- iments, too, show that this early blooming vari- ety is of more upright, rapid growth, and consid- erably hardier, and so more valuable for forest planting : a fact well worth beai'ing in mind. To all with whorii the question of a supply of fence posts is getting- to be a serious one, and 1878.] AND HORTICULTURIST. 147 especially to the manacjers and owners of rail- roads, Mr. Barney's pamphlet will be found useful and instructive reading. RELATION OF SOIL-TEXTURE TO TIM- BER GROWTH. I BY L. J. TEMPLIN, HUTCHINSON, KAN. Some time during the past season I read an extract from the pen of one of our savans — Prof, | Winchell, I believe, on the above subject, wliich, if I remember correctly, teaches doctrine \ at variance with the facts of the case. The posi- I tion of the professor, as I now remember it, is j that the treeless condition of the prairies of the West is caused by the physical condition of the soil composing this part of the country. I under- i stand the article referred to teaches that a very i finely pulverized soil is not congenial to tree | groM^th ; that a coarse soil, with more or less [ rocks and gravel, is essential to the growth of i timber. The Western prairies being composed | of very tinely comminuted soil, are uncongenial, and, indeed, detrimental to arboreous growth. Assuming that I have correctly understood and I remembered the meaning of the author — for I have not the article now before me, I object j to the teaching of the theory for the following j reasons : First — a soil of fine texture is not neces- ! sarily unfriendly to tree growth. There is no j finer soil in the world than some of the clay soils | of Indiana and Ohio where timber grows, and j has for ages grown luxuriantly. Second — it is [ not true that all the soils of the prairies is of the | fine tilth represented. It is true that a large part ' of prairie soil Is of vegetable origin, and of coiu-se | this is generally finely comminuted, but there are extensive districts where rocks and gravel abound, and they are yet as destitute of timber as other parts. Portions of Kansas are as rocky as the hills of New England, and yet are with- out timber. True, in some cases, the summit of rocky hills is crowned with timber, that it is only where the grass grows so scant that the annual fires can never reach them. Third — tim- ber is found growing in ravines, and, especially, on the borders of streams, out of the reach of fire, but where .the soil is as fine in texture as can be found anywhere. Fourth — it is not true that timber will not grow in the soil of our prairies. The millions of trees now growing luxuriantly in all the settled portions of the prairies in a suf- ficient refutation of "the assertion. I have been, all my life, familiar with timber growth, hav- ing grown up in intimate acquaintance with the forests of Indiana; but I never saw, in that State, timber grow with the rapidity and luxuri- ance that it does here, on these vast plains. Seedling trees set at one year old often grow from five to seven feet the first year, and some kinds often make a growth of eight to twelve feet in height, and one to one and one-half inches in diameter, in a single season, after being estab- lished. Does this look as though the soil of these piraries is too fine for timber to grow ? I think not Lastly — the soil of the Western prairies is as various and diverse in both physical texture and chemical constituents as that of any other part of our country ; therefore, whatever may be the cause of their treeless condition, it is clearly not attributable to the fineness of the soil. The cause of this distinction is, I think, clearly found in the annual burnings that consuiue the grass and with it all incipient tree growth. That this is the cause is evident from the two following considerations : First — it is abundantly adequate to produce such a result. All over these plains the fires have been accustomed to sweep every year from time immemorial. These fires when driven through the dry grass before a strong breeze such as generally prevails during the season that this burning takes place, are almost resistless. These fiames, when going fairly with the wind, often travel with the speed of a race horse, leaping sometimes 100 feet or more at a single bound. 1S.0 smaL timber can stand before such fires. A second evidence that this the true explanation of the absence of timber is the fact that, when- ever the fires are kept out for a few years a spontaneous growth of timber comes in and takes possession. All over these prairies are strag- gling shrubs and seedling trees that want only immunity from these destructive fires to spring up and produce groves and forests. THE EUCALYPTUS IN VIRGINIA. BY HENY M. WORCESTER, NORFOLK, VA. 1 am now prepared to report full}' upon the hardiness of the Eucalyptus in this latitude. : E.bicolor (though with slight protection of straw j and matting) perished the last season — and this j is the mildest winter known since 1825 in this section — proving it no more hardy than E. glo- \ bulus and other varieties. I also lost Cassia fistula (from Australia), when left out, slightly protected ; which leads me to the conclusion that Australian plants and shrubs will not stand out north of Georgia. Our winters are too severe 148 THE GARDENERS MONTHLY {.May. for them, and the Eucalyptus globulus is there- fore a fanciful dehision, as far as any l)enefits our low, flat, swampy and malarious country is to derive from its general culture here, as in Italy. As a proof of the unusual mildness of the season, I will say I plucked a Louis Phillippe Rose in my garden, in bloom, January 20th, and the same bushes are now set with buds. The Marechal Neil buds look as though a few more days' warm sun would open them. NORTHERN RANGE OF THE WILLOW OAK. BY J. STAUTFER, LANCASTER, PA. In the current number of your journal for Ai>ril, 1878, page 113, J. M. says : " It would be interesting to khow the farthest northern point that the Willow Oak, Quercus phellos has been found growing wild." In the spring ,of 1862, Mr. Hensel, Sr., brought me a branchlet, with leaves on it, of a beautiful large tree, growing in an open field, as he informed me, desiring a name for it, stating where it grew. I considered it the Willow Oak. June 13th, 1864, stopping, with others, on our way to the Susquehanna, at the public house in Martin ville, Lancaster Co., Pa., it occurred to me that we were near the locality of said oak. On inquiry, one of the party had seen the tree before, and Professor Porter, then of Franklin College, had given him the name. We walked out a short distance, and sure enough, there stood a vigorous tree, densely covered with its pretty foliage, forming a full round head, about thirty feet high, a veritable Quercus phellos. How it came there the oldest inhabitant could not inform us. This brings it somewhat farther north than Philadelphia. EDITORIAL NOTES. Value of Fast-growing Timber. — It is worth noting on how slender foundation gener- ally accepted theories often stand, and it ought to be a lesson not to take all preaching for sound doctrine. We all know how universally accepted, a half century ago, the belief was that rapid-grow- ing timber was good for nothing — only that which grew slow was worth touching. People saw that the Hickory and Oak grew slow, and that the Willow and Poplar, which grew fast, were only fit for the paper mill. But now we find that the Allan thus, Catalpa, Osage Orange, Mulberry , and the faster-growing kinds of Oaks, the Blue Gum, and other fast-growing things, are among the best timber trees in the world. It was the old notion that hard timber grew slow that created such a ghost in the public mind about the disasters to the nation to come from the disappearance of the forests. When timber gets scarce enough to make it profitable to raise more, the enterprising " Yank" will get up a new supply on short notice ; and he will not want to send a commissioner to Europe to find out what trees grow fastest in the American climate, but will look to American facts for American people. The Massachusetts Premiuivls for Tree- Planting. — The prizes for tree-planting offered by the'TMassachusetts Society for Promoting Ag- riculture have closed with thirty-two entries, principally from the eastern part of the State. This competition necessitates the planting, this Spring, fourteen acres with White Pine seed, four acres with Scotch Pine seed, 52,000 White Ash plants, and 30,500 European Larch. Tea Culture in the South. — There is little doubt, from all the facts before us, but the real Chinese Tea plant can be grown well, and the article made cheap enough to have a commercial value in some of the Southern States ; and we look for it in time to be as high among staple Southern farm products as sugar or oranges. The Catalpa Tree.— Mr. E. E. Barney, of Dayton, O., has collected facts and issued a neat pamphlet in regard to tliis tree, which we are glad to see, having been among the first to call attention to the great durability of its timber. Dogwood Timber. — It is found tliat the tim- ber of Cornus florida, our common Dogwood, is quite equal to Box Wood for some pupoaes to which, in England, Box Wood has been wholly in use ; and there is an annually increasing de- mand for it on America. Recently one of the American Line steamers from Philadelphia car- ried out four hundred and fifty logs of it among its cargo ; and a number go with many others. Sycamore Timber. — The "Sycamore" of English forestry is the Acer pseudo-platanus. In this country we call it Sycamore Maple, to avoid confusing it with the Sycamore or Button- wood. The Journal of Forestry says the timber is highly prized in Lancashire for cloth-finishing AND HORTICULTURIST. 149 rollers in machinery, and is rather scarce. The trunks of four trees, containinp; only 200 cubic feet, on the estate of the Earl of Wilton, re- cently sold for S125, which is considered very high for timber in England. Big Trees in Australia. — These do not seem to be confined to Blue Gums. The Nelson Daily Times of New Zealand states that a gigantic Black Birch tree was felled recently by a surveyor's party at Staley Creek, near Ahaura. It is stated to have measured fifty-seven feet in circumference at the butt. But this " Black Birch'- must not be confounded with the Amer- ican Black Birch — Betula rubra — though that sometimes grows to a very large size. Notes on Tree-planting.— Prof. C. S. Sar- gant. Director of the Botanic Garden and Ar- boretum of Harvard University , has issued a very interesting pamphlet on the subject. He re- marks on the Red Pine, "Wild Black Cherry" — Ulmus racemosa — Ailanthus.with minor notes on other timber trees. BiKNAM Woods. — Every reader of Shakes- peare knows all about Birnam woods, as men- tioned in Macbeth. From the Journal of Fores- try we learn that three of the trees are 3'et standing — two Oaks and one Plane tree — they being over 1000 years old. Yet they are not extra large for their age. The Oak is 18 feet, and the Plane 19 feet 8 inches. Oak Staves. — Louisiana and Mississippi are asking why some Northern men do not come down there and go into the oak stave business, instead of building up th se industries in the West, as the Oak is so abundant in these States. It seems a strange question to ask. People gen- erally go where they see other people making money. Coffee in California. — The Los Angeles Express says that Badillo Brothers, of that place, have fruited the genuine Arabian Coffee, but that the success was not proportionate to the labor and expense attending it. Trees in North Carolina. — The following are the dimensions of some North Carolina trees, as reported from Cherokee county by the Board of Agriculture of that State : White Oak, 13 feet 4 inches in circumference, and 50 feet to first limb ; Yellow Locust, 10 feet circumferenc ' , and 60 feet to first limb ; Chestnut, 18 feet 6 inches in circumference ; Poplar. 11 feet 9 inches in circumference, 70 feet to first limb. Poplar. 11 feet in circumference,? feet to first limb Yellow Locust, 7 feet 7 inches in circumferennce 45 feet to first limb ; Shingle Oak, 11 feet in cir- cumference, GO feet to first limb ; Black Gum, 9 feet 7 inches in circumference. 40 feet to first limb ; Hickory, 9 feet in circumference, 50 feet to first limb ; Grape Vine at Valley Town, 18 inches in circumference. The Mammoth Trees of California.— Two thousand acr-es, including the famous mam- moth grove of Sequoia gigantea, were recently sold at pulplie sale to S. W. Sperry, of Calaveras county, who, it is believed, will take good care of them. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. Value of Cherry Timber. — A correspon- dent asks : '' Why do you think the wood of the escaped Garden Cherry is better for cabinet work than that of C.serotina? See G. Monthly, p. 144, April No. Have you ever seen the former used? and when and where shown. lam interested in the subject of this Wild Cherry wood, as you have seen, if you have i-ead my last 'Notes;' but I want to get any additional information I can on the subject. So your paragraph at once arrested my attention and causes tliis inquiry." [The Wild Cherry, which is indigenous (Ce- rasus serotina), and the Wild Cherry which is an escape from our gardens, are both in abundance in the vicinity of Philadelphia. One is as easy to be obtained as the other. We have since learned that both are used, and both liighly esteemed, and in many cases where the wild garden cherry is not to be had, the cerasus sero- tina is wholly employed. — Ed. G. M.] Black or Yellow Locust.— D. says : " We consulted your book, but could not ascertain from itif Robinia pseudo acacia (Yellow Locust) is the same as White and Black Locust, and if it is only the soil that makes the difference. We find in Bryant's Forest-Tree Culturist, that he claims they are different, but gives them all under the head as above. An early answer will oblige." [Does any one know of any difierence in the wood or location, that gave rise to the distinctive, names of Yellow and Black ?— Ed. G. M.] 150 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY IMa^ Natural History and Science. COMMUNICA TIONS. THE ENGLISH IVY-WILD. BY 15. F. L., PHILADELPHIA. Some days since, whilst searching for wild flowers, in a forest on the Brandywine, about a half-mile above "Wilmington, Del., I discovered the English ivy — Hedera helix— growipg over the exposed roots and the lower portion of the trmik of a tree, fifteen or twenty years of age. No house, nor barn, nor ruined wall was in sight from the spot where the specimen was found, and I could see no reason why any one should have selected this particular tree and place for setting out the plant. Had the tree been a beech, and had 1 found four and a half feet directly above the ivy a pair of monograms sunk with a knife deeply into the bark, and surrounded by symbols, carefullj' cut, but of mysterious import, I would have strongly suspected the planting to have been the work of man. The circumstances in this case I think certainly prov<; that a little bird planted the seed, and that Iledera helix, if it has not heretofore been detected away from its proper wall, or garden border, will have hereafter to be classed among the strays. Perhaps some of the readers of the Monthly may tell us whether this waywardness is of old or recent date. CONCERNING TWO SPECIES OF APPLE. BY HON. WILLARD C. FLAG6, MORO, ILL. Considering the great economic importance of the apple to the inhabitants of the north tem- perate zone, I must confess I am disgusted at the small amount of attention it has received from our botanists. The native species of the Old World, even, do not seem to be well studied and characterized, and our New World botanists have probably not improved on this condition of things. Nevertheless, I wish to bring before your botanical as well as horticultural readers two species that I think should be better known, for the purpose of eliciting such information as may exist concerning them. OREGON CRAB APPLE, Pyriis rivularis. Doug. It seems to be fii;;ured with the incorrect name of Pyrus coronaria in the report of the Department of Agriculture, 1870, p. 414. (See cut, Fig. 1, herewith). Dr. Vasey, in his report on the Forest Trees of the United States, in the report for 1875, describes it as a '• small tree, ranging from California north- ward into Alaska. The fruit is of the size of a cherry, of an agreeable flavor, and used, particular- ly in Alaska,by the natives of the country for food." In Washington Territory, according to a pam- phlet by Mrs. Stuart (1875), " the Crab apple in many localities forms orchards on the prairies. Its presence is an indication of good soil. The wood is hard and tough, and the fruit well flavored." Has this tree been fruited or planted on this side of the Rocky Mountams ? Has the close- ness of its relationship to other species of the apple been tested by budding or grafting one upon the other? Has it more hardiness than other species in endurance of cold, &c. ? Does it promise by such a process of amelioration as the Siberian Crab is now going through to be- come a valuable fruit V Leaving these questions to get aiiswered, I would next ask for information concerning the OHIA. Lindley, in his Vegetable Kingdom, mentions an indigenous and solitary species of apple as found in the Sandwich Islands. James, in his I history of the Sandwich Islands, mentions among 'the indigenous and plentiful fruits "the Ohia juicy and red, but of poor flavor." Whitney, in his Hawaiian Guide Book (Honolulu, 1875), ' describes THE LARGEST APPLE ORCHARD IN THE WORLD. " The wilderness of Koolan, Maiii, contains a I forest of Ohias (native wild apple trees) count- j less in number, stretching from the sea far up i the mountain sides. The trees vary from forty I to fifty feet in height, and in the harvest season, I from July to September, are covered with fruit, some white, but mostly red. We passed through I the forest when the trees were loaded with ripe I and ripening apples. What a sight I For miles around us, up the mountain and toward the sea- j shore, was one vast grove of Ohias, literally red 1878..] AND HORTICULTURIST. 151 -w'ith ripe fruit, their branches bending to the and solitary waste, would fill a fleet of one hun- ground with the bounteous harvest. Birds of dred steamers of the size of the Mikado, for the •^oro-eous colors of mingled red, blue, green, orchard stretches from five to ten miles wide by yelfow and black, were feasting in countless twenty miles long, and many of the larger trees numbers, and making the forest ring with hap- bear at least fifty barrels [bushels ?] apiece. The py choruses. The crop of these orchards which fruit furnishes the traveler excellent repast, ap- nature has planted so generously in this wild ' peasing both thirst and hunger. So far as is 152 THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY [May, now known no commercial use can be made of the Ohia, as when ripe it cannot be kept more than four days." Who can tell us something of this apple? I have not been able to ascertain its botanical name, nor to learn whether it be a true apple. Have any of our Southern California horticul- turists experimented with it ? It is possible that for the extreme Southern States here is some- thing worth a trial. [This article possesses a melancholy interest in being, perhaps, the last literary production of our friend, who died on the 30th of March, it having been received by us a little while before. There was nothing to indicate any fear of losing him beyond the line, " Haven't felt well enough to write a letter, or I should have written," in a brief note with the article. The upper figure in the engraving is the Pyrus.— Ed. G. M.] rather in the harmonious relation between the- two above nutritive powers than with insect pollenization. — Gardeners'' Magazine. Hills of Pennsylvania. — By the Proceed- ings of the American Philosophical Society for 1877, we find that the highest land in Indiana county, Pa., is on the divide between the Alle- gheny and Susquehanna rivers, and is put down as 1999 feet. March Weather at Saratoga, N. York.^ — By the record at Terwilliger's greenhouses, it appears that the warmest day was 64°, the coldest 8° above zero, and the average for the month 38° — variety enough to please the most fastidious. SCRAPS AND QUERIES. EDITORIAL NOTES. An Arboretum at Nashville. — By the \ Nashville Daily American of March 2Gth, we learn that the Vanderbilt University has decided to plant a complete arboretum on the grounds. They have started with two hundred and fifty species of deciduous trees and shrubs, contrib- uted by a member of the American Association for the advancement of Science, which body held its annual session there last year. The Vegetative and Reproductive Forces. — The Seeding of Wistaria sinensis is a subject full of interest for the vegetable physi- ologist, and especially for the Darwinist. At the last meeting of the Linnean Society a paper from Mr. T. Meehan was communicated by the Rev. G. Henslow, " On the Laws governing the Production of Seed in Wistaria sinensis.'''' The author alludes to the fact that the Wistaria, when supported, grows amazingly, but is seed- less; on the contrary, the self-supporting so- called " tree Wistarias," produce seeds abun- dantly. These cases illustrate the difierence between vegetative and reproductive force. They are not antagonistic, but supplement each other. While Wistaria flowers freely without seeding, it has been supposed this arises from the bees not cross fertilizing. Mr. Meehan submits data, however, in which he thinks the question lies The English Sparrow. — M. C, Fort Dodge,, Iowa, writes : '' I see by the public papers that you are having an excitement about the English; sparrow, and are trying to make laws to drive him out. Some of our people are anxious to get the bird to our western towns, but I hope you will give them a word of warning as to the folly of the thing from your Philadelphia experience. I have just had a word of warning from a relia^ ble Englishman. He tells me that since the introduction of the sparrow to the English dominions it has driven out all the other singing birds. That at one time England was the home of' the sky-lark, the nightingale, the goldfinch, the thrush, blackbird, and many sweet singers, buti that they have all taken their flight across the straits of Dover, and that there is hardly a bird left but the sparrow in all England. He says that the grape was once a great product of Eng- land, and wine was made there equal to the best in France, but the introduction of the sparrows has effectually killed the wine trade. The apple and the pear tree never fruit any more, since j these rapscallions eat out all the blossom buds, j and that thousands of orchards in the old cider- I making districts have had to be cut down for fire wood, as never an apple do they bear any more. He says that whole flocks of the good old-fash-^ ioned song birds may be seen any day collecting at Dover to fly across to France to get out of the way of those pugnacious sparrows, and leave forever their native land. The grain crops, he 1878.] A ND NOR TICUL TURIS T. iss- says, suffer like fruit— at least half tlie product go- ing to these feathered robbers; and when he left the Old Countr}' they were about getting an act of parliament, a sort of legislation I suppose, to reimburse the farmers for the loss through the English govertiment having introduced the bird, lie is sure that the scarcity of bread-stuflfs in England is from the prevalence of the sparrow, which are as thick there as the sands of the sea, and he thinks that the bird must have been sent over here by some enemy of our country, who was jealous of our sending so much bread-stuff to England. Now, Mr. Editor, surely a word to the wise is sufficient ; and if you are going to expel the wretch from Philadelphia, don't let him come here." [All this is news to us in Philadelphia. That reliable Englishman would make a good war correspondent in the next fight between Russia and England. "We will only speak for Phila- delphia, that she grows as many apples and pears as she ever did. Our own pear and apple trees bear abundantly, and swarm with spai-- rows. There were no insectivorous birds in Philadelphia before the sparrows came, and therefore, insects abounded. It was because they abounded that the sparrow was introduced. Since they came here the measuring caterpillar does not exist. They do not care greatly for caterpillars, but they have a great love for the moths which lay the eggs, and that suits Philadelphians just as well. As for there being any excitement m Philadelphia, we have not heard of it. There are, of course, some who, like our correspon- dent, listen to " reliable reports " of others, and who can readily trace the apparition of their great-grandparents in an old tree stump by night, who think the sparrows are dreadful things. But such people always will have an existence. As to the sparrow itself, it is cer- tainly not an unmixed good, and it will, there- fore, get friends and enemies, just as people happen to look at its work in relation to their own desires. — Ed. G. M.] A Christmas Flowek. — Reader, Burling- ton, N. J., writes : " Having noticed the foUow- mg article in different papers, copied from the Boston Free Press : Last year we made men- tion of a curious plant which John Atwalt had in his garden. On Christmas eve, true to its nature, the ' Christa watzel' was up out of the frozen ground; and between 12 and 2 o'clock Christmas morning it bloomed. To-day (April 8th) it has disappeared and there is no trace of it left." Can you give any information on the sub- ject ? I can find nothing of it in any of the works on Botany- Please answer through the columns of the Gardener's Monthlv next month and oblige." [We are not sufficiently versed in the German vernacular names of plants to identify this for our correspondent, — but the account reads very much as if the plant might be the Black Hellebore which is called Schwarze Christwurz in Germany.. The German family name of the Hellebore is Neisswurz. In England it is known as Christ- mas Rose. It is generally in flower about Christmas, and continues to send up flowers till March, when it ceases to bloom. — Ed. G. M.] Bo'i*ANiCAL Names of the Sweet Potato.. — In our last we gave Convolvulus Batatas, as the name of the Sweet Potato. Convolvulus and IpouKee have many points in common, and some botanists confuse them. But this species. is properly related to the last, and should strictly be Ipomcea — not Convolvulus Batatas. Imatophyllum. — "Plausible and amusing as is the theory," says a correspondent, " that this name began as Himantophyllum, and dropped its H in London, the reverse happens to be true. It began in the Botanical Magazine, in 1828, as Imatophyllum, and got its H, also the n in its middle, in Germany, from Sprengel, sometime afterwards. The n was put in for a very good reason, and one that goes against your Cuyahoga, correspondent's surmise. The name is said, in the Botanical Magazine, to have the first part from ' I/